“Once more as we enjoy the plot and intrigue surrounding the league boiling up to a deliciously non-tepid level, the all important momentum is halted by the intervention of a wholly undesired and largely trivial wander into the international arena. That said, the time off gives plenty of time for recruitment and sadly i’m going to have to rule myself out of the running for the Sunderland job; the threat of relegation is simply too great a risk at this stage of my managerial career and I feel the organisation has not sufficiently embraced the modern analytical methods I espouse…” Stats Bomb

“A lot has been made of the rise of counter attacking as a tactic in the Premier League this season, but there is nothing particularly new about it. It is not as if more teams are doing it than before, but it is being highlighted because the likes of West Ham, Leicester and Crystal Palace have had notable successes playing that way. What I think has changed is that more managers understand the need for pace.” BBC

“When playing against a team that sits behind the ball and focuses on maintaining a compact defensive unit, using a target player has its benefits. Many teams will concede that they have inferior levels of playing ability to their opposition and so will see fit to ‘park the bus’. In a compact team, the gaps between each player will be small and so their opponents will find it difficult, not only to play penetrative passes between these gaps but will also struggle to find space to receive the ball between the defensive blocks, i.e between the defensive line and midfield line. One way in which the side in possession can break these lines, however, is by utilizing a target man.” Outside of the Boot

Long ball
In association football (soccer), a long ball is an attempt to move the ball a long distance down the field via a cross, without the intention to pass it to the feet of the receiving player. In Continental Europe the style is called kick and rush. It is a technique that can be especially effective for a team with either fast or tall strikers.^[2] The long ball technique is also a through pass from distance in an effort to get the ball by the defensive line and create a foot race between striker and defender. While often derided as either boring or primitive, it can prove effective where players or weather conditions suit this style; in particular, it is an effective counter-attacking style of play in which some defenders can be caught off-guard. …” Wikipedia

“After weeks of patiently waiting for new information we are now aware of some of the Football Manager 2016 New Features with the game due for release on November 13th. For the first time ever, you will be able to customise the appearance of your manager and see him on the touchline. This will include being able to alter height, clothing colours and upload a profile picture to get an image that looks like you or the real life manager/player that you are looking to emulate.” Squawka

Football Manager 2016 Features, Screenshots & FM16 Videos
“Finally some of the new Football Manager 2016 features have been announced throught out the last day, something I have been eagerly anticipating for a 3 month time. While Football Manager 2016 will be available for PC, MAC and Linux, Sports Interactive have not forgotten about the tablet and mobile users by introducing an all new line up of different Football Manager 2016 versions giving you the chance to play FM16 wherever and whenever – building on the mantra of FM15. New this year is Football Manager Touch 2016 and Football Manager Mobile 2016.” Passion4 (Video)

“When Moussa Sissoko moved to Tyneside from Toulouse in the January of 2013, it was a classic Newcastle United signing. A 23-year-old French international, with bags of potential, signed for a knock down fee with just six months remaining on his contract.” backpagefootball

“Global Soccer Network‘s main target is it to revolutionize the modern day scouting in soccer. Influenced by ‘Moneyball’, Michael Lewis’ international bestseller, they have considered possibilities of how scouting in professional football could become more effective and created their unique rating system, the GSN-Index. We thank Dustin Bottger, CEO of Global Soccer Network, for his time and valuable insight.” Outside of the Boot

“Sporting website The42.ie have published a selection of interesting insights, garnered from a discussion between Paul Fennessy and Cormac Moore about the latter’s new book The Irish Soccer Split, in a piece entitled, ‘Why don’t we have an all-Ireland soccer team and will we ever see one?’  The Irish Football Association (IFA), founded in Belfast in 1880, was, of course, the original football association in Ireland and was, at that time, officially representative of the entire island. It remained the sole national governing body for a period of over forty years.” backpagefootball