Speaking of unsuccessful football bets: when Spurs were 3-0 up at half-time against Manchester United last week, one of their supporters lodged a bet with William Hill on its Internet site, one that would have scooped him £625 (for, astonishingly, a £10,000 stake - at odds of 16-1 on) if Spurs had held their lead. Second half? United scored five.

"We are not naming him," said Graham Sharpe, a spokesman for William Hill, "because he has already suffered enough." Fair enough, but allow us one question: was this fella a total eejit?