Anushree Nande, born and brought up in Mumbai has always been a bit of a tomboy but her interest in football was kindled only during the 2002 World Cup. And subsequently, she started watching the English Premier League from the 2002-2003 season. Her loyalties towards Arsenal were cemented by the following season and since then, her passion for football (both playing and watching) and The Gunners has just grown stronger. Anu is a Creative Writing and Media studies student, pursuing her Undergraduate education in England. And though she will always support the Les Bleus where country football is concerned, her past passion and loyalties towards La Roja have increased more since Aragones took over, to make Spain the joint-favourite international team in her heart :)

Like everything else, Ashok came late to football also. He first kicked a ball or watched a proper game of any calibre only when he was 18 or so. But it didn't take him long to fall in love with the game. He became a worshipper at the temple of Reds after first reading about their exploits in the mid 80s and then watching them play (on the telly of course) some magical football in the late 80s. The advent of satellite television in India served perfectly to whet his appetite for the beautiful game, though alas he is still to actually see Liverpool lift a league title. He also continues to play the game fairly regularly albeit with more enthusiasm than ability. The games are typically 5-a-side and is most often referred to as "uncle" by team mates and opponents alike.

Born in a time when Mumbai was Bombay, Avinash Subramaniam was brought up on an imbalanced diet of of cricket, cricket and cricket. Since then, he has tried to be a professional cricketer, professional cricket writer and professional cricket-watcher without much success. He currently works for ESPN-Cricinfo and quite enjoys writing for this site from a cricket-lover's perspective.

Bharat was sick and tired of cricket all over the place and besides, his school had no cricket equipment but lots of footballs and basketballs. So he started playing the beautiful game whenever he could, even in the classroom with a tennis ball. Then he chanced upon the UEFA Champions League match between Porto and Manchester United. Porto won the tie, of course, and Bharat hated the sight of Mourinho rushing off to celebrate after that victory against the Red Devils which led to his becoming one of the few people to start supporting Man United after watching them lose! Bharat, like many other fans considers Ryan Giggs an all time great. A legend without parallel in United history and an idol to millions. Bharat hopes to find a career within the football industry, having completed a Masters Degree in Finance. But currently he just needs a PS2 and the latest FIFA game to keep him occupied for days!

When he was growing up, baking hot summer afternoons and dusty red fields could not deter his passion for football. Like many other things though his passion was not matched by ability. Fed on a steady diet of the local Maidan rivalries his attention shifted from the banks of the Hooghly to the Mersey by the exploits of the fabled Dalglish generation. Koushik is a lifelong devotee of the men who never walk alone but the embers of the green and maroon side are still in him. He can't help fantasising about the future of Indian football given its current state. On the international arena Koushik is usually a England supporter but gladly fails the Tebbit test when England play Argentina. Koushik plays 5 a side football under lights and is unfazed by his inability to match the skills of his team mates.

Kunal started watching football around 2001 though not so frequently and the though he started with Manchester United and Beckham, his favourite footballers now are Lampard and Gerrard (with Beckham 3rd). The 2002 world cup, including Beckham's goal against Argentina started Kunal's love affair with football. He started supporting Chelsea in 2004 during Ranieri's last season. And he recalls one of his favourite moments as beating Arsenal in the Champion's League quarters. Oh and Back to back league titles and beating Barcelona in Mourinho's 1st season are up there too. Over the last 5 years he has experienced great joy and sadness with equal measure. But Chelsea is now a part of Kunal's world. He also favours England in international tournaments and hopes they can vanquish the horror of not qualifying for Euro 2008. Kapil plays football for Spartans FC in the MDFA tournament in the 5th division as often as he can, exams, assignments, presentations etc notwithstanding. He hopes to do an MBA in sports management at some point dreams about starting a football academy of international standards right here in Bombay (Mumbai for some). Football is a passion and Kunal can't do without it in some form. He also holds out on the hope that one day India can qualify for the World Cup.

Lal Shaitan, aka Ved Sen, has been a United fan for a decade now and like Gary Neville, he even bleeds red. He tries hard to keep the bias out of his rose tinted spectacles, but often catches himself smiling fondly at images of a purple faced knight. He believes football is also a cerebral game and idolizes SAF. Lal Shaitan is also a football fan at heart and is always appreciative of good football wherever it's played. He admires Wenger, is tickled by Mourinho, despairs at Rafa's obstinacy and hasn't made his mind up about Scolari. Having grown up watching football in the Calcutta maidan, he is aware of what a long, strange, footballing trip this has been. As with many other fanatics, he tries to use football as a metaphor for most of life's problems.

Madhukar Jha was born in Jamshedpur and his parents live close to the Tata Football Academy. That proximity has not helped in improving his football skills however. Twice a week, he is a liability for his three/four/five/six/seven-a-side team regardless of the position he plays in. He likes the thought of Argentina winning the World Cup, but is never desperately disappointed when they don’t. Does not support any club and has been described as the “mythical neutral”. Needs heavy weekly doses of football in all forms – playing, viewing, reading, discussing, gaming etc. and is often advised to seek therapy. For the record, he vehemently opposes the proposal for a 39th game.

Born and lives in Runcorn, just outside of Liverpool in England. Suprisingly, Matt doesn't support Liverpool, his local team. He supports Tottenham, a family tradition from the days of Greaves, Hoddle and Ardiles. Matt loves the attacking, passing game that Spurs champion and also the fact that there is never a dull moment with the club. The distance means he struggles to watch Spurs live at the Lane but hopes to get to more games next season. Matt is currently studying at university and likes nothing better than watching and talking about his beloved Spurs or sport in general.

The Playmaker knows that football is by far the best sport on the planet. Bill Shankley, Rinus Michels, Carlos Bilardo, Alex Ferguson, Luis Cesar Menotti and Bekenbauer will always form the pantheon of gods. The Playmaker's bigger questions in life include - was Maradona better then Pele? When is a player truly not interfering with the play? The Playmaker is often distracted watching local 5-a-side games on his way to work. The Playmaker studiously eschews the partisan or religious views prevailent in football. Although he is a wee bit partial to creative midfielders.

Raghu Valluri is currently stuck studying something he doesn’t really enjoy but chose it because at the time, didn’t know any better. He was born in Bangalore and grew up worshipping cricket, again as he didn’t know better. He gradually started following football but all it took was one game to change his life completely and turn it upside down. And that is the game between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford, the one with the infamous van Nistelrooy’s missed penalty in injury time. Rooting for underdogs is another fervent passion of Raghu’s, and thus was born the love for Arsenal. He loves the free flowing, slick passing football of Arsenal. Raghu thinks Arsene “The Professor” Wenger is God, and Cesc is His wonderful gift to all humanity. He takes the delight in the slightest of Spurs’ shortcomings. By his own admission, Raghu spends the whole day playing FIFA 09 on the Xbox or playing with his friends outdoors, and the rest reading and talking about football. He is either a marauding Center-back or a defensive midfielder and according to him, “very envious of my more technically gifted friends.” He also blogs daily about Arsenal and anything to do with football – available at www.oleole.com/blogs/upthegunners. His one dream is to live in London, close to his true love – The Arsenal.

The first football match Shantanu saw was the 1998 world cup final when I was 10 years old. Since then he has never looked back. He has been playing football all his life starting from his school in Lucknow. He got his undergraduate degree in Law from the University of Oxford in 2009 where he played for the university team. He is doing his LPC at the college of law and enjoys playing football whenever he can get a chance to. Although he can match the skill level of any player on his teams he has always played as a goalkeeper and loves it. He is a diehard fan of Man united from the days of Peter Schmiechel and quite naturally his favourite player is Giggs. Visiting the theatre of dreams was one of the greatest moments of his life. He loves watching a good game of football and supports Argentina (mainly because of Messi) at the international level and Real Madrid in Europe though neither as fervently as Man united. He is a football fanatic and proud of it.

Tom Markham Hailing from Dublin, Tom’s passion for football was enthused by Ireland’s golden years under the tutelage of Jack Charlton. On realisation that he was not going to be the next José Luis Chilavert, Tom reverted to his contingency plan and did a BA in Accounting and Finance. During the course he became extremely interested in the finances underpinning football. An M.Sc in International Banking and Finance in Liverpool followed...mainly to avoid the mundane world of number crunching! Tom’s M.Sc dissertation ‘The Plight of Football Clubs as Listed Companies from an Investor’s Viewpoint’ analysed the investment potential and financial performance of the seventeen listed British clubs using comprehensive ratio analysis and a bespoke bankruptcy prediction model. He then joined AIB Capital Markets in 2005, firstly as an Accountant (non-stereotypical!) where he completed the ACCA exams – having to sacrifice many a night of Champions League action for lectures in the process :( In 2006, Tom became a Currency Trader in AIB but as the money markets began to crumble he decided to pursue his ultimate dream of attaining a financial role within a football club and quit in 2008. He consequently enrolled on the prestigious MBA in Football Industries (http://www.liv.ac.uk/footballindustry) which he is due to complete in September 2009. Tom is currently researching for his MBA dissertation ‘The Valuation and Solvency of British Clubs since the Inception of the Premier League. Is the Current Model Sustainable?’ under the supervision of football finance expert Professor Tom Cannon. Vehemently opposed the culture of diving and cheating in modern football, Tom is an advocate of a fast flowing passing game as championed by Rinus Michels, Arsène Wenger and Pep Guardiola. LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tommarkham

Yogesh, has been involved in football since the age of 5, playing at serious level in the United States representing the state of New Jersey as a player in the US Olympic Development Program throughout his teenage years. Yogesh went on to play for Columbia University and was recognized as an Academic All-Ivy League player for his performance on and off the pitch. He had a brief stint with Dempo Sports Club, Goa in 1997. Since then, Yogesh has been involved in a variety of entrepreneurial pursuits globally. He has been based in India for 10 years. He is currently establishing a youth football player development academy in Bangalore and pursuing his coaching badges. Yogesh has also found time to acquire an MBA from The Wharton School and a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Columbia University, New York.