A great jump on a corner and a marvelous header. This is by no means a surprise coming from Plymouth striker Rory Fallon. But until few days ago, those kinds of attempts didn't bring a lot of attention. His club are struggling in Coca Cola Championship, while Fellon himself is far from the desired form.

Although this is the final stage of the World Cup 2010 qualifiers and there are no weak teams in the competition, Portugal and Russia were expected to have much easier jobs. They have minimal advantage before the return leg on Wednesday, but while Russia have a reason feel aggrieved, Portugal were more than lucky against Bosnia.

The play-off draw was by no means easy on Republic of Ireland and they have only FIFA officials to thank to for pitting them against underperforming but still very strong France side. This is obviously going to be most interesting duel in the World Cup play-offs and while we have no doubts both sets of players will be extremely motivated, it is the coaches that have the power to win this game for their team.

It is starting to look as if West Ham striker Dean Ashton could be forced to retire from the game at just 25-years-old.

The former Norwich forward broke his left ankle while training with the England squad in 2006 and has been unable to recover from the injury.

Hammer boss Gianfranco Zola had this to say on his situation: "When something like this happens, it is very much personal.

When Nani arrived to Manchester United for the fee thought to be around £15 million he was only 20 years old and looked like the player that in couple of year's time could become a key member of Sir Alex Ferguson's team. He has shown some glimpses of quality during his first two seasons at Old Trafford but the problem is that instead of getting better by the day, the Portuguese winger's performances kept deteriorating and in my opinion it's high time he was shown the door.

Yes, I am aware Daniel Agger is not even a left-back but it just shows how badly Insua has been playing. The Reds had their share of problems this season but one of the biggest reasons behind the disappointing results is the fact defence is leaking too many goals. Johnson, Carragher and Skrtel are doing really well when they are fully fit, thus I am positive the back line would be much more stable with Agger replacing completely unconvincing Insua.

Derby games are always passionate affairs and they generate a lot of excitement but the match itself tens to disappoint the viewers, mostly because the managers are always too cautious and they prevent the players from giving their attacking best. The games between Lyon and Marseille have not been exception to this rule in the past and no wonder nobody expected too many goals when these sides met on Sunday, but we saw a remarkable match and no less than 10 goals, five on each side.

It is difficult for a team to recover after losing few games in a row so you can imagine how Grenoble players feel after losing 12 straight games. The League Cup defeat to Lorient probably wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for 11 defeats in as many Ligue 1 games this term.

Portsmouth were sitting at rock bottom after seven Premiership rounds and they had always been expected to struggle after they could only reinforce the squad in the dying moments of the transfer window due to the uncertainty surrounding the club. Nevertheless, Paul Hart's team have shown a massive improvement in the last few weeks having taken no less than seven points from last four games.

Real's humiliation brings back the faith in the game. These days I have been thinking whether Florentino Perez is just an amateur who thought he knows football or is it mere profit he is into.

Simply, no man would make the same mistake twice. Los Galacticos one were tragic but this other version looks like a group of clowns.

I have always wondered how come everyone is so fascinated by Van Gaal. We all remember Ajax from the mid90s but that story lasted briefly and they had the system to thank for the fame not the coach. As soon as big clubs got the idea to buy everyone that was worth something in that team, things fell into place.

In these still early stages of the season a few new additions to the Premier League have looked like excellent additions to the league and indeed their respective clubs. The English game may have lost the massive talent of Cristiano Ronaldo but the following players have already made an impression on the Premier League.

Popular "pit-bull" Edgar Davids might get back on football scene and as no less than a Leicester City member. Dutchman's final decision is expected these days and everyone in Leicester are unanimous about getting this excellent player and winner of many trophies on their side.

Hull club officials had plenty of patience with boss Phil Brown over the last year or so, even though the Tigers kept underachieving, but they have finally decided to sack him if the team remain in the relegation zone after the next two rounds. Those of you who were insightful enough to place a bet on Brown to win the Premiership sack race are probably in for a nice betting bonus, while those of you thinking about doing that now should know the betting is suspended.