How the business of football works

Tottenham Hotspur had its first Champions League (proper) fixture at home last night so did the public company look after its paying customers? Er, nope. Many were fans are left queuing outside White Hart Lane in the rain. "I was standing outside getting drenched until 20 minutes into the game," says one. "[Chairman Daniel] Levy couldn’t run a ……you know what".

Trump hump

I see that (as, almost, predicted) Donald Trump's honorary degree is not going down well. Who'd have thought it?

Sindy Column...

For this week's column, click here.

The Warren Omission

I see that Warren Buffett is talking down the economy by claiming that the US is still in recession. What's the wily old hustler about to buy?

A Cable Fable

With the good doctor Vince Cable being portrayed as the devil by unquestioning supporters of the City (is he really? The Times City Comment today seems a bit nearer the mark) I'm amused to see how CBI boss, Richard Lambert, is now being billed as the great defender of capitalism.

That would be the same Richard Lambert, who as editor of the Financial Times once wrote an editorial on the eve of the 1992 general election suggesting readers, er, vote Kinnock. How times change.

Sindy Column...

For this week's column, click here.

Devilfish needs a re-buy

I see that poker minnow, Devilfish Gaming, has had its shares suspended on Plus Markets after getting down to its last few chips.

That's not great timing. Might the company's frontman Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott - one of the UK's best known poker players - now be regretting all the publicity he's been drumming up for his new book recently?

Accounting for growth

I see Deloitte is reporting a rise in bonuses for bosses of the UK's bluechip companies. The bonanza came after major firms lowered performance hurdles, believing 2009 would be "extremely difficult", the accountants said.

Quite. And at which professional services firm did remuneration of the top execs grow by 256% to £128m in its last financial year. Er, Deloitte.

Sindy Column...

More, much more, on First London. For this week's newspaper column, click here.

Surveillance...

Under pressure property tycoons - Robert Tchenguiz and his bankrupt mate Simon Halabi - at C London (formerly Cipriani) yesterday. Isn't life grand?

Figure watching...

£557,727.58 - the cash spent by Connaught chairman, Sir Roy Gardner, when buying his stake in the company this summer.
£34,766.53 - the value of that stake before Connaught shares were suspended today.

Sindy Column...

Very worrying goings on at First London. Click here for this week's column.

Wall Street Journal axes important letters

Are there a few "fat finger" trades going on at the Wall Street Journal? Earlier this week the paper "broke" the story about Burger King being bought by a private equity firm with a "3" in its name. Unfortunately the paper plumped for 3i - when in fact it was 3G.

And today the European edition (for some reason) insists on using some ridiculous US spelling on its splash headline. Whatever happened to all of the paper's famed editors?