Come on you Hoffenheim . . .

PRIOR to this season, if you had forced even the most devoted football Europhile to make the choice between watching a band of Bundesliga newcomers play Schalke or regrouting the bathroom of a weekend afternoon, a chisel-hunting trip to the local DIY superstore would have followed.

It isn't a televisual prospect that would normally have the mouth watering in anticipation. But these aren't normal times.

In drawing 1-1 with Schalke on Sunday, Ralf Rangnick's TSG Hoffenheim took back top spot from previous leaders Bayern Munich — who were very fortunate to beat them the previous week thanks to an injury-time Luca Toni winner. With the winter break now having started, they own the coveted unofficial title of 'autumn champions'.

In the 45 Bundesliga seasons so far, 31 of the teams who led at this stage have gone on to take the title.

But if Hoffenheim — the league's top scorers, who play zesty, attractive and attacking football — were to manage even a Champions League place it would be an astonishing achievement.

This is a team from a southern German village of 3,000 people (less than a third the population of Lees) which, eight years ago, was playing in the equivalent of the Unibond League.

The wealth of former player and current benefactor Dietmar Hopp has changed all that, probably forever. This isn't a club that has been transformed by, say Middle East investors, but from the ground up by a man who has a deep affinity with a club he apparently played more than 200 times for.

Hopp's £160million of investment has gone mainly into the infrastructure of the club, rather than on paying the wages of an elite band of world superstars and the average age of the team is 23. When the Bundesliga resumes at the end of January, the team will play in a brand new 30,000 stadium.

The nearest equivalent we have in the Premier League at the moment is Hull City, another side (albeit a less wealthy one) who break convention by being from an unfashionable location and through playing fearless football.

Such a pity they didn't pick up three points at Anfield at the weekend, after being robbed by a scandalous decision to allow Liverpool's first goal to stand despite a blatant foul in the build-up. It was a real 'top-four special'.

Phil Brown's men are still well placed for a UEFA Cup spot at present and more than a few pundits would do well to start to give them credit rather than concentrating on the shortcomings of others.

IT would be appropriate within this column to write something on India's brilliant and successful run chase against England yesterday.

Sadly, there is only a limited amount you can really learn about a game when relying on reports from national newspapers, radio and online over-by-over updates, rather than the evidence presented to your own eyes.

While it is possibly unrealistic to appeal for live free-to-air television coverage of overseas Test matches, is it too much to ask for half an hour of highlights on one of the main channels each night? It seems so.