The return of continental play (Copa Libertadores and UEFA Cup) last week threw open a large portion of the Top 25. With Champions League games on the docket for this week, things are about to get even more interesting. But here is where we stand today:1. (1) Inter Milan. The undisputed No. 1 team beat Livorno over the weekend. Now the Champions League resumes with a trip to Anfield tomorrow. Inter only have one loss this season (at Fenerbahce Istanbul, back on Sept. 19). Will Reds make it two? Uh, no. The nerazzuri also play at Sampdoria Sunday.2. (5) Manchester United. Thoroughly destroyed Arsenal Saturday. Yes it was "only" FA Cup play, but Arsene Wenger showed up with his 'A' team. And yes, Arse still leads them by five points in the EPL standings, but Man. U have the better record in head-to-head games. There will be at least one more of these this year, April 12 at Old Trafford, potentially to decide the Premiership. This week, Sir Alex' men travel to Lyon for their UCL Round of
The plot thickened this week as several top teams were put to the test. Most passed by the slimmest of margins, while not impressing (Chelsea, Bayern). One did not even get that far. Read on.1. (1) Inter Milan. Saw off Catania Calcio yesterday, winning 2-0 on second half goals by Esteban Cambiasso and David Suazo. Up next: Livorno Saturday, then the Champions League resumes with a trip to Anfield on Tuesday, Feb. 19. I don't expect Fernando Torres' men to thwart these guys like they did Chelsea, mainly because Zlatan Ibrahimovic presents a problem they (or anybody outside Serie A except for Inter's CL opponents) have faced before. But we're getting ahead of ourselves as that game is not for another week.2. (2) Arsenal. Idle last week. Play Blackburn today, then their FA Cup date with Man. United Saturday. Fun times ahead.3. (4) Real Madrid. Beat up on poor Valladolid yesterday. Play at Real Betis Sunday. Their Champs league date with AS Roma is on tap a week from tomorrow.4. (6) Barcel
Winning Eleven? Nope, it's Pro Evolution SoccerFiled under: NewsForever, there has been a divide between the Winning Eleven and the Pro Evolution Soccer fanboys of the world. A divide that had North American gamers playing Winning Eleven while their European friends played Pro Evolution Soccer. Funny thing is, they're the same game.But that naming confusion has been put to rest and will be no more as Konami just made it official that Pro Evolution Soccer will no longer be referred to as Winning Eleven in North America and, from hence forth, will be universally titled Pro Evolution Soccer worldwide (sans Japan). That means, North American gamers will never have a chance to experience Winning Eleven 11 (hehe, eleven), but will unite with their European brothers in playing Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. Rejoice and be glad. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Link - Comments - Dustin Burg - Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:15:00 GMT - Feed (2 subs) konami pes2008
First of all, congratulations to the New York Giants, winners of last night's Super Bowl XLII. A great triumph for the city of New York (our first championship since 9/11) and an event that unfortunately had more than indirect effects on the delay of this week's Top 25. But speaking of the real football, there were several changes to the rankings (again) this week. Let's get to it:1. (2) Inter Milan. The sojourn away from first place was a short one for Roberto Mancini's men, who won a huge game at Juventus during the midweek to advance in the Coppa Italia and then beat Empoli at home yesterday. With Roma losing, Inter's Serie A lead is now eight points. They're still unbeaten in Italian competition. Play at Catania Calcio Sunday, then Livorno home a week from Saturday. After that, the Round of 16 Champions League match-up with Liverpool ensues. The first leg is at Anfield on Tuesday, Feb. 19.2. (4) Arsenal. How quickly the tides can turn! Last week's also-rans are this week's big winn
Cheating soccer ace Nicolas Anelka is said to have sent sex-related text messages to shop girl Natalie Merriman on the day of his wedding to sweetheart Barbara Tausia. The News Of The World quoted 24-year-old Natalie as saying: "Nico's a fantastic lover with an amazing body. We often had sex four times a night and he bombarded me with dirty text messages. I didn't know he was engaged and I was really falling for him. But when I found out he'd actually got married and had even texted me that day, I realised he's just another typical lying, cheating footballer." Natalie reveals how the 90,000-pound-a-week French striker Anelka shocked her by sending lewd photos of his private tackle to her mobile, thrilled her in bed with his astonishing gymnastic tongue, and tried to cover up his marriage by claiming it was his brother who'd wed. (ANI)
Click here to listen.Records are set "in the books" with the express consequence of beating them. This weekend, Tiger Woods implanted his name firmly among the greatest golfers of all time, tying Arnold Palmer in number of career victories achieved.Next golf legend to overcome? Ben Hogan, whose record is at 64 wins. That too will be achieved as Tiger Woods is most certainly focused decisively on his hero, Jack Nicklaus, who stands at 73 victories. Nicklaus was five years older than Woods when he won his 62nd tournament, finishing his winning streak at 46 years of age. Woods should be on his way to his 100th victory by that time. But is Tiger thinking about his place in "the record books" and the eventual toppling of Sam Snead's 82 professional wins?"My career is not done yet," Woods said. "Hopefully, my good years are still ahead of me."With Hank Haney's swing change assistance taking effect, Tiger's short-term goal is to achieve the elusive single-season Grand Slam. And, if Woods wins
Things just got very interesting in the Top 25, with many top-ranked teams playing down to their competition or worse. Would it be enough to affect major changes? Let's take a look:1. (2) Manchester United. It has come to this. Sir Alex' men become the fifth #1 team of record (the others were, in chronological order Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Inter) thanks to a win over a pesky Spurs side yesterday. This development should be no big surprise, as Red Devils have been very impressive lately, winning their last five games by a combined score of 14-1 and have a perfect record on the 2008 calendar. Will this be United's year? I wouldn't bet against it. Up next: Pompey visit Old Trafford Wednesday, followed by a return trip to White Hart Lane (in Premiership play this time) Saturday.2. (1) Inter Milan. It was quite a run for Zlatan and the gang, who had held the top slot since Nov. 7. The nerazurri drop from their perch due to two ties in crucial games (at home to Juventus in the C
Languagecaster.com: English through Soccer is the brainchild of Damian Fitzpatrick and Damon Brewster. It offers football fans a great way to learn English via the very sport they love. Features: • Two types of football podcasts: full podcasts (about 20 minutes long) and learners' podcasts (about 8 minutes long) • PDF worksheets with vocabulary and listening comprehension exercises, answers and transcripts • Weekly vocabulary lists with explanations and example uses of football words and phrases • Online quizzes and crossword puzzles for English listening, usage and vocabulary practice • Articles written by fans about various football teams and leagues Site URL: http://languagecaster.com/
Welcome to the 20th edition of the Top 25. Lots of action this week so let's get to it:1. (1) Inter Milan. Dismantled Reggina at midweek, then struggled to beat Parma yesterday, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic converting a penalty in the 88th minute to level matters before following up with the winner in the 92nd. I didn't see the game (was watching American football. Go Giants!) but ESPN Soccernet reports the penalty was controversial. Wouldn't be the first time in Italian soccer. Still, a win is a win is a win (is a win) and I'm not going to dethrone Inter for that (least of all without having seen the game). Travel to Juventus for midweek cup tie next, followed by trip to Udinese Sunday.2. (2) Manchester United. Didn't play well against Reading but still won, 2-0, to maintain their Premiership lead (on goal difference). Play at White Hart Lane Sunday. Spurs have been playing better but I wouldn't expect United to lose that one.3. (4) Arsenal. Beat up on the Fulhamericans (I've been calling
KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's prosecutor general is seeking a court order to tear down a semi-built shopping centre next to the capital's Olympic stadium, which is due to host the Euro 2012 final, his office said on Thursday.
Olympic Plaza scale model
European soccer's governing body UEFA says the shopping centre makes it unsafe to use all 80,000 seats at the stadium because it blocks some exits.
Italy's Serie A returned to action last week, meaning that the Bundesliga is the only major European league (at least the ones that I follow) still on its winter break. The Germans will be back in action soon enough. In the meantime, there was plenty of other stuff that went down. Here's how it affected the rankings:1. (1) Inter Milan. Won at 18th-placed Siena to maintain their unbeaten Serie A record. Up next: a cup tie versus Reggina Thursday followed by Parma at San Siro Sunday. Expect Inter at the same spot next week.2. (4) Manchester United. Thoroughly dismantled Newcastle to take back first place in the Premiership Saturday. Figure their strong form to continue when they visit Reading Saturday.3. (2) Real Madrid. Lost at Mallorca in first leg of Copa del Rey at midweek (but it was only by a 2-1 score that they will be able to make up in the return leg at Bernabeu Wednesday. Still, the margin for error at these very top spots is extremely slim, so they dropped down a spot). Yester
The biggest shock of the EPL day took place at Emirates Stadium, where little Birmingham City managed to upstage mighty Arsenal and leave town with a well-deserved point. Arsene Wenger's men weren't the only top team to drop points, although I'm not really sure if Liverpool--who struggled to a 1-1 tie at Middlesbrough--are anything better than a mid-table squad right now. Don't believe me? The record speaks for itself: Reds have four ties out of their last four games, nearly all of which were against lousy teams: Borough today, Luton Town (!) last week, Wigan and Manchester City before that. Their last win, at Derby on Boxing Day, was about as lucky as they come (and also over a crap team). The noose is no doubt tightening around Rafa Benitez' throat.Speaking of nooses being tightened, is there any hope for Fulham? Clint Dempsey and Co. are in big trouble after losing at Villa Park today: 19th place and five points adrift of next year's Premiership spots. Roy Hodgson better start worki
There are many different types of injuries and conditions that can result from the strenuous physical activity experienced during soccer training. One of the most common issues is that of shin splints. People who experience shin splints experience pain in the area of the leg that starts at the knee and extends down to the [...]
Some more diversity of games than the steady stream of English/Scottish stuff we've had in the past two weeks: Spanish, Portuguese and Greek leagues returned to action with Turkish and French cups getting underway. Mexican teams were even back at it in the Interliga competition. Very few surprises, however, so the impact on the Top 25 was insignificant. But read on anyway.1. (1) Inter Milan. Idle. Back in action Sunday with a trip to 18th-placed Siena. A nice way to work off the Christmas bacon.2. (2) Real Madrid. Beat Alicante in a Copa del Rey match Wednesday and Real Zaragosa in the Primera Division yesterday. Bernd Schuster's team maintain their seven point lead over Barca. Next up: Mallorca Wednesday in another cup tie followed by Levante Sunday.3. (3) Arsenal. Beat West Ham at midweek and Burnley in FA Cup yesterday. Next up: Tottenham in the League Cup and Birmingham City in Saturday Premiership action. Both games are at Emirates. Will Spurs manage to vanquish the Baby Gunners?
The F.A. Cup bores me. Let's talk about Spain, which returned to league action today. In the matchday's marquee match-up, third-placed Espanyol Barcelona trounced fourth-placed Villareal, 3-0. All goals were scored in the first half, with Espanyol captain Raul Tamudo notching a brace Second-placed Barcelona saw off Mallorca on second half goals by Rafa Marquez and Samuel Eto'o. With the victory, Barca move four points behind leaders Real Madrid, who host Zaragoza tomorrow night. Espanyol put some distance between themselves and Villareal. Atletico Madrid can overtake Villareal if they win at Deportivo tomorrow.In Portugal's bwinLIGA, fifth-placed Vitoria Setubal held second-placed Benfica to a 1-1 tie but the bigger surprise came in today's other game, between third-placed Sporting Lisbon and 10th placed Boavista Porto. Sporting went down, 2-0, and can now probably forget about whatever slim title hopes they were holding on to as they are nine points in arrears of FC Porto, who play t
Ahhh soccer. What a sport that is. 11 Men on each time running and kicking
a ball. Hehe, here are some great soccer moments, that will be remembered
forever with this video :D Haha, fun stuff. Keep it up, and soccer will be even
more popular worldwide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAE1KArd8dQ
As much as I enjoy fantasy soccer, it feels incomplete somehow. The addictive rush that other fantasy sports (American football and baseball, notably) supply just isn't there. Don't get me wrong, it's good fun and all. But something is missing.Part of this is, of course, the very nature of the game itself. Soccer does simply not lend itself to statistical analysis the way many other sports do. Moreover, the statistics we do have (goals, assists and clean sheets, essentially) provide a very incomplete picture, both of an individual player's skill and his contribution to the team.For example, a goalkeeper could have a great match and his team could win 2-1, but he would not get credit for having a clean sheet. Or a striker could get a tap-in goal, or capitalize on a goalkeeper's error or blown defensive assignment and his team could lose, but fantasy owners would still benefit. Or a defender could score a goal, assist another, but blow off marking assignments and cost his team two goals
This is it! The final list of the year! Obviously not that much changed since last week, with English and Scottish Premiership squads and the odd Greek team the only ones playing competitive games this week. There was drama galore in the EPL of course. How did that affect the rankings? Uh, not all that much. But here is your updated version anyway:1. (1) Inter Milan. Idle until Jan. 13, when they play Siena. I reckon they'll be number one until then.2. (2) Real Madrid. Idle last week. Next up: Alicante in a Copa del Rey match Wednesday and Real Zaragosa Sunday.3. (3) Arsenal. After a disappointing scoreless draw at Pompey on Boxing Day, Gunners had an impressive win at Goodison Park Saturday to retake their lead in the Premiership. Next up: Man U. vanquishers West Ham visit Emirates tomorrow and an F.A. Cup tie at Burnley Sunday.4. (4) Manchester United. Beat the crap out of Sunderland on Boxing Day before losing at Upton Park Saturday. Birmingham City visits Old Trafford tomorrow fol
Just when you thought you were ready to anoint Manchester United as repeat champs, Sir Alex' men went down to a team that was supposed to be a candidate for relegation. Meanwhile, a squad many had written off (Chelsea) pulled a victory out of their arse and one I thought to be a sure bet for a place in Europe (Portsmouth) lost at home to one of the weaker sides in the Premiership. What gives here? Does my original thesis still hold or does everything get thrown out the window?It still holds, baby. Today was just a temporary blip, not a correction or even trend reversal (to borrow some financial lingo. Quite appropriate given the amount of cash sloshing around the EPL these days). Pompey is still Euro-worthy, they just need to find a way to score goals at home. That and David James needs to forget about this bogus campaign for England and concentrate on the games he is paid to play now. Also in Portsmouth's favor is suspect competition for European spots: Everton did not impress me toda
It looks like David Beckham’s eldest son Brooklyn will be following in his father’s footsteps, after showing signs of the ace footballer’s talent. The kid who is only eight years of age has achieved 64 keep-ups, which according to his dad is pretty good for his age. "He's got a great strike on him, a great right foot, and he kept the ball up 64 times. Pretty good for his age,” the Mirror quoted David Beckham, as saying. The former England captain said wife Victoria is "not great at goalkeeping" during garden kickabouts. David also revealed how his wife Victoria keeps the goal at home for the couple’s sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. (ANI)
One of the Cheshires, Ernie Williams, recounted the Christmas truce story in a TV interview in the 60s “The ball appeared from somewhere, I don’t know where, but it came from their side – it wasn’t our side that the ball came. They made up some goals and one fellow went in goal and then it was just a general kickabout. I should think there were a couple of hundred taking part. I had a go at the ball. I was pretty good then at nineteen. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was no sort of ill will between us. There was no referee, and no score, no tally at all. It was simply a melee.”
Happy holidays and welcome to the year's penultimate Top 25 List. All is quiet in Latin America, but it was quite a weekend in Europe, with the Real-Barca and Inter-Milan games both taking place today. How did that affect things? Let's see to find out:1. (1) Inter Milan. Beat Reggina in a cup tie and overcame AC Milan in the derby match yesterday. Yes, they were a bit lucky to win that game (hopefully they have time to send Dida a Christmas card?), but these guys are for real. Next up: Siena, Jan. 13 and the return match at Reggina five days after that.2. (2) Real Madrid. Tied Alicante in a cup match at midweek before shocking Barca at Camp Nou. Now seven points clear in La Liga and looking dominant. Next up: The return leg at Alicante (Jan. 2) and Real Zaragosa (Jan. 6).3. (3) Arsenal. Beat Blackburn Rovers in extra time in the League Cup, then overcame Spurs in the North London derby Saturday despite being outplayed. The result of latter match forces a certain individual who predicte
The top game on the continent was probably the Olympique Lyonnais vs. AS Nancy cracker in France's Ligue 1. The perennial French champs (what is it, five in a row now? Six?) are in their familiar first-place perch in their domestic league but have been somewhat inconsistent so far this year. They struggled to advance out of their Champions League group, needing a victory at Ibrox Park on the final match day, and have showed signs of vulnerability in France as well. Nancy, by contrast, have come out of nowhere. Three seasons ago the Lorainois were languishing in France's second division, which is so bad it probably looks Major League Soccer look downright mediocre. Nancy's top scorer is a guy called Kim who is not Korean but Brazilian (his real name is Carlos something). So what happened in the game? The first goal wasn't scored until the 80th minute, when Czech international Milan Baros (a name Liverpool and Aston Villa fans are no doubt familiar with) struck for Lyon. But Chris Malon
Sensible World of Soccer Pulled From Live Arcade A game-crippling bug has prompted Codemasters to pull Sensible World of Soccer from Xbox Live Arcade mere hours after it was added to the service. The bug apparently signs players out of Xbox Live and prevents them from signing back in until they manually return to the dashboard. Microsoft and Codemasters are looking into the problem. If you've already downloaded it, you'll have to delete it and redownload it when the fixed version is added to the Arcade, assuming you want to be able to play over Live. Which, with a game like Sensible, is kind of the whole point. Sensei pulled from Xbox Live [CVG] Link - Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:20:05 GMT - Feed (1 subs) Sent using SendMeRss.com. Visit here to unsubscribe from Game | Life. Recommended Feeds/Actions Subscribe MSNBC.com: Business
A massive week for club soccer, with the conclusion of FIFA's Club World Cup, the end of the UEFA Champions League group stage and the Big Four showdown in the Premiership. How did it affect things in the Soccer Source Top 25? Read on and you'll find out:1. (1) Inter Milan. The world's undisputed #1 team beat Eindhoven in a meaningless Champions League game, then won at Cagliari yesterday. Up next: Reggina in a cup tie and AC Milan in the derby match Sunday.2. (2) Real Madrid. Beat Osasuna at the Benabeu yesterday and knocked off Lazio in mid-week CL action. Just how good is this team? We're due to find out, with a trip to Camp Nou lurking Sunday. Is that right? We get the Milan derby and the Clasico on the same day?!? Real visit Alicante for a cup tie at midweek first.3. (3) Arsenal. Won their meaningless Champions League game with Steaua Bucharest and topped Chelsea in a cracking match at Emirates yesterday. I'm not convinced this is England's best team and considered having them swa
There were few upsets across European leagues today as fans turned their sights to two massive Premiership showdowns and the final of the FIFA Club World Cup to be played Sunday. Okay, so maybe the Club World Cup has not received quite the same level of attention, especially in the U.K. Point is, there were not many upsets in today's games.One surprise did come from Portugal's bwinLIGA where Benfica lost only their second game of the year. Cross-town rivals Belenensus did the honors this time as Freddy Adu was not brought on soon enough to work his magic. I can understand Jose Camacho not wanting to play Freddy from the start due to match fitness concerns or whatever, but he really should be subbing him in sooner, especially if Benfica are down a goal. Today, Freddy was the team's third substitute.I wouldn't call this an upset, but Juventus scored an impressive away win at Lazio today on a brace by Alessandro del Piero. I say it wasn't an upset because Lazio look very much like a mid-
This is pretty funny I think. What a fine punch that ball got, before hitting that dumb guy right in the head. Ouch, with a ball that size, that's gotta hurt! :D
I made some adjustments this week because I noticed certain teams in the list were ahead of ones they trailed in their domestic league standings. While this is due to happen for a number of reasons, I felt it should be adjusted at this time, especially in the Premiership where all "Big Three" teams have done well in the Champions League and with one exception (Chelsea's loss at Old Trafford back on Sept. 23) have not played any decisive matches against each other. As a result, you may see some discrepancies with the way teams moved this week versus other weeks.1. (1) Inter Milan. Another impressive week for the nerrazurri, who won both games by a combined 7-0 score. Saw off Lazio on Wednesday and beat up on FC Turin yesterday. The undisputed number one team in the world has only lost once this season and that was way back on Sept. 19. Travel to Eindhoven for meaningless Champions League game Wednesday followed by another road game at Cagliari Sunday.2. (5) Real Madrid. Won the always d
Several upsets went down in today's European league action, with Reading's impressive 3-1 victory over Liverpool the most interesting from an Anglo-American viewpoint. Royals American left winger Bobby Convey proved his worth--and hopefully secured a spot in the starting lineup--with a brilliant assist on Reading's third goal that sealed the deal. Liverpool did not play well at all, but you have to hand it to Steve Coppell's team for a gritty effort that earned them their first-ever victory over the Reds. It was also Liverpool's first Premiership loss of the season and does not exactly inspire confidence ahead of their decisive Champions League game at Marseille next week. Is Liverpool's season on the brink? The past couple of years the Reds have had better European campaigns than Premiership ones. Maybe an early ouster from Europe is what Rafa Benitez' team needs to get centered and make a sincere run at Premiership glory? Then again, maybe it won't be Benitez' team anymore if that ha
Swiss investment bank Credit Suisse has laid out plans for a combined soccer/ice hockey stadium in Zurich that would host the city's three biggest professional sports teams (that would be Grasshoppers, F.C. Zurich and ZSC Lions, for those of you not in the know). I don't think I've ever heard of anything like this before. There are renderings of what the place would look like here.They aren't envisioning a "hybrid" structure but actually two different stadia (along with a shopping center) under the same roof. Neither would be particularly large, but then Switzerland is not a particularly large country; 20,000 capacity for the soccer grounds and half that for the hockey rink.The idea is born out of necessity. Where Switzerland's largest city once had two separate soccer grounds and an ice hockey stadium, they now basically have no structures dedicated to either sport. Grasshoppers longtime stadium, the Hardturm, was torn down earlier this year and F.C. Zurich's has been converted to a t
"It’s incredible, at 17 you’re more likely to get a call from Michael Jackson than Sven Goran Eriksson."--Gordon Strachan, on Wayne Rooney's rise to prominence.
"Playing in this tournament is like exploring a beautiful mansion. Every match is like opening a door into a new room."--Bixtente Lizarazu, on playing in Euro 2000 (a tournament his team ultimately won of course, though I'm not sure if that preceded this quote).
"You have to have so many gifts as an international manager. Fair play to [McClaren] being nominated for the job, let alone getting it. But it looks a step too far..."--Former Irish international Paul McGrath, in prescient comments after Steve McClaren was given the job as England manager last year.
Lots and lots o' action this week, including top games in Italy and Germany, not to mention all the midweek Champions League and UEFA Cup action. One champion was crowned in Argentina, with a second perhaps to follow later this week. Let's get to it:1. (1) Inter Milan. Beat Fenerbahce in the Champs League Tuesday and won impressively at Fiorentina on the weekend. Zlatan Ibrahimovic had two nifty assists in that one. I think the case could be made that the Swede of Bosniak-Croat descent is the best player in the world right now. But that's another topic for another day. Point is, these guys are good. Host Lazio on Wednesday and FC Turin Sunday.2. (2) Arsenal. Meaningless games are exactly that: meaningless. So I'm not punishing Arse for losing their midweek Champions League game at Sevilla. Besides, Arsene Wenger's boys rebounded nicely in winning at tough Villa Park Saturday and continue to lead the Prem--now by five points, with a game in hand. Play two road games this week (Newcastle
"Of course I didn't take my wife to see Rochdale as an anniversary present, it was her birthday. Would I have got married in the football season? Anyway, it was Rochdale reserves."--Bill Shankly
The top game in La Liga was undoubtedly the Barcelona derby. Andres Iniesta struck first for Barca, but Coro equalized midway through the second half. Earlier, Real Madrid saw off seventh-placed Racing Santander at the Bernabeu. Top-of-the-table Real got a brace from Raul and didn't seem to have much trouble, winning the game 3-1. There was a third liga game today: Arsenal vanquishers Sevilla lost at UD Almeira. The Andalusian side are now 11th, having lost their last three liga games since knocking off Real Madrid Nov. 3.Arsenal played a gritty game at Villa Park in today's top Premiership match-up, rebounding nicely from that (meaningless) Champions League loss at midweek. After going a goal down, Arsene Wenger's men outplayed their hosts in a stellar first half and then simply bunkered down in the second. Which is what you do when you get the lead on the road, especially at a place like Villa Park, where the home fans were in full-throated support. It was amazing how loud they were,
"I like the [Premiership] referees. They don't give easy fouls. If someone goes down too easily, they don't give a free-kick and that helps the football become even faster. In other countries football is too easy for the cheats. People are looking for easy fouls, always falling over, and it makes the games too slow."--Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz, in the Guardian's Saturday interview.
"That I'm old, that's what that says."--Kasey Keller, responding to an interviewer's question about being the only member of the national team pool from the 1990 World Cup team. Keller said only "two or three guys deserved to be on that team." I think he was being pretty generous. I can't think of any other thanTony Meola. Speaking of aging, Keller turns 38 years old today. Happy birthday Kasey!
"They think it's all over...it is now!"--Kenneth Wolstenholme's commentary on BBC television during the 1966 World Cup final. The two parts of the quote came immediately before and after Geoff Hurst scored England's fourth goal.
"That one game alone changed our thinking. We thought we would demolish this team - England at Wembley, we are the masters, they are the pupils. It was absolutely the other way."--Bobby Robson, after Hungary became the first team outside the British isles to beat England at Wembley, 54 years ago today.Goes to show that lessons in humility are not a new experience in the annals of English football. England has adapted before; 13 years after that historic loss they won their only world cup trophy on the same field. No reason they can't change with the times again, one would think.
An early goal by Nicolas Anelka was enough to get Bolton an historic home victory against Manchester United, their first since 1979. It was only United's second loss in the Premiership this season (the other came Aug. 19 in the Manchester derby) and third overall (Coventry in the League Cup was the other). With Arsenal squeezing out a late victory today against a surprisingly stubborn Wigan, it means Sir Alex' squad are two games behind Gunners in the loss column (to get all American on you. It means they're three points behind and Arsenal has a game on hand). The loss is sure to have consequences in my Top 25 as well, where Man. U were third in the most recent ranking.Elsewhere in the Top 25, #1 Inter Milan is winning against Atalanta Bergamo, 2-1 and #8 Barcelona are scoreless at halftime.Among completed games, #6 Chelsea beat Derby, though not without some difficulty and without scoring anywhere near the 10 goals I had anticipated. #10 Lyon came through with an impressive win at Ren
"When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea"--Eric Cantona.A famously cryptic quote that was apparently a collaborative effort, according to this BBC story.
“I am thankful to have my family, friends and myself all in good health [...] to have such a great family and great friends who are nothing but supportive of me [...] to be able to live in my home state, play soccer and get paid to do it.”--Stephen Keel, Colorado Rapids. As told to coloradorapids.com.
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