When I was young, 'the gaffer' was an affectionate term used to describe one's boss. There's also someone called a gaffer who works on movie sets, which I know from watching the Star Wars credits roll up as a no-clue kid (I didn't used to go out much). In the supermarket, you can buy gaffer cakes, and they're delicious with their chocolate top covering a sliver of jelly atop the eponymous spongy biscuit crust. Oops, hold on, I might have got that last one wrong. All of which is irrelevant anyway, as today's scene review sees me take on The Gaffer.

Like ver Stuff, The Gaffer (TG to us lazy typists) is fairly fresh-faced, though there the similarities end. Whilst the little concern you're currently reading sloped stealthily onto the scene like a new student tax, TG exploded with a mass of both information and hits. It was all very exciting, during a time when your news-starved field was at it's quietest. Since then, the site and its forum have been redesigned, and it is fair to say that both look quite unique. Another difference is that ver Stuff is a one-man army, a bit like a projected ego-trip (except not so), whereas TG is well staffed, with three regulars (plus part-timers) adding a variety of content.

To my lazy eye (and bear in mind that I once thought Wendy James from Transvision Vamp was a sexy lady) the look of TG is damn close to faultless, though adhering to the norm in terms of layout. Unlike your good writer, they've designed all their own graphics, and even include some menubars for you to pinch (I liked the pong retro one particularly). Their forum is also self-created, and this is a good thing in an era of identical-looking, yabb-powered messageboards. In fact, I can confess that I've been spending far too much time loitering on TG's forum like some ever-willing $5 whore. There's a vibrant community already on the go, it would seem, and this is helped by the fact that someone always answers your messages within ten minutes. That's service for you.

So what delights await you within TG's realm? Despite its graphical richness, the site is clearly all about content, with columns and guides added regularly. At present, they are concentrating on football articles over anything to do with CM, which is understandable due to the lack of news regarding the latter. The focus of their sweep currently is the state of the Scottish game. This I like. Webmaster Gio is a dedicated Ger, and has much to say about the problems inherent within football north of the border (many of which directly involve his team, no?). His series of articles raises some pertinent points, although he could cover much more ground, and occasionally only scratches the surface. That said, the issue is a massive one, and however deep you dig there will always be some further angle to explore. The idea is a good one at any rate, and I would like to see TG's staff transfer their attention to another league used in CM at some point. As a starter for ten, I'm sure there would be no shortage of visitors wanting to read about the troubles surrounding football in Brazil (as if they need me to tell them what to write)…

Aside from the Scottish 'special' you have your usual, beloved categories - guides, player reviews and tactics being the staple diet for readers. The former, written for beginners by Reema, are nothing new, but there is a welcome thread of dry humour coursing through them. In this current climate of CM01/02 being well established though, are there really going to be enough newcomers snapping the game up for the very first time to justify the high number of guides? On a more positive note, I liked the offer of one-to-one tuition, the first example of a CM clinic I've seen, although it's not something I look out for.

TG's player reviews are decently put together - not by celebrities, I might add - and it is refreshing to see the stars of CM actually being discussed as opposed to listed. I could suggest that there are no surprise players here, that it's the usual crop of Joao Paiva - Mark Kerr - To Madeira favourites, but again this may be a fault of the game. Without a new edition, there are few hidden gems waiting to be unearthed, so a merry-go-round of usual suspects remains.

And then there's my perennial favourite, the scene section, in which TG has a chance to examine the world it shares with so many others. I see that ver Stuff made the rankings at Number Five (Five! After everything I do! Oh well, it was fair enough really…), and there is a succinct weekly summary, compiled in classic bullet-pointed, CM Star style. Otherwise, I was delighted to see an offer there to design your site for you, should you - like me - not be the Norman Foster of the html world. Even better was the invitation to have your site hosted by TG. I half suspect that they'll be there to do the honours with the loo roll next time I have to do my business…

This leaves me with one big criticism, and a generous dollop of praise to finish of with. First, and it might only be a big bugbear of mine, there are signs of sloppy English creeping into TG's content. Occasional misspellings were sighted, and you wouldn't have to be Mulder and Scully (or that bloke from Terminator 2) to spot some poor use of grammar. To me, this can undermine any amount of beautiful design work, as it jumped out and punched me in the kisser a little like my wife would after I've failed to drag myself to bed following a heavy session with Mr Gin and Mrs Tonic. You know how it is, comrades.

But this doesn't exactly happen all the time, and can be tightened up with effort. And I think the word 'effort' sums this site up nicely. What struck me about TG from the start was the amount of heart and enthusiasm crammed within its webspace. 'Enthusiasm' is, of course, an abstract concept, and probably sounds too wishy-washy to be singled out for admiration, but it's here in spades. You can tell that the people behind The Gaffer aim to please, that they put a good deal of imagination - and more importantly, themselves - into their work, and this pays off. The site deserves its success, and it will get better. There's no doubt that - as long as the current level of input continues - it has everything it needs to become a major player. I like this site. I like the people who created it. And I think you will too.