I was a fan of sport first and a member of the sports media second and I will always remember that. Far too many people get into this business and forget it. I've always had the opinion that not enough is written in the media about how fans continue to be treated with no respect when it comes to sporting franchises throughout the world.

Trust me folks - I've seen every possible way that clubs and tournaments go about handling ticket requests from fans. I've researched systems until I am blue in the face desperate to beat the system somehow and get rewarded with tickets for big sporting events. I've been to them all - rugby, cricket and football World Cup's but was it easy? Not even close. Did I always get tickets that I wanted? No.

Acquiring tickets these days to big sporting events is like buying a Super 7 ticket and hoping that you get lucky. When they go about setting up their plans for the event, many tournament organisers make crucial mistakes in the preparation. As an 18-year-old I took the lead in getting tickets for family and friends when the European Championships came to England in 1996. Sure, I got tickets for some games but the overall system that was in place was incredibly flawed and this led to many international companies buying up tickets in bulk to ensure they had tickets for the bigger games later in the tournament. The result was that many seats remained empty for a lot of the group games and fans, including myself, were left to watch the games on television and wonder why I had been turned down for seats at that match.

The system for Germany 2006 was much different. The Germans have a fantastic business sense in life and I wasn't surprised that they got it bang on. They announced a period of four weeks when anyone from any country could apply for up to seven games. You were only allowed one application per person and if the game you applied for ended up being over subscribed then it would go to a lottery. The inevitable happened and all the games followed this route but it gave people a chance. Through this route I got two games from seven I applied for. This is a system that Vancouver 2010 has adopted for Canadian residents and those of us in that lottery will find out those results in December.

Back to Germany 2006 for a moment. Closer to the start of the event they held another lottery where people could pay for seats to a game in the hope that sponsors would return those seats and then you would be granted those tickets. Through this system my wife and I got to see Argentina score six past Serbia Montenegro in one of the best games of the tournament and the seats were three rows from the front. This system ensured that there were no empty seats in any of the grounds and as many football fans as possible were there. This is an example of how it is supposed to be done.

The issues I had with Euro 1996 is merely the pick of the bunch when it comes to events screwing the average fan out of attending. There have been many more examples of pathetic planning such as the Cricket World Cup of 1999 and 2007 and the upcoming World Junior Hockey Tournament in Ottawa. These continue to go under the radar and do not get the coverage in the media because the media is to busy organising their own crews to get press passes for these events.

However, I do have some hope that this will change. In the midst of a global credit crunch people are interested in talking about things that are too expensive and the media is listening. This brings me to today's report out of Manchester where fans have hit back at United's season ticket policy of including a list of cup games that they are forced to pay for aswell. This is a case all supporters should watch carefully. Should the Office of Fair Trading rule in favour of the the supporters it would be a wonderful result. Currently, the fact that these fans don't know their final season ticket price is a disgrace.

Fellow money-bags Arsenal have also adopted such strategies but I have yet to hear issues from their supporters and they certainly don't seem to have taken it as far as going to the Office of Fair Trading. Due to their cup games being included Arsenal's season-ticket price is incredible. Bear in mind those prices are for the cheapest season ticket at The Emirates. Aston Villa have traditionally had very modest ticket prices for a club from a big city and their most expensive season ticket remains almost half the price as Arsenal's least expensive, although this is just for 19 league games as all season ticket prices should be in the first place!

One set of fans who don't have to worry about crazy prices for their tickets are the children of Middlesbrough. This excellent article by Peter Hughes talks about how Middlesbrough have a season ticket for youngsters that costs just 95 pounds. Peter also goes on to talk about how one in every four people who live in Middlesbrough attend every game. He quotes a fascinating list of the top 100 supported clubs across Europe and is correct to point out that Middlesbrough is the best supported 'town' team in Europe. Check out this list as it makes some interesting reading.

To conclude I have to say that once again football continues to disappoint me in this area. The Premier League and its clubs have incredible amounts of money coming their way through television and sponsorship deals and they continue to price out the average fan. In the past I've read the account of an elderly man who was a season ticket holder at Old Trafford for 50 years and was a day late getting in his request for the new season and because of that he wasn't renewed. I've read that the average wage of a Premier League fan is now 34,000 pounds and I've also read that the clubs at the beginning of this season raised their season ticket prices more than twice the rate of consumer price inflation.

One can only hope that the end of this crazy road is near. Football in England always used to be about going to watch the games live and Carlisle fans are the best equipped to talk about that today. It is why 92 professional clubs continue to survive. However, with prices soaring out of control eventually fans will say no and as Peter Hughes says they will, rightfully, choose a date night with their wife or a theatre production with their daughter instead because they can no longer afford to do all three. The danger with that is more (younger) fans will become television fans and more and more focus on the big clubs will follow. Lets hope local owned and well run clubs like Middlesbrough continue to do the right thing and show the next generation exactly how its done.

Kristian Jack

I understand that the five finalists for Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Year that we ripped yesterday were there because fans voted for them, and therefore complaining about the selections is as fruitless as bitching and moaning when things happen like Yao Ming leading NBA All-Star voting even though he hasn't played a game.

That being said, here's a few gems from the past MLS season that surely deserved consideration ahead of some of the more dubious choices.

Marcelo Gallardo v Real Salt Lake (Hat Tip - Lucky Strike)

This should be the goal of the season. Swung his leg like a baseball bat.

Dave Van Den Bergh v LA Galaxy (Hat Tip - Bishopville Red)

The real genius of this is in the back heel pass from Jorge Rojas. Love the Max-gasm as well. "Ambidexterity people!"

From the same game, Juan Pablo Angel (Hat Tip - Alex)

I wish TFC could land a forward of such quality with that DP spot.

Davy Arnaud v LA Galaxy (scroll through to number one. Josh Wolff's bicycle kick at number two ain't bad either. Hat Tip - Alex)

And the rest...

This comp features 53 of the best from this season. Many of them are high quality.

Depor Owes De Guzman Cash

According to Peter Mallett of globesports.com, Julian De Guzman is owed $1.2M by his club Deportivo La Coruna. The Canadian international says it's something he'd like to get sorted before contract extension talks begin.

"As for my future, I met with my lawyer and agent because Deportivo owe me bonuses for over three years which now total up to 800,000 euros," De Guzman said on Tuesday.

"Deportivo would like to talk about extending my contract but we want the money before we start any talks. As for the rumours about moving abroad or staying put, nothing is certain right now."

In the same article, De Guzman addresses recent criticism from teammates of much maligned national team coach Dale Mitchell, saying the problem lies more with the CSA than the coach himself. It's a good piece. You should click and read.

Carlos Rivas Jr to Toronto FC?

Hat tip to Jeffrey S. at The Voyageurs Forum for uncovering this little nugget. Canadian midfielder Carlos Rivas Jr is apparently leaving his club in Chile after receiving an offer from a Canadian MLS Club. Since there is the only one Canadian MLS club right now, and his father, a member of Chile's 1982 World Cup team lives and operates a soccer school in Toronto, I think it's safe to say they're talking about TFC. We'll try to investigate further.

Steve Savidan: From Garbage Man to French International

The Guardian's Paul Doyle - one of the best football writers around - tells us the truly remarkable story of 30-year old first time French International forward Steve Savidan.Four years ago he was playing non-league football for a side called Angoulême supplementing his income with several off the field jobs - including emptying garbage bins. He was then signed by second division Valenciennes where his goal scoring helped get the club promoted to Lique 1. Now he's at Caen, and competing with the likes of Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and Karim Benzema for playing time with Les Bleus.

Is the 3-5-2 dead?

Sticking with The Guardian here, another one of the best in the business - Jonathan Wilson - chronicles the rise and fall of the 3-5-2 formation. For you tactics nerds, this is a must read. He begins at the genesis of the formation in Argentina with Carlos Bilardo and ends with today's Napoli side. You should really read Wilson's book, Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics, as well. Good stocking stuffer for the soccer fan on your life.

Maradona Fires Back

Diego Maradona responded to Terry Butcher's criticisms of his character yesterday by telling the former England defender to just let the whole "Hand of God Thing" go. He then poured a little kerosene on the current Anglo-Argentine football relations by suggesting Geoff Hurst's extra-time goal against Germany in 1966 World Cup never crossed the line.

Ronaldo Considering Retirement

Remember yesterday, when Ronaldo was linked with Man City? Well apparently now he's considering retirement.

The nominees for Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Year are:

Will Johnson v Dallas Week 30

This is my choice. Gotta love the "Max-gasm" on the play-by-play too.

Geoff Cameron v Dallas Week 2

Not a big fan of this one, but the "Cam-cam-Cameron!" call will go down as one of the best ever in MLS history.

Robbie Rogers v New York Week 26

A fine effort, but lacking the flair and hint of genius in the Johnson strike.

Blanco v DC United Week 7

A straight up filthy strike by the "Human Highlight Reel" of MLS. Gets my number two vote.

Danny Cepero v Columbus Week 30

Come on, what is this crap doing in there? You're going to make a fluke bounce and some shitty goalkeeping a Goal of the Year candidate? This is what happens when you let fans vote for something.

Go and place your official vote at MLSnet.com, as long as you're not voting for Cepero.

Toronto FC business operations manager Paul Beirne was a guest on the Hardcore Footy Show (Sirius Channel 98) with Brendan Dunlop, James Sharman and Kristian Jack on Monday. During the interview, Beirne said having two designated players at Toronto FC would likely be supported by the MLSE board, if they were to acquire a second spot and propose the option.

The full interview can be heard at hardcoresportsradio.com. Scroll down to the Hardcore Footy Show and look for Segment 2 of the November 17th show in the archive. Topics also discussed are the status of Mo Johnston within the club, contract negotiations with Carl Robinson and Toronto FC's television ratings.