Yet Villa are fast maturing into a team that is capable of challenging the status quo, with the likes of Young and Agbonlahor a real menace up front.

BBC: Man Utd 0-1 Aston Villa

For High Street retailers like Game, it was probably even more challenging - the UKIE figures include online sales from the likes of Amazon and Play.com, and anecdotal evidence suggests that this is where gamers are directing more of the cash they spend on console games.

BBC: GAME over on the High Street?

Which is why MPs on the PAC want Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to be more aggressive in challenging the nugatory UK profits and minimal tax liabilities declared in the UK by the likes of Google, Starbucks and Amazon.

BBC: Is government too scared of Google, Amazon and Starbucks?