Football nonsense and xmas gift tips

I'm going away for a few days, so I will say cheerio and leave you with spurious piece of research:

Man Utd fans 'most keen to quit smoking'

Manchester United fans have been the keenest to sign up for Smokefree United - a virtual club of quitters that supports fans to give up smoking.

New figures show that 274 Manchester United fans have signed up to the initiative, which was launched in October by the NHS.

Far be it from me to question the veracity of this research, but could this finding - just possibly - be because Manchester United have the most fans? Having the most fans is a bit different to having fans who are 'most keen to quit'. And calling the programme 'Smokefree United' is hardly going to have Man City fans rushing to sign up, is it?

Liverpool are in second place with 182 quitters, while Arsenal are third-placed with 138 members.

I rest my case.

Also, since Amazon are selling my book at a generous discount, I hope you'll forgive me for making a shameless pre-Christmas plug for Velvet Glove, Iron Fist which comes complete with a festive red cover and could just about be squeezed into a stocking. 

Why not buy one for a loved one, work colleague or family pet? Nothing says 'I love you' quite like a comprehensive history of the anti-smoking movement. Available for £11.50 on amazon.co.uk and $16.50 on amazon.com, unless they've whacked the price up between me writing this and you reading it.