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Readers who are partial to watching 22 grown men kick a ball around a rectangular pitch will be intently watching the financial crisis which is enveloping football, from both a supporters' and a property perspective.

Especially with the news this week that sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe has shown football the yellow card by calling for the sport to be better regulated, particularly when it comes to clubs' spending habits.

Indeed, across the country, the financial problems faced by football clubs are highlighting property's role in the sport.

Here's what the press have to say about it.

Crystal Palace: Last Friday, EG's Mike Phillips revealed how the sale of beleagured Crystal Palace FC's stadium is likely to prove crucial in the hunt for a buyer for the club. EGi subsribers can read the story here.

The Croydon Advertiser reports that the complicated ownership of Palace's ground has been a major stumbling block in the club's search for a buyer, but that talks are progressing.

Portsmouth: As it faces the possibility of liquidation, Portsmouth FC has dominated sporting headlines of late. Portsmouth Today reports that the hunt for a buyer is on, but of particular interest to property people is the fact that property giant Grosvenor was one of the parties persuing the winding-up order against the club, as reported in The Telegraph. The petition was subsequently withdrawn.

Yorkshire's TheBusinessDesk.com is reporting that Leeds Arena has been given a £9.9m lifeline from governnment to push the project forward.

It's an interesting move given the government turned down a bid from Yorkshire Forward to put £18m into the pot back in October saying the project didn't provide value for money.

Yorkshire Forward went back to have another look at its sums, heavily tweaked and trimmed the amount of public money it needed and came in at a figure a hair's breadth away from the £10m mark at which funding needs central government approval. According to the council's website the total cost of construction is £59m. Include land purchases and the figure for development rises to nearer £80m.

A little while ago someone told me that the Kings Cross Central partnership was offering a private and secret tunnel linking one of the new offices with the tube at St Pancras to avoid you having to mix with the great unwashed.

Ever since I've been itching to see if its true.

Earlier this week I got my chance and was offered a tour around the frankly ginormous £2bn regeneration scheme. Accompanied by Stacey Meadwell and her video camera, above is what we found out.

Sadly, tales of a secret Mr Benn style tunnel are untrue although one of the buildings will have its own public tube entrance with a tunnel - however, for a price, director Robert Evans mysteriously hinted anything is possible.

In the video Evans admits the prelet to Sainsbury's has been "dragging on a bit' and he hints there might be another occupier in the wings that could be suitable for building and could draw a line under the Sainsbury's deal for them.
 

As Simon Cowell would say: "I don't mean to be rude, but..." Bradford has been named Britain's least desirable city.

It may have been the birth place of the Bronte sisters and Gareth Gates, but despite these lofty accolades, when You Gov launched the findings of its very own Pop Idol for places this week, it was rather rude about the Yorkshire city.

It asked its panel of 250 000 UK members what they thought of major cities around the country and Bradford came last for atmosphere, safety, investment, ease of getting around and (...draw breath...) likelihood to recommend to a friend.

It's highest score was for quality of restaurants were it came 47th in the country (ouch!).

Gareth Gates' stint on Pop Idol may have readied him for such harsh criticism but even if Simon Cowell, with his infamous razor sharp tongue and blunt insults, was to turn on Gates' home town of Bradford he would have been pushed to be any harsher.

Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool scored high on the variety of shops and quality of restaurants but low on safety.

Don't worry, the south came in for a bashing too, with the report labelling its cities unfriendly. London was named best city winning top scores for cultural experience, good cuisine and shopping.

You can read the press release here or if you want to devle through the full report then click below:
phar03-04_ch1.pdf

Photograph by Tristram Kenton © The Really Useful Group Ltd

The new development around the corner from EG Towers has been the subject of much speculation: "Will there be an M&S Simply Food" "Will there be any decent shops" - that sort of thing.

So imagine how completely underwhelmed I was to see EAT fitting out. We already have an EAT virtually opposite the office, another less than 100 yards down the road and another ooh probably a full 3 minutes walk if you hit the pedestrian lights wrong at the Holborn/Kingsway junction.

It got me thinking about how retail chains have been accused of cloning the UK's high streets and whether sandwich/coffee chains will do the same for business districts pushing out the often more interesting and palatable independents?