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Villa and Ipswich battle it out for the title. By Josh Widdicombe

The long-term significance
The new decade brought the first signs of a new England team. West Brom captain Bryan Robson made his international debut, becoming Captain Marvel for club and country for a decade before taking to management like a duck to oil. Terry Butcher also established himself at the centre of the England defence, becoming the youngest England player at Spain 1982. Gary Lineker made his first appearance in the top flight for Leicester, often playing out wide, while Chris Waddle, Peter Beardsley and Mark Wright were also starting out. After this campaign the rule of three points for a win was introduced, replacing the system that had operated since the Football League’s formation in 1888-89.

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To suggest that the French midfielder has an attitude problem would be like saying Tewkesbury has been a bit damp of late. James Eastham reports on a career that has gone nowhere, via pretty much everywhere

Stéphane Dalmat scored a glorious goal in the Champions League last season. Playing for Bordeaux, he picked up the ball on the halfway line, breezed past an opponent and lobbed PSV Eindhoven’s goalkeeper, Gomes, from 25 yards. In the Sky TV studio, Jamie Redknapp, Dalmat’s team-mate at Spurs in 2003-04, described the midfielder along the lines of being “one of the most skilful players I’ve ever seen”, but labelled his attitude “shocking”.

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Having a fag at matches was all but outlawed on July 1 and football has been pushing tobacco away for a while. But, as Jon Spurling explains, the game and the weed have had a surprisingly close relationship

“There’s nothing better than lying back in the bath and having a good smoke after a game,” claimed Bolton striker Nat Lofthouse in the 1950s. This post-match relaxation technique has long been consigned to the historical dustbin, so much so that there is always a frisson of disapproval whenever a high-profile footballer is caught with a cigarette. Zinedine Zidane, having previously endorsed the EU’s “Feel Free To Say No” campaign, was castigated by the French media after being snapped taking a crafty drag shortly before France’s semi-final against Portugal at last year’s World Cup. With FIFA and UEFA refusing to allow tobacco advertising at any international tournaments over the last eight years, the previously strong ties between the tobacco industry and football appear to have been severed.

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Twenty years ago, unfancied teams won the Scottish and English Cups then agreed to a home-and-away Battle of Britain. But, as Neville Hadsley recalls, Coventry and St Mirren only met the once

Dedicated fans can be very patient awaiting the next instalment of a long-running saga. Star Wars aficionados endured a 16-year gap between movies, yet there was no rioting on the streets of Beverly Hills. Similarly, followers of the whip-carrying archaeological looter Indiana Jones who silently long for more will be rewarded with another instalment in 2008 after a 19-year hiatus.

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West Ham are set to avoid relegation after escaping a points deduction from the Premier League. Some Middlesbrough fans are almost as unhappy about this as those of Sheffield United. Take Harry Pearson…

All that I know about legal matters dates back to the days when I was doing a diploma in hotel management. From what I recall precedent was all-important. “But it was established in Rex versus Pettigrew, 1936, that ‘a repast of sandwich and pickles did not constitute a substantial meal and therefore the sale of beer in this instance was illegal’,” our lecturer would drone as he lead us through the bizarre intricacies of the ­British licensing laws. Strangely, however, in all the waffle that the case of West Ham, the Premier League and Carlos Tévez has generated in the national media, precedent hardly seems to have warranted a mention.

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