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About 1960s: Days of Rage

Bill Davis - 1960s: Days of Rage

Nine-man Barcelona edge past Getafe

“Barcelona maintained their impressive home record in the Primera Division with a 2-1 victory over Getafe – despite finishing the game with nine men following the dismissals of Gerard Pique and Rafael Marquez. Pique was sent off for a cynical lunge on Rafa Lopez after 24 minutes, although Barca were already a goal to the good by then, thanks to Lionel Messi’s brilliant early strike.” (ESPN)

Barca win despite two red cards, Real keep pace
“Leaders Barcelona survived red cards for Gerard Pique and Rafael Marquez to complete a 2-1 victory over Getafe in La Liga on Saturday while Real Madrid kept pace with a 3-0 win at home to Espanyol. Pique was sent off in the 25th minute for a wild challenge on Rafa Lopez. Marquez walked at the end after bundling over Kepa for a last-minute penalty scored by Roberto Soldado but the game was effectively over by then. Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the seventh minute and Xavi netted in the 67th as Barca continued to create the clearer chances despite their numerical disadvantage.” (Guardian)

Lionel Messi vs Getafe
(All About FC Barcelona), (1), (2)

The African Nations Cup never overcame its tragic start

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“Egypt provided the fairy-tale finish to an African Nations Cup that had a nightmare start and will, ultimately, go down as a completely forgettable event. The death of two members of the Togo delegation, plus the bus driver, in an attack in the disputed Cabinda region threw the tournament into turmoil before it had even kicked off, and the vagaries of competing in a country blessed with oil riches but scant people-resources seemed to take a toll on the playing standards.” (World Soccer), (1)

The perils of judging a football club by its size

“Despite the disappointment for the player and Man City fans, loaning Robinho back to Santos seems a good fit for all the parties involved. The player has been given a chance to resurrect his season in time to make the Brazil World Cup squad, Santos have picked up one of the world’s most expensive players without paying a transfer fee and City have saved a reported £160,000 on their weekly wage bill. Robinho’s loan deal was also thought to be a way for City to secure the first refusal on two of Santos’ most promising players: Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso.” (WSC)

A Final Word On John Terry

“In some respects, the furore surround the John Terry affair (for the want of a better phrase) says as much about the British and their attitudes as it does about Terry himself. The Guardian reported this morning on the mild amusement that the issue has caused in Italy, a country in which attitudes towards such matters are somewhat different to those currently on display in this country. The hypocrisy of the press in salaciously reporting their outrage at what has been going on whilst making absolutely certain that their readers know as much as they possibly can without overstepping the self-imposed line – and wafer thin – that separates their “exposés” from, say, a reader’s letter in “Razzle” causes roughly equal amounts amusement on the continent, where such matters are usually treated as, well, private.” (twohundredpercent)

Kuyt goal wins feisty derby

“Dirk Kuyt’s 50th Liverpool goal gave his side a 1-0 victory in a fiery 213th Merseyside derby at Anfield which saw both teams reduced to ten men. Liverpool played the last 55 minutes at a numerical disadvantage after Sotirios Kyrgiakos was dismissed for a two-footed challenge on Marouane Fellaini, while Steven Pienaar was shown a second yellow in second-half injury time.” (ESPN)

Battling Benitez believes in fourth place
“You’ve got to hand it to Rafa Benitez and Liverpool. In such a season of misery and self assessment, their ten-men heroics in putting bitter rivals Everton to the sword was full of raw commitment to the cause. They may have lost their way in so many other ways, but Liverpool have certainly retained their passion, although even that aspect of their game has been questioned at times.” (ESPN)

Interactive Chalkboards: this week’s Premier League action
“Dirk Kuyt may not be the Premier League’s most prolific striker, but his goals-per-shots ratio against Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton this season is impressive. The Dutchman has had five shots on goal in two matches against the Toffees and scored twice.” (Guardian)

Last Taboo in English Football: Playing Footsie With Mate’s Mate

Winter, Giuseppe Arcimboldo
“Tiger Woods kept his saucy private life under wraps for years, but the flaws of English soccer superstar John Terry, one of the country’s most prominent athletes, have always been on very public display. In 2001, Mr. Terry drunkenly taunted American tourists in a Heathrow Airport hotel in the immediate aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks. A year later, he was caught on camera urinating in a beer glass, which he then dropped on the floor. In 2008, Mr. Terry was fined for parking his Bentley in a spot for the disabled. Last December, he was secretly filmed by undercover reporters giving unauthorized tours of his team’s training ground to journalists posing as businessmen, allegedly in return for £10,000 (or $15,900) cash. Mr. Terry has denied accepting money for the tour.” (WSJ)

Terry Loses England Captaincy
“It would be naïve to say the drama is over, but the John Terry affair has taken a turn toward a conclusion, of sorts. After almost four years as captain of the England team, Terry was stripped of the armband Friday after a meeting with Manager Fabio Capello in London.” (NYT)

Terry stripped of England captaincy
“Terry’s future as skipper of his country has been the subject of intense speculation ever since allegations emerged that he had an affair with England team-mate Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend. The Chelsea defender met with England coach Capello at Wembley on Friday to discuss his future as captain in the wake of the allegations. There had been calls for Terry to lose the captaincy from sections of the media as it has been claimed more revelations are set to be exposed at the weekend.” (World Soccer)

Top 10 Merseyside Derbies

“It might not live up to the halcyon days of the 1980s but the Merseyside derby still has the ability captivate a wider audience. The recent triple bill ending with Everton�s dramatic, late victory in the cup demonstrated this despite the efforts of ITV technicians. The sides first met in the League in 1894 with Liverpool triumphing 3-0 at Goodison Park. There have been 206 matches between the sides with Liverpool leading 79-65 in victories. The derby also holds the record as the most played FA Cup tie (22). The derby was at its greatest during the 1980s.” (midfielddynamo)

The ten best Merseyside derbies
“Liverpool and Everton come together at Anfield this Saturday to contest the 213th Merseyside derby. When the two sides met earlier in the season they were both struggling for results. Both have seen their fortunes take an up turn since then and will be desperate to continue that this weekend.” (Independent)

Sergio Canales – Spain’s hottest prospect

“On January 9, Racing Santander’s 18-year-old attacking midfielder Sergio Canales scored two goals to defeat Sevilla and become seemingly the most desired young player on the planet. It has been reported that Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid are all interested in him, while Vicente del Bosque reportedly hasn’t ruled out his inclusion in the Spanish squad for the World Cup.” (WSC)

World Cup Moments: When Harald Schumacher Met Patrick Battiston. In Mid-Air.

“The 1982 World Cup semifinal in Seville between France and West Germany was a stunning game of football. It finished 3-3 after extra time, and then West Germany won (as usual) on penalties. Despite those six goals, the semifinal is mostly remembered for just one thing. Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher’s horror foul on French defender Patrick Battiston. I say horror foul.. the ref actually gave a goal kick to West Germany. Which you’ll probably find hard to believe after watching video of the Schumacher crushing his victim below…” (World Cup Blog)

The return of Ronaldinho? Maybe

“In a month’s time comes the lone FIFA date for international fixtures before the end of the European season — the only time teams preparing for the World Cup have the opportunity to be at full strength, with all their players available.” (SI – Tim Vickery)

A Week Is A Long Time In Serie A: Feb 3rd 2010

“Another eventful week in Italian football, both on and off the pitch. Following the possibly season-defining Milan derby, both Milan teams faced midweek Coppa Italia quarterfinals at San Siro. Milan were humiliated by Udinese in a 1-0 loss, while Inter bounced back from a Francesco Toldo error to defeat Juventus 2-1, courtesy of goals by Lucio and Juve-killer Mario Balotelli. Juventus’ exit from the Coppa was the last game in charge for Ciro Ferrara, who was replaced by former Udinese, Milan, Inter and Torino manager Alberto Zaccheroni, after Juventus’ public courting of Guus Hiddink and Rafael Benitez proved fruitless.” (First Touch Online)

The Monday Miscellany – Africa Cup of Nations Special

“In the history of stupid decisions made by sport’s governing bodies, it is difficult to find one which compares, for sheer crassness, with that of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to ban Togo for the next two Africa Cups of Nations. Togo, you will surely not need reminding, were attacked by terrorists in Cabinda on the eve of the tournament. Three men died and others were seriously injured. Everybody, it is safe to imagine, would have been seriously traumatized by the assault.” (Footballing World)

Football Weekly Extra: Portsmouth taken over yet again

“James Richardson invites Barry Glendenning, Kevin McCarra and John Ashdown to round up all the big football stories, some of which don’t involve takeovers, administration and bedroom shenanigans. FA Cup replays are on the agenda, after Spurs ended Leeds’s spirited run and Palace knocked out Wolves with a perfect hat-trick from Danny Butterfield, of all people.” (Guardian – James Richardson)

Haiti’s devastated football community begin the rebuilding mission

Kim Peterson
“The name Roselord Bordella probably doesn’t ring any bells, but her footballing achievements are worth recording. During an international Under-17 match last November, at just 15, she scored eight goals. Four of them came in a four-minute spell just before half-time. Can you imagine the dizzying thrill she must have felt?” (Guardian)

Trigger Happy

“Our first guest post for some time comes from Stockport County fan and activist Simon Holt (aka ‘Scarf’), who casts his opinion on Peterborough’s new manager, Jim Gannon, who enjoyed a successful spell at Edgeley Park between 2005 and 2009.” (thetwounfortunates)

Egypt’s Three-peat – The Latter Stages Of The African Cup Of Nations

“The climax to Group C summed up this Cup of Nations, a curate’s egg of a tournament which ran out of good football from the second week onwards. A tournament during which the look of delight on the face of one CAF official when Algeria beat Cote D’Ivoire turned to horror when he remembered that Algeria played Egypt next. A tournament during which the players from the English Premier League, the “best” league in the world, were almost uniformally rubbish. And a tournament which ended with the unfeasibly fierce-looking Egyptian coach Hassan Shehata managing a smile at the end which made him look even more fierce. I’ll be having the nightmares for a while.” (twohundredpercent)

Africa Cup of Nations 2010: A Tournament Best Forgotten?
“The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations is over. Though I usually love the tournament, I won’t be remembering this edition fondly. For several reasons.” (World Cup Blog)

Four things I learned from the Africa Cup of Nations
“1) There is no one at the CAF fit to manage football. The choice of Angola to host the tournament in the first place was bizarre, given that it’s a quasi-Communist autocracy in the midst of a long and bloody civil war (which stipulated that, as a nation-building exercise, many of the games in this tournament would be held in the home of the hopeful secessionists). How the tournament actually panned out made the rejected bids of places like Zimbabwe and Mozambique look sweet by comparison.” (The 90th Minute)

Questions and Representations in the Year of African Soccer
“Finally, after an eventful January, I’ve got some answers to the big questions for this year of African soccer. Was Angola 2010 a success or a failure? Yes. Will the World Cup in South Africa be a success or a failure? Yes. Let me try to explain.” (Pitch Invasion)

Video Of The Week: Every Goal Of Italia ‘90

“Continuing our series of World Cup compilation videos, this week we have every goal from the 1990 World Cup, which was, of course, held in Italy. Time has a tendency to soften our viewpoint of previous World Cup tournaments – particularly when, as with this one, England surpass everyone’s expectations and scramble as far as the semi-finals – but the truth of the matter is that the 1990 World Cup finals were probably the worst that have been held in recent years.” (twohundredpercent)

A Way for the Future?

“With the January transfer window closed and Boro having cut various deals to expel some players and recruit others, what have we learned? Let’s start with a look at the Outgoing column. The most significant of these was of course the transfer of Adam Johnson, a deal that should benefit both Manchester City and ourselves, let alone giving the player an opportunity to thrive on the biggest of stages. In letting him go, we have effectively jettisoned the last of the crown jewels, albeit one that caught us a bit by surprise as we didn’t know until his loan spell at Watford quite what a star we had on our hands.” (Smog Blog)

Henry Winter: Fabio Capello has been let down by his employers as well as John Terry

“Much of the rhetoric flowing through the FA’s Vision 2008-2012 argues that football can be a force for social change, for bettering the lives of millions through every action from tackling obesity to encouraging literacy. The FA runs a highly successful community programme, often using England internationals to promote important initiatives.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)

John Terry set for Fabio Capello showdown after day of of confusion and misinformation
“Following a day of confusion and misinformation over Terry’s intentions — and Capello’s thoughts — the England manager has told the Football Association and his advisers that he will try and reach a decision before he boards a plane to Warsaw on Saturday morning ahead of the Euro 2012 draw the following day.” (Telegraph)

Carlo Ancelotti clears way for John Terry to visit his wife in Dubai
“Carlo Ancelotti has cleared the way for John Terry to take a break from playing for Chelsea by saying that if ‘he needs to have a holiday I will give him holiday’, following allegations about his captain’s private life.” (Guardian)

Capello puts back Terry call for fear of further scandal
“Fabio Capello and his advisers are concerned that further revelations about John Terry this weekend could undermine any decision on him continuing as England captain made before then and are considering delaying an announcement until Sunday at the very least.” (Independent)

Media Freedom at 2010 World Cup Under Question in South Africa

“FIFA are under fire for their press accreditation rules at the 2010 World Cup, with the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) at loggerheads over numerous restrictions the governing body is putting in place, most of which follow on similar tight controls from previous World Cups, which have been criticised before.” (Pitch Invasion)

Video: Egypt 1 – Ghana 0 (Africa Cup of Nations 2010 Final Highlights)

“Egypt successfully defended their Africa Cup of Nations title earlier today courtesy of substitute Mohamed Nagui’s strike five minutes from time. The victory sees for Egypt become the first team to win the Africa Nations Cup three times in succession and seven times overall.” (Football Fashion)

Questions and Representations in the Year of African Soccer

“Finally, after an eventful January, I’ve got some answers to the big questions for this year of African soccer. Was Angola 2010 a success or a failure? Yes. Will the World Cup in South Africa be a success or a failure? Yes. Let me try to explain.” (Pitch Invasion)

Colombia: Categoria Primera A, 2010 season, with a chart of the Colombian all-time champions list, from the professional era, spanning 1948 to 2009-II; and an overview of the El Dorado era (1949-1953)

“Football first came to Colombia via British sailors in the Caribbean Sea port city of Barranquilla. Football remained an amateur affair with no national league for decades, and with the game having little presence in the interior of the country. This was primarily because of the lack of transportation infrastructure in a nation which had some formidable barriers, namely steep mountain ranges and wide rivers. Coffee growing as an industry changed that, providing the wealth that allowed for transportation improvements, and by the 1930s and 1940s, football had spread throughout Colombia. The wealth also brought into focus the economic disparity between the privileged few and the teeming masses of the underclass. In 1948, at the same time that a professional league was about to begin play in Colombia, there was widespread civil unrest following the still-unsolved assassination of the presedential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, who was mayor of Bogatá. Gaitán was a threat to the entrenched oligarchy…his most famous pronouncement was ‘The people are superior to their leaders’.” (billsportsmaps)

The legacy of Rene Higuita

“Rene has walked away. And like the empty sidewalks in the old Four Tops hit, football is not the same. The game will miss Rene Higuita. The eccentric Colombian keeper bid farewell with an exhibition match last week. Of course, he had to produce the famous ‘scorpion’ save one last time. But for all its novelty value, the ‘scorpion’ is not the reason for Higuita’s importance. Nor, in the final analysis, are the goals he scored. His free-kicks and penalties were no circus act, and they inspired a line of goalscoring South American goalkeepers.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

Big Drop in Transfer Market

“If soccer agents had powerful lobbyists working for them in the halls of government, you can be fairly confident they would be asking for a generous stimulus package right around now. Just as fears of an enduring economic slump can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy in the real world, as consumers “feel poor” and hunker down to save, slowing or even negating growth, so too can the perception of imminent doom affect soccer clubs’ spending. And, when teams stop spending, the first to be affected are the agents and middlemen who grease the wheels of the transfer market.”
(WSJ)

Sergio Aquero interviewed

“World Soccer: What do Argentina need to do to improve ahead of the World Cup? Sergio Aquero: I think the main problem is that we’ve had very few days training together. Normally we’d get together on a Tuesday and play on the Saturday, which doesn’t give us time to do very much. Now, ahead of the World Cup, we will have plenty of time and we can work on various aspects, like combinations and how we use the ball.” (World Soccer)

South Africa and FIFA Try to Ease Concerns About Power Problems

“Last month, as dozens of people out for the evening scrolled along the boardwalk, a popular area along the Indian Ocean with restaurants, specialty shops and bars here, the city was suddenly enveloped in darkness. Generators kicked in providing some power, but the shutdown brought most activity to a standstill for several hours.” (NYT)

The John Terry Moral Conundrum

“There isn’t much about the recent “tabloid revelations” concerning John Terry that don’t sink the heart somewhat. The allegations, the fact that it was his best friend, the coercion into an abortion, the money; all of it leaves the reader with the pronounced sense that truly we are living in the last days of Rome. It’s difficult to read more than a couple of paragraphs on the subject without starting to feel a little bit grubby and wishing that you were doing something a little bit more worthwhile with your time.” (twohundredpercent)

Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe calls John Terry’s England captaincy into question
“Any hopes Terry might have had that the storm would abate appear misplaced. ‘On the field John Terry is a fantastic player and a good England captain,’ said the Sports Minister, Gerry Sutcliffe, ‘but to be the captain of England you have got to have wider responsibilities for the country. If these allegations are proven it does call into question his role as England captain’.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)

No one likes a bully, John Terry
“The man in charge of Burnley FC’s public address system clearly has a sense of humour. On Saturday, just before the teams arrived on the pitch for the Premier League game between the local team and Chelsea, he played Bryan Ferry’s version of Let’s Stick Together. As the visiting team were led out by their captain John Terry, the opening line crooned out around the stadium: ‘The marriage vow is very sacred’.” (Telegraph)

The Iniesta Generation

“Soccer players are reputed to do it for 90 minutes and some fans of Barcelona, inspired by their favorite team, did it … and did it … and did it. It has been nine months since Barcelona, within the span of only a few days, trounced its arch rival Real Madrid, 6-2, in the country’s capital and ran away with the title in Spain’s La Liga.” (NYT)

Argentina A 3 – 2 Costa Rica: the goals

“On Tuesday night a home-based Argentina squad took on Costa Rica’s national team in a friendly which saw Diego Maradona’s return to footballing involvement following his two month touchline ban (who noticed?). The match was won 3-2 by Argentina, with goals from José Sosa, Guillermo Burdisso and Franco Jara for the hosts. Michael Barrantes and Diego Madrigal got the visitors’ efforts, and you can watch all of them right here. You can also find out the score of Newell’s Old Boys’ Copa Libertadores qualifier on Wednesday night. Go on. You know you want to.” (Hasta el gol siempre)

Caf decision over Togo makes no sense

“Not since Buckingham Palace took so long to respond Princess Diana’s death in 1997 has an organisation so badly misjudged the mood of the public. For the decision by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to expel Togo from the next two Africa Cup of Nations – following their Angola 2010 withdrawal after their team bus was machine-gunned (with two team officials dying) – is simply jaw-dropping. Before we get into the whys and wherefores, let’s just clarify why the Togolese have been suspended. In the statement they released on Saturday, Caf said the following… ” (BBC – Piers Edwards)

South Africa’s cup is failing to set the world on fire

“According to the wonderful American humorist Dave Barry, who has long marvelled at Miami’s ability to attract visitors despite notorious gun and crime statistics, the city’s official tourism slogan is: Maybe You Won’t Get Shot. There is no truth in the rumour that South Africa is considering a similar sales pitch for the World Cup this summer, yet listening to Jérôme Valcke, the secretary general of Fifa, pleading for more favourable media coverage in advance of the tournament and blaming low ticket sales on unfounded security concerns, it was tempting to wonder what sort of people his organisation imagined would flock to a distant country with a reputation for violence.” (Guardian – Paul Wilson)

Super-sub Gedo lands Egypt title

“Super-sub Mohamed Gedo scored the only goal five minutes from time to help Egypt defend their African Nations Cup crown with victory over brave Ghana. The Pharaohs, who struggled to create many openings through the game, looked unlikely to score as the game drifted towards extra-time – until the Ittihad striker struck his fifth goal of the competition to break the resilience of their opponents.” (ESPN)

Ghana 0-1 Egypt
“Egypt secured a record seventh Africa Cup of Nations title, after beating Ghana 1-0 in a tense final in Angola. Substitute Mohamed Gedo scored the only goal of the game, playing a neat one-two before curling a superb shot past Richard Kingson in the 85th minute.” (BBC)

Forward! Barnsley

“Mark Robins would have more than a case for being the best manager of this Championship season but his players let him down today. The former C. D. Ourense and Panionios man has been scathing of his players in his post match comments and little wonder: they didn’t muster a shot on goal in the 1-0 reverse at the Madejski Stadium and such meek capitulation to a team occupying the penultimate slot in the table will not be countenanced in future.” (thetwounfortunates)

Celtic still 10 points behind, Hibs keep up fight for 2nd place

Scott Brown
“Rangers are still 10 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League after a 3-0 win over Falkirk at Ibrox. In honesty, it was a pretty flat game with the class of Steven Davis playing a big part in deciding the result. The Northern Irish midfielder scored the first for Rangers after 18 minutes with a superb free-kick from 25 yards out. Davis then notched his 13th assist of the season with a lovely pass across the face of goal for the on-rushing John Fleck who managed to sneak the ball into the net.” (Soccer Lens)

A 10 point-gap in the SPL: is the season over?
“Travelling back home through Gatwick last night, I quickly checked the football scores before switching off the phone for the flight. At the time, Rangers where winning 1-0 against St Mirren and Celtic where 1-0 up against Hibs. Nothing unusual in that I thought, but as an illustration of the fragility of the Old Firm this season, by the time I landed in Rotterdam, Celtic had somehow managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and websites across the nation decreed the end of the Scottish football season for 2009/10.” (Inside Left)

Hamilton 0 – 1 Celtic
“Morten Rasmussen bagged his first Celtic goal to set up an unconvincing win at Hamilton Accies. The Danish striker immediately marked his arrival as a substitute with a sharp turn and shot on 67 minutes. Prior to Rasmussen’s strike, Celtic had toiled to break down stubborn, if unadventurous, opponents, with little goalmouth action to excite the fans.” (BBC)

Soccer plays a critical role in Africa

“The Africa Cup of Nations is traditionally fought tooth and nail as regional rivals duke it out to claim continental bragging rights. This year’s competition, now at the final stage, has felt sorely lacking; more Maui Invitational than March Madness. The play of local Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Nigeria has been particularly uneven, triggering a rush of critics to downgrade bullish predictions made so confidently after the World Cup draw.” (ESPN)

Pedro seals Barca win

“Pedro’s goal proved enough to give Barcelona their 16th league win of the season as Pep Guardiola’s side edged out Sporting Gijon at El Molinon in the Primera Division. The Tenerife-born winger struck after half an hour to give Barca the lead. Both sides had missed decent opportunities before that, but Guardiola’s side were superior virtually throughout.”>(ESPN)

Sporting Gijon vs Barca Highlights, on 30/01/10
(All About FC Barcelona)

Liverpool 2 Bolton Wanderers 0

“Liverpool kept up the pressure in the race for fourth place in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Bolton at Anfield.
Dirk Kuyt’s 49th strike for the club and Kevin Davies’ own goal either side of half-time eventually proved enough in a performance that was lacking a touch of class if not endeavour.” (ESPN)

Liverpool 2 Bolton Wanderers 0: match report
“Uninspired, unconvincing, but not quite unacceptable. The green shoots of Liverpool’s revival may not be in full bloom, but the longer they survive, the stronger their roots will be. Rafael Benitez’s side may have only squeezed past Bolton Wanderers, thanks to goals from Dirk Kuyt and a deflected Emiliano Insua effort, but so deep is the crisis which has engulfed Anfield that any win will do.”” (Telegraph)

Rafael Benítez ‘proud’ of Juventus link as summer move looks possible
“Rafael Benítez has kept the way clear for a summer move to Juventus by confirming his Liverpool future is linked to the club’s search for new investment and that he is flattered by the approach from Turin. As expected, Juventus dismissed Ciro Ferrara as coach yesterday and contracted the former Milan and Udinese manager Alberto Zaccheroni to take charge until June.” (Guardian)

Fan Diary #22: A Quick One Before Liverpool v. Bolton

“Liverpool v. Bolton. Alright. As I’m starting this it’s nearly 2am here on the east side of America so I’m going to reel off a few hundred words before bed. Sorry for the brevity compared to my usual output, but kickoff is eight hours away and this writer needs some sleep. But I do want to get my pre-match thoughts in.” (EPL Talk)

Football Weekly Extra: United prevail over City in the battle of Manchester

“Barry Glendenning, Paul Doyle and special guest Ben Clissitt join James to wrap up a busy midweek of football. While the red half of Manchester celebrate victory over the blues, the pod discuss the coin-throwing incident and disgraceful chants directed at Emmanuel Adebayor. No one wants to see these in football, but how do you stop them? … Paul gives his verdict on the standard of the Africa Cup of Nations so far and explains why Algeria shouldn’t be taken lightly by England in the summer. The pod also wonder why on earth Juventus would want Rafael Benítez as their new manager, discuss the Salvador Cabañas shooting and preview the Premier League fixtures at the weekend.” (Guardian – James Richardson)

Behind José’s madness, a method

“Here’s a little game you can play at home. Type the words “Mourinho” and “referee” in your search engine. When I do it, I get more than 3 million hits. Here are some random headlines…” (SI)

Nigeria 1-0 Algeria – Recap and Video Highlights – CAF 2010 Africa Cup of Nations 3rd Place – Saturday, January 30, 2010

“Nigeria and Algeria, who both lost in the semifinals, played for third place in the CAF 2010 Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, January 30, 2010. While it was a disappointment for both sides to not reach the final, a third place victory would be a good accomplishment. The match was in front of 15,000 spectators at the Abuja Stadium.” (The 90th Minute)

Could Guardiola really follow Fergie?

“Josep Guardiola is being linked with the job at Manchester United, which may be up for grabs at the end of this year or next. The contractual chicanery between him and Joan Laporta suggests he could well have designs on a position elsewhere, and in the very least, Guardiola has evinced an unwillingness to commit longterm to the Catalan giants. It’s rumoured he favours a move to England and the Premiership – a league he is reportedly a fan of.”> (Soccer Lens)

Soccer Takes a New Look at Replay

Mountainous Landscape, Lucas van Valckenborch
“European soccer’s stance on video technology is officially under review. More than two months after Thierry Henry’s infamous handball helped France eliminate the Republic of Ireland in a World Cup qualifying match, Sepp Blatter, the president of soccer’s governing body, FIFA, has reopened the debate on whether the sport should introduce video footage of the goal line to aid referees.” (WSC)

African Cup of Nations online coverage review

“I’ve been watching this year’s African Cup of Nations in a weird twilight kind of world. As the games are on during the afternoon and early evening, I’ve been recording them, and trying to watch them ‘as live’ late at night. This is taking Bob and Terry’s task to new heights, as it is pretty damn hard to avoid the scores when you work in a news organisation that is doing minute-by-minute coverage of the key matches. Nevertheless, at the moments when I have been up-to-date with the scores, I’ve been looking at the online coverage of the event.” (currybet – 1: UK, 2: African newspapers, 3: African newspapers, 4: British and American online newspapers)

The Glazer Protests: Where Do They Go From Here?

“It was one of the stranger sights of the season, for sure. During the League Cup semi-final between Manchester United and Manchester City on Wednesday night, a large number of (what to the untrained eye may have appeared to have been) Norwich City supporters seemed to have infiltrated Old Trafford and were sitting in their seats, cheering on Alex Ferguson’s team. It was, of course, nothing of the sort.” (twohundredpercent)

Bored of the Transfer Window

“News reaches this desk about Gordon’s capture of Celtic and Scotland defender, Stephen McManus, on loan until the end of the season. A deal looked like it was anything but on the cards a couple of days ago, yet the Boro manager greased wheels and pressed palms in order to make it happen. That’s a big weight of our minds in terms of our tottering defence, a unit that hasn’t kept a clean sheet since Boxing Day, and it could be the start of a flurry of incoming players before the window closes.” (Smog Blog)

Brazil hurt by its power structure

Adriano
“We don’t yet know where the World Cups of 2018 and 2022 will be played. But some of the bidding countries have already worked out which cities they will use to stage matches if the circus does come to town. It’s unfortunate Brazil wasn’t so quick off the mark.” (SI – Tim Vickery)

Haiti’s Goal

“There have been goals in Benguela, Cabinda, Luanda and Lubango, but no goals are being scored in the Stade Slyvio Cator in Port-au-Prince. Haiti’s goalposts don’t exist anymore. Angolans paused for Haiti before every Quarter Final, the carnage of their own wars against colonialism and as proxies in the Cold War never far from their thoughts. A nation blessed by the curse of geology showing solidarity with their brothers and sisters, torn asunder by the earth’s crust, an ocean apart.” (Football Is Coming Home)

Algeria 0-4 Egypt: Sweet Revenge / How To Lose The Plot Completely

“Sometimes football can throw up the most appropriate of metaphors. A red rag to a bull almost couldn’t describe Egypt’s 4-0 thrashing of Algeria any better, from the suave matador-like performance of the holders to the mad angry rage of the Algerians. And, as if to hammer home the point, Egypt played in red. The bull ring parallels here are perfect.” (Just Football)

Algeria 0 – 4 Egypt“Defending champions Egypt strolled into the final of the African Nations Cup as eight-man Algeria bowed out in ignominious fashion. The game was evenly poised until Rafik Halliche felled Emad Moteab in the box eight minutes before the break, earning a red card for his troubles, and Hosni Abd Rabou converted the spot-kick. Mohamed Zidan added a classy second after 65 minutes before Nadir Belhadj saw red for a horror challenge on Ahmed El Mohamady five minutes later.” (ESPN)

Algeria 0-4 Egypt
“Egypt strolled through to their third successive Africa Cup of Nations final, overcoming Algeria 4-0, with their great rivals finishing with eight men. Hosni Abd Rabou put Egypt ahead from the spot, after Algeria’s Rafik Halliche was sent-off for the foul. Mohamed Zidan doubled the lead, before Mohamed Abdelshafi made it three and Mohamed Gedo completed the rout.” (BBC)

Stone Cold Friday: Why Arsenal Can Do Without Another Striker

“January has to be the most depressing month for football journalists. The pressure to concoct player transfer rumours is so relentless it easily qualifies as working under duress. The suits upstairs are squeezing their Editors chuffers to ensure that they fill news columns and air waves. There’s a very fine line between exclusive breaking news and faecal matter you can only read whilst pinching your nose to avoid the stench.” (A Cultured Left Foot)

DVD review: The Damned United

“David Peace’s work has been a modern day staple of visual adaptations for the past year or so and the author is one of those writers whose books can often be found on the shelves of those who, as The Daily Telegraph might term it, ‘don’t read books’, an explorer of yoof issues to cast alongside Irvine Welsh, Howard Marks and Nicholas Blincoe. In truth, and without wishing to denigrate those authors, Peace’s ambition extends beyond this.” (thetwounfortunates)

Fans on Edge Before African Cup Semifinal

“Just as the general sense of outrage and anger that followed Egypt’s 0-1 loss in a decisive World Cup qualifying match against Algeria was starting to fade, both teams are now set to face each other in the semifinal of the African Cup in Angola on Thursday.” (NYT)

Donny gone (again) – AJ to follow?

“I’m a little disappointed to find myself writing this more than a day after Boro’s astonishing 4-1 away win over Doncaster Rovers. As it turned out, I spent my spare time last night watching the Manchester derby, a thrilling League Cup semi-final (you don’t often get to read those words) that contained just about everything you could want from a football match. Yes, even a charged atmosphere that occasionally spilled over into real loathing. I mean, I hate to see any player getting pelted with coins from the stands, but if you could choose just one individual as a target for your fifty pee… Only joking. Or am I?” (smog-blog)

Sympathy for the devil not enough for Milan

“It was billed as a contest between strength and beauty, substance versus style and whenever that’s the case the public generally side with the latter. And that’s why you should never trust the wisdom of crowds as Inter showed absolutely no difficulty in dispatching Milan, the overwhelming people’s favourites.” (Soccer Lens)

Barcelona’s record-breaking 2009 will be hard to repeat in 2010

“For Real Madrid, the best thing about 2009 was that it did, eventually, draw to a close. For Barcelona, that could be their only complaint. Their task now is to dominate in another year too, to ensure that this is not a one-off, to build a lasting legacy. The cliche says getting to the top is one thing, staying there is even harder; that the second season is even more difficult than the first.” (World Soccer – 1), (2 -Barcelona’s Annus mirabilis will be hard to emulate)

Michael Owen rages against the dying of the light

“Oscar Wilde memorably summed up the climax of The Old Curiosity Shop by remarking that “one would have to have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing”. The modern reader may well have had the same reaction to Michael Owen’s exclusive interview with the Guardian at the weekend.” (WSC)

Gyan goal seals finals berth

“Asamoah Gyan scored the only goal to help a well-organised Ghana book their place in the African Nations Cup final with a battling victory over regional rivals Nigeria. The only goal came midway through the first half when a Kwadwo Asamoah corner caught out the napping Super Eagles defence and the in-form Rennes striker applied the finishing touches.” (ESPN)

Liverpool deflate like a balloon when missing Gerrard and Torres

Capriccio with ancient ruins, Francesco Guardi
“Steven Gerrard was the Footballer of the Year last season, not because he was particularly outstanding but because Liverpool were generally impressive and over the course of his career their captain had been generally excellent. In a season without an obvious, stand-out candidate, in other words, the award went to someone who deserved to win something. It would have been somewhat anomalous, it was felt, for one of the best English players of his generation to be overlooked when the opportunity presented itself to acknowledge his overall contribution.” (Guardian – Paul Wilson)

Steven Gerrard says draw with Wolves proves Liverpool are progressing
“In what is becoming a familiar refrain at Anfield this season, Steven Gerrard has declared Liverpool have “turned a corner” in the wake of the goalless draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Rafael Benítez used the same phrase two months ago only for his team to subsequently regress but Gerrard believes that a fifth consecutive Premier League match without defeat represents genuine proof that Liverpool are moving in the right direction.” (Guardian)

Reds foiled by Wolves
“Liverpool suffered a severe blow to their hopes of securing Champions League football as they were frustrated by Mick McCarthy’s side in a goalless draw at Molineux. The Reds actually moved above Manchester City on goal difference into fifth spot with a share of the spoils but have played two games more.” (ESPN)

Wolves expose sheepishness of Rafael Benitez’s troubled team
“Liverpool may have failed to capitalise last night on an opportunity to move closer to the top four in the Barclays Premier League, but Wolverhampton Wanderers should be kicking themselves for missing out on a deserved victory. Mick McCarthy’s team do retain the fourth place they covet, however — fourth from bottom. Should the West Midlands club manage to build on this encouraging performance, and add greater penetration while lifting themselves for less glamorous occasions such as a trip to Hull City on Saturday, salvation can be theirs.” (TimesOnline)

A Good Defense Isn’t Enough

“The old adage about defenses winning championships is starting to look outdated. Across Europe’s leading football leagues right now, the major title contenders have ditched the defensive mindset traditionally associated with success in favor of a new adventurous line of attack, in which teams are far more interested in scoring goals than preventing them. The result has been a deluge of goals that has delighted supporters and sent statisticians scurrying to check the record books.” (WSJ)