“The winter break in the Dutch football season is still in full effect. The downside of this is that for at least another week there are none of the usual match reports to bring here. But the advantage may be that such a period offers an opportunity to sit back and contemplate on the process of analyzing football matches.” 11 tegen 11
Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem – View of an Italian Port
“Pep’s Dream Boys – as officially endorsed by FIFA on Monday night, according to the local press – beat Deportivo using the most basic trick in the tactical book against the Galician outfit: staying awake for the whole ninety minutes when facing their terrifically tedious opponents.” FourFourTwo
Real Madrid 4-2 Villarreal: Real battered in first half, but press higher to dominate the second
“Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals and assisted another for Kaka, as Real came back from 1-0 and 2-1 down. Jose Mourinho used his usual 4-2-3-1 system. Sami Khedira was dropped with Lassana Diarra playing instead, whilst Kaka was again on the bench. Juan Carlos Garrido played Villarreal’s usual 4-4-2 / 4-2-2-2. Nilmar is still unavailable, so Marco Ruben started upfront. Marcos Senna and Carlos Marchena were also out – Jose Catala played at the back. Villarreal were excellent in the first half – by far the better side, and Jose Mourinho admitted after the match that the away side deserved to be leading at half-time.” Zonal Marking
“If the past is another country, then Liverpool Football Club appear keen to emigrate. At a stroke, they have been taken back to 1990 and their last league title, to 1988 and one of the finest footballing sides this country has even seen and to 1986, when a grinning player-manager scored the goal that won Division 1 to set up a historic double.” ESPN
FA Cup Third Round Weekend 3: Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool
“If there is one thing that the last few weeks of Roy Hodgson’s time in charge of Liverpool Football Club became notable for, it was the mass of contradiction that enveloped it. Hodgson was the wrong man for the job at the wrong time, but the hysteria that seemed to engulf the club as the team failed to find any consistency (they neither lost nor won more than two successive matches under his stewardship) ensured that rational discussion was, broadly speaking, the first casualty of the debate that ensued. By the time of Hodgson’s inevitable sacking (and let’s not start chasing down the the alley of that most misleading of football clichés, ‘by mutual consent’, here), it was reaching the level of something approaching collective psychosis amongst Liverpool supporters.” twohundredpercent
Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool – English FA Cup
The 90th Minute
“The season kicks off on my side of the Atlantic this weekend with one of the great hidden gems of the footballing calendar – the South American under-20 Championship.” BBC – Tim Vickery
“Sampdoria battled back from 1-0 down to claim the three points. Domenico di Carlo played a 4-4-2 system, but was forced to leave flu-ridden Giampaolo Pazzini on the bench, with Nicola Pozzi coming in. Daniele Mannini and Fernando Tissone were left out with Vladimir Koman and Andrea Poli starting instead.” Zonal Marking
“Internacional de Porto Alegre may have been party to a piece of unwanted history in December, when they became the first team from one of the ‘traditional’ powers of South America and Europe to fail to reach the final of the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, but their fans were given something to celebrate, albeit as a small consolation prize, later in the month. On December 29, Inter’s Argentine playmaker, Andres D’Alessandro – formerly of Wolfsburg, Portsmouth and Real Zaragoza – was named the South American Footballer of the Year for 2010.” ESPN
“Nearly two years ago, the Daily Mail’s Matt Lawton published a piece under what should surely be considered one of the most dunderheaded headlines in recent football journalism: ‘The best players of the world (and Xavi): Ronaldo crowned king of football.’ In the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s ascension as the world player of the year in 2009, Lawton took the time to cheekily ridicule Xavi Hernández, a player whose patience, measure, and impeccable sense of the tempo in attack and defense has helped to make Barcelona the best club side in Europe (arguably) and Spain the best national side in the world (most certainly).” Run of Play
“So, Roy Hodgson has left Liverpool by mutual consent, and has been replaced by Kenny Dalglish for the remainder of the season. Hodgson leaves with a dignified statement, but his time at the club was disastrous (although the man who replaces him knows the true meaning of ‘disaster’).” Tomkins Times
“Here’s a thing about Roy Hodgson. An intelligent man, one of the few football types who knows which way up to hold a book, Hodgson’s favourite novelist is JP Donleavy. A grand choice, is that; the Irish-American is one of the 20th century’s greatest writers. But Roy’s pick from the Donleavy canon – defined by the bona fide 1955 classic The Ginger Man – is a throwaway 1979 effort called Schultz, a novel the author himself would struggle to recall. This is like saying your favourite Shakespeare play is Timon of Athens, or that your favourite Beatles song is PS I Love You. Or that the most dependable left-back in the world is Paul Konchesky.” Guardian
“An elegant Danubian centre-forward know to his contemporaries as ‘The Mozart of Football’, Matthias Sindelar was arguably the finest European player the 1930s produced. Born in Kozlov in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to a family of Moravian descent, Sindelar’s career began in Vienna in 1916 and continued upon a steep upward trajectory until his tragically premature death 1939.” The Equaliser
“Manchester United’s Tuesday night victory over Stoke City epitomized its season so far. The Red Devils managed just two shots on target, yet recorded a 2-1 victory. This season has rarely seen them hit top form, but they’ve still managed to consistently pick up results in the classic winning-without-playing-well formula — the mark of potential champions. Incredibly, they also remain the only unbeaten team after half of the season, with 12 wins and eight draws.” ESPN
“A penalty for either side – Arsenal’s coming in the final minute – meant these two sides will have to settle the tie at Elland Road next week. Arsene Wenger made sweeping changes to his side, keeping only Alex Song and Johan Djourou from the XI that failed to beat Manchester City. Nicklas Bendtner was used on the right, with Marouane Chamakh upfront.” Zonal Marking
Arsenal 1-1 Leeds United – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – FA Cup
The 90th Minute
“These are the top 10 storylines to keep an eye on in 2011 as Serie A resumes play…” SI
Leonardo
“New Inter boss Leonardo made a successful start as his side recorded a 3-1 victory over Napoli. Thiago Motta was the hero for the home side with the first and the last goal in a pulsating game. He put Inter ahead after three minutes, but Michele Pazienza deservedly levelled for an impressive Napoli in the 25th minute.” ESPN
Back to the future
“A good win. Inter defeated Napoli 3-1 to celebrate in the most appropriate way Leonardo’s first game in charge and the 2010 five trophies parade which preceded the kickoff. The Scudetto plate, the ‘Coppa Italia’ and the Champions League trophies [won under Mourinho] placed next to the Italian Supercup and the Fifa Club World Cup [won under Benitez].” ESPN
At the turn of the year, a shape-shifter in the Serie A
“Leonardo’s wacky and confident style of playing has clearly elicited warm and welcoming feelings from Inter’s locker room, despite his past as both a AC Milan star and coach, as the nerazzurri moved to beat the widely accredited team of Napoli with a score of 3-1. The top of the chart is still a telescope-distance away, and many stumbling blocks no doubt await the Milanese squad in the backwaters where they currently stand; but, with two more matches to play, the return to form of Inter will accelerate the process of restructuring for the whole season.” The 90th Minute
“The transition from a player to a coach is not always easy and can take time, some will make it and some will not, they say a successful player doesn’t always make a great coach, but there is an exception to the rule and a prime example being Johan Cruijff.” La Croqueta
“Along with Robert Prosinečki, Siniŝa Mihajlović and Dejan Savićević, Dragan Stojković was an integral member of that immensely gifted generation of Yugoslavian footballers which graced the European game during the late eighties and early nineties. A key part of the dominant Red Star Belgrade side of the same period, Stojković is now carving out a successful coaching career on the other side of the world.” The Equaliser
“Scottish football needs to change & IBWM’s latest debutant feels the recent Old Firm derby was symptomatic of exactly that. Welcome Graeme Crawford” In Bed With Maradona
“As I wrote before for Russian-speaking supporters, I had been very sceptical to Roy Hodgson since I heard he would be appointed as a manager of Liverpool FC for the first time. It seemed really obvious for me he wasn’t good enough to be a manager for the club like ours, and his experience meant nothing because he was a flop with two big names he tried to manage.” AnfieldRoad
Henry silence only adds to Hodgson’s agony and state of crisis at Anfield
“The graffiti scrawled on a Melwood wall yesterday stated ‘Hodgson Out’ but the Liverpool manager was in at an early hour and still at his desk late into the afternoon, even though it was a designated day off for most of the players whose capitulation at Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night left his job in such jeopardy.” Independent
“Arsenal had all the best moments but failed to get the breakthrough. Arsene Wenger played the same side as in the recent 3-0 victory over Chelsea, which meant no place for Marouane Chamakh or Andrei Arshavin. Roberto Mancini made five changes, including three of his back four. He also left out Adam Johnson, instead playing Jo on the left. Arsenal started the match at a very high tempo when in possession, and should have gone ahead in the first couple of minutes when Jack Wilshere’s cross-shot wasn’t reached by Robin van Persie.” Zonal Marking
Once a Gunner, always a Hammer?
“If Trevor Brooking wouldn’t have fallen over in the penalty area at 3.13pm on Saturday 10th May 1980 life would have been so different for me. The moment a child chooses their football team to follow is a monumental decision, the first right of passage into adulthood. After being taken to Charlton Athletic, West Ham United, Leyton Orient and Arsenal I had to choose which route I would take. Coming from a family of Charlton Athletic and West Ham United fans I obviously chose Arsenal.” The Ball Is Round
Arsenal 0-0 Manchester City – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
The 90th Minute
“Barcelona progressed to the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey on away goals with a 1-1 draw in Bilbao. In a pulsating cup tie played in front of a packed San Mamés, Athletic Bilbao left it too late but go out of the competition with great credit having held Barcelona to two draws.” Spanishfootball
Athletic Bilbao 1-1 FC Barcelona – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Copa del Rey (King’s Cup)
The 90th Minute
“In any season, some ‘winnable’ games will not be won. You can’t win ‘em all. Sometimes, shit happens. C’est la vie, as Robbie Nevil put it. But having dropped points at home to Blackpool and Sunderland, and away at Everton, Wigan and Stoke, the fixtures against Newcastle, Wolves, Bolton and Blackburn were supposed to be where the balance was redressed. “We’ve played the hard teams” was the (semi-valid) excuse at the start of the season, even though performances were often well below acceptable standard, with timid tactics and aimless hoofing.” Tomkins Times
Blackburn Rovers 3 – 1 Liverpool
“Roy Hodgson has survived many low points in his short spell as Liverpool manager but a 3-1 defeat at Blackburn would seem to be one disaster too far and could hasten his exit from Anfield. Even before Saturday’s injury-time winner against Bolton the suggestion was club owners New England Sports Ventures were actively looking for a replacement.” ESPN
Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Liverpool – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
The 90th Minute
“Below are Match Of The Day (MOTD) video highlights for all the EPL matches on January 4, 2011 & January 5, 2011. The full edition of MOTD can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
“Everyone knows the impact that Johan Cruyff had footballing philosophy of Barcelona. But what if there had been another totemic figure present at the Camp Nou? What if El Tel had decided to depart a season early? Alex Dimond, ladies and gentlemen.” In Bed With Maradona
“The brand new Unofficial Football World Champions book, released this month, is now in stock at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. It’s starting to pick up some really great reviews. And if you’ve already bought the book, today you can access some exclusive bonus content.” UFWC
“You would own a collection of bruised fingers if you clapped every quality article that appeared on the pages of the delightfully named football blog In Bed With Maradona. Not many days go by with some form of mutual backslapping and high fiving between European Football Weekends (EFW) and In bed with Maradona (IBWM). This is a mutual appreciation society (MAS) that borders on the lunacy (BOTL).” European Football Weekends
“Once Napoleon had roused himself and his remaining army from the ashes of Moscow, only to be pummeled at Maloyaroslavets and then smashed again at Berezina, one wonders whether he took a moment to survey the wreckage and think about what a kick he was getting from it all.” Run of Play
“A short time ago I announced my ambition to start a new feature on the blog, a ‘Decade by Decade’ project which I hope will combine my own writing with contributions from readers in order to create an archive of material relating to each decade in football from the 1930s onwards.” Equaliser Football – It’s 1930s Month on The Equaliser, 1930s Month: Chapman and Arsenal’s ‘Golden Age’, 1930s Month: When Italy weren’t the Azzurri
“One of the supposed benefits of Roy Hodgson’s arrival was his ability to get closer to players and re-invigorate their on the pitch performances. Despite what he has eluded to, or (some of) Fleet Street will spout, we do have a squad of players and certainly a first XI which should be competing for fourth place – as a minimum.” Invincible Bastion
Henry Winter: Kenny Dalglish would want Liverpool manager’s job long-term if successful at Anfield
“The manager, Roy Hodgson, is struggling, retaining the faith of the dressing room but patently not the majority of the Kop nor the owners. The former manager, Kenny Dalglish, would readily accept caretaker duties should Hodgson be sacked, giving the board six months to locate a long-term successor. Liverpool’s most famous name would want to be considered permanently if he revitalised the team. It’s complicated in L4. With the fans so full-throated, Anfield risks becoming Animal Farm.” Telegraph – Henry Winter
Ralf Rangnick: Hoffenheim’s loss could be Liverpool’s gain
“The rumour mill has been fully operational lately as the transfer window opens and management changes become a seemingly hourly occurrence. Terry Duffelen has been interested by one in particular as a coach from the Bundesliga has been increasingly linked with a move to England to manage in the Premier League.” two footed tackle
“This David Beckham character has the world in his palm. After successful stints at Manchester United and Real Madrid, Beckham decided to pursue a new challenge in America (the North one). As part of Beckham’s unique deal with MLS, he was given the option to purchase an MLS club if he stays with the LA Galaxy for the remainder of his contract. That’s a good deal for Team Beckham. And now, long-time Daily Mail football writer Martin Samuel wants to give Beckham English football.” Nutmeg Radio
“Despite winning their last three matches before Germany’s winter break, including a notable success against reigning champions Bayern Munich, this season has been a mixed bag for Schalke 04. They have struggled in the Bundesliga, making a desperately poor start when they lost their first four games, including a crushing home defeat in the derby against bitter rivals Borussia Dortmund, but have cruised through their Champions League group, finishing ahead of Lyon and Benfica to secure a very winnable last 16 tie against an inconsistent Valencia.” The Swiss Ramble
“In previous editions of ‘Long Player,’ we have soundtracked games in the NBA and the NFL, in an attempt to tap into their essence. In doing the same for soccer, one cannot currently look beyond FC Barcelona, whom many are earnestly bracketing with the greatest teams of all time. So dominant are they at present that one can even talk of there being such a thing as a generic Barcelona game. So who better to turn to than — —, player with [Generic Barcelona Opponents], who has kindly agreed to provide us with this playlist, reflecting his experience against the fearsome Blaugrana machine.” Norman Einsteins
“The first week of 2011 isn’t a over yet and quite a lot happened already. A short update. First, and most important: Frank de Boer has signed a long term deal with Ajax. His contract runs until the summer of 2014. It’s no surprise for anyone De Boer is now officially the manager of Ajax. It was only a matter of time. General manager Rik van den Boog has admit Frank de Boer had the best profile to replace Martin Jol even though he said there was a very short shortlist.” World of Ajax
“The year ended with a reminder of what used to be in eastern Europe, as Robert Prosinecki was appointed manager of Red Star Belgrade. It is 20 years since he was a key figure in the last eastern European side to win the European Cup; this season only one, Shakhtar Donetsk, has reached the last 16 of the Champions League. Following CSKA Moscow’s progress to the knockout stage last year, that perhaps hints at the beginnings of a renewal, but two sides making it through the group stage in seven years is still a world away from the era when crack eastern European outfits were the bane of British clubs.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson
“Britannia, AD 600. Ferguson is king of Britannia, lord of all he surveys. A firebrand Celt, his armies have marched as far south as Barcino in Hispania and towards the rising sun as far as the banks of the Volga. Old in body and yet nimble of mind, Ferguson seeks the affirmation of his kin, weighing the devotion of his sons in a ceremony at Trafford Castle. Shall a successor be determined?” Run of Play
“The word Thamesmead normally drives fear into the heart of South East Londoners. The town was seen as innovative when it was constructed in the late Sixties on the old Royal Arsenal site by the GLC. Flooding had been an issue in the area so the initial developments were built so that the flats were on the first floor and linked by a series of walkways and bridges. Sounds idyllic right? Well not quite. Mismanagement of the whole project that initially was planned for 100,000 was rife from the start. Promised transport links never materialised (even today with 50,000 residents there is not train station), instead replaces by a dual carriageway that dissects the development, a sewage works and of course Belmarsh high security prison.” The Ball Is Round
“Below are Match Of The Day (MOTD) video highlights for all the EPL matches on January 1, 2011. The full edition of MOTD (which features all matches together) can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
“Rightly or wrongly, Roy Hodgson’s time at Liverpool seems to be coming to an end. There are those who will argue that he should be given time, and it is of course true that various managerial greats — Herbert Chapman, Don Revie, Brian Clough, Sir Alex Ferguson — struggled in their first seasons at clubs with whom they later achieved significant success. But it is also true that Hodgson, much like Sam Allardyce in his brief stint at Newcastle United, seems to have lost the confidence of just about everybody, with even those fans who urge patience unsettled by the functionality of much of Liverpool’s football, even against mediocre opposition.” SI – Jonathan Wilson
“LeBron James was going to sign with the Clippers. I was sure of it. Living in a city that prided itself on its basketball knowledge, I could not have been happier to defend my foolhardy (and completely non-researched) claim. I filled the microbreweries with my pomp and unbridled opinion, joyfully educating any local who dared to question my theory. Well-versed in the art of bullshit, I welcomed all challengers to my claim, eventually even digging up some token statistics that seemed to weigh in my favor.” Run of Play
“Georgios Samaras scored his first two goals of the season to hand Celtic an important victory. Walter Smith replaced Steven Naismith with Jamie Ness, who came into the centre of midfield, pushing Steve Davis to the right, and Steven Whittaker switched to the left. Elsewhere, it was unchanged from Rangers’ previous game, in the 4-4-1-1 shape Smith has favoured in recent weeks.” Zonal Marking
“One of the many wonderful things about covering South American football is the opportunity to watch young talent bloom. Yet too often that process is interrupted prematurely, the player sold off to Europe at a dangerously early stage in his career. That is what has happened to Marcos Rojo, who made such an impact in the second half of 2010 as Estudiantes won the Argentine championship. Could this be the attacking left-back that his country have been looking for?” BBC – Tim Vickery
“Is the buck-toothed Brazilian really heading to Blackburn? Plus: a Premier League and Championship review; Roy Hodgson lives to fight another day; and solidarity for the Deepdale Duck” Guardian – James Richardson
“Observant visitors will note that there has been a lack of new posts on Football Further over the past fortnight. Due partly to the traditional indulgences occasioned by the festive season, it is mainly down to the Ligue 1 winter break and the blog will thus remain dormat until the French top flight resumes in mid-January. In the meantime, I’ll post regular pieces of French football news (read: transfer tittle-tattle) on Twitter – as well as updates and insights from the Asian Cup in Qatar, where I’ll be reporting for AFP from January 8 onwards.” Football Further
“What better way to kick off 2011 than a six hour journey, north by northwest, from our traditional Spanish festive season HQ in Salinas del Manzano to Valladolid for a slice of Segunda Division action. This is European Football Weekends, it’s what we do, and – after the briefest of mid-season winter breaks – we’re not just back, but back with a bang, an explosion, a thermo-nuclear explosion at that.” European Football Weekends
“Barcelona have shuffled their pack in 2010, starting to prefer to Messi to play centrally rather than in the inside right role. Not formed in the archetypal central forward role, his pee-wee frame would perhaps lead some central defenders preferring to battle against the Lilliputian Argentinian.” Talking About Football
Good Day, Bad Day: Perfect Pedro and Awful Atlético
“The league has got to such a barmy bipolar state that panic breaks out across the Spanish sporting media unless Barcelona thrash another side a billion nil. In the English Premier League, sides such as Manchester United have off days – ones where they eke out points rather than rubbing their tackle in their opposition’s faces for 90 minutes – without everyone flapping their arms about in panic. But in Spain, this simply isn’t tolerated. Barça weren’t great against a disciplined Levante, but Pedro was with two goals that gave his team the three points, which is all that matters really.” FourFourTwo
“Recent comments made by Michel Platini have forced Tomasz Mortimer to look at the state of the game in Hungary. Troubling times lie ahead…” In Bed With Maradona
“If not a truly ‘formative’ episode in my football timeline, the 1986 World Cup is still a regular feature in my mind’s private cinema. Maybe not the most regular feature, ahem, but still a vivid series of memories. The drama during my country’s qualification, the loss of Big Jock at Ninian Park, the palaver over whether Kenny and Jocky were gonna play, Strachan’s ‘refusal’ at the ad hording hurdle… ” Level3Football
“Every once in a while, an individual comes along that just excels in their chosen profession. This isn’t an introduction to Leo Messi though, here’s Eric Beard to tell you more.” In Bed With Maradona
“Barely had the dust settled from another round of SPL fixtures when news came in that Celtic had completed the signing of a new midfielder. Freddie Ljungberg the ex-Arsenal and Seattle Sounders player had signed on a free transfer. The timing of the move meant the possibility of a debut in Sunday’s Old Firm game.” gib football show
“Exclusive: Liverpool’s owners are so determined to end Roy Hodgson’s reign as manager that they are now prepared to delay the search for his long-term successor until the summer and install a caretaker until June, raising the prospect of an emotional return to the club for Kenny Dalglish.” Telegraph
Grumbling on towards an inevitable conclusion
“Football supporters turning on their club’s manager is not new but for a manager to turn on his club’s supporters is more unusual. Roy Hodgson’s dismal and utterly predictable time as Liverpool manager effectively came to an end last Wednesday night. Hodgson is just a patsy, one of the last remaining figures from the old regime. The hopes of the Fenway Sports Group that the club could stagger on until the summer vanished with that defeat to Wolves.” Independent
Liverpool 2 – 1 Bolton Wanderers
“Liverpool earned manager Roy Hodgson some breathing space, but nothing more, with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Bolton at Anfield. With reports suggesting owners New England Sports Ventures are now actively seeking a replacement, the 63-year-old knows he is living on borrowed time after a woeful six months in charge.” ESPN
Liverpool 2-1 Bolton Wanderers – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
The 90th Minute
“A week ago, there was an irate reader’s letter in the Monday edition of Kicker magazine that scolded the publication for naming Franck Ribéry its Man of the Year. The logical choice, said the letter, would have been Ralf Rangnick. Well, I concur with that.” ESPN
François Perrier, Olinde et Sophronie sur le bûcher
“With the derisory and ironic chants of ‘Hodgson for England’ from the Anfield crowd ringing fresh in his ears, following Liverpool’s stunning and stultifying 1-0 home loss to then bottom-placed Wolves, coach Roy Hodgson committed probably the final fatal two verbal missteps in what has been a tortuous six-month reign.” SI
The Media Narrative In Full Swing.
“Originally published on July 1st 2010. As much as I remain a fan of the Guardian and its football output, I continue to find Paul Hayward’s take on Liverpool as daft as any I’ve encountered. But it’s not like I’m being wise after the event…” Tomkins Times
An historic year in review
One of the most dramatic years in the history of Liverpool Football Club is almost at an end, so we asked those who support, work for and write about our famous institution for their reflections on 2010. From new owners and boardroom battles to a change of managers and on-the-field pain, the last 12 months will never be forgotten by those who lived through them.” Liverpool FC
“The year of the blog? Very possibly, especially with the current batch of outstanding sites out there which have grown, improved, developed and cross-pollinated in recent time. Aided by social media, an increasingly specialised selection is out there, waiting for you to wade through and bolster your knowledge of the game, and I thoroughly recommend losing yourself in as many of the following as possible.” Guardian
“The ten most interesting football games of 2010.” Zonal Marking
“It appeared that the biggest cultural change to life in Spain since the controversial 1986 deregulation of the ham market was just too much for a small chunk of the country’s work force. Being unable by law to smoke in bars – without exceptions or loopholes, this time – from the 2nd of January and having to play football on the same day apparently caused such a rumpus for Spain’s dilettante, pipe-puffing footballers that their union went to court to request the suspension of any activity, on Sunday, involving kicking a ball about in front of paying punters – even the meagre handful who bother to turn up to see either Getafe or Mallorca.” Football 365
“The news that the unemployed Rafa Benítez has returned to his Liverpool home creates remarkable artistic opportunities for the staff of The Run of Play. Our problem is to decide among the many options.” Run of Play
Liverpool vs Wolves – A Horror In Chalkboards.
“I’m back to take another depressing look at the chalkboards. Skipped a few games in between largely down to the fact that the chalkboards didn’t have any interesting tale to tell. While the news from the Wolves game isn’t positive, there are a few things worth noting.” Tomkins Times
Ward’s strike leaves Hodgson reign hanging by a thread
“Roy Hodgson has been waiting a long time to hear the Kop sing his name but never did he think it would be quite like this. The bitterly ironic barbs of ‘Hodgson for England’ rained down on him last night as his Liverpool side fell to a dispiriting and justified defeat to a club which arrived with the worst away record in all four English divisions.” Independent
Broughton: The big interview
“Liverpoolfc.tv spoke exclusively to Chairman Martin Broughton about the appointment of Roy Hodgson as well as the future of the club.” Liverpool FC
Hodgson hits back at Kop boo boys
“Under-pressure Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has risked incurring further wrath from disgruntled fans by claiming they should be getting behind the team instead of directing their anger at him.” ESPN
Wolves slay troubled Reds
“Liverpool’s lack of match practice cost them dearly as they lost an ei,ghth Premier League match of the season and bottom side Wolves picked up their first three-point haul since last March with a 1-0 win.” ESPN
Liverpool 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
The 90th Minute
“Football and chess are two games that have caught my fascination at a very early age. Not that I’m particularly good at one or the other, but the amount of depth available in interpreting, analyzing and enjoying these games has fascinated me from an early age on. Therefore, as a closing post to the year 2010, in contrast to the usual 11tegen11 match reports, I’ve decided to share my view on the parallels and differences between football journalism and chess journalism.” 11tegen11
“The penultimate part of the review of the year.” Zonal Marking – Games of 2010: 20-11, Zonal Marking – Games of 2010: 30-21
“Here’s one man’s choice for Real Madrid’s team of the decade, 2000 to 2010…” SI
“It is a statement that has been made by thousands of children. When Nelson Valdez promised that he would score at a World Cup tournament for Paraguay to his mother, who was crying after Paraguay had been eliminated in 1998, it was a promise that had been heard by many other parents. Nelson Valdez was different though, he would strive to fulfil this pledge.” In Bed With Maradona
Scissors Kick 