“There’s a fine little series of Marvel stories called The New X-men, written by the wonderful Grant Morrison and illustrated, among others but best, by Igor Kordey. In one of the episodes, #120, the X-men’s training school stands threatened by a host of mutant/human hybriuds who want to harvest the genetic material of the X-men and only the irascible, beautiful Jean Grey and a host of trainee, child X-ettes stand in their way. While it is Grey who finally dispatches the thugs, the little ones do a fine job along the way. Why do I mention this? Well, we all know the ‘You’ll Win Nothing With Kids’ saves on Football Manager, the ones where you cannot buy anyone and must make do with your youth system to build a team. It’s an engaging challenge, to be sure, and if you’re Atalanta or Barcelona, well worth doing. But, what if you assembled your own New X-men? Or, in Football Manager terms, bought as many wonderkids and super prospects as possible and then put them all in one team? I know, right?” Put Niels In Goal

“Every year since 2011, A Football Report has published an annual Best of Football Writing list. What was once a way for us to simply appreciate the preceding 12 months has grown into a full-fledged community activity, with every corner of the world submitting their favourite articles, photographs, films, and football-inspired designs. This is the world’s game, as celebrated, expressed, and understood by the world. We hope you enjoy The Best of Football Writing list for 2014.” A Football Report

“When Eight by Eight’s Jack Williams sat down to chat with Tony Pulis midway through Crystal Palace’s summer tour of the United States, everything looked rosy. Just a few months earlier, the former Stoke boss had steered a troubled club away from the jaws of relegation; the upcoming campaign was now being greeted with a distinct sense of optimism among Eagles fans. But just a few weeks later, in a move that no one saw coming (let alone us), Pulis walked out on what many at the time would have considered one of the most secure jobs in football. It was lucky for us, then, that the topic of discussion that day was less about Palace and more about an art form that Pulis himself has undeniably become a master of during 22 years of management: Houdini-esque escapes. In a record that still stands today, the Welsh-born boss has never been relegated, despite the small scale, low-budget sides he has overseen.” 8by8

“Often the players playing for the biggest clubs in the world, are the ones that are ‘officially’ recognised as the best individuals in the sport. It might seem like a lazy bit of accreditation but it’s actually a fair assessment of the beautiful game. The best, play for the best. And while a lot of their development, and ability is honed at these clubs – given the top quality facilities and resources, it isn’t where their core football skills are established. Consult any coach or professional and they’ll explain how a footballers’ initial years can determine his future career path. Academies start it off, while the initial professional senior football years engrave skills and set the tone for the next decade or so.” Outside of the Boot

“It was the longest a Premier League season had gone without its first firing in 19 years, but that’s now done. Neil Warnock, the man whose return to Selhurst Park provided a small (for some, invisible) silver lining to Tony Pulis’s untimely departure, just experienced an early exit of his own. Two days after Christmas, the 66-year-old’s second tour in Croydon is done.” Soccer Gods

“With a new wave of businessmen looking to exploit football, the young talent in involved and the monetary benefit all within the rules of the game, we are witness to rising multi-club ownerships. Stuart Reid throws light in this comprehensive article on what he believes is the future of football. A multi-club ownership (or MCO for short) is when an individual, or a group of individuals working as a collaboration, own more than one club. The reasons behind owning more than one club vary chairman to chairman, but it ultimately all boils down to one thing – money.” Outside of the Boot

“New Labour had a difficult, unstable relationship with football. In the early days, there was a clear attempt to embrace the game. One of Tony Blair’s most memorable media moments in opposition was a bizarre photo-shoot with the then-Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan. For Blair, not a football fan by any means (despite occasional attempts to suggest otherwise) 27 consecutive headers between the two was rather impressive. Labour swept to power on the coattails of the Cool Britannia mood of the mid 1990s, perhaps best epitomised culturally by Euro 96.” Blizzard

“Along Stowell Street and up to Gallowgate, hemmed in by the illicit, everything mam would scold you for; men weaving through traffic, a chuffing of tabs, the fucketty-twat, rat-a-tat swearing, pie-flecked gobs crooning mayhem. A half of orange squash at fart height outside the Strawberry and it is ten to three and tears are prickling and panic clenches and you cannot swallow but the rush is on and you bolt it.” Blizzard

“I’ve always wondered what would happen if the bears from Goldilocks sipped porridge and sat around watching a soccer game. Papa Bear, a Louis van Gaal disciple, would say ‘this team plays too defensively.’ Mama Bear, ever the optimistic moderate, would proclaim ‘this team plays just right.’ Baby Bear, exposed to José Mourinho at too young and impressionable age, would say ‘this team doesn’t play defensive enough.’ In the second leg of last night’s Liga MX final, Papa Bear would have been right. At least, in regard to Tigres. While the challengers boasted one of Liga MX’s best defenses this past season, as we noted earlier, goals win championships in Mexico, not clean sheets. Tigres beat Club América 1-0 on Thursday in leg one because rather than dropping deep, it advanced its lines and took the game to the Aguilas.” Soccer Gods

“In 1896, the Modern Olympic games officially kicked off in Athens, Greece. It was a seminal moment in international sporting history and one that still affects us today. What if Pierre de Coubertin and his cohort of idealistic supporters had given up on the Olympic dream? What if stars such as Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali and Usain Bolt were never given the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of the world? It’s a thought too unsettling to hold for too long. Yes the 1896 Olympics were a landmark moment in more ways than one…there is just one problem however. There was no football in 1896. In fact, football was most likely unheard of by many people in Greece in 1896. The beautiful game was still in its infancy in England and had not yet become the global phenomena it is today. By 1896 it had hardly become a regional phenomena.” Outside of the Boot

“Ah, semifinals – the bastard children of playoffs. Not quite a championship game, so therefore worthless to most neutral fans. And for most regular Liga MX fans, the warmth and glow of making the liguilla has worn off. Your team has either lost or finds itself in a dogfight. Thus, we’re left with four pretty evenly matched teams whose fate probably will be decided more by luck than skill. In fact, only four points separated the semifinalists in the regular season: América finished first with 31 points; Monterrey was sixth, with 27.” Soccer Gods

“To choose to do this away to Germany’s second best team and seal top spot in Group H was wonderful. All the frustration of a stuttering start to the season poured out as the blues, albeit with some luck along the way, put in an almost perfect away performance to underline just how dangerous an opponent we can be for anybody in the Europa league. No-one is going to fancy playing us when the draw is made. No Coleman, no Baines as two of Europe’s finest attacking wing-backs added to the absence of arguably our most influential player, Gareth Barry. Coupled with James McCarthy limping off injured after half an hour, this win was even more impressive than it may have looked.” The Football Pink

“A YEAR IN REVIEW – WEEK THREE OF FIVE. A review of Our watch list for 2014 (list published on December 18, 2013). All artwork by Michael Atkinson. Click on a name below to read the review. Explanation of how we score? Click here. In Bed With Maradona

“You always hurt the one you love. Maybe that works in reverse as well. For many of us there comes a time when it becomes clear the thing you do for fun, the thing you think you love is doing you great harm. Whether it’s the MDMA user seeing a picture of themselves ‘on it’—pupils the size of snooker balls with their jaw on the other side of the dance floor—or the gym rat waking up one day to find himself alone apart from his ‘guns’ and protein shake induced flatulence. These moments act as a mental jolt: a little shock to the system that allows us to take a step back and see our lives for what they really are. If we don’t like what we see then this is a chance to change our behaviour.” The False Nine

“‘Diminutive, derisory, pulsating and profligate sit with almost absurd comfort in the footballing vernacular,’ notes author Adam Hurrey in the introduction to his delightful Football Clichés book, adding, ‘while I struggle to remember anyone using the word aplomb in any other context than a well-taken goal’. Thus begins a meticulously detailed dissection of the well-worn phrases with which players, managers, media and fans fight the losing battle of conveying football’s drama through mere words. This new hardback, published by Headline, is a forensic and thorough examination of football’s language.” Telegraph

amazon: Football Clichés by Adam Hurrey

“In most highlight reels of the last World Cup one of the most recurrent images was of the Bosnian midfielder, Muhamed Bešić tumbling over his own defender Ermin Bicakic as Messi slalomed past Bosnian defence to score one of his routine jaw dropping goals leaving an unfortunate Bešić colliding with Bicakcic in their opening match against the eventual runners up Argentina. But Bešić had a wonderful World Cup contrary to what that pervasive sequence of events suggests.” Outside of the Boot