“Rather luckily for FIFA, there seems to be no way of measuring how much the phrase ‘FIFA’ has come to refer to the video game as opposed to world football’s governing body. And yet the story of FIFA the video game franchise is in many ways a celebration of the power of social marketing and the tremendous rewards it can bring to those who dare to innovate. And spend. It is a story that spans two decades.” The Oval Log
“Duisburg beat Kaiserslautern in the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal as Milan Šašić got one over his former employers. Goals from Branimir Bajić and Goran Šukalo in either half saw the second division side beat their top-flight visitors comfortably at the noisy Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena. They’ll now join fellow 2. Bundesliga side Energie Cottbus in the last-four of Germany’s premier cup competition.” Defensive Midfielder
“It’s time for a bit of a non-league round-up (as is our wont at this time of the week), with highlights of three matches from the last couple of weekend’s worth of matches. First up, we’re taking the opportunity to catch up with one of the matches from the weekend of the 15th of January, with the FA Trophy Second Round match between Blyth Spartans. To people of a certain edge, hearing these two names together will send a shiver down the spine. Blyth Spartans, of course, made the Fifth Round of the FA Cup in 1978 and the Quarter-Finals of the FA Trophy in 1980 and 1983 (beating Altrincham on the way).” twohundredpercent
Francesco Totti
“While football fans were purring in appreciation at the dazzling dribbling skills exhibited by French international Jérémy Menez that sealed Roma’s comprehensive 3-0 victory against Cagliari at the weekend, it may have escaped their attention that the giallorossi had stealthily moved into third place in Serie A after winning five of their last six games, which is some comeback after their indifferent start to the season. In fact, it’s beginning to look like this year could be a repeat of last year’s heroics, when Claudio Ranieri’s team staged a remarkable recovery to finish as runners-up to José Mourinho’s all-conquering Inter team, guided by their charismatic captain, Francesco Totti.” Swiss Ramble
“Rebellion in society may be an unusual source for change in football, but after looking at the Dutch ‘Total’ revolution & the Provo movement, Paul Gleeson wonders how a little anarchy might just help the English game” In Bed With Maradona
“Nat Lofthouse, the Lion of Vienna, will be laid to rest in Bolton, England, his hometown, on Wednesday. Thousands will line the streets, just as 23,000 inside the Bolton Wanderers’ stadium Monday night observed a silence in which you could almost hear a heartbeat. People too young to have seen Lofthouse play sobbed during the silence. It was as if he had been a grandfather to all of them — and folks who dismiss history as bunk, or who shy away from sentiment in sports or in life, had no place there.” NYT
“As the economic crisis affects all areas of daily life in the Republic of Ireland, Lee Daly looks at how the football league has suffered and discovers that not everything can be blamed on the politicians.” In Bed With Maradona – 1, In Bed With Maradona – 2
“It would be wonderful to look back at Scottish football in the 1930’s and tell tales of Hearts and Hibs domination or Aberdeen and Motherwell winning the treble, but that’s just not the case. The final table from 1931 looks very much like the table today, Rangers winning the league by two points over their Glasgow rivals. It’s interesting to note, however, that the third team in Scotland’s second city, Partick Thistle, came fourth that year.” The Equaliser
“Say this for David Pearce’s novel The Damned Utd – it was the first really unembarrassed cultural treatment that the national game has ever had. Fever Pitch broke the ground. But Fever Pitch was gauche, blushing, unsure of its reception. It was essentially uncontroversial, and that is what has set The Damned Utd apart: the real hurt and confusion the novel caused, the bad memories it revived, the losses it refreshed. It may have helped cement Brian Clough in his full and proper place in the public life of the country, but The Damned Utd exhumed Don Revie and Revie’s Leeds along the way, and didn’t do the same for them at all.” More Than Mind Games
FCK v Brondby
“For those of you who know both Danny Last and I you can confirm that we are not one and the same person. There has been talk on certain online forums that we are actually multiple personalities of a northern chap called John, who goes to watch Vauxhall Motors with a Tesco carrier bag and a flask of Campbell’s Vegetable broth. But we are not. We are often seen in the same place at the same time, standing on “The Jungle” at the Dripping Pan, or propping up the bar in the Rook Inn. But we do share some of the same philosophies in life and both have a passion to write about it.” The Ball Is Round
“Australia were excellent early on, before a crazy second half saw Uzbekistan collapse completely. Australia coach Holger Osieck named an unchanged side from the one which defeated Iraq in the quarter-finals. Vadim Abramov made various changes to his side, including leaving out Alexander Geynrikh, who didn’t even appear as a substitute. He set his side out in a 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 shape, although with some unusual modifications.” Zonal Marking
“It may seem rather obvious to point this out, but in January 2011 it’s good to be Gerard Piqué. Still just 23 years old, the stylish Spanish center back has won the World Cup, two Champions League titles (with Barcelona and Manchester United) and three league crowns in Spain and England. He was recently named one of the world’s top four defenders in the 2010 FIFA/FIFPro World XI, and his Barcelona team is on course for a historic season in European soccer. Piqué is the rare central defender who has the chance to become a breakout global sports star. He’s good at what he does. He wins. He even scores a few goals. And away from the field he’s a handsome guy who gives interesting interviews in Spanish, Catalan and, yes, English, as I found out when we spoke for half an hour on Tuesday.” SI
“You’ll forgive me if I ramble a little this week, or even if I fail to tickle your interests, but I’ll try. I’ve been in England all week, and have only just come back. I missed the Valencia versus Malaga game on Saturday night (4-3) which sounded like a cracker, but I did manage to take in the Villarreal versus Real Sociedad game on Sunday evening (2-1), which was also very entertaining fare. In midweek, whilst Betis were doing the unthinkable and beating Barcelona, I was eating my takeaway curry and watching the FA Cup replay of Leeds v Arsenal on the hotel telly.” ESPN
“Italy’s current crop of goalkeepers is the envy of many rivals. Adam Digby adds another name to the list, one who has chosen a very different path to success.” In Bed With Maradona
“From BBC/football/blogs, Tim Vickery’s Blog, from 24 Jan., ‘Crunch time for Ronaldo and Corinthians‘. The map page shows the 38 clubs’ locations on the map. Flanking the map, grouped by their countries, are the clubs’ profile boxes. Each club’s profile box includes…home kit; crest; city location; stadium(s), and capacity; how the club qualified; national professional titles (with year of last title); total Copa Libertadores appearances (and how the club fared in their last Copa Liberrtadores appearance); and Copa Libertadores titles (with year of last title).” bill sports maps
“More than eight years after combining to such good effect in South Korea and Japan, the 3 Rs of Brazil’s last World Cup win are now all back at home playing for major clubs. As discussed in this space last week, Ronaldinho has joined Flamengo. On Saturday, Rivaldo was snapped up by Sao Paulo. And, of course, there is Ronaldo at Corinthians.” BBC – Tim Vickery
“And so it began with A Gentleman’s History of the Stanky Legg. An opportunity to use goal celebration dances to learn about ourselves and share some of what we are with our friends around the world. I know, it’s just a game, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be just a game.” Nutmeg Radio
“Before the introduction into European football of ‘registration periods,’ more commonly known as ‘transfer windows,’ you may remember that players could pretty much come and go as they please, right up until the closing weeks of the season. However, times have changed and now, in England specifically, the summer window runs from the last day of the season right up until the 1st September. That’s all well and good; a long summer break to tamper with your squad and attempt, admittedly sometimes in vain, to improve upon the previous season. However, now is January. January in England and across Europe has it’s own mid-season transfer window. The question is why?” EPL Take
“Over Christmas we finally managed to get a game in after the weather decimated the fixture programme. The one game we managed to get to was the local derby between Carshalton Athletic and Sutton United. This wasn’t just a game of local pride, nor was it the chance for the home team to get one over on the league leaders, but it was also the first return to Colston Avenue for a previous legend for the Robins – striker Richard Jolly.” The Ball Is Round
“Between the final days of Platini and the rise of Zidane, French football had only a few truly enigmatic players. Here’s Juliet Jacques on a lost treasure.” In Bed With Maradona
“Arsenal are winning over their doubters – and they are doing it in typical style. Match of the Day pundit and former Liverpool defender, Alan Hansen, has perennially shrugged off Arsenal’s title chances but now sees them as Manchester United’s closest challengers.” Arsenal Column
“António Silva Campos, recently re-elected as President of Rio Ave Futebol Clube, has had a tough season. The loss of Sílvio to Braga and Fábio Faria to Benfica during the summer transfer window left a hole in his back line, one which coach Carlos Brito has largely been unable to plug. Despite possessing plenty of creative threat in Bruno Gama and Yazalde, as well as the Liga’s second most prolific forward (Cahiers du Sport favourite João Tomás), Rio Ave have spent much of 2010/11 hovering in and around the relegation zone.” cahiers du sport
“Chelsea cruised past Bolton with goals from all of their front three, and Ramires’ first for the club. Owen Coyle made two changes. Gretar Steinsson replaced Sam Ricketts at right-back, whilst Martin Petrov came in for Mark Davies. Petrov played on the left, with Matthew Taylor switching to the right.” Zonal Marking
“Blackburn moved into the top half of the Premier League table with a win in a fairly uneventful game. Steve Kean brought in new recruits Jermaine Jones and Roque Santa Cruz, to replace El Hadji Diouf and Ryan Nelsen. Martin Olsson dropped into the defence.” Zonal Marking
The Martyrdom of St Stephen, Annibale Carracci
“Kenny Dalglish picked up his first win in his second spell as Liverpool manager. Mick McCarthy made one change from the side that lost 4-3 to Manchester City last weekend – Karl Henry replaced David Jones in the centre of midfield. Kenny Dalglish also switched one midfielder – out went Jay Spearing, in came Christian Poulsen.” Zonal Marking
Wolves 0 – 3 Liverpool
“Liverpool’s revival under Kenny Dalglish is officially under way after he secured his first win since returning for his second spell as Reds boss with Wolves beaten 3-0 at Molineux.” ESPN
Dalglish reign begins in earnest
“‘It is a massive team,’ the newest convert to Kenny Dalglish’s cause said. Managers invariably appear defensive on the subject of their own signings and Rafa Benitez is no exception. While conceding there were “some mistakes” in his later recruitment, Liverpool’s last-but-one leader conformed to type, suggesting he left an enviable legacy.” ESPN
Liverpool FC Alive Again
“It took Kenny Dalglish just two away games to do what Roy Hodgson failed to achieve in ten: win convincingly away from home in the Premier League. Indeed, as is well known, the Reds only managed a single away victory under Hodgson in the league, and that was via a barely-deserved late winner at Bolton.” Tomkinst Tmes
“Below are MOTD highlights for all the EPL matches on January 22, 2011. The full edition of MOTD (with all highlights together) can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
“Three thoughts after the U.S.’s 1-1 tie against Chile in a matchup of two B-squads in Carson, Calif., on Saturday night…” SI
U.S. vs. Chile instant analysis
“Join SI.com staff and writers (Grant Wahl, Jen Chang, Steve Davis, George Dorhmann and Avi Creditor) for live analysis and discussion of the U.S.men’s national team game against Chile on Saturday.” SI
Thoughts On USA’s 1-1 Draw With Chile On January 22, 2011
“The United States played their first international in several months and here’s a few of my thoughts on it. It was a 1-1 draw with Chile and as usual consisted of young players who have little experience with the National Team.” The 90th Minute
“Leonardo suffered his first defeat as Inter manager as Udinese dominated the majority of the game. Francesco Guidolin made one change from last week’s side which defeated Genoa. Andrea Coda was left out, with Maurizio Domizzi coming in on the left of defence. Leonardo replaced Marco Materazzi with Ivan Cordoba, and Diego Milito’s absence meant Goran Pandev pushed forward, as did Dejan Stankovic, with Thiago Motta returning on the left of the midfield.” Zonal Marking
“Manchester City dominated the game but somehow managed to come away with nothing. Gerard Houllier named a very attack-minded side – Ashley Young, Stewart Downing, Marc Albrighton and Gabriel Agbonlahor all played behind Darren Bent, who made his first start for the club. Carlos Cuellar returned at right-back.” Zonal Marking
“There were few signs of post-Christmas hangovers as Ligue 1 resumed after the winter break, with wins for all the serious title contenders. Leaders Lille immediately hit their stride with a 2-0 win at Nice, before Eden Hazard and Gervinho inspired Rudi Garcia’s side to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat of Nancy in their re-arranged home game on Wednesday to send them four points clear of their title rivals.” Football Further
“Let’s Kick Racism out of Football – January 2011. December was a really good month for us. We had a 100% win record for the month, and the fact that we only played once is not going to take that away from us. Going up to Carlisle for our longest journey of the season and winning meant that it was a great day out.” The Ball Is Round
“Barcelona need a goal. Oleguer, that rare Marxist of a utility player, lumps the ball forward. It drops harmlessly onto the head of Ricardo Carv…actually, no; John Terry’s perennial sense of defensive propriety kicks in, and Barça are back in possession. Our protagonist can’t (yet) bring the ball under his spell, but Andrés Iniesta, a spritely 20-year-old with the hair to prove it, keeps his cool; tempting Terry out of the backline like an anaemic pied piper. A simple pass to Ronaldinho, and the scene is set.” Ghost Goal
“There are times when it dawns on you just how dirt cheap the BBC licence is. It dawned on me most recently when I tried to calculate how much of a refund I would be due for 26 minutes, the length of the Radio 5 Live ‘Monday Night Club’ debate on Uefa’s ‘Financial Fair Play’ (FFP) regulations. To be fair to the BBC, any proper debate on Uefa’s complex but largely common sense regulations would need a full hour at least. However, even in thirty minutes – less the news and travel – I feel I had a right to expect more than this wretched, miserable attempt to address the issues involved. I’d equate the discussion produced by Steve Claridge, Ian McGarry and John Motson on January 17th with a closing time pub discourse but that would do a disservice to the quality of drunken debate.” twohundredpercent
Jamie Carragher
“Following the first two league games of the second Dalglish managerial era, something worrying occurred to me: in both games we had taken the lead, only to subsequently conceded twice and go behind. Don’t panic, this is not a rabid, foaming mouthed ‘DALGLISH OUT’ rant; rather a look at how Liverpool’s defensive record has shifted for the worse overall this season. I don’t profess to have all of the answers as to why, but I’ll share some relevant statistics I have in the aim of encouraging smarter people than me to get to the bottom of it. (While, at the same time, Liverpool’s new coaching and management structure work on addressing the problem.)” Tomkins Times
“In this feature for the ‘My Favourite Goal’ series I’m going to bring you back to an era before the exotic world of Italian football was brought to our screens by James Richardson and the wonderful Football Italia on Channel 4. Italia 90 is widely regarded as the launchpad to the international stage of ‘Calcio’ and my favourite goal catapulted a young Italian with a rather dodgy mullet to worldwide stardom. The 23-year-old Roberto Baggio, who had remained on the sidelines for Italy’s two opening games of the group stages, made his World Cup debut against Czechoslovakia at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome – and, in the 77th minute, with one exquisite display of his talents, he scored a goal that Italian commentator Bruno Pizzul described as ‘a piece of art.’” Ghost Goal
“Out for two weeks with a calf injury and locked in contract negotiations with Barcelona, now seems like a good time to assess the value of Daniel Alves. It’s long been a standard joke – or cliche, if you like – to say that an attacking full-back is “more of a winger than a full-back.” That’s particularly been true of Brazilian full-backs down the years – in recent times, most notably the combination of Cafu and Roberto Carlos, who started the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups in the full-back positions for Brazil.” Zonal Marking
“Ask 100 non Swedes who they think the most famous Swede is and you will get a variety of answers including Bjorn Borg, Abba, Britt Ekland and Alfred Nobel….ask the same question to Swedes and you will almost certainly get one name cropping up that you would not expect – Henrik Larsson. The striker who for so long was a fixture in the Celtic first eleven is idolised in the country, even more so announcing he would spend two seasons with his boyhood club Helsingborgs before he retired.” The Ball Is Round
“The past week has been dominated with rumours of ongoing negotiations for the transfer of Ajax’s Luis Suarez to the Reds. The response to the rumours from fans, whilst generally positive about the prospects of the player joining, has seen a surprising number of demands for the club to pay whatever it takes, seemingly with little or no regard to the value placed upon the player by the club or any potential alternatives which may exist but of which we are not aware.” The Out of Towner
“Manuel Francisco dos Santos (October 28, 1933 – January 20, 1983), known by the nickname ‘Garrincha’ … was a Brazilian football right winger and forward who helped the Brazil national team win the World Cups of 1958 and 1962. He played the majority of his professional career for Brazilian club Botafogo.” Wikipedia, “Goal by Garrincha:” Eduardo Galeano Reads from Soccer in Sun and Shadow, Part Three, YouTube
“A year ago this month, we took a look at ten of the finest films and television shows ever made on the subject of football. In some respects, finding truly excellent programming about the game is more difficult than it is to find absolute rot, but there are some rules that we can apply which help us find our way through the minefield of production companies that want us to watch their offerings. Looking down the list of the great films, you may note that almost all of them are documentaries, with only Jimmy McGovern’s “Hillsborough” and Jack Rosenthal’s “Another Sunday And Sweet FA” making the cut from the section of the archive marked “Fiction”.” twohundredpercent
“It was the only U.S. soccer team America ever truly loved. So how do you even begin to breathe life back into the New York Cosmos without it coming off as a cheap imitation? How do you go about restarting a professional sports franchise with such a loaded name from scratch, anyway?” ESPN
“Footballers are always going to be in the headlines. Late night drinking, kiss-and-tell stories and mega transfers create big news stories. We even have Kenny Dalglish (and most of his extended family) on Twitter. Traditional media has relied on the mutually beneficial relationship between on one side players, clubs and managers and on the other, local and national journalists to publicise (and criticise) in equal measure. The advent of Twitter and other social media platforms has provided novel and more direct channels of communication and interaction.” Tomkins Times
“John Keep takes a look at one of the finest goals in World Cup history. You can follow John on Twitter” Ghost Goal.
“Many of you will have heard the fans of AC Milan on the Curva Sud sing You’ll Never Walk Alone. It’s a more original take on the song than that of other fans who have faithfully echoed our rendition (e.g. at German, Dutch and Scottish grounds). The Milan fans have adapted the song and arranged their own version, turning it into a drum-fuelled, staccato chant. It’s uniquely Italian. Uniquely Milanese.” The Kop
“Before the winter break, the colossal number of draws was beginning to get me down. As we completed the front nine and headed for the turn, the defensive nature of the game had me thinking about the level of quality in the French game, how it may be time to reduce Ligue 1 to eighteen clubs in order to preserve a competitive edge; and looking forward to an easy life of reporting on yet another clutch of goalless draws as all twenty clubs attempted to do their damnedest not to win the title. So what d’you know – round 20 gave us just the one.” In Bed With Maradona
“Leeds were unable to reproduce their heroics of last weekend, as Arsenal progress to the fourth round. Simon Grayson made one change from the first game. Luciano Becchio was out injured, so Billy Paynter came in. Arsene Wenger made three changes from that 1-1 draw – Bacary Sagna and Laurent Koscielny started, whilst Samir Nasri was used in place of Tomas Rosicky.” Zonal Marking
“Andorra versus England was always going to be one of those games that was destined to be a disaster. From the moment the two teams were drawn in teh same qualifying group, 99.9% of the population of the tiny principality (or is it a country?) sandwiched in the mountains between Spain and France, wanted nothing to do with the game, and couldn’t wait to see the game moved elsewhere. That other 0.1%, the Andorran FA only saw cash. Cash that the traveling English fans would bring to the country. Sod the fact their national stadium was in worse shape than Welling United’s (no disrespect Welling) but with a capacity of less than 2,000 it was never going to be played there.” The Ball Is Round
“It has been exactly one year since I traveled 44 hours to Angola to interview Didier Drogba, the Chelsea and Ivory Coast superstar, for a story in Sports Illustrated magazine leading up to last year’s World Cup. He couldn’t have been more accommodating, spending 90 minutes talking to me in his private bungalow on the heavily fortified Ivory Coast team base in Cabinda during the African Cup of Nations.” SI
“Neath 1-1 Llanelli – Welsh Premier League – 18th January 2011. Our Welsh wizard Mark Pitman visits The Gnoll for a local derby on a cold Tuesday night: The Manchester City of the Principality Welsh Premier League welcomed rivals Llanelli to The Gnoll for what would be the second of five successive home games for the noisy neighbours of the top-flights South Wales clubs. Recent signing Matthew Rees, who captained Port Talbot Town in the UEFA Europa League earlier this season, was handed his first start in the all-black colours of the Eagles, but it was the actions of the traditional man in black that would be the subject of controversy at the end of this much-anticipated derby match.” The Ball Is Round
“You may well have come across Rocco Cammisola’s football writing at ITV Sport, In Bed With Maradona or maybe on his blog The Football Express. Oh and Rocco is also a Twitter legend so follow him @RCammisola .. this is his account of the last ever goal in the European Cup Winners’ Cup” Ghost Goal
“By now everyone knows how this match panned out. Both sides made errors that were punished and West Brom claimed the 3 points. However, what went on from a formation point of view and how did that affect the match as the 90 minutes unfolded?” Tangerine Dreaming
“Playing Málaga just after seeing Real Madrid drop two platinum-precious points against Almería could have gone one of two ways for Barcelona. Pep’s Dream Boys could have choked and had their own Primera wobble. Or they could have humped the opportunity to pieces by mauling Málaga. Seeing as this team is strong like some kind of graceful ox-type creature, Barça did the latter. The title is now officially theirs to be lost.” FourFourTwo
Barca Half-Win La Liga As Real Slip…
“After nearly two months of inactivity, the slumbering, blubbery beast that is Spain’s title race momentarily showed signs of life on Sunday night with an effulgent fart and a boisterous burp before rolling over to whack the snooze button and go back to sleep, perhaps to the end of the season if Bar軋’s astonishing form continues.” Foolball 365
“In his introduction to the fiftieth anniversary edition of The Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer engages in an uncharacteristically tender retrospective of the manner in which he originally wrote the book. Looking back at his twenty-four year-old self through the uncompromising mists of time, Mailer highlights the frailties that were present in his early writing and discusses both the strengths and weaknesses of what was his first major work.” Run of Play
“Another tight second city derby ended with a 1-1 draw after an entertaining game. Alex McLeish used a 4-4-1-1 system, giving a debut to David Bentley on the right of midfield. Liam Ridgewell moved into the centre of defence in place of Scott Dann, so David Murphy came in at left-back. Matt Derbyshire started upfront alone.” Zonal Marking
Tottenham 0-0 Manchester United: goalkeepers rarely tested
“A contest that never really took off. Harry Redknapp played the usual 4-4-1-1. Peter Crouch was preferred to Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko, whilst Wilson Palacios got the nod over Jermaine Jenas.” Zonal Marking
“After a couple of weeks off, we’re bringing back our weekly round-up of non-league videos. Yesterday saw the Third Round of the FA Trophy, and our first two matches come from that competition, kicking off with AFC Wimbledon’s match against Woking. Wimbledon dropped two points against Luton Town during the week and were looking to regain a little momentum. Woking may be a division below Wimbledon, but they have won the FA Trophy three times and took Brighton & Hove Albion to a penalty-shoot-out in the First Round of the FA Cup. The second match, meanwhile, is the match between Ashford Town (Middlesex) of the Zamaretto League Division One Central and Dartford of the Blue Square South, a match which saw one of the biggest crowds in recent years at Ashford’s Short Lane.” twohundredpercent
Ronaldinho
“On a Brazilian TV show on Saturday I was asked to explain the success of the English Premier League. The answer that instantly came into my mind was the mixture between the old and the new. Modern ideas – the money and the business practices – have been planted in fertile soil because the tradition of the game – its roots in the world’s first industrial society – is so strong.” BBC – Tim Vickery
“Few people would know that there are actually two teams in Leyton, London E10. Or there was until Friday 14th January 2010. That day could be long etched on the history books for non league football as the day a nail was put in the coffin of Leyton FC.” The Ball Is Round
“After the Lecce corner, Zlatan first ran down a long ball against two defenders, then made a spectacular volley to put Milan up on the road over Lecce.” The Offside
Jan Brueghel the Elder, Harbor Scene with St. Paul’s Departure from Caesarea, 1596
“It was not an entirely happy homecoming for Kenny Dalglish on his first match at Anfield since becoming Liverpool manager for the second time but a draw in an entertaining 215th Merseyside derby represented some progress. The club’s legendary former player went into the game on the back of successive defeats to Manchester United and Blackpool but the result against their closest rivals at least ensured his first point.” ESPN
Dirk Kuyt spot on again as points shared between Liverpool and Everton
“The Kenny Dalglish effect has its limits. Liverpool’s returning hero inspired a vastly improved performance and atmosphere at Anfield this afternoon but not the cherished Merseyside derby victory that would announce his arrival as the script-writers on the Kop had wished. The wait for Dalglish’s first victory as Liverpool manager goes on, and so too David Moyes’s first win for Everton at Anfield since 1999.” Guardian
Match of the Week: Liverpool 2-2 Everton
“Whatever optimism may have been brought about amongst the red half of Liverpool by the appointment of Kenny Dalglish and Liverpool’s performance at Old Trafford last weekend, the fervour quietened just a little during the week at Bloomfield Road, when a performance as insipid as anything seen under Roy Hodgson saw them capitulate to Blackpool for the second time this season. Today, however, is the Merseyside derby – an altogether different kettle of fish and and opportunity to exorcise another of this season’s demons, a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park that was accompanied by a performance as poor as anything that Liverpool supporters have seen in recent years.” twohundredpercent
Liverpool 2-2 Everton (Merseyside derby) – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL (Premier League)
The 90th Minute
“Below are Match Of The Day (MOTD) video highlights for all the EPL matches on January 16, 2011. The full MOTD episode can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
Scissors Kick 