“If you look back at some of the great sides of the late 90’s and early 2000’s, they all utilised out and out wingers. The 1997/98 Arsenal side had Marc Overmars, whilst Manchester United’s treble winning side had Ryan Giggs and David Beckham running the flanks. Further abroad, Luis Figo played as a winger for both Real Madrid and Barcelona. All of these players were the type of wingers who would hug the touchline on the side of their favoured foot, and either beat their man and cross from the byline or swing in early crosses for the striker. However, in the last 5 years or so, this type of winger has diminished, and although their are some exceptions, such as Juan Cuadrado, players like this are more of a rarity these days.” Outside of the Boot

“A few weeks ago, the editorial staff of SoccerGods.com had a brainstorming session, in the middle of which someone almost offhandedly said, ‘Well, it’s Black History Month.’ It got a genuine laugh, because the idea of American soccer and black history intersecting sounded absurd. It was as if the ghost of Desmond Armstrong (who is still very much alive) came down and blessed us with an idea.” Soccer Gods

“Clichés are very useful for regularly appearing football pundits who have little to no knowledge of the modern game. Take television’s Glenn Hoddle, the man who believed prior to last summer’s World Cup that England’s best XI had Gerrard and Lampard in a double pivot. Actually it probably wasn’t even a double pivot, I think it was Four Four fucking Two. Pundits like Hoddle rely on clichés to sound like they know what they’re talking about and use them liberally across the footballing encyclopedia from transfer assumptions to formational prejudices. So I’ve started to expose these clichés (and the pundits who peddle them) with the only position on the field that seems to do any defending nowadays: The center back.” 8 by 8

“Sometimes, the smart plays are the illegal ones, but more on that in a moment. For now, let’s take in what happened today at KC Stadium in Hull, where Ahmed Elmohamady drew the ire of a nation moments before halftime with this Diego Maradona impression. The great thing about this clip is not only what Elmohamady tries, but it’s the ensuing celebration, followed by the (unfortunately, predictable) moral outrage of the commentators.” Soccer Gods (Video)

“This weekend, the Premier League’s two best clubs face off in a match that will likely set The Narrative for the next couple of months. A win for Chelsea makes it champion-in-waiting, while a victory for Manchester City will lead to “Wait a minute, we’ve got a real race here!” headlines. Guiding each team is a former Real Madrid manager who has won the Premier League before, but although Manuel Pellegrini and José Mourinho are both highly respected coaches with clear ideas of how they want their teams to play, their personalities — their levels of assholery — are very different.” Soccer Gods

“In many ways Brighton’s 2013/14 season was similar to their previous campaign, as they once again reached the Championship play-offs, only to fall at the semi-final stage this time to Derby County, leading to the resignation of Head Coach Oscar Garcia. In spite of this blow, the club’s finances still improved with their losses falling by nearly a third from £15.3 million to £10.6 million. Chief executive Paul Barber described this as “a significant improvement”, which seems a little strange, given that Brighton still reported a loss of nearly £11 million, but he’s sort of right, given the crazy finances in England’s second-tier as clubs strive to reach the highly lucrative Premier League. Furthermore, revenue rose 3% (£0.6 million) to £24 million, which is a record for the Albion, though the debt owed to chairman Tony Bloom also increased by £28 million to £131 million.” Swiss Ramble