“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)

“Even the proudest of Spaniards had to accept defeat; even the most enthusiastic La Liga cheerleaders were forced to pack away their pompoms. The warm glow of the European Championship success still endured – but the national team was one thing, the nation’s teams quite another. The line-up for the 2008-09 Champions League semi-finals brought Spain crashing back down to earth.” (World Soccer)

“The tangled paths that various football clubs weave across each other don’t come much stranger than the ongoing saga of Accrington Stanley and Oxford United. When Accrington resigned their place in the Football League in controversial circumstances in 1962, Oxford were elected in their place. When Oxford surprisingly fell through the trap door and into the Blue Square Premier in 2006, Accrington were promoted in their place. Now, three years later, Oxford United are top of the Blue Square Premier after an outstanding start to the season and Accrington are staring the financial abyss square in the eye again.” (twohundredpercent)

“This has been a summer of discontent in Scotland as, for the second time in a decade, mayhem hit the Scottish Premier League’s TV sponsorship deal, while the spectre of a financial crisis loomed and the national team’s hopes of World Cup qualification suffered a major blow.” (World Soccer)

“It’s set to be an open season in the Netherlands. Lack of significant investment in new players means Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV could once again struggle to fend off the challenge from the so-called “smaller” clubs. Of course, the big success story last season was AZ Alkmaar. Winning their first title since 1981 came at a price, however, because Louis van Gaal decided his work had been completed and went off to Munich.” (WSC)

“The laws of football now stretch to precisely 140 pages, but our comprehension of them could probably be covered in 140 characters. Football has always been a simple, intuitively understood game, with exceptions to that few and far between. Two spring to mind. The first is the offside law, the bane of pepper pots up and down the land. Though the ever-changing interpretation of offside has caused much confusion, it’s actually a pretty straightforward concept and one that is, at least, exactly defined. The same is not true when it comes to volleys. Depending which watercooler you lurk by, you will find an entirely different comprehension of what constitutes a volley.” (Guardian)

“In the third of a six-part series, Barney Ronay looks at the pioneering managers who brought modern football to Europe, yet remain in obscurity in their own country” (Guardian – Barney Ronay)

“I always resent the start of the football season – it seems indecent that the game of the inflated sphere should resume in August, the rightful month of the sport played with the hard leather ball. We should have a longer sabbatical from the narcissistic excesses of Cristiano Ronaldo, the shadow boxing of belligerent managers, the telephone-number salaries of men who behave louchely in bars.” (FT)

John Thomson diving at the feet of Sam English on 5th September, 1931
“Much has been said about Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva’s dive against Celtic during last Wednesday’s 2nd leg of the Champions League pre-qualifier. One split-second incident has led to questions about Michael Platini’s proposed system of 5 referees, TV technology, retrospective charges and just exactly what is it that constitutes a dive. Ultimately the player has received, as expected, a two-game ban. Is this wise or fair?” (EPL Talk)

“We’ve all been there. You’ve had Football Manager installed on your PC for about a year, you’ve won everything there is to win with Man U/Arsenal/Liverpool/Chelsea, and now you’re thinking about starting a new game with a lower league club. With the amount of takeover talk there is surrounding smaller clubs at the moment, it seems as if the bored millionaires of the world have reached that stage too.” (thetwounfortunates)

“We have all heard of the infamous Bosman ruling of 1995, when the European Court of Justice made a decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of association and direct effect of article 39 of the EC Treaty. The case was an important decision on the free movement of labour and had a profound effect on the transfers of football players within the EU.” (Bleacher Report)

“The transfer window has closed and the final Premier League business has been done until January – so how are those fighting for silverware, solidity or simply survival shaping up? It was a hectic final day without a late Robinho-style blockbuster and now managers must go with what they have got and hope they have assembled the quality and depth of squad to flourish until the turn of the year.” (BBC – Phil McNulty)

“Barcelona began their quest for a second successive league title under Pep Guardiola with a routine 3-0 win over Sporting Gijon in the first round of Primera Liga action at the Nou Camp. First-half goals from Bojan Krkic and Seydou Keita set an under-strength Catalan side on their way and summer signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic grabbed his first for the club late on as Guardiola’s side strolled to a comfortable victory.” (ESPN)

FC Barcelona vs Gijon 3-0 Highlights
(All About FC Barcelona)

Spanish La Liga Season Preview 09/10 – Part 1: The Minnows
“Spain’s La Liga. Best league in the world? If you are judging it on the amount of frenzied anticipation built up amongst football fans around the world, probably. In terms of creating a buzz it has been a pretty damn successful summer for Spain’s top division, with the arrival of some huge, blockbuster names and the forging of so many intriguing new storylines the league is virtually bursting at the seams.” (Just-Football), Part 2: Best Of The Rest (Just-Football), Part 3: The Big Six (Just-Football)

“At dusk in early winter, smoke from coal fires shrouds this bustling black township in a persistent haze resembling volcanic ash. Among slag heaps of the heavily mined East Rand, temperatures are certain to dip below freezing on a clear night toward the end of June. The corrugated-tin dwellings of KwaThema, established in 1951 to house blacks relocated from white areas southeast of Johannesburg, lack heat and electricity. So outdoor fires already have started.” (The Global Game)

Girlie “S’Gelane” Nkosi, Eudy Simelane’s teammate and a lesbian activist, murdered.
“Please read John Turnbull’s story about Eudy Simelane. Turnbull digs a little deeper into the crime reported in The Guardian’s story about the wave of violent attacks on black lesbians in South Africa (these are often referred to as ‘corrective rapes’).” (From A Left Wing)

“After just missing out on last season’s play-offs Dagenham & Redbridge have had a great start to the season and are top of League Two. As with Rushden & Diamonds, the merger of clubs can lead to success. In WSC 242 (April 2007) David Stubbs witnessed the meeting of the mergees in the Conference.” (WSC)

“Last Friday, August 21st, 2009 was in my opinion a small step back for football in this country. The controversial day marked the end of World Soccer Daily, the only daily football talk show in America. The sense of community that I & so many other American European football fans found at WSD will truly be missed.” (EPL Talk)

“Hello there. Nice to be back from the deserts of Arabia, although mentally speaking the whole La Liga thing never really went away. You can attempt a de-tox from Spanish football, but I’m not really sure that it works. Then again, I could have been returning sluggishly to another season in which the image and status of Spanish football had taken another slide backwards, in thrall to the Premier League and even beginning to worry about the Italians. Not a hope of that, thanks largely to Barcelona’s superhuman deeds last season and Florentino Pérez’s one-man mission to re-focus the world’s attention directly onto the Bernabéu and indirectly onto the league in which his latest set of toys are about to play.” (ESPN)

Real Madrid’s new galáctico era has arrived. Well, sort of …
“It didn’t have a whore for a mother, golden goolies or the Almighty in a loincloth, but it would do. For now. For everyone. Two months and over €250m later, Real Madrid’s new galácticos finally made their grand entrance, defeating Deportivo de La Coruña 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabéu. The Second Coming at last came, to a backdrop of cigar smoke and sweltering heat, Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo, satisfying everyone and satisfying no one.” (Guardian)

Cypriots Find Way Into the Richest of Candy Stores
“The great and the good, the richest of the rich of the global game were gathering in this tax haven on Thursday. They came to honor Lionel Messi. He and his Barcelona pals, who won almost everything in Europe and Spain last season, will play here Friday when they take on Shakhtar Donetsk, winner of the UEFA Cup, to decide the European Super Cup.” (NYT)

“Flávio walks into the noisy cantina. It’s Sunday afternoon and the restaurant, located in the centre of one the most traditional Italian neighbourhoods in São Paulo, is absolutely packed. Throughout the month of August, the Bixiga quarter celebrates its Virgin, Our Lady of Achiropita. Every single weekend of this month its trattorias and shops attract a large crowd of Italian descendents and tourists alike.” (ESPN)

“I recall an English club chairman indignantly saying some 20 years ago that the fans were mad if they believed their ticket money paid the players’ wages. It was a classic case of someone knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing. True, in cold, economic terms he might have been correct. Money pours in from other sources – TV rights, sponsorship deals, corporate boxes and so on, but take the fans away from the stadium and all those other revenue streams instantly dry up.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

Albion Rovers vs. Celtic XI
“The question in the title was one that was asked in The Observer this weekend. It is something I’ve blogged about numerous times before. Scotland has done fairly dismally in terms of large tournament qualification and, Old Firm aside, the European qualifiers have consistently shamed the country and denigrated its co-efficient. The endless list of quality players that seemed to come through Scotland came to an end towards 1980.” (Left Back In The Changing Room)

“What Should Be Done About Scottish Football?” – James Hamilton
“This is really a placeholder from which you are to go to Rob Marrs’ post on the failures of Scottish football and their potential futures. But I have four thoughts to add.” (More Than Mind Games)

“If you watch a match this afternoon, take a moment if possible to look into the eyes of your manager. If your team is winning you may think that you see happiness, but it’s not. It’s relief and respite. If your team is losing or drawing you may just get to see a haunted soul. Ironically, given that it is statistically likely that most managers will lose as many games as they win, the life of the football manager is one of surviving from one match to the next. In the most extreme circumstances, one match can lose a manager his job and, in select cases, destroy his reputation.” (twohundredpercent)

“We’ve done England. We’ve done Germany. We’ve done France, Holland, Scotland, and even Azerbaijan. Now that all the money and headline-grabbing starlets are moving to Spain, we are too– in our comprehensive guide to all things La Liga. Apologies to Sid Lowe, who wishes he could be as knowledgeable as we are. Without further ado… viva España!” (unprofessionalfoul)

“Fashion writers like to think that they have their fingers on the ever-changing pulse of the British nation, that they are armed with an intricate understanding and perception of what is hot, not, and what could well turn out to be in the future. And listening to most seasoned observers of said industry, it is fair to say that one trend tends to be permanently listed under the ‘In’ banner. Retro.” (Soccer Lens)

NK Rijeka – Kantrida Stadium, Rijeka, Croatia
“Here is a picture list of soccer stadiums that are located in scenic locations around the world. Click the pictures to enlarge.” (The Best Eleven), (The Best Eleven)

“Liverpool have had, by any stretch of the imagination, a lethargic start to the Premiership season. Already, they’ve lost two games out of the first three and, as every media source has said, that is as many as they lost throughout the last season (although, no bright spark has pointed out that United lost 5 last season and still won the league fairly comfortably. Liverpool’s problem wasn’t losses it was the 11 draws that meant 22 dropped points…).” (Left Back In The Changing Room)

“Thirteen European nations will materialize in South Africa in 2010. Many deservedly so. Only five African nations will join them. We’ll never know what other African qualifiers could have contributed, though I expect after the performances of Africa’s five representatives, demand for a fairer proportion of places in future World Cups will be irresistible and undeniable.” (the other football)

“‘Conscience,’ the great but notably sceptical critic HL Mencken once wrote, “is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking.” Yet the thought that someone, or rather several cameras and a global audience, might be looking didn’t seem to disturb Arsenal’s Eduardo this week when he went down (or, in the words of Arsène Wenger, ‘got out the way of the keeper’) against Celtic and won a penalty that effectively killed Wednesday’s Champions League play-off tie.” (WSC)

“Steven Gerrard responded perfectly to having his early season form questioned by boss Rafael Benitez when he belted Liverpool’s winner at the Reebok. But the visitors were made to fight desperately hard by a Bolton side who were down to 10 men for much of the second period.” (ESPN)

Bolton 2-3 Liverpool FC: Full Time Match Report
“STEVEN Gerrard responded perfectly to having his early season form questioned by boss Rafael Benitez when he belted Liverpool’s winner at the Reebok. But the visitors were made to fight desperately hard by a Bolton side who were down to 10 men for much of the second period. In fact, Gary Megson’s men had been ahead twice through Kevin Davies and Tamir Cohen, and Liverpool only really got on top when Sean Davis was dismissed for a second bookable offence.” (Liverpool Daily Post)

Rafa Benitez may move Steven Gerrard back into midfield to kick-start Liverpool FC’s season
“RAFAEL BENITEZ is considering moving Steven Gerrard back into central midfield as he strives to kickstart both Liverpool and their skipper’s season this afternoon. Benitez’s side travel to pointless Bolton Wanderers aiming to bounce back from the shock 3-1 home defeat against Aston Villa on Monday night.” (Liverpool Daily Post)

Liverpool FC at the ‘must win’ stage already
“IT sounds daft to say it so early in the season but today’s match at Bolton really is a must win game. Two defeats in the first three games isn’t the start any of us were expecting and the players have to put things right. Teams have won the league despite losing five games in recent years but there is now little room for error if we are going to challenge at the top.” (Liverpool Banter)

My Liverpool FC players will show true colours – Rafa Benitez
“THERE has been plenty of soul searching going on at Melwood this week. Manager Rafa Benitez didn’t need to tell his players that they let themselves down during Monday’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.” (Liverpool Echo)

Bolton 2 – 3 Liverpool
“Liverpool twice came from behind to beat a stubborn Bolton side, who had Sean Davis harshly sent off. Kevin Davies put the hosts in front when he tapped in from a corner only for Glen Johnson to equalise with a low shot into the bottom corner.” (BBC)

VIDEO: Bolton 2 – 3 Liverpool
“All the goals from Liverpool’s hard fought victory against ten-man Bolton earlier today.” (Liverpool Kop)

Francesco Guardi
“FC Barcelona won the UEFA Super cup for the third time in history with a 1-0 victory over Shaktar at the Louis II stadium in Monaco. A late Pedro Rodriguez strike in the second half o the extra time was the difference between the two sides.” (All About FC Barcelona)

How Significant is Barca’s Super Cup Victories? “FC Barcelona has added two more silverware with the victories at domestic and European super cup. Some claim this as two more trophies to an already silverware packed last season, whereas some sees this as two more trophies to a bright looking this season; It all depends on how you view it. Last season FC Barcelona comfortably won the Champions League, La Liga and Copa Del Rey title.” (All About FC Barcelona

Pedro, Prince of Monaco (1-0)
“A goal in the nick of time from the Canary Islander in the second half of extra time has handed Barça their third European Super Cup. Now we can talk of a brand new Barça of the Five Cups. 57 years later, Barça can once again boast a ‘Team of the Five Cups’. Like that legendary side led by the great Ladislau Kubala in 1952, Guardiola’s team has won all five tournaments possible in 2009. The Cup, the League, the Champions League and the Super Cups of both Spain and Europe.” (FC Barcelona)

Barcelona 1 – 0 Shakhtar Donetsk (ESPN)

“The UEFA Champions League group stage draw was released on Thursday with a few intriguing matchups. Group C contains Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Marseiile while Group F has defending champions Barcelona and Internazionale (Inter Milan).” (The 90th Minute)

Who will survive Champs League?
“Finally, the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League draw is done and we know who’s playing who and when. I really don’t like predicting who’s going to advance from the group stage, if only because I often get it wrong. (The last time I did this, for the 2007-08 season, I got 11 out of 16, marginally better than a blind monkey picking out of a hat might do).” (SI)

Champions League: Euro dreams will impact home front for Premier League clubs
“Manchester United, who were handed the most awkward draw of the English four, have important domestic fixtures, including collisions with Liverpool and City, following long flights in Europe. Although the English champions missed major opponents like Real Madrid and Inter Milan, Sir Alex Ferguson will not be too amused when casting his eye over the fixture schedule.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)

“Is it too early in the Premier League season for a signpost weekend? By the end of Sunday everyone will have played three games and some four, which metes out to eight percent and 10 percent of the entire 38-game schedule. In the same vein, the average point total to win the league over the last five seasons is 90.4.” (That’s On Point)

“When West Ham drew Millwall in the second round of the Carling Cup, England’s secondary cup competition, there were audible gasps in the Sky Sports studio. Separated by two divisions, West Ham and Millwall rarely come head to head, but their historic rivalry is one of the fiercest in global soccer.” (NYT)

“This is the week Argentine soccer fans usually relish – the days leading to the start of the season. Not this time. It seems that one of the world’s most fanatical soccer countries will have to live without its game. For a few days, a week, a month. Nobody knows. Massive debt, estimated at $182-million (all figures US) for the 20 top-tier clubs, has forced the Argentine Football Association to scrap the Aug. 14 start of the season for all divisions. AFA officials have been scrambling for more than a week for an answer to the crisis.” (National Post)

“As part of Al Jazeera’s Downtown series, our correspondent went back to Luton, north of London, to see how football is giving hope to the community and its economy. Al Jazeera first visited Luton in March. Since then, there has been only bad news for the town known for its international airport and long manufacturing history.” (Al Jazeera)

“Durban’s stadium will be one of the most dazzling in the 2010 World Cup but the brash port’s ambition soars even higher, like the spectacular arch spanning the arena with a view across the Indian Ocean. Intensely competitive with the more famous tourist mecca of Cape Town along the coast, Durban is pulling out all the stops to ensure nobody forgets it when the soccer World Cup is over.” (Reuters)

“Isn’t it exciting when your club makes a new signing? That’s pretty much what the summer transfer window is about – especially in a year like this one when there are no major tournaments. Unfortunately, as an Everton fan, I’ve become used to getting a bit frustrated as we struggle to compete financially with our Premier League rivals and don’t usually manage to bring in any players until late in the window.” (They think it’s all over)

“So we are 3 weeks into the football season. It was a long summer and we were all waiting patiently, and to coin a famous Jimmy Greaves phrase ‘it’s a funny old game’, the first 3 weeks have had EVERYTHING. I cannot remember a more surprising and memorable start to a season.” (unprofessional foul)

“In a little more than a week, we’ll likely know if Argentina is a contender for the 2010 World Cup or a pretender, and a serious risk to miss out on South Africa altogether. Diego Maradona’s squad has little option but to claim all three points on Sept. 5 when it takes on archrival Brazil in a decisive South American qualifier.” (SI)

The summer was all about Real Madrid. The new La Liga season will be too
“Fifty-seven channels and there’s only one thing on: Real Madrid. This summer, Álvaro Negredo became the most expensive footballer in Sevilla’s history, Nilmar became the most expensive player in Villarreal’s history and somehow David Villa didn’t become the most expensive Spanish player in anyone’s history. Instead, Valencia busied themselves getting taken over by a company that got its logo from a kiddies’ colouring-in book and its ‘money’ from a fairytale, ditched them, got rid of the man who sunk them, issued €95m (£83m) worth of new shares and grabbed a lifeline. But no one seemed to notice.” (Guardian)

With Their Minds Possibly on the Fires at Home, Greeks Lose Tamely
“When your home, or that of friends and neighbors is burning, it puts a different perspective on playing sport, even in the Champions League. As Panathinaikos went down 2-0, and without much of a fight in Madrid on Tuesday, the television cameras focused on the extremes. Once again, Atletico Madrid’s victory was adorned with a goal of magical quality from Sergio Agüero.” (NYT)

Platini Wants Teams to Balance the Books or Else
“For at least as long as the global financial crisis has been wreaking havoc on economies and firms around the world, soccer clubs have been struggling with financial problems, many self-inflicted. And now Michel Platini, the president of UEFA, has had enough. European soccer’s governing body has warned teams to get their balance sheets, well, balanced or face a ban from the Champions League. Platini is not just targeting small clubs struggling with debt, but he also appears determined to get big clubs with deep-pocketed owners to operate in the black without incurring obscene debt.” (NYT)

English Premier League: Altidore, ESPN, Liverpool and Spector
“I’ve had multiple column ideas bouncing in my head the last couple days but haven’t been able to focus on one thing. So, to solve this, I’m just going to write about everything.” (Intelligent Soccer)

Pro Vercelli: Comets on Commas
“I spent €125,000,000 on one player during the January transfer window. Meet Alessandro Polenta, 23-year-old Italy left winger, ex of Barcelona, and in my estimation, The Best Player In The World. Here’s Alessandro Polenta’s transfer history, just to give you a sense of the shape his career has taken. He started as a 15-year-old at the youth academy of Novara (technically one of our fiercest rivals, though as they play in Serie C1 it’s been a while since we thought about them).” (Run of Play)

Goya
“The police will be standing there, arriving to arrest those caught on CCTV cameras causing mayhem at Upton Park. So now it is down to the magistrates. Only by properly punishing Tuesday’s trouble-makers, and that means with custodial sentences, can an enduring cancer, albeit one that has been largely undetected in recent years, begin to be excised.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)

British Soccer’s Hooligan Violence Stokes Old Fears
“Hooliganism was a staple of British soccer from the 1960s through the ’80s. Marauding fans wreaked havoc on cities and stadiums across Europe, sometimes with fatal consequences. The Hillsborough Disaster, in which 96 Liverpool fans died in 1989, was the nadir of this period, and all of British soccer.” (WSJ)

Football should not beat itself up over violence
“Say what you like about football; at least the blood is real. And concern about last night’s riots at Upton Park will be authentic too, not just in the corridors of the FA’s new Wembley headquarters but in Downing Street, for the Government are firmly behind England’s bid for the 2018 (or, if that fails, 2022) World Cup.” (Times)

Everyone knew West Ham game was going to kick off
“A certain element smiled when West Ham and Millwall were drawn together, while the rest of football held its head in its hands. When those two teams meet it goes beyond football and the game should not be punching itself on the nose over what happened.”> (Guardian)

“The phrase ‘EPL’ (short for English Premier League) was very nearly included in this post earlier today, because I know English fans often laugh at Americans (or other foreigners) who refer to the Premier League as such. But after thinking it over, I changed my mind. And I want to explain why. So if you’re one of those English fans who snickers when they hear those three letters, then please keep reading.” (The Offside)

Fixtures in the Faroe Islands
“The Faroe Islands have no chance of qualification, but they have as always given a good account of themselves. They may have only secured 1 point in a draw against Austria, but in conceding only 8 goals, they have proven to be viable opposition.” (the other football)

Kenya Wasting a Huge Opportunity Ahead of the 2010 World Cup?
“Kenya needs to get their act together. The country’s had an abundance of problems the past few years. From two competing football leagues to a FIFA suspension, the people running Kenyan football can’t seem to figure out how to make football work in their country. It’s a pity, too. The 2010 World Cup is an economic bonanza waiting to happen. The East African nation could gain financially from teams planning to come to the country to acclimate themselves before proceeding to South Africa for the 2010 finals.” (road to 2010 final)

Match Of The Midweek: West Ham United 3-1 Millwall
“The League Cup Second Round is probably the least inspiring week of the early part of the new season. In front of swathes of empty tip-up seats, youth and reserve team players half-heartedly play out matches that no-one really wants to be involved in. On the pitch tonight, West Ham United won this match. After falling behind to a first half goal, West Ham took until three minutes from what should have been the end of normal time before finding an equaliser before winning the match with two goals in extra time.” (twohundredpercent)

Damn It, United…
“Last season Manchester United rarely looked their team-devouring best. They often struggled against the stubborn brick walls put up by sides they used to rout. They didn’t dominate so much as scrape out the clutch wins. Loads of late goals in tight matches. Loads of slim margins. It wasn’t a season of pure stellar performance, yet points are points and United still won the league.” (EPL Talk)

A Scene from Roman History, c. 1645. Sebastien Bourdon
“Over the years, Spanish La Liga has been one of the top three professional soccer leagues in Europe. It currently stands at a second spot in the UEFA League rankings this year, losing first place to Premier League for next year’s Champions League qualifications. La Liga has also secured 12 Champions League titles, more than any other European league and 12 teams from La Liga have so far participated in the Champions League, higher number than any other European League.” (bleacher report)

“It’s decided: Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s new nickname is ‘Elite Status.’ Is it because he’s one of the most prolific strikers in the world, with 29 goals in 46 games last season, and can do jaw-dropping things like this? Sure, that makes sense. Is it because at a reported $17 million a year, he’s one of soccer’s best-paid players? That, too. Maybe it’s his reputation for an ego befitting his towering 6-foot-5 frame? Why not.” (SI)

“Football is a global sport. Which is one of the reasons we love it so much. But that international appeal is also the reason for many many misunderstandings, leading to football teams being incorrectly labeled outside their native land. And this can drive fans of those teams crazy. I’ve been on both ends of this. I’ve been the fool that irritated both sides of a city by saying ‘Inter Milan’ and AC Milan’, and I’ve been the angry man looking for something to punch when an ESPN commentator referred to my team as ‘the Wolverhampton Wolves’.” (The Offside)

“Bayern Munich boss Louis van Gaal must be regretting a recent interview with top German sports magazine Kicker in which he claimed he felt completely at home in his new workplace: “This club and this city suits me like a warm coat,” went the unusually laid-back line from the ex-Ajax and Barcelona coach.” (WorldSoccer)

“Burnley, playing in its first season in the English Premier League, has already stunned two elite teams. The Clarets, from Lancashire, defeated mighty Manchester United 1-0 last week and followed it with an almost identical victory over struggling Everton over the weekend.” (NYT)