Author Archives: 1960s: Days of Rage

About 1960s: Days of Rage

Bill Davis - 1960s: Days of Rage

Tactics: United, Lille shirk midfield confrontation

Francois Perrier, Orphée devant Pluton et Proserpine
“Manchester United have already demonstrated this season that they are capable of overwhelming teams despite fielding what on first glance appears to be a conservative 4-5-1 formation, notably in the 3-1 Carling Cup semi-final victory over Manchester City in January. They were at it again in the 4-0 win against Milan last week, when a side fighting hard for the Serie A title were simply torn apart by a United team fielding only one dedicated attacking player in the form of Wayne Rooney.” (Football Further)

Keeping Score on the Best Goal Makers in Europe

“Quick—who’s the best goal scorer in Europe right now? If you answered Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi or Didier Drogba, think again. Those three players top the standings in the race for the European Golden Shoe, given annually to the leading scorer in Europe, but according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal, the continent’s most dangerous finisher is actually plying his trade for an unfashionable Italian team currently fighting relegation from Serie A. Step forward, Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale.” (WSJ)

Our Wednesday: Developing an Official Social Networking Site for Fans

“A few weeks ago, following our piece on Man City’s innovative online work, I was tipped off to a website in beta being built by Sheffield Wednesday’s web team that is one of a kind as an official club production in England: a social networking site that gives fans a forum, the ability to blog, upload photos and videos, make ‘friends’ and create groups. Unlike Manchester City’s expensive effort, this was built by a Championship club at a much smaller cost, and is an interesting experiment in how clubs can use social media to reach out to fans and build community online.” (Pitch Invasion)

Barcelona 4 – 0 VfB Stuttgart

“Lionel Messi staged another masterclass to power holders Barcelona into the quarter-finals of the Champions League at the expense of Stuttgart. Messi struck a brilliant opener after just 12 minutes to put Barca on track, and then played a key role as Pedro Rodriguez made it 2-0 soon after as the Catalan giants built a 3-1 aggregate lead.” (ESPN)

Messi happy to help those in need
“A man who torments opposing defenders is equally adept at helping children in need. FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, as part of the UEFA.com users’ Team of the Year 2009, received a cheque for €100,000 from the adviser to the UEFA president, William Gaillard, before last night’s UEFA Champions League first knockout round second-leg encounter with VfB Stuttgart at Camp Nou – before going to on to score twice in an outstanding display as Barcelona charged into the quarter-finals.” (UEFA)

Forget Rooney, magical Messi is the world’s best
“The famously insular world of English football has been quick to crown Wayne Rooney as the best player in the world in recent weeks – unsurprisingly perhaps in a World Cup year – but in Barcelona on Wednesday night, Lionel Messi demonstrated exactly why those claims ring hollow with a masterful performance in a 4-0 rout of Stuttgart.” (ESPN)

EPL – The Rashomon Effect

“With eight games to go (9 in Chelsea’s case) and this being the closest league finish in many many years, it presents endless opportunities for the dreamer in me to fantasize – a la that Kurosawa classic, Rashomon. Presenting two of such tales with four crucial fixtures (chapters) taken as the crux.” (BigFourZa!)

Oliver Kay Interview: EPL Talk Podcast

“Six weeks ago, Oliver Kay joined us ahead of the onset of UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16, venturing a prediction that the English Premier League teams would find this year’s tournament rougher than those of the preceding seasons. Today, Oliver joined me to reflect on the knock-out round performances of Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea. Also, we look forward to this Sunday’s match between Manchester United and Liverpool and ask what Liverpool needs to go to maintain their string of good performances over Alex Ferguson’s side.” (EPL Talk)

The Life of Brian

“Everyone knows footballers live a life less ordinary, but Brian Laudrup must be in a select band of one to have personal experience of the inside of a car boot after being whisked away from the clutches of irate Fiorentina fans. ‘It was a complete nightmare,’ Laudrup told Soccernet of his first season of calico, the topsy-turvy 1992-93 campaign which saw La Viola metamorphose from title pretenders to relegation fodder. ‘The fans were so disappointed. I don’t think they wanted to beat us up, but it was a very hostile atmosphere. Cars were set alight, armed police on the streets, so it was quite hectic’.” (ESPN)

France Is Back in Football Hunt

“It’s elementary sports psychology: To produce their best in the biggest moments, athletes are advised to recall peak performances from the past. But as Bordeaux prepares to face Olympiakos for a place in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals tonight, Laurent Blanc, coach of the French club that’s been the surprise of this year’s tournament, will focus his team’s attention not on the six European matches it’s won this season, but the only one it didn’t.” (WSJ)

Mid-Week Review Show: EPL Talk Podcast
“Looking back on the mid-week action for Premier League sides in Champions League, Europa, and within the Premiership, analysts Laurence McKenna and Kartik Krishnaiyer join host Richard Farley on this version of the EPL Talk podcast.” (EPL Talk)

Match Of The Midweek: Chelsea 0-1 Internazionale
“How would you feel if you were Roman Abramovich after this evening’s Champions League match between Chelsea and Inter? When he disposed of Jose Mourinho just over three years ago, it was reportedly a show of player power the likes of which the English game had seldom seen before.” (twohundredpercent)

Different Routes Yield Same Result
“One of the joys of sports is that they confound just about any theory that attempts to explain them. When Real Madrid was eliminated from the Champions League last week, and Manchester United produced one of the biggest victories in its history, it was reasonable to conclude that stability counted for something.” (NYT)

Italian press celebrate Inter’s victory over Chelsea
“Having held a grim-faced silenzio stampa (press silence) for the past week, Jose Mourinho’s relationship with the Italian media had reached a new low on the eve of Inter’s Champions League return leg against Chelsea. A touchline ban, a pitiful display against Catania and ongoing grief with Mario Balotelli had formed a simmering backdrop to the game, with the Nerazzurri lumbered with the added burden of being Italy’s sole survivors in the competition.” (WSC)

Chelsea vs. Inter Milan
(footytube)

Analysing Brazil’s fluid system at close quarters

“Dunga’s Brazil side isn’t popular back home. The use of two holding midfielders, the tendency to play on the counter-attack and the overlooking of the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Pato have all seen him accused of playing in an un-Brazilian way, by ditching the classic Brazilian principles of yesteryear for a more patient, less spectacular way of playing.” (Zonal Marking), (Must Read Soccer)

In places without a name, ‘Pelada’ films the football we never knew

“In Jan 03 I started a website of world soccer and called it ‘The Global Game.’ The idea hardly seemed original. I was aware of similar online soccer resources—for example, the Football Culture site the British Council once maintained. In discovering world football and its power to connect people I was a bit like a child who realizes she can skip a flat rock across a pond. I’ll congratulate her, but I don’t want to tell her that it has been done a million times before.” (The Global Game)

Colombia’s time to host World Cup?

“Brazilian midfielder Mauro Silva checked in his luggage to travel to to Colombia for the 2001 Copa America, and then had second thoughts. Scared by the country’s reputation, he decided not to go. I remember feeling a similar trepidation at exactly the same time when I boarded the plane in Rio to fly up and cover the tournament. What on earth was I letting myself in for?” (SI – Tim Vickery)

World Cup Moments: Philipp Lahm Kicks Off The World Cup Properly, 2006

“When discussing the history of any sport, any talk of the “greatness” is bound to be met with a quick hop in a time machine, going back into the annuls annals where myth and storytelling often displace fact and reality to the back seat. And this was necessary in a time when most could only follow sport through the words of others; words which were often embellished, contorted, polished, creating an aura which far superseded the event. Similar to the children’s game which starts with a simple sentence at one end of the room and morphs into something entirely different by the time the exercise ends.” (World Cup Blog)

Aquilani shines in Reds romp

Francesco Guardi – Cappriccio mit venezianischen Motiven
“Midfielder Alberto Aquilani finally found a performance to justify his £17 million price tag, capping a masterful display with his first Liverpool goal in the 4-1 win over Portsmouth at Anfield. The summer signing, brought in after Xabi Alonso’s sale to Real Madrid, has struggled to adapt to life in England but was at the heart of everything in only his fifth Premier League start.” (ESPN)

Gerrard to escape FA punishment
“The FA have confirmed they will take no action against Steven Gerrard following his clash with Portsmouth’s Michael Brown during Liverpool’s victory at Anfield on Monday night. The Liverpool captain appeared to elbow Brown in the back of the head in the 73rd minute of their 4-1 win, with Rafael Benitez substituting Gerrard immediately after the incident.” (ESPN)

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard faces fresh video row after Michael Brown clash
“With a quarter of the match to go Gerrard and Brown chased a ball towards the penalty area but, as the Portsmouth midfielder tried to hold off his Liverpool counterpart, Gerrard seemed to hit his opponent with his forearm. Referee Stuart Attwell was only a few yards from the incident but took no action against the Liverpool captain.” (Telegraph)

Manchester United angry as Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard escapes FA probe
“Steven Gerrard has escaped disciplinary action over for the use of his forearm against Portsmouth’s Michael Brown in Liverpool’s 4-1 win yesterday. The decision has incensed Manchester United and led to allegations that the Football Association has employed double standards. Had he been found guilty of violent conduct, Gerrard would have been banned from Liverpool’s trip to Old Trafford on Sunday. The collision with Gerrard knocked Brown to the floor.” (Guardian)

Fitness the key for Brazillian success

“Following the international friendlies, I wrote last time that the week’s big winner was Argentina coach Diego Maradona. Seven days later, perhaps his Brazilian counterpart can crack the biggest smile. As Andre Kfouri wrote in the sports daily Lance!: ‘Dunga must have loved the elimination of Real Madrid and Milan from the Champions League. The Spanish giant, because Kaka will have a lighter fixture list in the build up to the World Cup. And the Italian giant because the pressure to recall Ronaldinho will diminish. And the national team coach will be cheering for Chelsea to knock out Internazionale – a rest for Julio Cesar, Lucio and Maicon, more work for Drogba’.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

German football’s image problem

“German football fans have enjoyed a largely positive press for the past 20 years thanks to a number of well co-ordinated campaigns. Among other things, these have helped to retain standing areas, affordable tickets and a reasonable number of Saturday afternoon kick-offs. And it’s thanks to the concerted efforts of fan groups that the atmosphere in stadiums makes for a loud and boisterous match day. Although some people might find the idea of a “conductor” with a megaphone at the front of the terrace leading the chants as a little less than spontaneous, it’s certainly preferable to a mute support restricted to either cheering goals or moaning.” (WSC)

Manchester United 1948-1992: The Busby Dynasty

“We have a little break from the usual this morning, with a downloadable, four-part audio cassette produced by the BBC in the early 1990s, just before the death of Sir Matt Busby, which tells the story of Manchester United Football Club through the prism of the involvement of the man that took a run of the mill First Division club and made them the champions of Europe and one of the biggest club sides in the world. Written and narrated by the late Bryan Butler, the BBC radio commentator, it features commentary snippets from many of United’s great matches of the post-war era, as well as interviews with the likes of Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, George Best and Harry Gregg.” (twohundredpercent)

English football’s huge debts vindicate Michel Platini’s plans

“The timing could hardly have been more acute for the release by UEFA of a report into the financial excesses of Europe’s top clubs, just as Portsmouth were placed, insolvent, into the knacker’s yard of administration. UEFA’s report, ‘The European Club Footballing Landscape,’ a mammoth comparison of 654 clubs in the top divisions across Europe, showed that more money is coming in than ever before, but almost half of clubs overall, 47 per cent, still made losses in 2008. European football, the richest club sport in the world, lost €578million (£513m) in total.” (World Soccer)

Chelsea Leans on Turnbull as Mourinho Returns

“It would be the cruelest of defeats for Chelsea fans if the Blues, a team built at great expense to win the Champions League, were to be eliminated by the man previously tasked with capturing European glory for the club. Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, will return to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday with that same goal as the boss of Inter Milan, which holds a 2-1 lead in the two-game elimination series. The current Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, will try to do what Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink could not do.” (NYT)

The Women’s Game in Africa: ‘Zanzibar Soccer Queens’ and Other Tales

Zanzibar queens game photo
“An oft repeated trope of Africa is barefoot children playing joyously with a handmade soccer ball on colorful patches of dirt. There is, however, a reason the children in that image are almost always boys: in many parts of Africa girls don’t play much football. Why not?” (Pitch Invasion)

Football Weekly: Beckham’s World Cup over

“It’s a sad day in podland, and not just because Phil Brown has been relieved of his duties at Hull City. On your brand new Football Weekly, we sing an ode to David Beckham, whose World Cup dream is over in the wake of a potentially career-ending achilles injury (although that cut under his eye looks fairly nasty too). James Richardson and a dangerously sleep-deprived Rob Smyth shed a tear.” (Guardian – James Richardson)

Cost of Stadium Reveals Tensions in South Africa

“Come June, soccer’s World Cup will be hosted by South Africa. Though only 4 of the 64 games are to be played here in Nelspruit, a $137 million stadium was built for the occasion. The arena’s 18 supporting pylons reach skyward in the shape of orange giraffes. At nightfall, their eyeballs blink with flashes of bewitching light.” (NYT)

Serie A title race blown wide open as Inter take eye off the ball

“”The fox is wounded,” yelped Gazzetta dello Sport, and they weren’t talking about Goldenballs. David Beckham’s ruptured achilles represents a cruel blow for the player and perhaps also for England (then again, perhaps not) – but on a weekend like this it was never going to get top billing in Italy. As if a Ferrari one-two in the first grand prix of the season wasn’t enough to be getting on with, this was the weekend when the Serie A title race got blown wide open.” (Guardian)

Fußball wie noch nie: George Best and yet more pure cinema?

“Longtime reader(s?) of this blog will know that I have something of a soft spot for films that don’t really give much of a damn about plot or story. I may be the only person who seriously considers Le Mans (1971, D: Lee Katzin/Steve McQueen; see article on the film here) every time he tries to assemble a top ten list of films in his head. I am often drawn to films which illuminate action and motion and exteriority.” (Running Downhill), (Must Read Soccer)

FC Barcelona 3-0 Valencia – Recap and Video Highlights – Spanish Primera Division (La Liga) – Sunday, March 14, 2010

“FC Barcelona hosted Valencia in the Spanish Primera Division (La Liga) on Sunday, March 14, 2010 with a chance to go top of the table. With Real Madrid playing the late match, Barcelona could go top of the table, at least for a few hours. They could also gain ground on goal difference which is where Real Madrid have the current advantage. Valencia were in third place and not likely to catch Real Madrid or Barcelona.” (The 90th Minute)

Beckham in Finland for surgery

“David Beckham checked into a hospital Monday for surgery on his torn left Achilles’ tendon, hoping for a ‘swift and full recovery’ from an injury that will keep him out of the World Cup. Beckham left a private jet on crutches at Turku airport and was whisked away in an SUV. Minutes later, he arrived at the Mehilainen hospital surrounded by security guards amid cheers from hundreds of fans who had gathered outside the entrance. Surgery is set for later Monday or Tuesday.” (ESPN)

David Beckham Ruptures Achilles Tendon
“Video of David Beckham suffering a ruptured achilles tendon while playing for AC Milan in their 1-0 win over Chievo Verona in the Italian Serie A on Sunday, March 14, 2010.” (Free Soccer Highlights)

Turnbull Produces in Pinch

“Ross Turnbull enjoyed a mellow afternoon in goal for Chelsea in its 4-1 win over West Ham on Saturday, which briefly took the club back to the top of the Premier League standings. There was nothing he—or anyone—could have done about Scott Parker’s first-half piledriver, which rocketed past him, and his only semitough save, off Carlton Cole in the match’s dying minutes, was competently pulled off.” (WSJ)

The Nationalist Press in the Post-Dictatorship: Real Madrid, Marca, and Other Conspiracies

“There is a phenomenon in Spain, one that is on the lips of commentators of the Primera División all over the world, one that tinges any match involving Spain’s two biggest teams, Real Madrid and Barcelona: villarato. When I hear the word uttered on GolTv, on ESPN, even on the Fox Sport family of networks, it quickly becomes clear that the depth of this conspiracy is not that evident to those whispering its sinister name.” (Soccer Politics)

Old Infirm? The Further Travails Of Rangers & Celic

“Some ill-advised comments made by the Celtic chairman John Reid at last year’s club AGM may now be coming back to haunt him, as rivals Rangers seem to be coasting to a Scottish Premier League championship. Mark Murphy takes a look at how the two clubs have progressed this season and finds that Reid’s bullishness couldn’t have come with much worse timing.” (twohundredpercent)

Uncertainty stalks Gianfranco Zola as relegation clouds gather over West Ham

“Italian coaches will be everywhere at the Bridge. The Impossible Job has become the Italian Job. Marcello Lippi has won the World Cup while Giovanni Trapattoni wins friends with the Republic of Ireland. Zola, though, is under pressure. Widely considered one of the nicest men in an often heartless profession, the Sardinian who made the ball smile as an elegant maestro with Napoli, Parma and Chelsea, among others, now battles to keep West Ham United in the Premier League.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)

The World Cup Of National Anthems (Part Two)

“Coaches could do worse that scan their opposition for signs of the mental state of their opposition and call their players back in. You can almost imagine Fabio Capello in the middle of a huddle of England players, explaining that they should push the ball wide early on because the opposing full-backs stood like rabbits caught in the glare of a car’s headlamps throughout the duration of, ‘Turks and Caicos, Sweet Home of the Parrot’. Today we sent noted musicologist and patriot Dotmund to cast his ear over the funky fresh sounds of Groups C and D.” (twohundredpercent)

Eight Out of Work Managers

“Paul Hart’s instalment at Crystal Palace last week continued the trend for this 2009-10 Championship season to resemble an episode of Swap Shop. We have remarked more than once in recent months how Chairmen have spent a minimum of time over their re-staffing decisions: the first name that springs to mind has become the main axiom. Hence, the newly sacked have been deemed the most suitable to take clubs forward – current experience has been valued above all and we have Darren at Preston, Brian at Burnley, Alan at Hillsborough and now Paul at the Palace.” (thetwounfortunates)

World Cup Moments: Das Wunder von Bern, 1954

“It may surprise the casual fan or those new to the sport to learn that Hungary were once, bar none, the greatest team in all the lands. In fact the Aranycsapat – the Magnificent, Magical, Marvellous or Mighty Magyars – still reign as a team of such hushed majestic legend you wonder if they existed in reality at all. They were tactical revolutionaries, the brainchildren behind Brazil’s dash to prominence and much of the modern game in general, and football’s unparalleled juggernaut; within a frame of six years, they lost one solitary football game.” (World Cup Blog)

All is not well at Anfield

“‘Remember Portsmouth’ was Rafa’s rallying call before last week’s game at Wigan. The rationale being, you’d imagine, that by invoking painful memories of that 2-0 defeat in December, Liverpool’s players would never dare tolerate such ignominy again. Unfortunately though, they took the manager’s words a little too literally, performing in much the same way they did at Fratton Park. That is, lumbering about the field with all the precision of a pensioner who’s forgotten where he left his glasses.” (WSC)

Franz Beckenbauer: Der Kaiser

“A privileged few have experienced the honour of captaining their country to World Cup glory. Just two have won the competition as player and manager. But only one man has completed the hat-trick by ‘winning’ the World Cup as an administrator as well. It is hardly surprising, then, that the great Franz Beckenbauer will always be inextricably and inescapably associated with football’s greatest competition.” (ESPN)

Saint Lloris, Savior of Les Bleus

“The lasting image from France’s anemic, controversial, but ultimately successful campaign to qualify for the 2010 World Cup will be the un-penalized handball by Thierry Henry that helped Les Bleus slip by Ireland in a two-match playoff last November.” (NYT)

Fan Diary #29 – Why Can’t Liverpool Keep Any Good Form Going?

“I’m the fan who demands my one year in denial. I cling to the hopes of last season, refusing to believe something can’t be salvaged from this one (as the definition of salvage changes from Can we still finish top four? to Can we still finish top six? Top seven?) With my team so plagued by injury and other abrupt halts to any momentum, I’ve looked to those few inspiring performances to show me that a run of great form is on its way.” (EPL Talk)

“Quite Unfit”: English Women’s Football History on Film

“From the British Film Institute, a short film about the 1921 ban against women playing football. You can watch another film about this period in English women’s football history – a compilation of early film footage and photographs documenting the background for the Dick, Kerr’s Ladies football team.” (From a left wing, Las Fútbolistas (Great Grandma on the Left Wing))

Italy coach Marcello Lippi still has plenty to ponder

Marcello Lippi
“At the start of the season, looking forward to the World Cup finals in June, Italy coach Marcello Lippi said he was ready for any number of tormentoni (literally, pest or nuisance) on the run-in to South Africa. The tormentoni in question, let’s be clear, do not concern player injuries, match schedules or training facilities. No, these torments are media and fan inspired and take the form of pretty forthright “advice” as to who he should take to the finals this summer. In particular, Lippi was bombarded with suggestions for his attack.” (World Soccer)

104. Sir Alex Ferguson, 2010

“Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett’s official answers appear in Sunday’s Observer and here from Monday.” (Guardian – Paul Trevillion)

Sport in Modern Europe: perspectives on a comparative cultural history

“Anyone with an active interest in the history of sport will be glad for an introduction to the Sport in Modern Europe research network. It’s being led by Dr. Chris Young at the University of Cambridge assisted by Professors Alan Tomlinson of Brighton and Richard Holt at De Monfort.” (More Than Mind Games)

Liverpool humbled by Hazard’s late sucker punch

1465 Sandro Botticelli, Mardochai lamenting before the gates of the palace
“Just when Lyons’ heroics in the Bernabeu had seemed to cast Liverpool’s Champions League elimination at that club’s hands in a more sympathetic light, Lille provided a reminder of precisely where Rafael Benitez’s side stands in the European scheme of things last night.” (Independent)

Eden Hazard’s late goal for Lille leaves Liverpool with plenty to do
“Lille are known as the Mastiffs and an unnerved Liverpool retreated from their lair nursing a nasty bite. No matter that Eden Hazard’s late, wickedly dipping thoroughly elusive, free-kick appeared flukey; it gave Rudi Garcia’s team a deserved first-leg lead.” (Guardian)

Lille vs. Liverpool
(footytube)

Milan no longer able to mask the decline of Italian clubs’ fortunes

“Milan had come to fail. Despondency was close to the surface and bound to overwhelm the side as soon as Manchester United scored. The visitors were diligent enough, but they could not fend off a weariness of soul and body in the 4‑0 loss. Too much has rested on them for too long.” (Guardian)

Barney Ronay Interview: EPL Talk Podcast

“Barney Ronay is a senior sports writer for the Guardian and a regular contributor to When Saturday Comes. In this edition of the EPL Talk podcast, I pick up when we left off the last time Barney was on the program, talking about the state of the manager in the English game. Barney, who wrote The Manager, talks about the increased use of the continental model and reflects on Mark Hughes’ time at Manchester City.” (EPL Talk)

Reorganising Scottish Football: The Annual Debate Begins Again

“It’s springtime, so discussion has started again about how to make the game in Scotland more exciting but, as Gavin Saxton reports, none of those that are being put forward are likely to do much about the two or three elephants that live in the room that is Scottish football.” (twohundredpercent)

David Beckham, The Green & Gold

“The Champions League match between Manchester United and Milan had been punctuated by what are now starting to become familiar images. The green and gold gold scarves and the “Love United Hate Glazer” flags are starting to feel like part of the furniture at Old Trafford, but the question that was on many people’s lips could probably best be summarised by a four letter acronym: WWDD? Beckham’s appearance on the pitch had been greeted with, in rapid succession, cheers, boos and laughter and, while he didn’t disgrace himelf on the pitch, his presence on the pitch was in itself a sign of the times – a practical demonstration of the gulf in quality between Manchester United and Milan.” (twohundredpercent)

And so it goes and so it goes and so it goes and so it goes

“The experiment with bye-line officials in the Europa League jars somewhat. Not that it’s a bad idea per se — having someone in a position to spot offences in the maelstrom of the penalty area, which are often on the referee’s blind side, could be a good idea. You wouldn’t know that from the number of people poised to pounce on it like spoilt indoor cats who don’t realise what a proper scrap is. But then, it was endorsed by Michel Platini, so, of course, it must be hare-brained/part of a nefarious scheme to erode Britain’s sovereignty and introduce a federal Europe by the back door.” (sport is a tv show)

Fan Ownership: The Fallen of the Trust Movement

“The current impression so far is that Trusts or fan ownership largely works. If that were the case, perhaps Exeter wouldn’t be an isolated example. As Brian Burgess of Brentford has said, a lot depends on luck and the people you get involved with the Trust. Without decent people on board, the best-meaning business is liable to fail.” (Pitch Invasion)

Manchester United 4-0 AC Milan – Recap and Video Highlights – UEFA Champions League – Wednesday, March 10, 2010

“Manchester United brought a 3-2 lead into the second leg at Old Trafford against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Milan needed a 2-0 win or to score many away goals to have any serious chance. It would be a tough test as Manchester United have a history of being very difficult to beat at Old Trafford in the Champions League. Pato was unavailable for Wayne Rooney was fit for Mancheser United.” (The 90th Minute)

Beckham Grabs the Scarf, but Not the Reins, of Protest

“It was a highly significant game in the Champions League knockout match between Manchester United and AC Milan last night and Wayne Rooney continued his devastating form with two more goals in what is a 30-goal season so far. Nani made one of the assists of the tournament to set up his second, curling the ball into Rooney’s path with the outside of his foot. The 4-0 defeat exposed AC Milan as an aging, blunt shadow of their former selves, increasingly reliant on Ronaldinho’s capricious flashes of brilliance. But guess who stole the show?” (NYT)

Wigan’s first ever win over Liverpool… so, how’s that for history then, Javier Mascherano?

“Henry Ford. You wouldn’t want him on your pub quiz team but he certainly knew how to run a business. It must go forward. It must be evolving and improving constantly. Football clubs are the same. Everyone knows Ford’s pithy history quote, but he regularly expanded on the subject to great effect. ‘We don’t want tradition,’ he said. ‘We want to live in the present and the only history worth a tinker’s damn is the history we make today.’” (Daily Mail)

Headline Grabbing Savage

“Headline grabbers are hard to quosh and Derby County’s trip to Reading last night provided a big example of such showmanship as Robbie Savage spent the best part of an hour between the sticks, his first spell in goals in his career. The disruption to the Rams’ evening allows only for assessment with caveats. Savage was the fray’s third incumbent in the goalkeeping position.” (thetwounfortunates)

Chester City: The Death, The Funeral & The Wake

“Anyone turning up at The High Court on The Strand in London this morning hoping or expecting to see fireworks was disappointed. There was to be no last minute impassioned speech, in the manner of Gregory Peck in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. For the second time in less than two weeks, the owners of Chester City Football Club didn’t even carry the common courtesy to attend a meeting that would shape the destiny of their club. This time, the reality of their destiny was swiftly delivered. Chester City (2004) Limited was wound up over its unpaid tax bill in a matter of minutes, and that was that. Perhaps this time they knew in their heart of hearts that this was a busted flush.” (twohundredpercent)

Arsenal Saunters While Bayern Survives

“As Muhammad Ali demonstrated, sports fans will warm to a braggart provided he lives up to his boasts. Followers of Arsenal have waited a long, long time for Nicklas Bendtner to deliver his prophesied knockout performance. ‘Trust me,’ he had said last autumn, ‘it will happen. I look around at other players, I see my own ability, and I can’t see anything that tells me I won’t be among the best strikers in the world.'” (NYT)

World Cup Moments: David Beckham’s Red Card vs Argentina in 1998

“Because today is David Beckham’s much talked about return to Old Trafford, it seems the perfect time to relive one of the key moments in Beckham’s career. At World Cup 1998 the man not yet known as Goldenballs was just 23 years old and competing with Darren Anderton to play right wing back for England. After scoring a trademark free kick vs Colombia in the group stage, Beckham was given the start for the Second Round knockout game vs Argentina. But then it all went a bit wrong.” (World Cup Blog)

The World Cup Of National Anthems (Part One)

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“For many people, major sports tournaments are the only occasion that national anthems are heard. These peculiar tunes have become a genre of their own, transcending the mere hymns that many of them were in first place, and they range from the gloriously uplifting to mournful dirges. The selection of words has, in many countries, brought about national debate that has been all-encompassing. In the case of Spain, it was decided that it would probably be for the best just to not bother having any for the sake of national unity.” (twohundredpercent)

Tactics: Michael Owen – they think it’s all over, it already was

“The news that Michael Owen will miss the rest of the season with a damaged hamstring prompted strange paroxysms of grief from those pundits who felt the injury had crushed the 30-year-old’s dreams of playing at a fourth World Cup with England this summer. In reality, his hopes have been dashed for some time.” (Football Further)

In no rush to exit, Donovan savors confidence-boosting run at Everton

“It was, I have to say, one of the cooler goose-bump moments I have witnessed in a long time. As Landon Donovan took what was probably a goodbye lap after Everton’s 5-1 win over Hull City on Sunday, the home fans at Goodison Park stood and cheered the 28-year-old American who came here a European washout and stands ready to depart, just 10 weeks later, as a beloved figure in this soccer-mad town.” (SI)

James Lawton: Barcelona’s model democracy is a paradise still beyond United’s reach

Aerial view of the park along the Besòs river
“Sooner or later some of the less temperate critics of the Red Knights – who propose, among other things, to move Manchester United from under a mountain of debt – may have to get a bit more specific. At this formative stage of a game plan that is inevitably, to some considerable degree, speculative, an emotional reaction, one way or the other, is surely more valid than the barrage of knee-jerk cynicism that the Nobel Prize-winning novelist John Steinbeck once categorised as ‘slothful self-regard’.” (Independent)

Who Has Been Bugging England, Then?

“To anyone that has been following the modus operandi of the British gutter press for the last few years or so, the news that the England hotel at The Grove Hotel at Chandler’s Cross, near Watford in Hertfordshire was bugged prior to their friendly match against Egypt will come as little surprise. In 2007, the News of the World’s royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were jailed after they were caught – and admitted – tapping the telephones of members of the royal staff. A cross-party parliamentary committee investigating it accused the staff of News International of ‘collective amnesia’ over the matter and stated that it was ‘inconceivable’ that no-one other than those imprisoned knew of what was going on and accused the management of the newpaper of “deliberate obfuscation” over the matter.” (twohundredpercent)

World Cup Moments: Dennis Bergkamp’s Goal vs Argentina in 1998

“If you remember the 1998 World Cup in France, then you remember Dennis Bergkamp’s goal for the Netherlands in the quarterfinal vs Argentina. The score was 1-1 in the 89th minute, and extra time looked almost certain. Until Bergkamp produced his moment of magic.” (World Cup Blog)