As a player, Graeme Le Saux would flick straight to December when he received the Premier League schedule for the forthcoming season.
His teammates tended to be more concerned with which rival they would face on the campaign’s opening day, or working out when the season’s big derby matches were, or checking whether their last game fell at home or on the road. Le Saux always had one priority: to find out whether the list was naughty or nice.
“The key thing was whether Christmas had been kind to you,” he said. “If you had two home matches, or did not have to travel far, that made a massive difference.