Bonjour everybody. Can you believe there are only two programmes and three blogs - including this one - left this season? Thankfully we have the World Cup to keep us entertained and this week's effort will be largely focused on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s recent World Cup press day.
You will also find the latest 'Behind the Scenes' from our interview with if you scroll down far enough.
The World Cup press day is something of a logistical beast. Everybody who is going to South Africa with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ this summer was summoned to TV Centre in Shepherd's Bush to speak to the assembled representatives of her majesty's media.
only knew 24 hours beforehand that he would be part of our ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ coverage in South Africa, so he couldn't make it, Mick McCarthy, Emmanuel Adebayor and Gordon Strachan were all busy training, while Clarence Seedorf and Jurgen Klinsmann, our new World Cup pundits, were overseas.
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On a ferry in Belfast
The volcanic ash cloud has delayed my return from Ireland so a boat to Stranraer beckons. Then I am hitching a lift to London with a methodist minister called Mark and a primary school teacher from Cambridge called Heather.
We have enough fig rolls to keep us going until Carlisle and I have already eaten a famous Ulster Fry. Soda bread, potato bread, scotch pancake, egg, sausage, beans, bacon, mushrooms and tomato might represent coronary carnage, but it is definitely the breakfast of champions!
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Regular readers of this blog will know I went to Barcelona last week to for Football Focus, which you can watch by clicking the link.
Sadly, the second leg of the journey to Milan did not come off. No matter, the visit to Catalonia was incredible. We got our meeting with El Presidente - eventually - but along the way we also encountered Lionel Messi, half the Barcelona squad, , Sir Bobby Charlton and Johan Cruyff.
This is part one of the story of our trip - part two will follow next week.
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I am off to Barcelona and Milan this week to do a spot of filming in the company of some very important people.
After spending a few hours with Barca president and interviewing a few players, I fly to Milan for charity bash, where I will hopefully grab a word with some significant football faces.
I think this might qualify as the most showbiz week of my life, eclipsing the time I interviewed and in the space of three days.
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Greetings and salutations! I am actually enjoying some time away with the family this week in not-so-sunny .
We left as soon as we were finished at on Saturday - our latest on-the-road production this season. I hope you enjoyed it.
I received plenty of angry emails from Arsenal fans - as many as I got from Tottenham supporters when the programme came live from earlier this year - berating us for our choice of venue.
You can never please everyone but I thought had a good pace to it and it was great to have giving his insight as Spurs chase a top-four finish.
In a bid to turn me into a Tottenham fan, my dad took me to a game at White Hart Lane back in the late 1980s. We watched Spurs play . I remember but little else.
There was about a 10-year wait before I returned - this time to the press box to watch Hoddle manage the side. Sitting in the same seat on Saturday brought back memories.
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Welcome comrades. This blog is all about giving you an insight into how Football Focus comes together each week. I do pop up across the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s sporting output so there may be the occasional reference to something other than the beautiful game too.
Have a read and feel free to join in with your comments and questions brothers and sisters.
You can also follow me on .