bobblyp3535: June 2013

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Gus Poyet finds out he?s been sacked by Brighton on live TV

While serving as an in-studio pundit for the BBC's live Confederations Cup coverage, Brighton manager Gus Poyet was informed by the show's producers that the club had released a statement on their official website announcing the termination of his contract. Poyet had been suspended by Brighton since he sent out a scolding email in the wake of a bizarre incident in which feces were smeared in Crystal Palace's dressing room before the second leg of last season's Championship playoff semifinal.

Here's the statement that was published on Brighton's official website, which is referenced in the video above:

Gus Poyet has been informed today by Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club's internal disciplinary panel that his employment has been terminated with immediate effect.

This followed his suspension, an investigation, and a subsequent formal disciplinary process. In line with the club's own procedures, and UK employment law, Mr Poyet now has a right of appeal. As such, the club will make no further comment on this matter or recent LMA statements at this time.

Given the close proximity of the new season, the club will, in conjunction with its board, now seek to appoint an interim manager pending the outcome of a possible appeal. The interim manager will oversee the initial weeks of pre-season preparation alongside the club's existing staff.

Contrary to the very first sentence of that statement, Poyet said he was not informed of his dismissal until BBC producers printed it off the website and showed it to him on the set. He also said he will appeal the decision.

Though the situation was a bit awkward, Poyet didn't shy away from discussing the news as it was unceremoniously dumped on him and even noted what a great television moment it was for the BBC. Clearly if this management business doesn't work out, he's got a future in television. Maybe as a guest on the Jeremy Kyle Show.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/gus-poyet-finds-sacked-brighton-live-tv-210130586.html

Andriy Shevchenko Patrick Vieira Diego

The pain, triumph and more pain of Tahiti?s goalkeeper in losing 10-0 to Spain

No one expected a tournament match between the best team in the world and the 138th best team in the world to be close. Tahiti had no delusions of a biblical upset against Spain in the Confederations Cup or even of a noble and defiant 1-0 defeat. Playing Spain at the legendary Maracana Stadium would be a once in a lifetime memory and the score would be irrelevant. It was always going to be an exercise in complete and total domination for Spain, but there tends to be a big difference between what people feel when they expect something to happen and what they feel when it actually happens.

Spain's 10-0 win ? the biggest win ever in a FIFA senior tournament ? was perhaps most excruciating for Tahiti's 30-year-old goalkeeper, Mickael Roche. The physical education teacher who once played for Monaco's reserve team did not play in Tahiti's first Confederations Cup group-stage match against Nigeria, a 6-1 loss, so this was his first taste of football at a level previously unheard of for a country this small.

Here's how the day went for him...

"I hope the Spanish players like our shell necklace gifts. They took a while to make."

"Ah! It only took Fernando Torres five minutes to score the first goal and then he stepped on my hand. I'm not sure if I'm still having fun..."

"3-0 in the 33rd minute. There's a certain harmony to that, which I think I can appreciate if I pretend competition isn't that important to me..."

"4-0 in the 49th minute. I'm starting to feel nauseous. I think my face is turning purple..."

"Maybe I should have a spa day. Just me, alone, no one scoring goals or stepping on my hands. That would be so amazing..."

"YES! Torres missed his penalty! It's 8-0 and he hit the crossbar like a, well, like a Fernando Torres penalty kick! This is the greatest moment anyone has ever experienced!"

"Really? He couldn't let me enjoy that for like, two minutes? 9-0. Whoever invented this game should be fired."

"It's over. It was 10-0 and I'm pretty sure I swallowed some grass, but it's over. That was...great. I could have done without the accidental hand stomping, but, yeah ? in a few days I'm really going to think this was great."

"David Villa, you're being nice now. I like you so much better when you're not scoring goals on me. Shaking hands is nice. Why isn't shaking hands a bigger part of football?"

"Never let go, Pepe."

"Spain shirt. No shorts. Shinguards. Getting interviewed. This is definitely the best part. This is wonderful. Victory Roche. Victory. Roche."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/pain-triumph-more-pain-tahiti-goalkeeper-losing-10-231546841.html

Owen Hargreaves Wesley Sneijder Ronaldo

Football Is Still What We Make It

The�best thing�about�football is that we can play it any way we want it. This is also the worst thing about football. That’s because fans have this nasty tendency to prattle on about the superiority of their chosen football code like it’s their team. “Our football is the real football!”, they shout as loudly as possible, [...]

Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/08/09/football-is-still-what-we-make-it/

Diego Milito Gabriel Milito Gary Neville

Struggles secondary in historic U.S. win

MEXICO CITY -- It was an historic victory, the first by the United States at Estadio Azteca in a series that dates to the 1930s, and those responsible couldn't have been more pleased with what they achieved. The Americans got a superb performance from their backline, at least two heroic saves from Tim Howard and one fortuitous goal to claim a 1-0 triumph Wednesday night over Mexico. And they weren't shy about proclaiming how important was the result .

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/soccer/post/_/id/17732/struggles-secondary-in-historic-u-s-win

Rafael van der Vaart Robin Van Persie Samir Nasri

Steelers Have Only Themselves To Blame

A famous coach once said you can’t turn the ball over and expect to win the game. And yet, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a shot to win Super Bowl XLV. Down 6 points with two minutes to go from their own 13 yard line, Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers’ offense on the field against a [...]

Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/02/07/steelers-have-only-themselves-to-blame/

Ruud van Nistelrooy Andrea Pirlo Didier Drogba

The Year in Review, as the Force may be with you

“It’s not impossible. I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they’re not much bigger than two meters.” To Leo Messi, who not only improved his penalty taking (not one miss during the whole season) but added free kicks to his arsenal. He can now be considered one of the world’s [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BarcelonaFootballBlog/~3/Ftsy1whCEq4/

Clarence Seedorf Florent Malouda Carlos Tévez

Fifa World Rankings February 2013

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/02/fifa-world-rankings-january-2013.html

Petr Cech Fabio Cannavaro Gianluigi Buffon

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Italian Serie A ? Match Predictions ? March 2-3, 2013

It’s a full slate of matches this weekend in the Italian Serie A including AC Milan hosting Lazio and Roma hosting Genoa. Saturday, March 2, 2013 AC Milan v Lazio, 2:45 PM EST (ESPN, Al Jazeera Sport, beIN Sport) Prediction – AC Milan wins 3-2 Sunday, March 3, 2013 Torino v Palermo, 6:30 AM EST [...]

Source: http://www.the90thminute.com/soccer/2013/03/italian-serie-a-match-predictions-march-2-3-2013/

Javier Mascherano Adrian Mutu Kim Kallström

Madrid v Dortmund Free Bet Offer

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/04/madrid-v-dortmund-free-bet-offer.html

Rafael van der Vaart Robin Van Persie Samir Nasri

Euro 2012: Spain and Italy Win, Previewing England and Group D

Hard to believe that group play’s on its final day and we’re almost ready to move on to the knockout stages, with only two matches left before we turn to the quarterfinals. Monday promised the potential for some surprises in the top three, but in the end it was the two teams most had picked [...]

Source: http://liverpool.theoffside.com/team-news/euro-2012-spain-and-italy-win-previewing-england-and-group-d.html

Ronaldinho Cristiano Ronaldo Kaká

Neymar is making people faint outside Brazil?s hotel

With the Confederations Cup final between Brazil and Spain on Sunday, Neymarmania has reached new heights as the mere sight of the 21-year-old is making fans pass out from overexcitement outside Brazil's hotel. Neymar has surpassed the impossibly high expectations for him at this tournament ? scoring in all three of Brazil's group-stage matches and setting up both goals in their semifinal win against Uruguay to earn a place on the Golden Ball shortlist. And with that success, the squeals of fans young and old have only gotten louder. At least, from those who can maintain consciousness upon seeing him in person.

When Brazil arrived back at their hotel after training Friday night, a now customary pack of young girls were waiting for them outside. Globoesporte picks up the story from there:

The biggest problem was when Neymar got off the bus. Upon hearing his name, the ace turned, waved to the teenager and entered the hotel. The girl could not stand the excitement and fainted.

As you can see in the video above, this wasn't just a bit of acting like what Neymar himself did against Uruguay. This girl was hyperventilating and down for the count and had to be carried away.

Neymar is getting used to these types of reactions, though. Just last month, a group of young fans attempted to power their way into the hotel lobby to chase him down and commit untold atrocities upon his slight frame...

If Neymar can help Brazil defeat locally vilified Spain in the final, his existence will probably make fans spontaneously combust. And remember, this is just the warm-up for next year's World Cup. He might want to invest in a splatter guard.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/neymar-making-people-faint-outside-brazil-hotel-200745849.html

Maicon Jamie Carragher Sergio Agüero

If it continued? (Italy v Japan)

Italy came back from 2-0 down to beat Japan 4-3 in a�manic and�riveting display of footballing�peculiarity (full match highlights here). Japan put in an impressive effort and probably deserved a result, but instead the loss sealed their elimination from the Confederations Cup while ensuring that Italy advance to the semifinals. The match was entertaining enough to more than justify the normally less than important tournament's existence and it also leads us to ask that old question: "What if it continued?"

97' -- Still confused about what constitutes a penalty, the referee awards one to each team when he�coughs�and sneezes at the same time.

101' -- Mario Balotelli resists the urge to remove his shirt and make everyone wait while he reads poetry to himself.

106' -- Japan hit the post with eight consecutive shots. Time and space begin to break down. Shinji Kagawa turns into a pterodactyl.

112' -- Keisuke Honda continues to prove that no one will make fun of you for having bleached blond hair like it's still 1998 if you're really good at football.

118' -- Fatigued and not playing up to his usual impecable standard, bearded Andrea Pirlo tastes the unrelenting cruelty of the aging process. Like gold bars in a bank vault, the value of his talent is still undeniable, he reassures himself. He then concludes that the bank's hours have changed and they're no longer as�accommodating to his withdraw schedule. He plays on.

123' -- To make up for his own goal in the 50th minute, Atsuto Uchida tries to convince Sebastian Giovinco that the Confederations Cup rules state that own goals count as bonus points in the following World Cup and anyone who scores them also gets free candy.

126' -- With melting candle sticks for legs, Bearded Pirlo considers his own mortality and the tedium of retirement that awaits him on a no longer distant horizon. He sees a vision of his fortified compound high in Alps, where his most trusted ally ? a goat called Davide ? impatiently awaits his return. Davide uses his front hoof to leaf through a pop culture magazine even though he is a goat and is unfamiliar with human celebrities. Bearded Pirlo plays on.

130' -- Sebastian Giovinco scores an own goal and asks the linesman for Skittles.

134' -- Remembering that he still has the ultimate source of his autumnal strength encasing his jawline, Bearded Pirlo breaks his self-imposed vow of silence to�defiantly�shout Davide's name. He jumps on the back of�pterodactyl�Shinji Kagawa and rides off into the night, feeling a renewed thirst for revenge against Spain that will drive him onward. If the bank is closed, he decides he'll just break in.

139' -- The match is abandoned when Mario Balotelli is shown 12 yellow cards and awarded 17 penalties for keeping his shirt on as everyone flees in terror when the bearded man with a thousand miles in his eyes swoops down to give his teammates a ride back to the hotel.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/continued-italy-v-japan-085757028.html

Samir Nasri Ricardo Quaresma Carlos Puyol

DTotD: David Beckham uses dirty tactics while playing against Chinese kids, doesn?t get booked

David Beckham is back in China to resume his duties as the country's "global football ambassador" and it seems he's learned a few lessons from his past experiences in similar positions. For one thing, he isn't taking free kicks while wearing a suit anymore. And he's also figured out how to keep school kids from exposing his age-ravaged defending.

Playing against a group of Chinese children in front of a large crowd, Beckham made sure the kid with the ball didn't get past him by picking him up, putting him to one side and then taking the ball for himself (clearly this is a move that Zlatan Ibrahimovic taught him at PSG). Beckham was not booked for the clear foul.

This has been the Dirty Tackle of the Day: a chronicling of unfortunate events.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/dtotd-david-beckham-uses-dirty-tactics-while-playing-192111838.html

Diego Milito Gabriel Milito Gary Neville

Chelsea?s Striker Curse: Could Schurrle and Cavani be the cure?

Chelsea’s Striker Curse: Could Schurrle and Cavani be the cure? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

If Chelsea manages to acquire Edinson Cavani, El Matador and Andre Schurrle could team up to cure Chelsea's striker curse.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/soccerlens/~3/IiKmORwsqzI/

David Beckham Daniele De Rossi Michael Ballack

Keane, Galaxy top Seattle 3-0

CARSON, Calif. -- Robbie Keane couldn't help himself. Christian Wilhelmsson's 67th-minute rebound touch off a Landon Donovan shot appeared to be headed -- a bit slowly, albeit -- for the back of the net in Sunday's Western Conference Finals leadoff leg between the Los Angeles Galaxy and Seattle Sounders. But Keane, the productive Irish striker, just had to jump in and slam the ball behind Seattle keeper Michael Gspurning for the Galaxy's third and final goal in their 3-0 win.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/soccer/post/_/id/17751/keane-galaxy-top-seattle-3-0

Juan Román Riquelme Iker Casillas Ryan Giggs

George's Premier Predictions March 16 2013

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/03/georges-premier-predictions-march-16.html

Ashley Cole Gennaro Gattuso Frank Lampard

Keane, Galaxy top Seattle 3-0

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/soccer/post/_/id/17751/keane-galaxy-top-seattle-3-0

Arjen Robben Robinho Joe Cole

Friday, June 28, 2013

DTotD: Ukrainian footballer sent off for headbutting teammate

Hoverla Uzhhorod's Volodymyr Lysenko was sent off for headbutting teammate Mirko Raicevic in a Ukrainian match last week. Raicevic ran over to Lysenko and apparently said something that Lysenko didn't appreciate. The pair bumped chests and then Lysenko delivered the headbutt, sending Raicevic to his knees as he clutched his face.

And since all of this happened right in front of the referee, Lysenko was quickly shown a red card and escorted off the pitch. The good news? Lysenko is only on loan at Hoverla from Metalist. Surely "headbutting his teammates" is some kind of violation of the agreement that could get him sent back early if necessary. Maybe.

This has been the Dirty Tackle of the Day: a chronicling of unfortunate events.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/dtotd-ukrainian-footballer-sent-off-headbutting-teammate-040824783.html

Rio Ferdinand Deco John Terry

The Neymar deal is done, so now what, aka ?Give hair a chance?

It is very safe to say that not since the arrival of Ronaldinho has a player come with so much weight. As many of you know, then-president Joan Laporta was running on the “bring Beckham” platform, even as that deal never had a chance of happening. Ronaldinho was the one, and boy, did that work [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BarcelonaFootballBlog/~3/6GOJMLCG1cg/

Zé Roberto Frank Ribéry Andriy Shevchenko

LA Wants Downtown Stadium

Posted in Chivas USA MLS Stadium Talk

The City of Los Angeles wants to build a soccer stadium, and subsequently wants to land a Major League Soccer franchise to inhabit its new downtown location. This comes from�a recent community draft report seeking to elevate the city’s collegiate and professional sports profile�and bring tourism dollars downtown. Los Angeles has been working hard these [...]

The post LA Wants Downtown Stadium appeared first on WVHooligan.com - MLS Blog.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WVHooligan/~3/4xhZ8RcDL9k/

Clarence Seedorf Florent Malouda Carlos Tévez

Ngwenya on trial with Bayern Munich, was Klinsmann rumor true?

Source: http://mysoccerblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/ngwenya-on-trial-with-bayern-munich-was.html

Kaká Shunsuke Nakamura Alexandre Pato

Join the Dave?s Football Blog Fantasy Premier League, Sponsored by SoccerPro.com

Have we reached the point in our civilization where our favorite football games exist only so we can play our own games on top of them? If the NFL lockout were still going on, would we have missed our fantasy leagues more than the actual league? Maybe, but who cares? Let’s play. Dave?s Football Blog [...]

Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/08/07/join-the-daves-football-blog-fantasy-premier-league-sponsored-by-soccerpro-com/

Florent Malouda Carlos Tévez David Beckham

This Is What Being a Football Fan Looks Like?

…when your team loses a big one. Our pal Gary Vaynerchuk has always worn his heart on his sleeve when it comes to the New York Jets, so it’s little surprise to see this reaction from him after the Pittsburgh Steelers stomped his Jets for 30 minutes, then held them at bay just enough in [...]

Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/01/25/this-is-what-being-a-football-fan-looks-like/

Kaká Shunsuke Nakamura Alexandre Pato

George's Premier Predictions March 16 2013

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/03/georges-premier-predictions-march-16.html

Luca Toni Alex Hernán Crespo

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Tahiti players gave shell necklaces to Nigeria before their Confederations Cup match

With just one professional player on the team, Tahiti were already the darlings of the Confederations Cup before it even began. The smallest nation to ever compete in a FIFA senior tournament only endeared themselves further by their goodwill gesture before playing their first group-stage match against Nigeria.

When the Tahitian players lined up the for the national anthems wearing traditional shell necklaces, it had many people wondering why. But as the two teams shook hands before kick-off, the Tahitians took off their necklaces and gave them to the Nigeria players. Even Nigeria's manager, Stephen Keshi, was given one and decided to wear it.

Tahiti qualified for the tournament by beating New Caledonia in the 2012 Oceanic Football Confederation Nations Cup final. It was the first time there was a winner other than Australia (now in the more competitive Asian Football Confederation) or New Zealand, who were upset by New Caledonia in the semifinals.

Unfortunately, Tahiti's nice gesture didn't help their luck. The crowd in the half-full Estadio Mineirao was very much on their side, but just five minutes into the match, Nigeria scored with a shot that took two deflections after after the ball went off the referee. They added a second goal in the 10th minute and a third in the 25th. Though Tahiti did get a few decent chances in the first 45 minutes against Nigeria going half-speed, watching all of this unfold was like watching a puppy repeatedly get kicked by someone who doesn't want to be kicking a puppy.

UPDATE: The puppy kicks back! Tahiti scored in the 55th minute, prompting absolute jubilation.

UPDATE II: Nigeria ended up winning 6-1, but Tahiti never gave up and even had a few more chances to score. This might've been the happiest a team has ever been to lose 6-1.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/tahiti-players-gave-shell-necklaces-nigeria-confederations-cup-194821471.html

Dejan Stankovic Clarence Seedorf Florent Malouda

Steelers Have Only Themselves To Blame

Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/02/07/steelers-have-only-themselves-to-blame/

Rio Ferdinand Deco John Terry

QPR 1 v Wigan 1

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/04/qpr-1-v-wigan-1.html

Iker Casillas Ryan Giggs Paolo Maldini

Dirk Nowitzki given penalty in charity match for poorly executed dive

NBA star Dirk Nowitzki and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer held a match in Germany to benefit their respective charity organizations on Sunday. And during that match, Nowitzki showed that basketball players are catching up to footballers in the art of egregious flopping.

As Ball Don't Lie pointed out last week, Nowitzki happened to speak to the Dallas Morning News about flopping in basketball before the Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs (or the San Francisco Spurs to Sergio Ramos) in the NBA Finals.

?We?re never going to get rid of it,? he said recently. ?But you got to limit it. It?s part of sports. It?s part of winning. Some people are smart and do a little extra thing to kind of sell the call. To me, that?s part of sports.

?You don?t want the obvious ones, the really, really bad ones. I think we?d love to get rid of those."

Well, the 7-foot-tall Nowitzki displayed a really, really bad one for comedic effect in the charity match, taking a delayed tumble while a defender sat on the ground some distance in front of him. And to the Dallas Mavericks power forward's delight, he was awarded a penalty for his terrible acting, which he converted. He wasn't successful on another penalty attempt though, and the blown opportunity proved costly as Nowitzki's team (which included the likes of Lukas Podolski, Mats Hummels and Stefan Kie�ling) lost Neuer's team (with the likes of Ilkay G�ndogan and Julian Draxler) 8-7. Neuer even scored twice himself.

But Nowitzki's performance wasn't limited to awful dives and missed penalties. He also added some odd facial expressions...

And, best of all, hugs...

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/dirk-nowitzki-given-penalty-charity-match-poorly-acted-084624066.html

Andriy Shevchenko Patrick Vieira Diego

George's Premiership Predictions April 13 2013

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/04/george-had-week-to-forget-last-week-on.html

Sergio Agüero Nery Castillo Javier Mascherano

100% Euro Soccer Bonus

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/04/100-euro-soccer-bonus.html

Carlos Tévez David Beckham Daniele De Rossi

Jack Wilshere out with dreaded Arsenal ankle injury

Source: http://www.soccerblog.com/2013/03/jack-wilshere-out-with-dreaded.htm

Alexandre Pato Maicon Jamie Carragher

Spanish Primera Division ? Weekend Recap ? February 22-24, 2013

Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid all won close matches in the Spanish Primera Division on February 22-24, 2013. Results Friday, February 22, 2013 Athletic Bilba 1-3 Real Sociedad 30′ Ibai Gomez 1 – 0 34′ 1 – 1 Antoine Griezmann 66′ 1 – 2 Imanol Agirretxe 76′ 1 – 3 Carlos Vela Saturday, [...]

Source: http://www.the90thminute.com/soccer/2013/02/spanish-primera-division-weekend-recap-february-22-24-2013/

Juan Román Riquelme Iker Casillas Ryan Giggs

Hernandez out for a fortnight

Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez has been ruled out for a fortnight after suffering a mild concussion in training ahead of the Red Devils match with the MLS All-Stars. Hernandez was forced to visit hospital following the incident and was confined to his New Jersey hotel room all Wednesday. Those following the sports betting will [...]

Source: http://www.footballnewsblog.co.uk/premiership/hernandez-out-for-a-fortnight/

Filippo Inzaghi Javier Zanetti Eduardo Da Silva

George's Premiership Predictions April 6

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/04/georges-premiership-predictions-april-6.html

Ricardo Carvalho Fernando Torres Cesc Fàbregas

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

George's Premiership Predictions April 6

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/04/georges-premiership-predictions-april-6.html

Joe Cole Miroslav Klose Sergio Ramos

Bar�a 4 ? M�laga 1, as twenty-two beats one hundred

This review was supposed to be about the game. About how Lord Tito sent out eleven knights, namely Pinto, Montoya, Piqu�, Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Xavi, Cesc, Iniesta, Villa and Pedro to fend off the Andalusian invaders. About how we dismembered the enemy at our doorstep with three quick goals before they could even raise [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BarcelonaFootballBlog/~3/Y_4Fx4AgRcc/

Kim Kallström Filippo Inzaghi Javier Zanetti

MLS expansion - 24 teams by 2013?

Source: http://mysoccerblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/mls-expansion-24-teams-by-2013.html

Kolo Touré Vicente Diego Forlán

Champions League 16, 2nd leg: Malaga down Porto, 2-0 (agg 2-1)

Source: http://www.soccerblog.com/2013/03/champions-league-16-2nd-leg-ma.htm

Gianluca Zambrotta Torsten Frings Pavel Nedved

George's Premier Predictions March 16 2013

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/03/georges-premier-predictions-march-16.html

Javier Zanetti Eduardo Da Silva Fabio Quagliarella

Fifa World Rankings April 2013

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/04/fifa-world-rankings-april-2013.html

Gennaro Gattuso Frank Lampard Rio Ferdinand

Tahiti players gave shell necklaces to Nigeria before their Confederations Cup match

UPDATE: The puppy kicks back! Tahiti scored in the 55th minute, prompting absolute jubilation.

UPDATE II: Nigeria ended up winning 6-1, but Tahiti never gave up and even had a few more chances to score. This might've been the happiest a team has ever been to lose 6-1.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/tahiti-players-gave-shell-necklaces-nigeria-confederations-cup-194821471.html

Gary Neville Juninho Pernambucano Rafael van der Vaart

Media honchos: Barca's demise greatly exaggerated as they sweep Milan aside, 4-0 (agg 4-2)

Source: http://www.soccerblog.com/2013/03/media-honchos-barcas-death-gre.htm

Kolo Touré Vicente Diego Forlán

Stephen Burbank Cancels 2011-12 NFL Season

The man in this photo is Stephen Burbank. He is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. You can see his faculty page here. His Wikipedia entry includes this bit of info: In November 2002, a federal court appointed Burbank�special master of the�National Football League. In that role, he resolves certain categories of [...]

Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/02/02/stephen-burbank-cancels-2011-12-nfl-season/

Juan Román Riquelme Iker Casillas Ryan Giggs

Chelsea and Manchester United at tug-of-war for Edinson Cavani

Chelsea and Manchester United at tug-of-war for Edinson Cavani - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Chelsea have struck a deal in the region of �49.3 million for striker Edinson Cavani, according to Napoli’s official radio station Radio Marte. On Monday evening, the radio station announced that they have received news from a very reliable source …

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/soccerlens/~3/DnbLm_ejtQo/

Patrick Vieira Diego Simão Sabrosa

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

2013 Rookie Watch: Seeing Red

Posted in MLS Rookie Watch

Thanks to some international windows there were only five games this past week in Major League Soccer. many rookies got plenty of playing time in the midweek US Open Cup but in league play the minutes were few and far between. One of the league’s top rookies so far this season didn’t last long on [...]

The post 2013 Rookie Watch: Seeing Red appeared first on WVHooligan.com - MLS Blog.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/WVHooligan/~3/Rdj0KR3FodQ/

Owen Hargreaves Wesley Sneijder Ronaldo

Steelers Have Only Themselves To Blame

Source: http://www.davesfootballblog.com/post/2011/02/07/steelers-have-only-themselves-to-blame/

Kim Kallström Filippo Inzaghi Javier Zanetti

Fifa World Rankings March 2013

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/03/fifa-world-rankings-march-2013.html

Zlatan Ibrahimović Michael Essien David Villa

Former FIFA president says World Cups were fixed

Source: http://mysoccerblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/former-fifa-president-says-world-cups.html

Maxi Rodríguez Philipp Lahm Gianluca Zambrotta

Euro 2012: Spain and Italy Win, Previewing England and Group D

Source: http://liverpool.theoffside.com/team-news/euro-2012-spain-and-italy-win-previewing-england-and-group-d.html

Sergio Agüero Nery Castillo Javier Mascherano

Champions League 16, 2nd leg: Arsenal fail to progress despite win over Bayern, 2-0 (agg 3-3)

Source: http://www.soccerblog.com/2013/03/champions-league-16-2nd-leg-ar.htm

Sergio Agüero Nery Castillo Javier Mascherano

Iran?s Carlos Queiroz offers South Korea coach ?obscene gesture? after qualifying for World Cup

Tuesday evening's AFC World Cup qualifier between South Korea and Iran ended with visiting Iran manager Carlos Queiroz pumping his fists, aggressively shouting and offering what a South Korean official called an "obscene gesture" at the rival bench, while locals showered the field with plastic water bottles and drink cans.

Thanks to a bad-tempered eight-month build-up, however, this match was never destined to be a genteel affair.

South Korea lost a fiesty qualifier to Iran in Tehran last October, but manager Choi Kang-Hee complained about extensive visa problems and poor training facilities on their trip. Subsequently, he promised to "make life painful" for Iran by offering a similar level of hospitality in the return fixture.

Carlos Queiroz called for an apology, but instead Kang-Hee gave the kind of response that sounds like it should have been given from an underground lair while stroking a cat:

It looks like Iran is nervous. When feeling burdened or chased after, you talk a lot and engage in unnecessary provocation. I will defeat Iran no matter what. Coach Queiroz will be watching the Brazil World Cup on TV.

To makes things even spicier, South Korea captain and Bayer Leverkusen striker Son Heung-Min made a chilling promise about his meeting with Iran captain Javad Nekounam:

"I will make him shed tears of blood."

Queiroz and his side were understandably irked by the prospect of being forced to cry their own blood (or maybe someone else's blood?) and called the comments "shameful."

But rather than take the dignified option of rising above the fighting talk, the former Real Madrid and Portugal coach started making gestures of his own. Prior to Tuesday's match, he partook in some obvious trolling by pinning a sad-faced picture of Kang-Hee to his shirt and posing for pictures...

Furthermore, in response to Kang-Hee's desire to help Uzbekistan qualify for the World Cup over Iran, Queiroz also suggested in a pre-match press conference that he would present his rival with an Uzbekistan shirt before the game.

This context offers an explanation?but not a justification?for the Portuguese manager's aggressive behavior when Iran earned the 1-0 victory on Tuesday that was good enough for automatic World Cup qualification.

There might have been a lot more trouble if South Korea hadn't also edged through on goal difference, by a margin of a single goal.

Depsite the fact that they should have been relieved to progress to next summer's tournament?joining fellow AFC members Japan and Australia, who also qualified this week?several members of the South Korean bench couldn't resist punching the Iranian goalkeeper in the face when he celebrated a little too close to them...

Video H/T: 101GG

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/iran-carlos-queiroz-offers-south-korea-coach-obscene-171113565.html

Pavel Nedved Frédéric Kanouté Kolo Touré

Iran?s Carlos Queiroz offers South Korea coach ?obscene gesture? after qualifying for World Cup

Thanks to a bad-tempered eight-month build-up, however, this match was never destined to be a genteel affair.

Carlos Queiroz called for an apology, but instead Kang-Hee gave the kind of response that sounds like it should have been given from an underground lair while stroking a cat:

It looks like Iran is nervous. When feeling burdened or chased after, you talk a lot and engage in unnecessary provocation. I will defeat Iran no matter what. Coach Queiroz will be watching the Brazil World Cup on TV.

To makes things even spicier, South Korea captain and Bayer Leverkusen striker Son Heung-Min made a chilling promise about his meeting with Iran captain Javad Nekounam:

"I will make him shed tears of blood."

Queiroz and his side were understandably irked by the prospect of being forced to cry their own blood (or maybe someone else's blood?) and called the comments "shameful."

There might have been a lot more trouble if South Korea hadn't also edged through on goal difference, by a margin of a single goal.

Video H/T: 101GG

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/iran-carlos-queiroz-offers-south-korea-coach-obscene-171113565.html

Ronaldinho Cristiano Ronaldo Kaká

Monday, June 24, 2013

Donovan, Galaxy win second straight MLS Cup

CARSON, Calif. -- //player/19107/landon-donovan.html">Landon Donovan likes to talk about what he calls "being present" -- living in the moment and forgetting the past. He found himself doing the exact opposite for a half-hour on Saturday afternoon. Donovan couldn't stop thinking about his 13th-minute empty-net whiff in the MLS Cup title game until halftime, when he finally collected himself and re-focused. Twenty minutes later, his "present-ness" was tested.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/soccer/post/_/id/17758/donovan-galaxy-win-second-straight-mls-cup

Samuel Eto’o Steven Gerrard Lionel Messi

Andrea Pirlo scores with beautiful free kick against Mexico in Confederations Cup

Making his 100th appearance for Italy at Brazil's iconic Maracana Stadium, Andrea Pirlo opened the scoring in his side's Confederations Cup opener against Mexico in glorious fashion. Pirlo's 27th minute free kick was so magical that Mexico keeper Jose Corona gave up on attempting to stop it mid-dive. Don't mess with the hypnotic wizardry of Bearded Pirlo.

Mexico went on equalize in the 34th minute with a Chicharito penalty to end their recent goal drought.

NOPE

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/andrea-pirlo-scores-beautiful-free-kick-against-mexico-195654277.html

Dejan Stankovic Clarence Seedorf Florent Malouda

The Year in Review, as the Force may be with you

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BarcelonaFootballBlog/~3/Ftsy1whCEq4/

Maxi Rodríguez Philipp Lahm Gianluca Zambrotta

Can Moyes convince Rooney to stay by the end of this week?

Can Moyes convince Rooney to stay by the end of this week? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Reports are suggesting that Wayne Rooney?s future at Manchester United could rest on talks with new manager David Moyes this week. Rooney is set to return from holiday and it will be the first thing Moyes will want to strike …

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/soccerlens/~3/_IulQ7TQap0/

Wesley Sneijder Ronaldo David Silva

Wigan Athletic

Source: http://soccerphile.blogspot.com/2013/05/wigan-athletic.html

Ryan Giggs Paolo Maldini Ashley Cole