Following the Leeds.

It's been a big weekend for England's football and rugby teams, and the big rugger smash and grab in Ireland was a real corker.

Sports great for taking the mind off things, and lets face it there's a lot to take our minds off at the moment.

Even Sven's band of plonkers making hard work of beating a bunch of part-timers stuck somewhere between national borders. The country's top scorer - James Beattie - playing for some unfashionable outfit on the south coast gets passed over in favour of some greenhorn scousers again. And there's talk of starting the Rooney kid against the Turks when he's barely played 90 minutes at club level.

At this time of the year it gets a bit nervy for footie fans hereabouts. The England games are fine detractions but its getting to crunch times for our local teams - and this year the teams really in trouble are Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield, both staring relegation in the face.

Both proud teams - the latter with a great little youth setup by all accounts. And they are both more or less gonners unless miracles happen. Any Barnsley fan who watched the Tykes drop last year will know that miracles don't happen when your teams crap.

Which brings us to Leeds United.

The big black clouds are forming and its suddenly looking black over Bill's mothers...They've been so busy arguing about who to sell next that they've clean forgotten how to do it on the pitch. And suddenly they're dropping down the table.

Getting the boot from the FA Cup shocked the lot of 'em I think. Since it's been long obvious that there'll be no qualifying for Europe through the league I reckon that they all thought that the FA Cup was already won.

Whoops. Sheffield United certainly knocked the smirk off their faces.

Now we have the galling sight of expensively paid international footballers quietly consulting with expensively paid agents - looking for a new club with a European future. And these are precisely the players that are supposed to save the club from a looming disaster.

Do you buy the Harry Kewell in new contract blather? Me neither. Maybe all this relegation stuff will go away with a good three points down at Charlton at the weekend. And we can all heave a big sigh of relief and look forward to a new start next summer. Minus a few big name players of course.

I'm sure that they've still got David O'Leary's phone number somewhere...

B