History could be made tonight as Burton Albion go after a record-breaking 12th consecutive win in the Blue Square Premier in a game that may well underline their credentials as the team to beat in the league this year.

But the match against fellow promotion hopefuls Torquay United isn’t the only concern for Brewers fans. Derby County are after their boss, Nigel Clough, who, in ten years, has guided Burton from the depths of the Southern League to within touching distance of league status. It’s no surprise that he’s a man in demand.

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Cheaters never win. At least that’s what our mommies and daddies have always led us to believe. In the world of football, however, we know that that’s not always true. Sometimes, cheaters win, and win big.

In the high-stakes world of professional football, where money, fame, and pride are coveted by all, even the strongest and most disciplined players can be tempted to cheat. The reward is too great for players not to cheat, and sometimes, players can even be hurting themselves and their teams by not trying it. Indeed, if “cheaters never win” is one old saying, then “if you aren’t cheating, you aren’t trying” is another one.

Generally, the three biggest areas for cheating in football are diving, doping, and match-fixing. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest examples in each of those areas:

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The theme in this season’s Carling Cup semifinals is Premier League vs Championship, haves vs havenots (wrt Derby’s owners, they’re not going to play in the Premier League next season or have a lush new 60k seater in 3 years, are they?) and as the spinners love to spin it (admittedly so do we), David v Goliath.

It helps that one of the underdogs has already beaten 3 Premier League sides, all teams currently above their opponents tonight at White Hart Lane. Tottenham may be reigning champions and pound for million pound better than Burnley, but with the ‘revival’ nonsense done away with they are unlikely to be tougher opponents than Arsenal or Chelsea.

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Fabio Cannavaro, Carlos Tevez, Michael Ballack, Michael Owen, Mark Van Bommel, Fred…

These are but a few of the players whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season. And with the january transfer window practically at our doorstep, it is time to give these “old timers” a chance to prove they still are champion material. Time to make that zero-cost buy to win you that elusive trophy, cup, or championship title (or in the worst cases, save you from relegation).

In other words: it’s “Bosman Bonanza” time, with some real bargains to be made…

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The January 2009 transfer window has opened, and our coverage of transfers is back in full swing. Along with providing daily coverage of transfer news and rumors, you can keep up with confirmed transfers from several leagues.

English Premier League Transfers (Updated: 4 Jan)
English Championship Transfers (Updated: 4 Jan)
La Liga Transfers (Updated: 4 Jan)
Serie A Transfers (Updated: 4 Jan)
Bundesliga Transfers (Updated: 4 Jan)
Ligue 1 Transfers (Updated: 4 Jan)
Scottish Premier League Transfers

Click on any of the links above to be taken to the January 2009 transfers list for that league.

Enjoy, and if you have any suggestions for SL, may it be for transfers coverage or anything else, feel free to tell us here.

Modern football is on 24/7, 365 days an year. It’s intense. It’s in your face. It’s ridiculously easy to get sucked in and react to news on a daily basis, and in this process we tend to miss the bigger picture and especially miss the opportunity to see how stories develop over time.

Mainstream media is no help either - their bread and butter is the daily grind, not more knowledge for fans, and thus the average fan is jerked around all year long on Ronaldo’s sexcapades, Arsenal’s refusal to experienced players, the most exciting title race since the start of title races, the backstage shenanigans at Tottenham, Newcastle, Real Madrid, West Ham and Manchester City, and of course, the effing referees.

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