The last bits of the La Liga Season went by without incident, Real Madrid won the league after a long spell outside the promised land, and the trophy stable is full once more with silverware. Oh, and speaking of stables, this weeks column is on Rutgerus Johannes Martinius van Nistelrooy, RVN for short in this column, and the multi-million pound signing for the Merengues, straight from the Old Trafford glue farm.

I went into the research for this week with an open mind, looking for my usual brand of scandal, outrage, and infidelity. Surprisingly, the modern footballer isn’t always as shallow and self-serving as we expect him or her to be. Our boy Ruud is just that kind of fellow.

He married a certain filly, Leontine Slaats, in 2004 after a courtship measuring practically half his life. He was playing for a small club at the time called Den Bosch and he came under the radar of Tottenham Hotspur, and the race was on to sign him, but since “kak” in any language is easily translated, he waited before going to England and transferred to PSV Eindhoven instead. He did meet his childhood sweetheart there before leaving for greener pastures.

I won’t get much into what happened at PSV or Man U, needless to say he met psychotic Irishmen and drunken Scotsmen, and most of those were in the stands, but after having seen his friend Becks leave for Madrid, he decided (or was pushed out of the starting blocks by his wayward owner) to leave for the sunny shores of landlocked Madrid, where his talents as a goal poacher would be ignored and ridiculed for some reason, but he would have the last laugh as his goals would lead to a La Liga championship for the santeros.

I wish I had more dirt on his wife, but they live a quiet life with daughter Moa, they run charitable functions, and they seem like a genuine couple who love and respect each other. Oh well, maybe Robinho has trick up his sleave?

Mando of FF

Fore shame to the Los Angeles Galaxy marketing department. Here they go launching a new kit. A new kit which they knew for at least 5 months was coming. Yet at the launch of the new kit what did they have for us to spend our hard earned money on? Beckham jerseys (which yes I did buy one), Beckham polo's, Beckham shirts and well that's about all they had to offer. Yes they did have a regular polo shirt but wow.

So here I was at the Team LA Store at the Home Depot Center ready to spend my hard earned birthday money on some LA Galaxy shwag. I bought the new LA Galaxy Beckham Away jersey which is very nice. But I wanted more like a lot of people probably came to find out they would be as disappointed as I was and am. I was looking for hats, scarves, t-shirts; key chains all that good stuff (that I don't need, but just want). But alas there was nothing. I mean how hard it is to launch the new logo and kit properly with a whole lot of merchandise that along with the kid or adult buying the Beckham jersey they will pick up too.

You'll never catch Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool launching a new kit without all the goodies for the fan to buy along with it.

I want a new scarf. Am I going to have to wait another year for a Galaxy scarf like I did my last? They know what people want to buy yet they don't make it available. And in the same instant loosing my dollars I could be giving them. So a little less complaining about how you don't make enough money on the merchandise. If you had product people wanted to buy then you would but instead you have the same cookie cutter crap you had before. A message to the Galaxy please go to Arsenal.com* and to their club shop and take some hints. They have the best shop in the EPL and I'm not even an Arsenal fan.

On a different note about pricing, don't rip people off at games. Parking all year has been $15. About as much as my ticket and more then some others. Yet now that Beckham is here you raise parking prices to $20. Get a grip. The Home Depot Center isn't in the greatest location either when you think about it. So have some respect for your fans and don't screw us out of our money to park our car. $20 for parking is $5 more than a month ago and still that is a lot.  You should be making it easier for fans to make it to games not harder.

*The Arsenal shop

Hannah for Forza Futbol**