Moon lights the way for Santa tonight

The first full moon on Christmas Eve since 1977

The next such event is not until 2034

MERRY

CHRISTMAS

from The Intrepid Reporter 

The awkward truth about the Christmas truce

THE CENTENARY of the Christmas truce in World War One has been rightly marked with a series of events and commemorations over the festive period.

It was, after all, an extraordinary event. Just think for a moment about the incredible bravery of soldiers on both the allied and German sides as they tentatively clambered out of their trenches to sing carols, exchange gifts and even play a little football. 

Of course, there can be no doubt that this actually happened. Thankfully, some first-hand accounts and photographs of meetings with the Germans have managed to survive the passage of time.

Nevertheless, an organised football match most probably did not occur. Instead, there would have been just a few small-scale kickabouts without anyone keeping score.

Yes, one of the little myths is that the Christmas truce was in some way a mass participation event.

The reality is that there were instead a scattered series of small-scale ceasefires with fighting carrying on as normal in many other areas of the Western Front. Indeed, at least 80 soldiers still died on Christmas Day itself.

Still, is it wrong that even these small-scale truces and their undoubted symbolism should be commemorated by professional bodies such as the Football Association?

Well, of course not. Even critics of the controversial Sainsbury's Christmas advert - with the supermarket accused of profiteering and disrespect - would at least admit it was a well-produced piece of cinema which has also raised funds for the Royal British Legion.

But the real problem with the Christmas truce as it is now being remembered by Sainsbury's and others is the saccharine context in which it is being presented.

Put bluntly, those same soldiers who had swapped gifts with the Germans on Christmas Day were more than likely shooting at them over the next few days - or perhaps they were the ones being shot at and killed.

Added to that, the war - which was originally meant to be over by Christmas - had of course barely begun. The literally entrenched positions following the Race to Sea had seen to that.

And so, with war clearly the order of the day, much of High Command was furious that the truces had taken place at all, fearing that fraternising with the enemy would lead to mutiny and surrender.

In fact, they would never happen again - and, when one soldier attempted to reprise a truce in 1915, he ended up being found guilty by a court martial.

Knowing this, it is understandable why the Christmas truce of 1914 has been so fondly remembered, and even romanticised.

But, while it is good that it has been remembered in its own right, the fact that the truces were the last recognisably great acts of humanity for the next four years is nothing really to celebrate.

For, while the truce represented the principle of goodwill to all men, the resumption of gunfire where it had ceased simply confirmed the worst outcome of 1914.

That the last chance for peace had indeed been lost and the lamps had already long gone out over Europe.

The Season 2014/15: Man City chase down Chelsea

1 CHELSEA (P17 W13 D3 L1 F38 A13 Pts 42)
Premier League: WWWWDWWWDWWWDWLWW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec West Ham United (H), 28-Dec Southampton (A), 01-Jan Tottenham Hotspur (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Watford (H) on 4 January at 4pm
League Cup: SF v Liverpool (A) on 20 January/(H) on 27 January
Europe: UCL Last 16 v Paris Saint-Germain (A) on 17 February/(H) on 11 March
Manager: Jose Mourinho (since June 2013) Top scorer: Diego Costa (12)
Chelsea claimed the Christmas number one spot with a 13th league win of the season, 2-0 away at Stoke City on Monday night - and the good news for Jose Mourinho's team is that seven of the last 10 sides to be top on Christmas Day have gone on to win the Premier League title, including his own sides twice. But, against that fact, Chelsea's big problem is that, despite a dozen goals from Diego Costa and as many assists from Cesc Fabregas, they have failed to shrug off a Manchester City team which has won both of its titles with strong form in the second half of the season. Nevertheless, with good progress made in the cups, the signs so far are that a trophy of some sort looks certain to be making its way to Stamford Bridge this season.

2 MANCHESTER CITY (P17 W12 D3 L2 F36 A14 Pts 39)
Premier League: WWLDDWWWLWDWWWWWW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec West Bromwich Albion (A), 28-Dec Burnley (H), 01-Jan Sunderland (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Sheffield Wednesday (H) on 4 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 0-2 v Newcastle United (H) in fourth round
Europe: UCL Last 16 v Barcelona (H) on 24 February/(A) on 18 March
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini (since June 2013) Top scorer: Sergio Agüero (19)
Manchester City have clicked into gear at a good time - winning eight successive matches in all competitions as the games in the league begin to come thick and fast. The gap to Chelsea is down to three points and another second half surge would likely bring a third title in four years to the Etihad. Progress too was made in Europe, and in remarkable fashion - a late turnaround in a 3-2 win over Bayern Munich before victory of Roma in their last two group matches took Manuel Pellegrini's side through to the Last 16 for only the second time. There, just like last season, they will meet Barcelona - and, with that in mind, will want their currently injured talisman Sergio Agüero back soon.  

3 MANCHESTER UNITED (P17 W9 D5 L3 F30 A18 Pts 32) 
Premier League: LDDWLWWDDLWWWWWWD
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Newcastle United (H), 28-Dec Tottenham Hotspur (A), 01-Jan Stoke City (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Yeovil Town (A) on 4 January at 3.30pm
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Milton Keynes Dons (H) in second round
Manager: Louis Van Gaal (since July 2014) Top scorer: Robin van Persie (7)
Manchester United dropped points for the first time in seven weeks in the 1-1 draw at Aston Villa on Saturday - but the Red Devils have recovered well from a wretched start to the season to sit solidly in third place. In fact, with just three wins and three defeats in his opening 10 league games, the reign of Louis van Gaal began in worse form than his hapless predecessor David Moyes. There was also the matter of a 4-0 League Cup defeat to Milton Keynes Dons and, even in the more recent better form, injuries and suspensions have led to constant chopping and changing in the defence. Nevertheless, the form has drastically improved and even pushed the 20-time league winners to the fringes of the title race - though, as they still sit 10 points off the lead, that may be overstating their position somewhat.

4 WEST HAM UNITED (P17 W9 D4 L4 F29 A19 Pts 31)
Premier League: LWLDWLWWWDDLWWWDW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Chelsea (A), 28-Dec Arsenal (H), 01-Jan West Bromwich Albion (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Everton (A) on 6 January at 7.45pm
League Cup: lost 4-5 on pens (after 1-1 aet) v Sheffield United (H) in second round
Manager: Sam Allardyce (since June 2011) Top scorer: Diafra Sakho (8)
West Ham United under Sam Allardyce have noticeably changed their style. The summer injection of pace through Diafra Sakho and others in the east Londoners' line-up is clearly paying dividends - and, following an uncertain start of three defeats in the opening six games and a disappointingly early cup exit to Sheffield United, the Hammers have lost just once since the end of September to sit in the final Champions League place on Christmas Day. Of course, the big challenge from now in is staying there - and, while that seems unlikely, European football in some form come the end of the season looks well within the Hammers' reach. 

5 SOUTHAMPTON (P17 W9 D2 L6 F28 A13 Pts 29)
Premier League: LDWWWWLWWWWDLLLLW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Crystal Palace (A), 28-Dec Chelsea (H), 01-Jan Arsenal (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Ipswich Town (H) on 4 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Sheffield United (A) in QF
Manager: Ronald Koeman (since June 2014) Top scorer: Graziano Pelle (11)
A few short weeks ago, Southampton were the only team within touching distance of leaders Chelsea after eight wins out of nine had propelled them into a strong second place. But then the fixtures got tougher - and, while defeats to the two Manchester clubs and Arsenal were probably forgiveable, reverses to Burnley and League One team Sheffield United in the League Cup quarter finals were certainly less so. It was vital then that Ronald Koeman's team turned the tide back around - and, with a convincing 3-0 win over Everton on Saturday, the Saints did this and so can still look back on the first half of the season with immense pride. After all, it is not every year you can sell £97m-worth of talent from your squad and still go on to win a match 8-0 a few weeks later.  

6 ARSENAL (P17 W7 D6 L4 F30 A21 Pts 27)
Premier League: WDDDWDLDWWLLWWLWD
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Queens Park Rangers (H), 28-Dec West Ham United (A), 01-Jan Southampton (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Hull City (H) on 4 January at 5.30pm
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Southampton (H) in third round
Europe: UCL Last 16 v Monaco (H) on 25 February/(A) on 17 March
Manager: Arsene Wenger (since October 1996) Top scorer: Alexis Sanchez (14)
It has been another tough few months for manager Arsene Wenger who has had to resist more calls for his resignation from a vocal minority after an injury-plagued first half to the season. Yes, once again, the Arsenal treatment room has been as busy as the local A&E with centre-back Laurent Koscielny joined at various times by Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshere from midfield, Mathieu Debuchy, Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal from full back, and Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott up front. At least, the £35m signing of Chilean Alexis Sanchez has been an unqualified success - and at least his goals have kept the traditional chase for fourth place well in sight. Most refreshingly of all, having avoided Barcelona and Bayern Munich for once, the Gunners have genuine hope of progress beyond the Last 16 of the Champions League. Not all bad then.

7 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (P17 W8 D3 L6 F22 A23 Pts 27)
Premier League: WWLDLDWLLWLWWLDWW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Leicester City (A), 28-Dec Manchester United (H), 01-Jan Chelsea (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Burnley (A) on 5 January at 7.45pm
League Cup: SF v Sheffield United (H) on 21 January/(A) on 28 January
Europe: UEL Last 32 v Fiorentina (H) on 19 February/(A) on 26 February
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino (since May 2014) Top scorer: Harry Kane (12)
Tottenham Hotspur have recovered in recent weeks, making progress in Europe and earning a cushy opening of a visit to Wembley with League One Sheffield United over two legs in the League Cup semi finals. Premier League form has been a more complicated story with a run of five defeats in nine games appearing to draw Spurs ever closer to an ever-so-familiar crisis point. Indeed, the North Londoners' current negative goal difference remains a remnant of that poor form even if a series of 2-1 wins, a couple of them slightly fortuitous, have now pushed Mauricio Pochettino's men back towards the middle of the top half of the table. Once again though, the question over Christmas will be how the Argentine manager's side fares against the top teams. Manchester United and Chelsea are the visitors to White Hart Lane either side of the New Year chimes. 

8 SWANSEA CITY (P17 W7 D4 L6 F22 A19 Pts 25)
Premier League: WWWLLDDLWDWLDWLLW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Aston Villa (H), 29-Dec Liverpool (A), 01-Jan Queens Park Rangers (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Tranmere Rovers (A) on 3 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Liverpool (A) in fourth round
Manager: Garry Monk (since February 2014) Top scorer: Wilfried Bony (8)
Swansea City have had a half-campaign of three separate parts with a strong start - including a 2-1 opening day win at Old Trafford - then undermined by two points out of 15 in September and October. Nevertheless, those nine perfect points out of nine in August ensured the Swans have never dropped lower than eighth in 2014-15 and form, while a little inconsistent, has returned to a level which keeps the Welsh club solidly in upper reaches of mid-table. In attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson and striker Wilfried Bony, Swansea men possess one of the most delightful partnerships in the league - but this is something which has not gone unnoticed by some of the other clubs. Easily a mid-table club whatever happens in January, it would still be interesting just how far Garry Monk's men can go by keeping hold of them. 

9 NEWCASTLE UNITED (P17 W6 D5 L6 F18 A23 Pts 23)
Premier League: LDDLDLDWWWWWLDWLL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Manchester United (A), 28-Dec Everton (H), 01-Jan Burnley (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Leicester City (A) on 3 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Tottenham Hotspur (A) in QF
Manager: Alan Pardew (since December 2010) Top scorer: Papiss Cisse (7)
A predictably rollercoaster season at St James Park has raced into Christmas on a terrifying downwards dip after last week's dispiriting 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup quarter finals was swiftly followed by a record fourth successive derby defeat to Sunderland. Earlier, a seven-game winless start had harked back to the depressing end of last season and severe pressure mounted on manager Alan Pardew even back in September. But, while six wins in a row in all competitions - including success against Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City - helped temporarily restore the Londoner's reputation, his side's inability to win an important cup match or a derby remains a bloody and running wound. Once again then, Newcastle United find themselves of being in the position of needing a big result soon, purely for their own self-confidence. Next up on Boxing Day - Manchester United at Old Trafford.

10 LIVERPOOL (P17 W6 D4 L7 F21 A24 Pts 22)
Premier League: WLWLLDWWDLLLWWDLD
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Burnley (A), 29-Dec Swansea City (H), 01-Jan Leicester City (H)
FA Cup: 3R v AFC Wimbledon (A) on 5 January at 7.55pm
League Cup: SF v Chelsea (H) on 20 January/(A) on 27 January
Europe: UEL Last 32 v Besiktas (H) on 19 February/(A) on 26 February. Knocked out of UCL group stage (W1 D3 L2 F5 A9) 
Manager: Brendan Rodgers (since June 2012) Top scorer: Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling (5)
From a slip away from the title in April to mid-table fodder in December, the Liverpool downfall has probably been the most fascinating aspect of the Premier League so far. The Reds have already suffered more league defeats this season than in the whole of the last campaign and, having worked so hard to get back into the Champions League after a four-year absence, blew any chances of progress with a series of lacklustre performances. So what exactly has gone wrong? Well, the awkward truth for Brendan Rodgers is that, for all his controversy, Luis Suarez hid a whole multitude of weaknesses across the side - the defence looks constantly vulnerable, the goalkeeper has been dropped, Steven Gerrard lacks the legs to drive on the midfield as in the past - and, up front, Daniel Sturridge has been largely injured while Raheem Sterling is starting to show the typical inconsistencies of a 20-year-old winger. Prior to last season, Liverpool had previously finished second in 2008-09 and then finished seventh the season afterwards while reaching the Europa League semi finals. Frankly, even a repeat of that looks unlikely at the moment.

11 EVERTON (P17 W5 D6 L6 F27 A27 Pts 21)
Premier League: DDLWLDLWWDDWLDLWL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Stoke City (H), 28-Dec Newcastle United (A), 01-Jan Hull City (A)
FA Cup: 3R v West Ham United (H) on 6 January at 7.45pm
League Cup: lost 0-3 v Swansea City (A) in third round
Europe: UEL Last 32 v Young Boys Berne (A) on 19 February/(H) on 26 February
Manager: Roberto Martinez (since July 2013) Top scorer: Romelu Lukaku (7)
Can managers suffer from second season syndrome? It certainly seems so at Everton where Roberto Martinez - so impressive in finishing above his predecessor David Moyes and just off the Champions League last season - has badly ailed this time around. Already the Toffees have suffered six league defeats, something which took until April last season, and the once-reliable defence has shipped 27 goals, a total more befitting a relegation straggler. At least then the area of most concern is an obvious one and strong New Year revivals are pretty typical at Goodison Park. Nevertheless, the defence is not the only worry - Everton have been lacking in creativity at times this season and, if Romelu Lukaku is unavailable, they badly lack a focal point up front. Plenty to work on for Martinez. 

12 ASTON VILLA (P17 W5 D5 L7 F11 A21 Pts 20)
Premier League: WDWWLLLLLLDDDWWLD
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Swansea City (A), 28-Dec Sunderland (H), 01-Jan Crystal Palace (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Blackpool (H) on 4 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Leyton Orient (H) in second round
Manager: Paul Lambert (since June 2012) Top scorer: Gabriel Agbonlahor, Andreas Weimann (3)
Not a team for the purist this season - but top marks for efficiency must go to Aston Villa who have somehow turned an anaemic-looking 11 goals into 20 points to sit safely in mid-table. Of course, a good start brought half of those points and, bizarrely, a new contract for manager Paul Lambert - despite just four goals in those opening four games. Thereafter, the goal-record properly suffered in an awful sequence of six consecutive defeats, five of which came and went without a goal as Villa sank towards the relegation zone. But just one defeat in seven games since the start of November has steadied the ship somewhat - even if the results are still almost exclusively in binary.

13 STOKE CITY (P17 W5 D4 L8 F18 A23 Pts 19)
Premier League: LDWLDWLWLDWLLLWDL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Everton (A), 28-Dec West Bromwich Albion (H), 01-Jan Manchester United (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Wrexham (H) on 4 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 2-3 v Southampton (H) in fourth round
Manager: Mark Hughes (May 2013) Top scorer: Jonathan Walters (6)
Stoke City are still a typical mid-table side. Without consecutive league wins all season, the Potters nevertheless take three points regularly enough to stay clear of the bottom three - even if, more unusually, they have endured some disappointing days at the Britannia Stadium in this campaign. Defeats at home to Aston Villa, Burnley and Leicester City would not have been expected at the start of the season - but, in fairness, they have been offset by a trio of cracking wins against Arsenal at home, and Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City away. With such victories, Mark Hughes' men show they are easily good enough to threaten consecutive top-half finishes - and, indeed, this remains the likeliest outcome if they can cut out the occasional daft home slip-up.

14 SUNDERLAND (P17 W3 D10 L4 F15 A24 Pts 19)
Premier League: DDLDDDWLLWDDDLDDW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Hull City (H), 28-Dec Aston Villa (A), 01-Jan Manchester City (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Leeds United (H) on 4 January at 1pm
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Stoke City (H) in third round
Manager: Gus Poyet (since October 2013) Top scorer: Steven Fletcher (4)
Just two wins from their opening 16 games, an 8-0 defeat to Southampton, and a frankly ludicrous total of 10 draws had served to frustrate Gus Poyet in the early part of this season. But then came along the fixture which Sunderland love to play and win as Adam Johnson's 90th-minute goal saved Sunderland from yet another draw and won a fourth successive Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle United. Remarkably, three of those triumphs have come at St James Park without conceding - and so, while the Black Cats enjoy their Christmas dinner, Uruguayan Poyet will ponder exactly how to get his side playing as consistently well against the rest of the league as they do against their local rivals.

15 WEST BROMWICH ALBION (P17 W4 D5 L8 F17 A23 Pts 17)
Premier League: DDLLWWLDDWLLLLDWL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Manchester City (H), 28-Dec Stoke City (A), 01-Jan West Ham United (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Gateshead (H) on 3 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 1-2 v AFC Bournemouth (A) in fourth round
Manager: Alan Irvine (since June 2014) Top scorer: Saido Berahino (8)
West Bromwich Albion may have stopped the rot a little with their 1-0 win over Midlands rivals Aston Villa - but the Baggies are still bang in trouble after undoing that good work by blowing a 2-0 lead in defeat to Queens Park Rangers at the weekend. Prior to the Villa game, the Hawthorns had witnessed three successive defeats and five games without a win as unpopular summer choice Alan Irvine struggles to win over the home crowd. Meanwhile, an over-reliance on mercurial, inexperienced talent Saido Berahino is looking like a risky tactic. West Brom have only scored an average of a goal per game so far this season but this includes four in one match against Burnley. They also arguably need to get their points more quickly than their bottom-half rivals given that four of their last five games are against Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

16 QUEENS PARK RANGERS (P17 W5 D2 L10 F20 A32 Pts 17) 
Premier League: LLWLDLLLWLDLWLWLW
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Arsenal (A), 28-Dec Crystal Palace (H), 01-Jan Swansea City (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Sheffield United (H) on 4 January at 1pm
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Burton Albion (A) in second round
Manager: Harry Redknapp (since November 2012) Top scorer: Charlie Austin (11)
If Queens Park Rangers this season could play all of their games at Loftus Road, they would probably win the league. Of course, that is not quite true but, certainly if the opposite was the case and all of their games were away, Harry Redknapp's men would have no chance of staying up. For, on the road this season, Rangers have been risible - losing all eight and scoring just three times. True, all except the visit to Goodison Park, have come against sides currently in the top half but the Rs seem to show a real lack of spirit when falling behind away. This is odd as home matches have seen a real determination, exemplified by the weekend comeback from 2-0 to win against West Bromwich Albion. Nevertheless, it was a victory for which great credit once again must go, individually, to hat-trick hero Charlie Austin. Still only two points off the drop zone, his goals and Rangers' home form will surely see them to safety eventually.

17 CRYSTAL PALACE (P17 W3 D6 L8 F19 A27 Pts 15)
Premier League: LLDDWWLLDLLWDLDDL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Southampton (H), 28-Dec Queens Park Rangers (A), 01-Jan Aston Villa (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Dover Athletic (A) on 4 January at 1pm
League Cup: lost 2-3 aet v Newcastle United (H) in third round
Manager: Neil Warnock (since August 2014) Top scorer: Dwight Gayle (6)
Even more than four months on, Crystal Palace still seem to be coming to terms with the late summer departure of their former manager Tony Pulis having failed to put together any sort of convincing form so far this season. Indeed, outside of a six-day period at the end of September in which Palace won twice, the Eagles have won just once more - amusingly against Liverpool in a repeat of the fixture in which the Reds suffered a title blow at the back end of the last campaign. At least Palace have not endured a constant losing run, the sort from which Pulis had to save them. Nevertheless, replacement manager Neil Warnock has not got a particularly good record of keeping sides in the top division having suffering previous relegations with Notts County back in 1992 and Sheffield United in 2007.

18 BURNLEY (P17 W3 D6 L8 F12 A26 Pts 15)
Premier League: LLDDDLDLLLWWDDLWL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Liverpool (H), 28-Dec Manchester City (A), 01-Jan Newcastle United (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Tottenham Hotspur (H) on 5 January at 7.45pm
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Sheffield Wednesday (H) in second round
Manager: Sean Dyche (since October 2012) Top scorer: Danny Ings (4)
It was not looking good for Burnley in the first weekend of November. Bottom and without a win from the first 10 games, the step-up for the Clarets was actually beginning to look a little cruel and some thoughts were even turning just to them just trying to beat Derby County's awful record of 11 points, set in 2007-08. But then came a 1-0 win at home to struggling Hull City and, on the other side of the international break, another win, 2-1 away at Stoke City. Sean Dyche's Burnley were finally on the board - and, with further points coming against Aston Villa and Newcastle United, a seriously-impressive third win against Southampton this month has given the Lancastrians a real fighting chance of staying in this division.
 
19 HULL CITY (P17 W2 D7 L8 F15 A24 Pts 13)
Premier League: WDLDDLWDDLLLLDDLL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Sunderland (A), 28-Dec Leicester City (H), 01-Jan Everton (H)
FA Cup: 3R v Arsenal (A) on 4 January at 5.30pm
League Cup: lost 2-3 v West Bromwich Albion (A) in third round
Europe: lost on away goals after 2-2 v Lokeren (0-1a, 2-1h) in qualifying playoff round
Manager: Steve Bruce (since June 2012) Top scorer: Mohamed Diame, Nikica Jelavic (4)
Hull City have won just once since after the first day of the season and, with form still actually worsening, the Tigers must stop the rot somewhere to avoid slipping any deeper into the mire. Seven of City's last 10 games have seen them fail to score, while the ambitious move to bring Hatem Ben Arfa on loan to Humberside has now been seen as a total waste of time, even by manager Steve Bruce. Already two points adrift of safety, Bruce's men simply must take advantage of some reasonable fixtures over the festive period to give themselves some breathing room ahead of a tough-looking finish. Otherwise, this set of consecutive Premier League campaigns could finish exactly the same as the first set did in 2010 - with relegation in the second season. 

20 LEICESTER CITY (P17 W2 D4 L11 F15 A29 Pts 10)
Premier League: DLDWWLDLLLLDLLLLL
Festive fixtures: 26-Dec Tottenham Hotspur (H), 28-Dec Hull City (A), 01-Jan Liverpool (A)
FA Cup: 3R v Newcastle United (A) on 3 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Shrewsbury Town (H) in second round
Manager: Nigel Pearson (since November 2011) Top scorer: Leonardo Ulloa (6)
With just two points taken from the last 36 available, it is already beginning to look rather bleak for Leicester City. The Foxes began the campaign in a wonderfully spirited fashion, continuing their Championship-winning form in solid home draws against Everton and Arsenal before beating Stoke City away. Then came the match which no Leicester fan will ever forget as Nigel Pearson's side turned a 3-1 deficit against Manchester United with 20 minutes to go into a magnificent 5-3 win. But, it takes more than one match to make a season - and, while Pearson has since invested more energy into arguing with his own fans than looking to stop the rot, Leicester have fallen five points adrift of safety. Yes, Sunderland proved last season that not every club which is bottom on Christmas Day will go down - but bear in mind that such occurrences are only so well known because they are the exception and not the rule.

• All statistics correct at time of publishing. Top goalscorer total include goals from all competitions. Original 2014/2015 season prediction blog.

Christmas Eve, all dark and stormy...

ALL of the bad weather affecting the Christmas getaway in the UK has thankfully left Tyneside largely unscathed.

Nevertheless, the rain and wind has reminded me of this festive song, especially liked by my late Nanna:

Christmas Eve All Dark & Stormy

Christmas Eve all dark and stormy

Time to go to bed

Time to hang your little stocking just above your head

Through the door and down the chimney

In the candle light 

Santa Claus the Christmas Fairy

Means to come tonight [repeat]

He is old and very feeble

With a splendid sack

Full of lots of lovely playthings

On his bended back

While the children are a sleeping

He will softly go

Fill their stockings full of playthings  
‘Til they overflow [repeat]

Please I want a railway engine, 
Please I want a whip.
Please I want a little rag dolly, 
Or a sailing ship

Through the door and down the chimney

In the candle light

Santa Claus the Christmas Fairy
Means to come tonight [repeat]

Merry Christmas to all of my family, friends, and occasional blog readers
Enjoy the next few days and stay safe x

The Season 2013/14: Tyneside full of festive cheer

NEWCASTLE UNITED head into Christmas in canny fettle after a sixth win in eight games kept Alan Pardew's men in the race for a top six place. 

The Magpies were strong favourites against Crystal Palace yesterday but did not let that pressure, or a boisterous home crowd at Selhurst Park, get in the way of them recording a fifth away league win of the season. 

Struggling Palace, who had shown some good recent form under new manager Tony Pulis, had their bubble burst when Yohan Cabaye struck his fourth goal of the season. 

And, by half time, it was 2-0 when Mathieu Debuchy, supporting the right wing to good effect from full back, sent in a low cross which was diverted under little pressure by Danny Gabbidon into his own net. 

The Eagles were not about to give up - and both Chieck Tiote and Fabricio Coloccini went into the book early in the second half for stopping a couple of dangerous attacks. 

Nevertheless, Newcastle were still the better side on the ball and pushed on again to kill off any Palace hopes. 

Cabaye, who was excellent throughout, was unlucky not to catch out veteran goalkeeper Julian Speroni with a direct free-kick in the swirling wind before Yoan Gouffran hit the bar with a curler. 

With 10 minutes left, Hatem Ben Arfa came on to replace Cabaye, and an impressive cameo included a low cross with which fellow substitute Shola Ameobi should have done better. 

At least Ameobi then made amends by winning a penalty after being brought down on the turn, a spot-kick converted into the top corner by Ben Arfa. 

3-0, points safe. Merry Christmas from Newcastle United.

But, more than being just the celebration of what is - let's face it - a bog-standard Premier League victory, this write-up points towards the context in which Newcastle's run has occurred.

Manager Pardew began the season under pressure, his side having slipped from fifth to 16th in the space of 12 months. 

United then began the campaign in truly wretched fashion, losing 4-0 at Manchester City, a result which looked much worse then than it does now. 

Form then recovered a little - but, in late October, came a second successive derby loss, more painful still since it came about simply because the worst side in the division showed that bit more fight. 

Suddenly, Pardew was back on the precipice, and a couple of tough-looking fixtures loomed - Chelsea at home and Tottenham Hotspur away. 

Unexpectedly, United collected six points, repeating their home win from February against the Blues before November player of the month Tim Krul somehow ensured Loic Remy's early goal at White Hart Lane would be a winner. 

Newcastle then enjoyed successive 2-1 home wins against Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion, Moussa Sissoko scoring a glorious goal from 25 yards in the latter. 

That run, though, ended with a limp 3-0 defeat at Swansea and next up was Old Trafford where Newcastle had not won against Manchester United in 32 attempts stretching back to 1972. 

David Moyes's men had looked vulnerable throughout the season, however - and so it proved as Newcastle shaded possession and carved out the better chances. 

The decisive moment came just after the hour mark when Sissoko took advantage of a touch of fortune, and pulled the ball back for Cabaye to poke it in the corner. 

Now, normally, Newcastle could have expected Man United to throw the proverbial kitchen sink at them - but, barring a Patrice Evra effort which hit the post and Robin van Persie's correctly disallowed offside goal, Pardew's team held out in relative comfort. 

At last, the Londoner had begun to rewrite history for the right reasons again. 

Indeed, the recent unusual happenings were noted in amusing fashion by Newcastle's long-running fanzine The Mag whose Issue 285 front-cover amusingly read: "Goals from corners... Wins at Old Trafford... Tough job for Santa!"

A reasonable draw against Southampton at home last week and yesterday afternoon's result at Selhurst made it 30 points from 17 games. 

That represents United's best pre-Christmas return since the sharp return from relegation in 2009, better at this stage even than the remarkable fifth place finish in 2011. 

Of course, no prizes are handed out in mid-December, and there are a few things for Magpies fans to look out for in the next few weeks. 

Firstly, fans on Tyneside will know the Toon seem to have a tradition of hitting terrible form over Christmas and the New Year - and, in this regard, the presence of Arsenal and Manchester City in the next three home league games hardly helps. 

Secondly, United must beware of festering false hope on the back of a player who is not (yet) theirs. 

West Brom unintentionally inflated expectations for this season with an eighth-place finish last time out, thanks largely to the form of Romelu Lukaku who was on loan from Chelsea. 

Lukaku now gone, the Baggies have found this season much more of a struggle and sacked manager Steve Clarke last week.

It still remains the case that Remy - who has scored eight league goals already - could also end up just being a temporary focal point of the Newcastle attack. 

Although, at least the other players seem to have recognised this possibility with Gouffran, Cabaye, Sissoko and now Ben Arfa all chipping in recently. 

Undeniably, though, Newcastle's long term chances will effectively be dictated by the club keeping players like Remy. Does Mike Ashley speculate to accumulate just for once?

A final point of note is that, as well as Arsenal and Man City being among the next few visitors at St James Park, the return Tyne-Wear derby on 1 February is now only seven games away. 

Pardew has pretty poor record in this fixture, with just one win out of five. A reversal of his side's current form and an extension of that winless run against the Mackems will reapply some pressure, such is the fickle nature of football. 

For now, though, those worries can be cast aside and Newcastle fans can tuck into their Christmas turkey with a satisfied glow on their faces. 

And that is not just because of the amount of Brown Ale which has been consumed in the hostelries of the Haymarket. Ho'way the Lads.

NEWCASTLE UNITED 2013/14: THE SEASON SO FAR
Manager: Alan Pardew (since December 2010)
League record: P17 W9 D3 L5 F24 A22 LDWWLLWDLWWWWLWDW
FA Cup: Third Round v Cardiff City (H) on 4 January at 3pm
League Cup: lost 0-2 aet v Manchester City (H) in fourth round
Top scorer: Loic Remy (eight)

POINTS ON CHRISTMAS DAY SINCE PROMOTION
2010 22 points from 17 games (finished 12th)
2011 27 points from 17 games (finished fifth)
2012 20 points from 18 games (finished 16th)
2013 30 points from 17 games

The Snowman ushers in Christmas 2012

THE SNOWMAN on Channel 4 is as traditional at Christmas as mince pies and mistletoe.

But, now on the 30th anniversary of the original film, Raymond Briggs' bitter-sweet tale has been given a £2m update - and the Snowman even has his own little pet.

Thankfully, the new animation - The Snowman And The Snowdog - has the original author's blessing, and previews have also suggested the story and artistry both stay fairly faithful to the 1982 version.

Indeed, given that it has made the front cover of the Christmas edition of the Radio Times (see above), it might even prove to be the highlight of an otherwise uninspired festive season on the box,

Certainly, I will be Walking In The Air on Christmas Eve at 8pm...

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

from the Intrepid Reporter blog

Merry Christmas to the Military Wives

THE MILITARY Wives comfortably sealed the coveted Christmas number one spot, the Official Charts Company announced yesterday.

Victory for the wives became inevitable after their charity record 'Wherever You Are' became the fastest-selling single in six years.

Indeed, after two days of last week, it had outsold its nearest rival - 'Cannonball' by X Factor winners Little Mix - by a margin of six to one.

And, in the end, it sold 556,000 copies, which was more than the rest of the top 12 combined.

Little Mix, who were the first ever group to win the ITV competition and who were number one last week, sold 117,000 records in the run-up to Christmas Day.

But the result means for the second time in three years that the X Factor winner has failed to reach number one at Christmas after Joe McElderry finished behind Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name' in 2009.

In an unfortunate geographical coincidence, the beaten McElderry is from South Shields in Tyne & Wear, and so are two of the four members of Little Mix.

There was nothing more in it than that, though. Indeed, the Military Wives are fully deserving of their number one spot as their record struck the right note with the country at large.

Even the Treasury - at the request of Oliver Colvile, Conservative MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport - felt compelled to waive VAT on the sale of the record.

Announcing the decision, Chancellor George Osborne said: "Our armed forces demonstrate incredible commitment to the nation and make sacrifices for all of us.

"The Military Wives Choir is doing a great job of raising money for this hugely worthy cause."

As Mr Osborne notes, proceeds from Wherever You Are were split between two charities, the Royal British Legion and the SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association).

And the fact is that the 100-strong choir had a more interesting back-story than, with respect to Little Mix, just another reality television show winner.

Their appearance on the BBC programme The Choir with Gareth Malone culminated in a performance at the Royal Albert Hall, and the lyrics of Wherever You Are were taken from love poems, written between the women and their absent husbands.

Meanwhile, the Little Mix record producers hardly help themselves, releasing 'Cannonball' a week too early with this year's number one actually announced on Christmas Day itself.

But while that at least allowed the Little Mix girls to wake up on Christmas morning in the number one slot, it will be the Military Wives who will deservedly go into the record books.

A Merry Christmas to them, and indeed to all of my readers. More from me in 2012!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Glaedig Jul

Shèng Dan Kuai Lè

Mele Kalikimaka

Joyeux Noel

Felix dies Nativitatis

God Jul

Feliz Natal

Meri Kurisumasu

C Pождеством Xристовом

Mừng Chúa Giáng Sinh

Krismas ki subhkamna

Feliz Navidad

Buon Natale

Seun-tan chu-ka-hae-yo

Fröhliche Weihnachten

Kala xristougenna

Vrolijk Kerstfeest

Miilaad majiid

Merry Christmas

A WAY of saying Merry Christmas around the world, thanks to this game on the wonderful time-wasting device that is Sporcle (hat-tip: Stephen B).

By the way, this is not likely to be last blogpost on TheIntrepidReporter of 2010. Between now and the New Year, I will be attempting to stay up to date with the fourth Test of the Ashes in Sydney, which begins on Christmas Day (tomorrow) at 11pm GMT.

In the meantime, best wishes of the season to my readers! x