A Constellation Chart of Ingenious Design
“The last decade saw the final years of Brian Clough and George Best, the emergence of Jose Mourinho and the return of Diego Maradona. That quartet, along with the likes of Jens Lehmann, Sepp Blatter and, of course, Roy Keane, ensured the noughties enjoyed an array of memorable quotes throughout the years. Here is a selection of some of the most memorable, most shocking and most amusing.” (ESPN)

“In another effort to churn out a weekly column using a tired, formulaic method, I present for your consideration XI personal highlights from my year in soccer…” (Pitch Invasion)

“It’s the final Football Weekly of the year – indeed the decade – so we’ve rolled out the big guns for our end of the noughties extravaganza. James Richardson is joined by Barry Glendenning, Raphael Honigstein, and Fernando Duarte to take stock of the Premier League at the halfway point of the season. Can Chelsea keep setting the pace? Have Arsenal got what it takes to go the distance? Will Liverpool finally get their act together? And are Birmingham City or Fulham going to nudge past Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur into the Champions League spots?” (Guardian – James Richardson)

“Very few people realize that in addition to walking his dogs, managing lower tier English teams, and glaring at reporters, Roy Keane follows the Premiership avidly and is a keen reader of classic literature. Recently, he was impressed by a robust and tenacious Fernando Torres and shared a few thoughts with us on ‘el nino’ and a few others…” (futfanatico)

Fernando Torres
“Speculation about which players would move where and for how much in the January transfer period began back on Sept. 1, the day after the last window closed. A midseason transfer or loan can considerably boost a team’s second-half fortunes, or help alleviate the burden on players struggling to balance a championship run with cup competitions and the UEFA Champions League campaign.” (NYT)

“No other fixture in Premier League history has produced more hat-tricks than Liverpool v Arsenal, and in continuing our build-up to Sunday’s clash at Anfield, ExtraFootie looks back at five classic trebles. Just to note that Liverpool were last season’s top scorers in the top-flight with 77 goals, whilst the Gunners were joint second alongside Chelsea and champions Manchester United on 68.” (Extra Footie)

“During 2009, EPL Talk made some big changes in the podcast department by moving the weekly show to a daily format, promoting Kartik Krishnaiyer to host and adding new guests and analysts such as Laurence McKenna and Alex Caulfield. In 2010, we have even bigger plans and some major celebrities lined up to be interviewed, but before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I want to share with you the top 15 most download EPL Talk Podcasts of 2009.” (EPL Talk)

“Ever had a hospital pass? The one with the red cross marked on it that you know is going to end with a large amount of personal grief – if you are very lucky? This is mine. Namely the request to name the Premier League team of “The Noughties”. The job that will please no-one and will have plenty of you waving your fist in fury at the laptop. So apologies in advance. My only excuse for leaving out your own personal favourite or club legend is that I can only pick 11 players and there could have been so many more – and this might be the best substitutes’ bench in history.” Z(BBC – Phil McNulty)