THE continental mid-winter break has sparked a sudden rush of interest in Wanderers' affairs.

Highbury, Anfield and Old Trafford used to be the places for off-season foreigners to see and be seen but Euro journalists have now put the Reebok on their itinerary.

The presence of Frandsen, Johansen and Jensen means there's always a steady stream of TV and newspaper men over from Denmark. But the recent shutdown has heightened media interest as well as giving official delegations from the Aarhus and Lyngby clubs an opportunity to make fact-finding visits to the stadium they have heard so much about.

There's always the odd Finnish journalist keeping a close eye on Jaasekelainen while interest from Reykjavik has grown with each new recruit to the Icelandic contingent , which now numbers five - Bergsson, Gunnlaugsson, Gudjohnsen, Snorrason and Kristinsson.

But the presence of EIGHT German journalists in the Press box at the Bradford game got a few tongues wagging. There wasn't a single German player on view and, by all accounts, none of the players - from Wanderers or City - is destined for the Bundesliga.

"No mystery," explained one of the Euro scribes, "we just don't have any football to watch back home at the moment and this seemed to be a good game to take in."

On the face of it, you can't see Bolton Wanderers 0 Bradford City 0 selling many extra copies of the "Bavarian Bugle" or whatever it's called.

But it sounds like a good trip for expenses!

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.