“The news that Premier League clubs are to face squad restrictions continues a debate that has been going on for years. In WSC 197 (July 2003) Barney Ronay was concened about ever-growing top-flight playing staffs” (WSC)

1930 World Cup Final ball Argentina
“Now is not a particularly good time to be an Argentinian football supporter. Not only have their most loathed opposition – Brazil and England – already qualified for the finals of the 2010 World Cup, but there is a serious likelihood that the Albiceleste themselves might not even qualify for next year’s tournament in South Africa, and coach Diego Maradona is receiving hitherto unprecedented criticism in his home country.” (twohundredpercent)

“Italian football returned from the international break today, and the Saturday evening game took place in Rome, where Lazio hosted Juventus. Both had won their first two games and were looking to preserve their perfect starts. Juventus made most of the early running but the Biancocelesti started to find their feet halfway through the first half. Gianluigi Buffon had to be at his best to parry Aleksandar Kolarov’s drive after a glittering run from the Serb.” (Two Footed Tackle)

“George Burley has been an unfortunate Scotland manager, but also an unconvincing one. Each damning statistic dilutes an initial instinct to be sympathetic to him. Scotland took just one point from a possible 12 against Holland and Norway without scoring a single goal in four games against the two sides who finished above them in Group Nine. Burley should have had greater backing from his players, particularly those who undermined him with their misbehaviour, and his employers at the SFA, who presented him as a “unanimous” appointment but failed to present such a united front when the going got tough. Yet Burley the victim simply doesn’t wash. Ultimately, it is a lack of results rather than any media agenda or the humorous mistakes he makes with players’ names which will lead to his demise.” (TimesOnline)

“Here it is, the first edition of European Soccer’s Top 20, a weekly ranking intended to engage and hopefully amuse. A word of caution before hitting the launch button: This is a subjective ranking based on one person’s opinion — mine. It is not democratic and does not pretend to be. Feel free to disagree, preferably politely. That said, every effort will be made to be fair. There are rough guidelines. The teams in the five top leagues — alphabetically England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain — carry more weight than those in, for example, Portugal, the Netherlands or Turkey.” (Los Angeles Times)

“The interlull would have been fatal, were it not for the successes of England and the USMNT over the past fortnight. Thankfully, my beloved Reds took the opportunity to explode into the headlines the day before the EPL kicks back up again, and as with all things Liverpool, it’s an utterly mixed bag.” (unprofessionalfoul)

“Normally, a massive transfer fee is a good omen for future. Big money means big abilities and this usually translates well. However, this is not always the case – Andriy Shevchenko says hi – and even if the money does ring true, it doesn’t always happen right from the start. But when you put three huge money transfers into one big bowl, one of them should surely flop, right? Not so for the case of this summer’s La Liga boys, who’re already rewarding their employers with plenty of stat sheet fillers.” (The Offside)

 
“Paraguay have qualified. Chile can choke. Ecuador too. Argentina are at home to Peru next. Uruguay have superior goal difference. Venezuela are lurking. Colombia cannot be ruled out just yet.” (the other football)

“I caught my first glimpse of West Brom yesterday, and I was mildly impressed by what I saw. After warming up for my first ever trip to the Hawthorns in the delightfully hoppy Wellington in Birmingham’s centre, I inevitably entered that myopic state where three pints transform a bunch of aimless wastrels into a squad of dynamoes, and my irrational expectation seemed inspired when Jamie Mackie, Argyle’s heart and soul, squeezed a low shot past England’s No. 6 Scott Carson to put the winless Pilgrims ahead for the third successive away game.” (thetwounfortunates)

“I’m still struggling to blog properly due to various things (new flat doesn’t have internet access for starters and won’t have for a few weeks). Firstly, I think this is a pretty clever move from Hibs. Miller probably shouldn’t have moved from Celtic all those years ago as he never really managed to gain a foothold there but he seems like a quality player. I’ve no idea why the Old Firm didn’t make a move for any of these players…. Secondly, and in much more depth, it looks increasingly likely that George Burley will continue in charge of the Scotland national team. Even the noted Graham Spiers is suggesting that we stand by our man.” (Left Back In The Changing Room)

George Utley leads Sheffield United out for the 1915 FA Cup final.
“Sheffield United, led by Ernest Needham, won the First Division championship in the 1897-1898 season. William Foulke only missed one game and the team had the best defensive record in the league and one journalist described Foulke as the ‘greatest goalkeeper in the world’. In a game against Liverpool in November, 1898, George Allan tried to intimidate Foulke. The Liverpool Post reported that ‘Allan charged Foulke in the goalmouth, and the big man, losing his temper, seized him by the leg and turned him upside down.'” (Spartacus)

“Glenn Hoddle tells us about “THAT” Maradona goal during the World Cup Quarter Final, in Mexico ’86. Still makes you want to cry even now!! Glenn Hoddle was speaking at the launch of Championship Manager 2010.” (Channel Bee)

“Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench to seal a 3-0 win for Real Madrid away to Espanyol in La Liga on Saturday, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic provided the inspiration for Barcelona in a 2-0 success at Getafe. Esteban Granero struck to give Real the lead just before the break, Guti made it 2-0 and Ronaldo wrapped up the victory in added time.” (ESPN)

Continuing The Great Start; Getafe-0, Barca-2
“FC Barcalona continued with their excellent start to the season with a 2-0 victory away at the Coliseum Alfonso stadium in Getafe. Goals from Ibrahmovic and Messi took Barca to a not so convincing victory against a tough Getafe side. This victory has taken us to the top of the table and we will be looking to hold onto that top spot no matter what. I may not have predicted the scoreline correctly but I did predict that Ibrahmovic will score in this game; so I got some predictions right.” (All About FC Barcelona)

Ibrahimovic on target again as Barca go top
“Barcelona’s record signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic made it two goals in as many games as the Spanish champions moved to the top of the table with a 2-0 victory at Getafe on Saturday.” (SoccerNews)

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

“On the day The Beatles entered the world of gaming, it was Lennon who took centre stage at Wembley. The boy from Tottenham is getting better all the time, tearing Croatia to pieces with an all-action display as the Capello revolution continues apace. Following the famous win in Germany eight years ago, the chant was: ‘5-1 – even Heskey scored” but the striker went to extraordinary lengths to ensure there would be no repeat of that this time.'” (BBC)

Titian“Slowly, the haze is lifting, the wounds are healing. Liverpool’s woes are well-documented, their early season troubles endlessly picked apart. They may have been written off as title contenders from inside and out, but if their last win, against Bolton, showed their spirit, this destruction of Burnley detailed their class. Rafa Benitez’s side are not yet finished.” (Telegraph)

Aurelio ready to return
“Liverpool expect to have Brazilian full-back Fabio Aurelio back in their squad for the first time this season against Burnley, after his recovery from knee surgery in the summer. Aurelio has played in two practice matches in recent days and will at least be on the bench for the Barclays Premier League match at Anfield.” (ESPN)

Liverpool 4 – 0 Burnley
“A Yossi Benanyoun hat-trick inspired a dominant Liverpool to a comfortable victory over Burnley at Anfield. The midfielder cut inside Graham Alexander and slid in a shot across keeper Brian Jensen for the opener. Jensen could only parry Benayoun’s shot at the end of a swift counter-attack and Dirk Kuyt slotted in the loose ball to extend the Reds’ lead.” (BBC)

Rafa: Yossi is an Example to Others
“Rafa Benitez labelled Yossi Benayoun an example to the rest of his squad after the Israeli struck a hat-trick to sink Burnley on Saturday. Dirk Kuyt was the other scorer in a deserved 4-0 win – but it was Benayoun who Benitez singled out as an example of how those on the fringes can go on to play a crucial role. The No.15 spent the first half of last season on the peripheries but is now a central figure at Anfield.” (Liverpool FC)

Yossi Benayoun overwhelms Burnley with second Liverpool hat-trick
“On the eve of this match, Pepe Reina had described Liverpool’s chances of winning the title as being “unrealistic”. That may be the case but on a sun-kissed day at Anfield, the hosts’ attempts to at least remain contenders this season continued to warm up. Gone here were the horrors of Liverpool’s last league match at home – the 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa – and instead Rafael Benítez’s side displayed the relentlessness and deadliness to suggest they can better last season’s second-place finish. Bar a first-minute strike from Martin Paterson that slide just wide of Reina’s near post, Liverpool were rarely threatened by the visitors.” (Guardian)

“A handful of amateur carpenters, fisherman and laborers, in amongst a few professionals, won a football game yesterday. It wasn’t a big game, or a particularly meaningful one in the grand scheme, but it was an official game, and that’s something. For a tiny island nation of 48,000 it means the first competitive victory since 2001, and one of only a few in their history.” (WorldCupBlog)

Faroe Islands national football team
“The Faroe Islands national football team is the national football team of Faroe Islands and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association. It is considered one of the weakest members of UEFA and has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition.” (Wikipedia), (W – Faroe Islands)

Faroes – Aland 7-1. 1989 Island Games final. 2nd half. “…Bergur Magnussen!!!” (YouTube)

“Eduardo has been sentenced to a 2 game ban for ‘diving.’ UEFA could not write a diving specific prohibition because the offense is too amorphous. Thus, Platini relied on an ambiguous and long unused snippet of statutory text. Technically, Eduardo was convicted of ‘simulation.’ But the legal logistics are not exactly what bothers me.” (futfanatico)

“‘I’m happy. You may not believe it but I’m really happy,’ beamed Brazilian coach Dunga following his side’s 4-2 win over Chile in Salvador on Wednesday night. Dunga, unlike his Argentine counterpart Diego Maradona, should have reasons to be cheerful. World Cup qualification was guaranteed by Brazil’s dismissive defeat of Argentina last weekend and his team are the current Copa America and Confederations Cup holders. But Dunga rarely seems happier than when he is locked in battle with his country’s demanding fans and press corps – and neither side is contemplating a truce in the conflict.” (WSC)

“Here is a picture list of ‘Ugly’ German soccer shirts from the past 20 years or so. As with any ‘Ugly’ shirt post, some of these straddle the fence between being interesting/unique and being plain ugly. If you know of more shirts from Germany that deserve to make the list, let me know and I’ll add them.” (The Best Eleven)

“In the run up to England’s World Cup qualifier with Croatia on Wednesday I was filled with hope that the Three Lions could avenge the nightmare of two years ago and qualify for the World Cup in the process. This though only represented half of my thoughts. I also harboured feelings of dread, images of England once again failing to put in a performance when it mattered and visions of Scott Carson making a nightmarish return to the England team. I was astonished and delighted then to witness a clinical and ruthless England comfortably sweep aside Croatia and cruise towards the World Cup with two games left to play. Does this now mean that England are a genuine hope at the World Cup or am I just hopping on the bandwagon of expectation that rides around every two years at tournament time?” (ThreeMatchBan)

“It is time to take a look as time runs short in the current cycle of World Cup qualifying, with most teams around the world having two games left to play. Rather than going through it region by region, the focus is on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking and how it is most likely to affect World Cup seedings when the draw is held in December. A top seeding in a finals group gives a country a good chance to advance and the best chance to avoid a so-called group of death (FIFA also factors in other criteria, such as a country’s performance in recent World Cups).” (NYT)

“Remember Titi Camara? Of course you do. The former Liverpool and West Ham player is currently manager of his native Guinea, where he has accused the country’s football association of racism because it refuses to pay him €10,000 (£8,800) per month. ‘It’s because I’m black and African,’ reckons Camara. ‘If I were a white European they would have no problem paying me at least that much.'” (Guardian)

Le Nains, Four Figures at Table, 1630s
“England demolished Croatia, 5-1, at Wembley Stadium in London on Wednesday and stormed into next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa after making it eight wins out of eight games in Europe Group 6.” (NYT)

Fabio Capello says England’s World Cup qualification is ‘only first step’
“After qualifying for the finals with a perfect record and two matches to spare England have been installed as third favourites, behind Brazil and Spain, to win the first World Cup to be held in Africa. Capello has overseen a dramatic turnaround in England’s fortunes since he took over in the wake of Steve McClaren’s ill-fated spell as national team manager.” (Telegraph)

Spain qualify for 2010 World Cup
“European champions Spain booked their place at the 2010 World Cup following a 3-0 win over Group Five rivals Estonia. Goals from Cesc Fabregas, Santi Cazorla and Juan Mata handed the Spaniards their eighth win from eight qualifiers played, with two fixtures remaining.” (BBC)

Argentina drop deeper into the mire as Paraguay seal their World Cup spot
“Argentina’s hopes of reaching the World Cup next year took a further knock tonight after losing to Paraguay, whose victory sealed their own passage to South Africa. For Argentina’s coach, Diego Maradona, it was another disappointing night as his side dropped into the play-off positions, with his own position beginning to look increasingly untenable.” (Guardian)

Should Burley stay or go?
“Defeat by the Netherlands at Hampden on Wednesday night was the final blow to Scotland’s World Cup 2010 campaign. George Burley’s team finished third in Group Nine behind the Netherlands and Norway and so failed to stay in the running for a play-off place.” (BBC)

Scotland’s soul-searching begins
“If they gave out medals for breast-beating and soul-searching, Scotland would be kings of the world across the sporting spectrum. Even before the dust had settled on the national team’s wholly predictable 1-0 defeat against the Dutch at Hampden Park, the knives were out, not just for George Burley, but for a variety of SFA officials, including the hapless George Peat, who seems to believe that Scotland’s failure to qualify for next summer’s World Cup starts and ends with Chris Iwelumo. If only it was that simple.” (ESPN)

Cameroon roar into contention
“Cameroon’s dreams of reaching Africa’s first World Cup finals are back on track after beating Gabon 2-1 in a delayed fixture in Yaounde on Wednesday night.” (ESPN)

World Cup Qualifying – UEFA (ESPN)

FIFA

“The decision to release Michael Shields, made by Justice Secretary Jack Straw this morning brings to a close one chapter of a particularly unpleasant incident in the recent history of English football. It has to be said, however, that it opens a completely new one and it must be hoped that this is a story which will not now be brushed under the carpet.” (twohundredpercent)

Now help the other innocent prisoners
“There must be a few hundred prisoners sitting on their bunks in cells at home and abroad today scratching their chins and thinking, ‘Blimey, I wonder if my mum and dad had a quick chat with that Jack Straw and explained exactly how I had been wrongfully convicted, would I be given a free pardon?'” (Guardian)

Liverpool fan Michael Shields thanks Merseyside after Jack Straw’s shock pardon
“A Liverpool football fan jailed for the attempted murder of a Bulgarian barman four years ago today thanked the whole of Merseyside for its support – as Justice Secretary Jack Straw performed a mysterious U-turn and handed him a royal pardon.” (Times)

“How does one go about measuring greatness in football? I mean real, obvious, blatant greatness; that rarest of qualities. Today “greatness” is such a woolly, over-used term that sometimes we lose its meaning and start labeling all sorts of mundane, workaday things as ‘great. The evolution of language has distilled its meaning, reduced its potency, but we still know greatness when we see it.” (SoccerLens)

“After hauling off Sulley Muntari half an hour into a Serie A game with Bari last month, Internazionale manager Jose Mourinho blamed the Ghanaian midfielder’s religious beliefs. ‘Ramadan has not arrived at the ideal moment for a player to play a football match,’ said Mourinho, upset after a poor 1-1 draw for the Italian champions.” (WSC)

“Everton FC chief executive Robert Elstone was the guest as part of the Liverpool Daily Post Business’s live debate on the Business of Football. He was joined by Prof Tom Cannon and sports editor John Thompson in an engaging discussion chaired by business editor Bill Gleeson.” (Liverpool Daily Post)

“What if the legend stops being fact? What if the legend not only stops being fact, but goes on being printed anyway, printed incessantly, at every opportunity, printed and duplicated and reprinted and reduplicated to the point that it becomes an inescapable atmospheric cliché? What if it starts to distort the desire it originally gave expression to? What if it stops even being a legend, and becomes instead a slogan, a logo, a trademark, a campaign?” (Run of Play)

Vicente del Bosque
“All quiet on the Spanish league front this week, with the traditional stop-start beginning to the season dictated by the September wave of World Cup qualifiers. Spain thrashed Belgium 5-0, but that’s hardly news. Nobody expected anything else, but the blip at the hands of the USA back in June seems to have had the desired effect, and the team is looking even more awesome than before. Belgium made their contribution to this, and Spain will have harder games to contemplate in the future, but the balance of the side seemed nigh-on perfect.” (ESPN)

“Barney Ronay of The Guardian is the latest guest on the EPL Talk Podcast to discuss his newest book, The Manager: The Absurd Ascent Of The Most Important Man In Football. Ronay is best known for his appearances on the The Guardian’s Football Weekly Podcast as well as the top writers at the newspaper.” (EPL Talk)

“‘Are you seeing the beaches of South Africa for us?’ a reporter asked Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss after Slovakia’s 2-2 draw in a World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic on Saturday night. Weiss smiled tightly and said, ‘Not yet.’ The reporter may have been a tad misguided about the attraction of the beach in South Africa next June – it will be winter there – but his question was illustrative of the country’s focus on qualify for its first World Cup. Weiss’s answer was realistic. But he, like all of Slovakia, can be more than cautiously optimistic. All Slovakia has to do now is avoid defeat and this tiny nation of 5.5 million, long over-shadowed in everything by former partners the Czechs, can make its World Cup debut.” (NYT)

France/ Roman Empire
“The BBC’s recent pre-season analysis of “Where the Premier League’s players come from” offered a striking picture of the dramatic demographic changes in European soccer over recent decades. Comparing the EPL’s 2009-2010 rosters with the same clubs’ 1989-1990 rosters, I was particularly struck by the influx of African players. The same clubs that today include 44 players born in Africa only included four African born players in 1989—and those four were all white players with family ties to England (Bruce Grobbelaar at Liverpool, Iain Hesford at Hull, Gavin Nebbeling at Fulham, and John Paskin with Wolves). On the surface, this is a tremendous success story for African soccer—but stories of globalization and soccer are always more complicated than what’s on the surface.” (Pitch Invasion)

“There were two Scotland teams on Saturday. In the first half, we saw the befuddled and talentless side that floundered so badly in Amsterdam and Oslo, with Macedonia creating the better chances – such as there were any – before half time. Then, in the 56th minute, a low, awkward cross from Steven Fletcher was headed in, quite brilliantly, by Scotland’s best player, the Celtic midfielder Scott Brown. In an instant, the team were transformed. Once Scotland began playing, they were clearly better than the visitors, their superiority neatly summed up by comparing two similar chances.” (Footballing World)

“So who has been the standout for U.S. Soccer this past year? That’s the question I need to answer, as my ballot arrived just this past week for the Honda Player of Year, voted on annually by the American soccer media. If you had asked me Saturday afternoon, I would’ve said my vote probably was going to U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu, whose dominant performances in World Cup qualifying and, especially, the Confederations Cup, have made him the standout of 2009 and earned him high-profile transfer to AC Milan. I mean, how often does an American land himself a gig at Milan? (Answer: never, before Gooch.)” (SI)

Altidore, Dempsey rally U.S. to comeback win
“The United States is getting good at coming from behind in World Cup qualifiers. The Americans rallied from an early deficit and beat El Salvador 2-1 on Saturday night, moving into prime position to qualify for its sixth straight World Cup.” (SI)

“African countries are looking to profit from another change to the FIFA statutes which has further eased restrictions on players seeking to switch footballing nationality. The age limit at which players had to make a choice has been removed, letting a handful of players claim a new international career.” (WorldSoccer)

“As the Argentina squad drove sadly away from the stadium in Rosario on Saturday night there were no protests from the supporters who were still milling around. Despite the 3-1 defeat by Brazil there was applause and shouts of encouragement. So much for the team bus, but what about the coach? Argentina’s struggle to qualify for next year’s World Cup will inevitably be personalised. It is not just Argentina who are stumbling, it is ‘Diego Maradona’s Argentina’. How much responsibility should the little man bear for his team’s current plight?” (BBC – Tim Vlickery)

“Not everyone has great ideas all the time. That is simply too much to ask. For his genius in science, art, and engineering, DaVinci was a chronic procrastinator. The Spaniards likelwise slept a siesta of a first half – but finally awoke to banish Belguim with inventive buid-up play. Cuidado – la furia roja is back!” (futfanatico)

 
“You might expect to react with amazement at the jaw-dropping hubris of FIFA and UEFA, to laugh at their petty politics or to wonder at the creative geography of their World Cup groupings. So the realisation that statements and actions by both organisations might actually make sense is a strange feeling.” (WSC)

“Albion’s new head coach is a man on a mission, a man of ambition, a man in a hurry. Right man, right time, right place. Timing is all, in football as it is in life. The right job becoming available for the right applicant at the right moment, that takes the precision timing of an expensive wristwatch, every element of the movement synchronised, all falling into place. The world’s finest timepieces come from Switzerland, a nation of peace, tranquillity, a nation of peace, democracy, without conflict for half a millennium.” (First touch online)

“No lie, right now I feel like one of those monkey’s chained to Mr. Burns’typewriter tasked to write the greatest novel ever written. My mind is going a mile a minute following the U.S. National Team’s heart-attack-inducing 2-1 win over El Salvador Saturday night in CONCACAF 2010 qualifying in Sandy, Utah.” (That’s on point)

Annibale Carracci, The Martyrdom of St Stephen
“Brazil became the first South American nation to make it to the World Cup finals as they defeated old enemies Argentina 3-1 in the South American – League Group in Rosario. A brace by Luis Fabiano after a Luisao header opened the scoring helped the five-time world champions book their tickets to travel for South Africa next year.” (ESPN)

Dios Mio! Argentina’s in Trouble
“The United States kept moving methodically toward the World Cup in South Africa, but Argentina’s path took a turn for the worse with a 3-1 loss to Brazil in Rosario on Saturday night.” YouTube – (NYT)

Brazil beat Argentina to qualify
“Brazil booked their place at the 2010 World Cup with a comfortable 3-1 win which further dents Argentina’s hopes of reaching the finals in South Africa. An unmarked Luisao met Elano’s free-kick to head the visitors in front and Luis Fabiano tapped in from close range after Maicon’s shot was spilled.” (BBC)

Maradona out of ideas as Argentina outclassed in clásico
“Where now for Argentina? With less than a minute on the clock, there was an ‘Ole!’ for every pass in the Gigante de Arroyito. Usually reserved for the last five minutes of a thrashing, the crowd in Rosario couldn’t help themselves. Brazil hadn’t touched the ball and Argentina had already created a goal-scoring chance.” (Guardian)

Egypt, Cameroon get vital wins
“Egypt and Cameroon both won away from home to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Cameroon scored two quick goals to beat Gabon 2-0, in what was their first home defeat of the 2010 qualifiers.” (BBC)

Draw leaves Portugal struggling to qualify
“Portugal kept alive their World Cup qualifying hopes on Saturday when they held Group One leaders Denmark to a 1-1 draw thanks to Liedson’s 86th-minute equaliser on his international debut.” (ESPN)

England 2-1 Slovenia
“England warmed up for the crucial World Cup qualifier against Croatia on Wednesday with victory over Slovenia at Wembley. Frank Lampard’s disputed first-half penalty – an award that left the Slovenians complaining bitterly that Wayne Rooney had tumbled too easily under challenge from Bostjan Cesar – put England on course for the win.” (BBC)
Defoe continues scoring streak (ESPN)

Scots World Cup dream still alive
“Today is a day to forget about George Burley. These were the words of the Scotland manager himself in his programme notes before the crucial World Cup qualifier against Macedonia.” (BBC)
Magical McFadden gives Tartan Army reason to be cheerful (Independent)

World Cup 2010 (Guardian)

World Cup (Telegraph)

FIFA – Groups and Standings

Sep. 5 (ESPN)
Sep. 6 (ESPN)

“The ball is passed out to the wing. The winger controls the ball with the outside of his foot and runs towards a full back with a look upon his face that reminds you of a rabbit stuck in front of car headlights. Momentarily, it looks as if the winger can’t remember which leg is which but this is all an act, and he jumps away from the tackle. Approaching the byline, having looked up for no more than a tenth of a second, and crosses.” (twohundredpercent)

“International press conferences at the best of times tend to be mundane, by the numbers affairs filled with platitudes by the key figures within the national side. Not much changes when it comes to conferences prior to World Cup qualifiers, or even the finals itself, but within the words always lies a common train of thought: There are few, if any greater honours in football than representing your country at the World Cup.” (SoccerLens)

“NB: for the purposes of this article, we have gone with the same definition of a volley as suggested in this piece: namely that a volley is only a volley when it does not touch the floor between the previous player touching the ball and the ball being struck at goal (it does not matter how many touches the striker has). No, we are not naïve enough to expect all comments to adhere to this definition.” (Guardian)

“Meta: I’ll be away until Monday, which is really quite handy given the transfer window’s just closed and it’s an international break. I will miss the three-year anniversary of this blog tomorrow, but that’s no great shakes. Here’s a book review to hold you over. Don’t break anything.” (oh you beauty)

Why England Lose by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski
“And now we have Why England Lose, a self-conscious attempt to write the Moneyball of football. If anyone can do it, it ought to be these two authors – Szymanski has recently published the best introduction to sports economics, Playbooks and Checkbooks, while Kuper is probably the smartest of the new generation of super-smart sportswriters. Unfortunately, their new book is a bit of a mess. It shows that doing a Moneyball is not as easy as it looks.” (Guardian)

Book Review: Why England Lose
“During this period of transfer window gossip and rumour, it is encouraging that there are those who are thinking deeply about the ‘Beautiful Game,’ to shatter some of the myths we hear daily. Simon Kuper (author of the excellent ‘Football Against The Enemy’) and sports economist Szymanski, delve about as far as is possible from the ‘will-he-won’t-he’ type journalism we are served up every day, to analyse a number of major talking points.” (101 Great Goals)

“The figure on the training pitch refereeing a practice match from the centre circle is very familiar. He is just rounder than when we last saw him. Diego Maradona has put on weight in his ten months as coach of Argentina and it is a jowly, slightly Teletubbyish character who eventually speaks.” (TimesOnline)

“Sorry for letting this blog rot away in the late August sun for so many weeks. Other work took over and left some time but not much energy to spend on other things. But the team blogs have been bursting with energy all the more at the same time and a few more came back to life, so I guess there were still enough places on The Offside for Bundesliga related updates. With a couple of lazy days during the international week coming up, it’s time to take a look at how season number 47 of the Bundesliga is shaping up so far.” (The Offside)

“When Jamaican referee Courtney Campbell whistled for the end of the World Cup qualifying match against USA, 110 million Mexicans could breathe a huge sigh of relief. The victory against their arch-rivals, the second in less than a month, meant survival in the final qualifying round on the road to South Africa 2010 but, above all, it allowed the football-crazy nation to watch their national team with pride for the first time in two years.” (World Soccer)

“No sooner is Three to See back for the season on Just-Football.com than we are rudely interrupted by the distraction of an international break in the fixture calendar. Well, not to worry; there are some intriguing fixtures lined up this weekend nevertheless as the road to the 2010 World Cup heats up. Here are 3 games we recommend tuning in for…” (Just-Football)

“Chelsea, one of the richest clubs in world soccer, was barred Thursday from registering any new player between now and January 2011. This judgment, if it sticks, will critically damage Chelsea’s ability to compete in the sport. It means that Carlo Ancelotti, who two months ago left A.C. Milan to become the new Chelsea coach, will not be able to shape the team. And it puts an unprecedented obstacle in the way of the London team, whose Russian owner, Roman Abramovich, has spent a billion dollars trying, so far in vain, to win the Champions League.” (NYT)

FIFA Gives Chelsea 1-Year Transfer Ban
“Chelsea was banned from signing any new players for a year because it encouraged a teenager to break his contract with a French team and sign with the English soccer power.” (NYT)

“I said yesterday (checks: no, make that earlier today) ‘whatever happened to Scottish football started happening in the mid-to-late seventies.’ Here’s this to bear me out, from Harry Reid’s marvellous The Final Whistle?” (More Than Mind Games)

“It’s a cruel twist of scheduling fate that after two weeks or so of club soccer (or only one week, if you’re a fan of La Liga) everybody decides to take the weekend off for an international break. Nevertheless, the interlull still represents something we’d have killed for only a month ago: competitive soccer matches that actually matter. The fact that they aren’t the competitive matches we were hoping for is unfortunate, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the best of a bad situation.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“Deadly, lethal, prolific — just a few adjectives often used to describe Team Limey’s nightclub performances on a Saturday night. Back in the real world, these are apt descriptions of the elite goal-scorers discussed in this week’s column. More specifically, we’re looking at who we think will be donning the Golden Boot as the English Premier League’s top scorer this season.” (SI)

“Amongst the other internationals, one fixture stands out in the footballing world this Saturday. Just after nine in the evening local time, Argentina host Brazil in a match Diego Maradona’s home side can’t afford to lose if they’re to avoid – at the very least – giving fans palpitations over their qualification prospects.” (ESPN)

“The last week has been a revelation for Arsenal fans, the ugly side of football baring its teeth. Conventional wisdom suggests that you should never under-estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers. The media and the football establishment have succeeded in justifying this theory.” (A Cultured Left Foot)

Domenico Zampieri, Landscape with Figures
“Thankfully no one has had to endure watching Tim Wonnacott during this transfer window, but teams have ended their bargain hunting, with varying success. Manchester City will draw interested if sceptical gazes from Wonnacott as he surveys their expensive trolley full, but will they be successful when it all goes to auction though?” (Three Match Ban)

“Since the dawn of time man has wrestled with this impossible conundrum. And following the glorious football that has generally been on display in Euro 2008 a lot of people are wondering where it stands in the pantheon of great tournaments. Coupled with this excellent Guardian blog and some terrific contributions from posters, it’s got us here at MD Towers thinking. Is it possible to assess which are the best and worst major tournaments? The simple answer is no. So here goes.” (midfielddynamo)

 
“Every club has one. That vital cog that keeps the team wheels turning. With the season in its infancy, supporters up and down the land are still harbouring dreams of glory (or at the very least over achievement, given that short of a billionaire Sheikh turning up on your doorstep, thoughts of the title are confined to a privileged few these days).” (SoccerLens)

“Yesterday’s transfer extravaganza has been likened in some quarters to rooting around in a dustbin, and the flurry of deals makes you wonder what the assorted gaffers have been doing all summer. Of course the bloated, inelegant Premier League was the focus of the more tawdry barterings, but several clubs a notch down were also in desperate mood. Nowhere has this been more the case than at the Madejski Stadium, with the door set in a permanent swing. How do the incomers and outcomers promise to shape up in their new homes?” (thetwounfortunates)

“Fabio Capello has got his England squad together and in training for the upcoming international matches, a friendly against Slovenia and what could be a decisive World Cup Qualifier against Croatia. Injuries to Rio Ferdinand and knocks to John Terry and Wes Brown will cause him some concern, but centre back is a position in which England are currently very strong, with Lescott and Upson able deputies while Bolton’s Gary Cahill has been called up as very capable cover.” (They think its all over)