“Ever since I became an addict of football management simulations on the computer I have always taken great pleasure in assigning the appropriate numbers to the players of my inherited team. This unhealthy obsession has unsurprisingly transferred itself over to real life. I find myself getting worked up when a defender is given a number that should be allocated to a forward player or when a player is given a squad number in the high eighties when there are only twenty or so professionals on the wage bill. Perhaps the real reason I am devoting this column space to such a subject is to try and find out if I am alone in the football supporting world or not.” (Just Football)

“James Richardson is joined by Sean Ingle, Rob Smyth and Paul Doyle. On the pod this week: • The team are joined on the phone by Raphael Honigstein to reflect on the death of Robert Enke. • A full World Cup play-off preview. • Brian Oliver drops by to discuss the African World Cup qualifiers and reminisce about the infamous Egypt v Algeria game from 1989. • And Sid Lowe is on the line to preview Spain’s friendly against Argentina.” (Guardian)

“He has won the Champions League, but only one of his last nine fixtures. He still appears adored by many on the Kop, but is derided by still more on messageboards and phone-ins. He is one of the most divisive figures in football. But how many of the criticisms commonly levelled at Rafa Benitez stand up to analysis?” (ESPN)

John Barnes
“An interesting piece here from Matt Slater. Sadly, this isn’t a new piece. In 2004, the BBC wrote a similar piece. The piece said then that one in four football professionals was black yet there were only three black managers. Since the breakthrough players of Viv Anderson, Cyrille Regis, Lawrie Cunningham and so on there have been a number of generations of black players come through the ranks.” (Left Back In the Changing Room)

What we can learn from Rooney, Dan Rooney
“Perhaps the worst row I’ve had in my scribbling career came when a press officer at a Premier League club accused me of racism. We had written a story about whatever issue everybody was talking about that week and buried the launch of an anti-racism rap that had been recorded by a couple of the team’s players. To give that story secondary importance was racist, the PR man claimed. I disagreed and tempers flared.” (BBC)

Super San Siro primed and ready for All Blacks
“San Siro. Or, Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, if you prefer. As it looms into view along Via Patroclo, it makes famed rugby grounds like Ellis Park or Millennium Stadium look more like the local town domain. Eleven concrete towers, all 50m high, loom above the third tier of seating to prop up the distinctive roof of red girders which ominously cuts the skyline.” (NZHerald)

“It often ends in tears and it’s never, ever, easy. Yes, we’re talking about England’s World Cup qualifying campaigns, and we kick off the list with our efforts to get to Spain in 1982…” (midfielddynamo)

“After viewing photographs in The Guardian last week about the greatest number of league grounds that can be seen on a single train trip in Great Britain, the feature got me thinking about my life growing up in Wales.” (EPL Talk)

“France justifiably head into their World Cup qualification play-off against the Republic Of Ireland as favourites, especially given that the second of the two legs takes place in Paris at the Stade de France. But if any supporters of ‘Les Bleus’ who believe that qualification against Giovanni Trapattoni’s side is a foregone conclusion are surely mistaken. And they clearly haven’t paid enough attention to the Republic’s qualifying campaign so far.” (WorldSoccer)

“FC Barcelona hosted Cultural Leonesa on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 in the second leg of the round of 32 of the Spanish Copa del Rey. Barcelona had a 2-0 lead after the first leg and are the overwhelming favorites to advance. Here’s a recap of the match along with video highlights.” (The 90th Minute)

“Apologies for not updating since before the Crystal Palace defeat. Those of you who regularly peer into the bowels of this blog will understand why. As the news of our loss filtered through, following various desperate attempts to find some way to listen to the match without having to subscribe to the decidedly hit and miss service offered by Boro World (like our forwards, it’s frequently unavailable when you really need it), I was at a genuine loss to find anything new to say. I mean, you’ve heard all this stuff before, haven’t you? We lack cutting edge in attack and we struggle to dominate midfield and possession.” (Smog Blog)

“This week the football world was shocked by the suicide of Hannover 96 goalkeeper Robert Enke. Seemingly at the top of his career Enke was firmly established as the first choice stopper at one of Germany’s most respected clubs, and looked the favorite to be his country’s number one heading into the World Cup next summer in South Africa. That was before depression claimed his life after just thirty-two years.” (Pitch Invasion)

“I went down to see young Robin’s art class today. Had to get away from ‘er indoors; she was having another one of her happenings: feminist reclamation of craft, and all that gubbins. Anyway I get down to see Robin and let me tell you, he doesn’t take after his old man! He was really floundering out there, I mean, it’s hard for me to admit this but the boy just isn’t cut out for a life in art.” (The Run of Play)

“The FIFA World Cup 2010 welcomes Chile to South Africa after they qualified in an impressive second place. This will be the first time they have qualified for the finals since 1998 (they were banned from qualifying for 1990 and 1994 after their ‘keeper feigned injury during a qualification match against Brazil). While they have made seven appearances at the World Cup (including the first in 1930) the Chileans have never fared too well. Their best performance was as hosts in 1962 when they made it as far as the semi finals only to be knocked out by the eventual winners Brazil.” (spaotp)

“In recent years, generous tax breaks have been a key factor in encouraging players to move to Spain. But that may be about to change. In 2004, the Spanish government passed a law to lower the tax bracket for high-level ‘foreign executives’ working in the country in an attempt to attract multinational corporations. This law was specifically applicable to non-Spanish residents earning an annual salary of €600,000 (£537,000) or more and therefore included footballers.” (WSC)

“Nate Silver, the baseball analyst-turned-political analyst, has now turned his numerical acumen to soccer, producing a ranking of national teams for ESPN.com. The Soccer Power Index, which is meant to be used to predict match outcomes and will be put to the test at the next World Cup, differs markedly from its competition. Rankings by FIFA, the world soccer governing body, have England seventh in the world, Chile 17th and Uruguay 25th. Silver ranks them at third, eighth, and 10th, respectively. Meanwhile, Italy drops from fourth to 12th in his system, and Croatia from eighth to 19th.” (WSJ)

Ingres, Vergil Reciting from the Aeneid, 1812
“Steven Gerrard’s hotly-disputed second-half penalty rescued a point for Liverpool but did little to lift the pressure on boss Rafael Benitez. It is just one win now in nine matches for the Reds and they must be grateful for the two-week international break which will allow the dust to settle on their faltering season. It had started so well for the hosts with youngster David Ngog firing them into an early lead. But Ecuadorian Christian Benitez’s nodded equaliser and Cameron Jerome’s thunderous 30-yarder had Birmingham ahead at the break.” (ESPN)

Injury problems mount for troubled boss Benitez
“Rafael Benitez will be a relieved man that the international break has finally arrived, hopeful that some of his injured players will return to fitness ahead of a crucial clash against Manchester City at Anfield on November 21.” (ESPN)

Liverpool ride their luck but remain stuck in the mire
“There is no obvious route out of the mire for Liverpool and Rafael Benítez. Even the latest rescue act involving Steven Gerrard was tinged with regret and no shortage of controversy. The Liverpool captain answered his manager’s call and his club’s prayers to return from the groin problem that had sidelined him for the previous four matches and donned his familiar talisman cloak within 25 minutes of his return.” (Guardian)

David Ngog’s ’embarrassing case of cheating’ gets Liverpool a draw
“The Liverpool striker David Ngog was accused of indulging in ‘an embarrassing case of cheating’ last night as a controversial penalty salvaged a draw against Birmingham City but left Rafael Benítez’s team seventh in the Premier League and 11 points behind leaders, Chelsea.” (Guardian)

Benitez calls for ‘realism’ at Liverpool
“Rafael Benitez has for the first time played down Liverpool’s title dreams and asked for “realism” as the club fight to end a run of disastrous results. Liverpool are 11 points behind leaders Chelsea following last night’s 2-2 home draw with Birmingham.” (Independent)

Liverpool striker David Ngog cheated to win penalty, says Birmingham’s Lee Carsley
“Even his manager, Rafael Benitez, admitted referee Peter Walton was “maybe” wrong to award the hosts a spot-kick, which Steven Gerrard converted to cancel out goals from Christian Benitez and Cameron Jerome, while his counterpart, Alex McLeish, and Carsley were left seething by Ngog’s deception.” (Telegraph)

“ESPN ran a story about a recent match between BYU and New Mexico’s women’s teams which has become infamous for the elbows-to-the-ribs and ponytail-yank antics of New Mexico player Elizabeth Lambert. Fans of the sport are groaning, because this is what it takes to get a non-Olympics/World Cup/WPS Final into headlines – replays of bitchslap.” (From a left wing)

Is this the world’s dirtiest female footballer?
“The hair-pulling defender has become an internet sensation after being seen hitting, kicking and, in one instance, pulling an opponent down by her hair during a game against Brigham Young University. When questioned about Lambert’s actions, team coach Kit Vela said: ‘Her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship’.” (Telegraph)

ESPN does an ACTUAL story about the New Mexico/BYU match
“Watch this interview with a local reporter (Jared Lloyd/Desert News) who covered this match. He points out that the “refs allowed” for a “physical game” – and offers a well informed perspective on the tone of the game (explaining New Mexico’s use of a physical style of play to break up BYU’s movement up and down the field).” (From a left wing)

“Reigning champions are FC Porto, who have now won four straight Portuguese titles. Porto have won 24 Portuguese championships overall, second only to the 31 titles won by Benfica. This season, Sporting Braga are the surprise club so far, though the northern club just lost ground Monday to Portuguese giants Benfica, who beat Naval 1 May 1-0, to go even on points with Braga. Braga had defeated Benfica 2-0 on 31st October, so they remain in first, because tie-breakers in Portugal are head-to-head results, not goal difference (like in Spain’s La Liga)….” (billsportsmaps)

“One of the men in charge of European football when the Berlin Wall came down has told World Football the international game suffered as a result. Gerhard Aigner – a German himself – was General Secretary of UEFA on 9 November 1989. He was speaking on World Football’s special programme on Football and the fall of the Berlin Wall.” (BBC)

“Today we present the second in a multipart series of articles focused on some of the financial problems facing football leagues across the world- especially those in smaller countries. By the end of the series it will become clear that many of these financial problems are the result of a century and a half old organizational model that simply cannot cope with the realities of the modern football and the modern financial world. Having highlighted the ways in which this model has increasingly come up short when faced with the unique problems presented by the sporting and financial landscape of the twenty-first century, we will offer a number of possible solutions which will help to ensure the future stability of the game, both on and off the pitch. As always, we here at Avoiding the Drop look forward to your comments, questions, and criticisms.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“This week’s Video Of The Week takes us back to the race for the Second Division title from the 1978/79 season and features three matches from an episode of London Weekend Television’s ‘The Big Match’, presented as ever by Brian Moore. The first match is between from Selhurst Park and is between Crystal Palace and Notts County, the second match is from The Goldstone Ground and is between Brighton & Hove Albion and Blackburn Rovers (about whom Moore says, ‘they’ve already been relegated to the Third Division, so at least they’ll be relaxed) and the final match is from Roker Park, and is between Sunderland and Cardiff City’.” (twohundredpercent)

“It is not difficult to find fault with some of the decisions made in the boardrooms of Manchester United and Liverpool. But the haranguing the clubs have faced for not joining the rest of the Premier League in displaying poppies on their shirts for the weekend fixtures is more disingenuous than the supposed offence. The Daily Mail’s Charles Sale has been applying “poppy pressure” on Premier League clubs this week after only 12 of the division’s 20 clubs announced plans to attach a poppy onto their kits.” (WSC)

“The integrity of football is under severe threat. What other conclusion can be drawn from news revealed by UEFA that it is investigating 40 separate cases of suspected match fixing in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup, its two elite competitions?” (WorldSoccer – Jim Holden)

“Brazil coach Dunga is fiercely loyal to his group of players – which is hardly surprising. When he was appointed after the last World Cup, this novice coach was widely seen as a short-term solution, a poor man’s Luiz Felipe Scolari keeping the seat warm while the real thing was unavailable. Instead of which, Dunga and his band of men have, bar last year’s Olympics, won everything in their path – they have claimed the Copa America, Confederations Cup and finished top of South America’s World Cup qualification table.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

“I’ve always had a book inside me, readers. Whether it’s the spark of a horror novel about someone who survives the trenches of World War One yet continues to be haunted by his memories of friends dying and eating Rat Surprise, a slice of fiction based on a season of Football Manager, or the endless concepts connected with Boro, I’m forever dreaming of fame, fortune and making it onto The South Bank Show before reality kicks in and I remember I work full time.” (Smog Blog)

“It is not difficult to find fault with some of the decisions made in the boardrooms of Manchester United and Liverpool. But the haranguing the clubs have faced for not joining the rest of the Premier League in displaying poppies on their shirts for the weekend fixtures is more disingenuous than the supposed offence. The Daily Mail’s Charles Sale has been applying “poppy pressure” on Premier League clubs this week after only 12 of the division’s 20 clubs announced plans to attach a poppy onto their kits.” (WSC)

“LIVERPOOL will brush off the controversy over England’s top clubs selling naming rights to their stadiums and chase the most expensive naming rights deal in the history of sport. Despite the recession, the Merseyside club’s hierarchy are convinced they can raise a mammoth £250m by persuading a leading global firm to buy the rights to name Liverpool’s proposed ground.” (TimesOnline)

“The Spanish league could very soon lose one of its handiest advantages, an advantage which puts its clubs in pole position in the European transfer market – namely the low tax charges foreign players enjoy in La Liga. This week Spanish football was hit hard with a government decision. A painful blow to all the top clubs and one that has put them all on alert, to the extent that rumours of a potential strike are flying around.” (ESPN)

“The nightmare of Liverpool was always going to provide this week’s most riveting drama in Europe. What we couldn’t know, though, was that it would be put into quite such tortured perspective by somebody else’s dream. Arsenal’s, that is.” (Independent)

“Pedro bagged a brace and Thierry Henry scored his first goal of the season as Barcelona cruised to a routine 4-2 win at home to Mallorca. Barca began the day a point ahead of fierce rivals Real Madrid at the top of the Primera Division. The Catalans took to the field two hours before Madrid’s derby clash at city rivals Atletico, in the knowledge a win would keep them top for another week, regardless of what happened in the capital.” (ESPN)

“Today we present the first in a multipart series of articles focused on some of the financial problems facing football leagues across the world- especially those in smaller countries. By the end of the series it will become clear that many of these financial problems are the result of a century and a half old organizational model that simply cannot cope with the realities of the modern football and the modern financial world. Having highlighted the ways in which this model has increasingly come up short when faced with the unique problems presented by the sporting and financial landscape of the twenty-first century, we will offer a number of possible solutions which will help to ensure the future stability of the game, both on and off the pitch. As always, we here at Avoiding the Drop look forward to your comments, questions, and criticisms.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“So… to review… for Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League round of sixteen one of the following scenarios needs to occur: 1.) Liverpool beat Debrecen AND Lyon beat Fiorentina AND Liverpool beat Fiorentina. 2.) Liverpool beat Debrecen AND Lyon draw with Fiorentina AND Liverpool beat Fiorentina by at least three goals. 3.) Liverpool beat Debrecen AND Fiorentina’s players are abducted by space aliens and replaced with cyborg footballers (this invokes an ancient Uefa rule that states any match influenced by extra-terrestrial involvement is automatically forfeit – see: Wolves v. Martians, 1972).” (EPL Talk)

“We all know about his fancy turn, his penchant for smokes and lollipops, and that something weird happened in the build up to the 1978 World Cup, but what else is their to know about Hendrik Johannes Cruijff ?” (midfielddynamo)

Pieter Bruegel, Peasant Wedding Feast (1567)
“If you’re a Liverpool fan, you’re probably pretty angry right now. You’ve won one game since September (albeit a pretty important one, against Manchester United), qualification to the knockout stage of the Champions League seems extremely improbable right now and you’re sixth in the English Premier League, after finishing second last year. (SI)

“Bolton Chairman Phil Gartside has popped his head above the parapet again. An article in today’s Guardian has once again floated the idea of a two tier Premier League. This would involve the co-opting of the current Cocaleague into the EPL structure, with those Bhoys and Gers from Glasgow added to taste.” (thetwounfortunates)

“Just as the Second World War had started at the beginning of the football season, it ended – in Britain, at least – at what would have been the end of it. It took, however, many years for the country to recover from the end of the fighting, so perhaps it is unsurprising that the Football League was unable to resume fixtures for the start of the 1945/46 season. The FA Cup, however, was a different matter. In the season immediately after the after the cessation of hostilities, The FA Cup was the only show in town.” (twohundredpercent)

“Trainspotting meets football trivia: welcome to the Knowledge’s very own perfect storm of nerdvana. Click here for our all-singing, all dancing interactive map of the route.” (Guardian)

“During Debrecen’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League in September Clive Tyldesley referred to the Hungarian league as “the 35th strongest in Europe”. Given that the 15 or so countries below Hungary in the UEFA co-efficient included Albania, Armenia and Liechtenstein (who don’t even have a league) ‘strength’ is perhaps a misplaced word. Sadder perhaps is that Hungary is by some distance the lowest ranked country on the list to have appeared in a World Cup final. Given this weakness it is perhaps with some irony that September 2009 was anticipated more than almost any month since Hungary last appeared in a World Cup 23 years ago.” (WSC)

“Traditional terrace tipplers still mouthing up their marmite at the news that Newcastle’s St. James’ Park will henceforth be known as sportsdirect.com@St. James’ Park Stadium will be further aghast to learn that Chelsea would consider cashing in on Stamford Bridge. We are not too far off from Ethan Armstrong’s vision here at EPL Talk of sponsored songs and players. While the idea of selling naming rights in England is not new, what with the Emirates Stadium, the KC Stadium, Reebok Stadium and the DW Stadium; the practice is not nearly as common as in the United States, what with Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Pizza Hut Park, the Home Depot Center and virtually every outdoor or indoor facility in the country.” (EPL Talk)

“James Richardson was in the hot seat for our groundbreaking live video edition of the web’s favourite football podcast. He was joined by Barry Glendenning , Rafa Honigstein and Paolo Bandini for a look at the latest Champions League action, as well as a preview of the weekend’s Premier League matches.” (Guardian)

“We should be close to learning the fate of Adam Johnson, and unfortunately it isn’t the news we all wanted to hear. Jinky’s leaving, and after all the talk about Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United, it looks as though his likely destination will be Sunderland. Bloody Sunderland. Yeah, I realise he’s a Mackem, but still. Only joking, of course. If I’m honest, I can’t blame the winger for seeing the Stadium of Light as a better choice than the Riverside. Steve Bruce is doing a fine job up there, putting together a cogent side from all those disparate elements signed in a mad rush by Roy Keane.” (Smog Blog)

“The grand, pillared entrance to the Valeriy Lobanovskiy Stadium in Kiev, with a large image of Lobanovskiy himself resplendent on one side, gives the old stadium a presence far beyond its sub-17,000 capacity. The chill wind from the adjacent Dnipro river is equally foreboding. Old Trafford or the Santiago Bernabéu this is not, but the team from the black-and-blue half of Milan have seemed ill-at-ease at just about any Champions League venues of late.” (ESPN)

“Thanks to the Paulton Rovers site. Thanks to Matthew Bissex Architectural design Limited. Thanks to This Is Somerset.co.uk (set at ‘Lacey living Cup dream’, from 5 November,’09).” (billsportsmaps)

“Cote d’Ivoire secured a place at the World Cup finals in South Africa next year after Didier Drogba struck within two minutes of coming on as a substitute to clinch a 1-1 draw with Malawi on Saturday. The Ivorians, needing only a draw with the bottom-placed team in African qualifying Group E, had to come from behind after the hosts took a surprise 64th minute lead through Jacob Ngwira.” (AllAfrica)

‘Lethal’ Drogba holds key for Chelsea
“Manager Carlo Ancelotti hails striker Didier Drogba as “the best in the world” and Stamford Bridge new chief executive Ron Gourlay believes Chelsea can go on to win the Champions League twice in the next five years. One rings true. The other sounds rather hollow. Ancelotti’s not wrong about Drogba. He holds the key to the United clash.” (BBC)

Paolo Caliari, Persée délivrant Andromède
“A last-minute leveller from Lisandro fired Olympique Lyonnais into the UEFA Champions League knockout stage for the seventh season running, cancelling out Ryan Babel’s superb strike and delivering a major blow to Liverpool FC’s qualifying hopes.” (UEFA)

Liverpool’s Champions League situation a ‘disgrace’, says Pepe Reina
“Pepe Reina has said it is ‘disgraceful’ that Liverpool no longer have their Champions League destiny in their own hands following the 1-1 draw against Lyon. The Premier League side now have to win their final two games and hope the French side take something from their game at Fiorentina.” (Guardian)

Sloppy Liverpool punished as Lyons refuse to roll over
“Just when all those alchemic powers in Europe seemed to have served him once again, Rafael Benitez’s makeshift and ramshackle Liverpool defence was revealed for what it is last night. That it held to together with glue and sticky tape for 90 minutes only compounds the despair he will feel as a second injury-time goal in successive encounters with Lyons sends them all but out of the Champions League. Dreams of Madrid in May are fast being revised to Hamburg, and a Europa League final at best.” (Independent)

Reds’ hearts broken late on
“Liverpool’s hearts were broken by a cruel last-minute equaliser that has all but ended their Champions League dreams for a traumatic season. The much-maligned Ryan Babel had scored a wonderful goal with just seven minutes left and if Liverpool could have hung on to that lead they would still have had a realistic chance of reaching the last 16. But Liverpool’s season has been littered with shattering luck and bitter body blows, as well as beach-ball goals.” (ESPN)

Dirk Kuyt: Liverpool’s Champions League draw with Lyon feels like a defeat
“Liverpool were leading 1-0, thanks to a superb 25-yard strike from Ryan Babel, right up until the dying seconds before Lisandro Lopez snuck through to equalise, sending Lyon into the knockout stages of the Champions League and tipping the Anfield club towards the Europa League of Everton and Fulham. Liverpool are now five points behind second-placed Fiorentina with two rounds of games to play.” (Telegraph

Pepe Reina: Liverpool’s uncertain position in the Champions League is ‘disgraceful’
“Pepe Reina believes it is “disgraceful” that Liverpool’s destiny in the Champions League will not be decided by their own results. The Merseyside club could win their final two matches in group E and not qualify for the knockout stages after they drew 1-1 away to Lyons last night. The French club must avoid defeat against Fiorentina in their next match for Rafael Benitez’s side to stand a chance of qualification and this situation does not sit easily with Reina.” (TimesOnline)

“A day after he played in A.C. Milan’s 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, Clarence Seedorf answered readers’ questions from Milan. This is the the third edition of Seedorf’s monthly discussion with Times readers. You can read earlier discussions here.” (NYT)

“Ten years ago today, when I was still single, I threw a party for about 20 of my friends in my studio apartment. It was November 5th, 1999. On a shoestring budget, I had an assortment of sausage rolls and poppadoms available for people to eat and plenty of bottles of beer to wash the food down.” (EPL Talk)

“Uruguayan club Rampla Juniors embarked on a huge global tour in 1956. Over the course of 71 days they played 24 games in 8 countries. They visited Brazil, Spain, France, Germany, Denmark, Israel, Turkey as well as England. They recorded 11 wins, 6 draws and only 7 defeats, a quite remarkable record given that they averaged a game every 3 days.” (footysphere)

“Having once again upset the odds to claim a creditable goalless draw with FC Barcelona and simultaneously enhance their UEFA Champions League Group F credentials, FC Rubin Kazan forward Aleksandr Bukharov insisted the Russian champions are “not afraid” of competing at Europe’s top table.” (UEFA)

Champions draw blank and face uphill struggle
“Rubin Kazan followed up their shock victory against Barcelona a fortnight ago with a defensive masterclass to leapfrog their Catalan opponents in Champions League Group F ahead of the evening game between Dynamo Kiev and Inter Milan.” (ESPN)

How Did Barca Fare in Russian Test?
“Rubin Kazan has Barcelona’s number. The Russian champion held the European champion to a goalless draw in sub-freezing temperatures in the Tatar capital, a week after upsetting the Blaugrana in Spain.” (NYT)

Zahra777
“Has any other player been so frustratingly brilliant as Zinedine Zidane? The Frenchman kept a quiet private life to his credit, but his transgressions on the pitch alternate between a rap sheet and a rhapsody. His feet could take down a 40 yard pass like a feather, yet in the blink of an eye bludgeon a Saudi player. Genius, yes. But deviant. Devlishly deviant. Zinedine Zidane, known as ‘Zizou,’ the French-born son of Algerian immigrants, plied his trade in France and Italy, making his name at Juventus, where his dizzying roulettes dazzled the catenaccio faithful. And his play for the French (les bleus) captivated a nation and a world.” (futfanatico)

“On the map, I have included a photo of each club’s stadium. If possible, I selected an exterior shot of the stadium, to give a view of the surroundings of each location. Kayserispor’s Kaydar Has Stadyumu is brand new; the photo I used is from last winter, and shows the now-completed structure about three-quarters finished. Here is a photo of the interior of the stadium {click here (TinyPic.com; photo by Serkam Erdogan)}. The stadium will be one of the main assets in Turkey’s bid for hosting a European Championship in the future.” (billsportsmaps)

“The news broke late Friday afternoon. It was the kind of information which, had it emanated from Wall Street, would have been said to move markets. Former Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini had terminated his contract with the club, freeing him to take another job. In a matter of hours, rumors were swirling around those clubs among Europe’s elite with embattled managers, particularly Liverpool (Rafa Benitez) and Real Madrid (Manuel Pellegrini).” (WSJ)

“It’s not what you own, it’s what you’re owed – this is how the balance of power currently lies at the Rangers Football Club. Lloyds Banking Group is owed far more than they own, and they are prepared to take drastic measures to get what they are owed – up to and including administration, if reports of Rangers’ mid-October board meeting are to be relied upon. The immediately subsequent appointment to that board of “corporate recovery specialist” Douglas Muir was the clearest indication that Lloyds wanted their money, about £30m of it, but even those in Scotland who knew that something like financial implosion was coming Rangers’ way weren’t prepared for amount of figures thrown at them recently, concerning the debts and borrowings which have kept them just within touching distance Celtic over the latter part of the decade.” (twohundredpercent)

“Sometimes, when you hear a specific piece of music, the words fail to register in your head. Usually, this is background stuff; you hear it on hold, or it’s in an radio ad you hear a lot, or it’s just so damn catchy that, years later, you’re remembering that damn ‘Garfield-1-2-3-2-3’ jingle that haunted Cleveland for about ten years and wondering how the hell that’s even a phone number.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“‘The crisis of yesterday is the joke of tomorrow,’ HG Wells once wrote. Not that you’d have found anyone at Anfield on Sunday laughing about the previous day’s defeat at Fulham, or players and coaching staff at Real Madrid last week watching footage of the 4-0 defeat at Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey, and sitting around clutching their sides at a defensive performance that lead to arguably the most humiliating result in the club’s history. For the rest of us, of course, the hilarity is there from the start, whether we are laughing at the results, or whether we are laughing at the idea of teams like Liverpool and Real being in ‘crisis’.” (WSC)

“The top two teams from each UEFA Champions League group go into the first knockout round in the spring, with the third-placed clubs to enter the UEFA Europa League Round of 32.” (UEFA)

BillSportsMaps
“Where have all the wonder teams gone? There was a time – perhaps there still is that time – when the Serie A championship was totally dominated by the three superpowers: Internazionale, Milan and Juventus. Not only have this trio won 26 of the last 33 league titles, they have also tended (at least one of them) to utterly dominate the season, home and away.” (WorldSoccer)

“Former Bafana Bafana star striker, Phil ‘Chippa’ Masinga, is confident Carlos Alberto Parreira will turn Bafana Bafana’s fortunes around ahead of the 2010 World Cup finals on home soil next June.” (TimesLive)

Chris Burke (Cardiff City)
“Among the performers who have lit up this burgeoning Championship campaign are some familiar names. Michael Chopra has so far justified every last dime of his weighty fee, Kevin Nolan has buckled down and rehabilitated his reputation as an all purpose midfielder-cum-forward, and Adam Johnson’s sleek skills on the Middlesbrough wing have helped Smogheads forget the injured Stewart Downing. But who are the emerging stars of the league? Which players have burst on the scene and chalked up their greatest achievements this season?” (thetwounfortunates)

“More than a decade before “The Full Monty”, the decline of the city of Sheffield and the effect of the collapse of the city’s steel industry was already well documented. This week’s Video Of The Week goes back to 1984. “Steel City Blues” traces the decline of the city and ties it together with Sheffield Wednesday’s attempts to get back into the First Division for the first time since 1970.”
(twohundredpercent)

“UEFA Champions League comprises of three qualifying rounds, a play-off round, a group stage and four knockout rounds.” (UEFA)