The last time I asked this sort of question, it was whether or not someone could call themselves a true fan if you questioned a manager or the direction that your team was going in (clearly I don´t know what I´m talking about because my team is first place in the Premiership in spite of the criticisms I gave it), but instead I have another question for you all.

Well, I interviewed Tim Stannard of football365.com the other day here in Barcelona, you´ll hear the interview when I get back and not a minute sooner, but one of the questions I asked him was if you still support a club. and while I won´t reveal his club, he did say that you couldn´t in his opinion support more than one club. A club chooses you, it defines who you are, and you could no more choose more than one club as choose more than one set of parents. Those are my words, not his in case anyone cares.

Well, I support Arsenal in England and they define who I am in that sense. I´ve watched them since Dennis Bergkamp came to them in the early 1990´s and they have a style that suits what I like about football, but I also care deeply about AS Roma, for not as long and yes I´ve only followed them since Batistuta went there to win Fabio Capello a scudetto, but I have the scarf and I sing the songs, and I consider myself a fan.

Which makes sense to you? I´m ambivalent about it actually, there were times that I felt like I was cheating on my girlfriend, but I´ve sort of squared it by saying to myself that Arsenal hold my interest intellectually, they define what I think is good and precise, almost mathematical about football. AS Roma on the other hand hold my heart, and I root for them despite them not being very good most years and when they´re good I rub it in people´s faces and when they lose I spin out of control by it, it has nothing to do with my head or a choice I´ve made but a gut feeling I had all along.

If asked to choose between the two I almost always say Roma, but I still think you can support more than one team in one league or else I wouldn´t be struggling with really finding a squad to support in La Liga, or the fact that I like Werder Bremen, PSG or Ajax, Chivas de Guadalajara or especially Boca Juniors in other leagues around the world.

What do you think?

Mando of FF, La Liga Talk and Serie A Talk

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** 

Sorry, just had to get your attention, but it is relevant. When Thierry Henry was first sold to Barcelona, people expected Arsenal to buy big, and buy expensive with names like Eto'o or Carlitos Tevez being mentioned. Instead, today Arsenal bought DooDoo, oh well, his nickname is Dudu.

His real name is Eduardo Alves da Silva Silva, and he's 24 years old. He's a Croation by Nationality and by Club, since he comes to Arsenal from Dinamo Zagreb, but by birth as the name explains he is most definitely Brazilian. He was born in Rio, played for amongst others a Bangu Atleticu in Rio, but emigrated to Croatia at the age of 15 looking for a place, like many other Brazilians today, in a country that needed his services. There are many Brazilians playing today as naturalized citizens in Mexico, Italy, Spain and even Japan for that matter.

He played 6 years for Dinamo and then loaned out to Inter (Zaprecic not Milan) for a year, and in 119 games in Croatia he has scored 83 goals. He has also played in 12 games for 7 goals internationally for the Croats mainly as a second half substitute.

It seems all well and good, another in the line of nameless international players that have settled first to Highbury and now to Ashburton Grove, but I guess I'm disappointed as an Arsenal Fan.

My question is, "If we needed Kaka why did we settle for Du Du?"

-BfHerbie