SO YOU UNWRAPPED that mysterious rectangular gift that was waiting for you under the tree and found (YES!) books; the bread, butter and dry turkey of any sports fan’s Christmas.

But before you get to the back cover of those expertly crafted bodies of work, we’ve been pondering over what you could possibly find on your wish-list this time next season.

Now, most of the subject matter hasn’t even happened yet (some has), but we can still hope/worry, can’t we?

‘Hey, Ireland! Check out this World Cup I just won’, by Giovanni Trapattoni

Foreword by Chippy.

Inpho

‘Joe Schmidt: My Grand Slam season’

Hey, Joe. Give us a shout if you need a ghostwriter, ay?

Inpho

‘First Dortmund, now Belgium: The fleeting nature of a football hipster’s love’

PA Images

‘How the Heineken Cup was saved from extinction’

Inpho

‘Bad bad cop: My year as Martin’s right hand man’, by Roy Keane

Inpho

‘Roberto Martinez: Champions League and loving it’

PA Images

And these two autobiographies actually in the pipeline

Henry Shefflin

Inpho

Brian O’Driscoll

Hopefully that number will be 133 by the time he retires.

Inpho

Explainer: What your province needs to escape their Heineken Cup pool

‘The best sport out there is hurling’ — Roy Keane on his favourite game