This week in the wacky world of football

(You have to imagine me saying that in a Kermit the Frog voice. I don't know why; just go with it.)

Premier League players pick their favourite books as part of a program to encourage reading. This would be where we mock Eidur Gudjohnsen for choosing My Winning Season by John Terry.

A family in West Cumbria has a football-playing sheep named Oliver.

Using a nose-dribbling technique, he weaves his way around his enclosure. The woolly jumper also leaps into the air in a bid to unsettle his opponents.

"We think he is more of a defensive player than an attacker," said [his owner]. "He's quite solid and if Sven-Goran Eriksson is looking for a holding midfield player to take to the World Cup, I'm sure he could do a job."

No word on what Oliver's favourite book is, but I'm pretty sure it's not My Winning Season.

Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi admitted to having helped the ball into the net with his hand during his team's win over Messina, and told the referee that he should disallow the goal. (Didier Drogba's head just exploded.)

Oh, and Liverpool trounced Birmingham 7-0 to advance to the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The Reds have now scored 15 goals in their last three games -- which is about as many as they'd scored all year up to that point. I don't know what Rafa has done to the team (spiking the half-time tea? threatening the strikers with pistols at dawn?) but I like it. Although I can't help wishing that he'd done it a couple weeks ago, when they were, you know, still in the Champions League.