Slow summer days with the Canadian national team, Newcastle United and Bobby Zamora

Yes it must really be summer. A cruise through the news reveals little of any substance, aside from the first few preseason matches and the usual gossip about names we've all heard a few too many times.

On the plus side, I've got my tickets booked for Canada's upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Jamaica and Honduras, being held in Toronto on Aug. 20 and in Montreal on Sept. 6, respectively. These will be crucial games for the Canadians, with six points almost mandatory if they expect to qualify for the next round. To help alleviate my blogging boredom down the road, I'll do a proper preview of the group, which also includes the Mad Scientist (Sven Goran Eriksson, that is) coached Mexico.

Speaking of Canada (in a roundabout way), it appears as though some curious Danes have stumbled upon my little site: news of Dwayne De Rosario's potential move to FC Copenhagen enough to draw a whole ton of interest from over there. If any Copenhagen supporters want to chime in, by all means tell us what you've got to say about your club!

Speaking of supporters, if there are any Newcastle United supporters out there who can tell me what exactly is the club's objectives in the transfer market, I would be grateful. While I understand it's only The Daily Mail, supposedly Kevin Keegan is interested in Argentine "star" Pablo Aimar. Is this who Newcastle wants? Surely Keegan has some sort of plan, some way to repair a fragile squad hastily built by Sam Allardyce, who acted like a kid who just got a raise in their allowance.

Based on what I've seen over the past few seasons (perhaps the past ten years) all it takes to get noticed by Newcastle is a flashy pair of boots. This team has serious problems at almost every position -- bringing in an admittedly talented Aimar may not be the best way to spend owner Mike Ashley's money, especially when he seems rather worried about it right now.

Speaking of dubious ways to spend coin from the coffers, Fulham is looking at West Ham striker Bobby Zamora, according to The Telegraph among others. I think Mr. Zamora's record speaks for itself: 130 games for the Hammers, 30 goals. And would you believe Fulham are reported to be paying a £6.25 million fee?

At a rate of less than a goal every four games, I think it has become abundantly clear that all the hype surrounding Zamora when he was a youngster was just that, hype. He has yet to show he can score at the Premier League level and might be best to find a tamer pasture in the Championship.

And finally today, something that made me smile from The Mirror: a cheeky picture gallery that shows us what Cristiano Ronaldo's life in the dungeons of Manchester United is like. Enjoy!