Simeon Jackson
“When Canadian international forward Simeon Jackson struck the last-gasp winner for Norwich City against Derby County last weekend, it was incredibly the 12th goal that the Canaries had scored in the 90th minute or later this season. This is a sign of a team that never knows when it is beaten and this resilience is just one of the reasons for Norwich’s impressive surge to a highly commendable second place in the Championship. Paul Lambert’s team stand on the threshold of the Premier League, which would mean a second successive promotion and represents a remarkable turnaround in the club’s fortunes.” Swiss Ramble
Daily Archives: April 29, 2011
La semaine en France: Week 32
“With an inevitably that feels like it has been building for about two months, Marseille returned to the Ligue 1 summit after a 4-2 win at Mediterranean neighbours Nice on Wednesday night. Lille’s 1-1 draw at Lorient last Sunday – a magnificent game of football – had given the champions an opportunity to sneak to the top of the pile that they duly took, thanks to a hat-trick from André Ayew and a first Marseille goal for his younger sibling, Jordan.” Football Further
France football heads mired in race row over alleged quotas for ethnic players
“France has been plunged into a fresh race crisis after claims that football officials tried to limit black and Arab players on youth training schemes to make the French team more white. The French football federation has opened an internal investigation after website Mediapart reported that top management approved a quota system to limit young black players and those of north African origin emerging as candidates for the national team.” Guardian
Last Day to Vote for Best EPL Blog (Qualification Round)
“Today is the last day to vote for the Best EPL Blog (qualification round). Since there are so many good Premier League-related blogs to choose from, we decided to have a qualification round for many. Out of these, the top three winners (the polls close at midnight tonight) will enter the final round of voting next week for the Best EPL Blog.” EPL Talk
Porto 5-1 Villarreal: Falcao nets four as Porto take giant leap towards Dublin
“Villarreal were 1-0 up at half time, but a superb second half performance from Porto puts them fully in charge of the tie. Andre Villas Boas used his usual 4-3-3 system. Cristian Sapanaru was at right-back, and Cristian Rodriguez was wide left. Juan Carlos Garrido named a side which seemed to be his usual 4-2-2-2 before kick off. Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi were supported by Cani and Santi Cazorla, two wide players who come inside, and Borja Valero and Bruno Soriano, two classic deep-lying Spanish ball-playing midfielders. Jose Catala was surprisingly used at left-back over Joan Capdevila.” Zonal Marking
1960s Month: God’s Footballer
“Football and religion have always been intertwined; from teams such as Manchester City and Everton being formed as church teams to the likes of Gavin Peacock entering the church in their post-football careers. Indeed, many believe that football is a new religion, with star players being treated as deities and their importance within society being debated long into the night. One player, however, had doubts as to its significance.” The Equaliser
Argentines in… um… Spain & Mexico
“In spite of not having done anything in particular this week out of the ordinary, Thursday night has arrived and I’ve still not yet put up Argentines Abroad. I have had two contributions sent in, though, from Spain and Mexico, so it would be remiss of me not to at least put those up. To find out how Argentines did in Spain between last week’s Copa Del Rey clásico and this week’s installment in the European Cup, and how Emanuel Villa, Damián Álvarez et al did in Mexico last weekend, just read on. Complete with videos!” Hasta El Gol Siempre
For the Sake of the Game: Who We Support and Why it Still Matters
“What is the fundamental importance of football? The support of its fans. Brendan begins our three piece ‘For Sake of the Game‘ feature with an overview of the predicament modern football finds itself in, before a swift follow up through both sides of the debate later next week.” The Oval Log