It’s a sweepstake for US residents only, but there’s no questions to answer – so all you need to do to win is basically enter and be lucky. Worth a shot! Oh and they give you a $10 off coupon just for entering. Sweet.

You can find the details here.

From their website:

The Homeless World Cup is an annual, international football tournament, uniting teams of people who are homeless and excluded to take a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country and change their lives forever. It has triggered and supports grass roots football projects in over 70 nations working with over 30,000 homeless and excluded people throughout the year.

In 2010, the tournament will be held in Rio De Janiero, Brazil and in 2011, in Paris, France. To raise money to put on the event, all year round people are out running marathons and you can get involved now by visiting the Homeless World Cup website. Whether you run yourself or donate to someone who is doing one of the marathons, you know your money or time is going to a worthy cause.

That’s about £15 and Fulham are playing pretty well of late, so not a bad chance to see some Premier League football for a fraction of the usual cost. For full disclosure: I do not make a cut for linking to this, I’m just passing it on.

Anyway, while the FA Cup starts back in the Summer, it’s the entrance of the “big” clubs in the Third Round that generally sparks FA Cup season, the first notable fixtures of the calendar year. Today we saw our beloved Reading, faltering in the league and without a permanent manager, take on Liverpool, faltering in the league and out of the Champions League. The game took place at an uncharacteristically full Madejski Stadium under the watchful eyes of the nation by way of ITV and online at itv.com. Over the pond, TV coverage came from Setanta US and rumour has it at least 1 Reading Fan other than myself watched it here.

Was I hopeful of a good result before the game? Not especially. Was I hopeful of a good result when I saw the team Liverpool were putting out? Definitely not – the likes of Reina, Aurelio, Carragher, Skrtel, Gerrard, Torres, Kuyt – not to mention Benayoun on the bench.

Reading, however, had clearly read the football handbook that states league form counts for nothing when it comes to this most magical of Cup competitions and started very strongly. Liverpool, by all accounts, were not at their best – but I don’t think anyone can really suggest that this was the only reason for today’s result.

There were a few close shaves early on as Liverpool tried to give Reading an early setback, but it was the home side that took the lead in the 20-something-th minute, Rasiak hugging the touchline to keep a set-piece delivery alive, tucking the ball back across goal where Simon Church got to it ahead of Reina and applied a suitably cool close range finish for 1-0.

Liverpool took that as motivation to kick it up a gear and played out the rest of the half on top, Gerrard scoring an equaliser in the 36th-or-so minute while attempting to cross to Kuyt, who was onside but distracted Federici enough to mean the Reading keeper didn’t get across to the ball before it nestled in the net. To my mind, regardless of the Dutchman’s presence, A-Fed needed to get that ball and really should have had it covered.

Reading held on for half time and in the second half, emerged rejuvenated – with myself and many media pundits feeling they were the more likely to score a second goal. Sigurdsson, who had a great game, came closest with a rasping drive from 20 odd yards, but Reina was equal to it and Liverpool scrambled the rebound away.

Federici, perhaps hurt by his clearance, perhaps hurt by the negative comments I had hurled at the screen earlier in the game (we shall never know) limped off in the 69th minute and Academy product Ben Hamer took his place between the sticks, looking a little unsure at times but delivering some important contributions as he denied Torres and did well to play to the whistle, keeping the ball on the right side of the goal line as he was fouled, just in case the Ref didn’t see it as a foul.

Liverpool had chances to win it themselves, Torres especially close with a header at the death, but it ended all square and it’s a replay at Anfield on 12th January to decide who progresses to the fourth round.

So, a few things that crossed my mind during and after the game:

Simon Church – he had a really good game, scoring of course but also showing a tireless work ethic closing down defenders and doing his bit to help the team. He was in the right place for the goal and didn’t panic, applying a neat finish. So what worries me now is that the transfer window just opened and Liverpool themselves have already had a little look at Church. With Madejski’s reluctance to provide transfer funds, I hope we don’t choose to cash in on the lad should a reasonable offer come in.

Adam Federici – is A-Fed really good enough to be relied on as our first choice Goalkeeper? I posed this question on Facebook after the game and received a good response – he’s a decent shot stopper, but has very questionable decision making skills. The same commenter also suggested we got a keeper in on loan during the window, which I believe would be a season-changing move if we got the right person. Ideally, we’d think big and go for someone like Ben Foster, assuming Man Utd would let him go, or another Premier League goalkeeper not seeing regular playing time at his club.

Jobi McAnuff – Jobi had an outstanding game and received the E.ON man of the match award. He’s been one of the few consistently strong performers Reading have had this season and I think today goes to show that we might not need to worry that only Brendan Rodgers can get the best out of him, as has been said time and again.

One last thing (as Columbo said to the suspect) – while McAnuff played fantastically well and received the official MoM award, my personal Man of the Match was Jem Karacan. Huge performance from one so young.

Now all we need is for this type of performance to translate in to a run of form in the league so that this time next year, we’re not entering the FA Cup in the second round…

I’ve been playing in goal since I was knee high to a grasshopper. In fact, I tell a lie – I was a little taller than that, which is why my 6 year old self was entrusted with the position between the sticks at the local park by the older boys who would let anyone play if it meant they didn’t have to be in goal. A penalty was conceded and, scared of the force the 12+ year old who was taking it might possess in his shot, I turned and started to run away. In so doing, I inadvertently blocked the shot and was hailed as a saviour. I was hooked.

So that’s why you’ll find me in the loneliest position on the pitch. Over the years, I’ve had all manner of Gloves to assist me in my role. I bought Sondico gloves when Chris Woods was the keeper we idolised, Adidas when Barthez emerged as a talent at France ’98 and Nike when Marcus Hahnemann endorsed them every week in goal for Reading.

But we all grow up, eventually. Nowadays my only criteria for a glove is it’s performance and I’ve been on a quest to find the “perfect” glove. As it happens, I think I might just have found the closest thing to it with these Reusch gloves.

Comfort & Fit

While you want a glove to offer sound protection from the sting of a powerful shot, you of course want to retain as much of the dexterity of your hand as you can. The expression “fits like a glove” would perhaps seem redundant here, but the fact of the matter is that this glove really moulds to your hand and allows you a great range of motion.

The glove is breathable, so you don’t get the clammy hands you might otherwise be used to and putting the glove on in the first place is a comfortable experience.

Protection

The most common complaint I have after a game is either sore fingers that were overly bent backwards or a bruised wrist owing to a lack of support. This Reusch glove has something they call “Ortho Tec” which is essentially a spine in each finger, preventing over extension. Similarly, the reinforced wrist support means no more bruising or aches after some firm shots.

Grip

These gloves have an amazing grippiness to them, to the point where you almost feel like you’ve got velcro on your palms. Claiming crosses was a far more straightforward affair as I could be confident that as I reached for the ball, there would be no slipping – and that’s in a wet & windy Montana winter environment, no mean feat!

Style

So what if you just want to make sure you look the part when you’re playing in goal? These are nicely designed, keeping the traditional all-white appearance in a modern style. Reusch know what they’re doing with their years of experience and the trusted formula doesn’t fail here.

If you’re a Goalkeeper, you’ll really like these gloves. You can buy the Reusch Raptor Pro X1 Ortho Tec Glove at SoccerPro.com, along with a wide selection of other Goalkeeper gloves and Goalkeeper gear.

Troubling times at Boro, another defeat today to local rivals and table toppers Newcastle. Kitson and Lita both started the game as Middlesbrough went down 2-0 to the Toon.

Simon Cox (Reading 2005-2008) West Bromwich Albion, Coca-Cola Championship

West Brom’s game at Blackpool was postponed due to a frozen pitch, so no match time for Cox this week.

James Harper (Reading 2001 – Present) Sheffield United (Loan), Coca-Cola Championship

Harps played the full match but had to settle for a share of the spoils as Sheffield United drew 1-1 with QPR.

Nicky Forster (Reading 1999-2005) Brighton & Hove Albion, Coca-Cola League One

Fozzie got himself on the scoresheet against Swindon but the result didn’t go his way, final score Swindon 2-1 Brighton.

Stephen Hunt (Reading 2005-2009) Hull City, Barclays Premier League

A bad day at the office for Hull as they lost 3-0 to Arsenal. Hunt was booked and by all accounts didn’t do himself any favours leading up to the card.

Kevin Doyle (Reading 2005-2009) Wolves, Barclays Premier League

Doyle’s in a rich vein of form at the moment, scoring one and playing a strong part in another as Wolves beat Burnley 2-0 to move out of the Relegation Zone.

Marcus Hahnemann (Reading Loan 2001-2002, 2002-2009) Wolves, Barclays Premier League

Another fine clean sheet for the big American, saving well to deny Burnley a way back in to the game.

Nicky Shorey (Reading 2001-2008) Nottingham Forest (on Loan from Aston Villa), Coca-Cola Championship

Shorey will perhaps be seeing the surrounds of the Premier League again next season, as news comes that Forest plan to turn his loan in to a permanent deal in January and the club continue their good form. As of yesterday, Forest are level on points with 2nd placed WBA and sit in third only on goal difference. WBA have a game in hand.

Nicky celebrated the news by getting an assist on the second goal as Forest beat Preston 3-0.

Steve Sidwell (Reading 2003-2007) Aston Villa, Barclays Premier League

Sidders got some time on the pitch, playing the last 10 or so minutes of Villa’s 1-0 win over Stoke City. He made an impression during this short run out but fired wide twice.

As a Reading fan myself, I was not alone in wondering if Rodgers was up to the job. Too often, the manager is the easy target when things are going south, fast – but as fans, we don’t see the whole story with what goes on behind the scenes and can easily be misplaced in laying the blame.

In light of this, I’ve put together a comparison of the performance in the first 6 months of recent Reading managers, over the past 10 or so years.

Brendan Rodgers

4 June – 16 December 2009

Results in League Competition

P 21 | W 5 |  D 6 | L 10

Under Rodgers, Reading managed just 5 league wins, while 6 games were drawn and 10 were losses. One win did come at home, reversing a run of draws and losses at the Madejski that stretched back to January 2009. At both Derby and Peterborough, the Royals took the lead only to come away with nothing.

Win Ratio: 24%
Points Per Game: 1

League Status

When Rodgers took the helm over the summer, Reading had just seen a capitulation in the Play-offs to eventual winners Burnley and awaited the new season in the League Championship. At the time of his departure, they sat just one place above the relegation zone in 21st.

Notable Signings

One of the criticisms of the Rodgers “era” was the lack of investment in the team, though it seems pretty clear that not too much money was made available to him and the behind-the-scenes deal making process left a lot to be desired (for example, the Tommy Smith Saga) – a process largely outside of his control.

With that in mind, the more memorable of those brought in by Brendan would be current club top scorer Gregorz Rasiak, winger Jobi McAnuff and defensive prospect Matt Mills. How they will fare under new management remains to be seen.

Fate

Sacked, or as the club so kindly put it – parted ways “by mutual consent”.

Steve Coppell

9 October 2003 – 12 May 2009

Results in League Competition (during 1st Six Months in Charge)

P 29 | W 14 | D 6 | L 9

Coppell’s reign began as most Reading fans were washing a bitter taste from their mouths following Pardew’s decision to walk out on the club for “massive” West Ham. In his first six months, he took charge of the team for 8 more games than Rodgers, registering 9 more wins and losing 1 fewer than his successor.

Win Ratio: 48%
Points Per Game: 1.65

League Status

The team were sitting in mid-table obscurity at the dawn of the age of Coppell, lying in 12th place in what is now the League Championship, then called Division 1. While his first season (03/04) and second season (04/05) ended in disappointment, with the Royals chasing the play-offs and failing to come up with the goods, he repaid the fans’ faith in his third season, leading Reading to the League Championship title and their first ever promotion to the Premier League in 2005/06. For good measure, he picked up a record points total (106pts) along the way and followed it up by leading the Royals to 8th place in the Premier League.

Even “Sir” Steve was not immune to second season syndrome and Reading were relegated back to the Championship in 07/08. Persuaded by the fans to stay on for the fight to “bounce back”, he nearly guided the team back to the top flight at the first time of asking, only to see a shocking loss of form in the second half of the season dash those hopes. Reading, who spent most of the season in the automatic promotion spots, dropped steadily to 4th place and went out of the play-offs in the semi-finals.

Notable Signings

Take your pick, really – this really was the Golden age of the modern Reading Football Club. Standouts for me were (Super) Kevin Doyle, Dave Kitson, Ivar Ingimarsson and Bobby Convey, the first Reading player to appear at a World Cup when he appeared for the USA in 2006.

Record

Promotions: 1 (to Premier League)
Relegations: 1 (to Championship)
Silverware: League Championship Title 2005/06
Awards: League Managers Association Manager of the Year 2005/06, 2006/07

Fate

Resigned. Immediately after Reading’s failure in the play-off semi-final 2nd leg against Burnley, noble “Sir” Steve took responsibility for the team’s failure to achieve promotion and handed in his notice with immediate effect.

Alan Pardew

16th September 1999 – 9th September 2003

Results in League Competition (during 1st six months in charge)

P 29 | W 9 | D 11 | L 9

A mixed bag for Pardew in his inaugral 6 months in charge, winning as many as he lost (9) and drawing a not insignificant 11. The team’s performances didn’t inspire too much hope in the fans at first, with Pants Day coming during this opening spell of the Pardew years.

Win Ratio: 31%
Points Per Game: 1.31

League Status

Pards inherited a team in dire straits, languishing in the relegation zone of English Football’s third tier – 23rd position in what today would be League One, called Division 2 at the time. His first 6 months were a mixed bag, losing as many as he won and drawing a boatload. But, having avoided relegation in his first season in charge, he soon took the Royals up to Division 1 as was, and turned Reading in to a team consistently competing for a play-off place. Upon his departure, Reading sat in their equal-highest league position in history – 2nd in the second tier.

Notable Signings

Steadying the ship after the big spending, low return era of Burns, Pardew made some astute signings that shaped the Reading of recent years. Most notable in my mind were Steve Sidwell, Martin Butler, Nicky Forster, Jamie Cureton, Marcus Hahnemann, James Harper and the loan signing of Matthew Upson.

Record

Promotions: 1 (to Division 1)
Relegations: 0

Fate

Resigned. West Ham United approached Reading in 2003 and asked for permission to speak to Pardew about their vacant managerial position. Reading refused and Pardew decided he’d very much like the chance to manage a “massive” club like West Ham and so resigned from his position as Reading manager. Reading fans have, on the whole, yet to forgive him and he’s now down in League One managing Southampton.

Tommy Burns

25th March 1998 – 16th September 1999

Results in League Competition (during 1st six months in charge)

P 34 | W 14 | D 7 | L 13 (Over 2 seasons)

Burns’ run in the hot seat began with only a little over a month remaining in the season, so his first 6 months of competitive league action spanned 2 seasons. In that time, he won marginally more than he lost, hinting at the tough situation Royals fans saw their team in.

Win Ratio: 41%
Points Per Game: 1.44

League Status

Tommy Burns found himself in charge of a team with little time left to get themselves out of a mire. Prior to kick-off of his first game in charge, Reading were 24th in the old Division 1 (League Championship today). No real reflection on the man himself that he was unable to prevent relegation to Division 2, but things never really got any better and at the conclusion of his relatively short reign, Reading sat on the brink of a second successive relegation, 23rd in the old Division 2.

Notable Signings

Those with a better memory and more games under their belt in the late 90s may tell a different tale, but to my mind only Graeme Murty and Grant Brebner pop up.

Record

Promotions: 0
Relegations: 1 (to Division 2)

Fate

Sacked. Held accountable for the team’s dismal form, the board lost patience and removed Burns from his position. Sadly passed away from Skin Cancer in 2008.

Google Map

There are several “proposed” stadiums included in the bid, noted below in italics. These have been mapped according to their approximate proposed locations.

Sunderland – Stadium of Light
London – Wembley Stadium
Birmingham – Villa Park
Manchester – City of Manchester Stadium
Nottingham – the new Nottingham Forest stadium
London – Emirates Stadium
Leeds – Elland Road
Sheffield – Hillsborough
Newcastle/Gateshead – St James’ Park
Bristol – the new Ashton Vale stadium
London – the new White Hart Lane or Olympic Stadium
Plymouth – Home Park
Manchester – Old Trafford
Liverpool – Anfield or new Anfield
Milton Keynes – Stadium MK

South Africa

A tournament of firsts involving hosts South Africa: they are the first hosts on the African continent and also the first host nation required to participate in qualifying for the tournament since Italy back in 1934 (hosts gained automatic qualification starting with the 1938 tournament).

South Africa in fact were assured of a place at the finals, however as the African Football Federation (CAF) uses the African Cup of Nations for qualifying, they were required to participate.

While they are perhaps not considered likely to advance from the group, their home advantage and the wavering form of some others in their group might give the hosts the push they need to get in to the round of 16.

France

(1 World Cup Title)
The former World Champions, crowned on home soil back in 1998, reached the 2010 finals in contentious circumstances courtesy of Thierry Henry’s handball-assisted cross for the winning goal in their play-off against the Republic of Ireland.

That they even needed a play-off to reach the group stage is indication enough that this French team is not playing to the level expected of them. Losing support faster than the devil leaning on an ice block, manager Domenech is risking the wrath of the French public if his team fails to get out of this favourable group.

Mexico

The Mexican qualifying campaign was quite eventful, having begun under the stewardship of former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson before some poor results led to the two parting company. Mexico recovered well and ended qualifying in second place, behind a dominant USA side.

With 13 appearances at the tournament finals, Mexico are no strangers to the World Cup and will see anything other than advancement as complete failure.

Uruguay

(2 World Cup Titles)
Two-time winners and inaugral hosts of the World Cup, the South Americans have had to hark back to distant history for their glory years. They appear in South Africa after winning the CONMEBOL/CONCACAF playoff in two legs against Costa Rica.

Former Manchester United Striker Diego Forlan (now of Atletico Madrid) lead the team’s goal tally in qualifying with 7 goals and will hope to bring some tournament success back to the country that started it all.

A look at the group

Conspiracy theories were already on the go from the start when France ended up in this comparatively soft group, with many imaginative types suggesting it was FIFA’s gift to make up for not seeding the French team for the draw. I don’t know what to make of that and to be honest, I don’t think Les Bleus can take too much for granted given their performance in qualifying.

One thing that stands out to me as an unabashed England fan is that this group is almost a carbon copy of the first group in the 1966 World Cup – with England, hosts in ’66, in place of this year’s hosts South Africa. In that tournament, the French had a torrid time, failing to advance out of the group. Uruguay followed England out of the group thanks to a victory over France and the Mexicans also went home early after only managing a couple of draws.

Past Match-ups: South Africa v France

This is the second World Cup where these two have met in the Group Stage and if it’s an omen, it favours the French – the last time was in 1998 and France emerged victors on the day, with goals from Dugarry and Henry either side of an Issa own goal giving Les Bleus a 3-0 win. France topped the group that year and finished the tournament as champions.

The aforementioned Henry also has another link to South Africa – it was against the Bafana Bafana that a young Thierry got his international debut back in October 1997.

Past Match-ups: South Africa v Mexico & South Africa v Uruguay

With South Africa having qualified for their first World Cup in ’98, this is the first time these teams meet in the competition.

Past Match-ups: France v Mexico

You need only look to the first World Cup tournament to see a group pairing of these teams, as the French overcame Mexico 4-1 in 1930’s cup. A nice tie-in to 2010’s group A is that said tournament was of course held in Uruguay…

They were again drawn together in 1954, where neither managed to get out of the group stage and the French came out the better of the two with a 3-2 win. That year Mexico had a torrid time, propping up the rest of the group with 2 games played, 2 games lost and only 2 goals scored (albeit against France).

Past Match-ups: France v Uruguay

Both past World Champions, France first met Uruguay in England 1966. Uruguay helped heap the misery on the Europeans as their 2-1 win was one of the reasons France made the short trip home after the group stage.

You’ll need to fast forward to 2002 in South Korea / Japan to find the next meeting in World Cup competition between the two, a year to forget for both sides. Their group stage meeting was a drab affair, ending 0-0 which helped neither team when it came down to it and both went home at the earliest opportunity.

Past Match-ups: Mexico v Uruguay

It was a stalemate when these relatively close neighbours met for the first time in ’66, a 0-0 draw hardly setting the pulses racing.

The next 43 years saw no further meetings between the two in World Cup competition and so this coming summer, Central & South American passions will run hot once more.

The Match of the Dave Prediction: Final Group Standings

1. France
2. Uruguay
3. Mexico
4. South Africa

Dave Kitson (Reading 2003-2008, Loan 2009) Middlesbrough (on Loan from Stoke City), Coca-Cola Championship & Leroy Lita (Reading 2005-2009) Middlesbrough, Coca-Cola Championship

A less fruitful week for this pair, as Middlesbrough lost 1-0 to Cardiff. Kits started the game but couldn’t find the net, while Lita replaced him from the bench shortly after the hour and came close a few times but also failed to score.

Simon Cox (Reading 2005-2008) West Bromwich Albion, Coca-Cola Championship

Cox was Albion’s saviour on Monday night as his injury time equaliser salvaged a point against QPR.

James Harper (Reading 2001 – Present) Sheffield United (Loan), Coca-Cola Championship

Harps has made himself a fixture of the Blades midfield and again played the full 90 as Sheffield Utd beat Crystal Palace 2-0.

Nicky Forster (Reading 1999-2005) Brighton & Hove Albion, Coca-Cola League One

It was an unwanted result for Fozzie as Brighton went down 2-1 to high flying Colchester, but he did get an assist on Brighton’s solitary goal.

Stephen Hunt (Reading 2005-2009) Hull City, Barclays Premier League

Hunty was one of several Hull players to spurn chances in a bore-draw at Blackburn, the game ending 0-0.

Kevin Doyle (Reading 2005-2009) Wolves, Barclays Premier League

Another great day at the office for Doyler, as he scored after just 3 minutes in Wolves’ away win at Spurs. A noteworthy game for the club, as it was the first time they’ve secured back to back wins in the top flight for 26 years, not to mention their first away win at White Hart Lane in 36 years.

Marcus Hahnemann (Reading Loan 2001-2002, 2002-2009) Wolves, Barclays Premier League

Hahnemann also played in the above game for Wolves and was in fine form, keeping a clean sheet against a Tottenham side that has been scoring well of late.

Nicky Shorey (Reading 2001-2008) Nottingham Forest (on Loan from Aston Villa), Coca-Cola Championship

Shorey picked up a yellow card today but won’t be too fussed as it came during a 1-0 win for Forest against Swansea City. If Forest keep up their current form, little Nicky’ll be looking for a permanent deal come January in order to turn his career around.

Steve Sidwell (Reading 2003-2007) Aston Villa, Barclays Premier League

A great result for Villa, beating Man Utd by a single goal. However, Sidders had to settle for the best seat in the house, watching the victory from the bench as an unused substitute.

Ibrahima Sonko (Reading 2004-2008) Hull City (on Loan from Stoke City), Barclays Premier League

Again, not included in Hull’s squad today.