“In the tapes he made with John Roberts for his autobiography, Bill Shankly’s voice suddenly leaps to great oratorical heights when the talk moves round to the abject state Liverpool were in when he joined in 1959. The exchange would haunt the Kop as they gather to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Shankly’s arrival during tonight’s home game against Wigan.” (Guardian)

Benni McCarthy
“The thought of the World Cup probably has David Beckham gasping for air. Not just because his recently revealed asthma impairs his ability to breathe, but because England’s second-most capped player ever and proud onetime captain might not make it there. Competition for spots on the England squad is fierce, and no position is as well-covered as Beckham’s out on the right. With at least three strong candidates (Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Theo Walcott) standing a reasonable chance to be deployed there, and several controlling players already certain to make the squad, Beckham has a lot to overcome.” (ESPN)

“Lionel Messi and Pedro Rodriguez shared the limelight as Barcelona hit back from an early deficit against Atlante to progress through to the final of the Club World Cup and stay on track for a remarkable sixth trophy in 2009. Messi had been struggling with an ankle injury prior to the game and started among the replacements but his introduction in the 53rd minute paid immediate dividends as within 60 seconds he had put Barca 2-1 in front.” (ESPN)

“Last week Manchester City came from behind to beat Chelsea by two goals to one and many a football pundit saw that as proof that, despite all the draws and flattering to deceive, the Eastlands Billionaires could be a real threat to the ‘big four’ this season. Thus, after Everton’s injury-decimated side also matched Chelsea with a 3-3 draw yesterday, the same logic could be used to suggest that my beloved Toffees too, could realistically hope to breach the big four this season.” (They Think Its All Over)

“This week’s Video Of The Week takes us back to the 1972/73 (the football season during which, fact fans, I was born) football season, with another episode of ‘Match Of The Seventies’. The 1972/73 season featured a prototype version of the Liverpool team that would go on to rule Europe later on in the decade and in the 1980s pipping Arsenal and Leeds United to the First Division championship, while Sunderland surprised Leeds in the FA Cup final, whilst Spurs won the Football League Cup at Wembley against Norwich City.” (twohundredpercent)

Most over the top pre-match
“In the rare moments when we are not picking up awards here at EFW, we like to dish them out ourselves. Following the relative success of our 2008 ceremony, we had a little think tank here at EFW Towers and decided that we should end the year with a look back on 2009. Why change a winning formula!? So, without further ado, roll up and enjoy the 2009 EFW Awards…” (European Football Weekends)

“Please don’t split on me, but I was moonlighting during the World Cup draw. I had been invited to supply running commentary (read: incoherent ramblings made bearable only by the odd hilarious typo) for another website alongside roughly a dozen other writers from all over the world, including Englishmen exiled in Bangkok and Berlin.” (ESPN)

“The above is not a portrait of a footballer, clearly, but rather the West Indian cricket player Daniel Lara. The painting is by Goan artist Yolanda Sousa Hammermeier. I love it, just for the colors & graphic sensibilities. She’s also done fantastic paintings in response to 2002 World Cup matches. Turns out she made headlines in the late 70s and (very) early 80s as a prolific striker – I came across her name as I was looking for women footballers in Goa, and was thrilled to learn she was also an artist.” (From A Left Wing)

“The Argentine Apertura went down to the final day of matches, and did not involve any of the big-name clubs, and the names of the clubs battling at the top came straight from England. Britons built much of Argentina’s infrastructure (and the trains still run on the left) and planted the seeds of the game.” (NYT – Jack Bell)

“The protagonist glares at himself in a hand-held mirror, snarling then poignantly asking: “who am I?” He then shatters the mirror against the wall and stomps off. The camera fades to black. What is Edgar Davids? A great player – I would argue so. Even if his exact position on the field defies the principles of scientific certainty, the holding/attacking midfielder provided his fair share of probing passes and pulsating tackles. And he also won a few titles.” (futfanatico)

“Last week, we wrote that the six months before the World Cup in South Africa would be filled mostly with banter and speculation, plus a few friendly matches between national teams preparing for the 2010 tournament. Add another match to that list: U.S. Soccer announced a Jan. 23 friendly against fellow Concacaf World Cup participant Honduras at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.” (NYT)

“As we near the end of the year, it is time to take stock and review the state of the game in a rational and moderate way by searching for SCOTLAND’S PLAYER OF THE CENTURY. Yes, let’s take a look back through the first ten years of the millennium and determine who is the player who best represents our very own lost decade. I’ve picked my top ten… so in the memorable words of a kid in my brother’s year at school, “see you dae better”. In the comments, during playtime or after school.” (First Touch Online)

Astronomers Studying an Eclipse, Antoine Caron
“Liverpool suffered their second home embarrassment in five days as Arsenal grabbed a 2-1 victory in a game which was supposed to be a new beginning for the Anfield men. Manager Rafael Benitez had insisted the season started again for his side after their midweek Champions League defeat to Fiorentina. But he did not get his wish even though Liverpool led at the break through Dirk Kuyt and should have had a penalty when William Gallas felled Steven Gerrard.” (ESPN)

Lee Dixon’s analysis of Arsenal’s win at Liverpool
“In the six years I played under Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger I only once saw him lose his rag in the dressing room. Just like Sunday’s game we were 1-0 down to Liverpool at half-time. Wenger came in, threw a cup on the floor and started ranting and raving. The players were all wondering what was going on but the funny thing was he threw the cup and got a reaction, but then, being the nice bloke he is, bent down and picked it up because he had missed the bin.” (BBC)

Rafael Benítez powerless as Liverpool’s emotional energy ebbs away
“When all else failed, Rafael Benítez could cling to the belief that sheer desperation would galvanise his Liverpool team. Their backs against the wall, with the enemy’s knives at their throats and their manager gesticulating from the touchline, his players sprang to life. It was a response that fuelled their famous win against Milan in Istanbul in the spring of 2005 and it was effective against Manchester United as recently as late October. For Benítez the most worrying aspect of defeat by Arsenal was that the emotional energy ran out at half-time.” (Guardian)

Liverpool fall away as Andrey Arshavin re-ignites Arsenal’s charge
“The contest for the Premier League is more of an enigma than a spectacle. A fortnight ago Arsenal were 11 points off the top of the Premier League, with a game in hand, following a jarring 3-0 loss to Chelsea at home. Now the Stamford Bridge club are merely six points in front of Arsène Wenger’s team. It would still be a mistake to speak of resurgence or transformation just yet.” (Guardian)

Benitez calls for Liverpool passion
“An exasperated Rafael Benitez has pleaded with his players to show backbone as Liverpool’s crisis worsens. The Anfield chief witnessed another distressing display as his side lost 2-1 at home to Arsenal, having been ahead at the break on Sunday after a vibrant first-half display. Benitez was clearly shocked by the Liverpool capitulation when a Glen Johnson own goal wiped out Dirk Kuyt’s early goal before Andrey Arshavin cracked a stunning winner and the Anfield men crumbled under the pressure.” (Independent)

Henry Winter: Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas can give a Spanish lesson
“At a time when the Football Association commendably employs more and more skills coaches to teach children the techniques already learnt by their continental counterparts, Sunday’s meeting between Liverpool and Arsenal will highlight the gifts of two special Spaniards. English fans will admire the power of Steven Gerrard and pace of Theo Walcott but it is the subtlety of Torres and Fabregas that could light up Anfield.” (Telegraph)

Jamie Carragher praying for reversal of Liverpool’s fortunes
“Jamie Carragher has admitted he ‘prays to God’ every night to help Liverpool win some silverware this season. The 2-1 defeat by Arsenal at Anfield leaves Liverpool five points adrift of Aston Villa in the fourth Champions League qualification spot, while the FA Cup or the Europa League remain the club’s only realistic chance of winning a trophy.” (TimesOnline)

“A few weeks ago I subtly hinted at a new project that was going to revolutionize the site, bring the planets into harmony, and redeem all the time we’ve wasted on cheap North Korea jokes. It’s still a few weeks away, but I’m toiling away in the background getting all the parts in readiness. Sadly, this means the foreground is going to continue to be a bit sparse for a while, but don’t worry.” (The Run of Play)

Marc-Vivien Foe
“Over the past decade, football has thrown up its fair share of controversy, comedy and tragedy, so here are ten of the decade’s most noteworthy events.” (ESPN)

“One of football’s strongest characteristics – often a blessing, occasionally a curse – is that the best side does not always win. One example of this weekly phenomenon came 10 years ago, when Manchester United met Palmeiras of Brazil in the annual match then played in Japan between the champions of Europe and South America. A moment of Ryan Giggs magic set up the only goal for Roy Keane – one of the very few chances United had. Palmeiras created many more, but the only time they got the ball into the net the goal was disallowed.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

“On Sunday’s BBC 606 Football Phone In, co-host Gabriele Marcotti made an interesting point that I believe Fabio Capello has already considered. Baring match fitness and current form, the starting outfield ten for England will mostly pick themselves for the group stages of next summer’s World Cup, and more importantly for now, the June 12th clash with the U.S.A.” (EPL Take)

“FC BARCELONA defeated RCD ESPANYOL 1-0 with a controversial penalty on Xavi that was converted by IBRAHIMOVIC.” (Spanish Football Sports)

FC Barcelona vs Espanyol Highlights on 12/12/09
(All About FC Barcelona)

“A strange midwinter settles across European soccer. The bigger the club, it seems, the more vulnerable the players to injury or early fatigue. In England on Saturday, Manchester United lost at home against Aston Villa for the first time in a quarter of a century, and Chelsea three times surrendered a lead and could only draw, 3-3, in London against Everton. In Germany, Bayern Munich plays on without its star names Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben, but has just scored nine away goals in four days — four in the Champions League at Juventus and five in the Bundesliga at Bochum on Saturday. Munich is resurgent just as the leading teams Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen are running out of steam in the Bundesliga.” (NYT)

“A short while ago, When Saturday Comes asked readers to nominate their favourite football websites, blogs and Twitter feeds, and January’s issue, released last Wednesday, presents the results. This blog tendered a syndicate of Championship-related blogs, and one of them, Viva Rovers, as relishable as the football Doncaster play, won a Bronze. Ever faithful to our posse of 24, thetwounfortunates was sorry to see no mention of Black & White & Red All Over, BHaPPY, Smog Blog, or Through the seasons before us, good reads all, but the competition was tough.” (thetwounfortunates)

“On Sunday morning, July 11, 1999, I listened to my pastor, down the street from our home in Decatur, Georgia, warn parishioners about the dangers of nationalistic revelry. The occasion was the aftermath of American victory over China the previous afternoon in the Women’s World Cup final. The game finished 0–0, with the United States prevailing 5–4 in the penalty phase. ‘Let’s not forget the Chinese players,’ our pastor said. It was the only time I have heard him, in 13 years, mention soccer within the worship context. ‘The TV cameras did not let us see their faces. What were their players thinking? What were they feeling as they watched all the American flags?’” (The Global Game – July 18, 2009), (The Global Game – 19 July 2009)

“Egypt and Algeria’s World Cup play-off caused the biggest international diplomatic incident sparked by football since the ‘Soccer War’ between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969.” (World Soccer)

Mansour
“On Friday, a glittering draw ceremony in Cape Town will unveil the opening rounds for the African continent’s first FIFA World Cup. When the tournament kicks off on June 11th, it will mark the culmination of a long journey for African nations to take part in sport’s biggest tournament on an equal footing with nations from North and South America, Asia, and Europe, continents which have all previously hosted the Finals. During the build-up to the draw, I thought I’d look at the history of African teams in the tournament, starting with the origins of the World Cup in the 1930s.” Currybet – The thirties, The wilderness years, The seventies, The eighties, The nineties, The noughties and beyond….

“One of my favorite Web site’s is Sports Illustrated’s SI Vault. If you’re not familiar with it, the SI Vault has every article ever published by Sports Illustrated; it’s a heavenly digital oasis for avid sports fans. A few weeks ago, on one of my endless surfing sessions of The Vault, I came across an intriguing feature story on an emerging young American soccer player in Germany named Landon Donovan.” (Intelligent Soccer)

“Fancy going to see the Boca Juniors v River Plate Superclásico in Argentina? Of course you do. It’s the one match every football fan must see before they die. Well, how about seeing that match and then staying on in Argentina to capture loads more fanatical fan behaviour on film before moving onto Brazil, South Korea, Serbia and pretty the rest of the free world watching football – sounds alright doesn’t it!?” (European Football Weekends)

Rivaldo
“The decade has witnessed all manner of great goals and sublime strikes. It may be faintly ridiculous to restrict a selection to ten, but such events demand a nice, neat list. Feel free to add your own favourites at the bottom of the page if they do not appear in this collection.” (ESPN)

“I’m more nervous about this Arsenal match than any other time I’ve awaited Liverpool taking on the Gunners. Well: outside of a European quarterfinal, anyway. It’s the context of this season that has me all wound up. The injuries. The results. The fall from the Champions League. With Liverpool following their best season in nearly two decades and with the series of heartbreaks that defines the current campaign, this match has become bigger than ever.” (EPL Talk)

ESPN – Dec. 12, Dec. 13
ESPN – Dec. 12
ESPN – Dec. 12

“Age in soccer is a funny thing. On the one hand, we’re endlessly bombarded with praise for the latest teen sensation and seemingly every other issue of World Soccer or Four-Four-Two magazine includes a special on ’25 rising stars’. On the other hand, football clubs take great pride in their years of origin – the older the better. A great many teams feature their foundation year in their logo and a large percentage of fans can tell you the year their favorite team was founded. I doubt that more than a tiny percentage of baseball or basketball fans could do the same.” (Pitch Invasion)

“The remarkable thing about Flamengo’s Brazilian national championship success last weekend is not the 17-year wait nor the indian summer enjoyed by 37-year-old Serbian midfielder Dejan Petkovic. The real surprise is that, in Jorge Luís Andrade, the club has a black coach. SporTV pundit Telmo Zanini called it a “landmark” and stated: ‘Hopefully this will become a symbolic day for Brazilian football and help to open doors for black coaches’.” (WSC)

“It’s five years since WSC last handed out any awards to worthy websites. And even then, we didn’t actually hand anything out. These are virtual awards that reflect the cyber-realistic nature of the internet and so will be better appreciated by the keyboard-bound phalanx of dedicated writers who would never desert their terminals just to attend some fancy web awards dinner at the Savoy. Besides, they were fully booked until next Christmas.” (WSC)

“It’s not what you know. It’s not even who you know. It’s what you know about who you know. Jerome Valcke was the embarrassing guy in the specs who got turned all nerdish by the sight of Hollywood actress Charlize Theron at the World Cup draw. The draw was a success simply by not being an unwatchable embarrassment, except for Valcke. The event did, however, go all Eurovision Song Contest on us, although I don’t remember Katie Boyle looking that good (one for the teenagers, there). At Eurovision, the male and female co-presenters would present a chemistry-free comedy double act in what would, usually have been their second and third languages. That much fun. And Valcke, if not Theron, was a dark reminder of those days.” (twohundredpercent)

“As part of our World Cup 2010 build up, we’re getting a little more familiar with each of the 32 teams that qualified for South Africa by looking back at their World Cup history. First up, it’s the Desert Foxes of Algeria. South Africa 2010 will be Algeria’s third World Cup. The team has qualified twice before, in 1982 and 1986. On one of those occasions, they were very possibly robbed. Read on to find out what happened.” (World Cup Blog)

“England will play at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, Green Point Stadium in Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth after being draw in Group C at the World Cup 2010 draw in Cape Town, South Africa on Friday evening.” (Telegraph)

“You missed us. And we appreciate it. We skipped out last time for MLS Cup duty which, of course, left a big hole in all our club-ranking hearts. But seriously, how are we supposed to focus this week? Admit it: We’ve all got World Cup fever. Six months is just far too long to wait. Even looking down this week’s rundown, we’re finding it hard to look at each club objectively. All we see is Barcelona and Real Madrid, each with five Spanish national-teamers, Manchester United with five England players and Chelsea, the grand-daddy of them all so far, with as many as 20 players who likely will play in South Africa next summer — eight of them in the Group of Death alone!” (SI)

“Walter Bahr taught junior high in Philadelphia when he made the United States soccer team for the 1950 World Cup, playing a vital role in one of the sport’s greatest upsets. Team duty paid $100 a week. ‘That was double what I made teaching,’ he said, laughing. As Bahr recalls, he asked for a leave of absence near the end of the school year and was turned down. Finally, school officials relented. ‘I think I had to give up my salary the last few weeks,’ he said.” (NYT)

“If you follow Spanish football at all, chances are you’ve heard of the Pichichi. As an award it holds status as one of the most prestigious individual merits Spanish football has to offer. As a name it rolls off the tongue delightfully. But what is the Pichichi award and what is the history behind it?” (Just Football)

“James Richardson is joined by Jonathan Wilson, James Dart and trusty steed Barry Glendenning to round up the midweek Champions League action. They discuss yet another defeat for Liverpool, a make-shift Manchester United side edging out Wolfsburg and wonder: why all the talk about Michael Owen going to the World Cup when it blatantly isn’t going to happen?” (Guardian)

“What broke Marcel Schuon was his fear of the gun. A middling player in Germany’s second-tier soccer league, Schuon had gambled away everything. He had borrowed from the bank. Built up debts with a dingy betting office. Borrowed more. Gambled more. Lost more.” (NYT)

“Of all the events in contemporary history, it is the soul-shattering military defeat of 1967, when Arab armies lost land to Israel, that some Egyptians have pointed to for comparison as the nation struggles to come to terms with the debacle that followed their loss to Algeria in a soccer game.” (NYT)

“In feverish anticipation of the World Cup, we are going to take a moment and recall, relive, recycle, some of our favorite World Cup moments. These patterns constitute the fabric of the international game, these recurrences form the waves of the World Cup ocean.” (futfanatico)

“Has the Scotland job become the most poisoned chalice in the world? In the wake of George Burley’s inevitable dismissal there has hardly been a queue of recognised coaches desperate to follow in his footsteps. The Hampden chiefs certainly appear to be no closer to finding a successor to former Ipswich and Hearts boss Burley, who was dismissed in November following a string of dismal performances.” (ESPN)

“Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Internazionale, Lyon, Manchester United, Porto, and Real Madrid.” (billsportsmaps)

“While having a drink at a local coffee shop Wednesday evening with Kartik Krishnaiyer, the topic of Graeme Souness came up and what an abysmal football manager he was especially at Newcastle. It got me thinking, though, that just as footballers retire from playing, football managers should be put out to pasture too when they’re obviously inept or past their prime.” (EPL Talk)

“Daniel Alves paid tribute to FC Barcelona’s pass masters after the UEFA Champions League holders negotiated a safe passage to the knockout rounds of the competition.” (UEFA)

Messi free-kick seals top spot
“Lionel Messi’s brilliant late free-kick helped Barcelona recover from a nightmare start to defeat Dynamo Kiev and secure top spot in Group F, while the Ukrainian side waved goodbye to European competition for the season.” (ESPN)

“Liverpool’s miserable Champions League campaign ended in defeat to Fiorentina. The visitors grabbed a late winner through Alberto Gilardino in the second minute of added time to clinch top spot in Group E. Looking at the positives, Liverpool started with Alberto Aquilani at last – and Fernando Torres returned from a groin injury for the final 25 minutes.” (ESPN)

“It was the six minutes that shook the world. It was the six minutes that so stunned AC Milan that Carlo Ancelotti’s devastated players threw away their losers’ medals at the end – much to the delight of the souvenir-hunters among Liverpool’s apprentices.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)

“Remember the old adage, ‘Be careful what you wish for, you may get it?’ The U.S. men’s national team should. With stars like Karim Ziani playing in Europe, Algeria won’t be a pushover.After years of getting the proverbial short end of the World Cup draw, last Friday the Americans received the kind of first-round group that manager Bob Bradley could only dream of. Yet with it comes some uncharted territory. The U.S. is now in the unfamiliar position of being favorites to progress to the second round. Those expectations come with the kind of pressure that they haven’t always coped well with in the past, and closer inspection of their opponents reveals plenty of reasons to be wary.” (ESPN)

“If you’re an England supporter, and despite the best efforts of the likes of Eriksson, McClaren and Barwick, some of us still are, then you will be used to disappointment. In fact, you will have a PhD in it. England are simply masters at falling short. This article celebrates, if that is the right word, 10 of the worst experiences of being English and interested in football. Interestingly we haven’t included anything from between 1953 and 1981, a period which covers the 1970s. This decade was probably the worst ever for the national team yet our failures to qualify for either the 1974 or 1978 World Cups never produced anything as lamentable as this lot. Additionally we haven’t added anything from the Steve McClaren era. It’s still too fresh. Too sore. When an updated version of this appears (or a 20) we will correct this glaring omission.” (midfielddynamo)

“With the draw out of the way, the build-up to the World Cup now begins in earnest. As is the case with any tournament involving England, questions will asked over how well-equipped the South African police are to handle the huge influx of potentially troublesome fans. Plans to bring in “state-of-the-art” water cannons and specially designed train carriages, equipped with their own holding cells and police stations, have already been mooted.” (WSC)

“Just a few months after deep personal problems forced him to quit Italian soccer — and hint at giving up the game altogether — Adriano was the star man as Rio de Janeiro powerhouse Flamengo won the Brazilian Championship for the sixth time on Sunday. At times, the hulking striker looked like an adult who had wandered on to take part in a kids’ game. A decent cross from the byline always gave him a chance to score with a header, and his left foot is a weapon capable of both astonishing strength and surprising subtlety. He finished the tournament tied for the scoring title. But like any striker, he needs a supply line. (SI- Tim Vickery)

“UEFA Champions League comprises of three qualifying rounds, a play-off round, a group stage and four knockout rounds. In matches in the three qualifying rounds and the play-off stage, clubs play two matches against each other on a home and away basis, with the club scoring the greater aggregate of goals qualifying for the next round. In the event of both teams scoring the same number of goals, the team which scores more goals away qualifies.” (UEFA)

“Simon Kuper and Stefan Syzmanski titled the American version of their new book Soccernomics (review is here), but their title for the release in the UK is Why England Lose. In the book, Kuper and Syzmanski identified the US as a rising power in soccer and England as a permanent disappointment to their rabid fans. With all the caveats that their analysis is designed to look at trends over time and not the outcome of one game, the June 12 match-up between the US and England in South Africa will be a mini-test case for their theory.” (EPL Talk)

U.S. vs. England: The View From the Other Side
“On June 12, few people will remember that in a battle between the United States and England, goalkeeper against skilled sniper, Everton versus Tottenham, that Tim Howard stopped Jermain Defoe’s late penalty kick to preserve a 2-2 tie in an English Premier League game.” (NYT)

Five of the best Groups of Death
“The more morbid football fans amongst us use the build-up to the World Cup draw as an excuse to speculate over which teams will comprise the so-called Group of Death. On Friday in Cape Town, that argument was easily settled by a Group G containing five-time champions Brazil, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Ivory Coast, Africa’s finest team. Oh yes, and North Korea.” (ESPN)

“It was a busy week on both sides of the channel as the EPL narrowed to a two horse race and the marauding Spaniards remained neck and neck. Goals, drama, and slack defending abounded as City finally managed to score more goals than an opponent. And quite the opponent it was! Meanwhile, Madrid relied on late magic to beat a mid table side but was happy to stay alive. But why I am telling you this when a picture says so much more?” (futfanatico)

Clarence Seedorf
“On the eve of A.C. Milan’s European Champions League match with F.C. Zurich in Switzerland, and days after his thunderous goal against Sampdoria, midfielder Clarence Seedorf answered New York Times readers’ questions. This is the latest installment in a monthly discussion series with Seedorf. Previous discussions can be found here.” (NYT)

“Ten minutes to five on a hot Rio de Janeiro Sunday afternoon. Flamengo have the chance to win their sixth Brazilian championship after a long and frustrating 17-year drought. They have a two-point lead over three other teams (Internacional de Porto Alegre, São Paulo and Palmeiras) and are to play an apparently easy home match against Gremio.” (ESPN)

“The one thing I hate about the end of the Champions League group stage is the relative lack of drama that seems to surround the final day. It always seems so rare that a big name club might actually not make it to the next round. Sure theres those scenarios where big club A needs a draw or win against a tiny Hungarian side to advance, but those are usually in the bag and not very exciting.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“While football is slowly dying in Gaza, it is thriving on the West Bank. Ribhi Samour scrawled his instructions in exaggerated flourishes on the faded green chalkboard that hung from the wall of the Palestine Stadium’s decrepit dressing room. The coach of Al Shate Sporting Club had gathered his players, all sitting in nervous silence, for one last briefing before the biggest match of the season would decide who would be Gaza’s undisputed champion.”> (World Soccer -James Montague), (2)

“A no-name defender from Almería kicks Lionel Messi. The undersized Argentinian with the brown flowerpot haircut is unhurt, and gets up wearing his usual blank expression. Nonetheless, half the Barcelona team berate the culprit.” (FT – Simon Kuper)

The Bean Eater, Annibale Carracci, 1585
“It’s logical if you think about it. Try to use a parachute as a trampoline and you won’t get very high, and Watford Football Club appear to be the latest ex-Premier Leaguers to have discovered the dangers of life in the Football League Championship without either. Much of Watford’s year-long dalliance with administration, which has finally hit the national headlines, is a familiar tale of football-finance woe. An over-ambitious pantomime villain risks everyone’s money but his own on an unachievable dream and blames fans, press, and global financial crises when it all goes horribly wrong. Then he sods off before the discovery of buried bodies, leaving a successor to pick up the mess and either start the whole process again, after a short honeymoon period of renewed over-ambition, or desperately scrabble around in the hope of skin-of-the-teeth salvation.” (twohundredpercent)

Debt, Debt, Debt
“I wonder what sort of odds you could get on at least one Championship club entering administration before the end of the season? Grim though it may be to speculate, you’d be pretty confident of a return if the current headlines are anything to go by. Only Southampton succumbed last time around, but a cloud of fiscal angst lingers threateningly over a few of our number at the minute. Palace and Watford have both been in the news in the past week, and each club’s fans will be hoping that their cheerless defeats against Doncaster and Newcastle last weekend are not directly related to the media’s ominous chatter. The two clubs, whose potential plight is covered in a decent post on general football blog twohundredpercent, have a bit of breathing space after commendable starts to the season each, but pessimists among their support will no doubt be looking ten points down the table.” (thetwounfortunates)