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Luke Edwards is Chief Sports Writer of The Journal and uses his blog to give a unique and entertaining insight into events at Newcastle United and Sunderland.

As well as football, Luke also regularly takes a wry look at the biggest sports stories from across the North-East and beyond. From cricket to rugby and basketball to boxing, some are criticised and some are praised.

Sometimes provocative, sometimes laugh-aloud funny, but always interesting Luke Who's Talking also gives you the chance to interact with Luke and have your say on all the major sporting issues.

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Don't Hold Your Breath

Posted by Luke on October 2, 2006 11:31 AM | 

So today is the day when the football industry will have its dirty laundry hung out in public, the day when the dodgy deals and illegal back handers which plague football are exposed by the much-vaunted inquiry by the former head of the Metropolitan Police Lord Stevens.

Personally, I can’t wait. It’s a bit like the FA Cup Third Round draw, but rather than waiting to find out whether your team has landed an exciting draw we are waiting to find out which clubs and managers have been caught with their hands in the tills.

At least I was excited until I read this on the news wire this morning.

“The former Metropolitan Police commissioner and his team of investigators have examined the 362 transfers which were completed between January 1, 2004 and January 31, 2006 and should announce this afternoon - at a 4pm press conference in central London - whether any of them warrant further scrutiny.

Lord Stevens, who will be accompanied by Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, will make a host of recommendations on how to tighten up the regulations to ensure irregular transfer payments do not happen.

Around 60 of the 362 transfers are thought to require further investigation and he will ask the Premiership chairmen if they want more detailed information on those.

He is also expected to tell chairmen that his security firm Quest will need several more months to complete their investigations, although there will be no ’naming and shaming’ of those clubs or transfers that require further investigation.”

So, in other words, we, the paying public - I do still pay to watch Leyton Orient play you know - are not going to find out who is under suspicion, which deals have set the alarm bells ringing and around which clubs is there a stench of wrongdoing. Oh and the investigation could take several more months.

I though this was supposed to be lifting the lid, not screwing it on again. Exciting, it is more like drawing Colchester United away in the FA Cup, dull and thankless.

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