SEEMS like Wanderers striker Kerem Bulut has always been a man to do things on impulse. So when he found out from a friend that a diehard Western Sydney fan who lived nearby was turning 16 a week ago, Bulut popped round, unannounced - rang the bell, and gave the fan a hug that left him somewhere between tears and euphoria.

The club had nothing to do with the gesture, and Bulut never sought any publicity for it. But maybe the headlines that seem to attach themselves to the 24-year-old should be positive for once.

media_camera Western Sydney Wanderers striker Kerem Bulut.

THE derby will definitely set one record on Saturday night, with stadium chiefs forced to open exit gates before the game for the first time ever. The arrival of the two fans’ marches, one at each end of the stadium, means the usual turnstiles would be overwhelmed.

So stadium officials will have to scan tickets by hand, with others on hand to perform the patdowns and bag checks that will be rigorously enforced.

THE comments of Football Federation Australia chairman Steven Lowy this week, basically telling the A-League clubs they would get no say on the fFA board nor an independent A-League, have gone down predictably badly with the clubs, and their meeting with FFA next week is likely to be volatile.

In their submission to FIFA recently, the clubs sought to have far more voters at the annual FFA general meeting, and for the clubs to have rather more of those votes. And just prove they won’t take no for an answer, an independent league is top of the agenda when the club owners meet on Tuesday - and then go into talks with FFA the next day.

The question is whether Lowy will be there, or whether his CEO David Gallop will have to bear the brunt of some very bolshie owners.

media_camera Western Sydney Wanderers captain Nikolai-Topor Stanley (left) and Sydney FC captain Alex Brosque.

SAUDI newspapers seemed to get rather nervous this week about the prospect of Socceroos security official Kersten Rott sitting on the bench for the World Cup qualifier in Jeddah, in a country where women are not even allowed to drive.

Luckily there was no diplomatic incident on the cards, as Rott never sits on the team bench, but prowls around with eyes everywhere.

WE can’t tell you who will eat all the pies at the derby on Saturday, but we can tell you how many. According to the catering lists, 5500 pies will be sold, 14,000 buckets of chips, 35,000 beers - and remarkably 2100 glasses of wine.