“Maccabi Haifa became the worst team ever in the group stages of the Champions League this season, losing all six games without scoring. Four days after their last group match, they faced Hapoel Petach Tikva in the Israeli Premier League. The club’s owner, Yaakov Shachar, gathered the players for a motivational chat beforehand and urged them to win. ‘Our future as a club depends on the consequences of this game,’ he said.” (WSC)

“Jings, cribbens and help me boab. We can’t even go away for a couple of days without the proverbial hitting the fan. Our betting slip, the one that said Laszlo will be the first to walk (after a gentle push), has been thrown into the bin along with the other Xmas crappery we got. Gannon? Sacked? Like, whit?! And they where doing so well. Motherwell, to be precise (djing boom).” (Inside Left)

River Plate Stadium
“When Diego Maradona took charge of Argentina’s national team last March, his training staff – lead by general manager Carlos Bilardo – enlisted a ‘gang’ to support the team, with promises that they would be taken to the World Cup in South Africa. This group consisted mainly of past and present Boca Juniors and Estudiantes de La Plata hooligans, most of who had lengthy police records.” (World Soccer)

“With half a season or so now completed in the Championship, my fellow blogger Lloyd and I have taken the opportunity to assess events thus far, in the wake of a bracing walk along Plymouth Hoe. Here are the results…” (thetwounfortunates)

“The festive period may have come and gone, but the confusing world of the ownership of football clubs continues to rumble on. The recent break has seen developments involving two names that have graced these pages before, Morell Maison and John Batchelor. with mixed results. Maison came to our attention because of his time in charge at Southern League club Halesowen Town, but has now resurfaced at, of all places, Chester City, where he was announced as their new Director of Football on Boxing Day.” (twohundredpercent)

“Over the past two seasons, Lazio’s Macedonian striker Goran Pandev scored 34 goals in all competitions, yet has not played a single minute for the Roman club this season. The only times he has stepped on the pitch has been for his country, where he acquitted himself exceptionally well, scoring six times in six appearances (including two goals against mighty Spain). Mr. Pandev has not been injured, nor has he been suspended; rather he has been locked in an unusual dispute with his employer, one which highlights the peculiarities of soccer’s free-agency system and the way clubs are dealing with it.” (WSJ)