A blast from the past

If I was you, I'd make sure you're seated comfortably, as the revelation that follows may leave you feeling dazed and dumbstruck: the Xisco Kid scored a hat-trick in black and white on Monday. Admittedly, the treble came in a reserve game against Stoke, but still - quite remarkable.

As has been suggested in the comments left beneath the Ronny Gill article, the Spaniard quite probably has one eye on the fact that his long-term deal only has a year left to run - but it's also true that he's not caused problems or kicked up a fuss (unlike another of our strikers on an excessively lengthy contract...) and might perhaps deserve a chance. Tonight's Europa League game against Club Brugge would have been an ideal opportunity for him to have made an appearance from the bench, but he's not been registered in the squad. Were one or two of Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse or Big Lad to pick up injuries, though, it'd be interesting to see if he'd be able to force his way into the picture ahead of Adam Campbell.