“The journey from Stockport was pleasant with football fans mixed in amongst normal travellers. The mood on the train was relaxed; close your eyes and you wouldn’t know there were football fans travelling to watch their team play. This was match day 70 of my season and it stands out as being the first time this season that I’ve been filmed by the police.” Gannin’ Away
“Mark Pitman on what England could learn from their upcoming opponents about dealing with the captaincy.” In Bed With Maradona
“Wolfie Smith…The most lovable revolutionary in history, leader of the Tooting Popular Front. Mitcham. Named after Robert Mitchum in honour of his fine performance in the 1944 film Mr Winkle goes to War. Put them both together and what do you have? A united front, in fact a Tooting & Mitcham United. It is amazing how the longer I write, the more tenuous my introductions can get.” The Balls Is Round
“On March 25th 1889 nineteen clubs from across the north east of England met in the Three Tuns Hotel in Durham City. The meeting had been organised by Charles Craven, a goalkeeper with Darlington FC, who duly took their place as one of the ten founding members of the Northern League. What is now renowned as the world’s second oldest surviving football league got underway on September 7th, Darlington travelling to Newcastle East End in the first round of fixtures. Darlington St Augustine’s won the inaugural title with twenty-six points, edging Newcastle West End on goal difference. A team called Middlesbrough finished sixth that season, just ahead of South Bank.” In Bed With Maradona
“Despite an alpine outlook, football remains the most popular sport in Sweden. Most of the focus is on the Allsvenskan, the top flight which runs from Spring until late Autumn, with the winter months being dominated by coverage of the English Premier League. Stuart Fuller tells us all about life in the Swedish lower leagues.” The Seventy Two
“There are many aspects of this season’s Premier League that have made it one of the least predictable for a long time, not least the battle to avoid relegation, which is shaping up for a thrilling finale. Despite memorable home victories against reigning champions Chelsea and league leaders Manchester United, Wolverhampton Wanderers find themselves firmly ensconced in this struggle.” The Swiss Ramble
“Who’d be a top level referee? Abuse from players, fans & managers, constantly in the spotlight & every decision subject to trial by television. Here’s Jon Allison.” In Bed With Maradona
“This past Monday, a day after Stoke City qualified for the FA Cup semifinals, the morning headlines suggested that the team was set to travel to Wembley for the first time in 39 years. That figure is incorrect. In 2000, the Potters played at the old Wembley Stadium in the Auto Windscreens Shield Final, where they beat Bristol City 2-1.” ESPN
“It’s a slightly different time for our non-league videos of the week, and this week we’re focussing on clubs that are owned by their supporters again. First up is the match from the Evostik League Premier Division between FC United of Manchester and Worksop Town. A couple of months ago, we could have been forgiven for thinking that FC United’s league season was grinding to a halt, but they have won seven of their last nine matches and now have an excellent chance of making the play-offs at the end of the season. Their opposition, Worksop Town, are in mid-table but with several games in hand on the teams above them will surely not have given up on their ambitions of making the play-offs either.” twohundredpercent
“The year is 1975. By the banks of the Tyne in Dunston, newly absorbed into the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, an 8-year-old boy by the name of Paul Gascoigne dreams of emulating fellow local lad and future Gol TV commentator Ray Hudson, then a 20-year-old midfielder for Newcastle United. Brian Johnson, born in Dunston in 1947 and better known nowadays as the lead singer of AC/DC, is touring with the band Geordie and the Masters of Rock album they released the previous year. The Dunston staithes, first constructed in 1893 and the largest wooden structure to be found anywhere in Europe, are still being used to load coal from nearby coalfields into ships on the River Tyne, and workers at the Her Majesty’s Stationery Office have just entered their own team, called Whickham Sports FC, in the Newcastle City Amateur League.” The Accidental Groundhopper
“Milan had the majority of possession in both matches, but failed to score in 180 minutes of football. Harry Redknapp made one change from the first game, with Luka Modric returning in place of Wilson Palacios. Gareth Bale was only fit enough for the bench. Max Allegri named a surprisingly attacking side, even when considering this was a game Milan needed to win. Clarence Seedorf and Kevin-Prince Boateng were in a midfield three alongside Mathieu Flamini, with Robinho in the hole.” Zonal Marking
Tottenham 0-0 (1-0) Milan – Overall Match Analysis
“Some matches pose very interesting tactical conundrums for managers, pundits and fans to consider, with several potential approaches to a game all carrying pros and cons and needing to be weighed up against each other to ascertain which is the set of instructions most likely to result in victory. Perhaps the ultimate of these is currently “how do you beat Barcelona?”, which can offer numerous different strategies based on your team’s strengths and qualities versus their obvious strengths and perceived weaknesses.” Footballistically
“I’m biased, of course, but I reckon that this place is a bit special. Packed with believers and full of noise, illuminated by floodlights and bursting with passion, it’s a thrilling place to be on a matchday. But even empty and silent on a cold winter’s morning like this one, St James’ Park retains a special ambience and splendour that make it deserving of its place in the hearts of the Toon Army and at the heart of this great city.” Stuff by Paul Brown
Harry Redknapp
“‘Parking the bus’ is not usually the Tottenham way. A club famed for its commitment to good, open, attacking football throughout the years, it’s maintained that reputation with its European performances this season. In the group phase, Spurs being involved in a 0-0 game was unthinkable.” ESPN
Tottenham 0-0 Milan: Spurs hang on
“Milan had the majority of possession in both matches, but failed to score in 180 minutes of football. Harry Redknapp made one change from the first game, with Luka Modric returning in place of Wilson Palacios. Gareth Bale was only fit enough for the bench.” Zonal Marking
“Childhood is seemingly the defining factor in what position someone ends up spending the majority of their life playing the beautiful game in. The sprinter on the wing, the disciplinarian in the middle and the big lad will play at the back. These are formulaic standards that characterize most people’s earliest associations with football. For some people though there is a hole in this and it’s referee shaped.” In Bed With Mardona
“Last month Deloitte published the latest edition of the Football Money League, their annual ranking of European clubs by revenue. Once again, the Premier League featured prominently with seven English clubs listed in the top 20, though the two highest earning clubs were still the Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona. On the face of it, this was yet another demonstration of the Premier League’s ability to generate revenue, while defying the effects of the economic recession.” The Swiss Ramble
“You might know Jonathan Wilson as a football journalist (Guardian, World Soccer magazine, Sports Illustrated etcetera) and author of four books (including Behind the Curtain: Football in Eastern Europe, Inverting the Pyramid), a tactics genius and historian, an expert on Slavic and Eastern European football, a Guardian Football Weekly regular, and a giant brain sitting in a tub of nutrient solution hooked up to a talking computer wheeled around by some lackey in a janitor suit, writes Richard Whittall. Well, he’s certainly most of those things, but now he’s also the editor of a massive (184 pages!) new football quarterly called The Blizzard.” European Football Weekends
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on March 5, 2011. The full edition of MOTD can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
“It is easy to be disillusioned with modern football. In a game where clubs are willing to trade their heritage for a new flat-pack stadium and some supporters burn replica shirts when their star striker moves to another Premier League club, football has departed from its origins and core roots. It is only when you analyse how the game has evolved since the 1800’s, though, that you realise that it has been inevitable for several decades.” In Bed With Mardona
Ahmed El-Mohamady
“These are strange times for Sunderland football club. Even though this is undoubtedly the Black Cats’ best season for many a year with the team comfortably ensconced in the top ten of the Premier League, there have been rumblings of discontent, not least from Niall Quinn, the club’s popular chairman, who said that he “despised” those fans who watched the team on dodgy foreign channels in local pubs instead of coming to the ground.” The Swiss Ramble
“This morning’s non-league videos of the week come from the Blue Square Bet Premier. Last weekend saw the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy, which involved a number of clubs from the fifth division, all of which left clubs that had already been eliminated from that particular competition to get on with the important job of accumulating points in the league.” twohundredpercent
Kicking it old, old school with a brutal game of Pasuckuakohowog.
“There are times when undersoil heating might just not be enough. Domm Norris doesn’t want to see an ancient game forgotten.” In Bed With Maradona
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on February 27, 2011. The full edition of MOTD can be viewed here.” The 90th minute
The Grapes pub in Liverpool
“Public houses have long been a strong hold for patriarchy, a place where the working class can convene to discuss the dynamics of everyday existence. My local is called the Village Inn. The word Inn conjures notions of rustic-chic décor; of horse-brasses, oak beams and roaring fires. Banish these. The walls of this particular pub are adorned with a variety of ephemera relating to the two local clubs; one side with Liverpool clutter and the other with Everton tit-tat. Amongst the discussions flitting in and out of earshot, the talk is resolutely of football, tits or a combination of the two. Conversations rarely err to socio-politics.” In Bed With Maradona
“Great news, everybody: David Beckham is back! Remember when those words meant something? When the thought of Becks stepping onto an American soccer field made your heart soar because he was going to transform the Los Angeles Galaxy into the second coming of the Cosmos? When it was presumed he would spread the gospel of MLS around the world, just as Pelé did with the NASL back in the day? Yeah, I remember those 20 minutes too.” ESPN
Philips Wouwerman, Check out the hunting unit
“Tottenham kept it solid at the back, and won the game with a lightning quick break in the closing stages.
Max Allegri chose to use Thiago Silva in midfield, which meant Mario Yepes came in at the back. Clarence Seedorf was the trequartista, and Pato was left out. Harry Redknapp couldn’t use Luka Modric from the start, so Sandro played in the centre of midfield. Niko Kranjcar was left out despite two goals in two games, with Steven Pienaar preferred. Slightly surprisingly, Spurs dominated the start of the game. They had more possession and played most of the opening period in Milan’s half.” Zonal Marking
Match of the Week: Milan 0-1 Tottenham
“Perhaps this what they mean when they speak of the importance of qualifying for the Champions League. Milan away, in the last sixteen of what is, for better or for worse, Europe’s premier club competition. The San Siro excels in evenings of high drama – it could even be argued that it is architecturally theatrical – and there are few clubs on the whole continent as experienced in this particularly rarefied air as Milan. Yet tonight, Tottenham Hotpur, for five full decades the bridesmaids of London football, never mind English or European football, gate-crashed the party and came away with a win that ranks alongside the cream of anything that they have managed during their years in the relative wilderness.” twohundredpercent
AC Milan 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Champions League
Zonal Marking
“In theory, Tottenham have the perfect footballing style to cause Milan problems. Max Allegri’s side have been vulnerable to the same two things this season. First, pace on the counter-attack. Milan are an old side, and often can’t compete with raw speed from younger legs. Second, width. Whether playing a 4-3-3 or a 4-3-1-2, Milan’s front three leave the defending to the seven players behind them. The full-backs often become exposed to tricky wingers, and allow too many crosses into the box. Cesena showed the way to beat Milan earlier this season – sit back, and break down the flanks.” Zonal Marking
Clint Dempsey
“Alexi had the hair. Claudio brought the technique. And Brian McBride displayed such a wholesome, hardworking, can-do aesthetic they named a pub after him. Of all the American soccer players who have toiled in Europe, however, is there anybody better — or more revered — than Fulham’s Clint Dempsey?” NYT
“After the venerable Sid Lowe’s interview with Barcelona and Spain maestro Xavi, Robbie Savage decided to sit down with our Clive Longbottom-Fellow, Esq. to give another view about how football should be played. All this took place in a parallel universe. Robbie shared his thoughts on Blackburn’s dominance under Sam Allardyce, his footballing philosophy, Blackburn’s Champions League loss to Barcelona, and Lee Bowyer’s stunning move to the Catalan giants.” Nutmeg Radio
“Blackpool’s first season has been characterised by attacking football as the Tangerines have found goals relatively easy to come by. However, it is their defence that regularly comes under scrutiny and more so since their run of five defeats after the Liverpool victory. This post will look at the Blackpool defence and explore as many facets of it as possible in order to establish what is behind Blackpool’s defence and where have things been going wrong?” Tangerine Dreaming
“Today would have been a USMNT match day but as I noted yesterday, the Federation made the safe and correct call in cancelling the Yanks’ fixture against Egypt in Cairo. There were plenty of FIFA internationals on the menu however, and at least a few storylines worth visiting on this busy day on the pitch. Here are three thoughts and observations.” The Yanks Are Coming
Luke Bowen
“Port Talbot Town 3-0 Caersws – Welsh Cup 4th Round – 5th February 2011 by Mark Pitman. Attentions turned to the Welsh Cup for Welsh Premier League side and last season’s finalists Port Talbot Town as Cymru Alliance opponents Caersws arrived at The GenQuip Stadium. Manager Mark Jones has built a young and talented squad at Port Talbot and their latest test would be against a Caersws side guided by experienced manager Mickey Evans and featuring a number of players with a wealth of Welsh Premier League experience.” The Ball Is Round
“The last time I was over for the match, smoke bombs were let off during the game, as has become increasingly popular during the brief history of our club. Whereas in the past the effect of flares and smokebombs had looked ace (view based on anecdotal evidence from messageboard comments and friends, as well as my own views), and had even received positive acclaim from some unlikely sources (ESPN’s commentary of the Brighton FA Cup replay described our support as colourful whilst showing footage of the flares. Shoot Magazine featured a photo of the flares at the Rochdale game and commented on the tremendous atmosphere directly underneath that photo), the effect on the 22nd January was however slightly underwhelming.” FCUM A.D.
“As you dear readers will know, a few weeks ago we popped down to the Keith Tuckey Stadium to take in a game at one of the most newsworthy sides in the Non Leagues, namely, Croydon Athletic. Unless you have been living in Ignorance, Texas then you will have seen the recent take over of the club by a Danish organisation called Fodboldselskabet A/S. My superb Danish skills can tell you that the literal translation is Soccer Company. And that is essentially what they are. A limited company formed to invest and run a football club. Many questioned their potential involvement in English football, so we went round the corner from TBIR’s Copenhagen office to speak to Morten Madsen, Communications Manager for the club and ask him Vad är poängen?” The Ball Is Round
“Gav Stone is the editor of Les Rosbifs – a fantastic site dedicated to English footballers playing overseas. You can follow him on Twitter @LesRosbifs .. Here is Gav’s favourite goal (it’s No.1 at the end of the video below)…” Ghost Goal
“It’s time, then, to wind down with our weekly selections of non-league highlights from the last seven days. Our first match this evening comes from Twerton Park, and it’s the Blue Square Premier match between Bath City and Wimbledon. Wimbledon are still chasing a place in the Football League and needed three points from their trip to the west country from this match. Bath, however, may still harbour hopes of a place in the play-offs at the end of the season and provided a stiff test for the team that has spent much of the last few months at the top of the table.” twohundredpercent
“It’s too early to pass judgement on the Venky’s era at Blackburn Rovers, but any last minute transfer business will give an indication of what’s to come for the Lancashire club. Sam Kelly looks at an intriguing transfer saga.” In Bed With Mardona
“It is not often you walk away from a football match counting how much money you have left in your wallet and thinking that you must have had a hidden £20 in there. Admission, programme, beer, plate (yes PLATE) of chips and still change from a tenner (almost) is a bargain in anyone’s book irrespective of the twenty two players running around a muddy pitch.” The Ball Is Round
“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
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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“Prestatyn Town 1-1 Port Talbot Town – Welsh Premier League – 15th January 2011. Often associated with the seaside, Prestatyn Town welcomed the worst elements of the beach to Bastion Road for this Principality Welsh Premier League match against Port Talbot Town. A strong wind and sand covered playing surface did little to inspire any football purist in attendance and their concerns were proved correct as both sides struggled against the conditions in this scrappy yet surprisingly entertaining match.” The Ball Is Round
“The January transfer window has been a bit of a damp squib to date, with the exception of Manchester City’s big money purchase of prolific Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko, but rumours of possible signings abound. Perhaps surprisingly, one club that has featured prominently in the feverish press speculation is Birmingham City, who have been linked with a series of attacking players in an attempt to resolve their goal scoring problems, including Kenny Miller and Robbie Keane, and have signed David Bentley on loan.” The Swiss Ramble
“Of all the figures I’ve encountered in soccer over the years, Terry Byrne is right near the top of my most intriguing people list. A 44-year-old Englishman, Byrne has gone on a remarkable life journey from London taxi driver to massage therapist for Chelsea and England to David Beckham’s best friend and personal manager to a sports business career of his own.” SI
“Sometimes the slow death of a movement means that it is difficult to define when something is definitely gone, and some kind of crystallising moment is necessary, writes guest author Jamie Cutteridge. For example, the freshness of New Labour seemed to disappear somewhere around the beginning of this century, but the death of the movement was confirmed when Ed Miliband of the old left was elected leader last year.” twofootedtackle
“The brand new Unofficial Football World Champions book, released this month, is now in stock at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. It’s starting to pick up some really great reviews. And if you’ve already bought the book, today you can access some exclusive bonus content.” UFWC
“You would own a collection of bruised fingers if you clapped every quality article that appeared on the pages of the delightfully named football blog In Bed With Maradona. Not many days go by with some form of mutual backslapping and high fiving between European Football Weekends (EFW) and In bed with Maradona (IBWM). This is a mutual appreciation society (MAS) that borders on the lunacy (BOTL).” European Football Weekends
“The word Thamesmead normally drives fear into the heart of South East Londoners. The town was seen as innovative when it was constructed in the late Sixties on the old Royal Arsenal site by the GLC. Flooding had been an issue in the area so the initial developments were built so that the flats were on the first floor and linked by a series of walkways and bridges. Sounds idyllic right? Well not quite. Mismanagement of the whole project that initially was planned for 100,000 was rife from the start. Promised transport links never materialised (even today with 50,000 residents there is not train station), instead replaces by a dual carriageway that dissects the development, a sewage works and of course Belmarsh high security prison.” The Ball Is Round
“The year of the blog? Very possibly, especially with the current batch of outstanding sites out there which have grown, improved, developed and cross-pollinated in recent time. Aided by social media, an increasingly specialised selection is out there, waiting for you to wade through and bolster your knowledge of the game, and I thoroughly recommend losing yourself in as many of the following as possible.” Guardian
“This season and last, Blackpool has been lauded for their adventurous approach to playing the beautiful game. The majority of the mainstream media point to the influence Charlie Adam has had on the way that Blackpool play. However, one player doesn’t make a team and Holloway has reshaped the way that Blackpool play and there are facets of that play that help make watching Blackpool a superbly enjoyable experience. For the focus of this article the spot light will shine on the full backs. What role do they play? How have they been playing and where (if any) has adjustment (in role) been made for life in the Premiership?” Tangerine Dreaming
Portugal
“So ten years into the third millennium and football just keeps on changing. The last decade has seen the game become a huge global game where the amount of money in the Premier League itself is more than most countries GDP. Below are some of our regular contributors, and readers highlights of the last decade and our video of where we’ve been, but first 10 facts from 10 years ago…” The Ball Is Round
The 2010 Team of the Year
“2010 is likely to be a year remembered, in footballing terms, by Spanish fans most fondly after their side lifted the famous Jules Rimet trophy for the first time. It has also been a year in which a Barcelona side, possibly the greatest team of all time, have continued to revolutionise football with their style of play.” The Free Role
Barcelona to Rooney: the best and worst of 2010
” WSC contributors give their best and worst moments in football from the past year” WSC
Awards Season
“It’s awards season and never one to miss out on a way to reward my fellow man, here’s my own. In honour of this blog they shall be known as the ‘Nakys’” I Know Who Cyrille Makanaky Was
The Twohundedpercent Vault: 10 Must-See Football Films & Tv Shows
“Twohundredpercent is on its Christmas holidays for a a few days so, until then, we’re keeping the site ticking over with some of the best from our almost five year old archive. In this article, Ian King points you in the direction of 10 films and television shows which demonstrate that the relationship between the game and the box in the corner of your living room doesn’t have to be a fractious one.” twohundredpercent
Argentines Abroad bumper Christmas special
“This extended Argentines Abroad has been made possible by the fact that I didn’t have time to do one last week, but forgot to let my correspondents know – and as a result we’ve got two weeks’ worth of submissions from Spain and Portugal, as well as a very belated (my fault, not Tom’s) report on the climax of the Mexican top flight championship early this month. All this, plus the Carlos Tevez saga and news of a loan deal to Spain for Martín Demichelis. How I spoil you all, this festive season.” Hasta El Gol Siempre
“Everton went ahead early on, and held on despite going down to ten men for the final half hour. Roberto Mancini recalled James Milner to his starting line-up, playing him in a deep midfield role with Yaya Toure as the playmaker. Carlos Tevez started upfront. David Moyes made two changes. Steven Pienaar was out, so Leon Osman played on the left, whilst Victor Anichebe started upfront rather than Louis Saha.” Zonal Marking
Match of the Week: Manchester City 1-2 Everton
“Carlos Tevez, then, has withdrawn his transfer request after what are apparently called “clear the air” talks with the executives of Manchester City Football Club. It feels as if there is an incessant need on the part of the media to create a crisis at Manchester City at every turn this season. We all know that their financial arrangements err on the wrong side of ridiculous, but the suspicion is now starting to form that there is something of a witch hunt going on at The City of Manchester Stadium. City, the upstarts, the perennial failures, are at the point of achieving something and you don’t have to be a fan of the way that they are going about things to start to form the opinion that there are plenty of people out there that really don’t want to them to upset the status quo.” twohundredpercent
Manchester City 1-2 Everton – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
The 90th Minute
“Welcome to the 11th Fiver Christmas Awards. Or is it the 12th? Oh, we don’t know, but if you squint hard enough you might see us being bundled out of the VVIP area of Boujis as Frank Lampard and Christine Bleakley avert their eyes.” The Fiver
“Soccerlens interviewed the nominees for the 2010 Soccerlens Awards – you can read all the interviews (and vote for your favourite sites and writers) by following the links below…” Soccer Lens Awards
“Start talking about legislation and most people will more than likely switch off. I realise it’s not the sexiest of subjects, or even a particularly interesting word. But it’s one that football fans should take a good deal more interest in, or at least the bits that refer to them specifically. You see, football supporters in the UK are amongst the most heavily legislated-against groups in our society.” In Bed With Maradona
Scissors Kick 