If there's one sport I like more than any other, it would have to be football (soccer to any Americans!). However, I have never actually played properly for a team (only the odd game). Unfortunately, none of the schools I attended when I was younger would allow one! Never did quite understand that. Later on in life, I've found it difficult to find the time.

Me on England

Being English, I do my best to support them in International competitions, but I'm never expectant of an overwhelming performance to be honest. Very rarely do I see England play well, especially against tough opposition, and that's a crying shame seeing as the sport originated here.

In the past I've been very pessimistic about the prospects of the England side, with good reason in my opinion. I think the appointment of Sven Goran Eriksson was a very shrewd move that will hopefully prove successful. I still doubt that England are actually capable of winning anything other than through a stoke of luck, but I think Sven's managing to create a team that will at least cause problems for top national sides. I must say though, I think France have still got the best side. Every one of their players seems to be so comfortable on the ball that it puts most of the English team to shame. Argentina are also in the running for the World cup too. I think England will be extremely lucky to make it to the semi-finals, but you never know! Anyway, I cross my fingers for them.

I support Chelsea FC but have not actually been to Stamford Bridge (their home ground) that many times. They finished 5th in the league last season, I think mainly due to their lack of striking power and general consistency. They're one of those funny sides that seem to struggle more against the lesser teams than the big names. With Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the side, they score more goals on a regular basis, but he's not very much of a team player unfortunately. I'm not particularly optimistic about their prospects this season either. They've made a very average start and are becoming "draw specialists". I'm not sure what it is exactly, but they rarely seem to hit 5th gear, which I know they are perfectly capable of, and that can become very frustrating. Getting knocked out of the UEFA Cup to a second-rate Israeli side is a prime example of their inconsistency. We shall have to see how the season progresses.

If you'd like to know more about Chelsea, you can visit their official homepage at www.chelseafc.co.uk.

I play computer games every now and then and I must say, for all the detailed information, accelerated 3D graphics and artificial intelligence, the best football game I know of is Sensible World of Soccer '96 - '97 (SWOS). A simple game that has very basic graphics and limited capabilities, but no other football game allows as much direct human-computer interaction and direct manipulation of the on-screen players. Where 3D effects provide a great visual realism, SWOS concentrates on providing greater playability. This is sadly something that seems almost overlooked by many of today's games manufacturers. Fair enough, it doesn't necessarily play in the most realistic way, and certainly doesn't look too impressive, but it terms of control and playability, in my opinion, it simply can't be matched. The crying shame is that Sensible software themselves jumped on the graphics bandwagon and totally revamped the game to make it crap. Harsh but fair. The eagerly awaited sequel turned out to be a flop because they lost touch with the key factor that made their previous versions such a success. Shame, but you can't win 'em all. Anyway, if you can find a copy, I would definitely recommend it. It will probably take a fair bit of practice before you get good, but when mastered, it can't be beaten.

The Championship Manager series of games are also superb. They focus on football management and tactics as opposed to physically controlling players. I used to play the first few versions they brought out, and they were good, but each subsequent version has provided new improvements, and today it really is an unbelievably comprehensive game with details, statistics and choices coming out of its ears. I have not really played the latest version that much. It seems that there is almost too many factors to consider now. However it can be very addictive once you know what you're doing; you can find yourself staying up until 5am just so you can finish the league! If you have the time, then this is also a big recommendation, but don't blame me if you end up having sleepless nights.

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