“Between the final days of Platini and the rise of Zidane, French football had only a few truly enigmatic players. Here’s Juliet Jacques on a lost treasure.” In Bed With Maradona
The Mislaid Joy of French Football
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Author Archives: 1960s: Days of Rage
Arsenal turn up the style and add tactical steel as well
“Arsenal are winning over their doubters – and they are doing it in typical style. Match of the Day pundit and former Liverpool defender, Alan Hansen, has perennially shrugged off Arsenal’s title chances but now sees them as Manchester United’s closest challengers.” Arsenal Column
A is for Arbitragem
“António Silva Campos, recently re-elected as President of Rio Ave Futebol Clube, has had a tough season. The loss of Sílvio to Braga and Fábio Faria to Benfica during the summer transfer window left a hole in his back line, one which coach Carlos Brito has largely been unable to plug. Despite possessing plenty of creative threat in Bruno Gama and Yazalde, as well as the Liga’s second most prolific forward (Cahiers du Sport favourite João Tomás), Rio Ave have spent much of 2010/11 hovering in and around the relegation zone.” cahiers du sport
Bolton 0-4 Chelsea: easy win for Chelsea
“Chelsea cruised past Bolton with goals from all of their front three, and Ramires’ first for the club. Owen Coyle made two changes. Gretar Steinsson replaced Sam Ricketts at right-back, whilst Martin Petrov came in for Mark Davies. Petrov played on the left, with Matthew Taylor switching to the right.” Zonal Marking
Blackburn 2-0 West Brom: OG and Hoilett strike
“Blackburn moved into the top half of the Premier League table with a win in a fairly uneventful game. Steve Kean brought in new recruits Jermaine Jones and Roque Santa Cruz, to replace El Hadji Diouf and Ryan Nelsen. Martin Olsson dropped into the defence.” Zonal Marking
Wolves 0-3 Liverpool: midfield runs not tracked
The Martyrdom of St Stephen, Annibale Carracci
“Kenny Dalglish picked up his first win in his second spell as Liverpool manager. Mick McCarthy made one change from the side that lost 4-3 to Manchester City last weekend – Karl Henry replaced David Jones in the centre of midfield. Kenny Dalglish also switched one midfielder – out went Jay Spearing, in came Christian Poulsen.” Zonal Marking
Wolves 0 – 3 Liverpool
“Liverpool’s revival under Kenny Dalglish is officially under way after he secured his first win since returning for his second spell as Reds boss with Wolves beaten 3-0 at Molineux.” ESPN
Dalglish reign begins in earnest
“‘It is a massive team,’ the newest convert to Kenny Dalglish’s cause said. Managers invariably appear defensive on the subject of their own signings and Rafa Benitez is no exception. While conceding there were “some mistakes” in his later recruitment, Liverpool’s last-but-one leader conformed to type, suggesting he left an enviable legacy.” ESPN
Liverpool FC Alive Again
“It took Kenny Dalglish just two away games to do what Roy Hodgson failed to achieve in ten: win convincingly away from home in the Premier League. Indeed, as is well known, the Reds only managed a single away victory under Hodgson in the league, and that was via a barely-deserved late winner at Bolton.” Tomkinst Tmes
English Premier League (EPL) Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are MOTD highlights for all the EPL matches on January 22, 2011. The full edition of MOTD (with all highlights together) can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
Three quick thoughts: U.S.-Chile
“Three thoughts after the U.S.’s 1-1 tie against Chile in a matchup of two B-squads in Carson, Calif., on Saturday night…” SI
U.S. vs. Chile instant analysis
“Join SI.com staff and writers (Grant Wahl, Jen Chang, Steve Davis, George Dorhmann and Avi Creditor) for live analysis and discussion of the U.S.men’s national team game against Chile on Saturday.” SI
Thoughts On USA’s 1-1 Draw With Chile On January 22, 2011
“The United States played their first international in several months and here’s a few of my thoughts on it. It was a 1-1 draw with Chile and as usual consisted of young players who have little experience with the National Team.” The 90th Minute
Udinese 3-1 Inter: 3-5-1-1 beats 4-3-1-2
“Leonardo suffered his first defeat as Inter manager as Udinese dominated the majority of the game. Francesco Guidolin made one change from last week’s side which defeated Genoa. Andrea Coda was left out, with Maurizio Domizzi coming in on the left of defence. Leonardo replaced Marco Materazzi with Ivan Cordoba, and Diego Milito’s absence meant Goran Pandev pushed forward, as did Dejan Stankovic, with Thiago Motta returning on the left of the midfield.” Zonal Marking
Aston Villa 1-0 Man City: Bent strikes on debut
“Manchester City dominated the game but somehow managed to come away with nothing. Gerard Houllier named a very attack-minded side – Ashley Young, Stewart Downing, Marc Albrighton and Gabriel Agbonlahor all played behind Darren Bent, who made his first start for the club. Carlos Cuellar returned at right-back.” Zonal Marking
La semaine en France: Week 20
“There were few signs of post-Christmas hangovers as Ligue 1 resumed after the winter break, with wins for all the serious title contenders. Leaders Lille immediately hit their stride with a 2-0 win at Nice, before Eden Hazard and Gervinho inspired Rudi Garcia’s side to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat of Nancy in their re-arranged home game on Wednesday to send them four points clear of their title rivals.” Football Further
Daggers Diary
“Let’s Kick Racism out of Football – January 2011. December was a really good month for us. We had a 100% win record for the month, and the fact that we only played once is not going to take that away from us. Going up to Carlisle for our longest journey of the season and winning meant that it was a great day out.” The Ball Is Round
Ronaldinho – Chelsea vs Barcelona – 2005
“Barcelona need a goal. Oleguer, that rare Marxist of a utility player, lumps the ball forward. It drops harmlessly onto the head of Ricardo Carv…actually, no; John Terry’s perennial sense of defensive propriety kicks in, and Barça are back in possession. Our protagonist can’t (yet) bring the ball under his spell, but Andrés Iniesta, a spritely 20-year-old with the hair to prove it, keeps his cool; tempting Terry out of the backline like an anaemic pied piper. A simple pass to Ronaldinho, and the scene is set.” Ghost Goal
UEFA Financial Fair Play On Radio 5: An Idoits Guidance
“There are times when it dawns on you just how dirt cheap the BBC licence is. It dawned on me most recently when I tried to calculate how much of a refund I would be due for 26 minutes, the length of the Radio 5 Live ‘Monday Night Club’ debate on Uefa’s ‘Financial Fair Play’ (FFP) regulations. To be fair to the BBC, any proper debate on Uefa’s complex but largely common sense regulations would need a full hour at least. However, even in thirty minutes – less the news and travel – I feel I had a right to expect more than this wretched, miserable attempt to address the issues involved. I’d equate the discussion produced by Steve Claridge, Ian McGarry and John Motson on January 17th with a closing time pub discourse but that would do a disservice to the quality of drunken debate.” twohundredpercent
Indefensible: Liverpool’s Defensive Woes.
Jamie Carragher
“Following the first two league games of the second Dalglish managerial era, something worrying occurred to me: in both games we had taken the lead, only to subsequently conceded twice and go behind. Don’t panic, this is not a rabid, foaming mouthed ‘DALGLISH OUT’ rant; rather a look at how Liverpool’s defensive record has shifted for the worse overall this season. I don’t profess to have all of the answers as to why, but I’ll share some relevant statistics I have in the aim of encouraging smarter people than me to get to the bottom of it. (While, at the same time, Liverpool’s new coaching and management structure work on addressing the problem.)” Tomkins Times
Baggio – Italy vs Czechoslovakia – 1990
“In this feature for the ‘My Favourite Goal’ series I’m going to bring you back to an era before the exotic world of Italian football was brought to our screens by James Richardson and the wonderful Football Italia on Channel 4. Italia 90 is widely regarded as the launchpad to the international stage of ‘Calcio’ and my favourite goal catapulted a young Italian with a rather dodgy mullet to worldwide stardom. The 23-year-old Roberto Baggio, who had remained on the sidelines for Italy’s two opening games of the group stages, made his World Cup debut against Czechoslovakia at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome – and, in the 77th minute, with one exquisite display of his talents, he scored a goal that Italian commentator Bruno Pizzul described as ‘a piece of art.’” Ghost Goal
Daniel Alves: more than a right-back
“Out for two weeks with a calf injury and locked in contract negotiations with Barcelona, now seems like a good time to assess the value of Daniel Alves. It’s long been a standard joke – or cliche, if you like – to say that an attacking full-back is “more of a winger than a full-back.” That’s particularly been true of Brazilian full-backs down the years – in recent times, most notably the combination of Cafu and Roberto Carlos, who started the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups in the full-back positions for Brazil.” Zonal Marking
The most famous Swede of the lot
“Ask 100 non Swedes who they think the most famous Swede is and you will get a variety of answers including Bjorn Borg, Abba, Britt Ekland and Alfred Nobel….ask the same question to Swedes and you will almost certainly get one name cropping up that you would not expect – Henrik Larsson. The striker who for so long was a fixture in the Celtic first eleven is idolised in the country, even more so announcing he would spend two seasons with his boyhood club Helsingborgs before he retired.” The Ball Is Round
What do we want? Transfers! When do we want them? NOW!!!
“The past week has been dominated with rumours of ongoing negotiations for the transfer of Ajax’s Luis Suarez to the Reds. The response to the rumours from fans, whilst generally positive about the prospects of the player joining, has seen a surprising number of demands for the club to pay whatever it takes, seemingly with little or no regard to the value placed upon the player by the club or any potential alternatives which may exist but of which we are not aware.” The Out of Towner
Garrincha
“Manuel Francisco dos Santos (October 28, 1933 – January 20, 1983), known by the nickname ‘Garrincha’ … was a Brazilian football right winger and forward who helped the Brazil national team win the World Cups of 1958 and 1962. He played the majority of his professional career for Brazilian club Botafogo.” Wikipedia, “Goal by Garrincha:” Eduardo Galeano Reads from Soccer in Sun and Shadow, Part Three, YouTube
Football Ten Worst Films: The Prelude
“A year ago this month, we took a look at ten of the finest films and television shows ever made on the subject of football. In some respects, finding truly excellent programming about the game is more difficult than it is to find absolute rot, but there are some rules that we can apply which help us find our way through the minefield of production companies that want us to watch their offerings. Looking down the list of the great films, you may note that almost all of them are documentaries, with only Jimmy McGovern’s “Hillsborough” and Jack Rosenthal’s “Another Sunday And Sweet FA” making the cut from the section of the archive marked “Fiction”.” twohundredpercent
Twice in a lifetime
“It was the only U.S. soccer team America ever truly loved. So how do you even begin to breathe life back into the New York Cosmos without it coming off as a cheap imitation? How do you go about restarting a professional sports franchise with such a loaded name from scratch, anyway?” ESPN
Being Tweeted Fairly? Footballers, Clubs & Social Media.
“Footballers are always going to be in the headlines. Late night drinking, kiss-and-tell stories and mega transfers create big news stories. We even have Kenny Dalglish (and most of his extended family) on Twitter. Traditional media has relied on the mutually beneficial relationship between on one side players, clubs and managers and on the other, local and national journalists to publicise (and criticise) in equal measure. The advent of Twitter and other social media platforms has provided novel and more direct channels of communication and interaction.” Tomkins Times
Bergkamp – Holland vs Argentina – 1998
“John Keep takes a look at one of the finest goals in World Cup history. You can follow John on Twitter” Ghost Goal.
The Fossa Dei Leoni sing You
“Many of you will have heard the fans of AC Milan on the Curva Sud sing You’ll Never Walk Alone. It’s a more original take on the song than that of other fans who have faithfully echoed our rendition (e.g. at German, Dutch and Scottish grounds). The Milan fans have adapted the song and arranged their own version, turning it into a drum-fuelled, staccato chant. It’s uniquely Italian. Uniquely Milanese.” The Kop
The IBWM Ligue 1 Review: Round 20
“Before the winter break, the colossal number of draws was beginning to get me down. As we completed the front nine and headed for the turn, the defensive nature of the game had me thinking about the level of quality in the French game, how it may be time to reduce Ligue 1 to eighteen clubs in order to preserve a competitive edge; and looking forward to an easy life of reporting on yet another clutch of goalless draws as all twenty clubs attempted to do their damnedest not to win the title. So what d’you know – round 20 gave us just the one.” In Bed With Maradona
Leeds 1-3 Arsenal: Nasri inspires Arsenal
“Leeds were unable to reproduce their heroics of last weekend, as Arsenal progress to the fourth round. Simon Grayson made one change from the first game. Luciano Becchio was out injured, so Billy Paynter came in. Arsene Wenger made three changes from that 1-1 draw – Bacary Sagna and Laurent Koscielny started, whilst Samir Nasri was used in place of Tomas Rosicky.” Zonal Marking
England versus the Shepherds
“Andorra versus England was always going to be one of those games that was destined to be a disaster. From the moment the two teams were drawn in teh same qualifying group, 99.9% of the population of the tiny principality (or is it a country?) sandwiched in the mountains between Spain and France, wanted nothing to do with the game, and couldn’t wait to see the game moved elsewhere. That other 0.1%, the Andorran FA only saw cash. Cash that the traveling English fans would bring to the country. Sod the fact their national stadium was in worse shape than Welling United’s (no disrespect Welling) but with a capacity of less than 2,000 it was never going to be played there.” The Ball Is Round
Didier Drogba: Chelsea needs win streak before thinking about title
“It has been exactly one year since I traveled 44 hours to Angola to interview Didier Drogba, the Chelsea and Ivory Coast superstar, for a story in Sports Illustrated magazine leading up to last year’s World Cup. He couldn’t have been more accommodating, spending 90 minutes talking to me in his private bungalow on the heavily fortified Ivory Coast team base in Cabinda during the African Cup of Nations.” SI
New-money noisy neighbours salvage a point
“Neath 1-1 Llanelli – Welsh Premier League – 18th January 2011. Our Welsh wizard Mark Pitman visits The Gnoll for a local derby on a cold Tuesday night: The Manchester City of the Principality Welsh Premier League welcomed rivals Llanelli to The Gnoll for what would be the second of five successive home games for the noisy neighbours of the top-flights South Wales clubs. Recent signing Matthew Rees, who captained Port Talbot Town in the UEFA Europa League earlier this season, was handed his first start in the all-black colours of the Eagles, but it was the actions of the traditional man in black that would be the subject of controversy at the end of this much-anticipated derby match.” The Ball Is Round
Nedved – Lazio vs Mallorca – 1999
“You may well have come across Rocco Cammisola’s football writing at ITV Sport, In Bed With Maradona or maybe on his blog The Football Express. Oh and Rocco is also a Twitter legend so follow him @RCammisola .. this is his account of the last ever goal in the European Cup Winners’ Cup” Ghost Goal
Picturing Defeat – Away to West Brom
“By now everyone knows how this match panned out. Both sides made errors that were punished and West Brom claimed the 3 points. However, what went on from a formation point of view and how did that affect the match as the 90 minutes unfolded?” Tangerine Dreaming
Good Day, Bad Day: A Hyperactive HG Wells & some Horrible Haircuts
“Playing Málaga just after seeing Real Madrid drop two platinum-precious points against Almería could have gone one of two ways for Barcelona. Pep’s Dream Boys could have choked and had their own Primera wobble. Or they could have humped the opportunity to pieces by mauling Málaga. Seeing as this team is strong like some kind of graceful ox-type creature, Barça did the latter. The title is now officially theirs to be lost.” FourFourTwo
Barca Half-Win La Liga As Real Slip…
“After nearly two months of inactivity, the slumbering, blubbery beast that is Spain’s title race momentarily showed signs of life on Sunday night with an effulgent fart and a boisterous burp before rolling over to whack the snooze button and go back to sleep, perhaps to the end of the season if Bar軋’s astonishing form continues.” Foolball 365
Football and Modernity
“In his introduction to the fiftieth anniversary edition of The Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer engages in an uncharacteristically tender retrospective of the manner in which he originally wrote the book. Looking back at his twenty-four year-old self through the uncompromising mists of time, Mailer highlights the frailties that were present in his early writing and discusses both the strengths and weaknesses of what was his first major work.” Run of Play
Birmingham 1-1 Aston Villa: a scrappy goal each
“Another tight second city derby ended with a 1-1 draw after an entertaining game. Alex McLeish used a 4-4-1-1 system, giving a debut to David Bentley on the right of midfield. Liam Ridgewell moved into the centre of defence in place of Scott Dann, so David Murphy came in at left-back. Matt Derbyshire started upfront alone.” Zonal Marking
Tottenham 0-0 Manchester United: goalkeepers rarely tested
“A contest that never really took off. Harry Redknapp played the usual 4-4-1-1. Peter Crouch was preferred to Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko, whilst Wilson Palacios got the nod over Jermaine Jenas.” Zonal Marking
Non-League Videos of the Week
“After a couple of weeks off, we’re bringing back our weekly round-up of non-league videos. Yesterday saw the Third Round of the FA Trophy, and our first two matches come from that competition, kicking off with AFC Wimbledon’s match against Woking. Wimbledon dropped two points against Luton Town during the week and were looking to regain a little momentum. Woking may be a division below Wimbledon, but they have won the FA Trophy three times and took Brighton & Hove Albion to a penalty-shoot-out in the First Round of the FA Cup. The second match, meanwhile, is the match between Ashford Town (Middlesex) of the Zamaretto League Division One Central and Dartford of the Blue Square South, a match which saw one of the biggest crowds in recent years at Ashford’s Short Lane.” twohundredpercent
One last hurrah from Ronaldinho…?
Ronaldinho
“On a Brazilian TV show on Saturday I was asked to explain the success of the English Premier League. The answer that instantly came into my mind was the mixture between the old and the new. Modern ideas – the money and the business practices – have been planted in fertile soil because the tradition of the game – its roots in the world’s first industrial society – is so strong.” BBC – Tim Vickery
Two teams in Leyton
“Few people would know that there are actually two teams in Leyton, London E10. Or there was until Friday 14th January 2010. That day could be long etched on the history books for non league football as the day a nail was put in the coffin of Leyton FC.” The Ball Is Round
Zlatan Ibrahimovic 0-1 Goal vs. Lecce
“After the Lecce corner, Zlatan first ran down a long ball against two defenders, then made a spectacular volley to put Milan up on the road over Lecce.” The Offside
Liverpool 2 – 2 Everton
Jan Brueghel the Elder, Harbor Scene with St. Paul’s Departure from Caesarea, 1596
“It was not an entirely happy homecoming for Kenny Dalglish on his first match at Anfield since becoming Liverpool manager for the second time but a draw in an entertaining 215th Merseyside derby represented some progress. The club’s legendary former player went into the game on the back of successive defeats to Manchester United and Blackpool but the result against their closest rivals at least ensured his first point.” ESPN
Dirk Kuyt spot on again as points shared between Liverpool and Everton
“The Kenny Dalglish effect has its limits. Liverpool’s returning hero inspired a vastly improved performance and atmosphere at Anfield this afternoon but not the cherished Merseyside derby victory that would announce his arrival as the script-writers on the Kop had wished. The wait for Dalglish’s first victory as Liverpool manager goes on, and so too David Moyes’s first win for Everton at Anfield since 1999.” Guardian
Match of the Week: Liverpool 2-2 Everton
“Whatever optimism may have been brought about amongst the red half of Liverpool by the appointment of Kenny Dalglish and Liverpool’s performance at Old Trafford last weekend, the fervour quietened just a little during the week at Bloomfield Road, when a performance as insipid as anything seen under Roy Hodgson saw them capitulate to Blackpool for the second time this season. Today, however, is the Merseyside derby – an altogether different kettle of fish and and opportunity to exorcise another of this season’s demons, a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park that was accompanied by a performance as poor as anything that Liverpool supporters have seen in recent years.” twohundredpercent
Liverpool 2-2 Everton (Merseyside derby) – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL (Premier League)
The 90th Minute
English Premier League (EPL) Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are Match Of The Day (MOTD) video highlights for all the EPL matches on January 16, 2011. The full MOTD episode can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
Leverkusen 1-3 Dortmund: Dortmund pounce on defensive errors
“All the goals came in the second half as Dortmund took another step towards the Bundesliga title. Jupp Heynckes made multiple changes to his side in the first game back after the winter break. Eren Derdiyok, Tranquilo Barnetta and Arturo Vidal were all left out, whilst Sidney Sam and Gonzalo Castro both switched from the right flank to the left. Patrick Helmes played just off Stefan Kiessling.” Zonal Marking
Entertainment reigns against the seaside elements
“Prestatyn Town 1-1 Port Talbot Town – Welsh Premier League – 15th January 2011. Often associated with the seaside, Prestatyn Town welcomed the worst elements of the beach to Bastion Road for this Principality Welsh Premier League match against Port Talbot Town. A strong wind and sand covered playing surface did little to inspire any football purist in attendance and their concerns were proved correct as both sides struggled against the conditions in this scrappy yet surprisingly entertaining match.” The Ball Is Round
West Ham 0-3 Arsenal: in chalkboards
“Arsenal registered a thoroughly comfortable victory over West Ham amid rumours it was Avram Grant’s last game in charge. Arsenal returned to the front six that many consider their strongest, with Andrei Arshavin on the bench. Emmanuel Eboue continued to deputise for Bacary Sagna, whilst the centre-back pairing remained the same as in the midweek defeat to Ipswich.” Zonal Marking
1930s Month: The man they called ‘Dixie’
“The 1930s was a decade which played host to several of the European game’s most historically significant stars, but on British shores few were held in higher regard than Everton’s William Ralph ‘Dixie’ Dean. One of the most prolific forwards to have ever graced the game, Dean was in many ways the player who defined the decade in English football.” The Equaliser
Villarreal spicing up predictable La Liga
Grand Bleu
“It’s proving increasingly difficult not to like Villarreal. The team is in a distant third place behind Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga and therefore receives relatively little media coverage outside of Spain. But in a league that has been simply too predictable this season, Juan Carlos Garrido’s side continues to excite with its beautiful, attack-minded football.” ESPN
Serie A 2010/2011: The Story so far – Too many strikers perfect for AC Milan broth
“As the build up to the 2010/11 Serie A season began it was very much a case of one self-obsessed, megalomaniac in, and one self-obsessed megalomaniac out. The landscape of Italian football was shaping up for a much quieter year following the departure of treble-winning Internazionale boss Jose Mourihno to Real Madrid, before the red-and-black half of Milan did the decent thing and convinced the brooding genius of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to come and tip Serie A’s normalcy quota firmly back towards the bonkers.” Just Football
The Future’s Bright; the Future’s Red.
“I’ve always attempted to see the bigger picture with Liverpool FC, and never liked short-term thinking. However, before we could focus on Fenway Sports Group’s long-term vision, we had a massive obstacle obscuring our view. If we were setting off on a long journey with our new American owners – accepting that it would take time to get where we wanted to go – then we were still entitled to scream Stop! when the driver they inherited was in danger of taking us off the road and over a cliff. (If that’s a little too dramatic, then perhaps it was simply a case of heading in the wrong direction, or down a cul-de-sac.)” Tomkins Times
Liverpool Match Review
“Blackpool beat a sluggish, negative and stagnant Liverpool at Anfield back in October and with the return of Kenny Dalglish to the Liverpool hot seat, this match could’ve got away from Blackpool as Fernando Torres scored an early opener. It was a credit to Blackpool as they never panicked or broke from their game plan to get back in to the match.” Tangerine Dreaming
The challenges Kenny Dalglish must overcome at Liverpool FC
“KENNY DALGLISH was keen to point out at his unveiling as Liverpool manager that the romance of his reappointment was no foundation for improving the club’s results. The unfortunate circumstances surrounding Sunday’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United had meant the result could be attributed to hard luck. However, Wednesday evening’s 2-1 loss at Blackpool illuminated the scale of the task ahead for the new reds boss.” Daily Post
Revolution not Evolution? How to reform Scottish football
“Rangers, Celtic, Rangers, Celtic. Is it time for serious structural reform in Scottish football? William Heaney takes us through the options.” Just Football
Birmingham City Blues
“The January transfer window has been a bit of a damp squib to date, with the exception of Manchester City’s big money purchase of prolific Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko, but rumours of possible signings abound. Perhaps surprisingly, one club that has featured prominently in the feverish press speculation is Birmingham City, who have been linked with a series of attacking players in an attempt to resolve their goal scoring problems, including Kenny Miller and Robbie Keane, and have signed David Bentley on loan.” The Swiss Ramble
West Ham v Manchester City, 1969: Friday Flashback Videos
“This week’s episode of Friday Flashback Videos takes a trip back to 1969 to a match played between West Ham United and Manchester City on a slippery pitch at Upton Park. The match features some legendary English footballers such as Manchester City’s Francis Lee, Mike Summerbee and Colin Bell against West Ham United featuring Geoff Hurst, Harry Redknapp, Frank Lampard Sr., Trevor Brooking, Bobby Moore and others. As you’ll see from the above video, it was a highly entertaining match with some wonderful goals.” EPL Talk
Can David Beckham’s best friend revive the New York Cosmos?
“Of all the figures I’ve encountered in soccer over the years, Terry Byrne is right near the top of my most intriguing people list. A 44-year-old Englishman, Byrne has gone on a remarkable life journey from London taxi driver to massage therapist for Chelsea and England to David Beckham’s best friend and personal manager to a sports business career of his own.” SI
Nutmeg Radio’s Interview with The Two Escobars Co-Director Michael Zimbalist
“On the surface, The Two Escobars is a mesmerizing documentary about the tragic intersection of soccer and the drug trade in Colombia during the 1980s and 1990s. But just below the surface, the film reveals a deeper, personal story about a Colombian society simultaneously enriched and shaken to its core. It re-introduces us to legendary soccer icons, reducing them to emotional figures bearing the unique burden of simply being Colombian and incredibly talented during the rise of narco-soccer (loosely defined as the period when soccer was inextricably tied to and funded by narco-trafficking).” Nutmeg Radio – 1, Nutmeg Radio – 2
Blackpool 2 – 1 Liverpool
“The manager and the year may have changed but Liverpool’s problems away from home continued as Kenny Dalglish’s first Premier League match since returning as boss ended in a 2-1 defeat at Blackpool. Liverpool’s troubles on the road contributed to the departure of Roy Hodgson last weekend but the Seasiders showed October’s win by the same score at Anfield was no fluke.” ESPN
Blackpool 2-1 Liverpool – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
The 90th Minute
Qatar’s World Cup Spending Spree
World Cup in 2022
“Qatar’s winning bid to hold the 2022 World Cup was marked by a spending spree that included investments in the home countries of several executives who were responsible for choosing the host nation, according to internal documents from the emirate’s bidding committee. The spending sheds light on how FIFA regulations—outlined in the two-page rules of conduct for World Cup host-nation bidding—left the door open for hopefuls to open wallets to exert indirect influence on international soccer’s small circle of decision-makers.” WSJ
Flamengo gambles on Ronaldinho
“In Rio Flamengo fans came out in their thousands to give a euphoric welcome to new signing Ronaldinho. Some pundits have tried to pour water into their beer — such as former top class referee Jose Roberto Wright, who argued in the sports daily Lance! that Flamengo had done a bad deal.” SI – Tim Vickery
Argentines Abroad: 8th & 9th January 2011
“Or rather, ‘Argentines in Spain and Portugal,’ with a few quick additions, since there wasn’t a lot to write home about elsewhere aside from Carlos Tevez’s goal in the FA Cup. Ben Shave and David Cartlidge, though, are here to keep us up to date with the weekend’s happenings. In the wake of his FIFA World Player Of The Year coronation, I’m also adding a video of Lionel Messi’s hat trick in the Copa Del Rey on Wednesday night. Enjoy.” Hasta El Gol Siempre
Is football the new punk?
“Sometimes the slow death of a movement means that it is difficult to define when something is definitely gone, and some kind of crystallising moment is necessary, writes guest author Jamie Cutteridge. For example, the freshness of New Labour seemed to disappear somewhere around the beginning of this century, but the death of the movement was confirmed when Ed Miliband of the old left was elected leader last year.” twofootedtackle
Jung, Freud and the Liverpool Manager
Kenny Dalglish
“A step back or a step forward for the mighty reds? Kenny Dalglish is back at Liverpool and wears the Anfield suit far more easily than the ill-fitting Roy Hodgson. Liverpool is the pool of life. Welcome to IBWM Matt Savage.” In Bed With Maradona
Roy vs Rafa: Endgame.
“Following on from his comparisons between last season and this, Andrew Beasley looks at the final 20 league games of Rafa Benítez and Roy Hodgson. A lot was made of the fact that Liverpool weren’t very good in 2010 before the change took place, so this piece examines that belief.” Tomkins Times
Steve Clarke: A step in the right direction for Liverpool
“Liverpool’s recent woes have been all too well documented in the national press, the club’s nigh on disastrous form under the stewardship of Roy Hodgson this season having seen any realistic chance of silverware long since evaporate. However, with little to lose and a reputation to regain, recent developments at the club in terms of its managerial structure would appear – at least from the external perspective of a neutral – to be of a largely positive nature.” The Equaliser
Napoli 3-0 Juventus: three headers from Cavani – or was it?
“Edinson Cavani enjoyed the best night of his career as Napoli demolished Juventus. Walter Mazzarri played his most common line-up this season – 3-4-2-1, with Gianluca Grava ahead of Salvatore Aronica the only talking point. Gigi Delneri stuck to his favourite 4-4-2 shape, with Luca Toni making his debut alongside Amauri. There were six changes in all, with Milos Krasic coming back into the side on the right.” Zonal Marking
Scissors Kick 