Monthly Archives: March 2010

High Standards, Low Standards, Bloody Standards

Leave a reply

“During the course of my research for this piece, I discovered that my planned intro, Jerry Seinfeld’s bit about how supporting a team was tantamount to “rooting for laundry” has already descended – or should that be ascended? – to the level of cliche. That’s what I get for being late to Seinfeld, I suppose. Still, every cliche has a kernel of truth (as the cliche has it), so let us anyway remind ourselves of precisely what he said…” (Norman Einsteins)

New-look Brazil go back to basics

Leave a reply

“Think of the greats of Brazilian football and you will probably come up with Pele, Garrincha, Rivelino, Socrates – players full of flair, skill and vision. In short, geniuses. The name of Dunga, however, wouldn’t necessarily be on the tip of your tongue. A nuggety defensive midfielder who cut his teeth in Italian football and prizes tactics above flamboyance does not quite fit the Brazilian stereotype.” (BBC)

Scotland 1 – 0 Czech Republic

Leave a reply


“Kris Boyd ended his self-imposed international exile but it was Scott Brown who was the unlikely goal hero as Craig Levein claimed a win from his first game as Scotland manager. Brown grabbed the only goal of the game against Czech Republic to hand the Scots their first friendly win at Hampden Park since victory over Australia back in 1996.” (ESPN)

Levein starts as he means to go on
“It was by no means a textbook performance but Craig Levein’s reign as Scotland manager is off to a winning start and that is all that counts. The members of the Tartan Army who braved a cold March evening to make it along to Hampden Park will never remember the friendly encounter with Czech Republic as a classic but it is the result that matters.” (ESPN)

U.S. Falls to One of Europe’s Best

Leave a reply

“DaMarcus Beasley may have boosted his World Cup chances. Jonathan Bornstein and Robbie Findlay did nothing to help theirs. And Stuart Holden joined the long U.S. injured list. The United States fell flat in Europe once again, losing to the third-ranked Netherlands 2-1 Wednesday night in the Americans’ last match before coach Bob Bradley picks his World Cup roster.” (NYT)

Beating Egypt will not help England

Leave a reply

“England played Egypt as a way of warming up for their World Cup clash with Algeria on 18 June, so one wonders what exactly coach Fabio Capello learnt about North African opposition after his side’s 3-1 win. For his players, the experience would have been invaluable because England haven’t faced such opposition since beating Morocco 1-0 in 1998 – a game only Michael Owen is likely to remember from among the current squad.” (BBC)

Zinedine Zidane Shows His Futsal Skills in France ‘98 vs Algeria ‘82/’86

Leave a reply


“Relations between France and Algeria have always been a bit tricky. This isn’t the place to discuss the specifics, but there’s a whole Wikipedia page about Algeria–France relations if you want to read up. Despite said trickiness, there is one man who can claim to be loved in both countries: Zinedine Zidane.” (World Cup Blog)

Frugality Is European Goal

Leave a reply

“Faced with their toughest opponent for a generation, Europe’s leading football clubs have been forced to adopt a new tactic: frugality. Creditors have caught up with the beautiful game in recent weeks, raising fears that spiraling wages and reckless spending could put the future of some of the world’s most iconic teams at risk.” (WSJ)

Should This Move Be Banned?

Leave a reply

“Here’s the thing about soccer: When it comes to innovation and creativity, there’s Brazil and then there’s everybody else. To stop the Brazilians, you can try to overwhelm them (good luck with that) or try to steal their techniques. If that doesn’t work, all you can do is change the rules. This weekend in Zurich, as it makes final preparations for June’s World Cup, soccer’s main rule-making body will discuss the latest controversial bit of Brazilian magic: a devastating penalty-kick maneuver known as the paradinha.” (WSJ)

Slovakia’s popular coach

Leave a reply

“On March 3 Slovakia play Norway in a friendly. There should be a sell-out crowd in Zilina in full patriotic voice since the match will be Slovakia’s last at home before their first appearance as an independent nation at the final stages of a major tournament. That they are going to the 2010 World Cup is in no small measure down to the hard work and occasional genius of their coach, Vladimir Weiss Senior.” (WSC)

Keith Alexander

Leave a reply

“Just hours after England manager Fabio Capello cited the large amounts of money paid to top players as a cause for concern in the modern game, football fans all over the country were shocked by the sudden death of Macclesfield manager Keith Alexander. Whilst he had previously suffered health problems, his death at just 53 years of age puts the hyperbole surrounding every aspect of our national sport into perspective.” (thetwounfortunates)

On a Club’s Identity and Tradition, via Trigger from Only Fools and Horses

Leave a reply

“Sometimes you wonder why you’ve been wasting all your bloody time every day for the past three years writing and linking to pieces about issues of club ownership, club identity (versus club brand) and the difference between being a supporter and being a fan. As we’ve haphazardly been doing here since 2007.” (Pitch Invasion)

Stereotyping the African: 99 Days to a Change of Imagination?

Leave a reply


Abou Diaby
“An article by Jonathan Wilson in the Guardian today asks an interesting question for those of us who grew up in an era in which West African football was the realm of skilled artists such as Abedi Pele, George Weah, Roger Milla, and exciting teams like the ‘original’ Nigerian Super Eagles who played swashbuckling, imaginative football. In a piece that starts out by discussing Egypt’s tactical formation (very interesting as well), he goes on to ask…” (Soccer Politics)

World Cup 2010: England fans will undermine dressing-room if they boo John Terry

Leave a reply

“Fabio Capello urgently needs the supporters to back all the players against Egypt, resisting any temptation to boo John Terry. Welcome to the 90 minutes that will define the mood surrounding England going into the World Cup. Judging by the critical disposition of certain sections of England’s support, there is a desire to voice, however briefly, some disapproval of Terry’s conduct.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)

England, Scotland and World Cup Ennui

Leave a reply

“I know I’m not the only one who isn’t really looking forward to the World Cup. But your reasons will be different from mine. I don’t enjoy tournaments which feature home nations – too tense, too much hoopla. And I enjoy ones with only England in even less – the loneliness leaves them even more exposed than they already were. Oh, to be in 1998, in the summertime, with a beer.” (More Than Mind Games)

Talking of tactics

Leave a reply


“Tactical talk is all the rage nowadays thanks to books like Jonathan Wilson’s Inverting the Pyramid, an enlightening read on the history of tactics and the philosophy of formations that taught me many things I never knew. World Soccer magazine sometimes runs a double-page spread outlining one coach’s tactical history with every club he’s managed. It’s all fascinating stuff. However, I confess that I recently let my decade-long subscription lapse. Such features made my heart feel heavy with a sense of duty rather than of joy when I picked the magazine out of my postbox – I could frankly not care less how Frank Rijkaard’s 2001-02 Sparta Rotterdam team lined up.” (WSC: Talking of tactics, WSC: Inverting the Pyramid)

Udinese 2-3 Inter Milan (Internazionale) – Recap and Video Highlights – Italian Serie A – Sunday, February 28, 2010

Leave a reply

“Italian Serie A leaders Inter Milan looked to rebound from a draw last week with a trip to face Udinese on Sunday, February 28, 2010. They lead AC Milan by four points heading into the weekend and looking to get their fifth consecutive Scudetto. Udinese were just above the relegation zone and in need of points.” (The 90th Minute)

Earthquake tragedy hits Chilean Cup preparations

Leave a reply

“This week is the last for international friendies before the end of the season. It’s the final chance for fringe players to push their claims for a World Cup place. Chile thought they had found the perfect way to give all their players the opportunity to show their stuff with a double-header on Wednesday against Costa Rica and North Korea, one after the other. But then the country was struck by Saturday’s massive earthquake and amid the chaos and confusion the matches could clearly not go ahead.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

The Sweeper: Chile’s Earthquake and the World Cup
“Following the devastating earthquake there this weekend, Chile unsurprisingly cancelled two international friendlies scheduled for this Wednesday as part of their World Cup preparations. Few in Chile right now will be thinking about football with more than 700 dead.” (Pitch Invasion)

Torres on target as Reds win

Leave a reply


“Liverpool striker Fernando Torres marked his first start since January 13 by scoring the winner in an ill-tempered 2-1 victory over Blackburn at Anfield. The Spain international hit his 13th goal in 17 Premier League appearances just before half-time, having missed five weeks at the start of the year after a knee operation. Liverpool had gone ahead midway through the half through Steven Gerrard only for Jamie Carragher’s handball to allow Keith Andrews to equalise from the penalty spot five minutes before the interval.” (ESPN)

Benitez fires volley at Allardyce as Reds win
“On the final whistle, they shook hands with the briefest of touches and then hostilities between Rafael Benitez and Sam Allardyce resumed. It had been a close enough contest for there to be no danger of the Liverpool manager crossing his hands to indicate the match was over after 33 minutes, which had so incensed Allardyce when Blackburn last visited Anfield.” (Independent)

Fernando Torres wants as much playing time as possible for Spain
“Fernando Torres is keen for as much international playing time as possible despite the Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez’s concerns over the striker, who has recently returned from a lengthy lay-off after knee surgery. Benítez will hope Torres returns from Spain without picking up any new knocks in the European champions’ friendly against France on Wednesday.” (Guardian)

Beyond The Debt – Are You Going To Be A Part Of The Solution?

Leave a reply

“It was standing room only in the social club at Gigg Lane, Bury on Saturday lunchtime for the “Beyond The Debt” rally as a crowd of hundreds watched an impressive array of those in the know explain that the time for debate on the ownership of football clubs is coming to an end. We seem now to be entering a different time. A time when action is required. A time in which shrugging your shoulders and muttering that, “well, my club is alright” is no longer enough. When opening speaker and rally chair Andy Walsh from FC United of Manchester spoke, he talked of the rivalries between supporters of football clubs being an artificial construct which masked the true enemies of football supporters – the people that run the game itself.” (twohundredpercent)

A Mental Game: Sports Psychology is the Future (and Always Will Be?)

Leave a reply

“Why, after several failed attempts at European glory, has Landon Donovan with Everton finally performed at a level appropriate to one of the top leagues in the world (barring the occasional ‘horror miss’)? Is he a different player physically from his depressing stints with Bayer Leverkusen in 2000 and 2005? Maybe a little bit—but probably not much. If anything he was likely a bit more spry back in 2000 and 2005. The most dramatic difference is his confidence, composure, and attitude. Donovan is not a very different physical player, but he seems very different psychologically.” (Pitch Invasion)