Are we witnessing another revolution in Thai football involving a notorious political family dynasty?Following on from the Buriram soap opera we now have Suphanburi spending big money in an effort to bring football glory to their town in the boonies.
Currently in Division One they have set about improving their squad for the new campaign and among their signings is Pipat Thonkanya, the former Persisam and Thai Port striker who spent last season with Osotspa after a short spell with Buriram PEA.

"Sheer stupidity."
Maybe Leigh Griffiths had been fed that line in the bizarre public apology issued by Hibs today.
But it's pretty much bang on the money as a description of his behaviour in the past few weeks.
Gesturing Griffiths, the daftest laddie in the whole of Leith.

Well it's happened again. Not even a full season back in top flight football and the "old dame" Hertha has been embroiled in a soap opera of daytime TV proportions, where nobody ends up looking good. Manager Markus Babbel and Sport Director Michael Preetz were entangled in a war of words where one was trying to paint the other as a liar and claiming who did or did not say what, when.

For those who always find themselves wondering what happens after the credits roll, a three-pronged update on our whackadoo KNVB Cup soap opera:The idiot who made this all possible has been sentenced to six months in jail, four to serve, two suspended for two years.Ajax have accepted the penalties, albeit in protest.

It's no surprise that Santos' Neymar voted for himself in the recent FIFPro Starting XI ballot form. He ranks up there with Edin Dzeko in terms of neat handwriting, but that's not really the point here, is it?! Neymar wants to play alongside both Ronaldo and Messi so even if he told Pep Guardiola to "take me to Barcelona" recently (sounds like a dramatic soap opera conjured up by the Spanish press, really) it could go either way.

Don't touch me South American

Porque Negro?

- A conversation that has opened a giant can of worms.

The Premier league these days is more soap opera than sport. Starting from Captain Courageous being accused of a similar charge to Steve Kean and the chicken farmers receiving vitriolic abuse for being incompetent nincompoops, the focus seems to be more on what happens before and after kickoff with the game itself almost being a distraction.

Oliver Holt's Big Match Verdict: Enthralling match at Anfield illustrates the progress of both sides

When the game was over and the players had left the pitch, news emerged from the dressing-room area. Manchester City striker Mario ­Balotelli had slammed a door, we were told.

Juan Mata's seen** Ronaldinho's video. Have you? **Actually, Juan was at the ATP Tour Finals at the O2 Arena, but this is the expression we pulled before falling to our knees when we saw the infamous vid. It seemed fitting. Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images.

The week started as a soap opera, segued gently through fantasy into fashion commentary before coming to rest in Xabi Alonso's shorts.

Image: Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images.

Rich boys and their toys, controversial storylines and rather startling events occurring in the shower.

What else is football but a big old soap opera?

EPL

Frank Lampard & Craig Bellamy discuss the proposed script changes.

Here is a little news to make you Monday. A former girlfriend to football star and world player of the year Lionel Messi has come out claiming that Messi's mother chased with a frying pan while she was out shopping with her mother and aunt.

Of course, this is something you would only expect to see and hear from a dramatic soap opera scene, but as shocking as it may sound, it actually happened.

Liverpool lifted by Steven Gerrard's display against Manchester United

• Steven Gerrard fit and firing again for Liverpool • Kenny Dalglish: ground is being made on Manchester United Steven Gerrard longs for normality at Liverpool and, though experience may have taught him to appeal in hope not expectation, 13 years inside the Anfield soap opera have not diminished his influence over its return.

Messi, Ronaldo, Jovanovic We all know that soap opera plot-lines are to be taken with a pinch of salt, but this is stretching reality a bit too far. During a spot of genealogy, the scriptwriters of Neighbours ask you to suspend belief completely by suggesting that ex-Liverpool flop Milan Jovanovic is "one of the greatest [.

Richard and Ginge return with lots of great stories to discuss. Two big derbies in England, massive games in Italy, footballers burning down houses and getting arrested...and David de Gea caught stealing a Krispy Kreme. We promised you the soap opera of European football and this week we deliver. CSRN MEDIA PLAYER

Where to begin... The Nottingham Forest soap opera continued in a dramatic fashion on Sunday night in a way that few could have foreseen. Steve McClaren resigned, Nigel Doughty stepped down as chairman and Mark Arthur remains as chief executive. And all that we're left with are unanswered questions [.

There is something awry in Northamptonshire. The start of the new season was supposed to be the start of a new era for Kettering Town. Having moved from Rockingham Road to Nene Park, the former home of the late Rushden & Diamonds, perhaps the least that Kettering supporters might have expected would have been for the aura of soap opera that has hung over the club for the last few years to begin to dissipate, but Tuesday night's home defeat in the Blue Square Premeier at the hands of Hayes & Yeading United saw the team, which has now shipped five goals at home this season twice already, end its evening in disgrace with two of its players contriving to get themselves sent off for fighting each other.

Both USSF CEO/Secretary General Dan Flynn and NASL Commissioner David Downs feel positive about progress toward NASL sanctioning for 2012. The sanctioning of the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 2011 season was an eventful process. For those on the outside looking in, it may have looked a bit more like a soap opera.

VIVA VALENCIA! The city must be celebrating their 2-2 draw against Barcelona last night ("I told you so" messages from Valencian friends are on the way). Of course, the popular hero of the hour was deemed to be Cesc Fabregas for saving Barca but it's time to give credit where it's due to Los Che, who were 10 men down and stuck till the end.

Arsenal are still a formidable force, warns Liverpool's Kenny Dalglish

• Liverpool manager defends 'fantastic' Arsène Wenger • 'They have lost Fábregas but it will be a difficult game' With respect to Arsène Wenger, big clubs do sell big players and retain ambition providing they reinvest on the field and not into their bank accounts.

By Chris Wright

Cracking spot from Pies fan Lee Hickson, who noticed that Baggies goalkeeper Ben Foster bears an uncanny resemblance (it's the 'head-too-large-for-face' ratio that does it) to actor Danny Miller, who currently plays Aaron Livesy on Emmerdale which is, as Lee points out, a rubbish Northern soap opera.

Ignore Rudy and the Barca v. Madrid love-in. Check out that little nugget in the bottom left corner of the cover. That's what we need to be concerned with.

Juan on Juan

While today's front of Marca focused on this small matter of a Spanish Super Cup, rightfully so, there was some information on a potential bid from Chelsea for Valencia winger Juan Mata.

Valencia CF c. 2011-12 have inspired me to jump back on my soap box and preach to the masses.
And why not? I'm giddy with excitement for the season to start this weekend!

That is, if it starts. The players union may strike. The season may be delayed. We may have to wait to see Our Beloved Valencia CF trot out to defend the colors of the Valencian Community.

Fabregas speaks with Arsene Wenger during last training session with Arsenal (Photo: Getty Images)

he transfer of Cesc Fabregas to FC Barcelona is all done pending an official email from Arsenal confirming the transaction. The problem is that with all the excitement by Barcelona fans and team personnel Arsenal got angry and is delaying their response.

The only managerial soap opera that was to have transpired in Edinburgh this summer was to have been at Easter Road involving the love triangle between Hibernian FC, Colin Calderwood, and Nottingham Forest. Then again, when "Mad Vlad" Romanov blows into town to see about things over at Tynecastle, general upheaval can never be too far out of the reckoning.

What on Earth is going on with Arsene Wenger and Cesc Fabregas? It seemed like it was a business relationship that went wrong, but now it is turning into a soap opera. Arsene Wenger took Cesc Fabregas away from Pep Guardiola (his first love) and tried to persuade him that his life would be better [..

We're taking a brief break from our lengthy (and, let's face it, exhausting) series of Premier League previews for a couple of days in order to bring you some round-ups on the state of the Football League, prior to its kick-off this weekend. Rob Freeman will be bringing you our (or, if they're hopelessly inaccurate, "his") predictions for the coming season over the next three days, but first of all here's a brief synopsis of the state of play as League Two prepares to gird its loins for the new season.

A spell broken, or a mere blip? This may be the question that Manchester City supporters are asking themselves as they prepare themselves for a season which will see their club fall under the spotlight of the media to a hitherto unprecedented extent. They may have been challenging for a place in the Champions League and to land a major trophy for the first time in three and a half decades, but it felt last season as if manager Roberto Mancini was walking a perpetual tightrope, with the entire world watching them from below and a considerable number of them hoping that he would stumble and fall.

Josep Maria Bartomeu is less sure about Cesc

Pep Guardiola seems to be very optimistic that the long drawn out Cesc Fabregas soap opera will finally be over this week. He hopes to include Fabregas in the US tour.

Barca have come back with a new bid said to be about £33m which is still short by a considerable margin from the £40m that Arsenal seeks.

Being away for two weeks during some work for our new portal, Futbolita.TV does not mean that we won't be here for you during preseason. We're back and we can't wait to kick this season off!

Hot off the Spanish press (from the newspaper with reporters who are willing to hold your arms as you are walking on unstable grass conditions: El Mundo Deportivo) is the news that Kun Aguero's transfer to Man City will be finalized by Wednesday!

After you've read that rather ambiguous headline, let me explain. I don't mean a state-of-the-art stadium, packed to the rafters every week. I don't mean a passion and identity that is unique to a region. I don't even mean you're likely to see a few goals due to some hapless defending.

What I do mean, and I say this with a heavy heart as a Blackburn fan for 20 years, is that Rovers have become the Premier League's laughing stock.

Wenger has been The Angry One

The professor is adopting a less academic tone with his confrontational remarks while on the Asian tour. He railed against Xavi for being disrespectful, went after City for its controversial Etihad naming rights sponsorship, and now, turned his wrath on Roberto Mancini for being out of order for pursing Samir Nasri.

OK, been wondering what the latest is in the never ending soap opera that is Indonesian football? You know, with the Indonesia Super League and the Liga Primer Indonesia?
Well, keep wondering 'cos I don't have a scooby!

In what is a terrible acting performance, unless it was on a Brazilian soap opera maybe, Brazilian defender Erika acts like she's been stabbed in the back.

A jubilant Wambach celebrates her goal as the US live to finally win

Even the most cursory of followers would not have failed to be gripped by the epic unfolding yesterday. As the end of extra time approached the USA was in mortal danger of failing to advance past the quarterfinals for the first time leaving Brazil with their first taste of victory in the World Cup over their rivals.

Written by Loh

Finally, after days of reading various rumours and tabloid stories on Arsenal's potential transfer targets and the continuous never-ending Cesc and Nasri sagas, we at last, get to hear from Wenger himself on what is exactly happening and to be bluntly honest, it doesn't sound too promising.

Luka Modric accepted an invitation to join the Four Horsemen this weekend. His first act, I'm happy to report, was to reiterate his desire to take up residence at Chelsea. And, yeah, lambaste Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy in the process.

Soap Opera status. This should get even more interesting now, eh?

Yesterday it was announced as breaking news that Carlos Tevez wanted to leave Manchester City. Wow. Really? I didn't see that one coming.

Tevez has made it clear over recent months that his future doesn't lie at Eastlands. Whatever his motivations, he wants out.

He can blame the weather, being away from his family, not liking the new Manchester City kit or whatever – quite frankly, I'm bored to death of it and so are many others who would rather start focusing on Euro 2012 betting for next summer.

Queens of the Stone Age playing Long Slow Goodbye

There are signs that football's longest soap opera may finally be coming to a close. Arsenal has signaled its intention to negotiate after Barca indicated they're willing to improve on their previous bid for Cesc Fabregas. Sandro Rosell sent out a statement that the Gunners are looking at a figure in the region of £35m.

Perhaps it is because I was never any good at drawing but I'm always in awe of people who are capable to create visually stimulating pieces of art. There are a couple of excellent designers who combine such a talent with their passion for Liverpool FC, Kitster being one; the people at LoveConquerFollow others.

The future of Udinese's Chilean star, Alexis Sanchez still hangs in the balance as despite recent strong indication that the player will ends up in Barcelona, things seems a little bit confusing as the Bianconeri's president, Giampaolo Pozzo, still denies that a deal have been struck with the Catalan.

After the news broke this lunch time on Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan's imminent medical at West Ham, fans have once again been divided on Tyneside as to what they believe to be the truth behind yet another astounding decision.

Despite Nolan rejecting a contract extension last week, this is a transfer that has taken everybody by surprise.