Just over ten years ago a little known Irishman from Bray signed professional terms with Middlesborough. Despite never making a first team appearance at the Riverside, Ronnie O'Brien made such an impression for the Irish youth sides, which included Damien Duff and Robbie Keane that he was snapped up, amazingly, by Juventus in 1999. FFC Alex Brodie takes a look at where he went from there and where he's ended up.

Back in 1999, with the Millennium looming, America's Time magazine, which annually honours their Person of the Year, decided to launch an open, internet-based public vote for a Person of the Century. Names such as Martin Luther King and Bill Clinton would have been expected to be up there but mysteriously Juventus' latest acquisition, Ronnie O'Brien, surprisingly topped the poll. The magazine was suspicious, and rightly so.

Birmingham City appointed Alex McLeish as their manager three weeks ago and, as a former Aberdeen player under the of tutorship of Sir Alex Ferguson in the early 1980s, he has become just one of the many former players of Ferguson who has made their way into management at the highest level. FFC columnist Alex Brodie takes a look at other former players who have taken that next step into the scary world of football management and which one could possibly take over the reigns at Old Trafford. 

Wednesday night saw Blackburn Rovers take on Sunderland at Ewood Park but more importantly (for this article at least) it saw former Manchester United team mates Roy Keane and Mark Hughes square up against each other to see who has taken more from their former mentor, Sir Alex Ferguson. 

The FA have had a busy couple of weeks with the securing of Fabio Capello as national team manager, the debate over the National Academy at Burton and the presentation of Lord Triesman as the organisation's first independent chairman yesterday. FFC columnist Alex Brodie takes a closer look at who actually runs English football. 

On Thursday the FA appointed Lord David Triesman of Tottenham as their first independent Chairman.  His past Communist Party connections and apparent rebelliousness in the 1960s - he was suspended from university for disrupting a public debate - seem to set him apart from the majority of the ‘Old Farts' (copyright B. Clough) who currently make up the association. In this, the 21st Century, football fans may be surprised at who actually runs the game in England. 

Filippo Inzaghi, the AC Milan and Italy forward, overtook the great Gerd Muller in the all time European scoring charts two weeks ago with his typically simple goal against Celtic in the Champions League. FanCast columnist Alex Brodie looks at where his 63 goals in UEFA competitions place him amongst Europe's elite finishers from the last ten years. 

Surely few centre forwards of recent times can have been as derided as Filippo Inzaghi.  Sir Alex Ferguson described him as "born in an offside position" whilst Johann Cruyff claimed: "He can't play football at all. He's just always in the right position."  So how has this overachiever recently become the highest scorer in UEFA competitions?  There must have been at least ten strikers over the last ten years who you would rather have in your side. 

With riots a common occurrence at many continental football grounds, FanCast Columnist Alex Brodie takes a look at some recent incidents, including the murder of an Italian fan by a policeman. 

Last month two-dozen fans were arrested before the Bucharest derby between Dynamo and Steaua.  The match was halted three times in the opening 12 minutes after flares and smoke bombs were tossed onto the pitch whilst outside the stadium cars and traffic signs were destroyed with two policemen injured in the fracas. Oh, and Steaua won the game 1-0 at the Ghencea stadium. 

With only five British-born Asians plying their trade in England's top four divisions, New FanCast columnist Alex Brodie looks at why this is and what needs to be done. 

Anyone who has played park football from a young age into adulthood will have played with or against several players who caught the eye and made you wonder if they have played or could play at a higher level.  Chances are that a few of these players would have been of Asian decent.  So why is it that of the 92 football league squads just five contain professional British-born Asian footballers?