Six Nations 2015: Injury-hit England eager to ditch "nearly men" tag

ENGLAND begin their Six Nations campaign in Cardiff tonight eager to shed their "nearly men" tag in advance of a World Cup on home soil later this year.

Stuart Lancaster's men have finished runners-up in the Six Nations for the last two years - and, in fact, have lost both on points difference only.

Last season, even a convincing win over eventual champions Ireland was not enough after a last-minute opening day defeat to France in Paris.

Meanwhile, back in 2013, Lancaster's side led the championship from the start until a bruising and humiliating 30-3 defeat in Cardiff gave the title to the Welsh on the final weekend.

Interestingly, tonight's match will be England's first visit back to the Millennium Stadium since that torrid 80 minutes - and preparation work has even included training sessions in front of loudspeakers in a move designed to replicate the raucous atmosphere.

However, the build-up to the opener has also been dominated by news of an England injury crisis.

In all, there are six changes from the side that beat Australia in November - and the absences of Brad Barritt and Kyle Eastmond at centre have particularly weakened the English line-up.

Not that Wales head coach Warren Gatland has much sympathy. "You always need some luck in the Six Nations," said the Kiwi at the tournament launch.

"Last year England made four changes during the whole tournament. We made 18, mostly due to injuries.

"So I don’t feel sorry for [Lancaster]. England are going through a period that will probably benefit them in the long-term. A lot has been made about their injuries but they have real strength in depth."

That last sentence may have been courteous enough - but Gatland was also still bullish enough about his team's chances to make the unusual move of naming his starting XV fully two days early.

In terms of the overall tournament, though, it is difficult to look past reigning champions Ireland retaining their crown.

Now at world number three after thrilling wins over South Africa and Australia in the autumn, the Irish are eased into this year's action with a match in Rome against Italy.

The Italians continue to shoulder the burden of a simply awful Six Nations record, having won only 11 of their 75 previous matches since their accession in 2000.

Indeed, after losing all five games last year, the Azzurri have collected the wooden spoon on 10 out of the last 15 editions.

And yet, despite the easy starter and the nominal advantage of then hosting France and England in consecutive weeks in Dublin, Ireland coach Joe Schmidt remains uneasy with being considered tournament favourites.

“Favouritism is a superficial thing,” Schmidt said. “There’s nothing tangible. You can’t reach out and say: ‘Well, we can take that favouritism and do something useful with it’. It’s not something that is mentioned in camp.”

Rarely considered favourites in recent years, Scotland nevertheless made steady progress before Christmas under new coach Vern Cotter with a couple of try-laden wins over Argentina and Tonga.

Incidentally, Cotter's appointment means that, alongside his compatriots Gatland and Schmidt, three of the four Home Unions are now led by New Zealanders.

But, having spend the last eight years coaching at Clermont Auvergne, it is Cotter's vast knowledge of French rugby which will be of most assistance to the Scots in their opener in Paris.

Ah, the French. Now, this is the point in most previews where Les Bleus are typically cast as an unpredictable yet talented side forever searching for consistency.

Of course, Philippe Saint-Andre's men hardly help this reputation with results like they had in the autumn when they beat Fiji and Australia before then losing to Argentina.

Nevertheless, it would be difficult to make much of a case for France over the next six weeks.

After all, their three most recent Six Nations campaigns have seen them finish fourth, sixth and fourth - and, this season, they have to make visits to both Ireland and England.

Even the middle away trip to Rome will carry with it some jitters considering Italy have won their home fixture against the French on the last two occasions.

As such, the supposedly unpredictable French could well finish predictably in the bottom three for the fourth year in a row.

In terms of my other predictions: Ireland's confidence and fixtures suggest they will be champions again while it would be no surprise to see England recover and just miss out again after an opening day defeat to Wales.

The Welsh will therefore finish third - with improving Scotland down in fifth but winning more than one game and Italy once again bringing up the rear by losing all of theirs.

So that is Ireland, England, Wales, France, Scotland, and Italy all finishing in the same order as they did last year - which means there is bound to be at least one error somewhere.

Of course, all will be revealed over the next six weeks in what continues to be a thrilling winter-warmer in the sporting calendar. Listed below are the vital dates for the diary.

RBS 6 NATIONS FIXTURES 2015
All matches live on the BBC. All kick-off times GMT.

6 Feb 20:05	WALES v ENGLAND	Millennium Stadium
7 Feb 14:30	ITALY v IRELAND	Stadio Olimpico
7 Feb 17:00	FRANCE v SCOTLAND	Stade de France
14 Feb 14:30	ENGLAND v ITALY	Twickenham
14 Feb 17:00	IRELAND v FRANCE	Aviva Stadium
15 Feb 15:00	SCOTLAND v WALES	Murrayfield
28 Feb 14:30	SCOTLAND v ITALY	Murrayfield
28 Feb 17:00	FRANCE v WALES	Stade de France
1 Mar 15:00	IRELAND v ENGLAND	Aviva Stadium
14 Mar 14:30	WALES v IRELAND	Millennium Stadium
14 Mar 17:00	ENGLAND v SCOTLAND	Twickenham
15 Mar 15:00	ITALY v FRANCE	Stadio Olimpico
21 Mar 12:30	ITALY v WALES	Stadio Olimpico
21 Mar 14:30	SCOTLAND v IRELAND	Murrayfield
21 Mar 17:00	ENGLAND v FRANCE	Twickenham

TEAM-BY-TEAM GUIDE Odds from Ladbrokes

ENGLAND Odds 5/2	Coach Stuart Lancaster Captain Chris Robshaw
Twickenham	Fixtures Wales (A), Italy (H), Ireland (A), Scotland (H), France (H)
IRB Rank: 4 (-)	Six Nations titles 4 (2000, 2001, 2003, 2011)
FRANCE Odds 6/1	Coach Philippe Saint-Andre Captain Thierry Dusautoir
Stade de France	Fixtures Scotland (H), Ireland (A), Wales (H), Italy (A), England (A)
IRB Rank: 7 (-2)	Six Nations titles 5 (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010)
IRELAND Odds 2/1 fav	Coach Joe Schmidt Captain Paul O'Connell
Aviva Stadium	Fixtures Italy (A), France (H), England (H), Wales (A), Scotland (A)
IRB Rank: 3 (+4)	Six Nations titles 2 (2009, 2014)
ITALY Odds 500/1	Coach Jacques Brunel Captain Sergio Parisse
Stadio Olimpico	Fixtures Ireland (H), England (A), Scotland (A), France (H), Wales (H)
IRB Rank: 14 (-1)	Six Nations titles None
SCOTLAND Odds 33/1	Coach Vern Cotter Captain Greig Laidlaw
Murrayfield	Fixtures France (A), Wales (H), Italy (H), England (A), Ireland (H)
IRB Rank: 8 (+1)	Six Nations titles None
WALES Odds 3/1	Coach Warren Gatland Captain Sam Warburton
Millennium Stadium	Fixtures England (H), Scotland (A), France (A), Ireland (H), Italy (A)
IRB Rank: 6 (-)	Six Nations titles 4 (2005, 2008, 2012, 2013)

11* prime reasons to see the Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time

2 FAITHFUL TO THE BOOK
The script in Simon Stephens' play adaptation was almost entirely faithful to Mark Haddon's award-winning book, an important aspect given the unique nature of the narration from 15-year-old protagonist Christopher John Francis Boone. The narration from the lead character is very precise with matters both relevant and seemingly largely irrelevant described in great detail. Without giving too much away, Christopher is an autistic mathematics genius who notices patterns, especially in numbers. He also seemingly has a photographic memory, can recall whole conversations to the word, and lives his life in a solely logical and fundamentally truthful manner.
However, his self-admitted "behavioural difficulties" mean he finds it difficult to mix socially - he cannot eat a plate of food if the broccoli and baked beans are touching, or use a toilet if a stranger has previously been in it. He cannot understand metaphors at all and has little ability to use "white lies" to keep himself out of trouble. Consequently, even the most unremarkable situations can become extraordinarily difficult, something which the play demonstrated over and over again by keeping the narrative pretty much exactly as it was originally written, f-word and all.

3 TECHNICAL BRILLIANCE
Equally as brilliant as the acting and the narrative was the technical output - aided by the intentional decision not to change the physical background throughout the whole of the play. Instead, against grid walls and a grid floor similar to squared paper in maths exercise books, excellent use of lighting marked scene changes with each square in the grid able to light individually or, as often was the case, in a pattern.
In representation of Christopher's horribly confused state of mind when faced with an overload of information, streams of letters and words would flash rapidly across the walls. But - at other times when Christopher was feeling calmer and able to think logically - star constellations, diagrams, maps and mathematical puzzles would appear or be scrawled across the walls in an additional device to explain the narrative. It was all magnificently innovative and quite fascinating in itself to watch.

5 RELEVANT STUDY THEMES
Author Haddon has mixed feelings that The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time has become a set text, studied by schoolchildren and used for professional purposes by policemen and social workers. In June 2012, he wrote on his blog: "I'm a little uneasy when, as occasionally happens, it is used as a textbook, and handed to policemen or social workers to give them some insight into the behaviour of people they might come across in their professional lives."
This is understandable on the author's part - it was, after all, written by him purely as a novel, and nothing more. And yet, within the conversations in his narrative, Haddon so naturally incorporates the raw emotions of two big themes - family breakdown and disability discrimination - that the next generation would be missing out on their own development if there were simply no analysis whatsoever. If nothing else, though, it was wonderful to see that a couple of school trips were clearly as absorbed in what was an impressive, heart-tugging adaptation.

7 THE BEST OF BRITISH HUMOUR
On a lighter note, it is clear that The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time is a British book, simply from its intentionally understated humour, drawn largely from Christopher's inability to understand or cope with everyday social situations. Often his lack of comprehension is greeted with a disbelieving expletive - "Holy fucking Jesus, Christopher. How stupid are you?" - but, sometimes even more cruelly, he receives a response dripping in sarcasm. Of course, as the sarcasm cannot be taken literally and Christopher is only able to understand logic, this does nothing more than serve to confuse him further with the potential for still more misunderstandings.

11 ALL-ROUND PACKAGE AND REPUTATION
Clearly from the outset, the performance at the Theatre Royal of Simon Stephens' stage adaptation of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time was not going to be a dud. As a winner of seven Olivier awards in 2013 from its highly-acclaimed West End run in London, the arrival of this play in the north east was much-anticipated - although that is, of course, no complete guarantee of a good showing.
Thankfully, though, it fully lived up to its fine reputation, staying faithful to a thoughtful, quirky and gladdening tale, and providing two-and-a-half hours of truly great entertainment.

Limited tickets are still available at the Newcastle Theatre Royal here or by calling the Box Office on 08448 112121.

*“Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”
Christopher Boone,The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time

The boobs are back - but for how much longer?

THE DEMISE of the Page 3 model in the Sun newspaper last week was greatly exaggerated with the tabloid defiantly printing the photo of a topless young lady in its Thursday edition.

Campaigners in the No More Page 3 pressure group had tentatively celebrated victory last Tuesday after even the Sun's sister paper the Times suggested the 44-year Page 3 era was finally over.

However, it now appears to be the case that the whole thing was a bit of a publicity stunt, something which the Sun itself was not too sheepish in pointing out.

"Further to recent reports in all other media outlets, we would like to clarify that this is Page 3 and this is a [topless] picture of Nicole, 22, from Bournemouth," it said.

"We would like to apologise on behalf of the print and broadcast journalists who have spent the last two days talking and writing about us."

But it would be a surprise if this was the final chapter in this particular story.

Rumours that Page 3 was on its last legs began circulating as early as February 2013 when the newspaper's proprietor Rupert Murdoch dropped hints of a different direction on Twitter.

Later that year, in August, The Sun’s Irish edition dropped topless Page 3 pictures, with Dublin-based editor Paul Clarkson citing “cultural differences”.

Then, last September, the surest signs yet of a change of mindset came when Mr Murdoch pondered: "Aren't beautiful young women more attractive in at least some fashionable clothes?"

By the middle of this month, the Sun seemed to be following their owner's lead - or, more likely, his direct orders - with the topless model missing from three consecutive editions.

And indeed, the feeling remains that, despite the triumphant return of the feature last Thursday, this may well yet be a short-lived stay of execution.

Not that any final decision will be the result of pressure from the No More Page 3 campaigners.

Rather, octogenarian Mr Murdoch will decide the fate of Page 3 on the basis of a hardened commercial calculation with the increasingly raunchy celebrity world seemingly helping him make his mind up.

His latest tweet said yesterday: "Worry not, The Sun will always have great looking women - and men!"

Noticeably, though, this again does not stipulate that they will necessarily be topless.

Time has, indeed, moved on. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, some of the Sun's Page 3 girls ended up being bona fide celebrities in their own right.

Nowadays, that does not really happen anymore - and it is fair to say, at best, the feature seems dated.

To its worst critics of course, Page 3 has always been totally incongruous with the Sun's self-proclamation of being a "family" newspaper.

But it would potentially be the start of a very dangerous game if any government were ever to legislate control over what any newspaper printed simply on grounds of taste and decency.

And so, for now, boosted by a big wave of somewhat self-made publicity, it is no surprise to see the boobs are back.

And that, while you can't see tits on the radio, you can still see them on page three of the country's best-selling daily newspaper.

Yet another African Cup of Nations

THE fourth African Cup of Nations in just six seasons begins later today with replacement hosts Equatorial Guinea taking on Congo in Bata.

Yet, already - as that introductory paragraph suggests - this 30th edition of the tournament has endured a torrid build-up.

Original hosts Morocco first asked for a postponement until 2016, citing fears over the Ebola outbreak in west Africa. But, once the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stood firm, the North Africans pulled out altogether.

This was despite the fact that the Moroccan city of Casablanca had hosted Guinea's successful qualification campaign because the threat of Ebola meant the Guineans could not play at home.

Morocco's contradictory position therefore looks decidedly odd. It is nothing, though, compared to the subsequent illogical move by CAF to bestow hosting rights on Equatorial Guinea.

After all, the tiny central African country had been disqualified last July for fielding an ineligible player in a qualifying match. Now, bizarrely, they have qualified for the finals automatically as hosts.

Usefully at least, it is not a new role for Equatorial Guinea to take on. They were, in fact, hosts as recently as 2012 - but, back then, they shared the burden of the duties with neighbouring Gabon and only used their two biggest cities, Bata and Malabo.

This time, Mongomo and Ebebiyin - two outposts even by Equatoguinean standards - will also be responsible for overseeing the progress of part of the group phase as well as hosting a quarter final each.

Unsurprisingly, the short notice given to the two venues has resulted in concerns over infrastructure and security.

Additional fears that even the 5,000-capacity stadium in Ebebiyin will not be filled has led to the country's president Teodoro Obiang Nguema to pay for 40,000 tickets for fans to attend for free.

Of course, by "president", think instead of an oil-rich dictator who has been in power since 1979 and whose human rights abuses have been well-documented by advocacy agencies.

Suddenly, as cynical as it sounds, the CAF decision begins to make some sort of sense.

Seemingly driven by greed at the best of times - why else stage the Cup of Nations so often? - these were actually the worst of times for the organisation.

Their centrepiece tournament - older than the European Championships by three years - was hanging by a thread. It is no wonder that it went to the highest bidder.

And so, regardless of what happens over the next month in Equatorial Guinea, there will be a real sense of unease as to how this championship has still gone ahead.

Maybe, by asking for a postponement, Morocco had the right idea after all.

FULL AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS 2015 FIXTURES
GROUP A

Date		Venue
Sat 17 Jan, 16:00	EQUATORIAL GUINEA 1-1 CONGO	Bata
Sat 17 Jan, 19:00	BURKINA FASO 0-2 GABON	Bata
Wed 21 Jan, 16:00	EQUATORIAL GUINEA 0-0 BURKINA FASO	Bata
Wed 21 Jan, 19:00	GABON 0-1 CONGO	Bata
Sun 25 Jan, 18:00	GABON 0-2 EQUATORIAL GUINEA	Bata
Sun 25 Jan, 18:00	CONGO 2-1 BURKINA FASO	Ebebiyin

Group A Table	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) CONGO	2	1	0	4	2	7
(Q) EQUATORIAL GUINEA	1	2	0	3	1	5
GABON	1	0	2	2	3	3
BURKINA FASO	0	1	2	1	4	1

GROUP B

Date		Venue
Sun 18 Jan, 16:00	ZAMBIA 1-1 CONGO DR	Ebebiyin
Sun 18 Jan, 19:00	TUNISIA 1-1 CAPE VERDE	Ebebiyin
Thu 22 Jan, 16:00	ZAMBIA 1-2 TUNISIA	Ebebiyin
Thu 22 Jan, 19:00	CAPE VERDE 0-0 CONGO DR	Ebebiyin
Mon 26 Jan, 18:00	CAPE VERDE 0-0 ZAMBIA	Ebebiyin
Mon 26 Jan, 18:00	CONGO DR 1-1 TUNISIA	Bata

Group B Table	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) TUNISIA	1	2	0	4	3	5
(Q) CONGO DR	0	3	0	2	2	3
CAPE VERDE	0	3	0	1	1	3
ZAMBIA	0	2	1	2	3	2

GROUP C

Date		Venue
Mon 19 Jan, 16:00	GHANA 1-2 SENEGAL	Mongomo
Mon 19 Jan, 19:00	ALGERIA 3-1 SOUTH AFRICA	Mongomo
Fri 23 Jan, 16:00	GHANA 1-0 ALGERIA	Mongomo
Fri 23 Jan, 19:00	SOUTH AFRICA 1-1 SENEGAL	Mongomo
Tue 27 Jan, 18:00	SOUTH AFRICA 1-2 GHANA	Mongomo
Tue 27 Jan, 18:00	SENEGAL 0-2 ALGERIA	Malabo

Group C Table	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) GHANA	2	0	1	4	3	6
(Q) ALGERIA	2	0	1	5	2	6
SENEGAL	1	1	1	3	4	4
SOUTH AFRICA	0	1	2	3	6	1

Note: Ghana qualify ahead of Algeria on head-to-head basis (Ghana 1-0 Algeria)

GROUP D

Date		Venue
Tue 20 Jan, 16:00	IVORY COAST 1-1 GUINEA	Malabo
Tue 20 Jan, 19:00	MALI 1-1 CAMEROON	Malabo
Sat 24 Jan, 16:00	IVORY COAST 1-1 MALI	Malabo
Sat 24 Jan, 19:00	CAMEROON 1-1 GUINEA	Malabo
Wed 28 Jan, 18:00	CAMEROON 0-1 IVORY COAST	Malabo
Wed 28 Jan, 18:00	GUINEA 1-1 MALI	Mongomo

Group D Table	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) IVORY COAST	1	2	0	3	2	5
(Q) GUINEA	0	3	0	3	3	3
MALI	0	3	0	3	3	3
CAMEROON	0	2	1	2	3	2

Note: Guinea placed ahead of Mali after a drawing of lots

QUARTER FINALS

Date		Venue
Sat 31 Jan, 16:00	CONGO 2-4 DR CONGO	Bata
Sat 31 Jan, 19:30	TUNISIA 1-2 aet EQUATORIAL GUINEA	Bata
Sun 1 Feb, 16:00	GHANA 3-0 GUINEA	Malabo
Sun 1 Feb, 19:30	IVORY COAST 3-1 ALGERIA	Malabo

SEMI FINALS

Date		Venue
Wed 4 Feb, 19:00	DR CONGO v IVORY COAST	Bata
Thu 5 Feb, 19:00	GHANA v EQUATORIAL GUINEA	Malabo

THIRD-PLACED PLAYOFF

Date		Venue
Sat 7 Feb, 16:00	SF LOSER 1 v SF LOSER 2	Malabo

FINAL

Date		Venue
Sun 8 Feb, 19:00	SF WINNER 1 v SF WINNER 2	Bata

TELEVISION COVERAGE
Eurosport has live coverage of all of the matches. ITV4 will show seven matches - one each from the four groups, both semi finals and the Final. ITV4 also has nightly highlights.

FA Cup Third Round: Gateshead end a 60-year wait

GATESHEAD will bring to an end a 60-year wait tomorrow when they take their place in the FA Cup Third Round against West Bromwich Albion.

The Heed last played at this stage of the world's oldest knockout cup competition in 1955 when they were beaten 2-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in front of over 19,000 at Redheugh Park.

A couple of years earlier, Gateshead had been as far as the quarter finals, beating Liverpool 1-0 in the third round on the way to defeat to Bolton Wanderers by the same score in the last eight.

But, ever since, the FA Cup has been a source of frustration for the Tynesiders with second round exits coming in 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1974, 1975, 2000, and 2011.

Current manager Gary Mills knows just how much the visit to the Hawthorns will mean for the Heed's long-suffering fans.

Mills, a European Cup winner under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest, said: “This is what I’ve come to this club for.

"The supporters deserve to be going to places like the Hawthorns and Wembley – I want people to get pride and enjoyment out of supporting Gateshead.

“I don’t want Gateshead to be going to smaller grounds, and lesser leagues - and I think that the mindset of everyone at the club is that we – as a football club – deserve to be going to the Hawthorns after what we’ve done in the past 12 months.

“After all of the hard work, and the foundations we have laid, you reap the rewards by going to places like this.”

But, hopefully, the Heed will not be heading to West Brom just for a grand day out.

For, while 86 league places separate the two teams at kick-off, the Baggies have hardly been in sterling form in the Premier League this season.

Just four league wins have left the Midlands club in 17th place, one point outside of the relegation zone, a position which has prompted trigger-happy chairman Jeremy Peace to make yet another change at the top.

In has come former Stoke City and Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis as the Baggies' fourth permanent head coach since Roy Hodgson left for England in May 2012.

And, while West Brom might therefore enjoy the so-called "new manager bounce", Heed's perspective must be to take advantage of yet more upheaval at the Hawthorns.

Of course, fellow north east non-leaguers Blyth Spartans have a slightly better recent Cup reputation than the Heed, having reached the fifth round in 1978 before bowing out to Wrexham in a replay held at St James Park.

Spartans also reached the third round in 1972 and in 2009 - when they lost 1-0 at home to Blackburn Rovers in front of the television cameras.

But, while the television companies have eschewed tomorrow's third round tie at home to Birmingham City, BBC Football Focus and Radio Five Live sport have confirmed they will be basing their respective broadcasts at Croft Park.

Live television coverage instead has gone, somewhat disappointingly, to two of the four all-Premier League ties.

Yes, Arsenal v Hull City is an immediate repeat of last May's entertaining FA Cup Final - but the tie has a clear favourite. Meanwhile, there is very little romance about Everton v West Ham United.

Indeed, out of the five non league teams left in the competition, only Dover Athletic have landed live match coverage as they host Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace.

Thankfully, a couple of the other television ties have also captured the essence of the magic of the Cup.

On Sunday, Yeovil Town - bottom of League One - face 11-time winners Manchester United for just the third time in their history, the previous two meetings having ended 3-0 and 8-0 to the Red Devils.

Then, on Monday, Liverpool travel to AFC Wimbledon in a match sure to evoke memories of the famous 1988 Final.

Even back then, when Wimbledon were a top division club, the tie was a David v Goliath encounter with the unfashionable south London club taking on the dominant force of the decade.

However, a Dave Beasant penalty save - the first such occurrence in Wembley Cup Final history - and a Lawrie Sanchez flicked header meant the underdogs came out on top.

Or, as BBC commentator John Motson memorably put it: "The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture club!"

It is a quote which, even 27 years on, can be recalled - which tells you all you need to know about the FA Cup.

This is the big weekend of the upset - where the non-leaguers pit their wits and skill against some of the country's best.

Hopefully, if nowhere else, a little bit of FA Cup magic has been sprinkled over the Hawthorns for Gary Mills' passionate Heed Army supporters. Could 60 years of missing out be brought to an end in style?

FA CUP THIRD ROUND NON-LEAGUE TEAMS IN GREEN

	Friday 2 January
19:45	CARDIFF CITY	3-1	COLCHESTER UNITED
	Saturday 3 January
15:00	BARNSLEY	0-2	MIDDLESBROUGH
15:00	BLYTH SPARTANS	2-3	BIRMINGHAM CITY
15:00	BOLTON WANDERERS	1-0	WIGAN ATHLETIC
15:00	BRENTFORD	0-2	BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
15:00	CAMBRIDGE UNITED	2-1	LUTON TOWN
15:00	CHARLTON ATHLETIC	1-2	BLACKBURN ROVERS
15:00	DERBY COUNTY	1-0	SOUTHPORT
15:00	DONCASTER ROVERS	1-1	BRISTOL CITY
15:00	FULHAM	0-0	WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
15:00	HUDDERSFIELD TOWN	0-1	READING
15:00	LEICESTER CITY	1-0	NEWCASTLE UNITED
15:00	MILLWALL	3-3	BRADFORD CITY
15:00	PRESTON NORTH END	2-0	NORWICH CITY
15:00	ROCHDALE	1-0	NOTTINGHAM FOREST
15:00	ROTHERHAM UNITED	1-5	BOURNEMOUTH
15:00	TRANMERE ROVERS	2-6	SWANSEA CITY
15:00	WEST BROMWICH ALBION	7-0	GATESHEAD
	Sunday 4 January
13:00	DOVER ATHLETIC	0-4	CRYSTAL PALACE
13:00	QUEENS PARK RANGERS	0-3	SHEFFIELD UNITED
13:00	SUNDERLAND	1-0	LEEDS UNITED
15:00	ASTON VILLA	1-0	BLACKPOOL
15:00	MANCHESTER CITY	2-1	SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
15:00	SOUTHAMPTON	1-1	IPSWICH TOWN
15:00	STOKE CITY	3-1	WREXHAM
15:30	YEOVIL TOWN	0-2	MANCHESTER UNITED
16:00	CHELSEA	3-0	WATFORD
17:30	ARSENAL	2-0	HULL CITY
	Monday 5 January
19:45	BURNLEY	1-1	TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
19:55	AFC WIMBLEDON	1-2	LIVERPOOL
	Tuesday 6 January
19:45	EVERTON	1-1	WEST HAM UNITED
19:45	SCUNTHORPE UNITED	2-2	CHESTERFIELD

ON THE BOX
Friday 2 January
BBC WALES Cardiff City v Colchester United
Sunday 4 January
BT SPORT 1 Dover Athletic v Crystal Palace
BT SPORT 1 Yeovil Town v Manchester United
BBC1 Arsenal v Hull City
Monday 5 January
BBC1 AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool
Tuesday 6 January
BT SPORT 1 Everton v West Ham United


FA Cup Fourth Round Draw  
Ties to be played w/e 24-25 January

Southampton or Ipswich Town v Crystal Palace
Cambridge United v Manchester United
Blackburn Rovers v Swansea City
Chelsea v Millwall or Bradford City
Derby County v Scunthorpe United or Chesterfield
Preston North End v Sheffield United
Birmingham City v West Bromwich Albion
Aston Villa v AFC Bournemouth
Cardiff City v Reading
Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers
Burnley or Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City
Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal
Rochdale v Stoke City
Sunderland v Fulham or Wolverhampton Wanderers
Doncaster Rovers or Bristol City v Everton or West Ham United
Manchester City v Middlesbrough

Index 2014

NEWS 

POLITICS
Scotland independence referendum
06.08 Darling stymies Salmond in referendum debate
26.08 Salmond shouts his way to debate win
19.09 Salmond steps down as Scotland says Naw - for now
UKIP, by-elections etc.
02.04 Farage to the forefront after Europe debate
22.05 Election night: UKIP "earthquake" strikes
26.05 Euro-thrashed
06.06 No news in Newark
22.11 Rise of UKIP continues unabated
Other current affairs/politics blogs
20.03 Budget 2014: Osborne appeals to the Tory core
20.07 MH17: Transcending rivalry
27.09 Back to Iraq
05.11 US mid-terms: Republicans add Senate to House

MEDIA
30.04 Paxman packs it in
24.06 Coulson guilty, Cameron guilty by association
13.08 Irresponsible reporting on suicide
12.09 Fallen idols
30.09 Mirror faces questions after Newmark honeytrap sting

WORLD WAR ONE
04.08 Dulce et Decorum Est: the old Lie
09.11 Lest we forget
30.12 The awkward truth about the Christmas truce

SPORT

FOOTBALL
World Cup 2014
11.06 Maracanazo redemption and la joga bonito
11.06 Preview - part I
11.06 Preview - part II
12.06 Complete results sheet
15.06 Stay positive, England
20.06 Fallible England exposed and out
25.06 England slip out quietly
26.06 Back home
29.06 The late, late shows of the Last 16
06.07 Krul conclusion for Costa Rica
09.07 Humiliated Brazil blitzed by Germany
13.07 Freude, schoener, Goetze-funken
14.07 For the record
Season 2013/14
04.01 FA Cup Third Round features North London clash 
04.02 Arsenal lead a three-horse race
14.04 Title tilts towards Anfield
27.04 Go ahead, Gateshead
12.05 Manchester City surface first
17.05 Comeback ends Arsenal drought (score/teams only)
19.05 Heed fall just short
26.05 For the record
Season 2014/15
15.08 Premier League preview: Man City seek total dominance
22.08 Match of the Day at 50
24.12 Man City chase down Chelsea
Euro 2016 qualifiers/Other internationals
07.09 UEFA fails to see that less = more
08.10 Wembley should share the wealth 
13.11 FIFA farce set to run and run
19.11 England easily shrug off Scotland

FORMULA 1
14.03 Preview: Ripe for renewal
29.05 More to come from Mercedes pair
07.07 Hamilton shines at Silverstone
22.09 Hamilton leads the way under the Singapore lights
24.11 Hamilton reaches another level
26.11 Magnificent Mercedes find no equal
15.12 BBC SPOTY: Hamilton finishes first again

CRICKET
The Ashes 2013/14
05.01 Australia complete the whitewash
05.01 Stats: Complete Aussie dominance from just 11 men
Post-Ashes
01.04 World T20: Embarrassing England are the fools again
18.08 Cook sees through tumultuous summer

OTHER
Winter Olympics
07.02 Genuine Sochi hopefuls
07.02 Hockey/curling results
07.02 Medal table/full results
24.02 Britain's finest for 90 years
Ryder Cup golf
25.09 Europe enjoy favourites status
28.09 Dominant Europe win Ryder Cup again
Rugby Union
25.01 England seek Six Nations redemption
16.03 Ireland give O'Driscoll the perfect send-off
29.11 Autumn relief for Lancaster and Gatland
World Snooker
22.04 Champion O'Sullivan tames his chimp 
05.05 'Torturer' Selby completes Triple Crown
Grand National
06.04 Pineau De Re wins before riders' revolt
Tour de France
04.07 Yorkshire ready for t'Grand Départ 

MISC
09.05 Eurovision: Will Europe be Smitten with Molly?
31.07 Halcyon days of Sir Bobby

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.

BBC SPOTY 2014: Hamilton finishes first again

2014 BBC SPOTY WINNERS

SPOTY	Lewis Hamilton	Formula One
Team of the Year	England women's team	Rugby Union
Coach of the Year	Paul McGinley	Golf
Overseas SPOTY	Cristiano Ronaldo	Football
Young SPOTY	Claudia Fragapane	Gymnastics
Lifetime Achievement	Sir Chris Hoy	Cycling
Unsung Hero	Jill Stidever	Swimming
Helen Rollason Award	Invictus Games competitors	Various

FORMULA ONE world champion Lewis Hamilton won the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in a star-studded show at the SSE Hydro arena in Glasgow.

Hamilton had been a SPOTY runner-up in 2007 and 2008, having won his first world crown in the latter year.

But this time he finished in his more familiar position of first, with 209,920 (34%) of the 620,932 votes cast.

That was enough to beat pre-show odds-on favourite, world number one golfer Rory McIlroy, while third place went to athlete Jo Pavey.

In fairness to him, McIlroy could not have done much more to win the annual award, having triumphed in two of golf's four majors before playing a leading role in Europe easily retaining the Ryder Cup.

McIlroy should not despair, however. Perhaps he will win SPOTY next year having completed his very own "Rory Slam" by taking the first two major titles of 2015.

Third-placed Pavey had the most engaging human interest story of the year. Aged 40, and a mother of two, the Devonian won the first major title of her career in taking 10,000m gold at the European Championships in Zurich.

In doing so, she became the oldest female to win a gold medal in the history of the championships, and - for good measure - added a bronze in the 5000m in the Commonwealth Games.

Nevertheless, Hamilton's season-long title tussle with Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg also really captured the public attention.

Flashpoints in Monaco, Hungary and Belgium culminated in a final race in the United Arab Emirates where the controversial double points ruling had kept Rosberg's challenge alive.

But, as a result of Hamilton's brilliant start and Rosberg's subsequent mechanical problems, the much-anticipated Duel in the Desert never materialised - and so the Englishman became just the 16th man to win multiple world titles.

On the way, he had picked up 11 Grand Prix victories, taking his overall total to 33, more than any other British racer.

And it was clear, just a few weeks ago, exactly how much his second world title had meant to him.

He said at the time: "2008 was a great year in my life. The feeling I have now is way, way past that. The greatest feeling ever." 

On Sunday, he was similarly unable to express just how much the award meant to him.

"I want to say a huge thank you to all the people who called in, I really wasn't expecting it," he said. "I am so speechless. I'm so proud and honoured to be among such great sporting talent."

Other awards
Meanwhile, Sir Chris Hoy carried off arguably the biggest prize of the night, a Lifetime Achievement award, in a worthy acknowledgement of Britain's most successful Olympian.

The Scot, who claimed the main SPOTY prize in 2008 following a hat-trick of golds at the Beijing Olympics, won six Olympic titles overall.

And he was clearly emotional as he picked up his trophy in Glasgow last night.

"I never thought I'd see my name alongside Sir Steve Redgrave, David Beckham and Seve Ballesteros," he said, before adding: "I became a dad eight weeks ago. He was in hospital for eight weeks and finally came out last week and we got him home.

"I'm sure he'll be watching it on telly."

Unusually, the triumphant European Ryder Cup squad did not win the Team of the Year - although it was difficult to argue against the actual winners, the England women's rugby union team, who won the World Cup in August.

Instead, the Ryder Cup golfers gained representation in the ceremony through Paul McGinley, the 48-year-old Irishman becoming the first golf coach to win in this category.

The Overseas SPOTY was always likely to go to a footballer in World Cup year - but, ultimately, the month-long extravaganza in Brazil had little effect in the outcome.

For, while Portugal went out as early as England, their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo had a marvellous individual year, hitting 51 goals in 2013-14 as his club Real Madrid won a record 10th European Cup.

Meanwhile, the first award presented on the night - the Young Sports Personality of the Year - went to 17-year-old gymnast Claudia Fragapane.

She became the first Englishwoman to win four golds at a single Commonwealth Games in 84 years and celebrated with a SPOTY selfie on Twitter.

Finally, in terms of the other two awards: 77-year-old swimming coach Jill Stidever took the Unsung Hero prize for dedicating her life to helping thousands of children with special needs.

And the Helen Rollason award - for athletes who have shown "outstanding achievement in the face of adversity" - went to all of the inaugural Invictus Games competitors.