Fülöp signs

Exciting stuff: Sunderland's Hungarian goalkeeper Márton Fülöp has signed on a short-term emergency loan. There's been lots of argument over the legitimacy of the move. It's irrelevant now but my take is that we are fortunate to have gotten away with this, given that we have a 23 year old full international fit and available. If I was a Spurs or Villa fan I would not be too impressed with the Premier League, although if you're looking for consistent and just decision-making from football authorities you're looking in the wrong place.

According to reports in Wednesday's papers the Premier League forbade us from taking Joe Hart back for these last three games because it would give us too much of an advantage over our rivals. I'm too tired to explain just how mindlessly stupid this is, suffice to say that if the application of a law hinges on a Premier League bureaucrat making subjective value judgements regarding the relative merits of various goalkeepers then something has gone seriously wrong. King Solomon's court this is not.

Anyway, it's Fülöp we've got rather than Hart. We can only presume he will start on Saturday ahead of Gunnar Neilsen. It certainly adds an extra touch of risk, of novelty to what are already three games of oppressive significance and import. I'm sure he's up to the job - he has looked pretty competent at Sunderland, and he has top level experience that Nielsen does not. If we pull this off, and if Fülöp plays a role, then he could become a cult hero unlike anything since Shaun Goater. He could even match the only other Hungarian to play for City (is this correct?) Imre Varadi. No pressure Márton.