How many of us have dreamed of running our own football teams? Plenty. Which is why so many people take part in the multitude of fantasy football games that are out there – it's the closest we are ever likely to get.

Until now, that is.

Thanks to some genius in England who came up with an idea I wish I had had, you can now be part of new scheme where you actually have a say in how a football club is run.

The way it works is beautifully simple. As soon as they get 50,000 people who are willing to invest £35 each, they will use that money to buy a football club. Then those 50,000 people will be able to vote on all the decisions that affect the running of the club: buying players, selling players, who to play, who to drop.

It’s like fantasy football without the fantasy bit.

The scheme aims to raise £1.4m which will then be used to buy the best club available, fund team building and generally go towards making the club a profitable success story with the ultimate aim of reaching the Premiership.

When I first read about the scheme, which is being run by www.myfootballclub.co.uk, I thought it was little more than a gimmick that would never take off.

However, after doing a little research and checking into the details a little more, it turns out it is actually a totally legitimate plan that has been carefully thought out.

At time of writing they already had 49,000-plus people signed up and I am pretty sure they will be even nearer their target by the time you read this. Well, I joined so that’s another one.

As I said, the only thing that annoys me about this idea is that I didn’t have it…

Iraq’s Asia Cup success

Although it would be unfair to take anything away from Iraq after they won the Asia Cup, does nobody else find it a little bit of a coincidence?

At face value this was a magnificent triumph of determination over adversity. They only got a manager in May and had to train outside their strife-torn home country due to security risks. Nobody gave them the remotest of chances of winning this tournament.

Yet they did.

And we all know just how morale boosting and nation-uniting a good football triumph can be – even if the locals celebrate by firing machine guns into the air...

The whole thing is just about what the doctor ordered for Iraq. And I am afraid that just makes me a little bit suspicious.

Having said that, if this Asia Cup triumph helps bring a little bit more peace to Iraq I, for one, don’t give a hoot if it was a little bit dodgy.

Newcastle curse

What did I tell you about the Newcastle injury curse?

Apparently, in a recent friendly Sam Allardyce was forced to play no less than seven academy graduates and reserve goalkeeper Steve Harper as a striker due to lack of fit bodies. And this is only pre-season, Sam, just wait till the tackles coming in are for real…

Tour de France

I see the Tour de France has come to an end. What happened, did the drugs run out?

Seven-Goran Eriksson

Since taking over at Manchester City, Sven Goran Eriksson has spent upwards of 20 million on new players. Not one of them has been English, let alone an England international.

Surely that should tell us something? If not about the state of English football, then at least about what sort of confidence levels our former manager had in his team…

Unfairness of cricket

What did I tell you about the unfairness of cricket?

In the first test between England and India the home side were denied a definite win by bad light and rain which meant the match was drawn.

Nothing to do with India being superior. Nothing to do with their skill, ability or tactics. A result that was purely down to the elements.

In the second test, which India won yesterday, there wasn’t a drop of rain and India won clearly to give themselves a 1-0 lead in the best of three series.

Now England have to win the final match just to draw. Somehow, the idea that the weather is as much an important factor in a sport as the teams who are actually playing is all a bit ridiculous.

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