“Human toilet” goal celebration
Funny “human toilet” celebration by an Iceland team, FC Stjarnan:
And another one, the best may be so far from the same team, the fisherman:
Defoe inspires new-look England to opening Wembley win
Jermain Defoe is presented with the matchball by the referee
At half time in England’s opening European qualifier of the summer against Bulgaria, the title to this article read “old habits die hard”. What a difference 45 minutes can make. The pre-match feeling was one of nerves, anxiety, apprehension. All the better then that Jermain Defoe’s opener should come so early in the game, just 3 minutes in, to settle down the players, the under-pressure manager, and the expectant supporters.
Champions League Group A
On first sight, I didn’t really like the draw Spurs got. I was going through the draw live while chatting on ESPN Soccernet’s live chat and prior to our name being drawn out, I was hoping for Group B. However, having been drawn in Group A with defending champions Inter Milan, Werder Bremen and FC Twente, here is my view on how things are not as bad as they seem.
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Spurs looking to balance their priorities : Fan view
In my ideal world, Spurs would pip Arsenal for the EPL title, reach the CL quarters, and win both the Mickey Mouse and FA Cup. OK I can dream! But one of the toughest thing about being a fan and a football blogger is being subjective about your own team’s expectations. Last season, in my podcast, I stated that I would have been very happy to win the FA Cup, and finish in 5th place. After Pompey knocked the stuffing out of Spurs in the FA Cup semis, with impending games against Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal to come, I thought my dreams would be crushed into oblivion. But 2 fantastic performances from Gareth Bale gave me something I could never dream of, at least not last season, and that was qualification for the UCL!
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Pepe Reina’s “Stupid Hands”
Mistakes can happen by anyone, but here’s Chris Toy’s (from Studs-up.com) explanation of the incident which led to Liverpool’s draw match against Arsenal (originally posted as Pepto Dismal by Chris)
Lampard and Terry included in England B team
Bobby Zamora takes a break from pretending he's a footballer
Fabio Capello decided to tackle a couple of bottles of wine whilst naming his latest England B team squad to face Hungary next week. The inclusions of Ben Foster, whose career highlight is being Edwin van der Sar’s number two for several years, Paul Robinson, who subsequently retired from international football having got the call-up, Bobby Zamora, England’s answer to Nicklas Bendtner, and those two world-class Chelsea legends Frank Lampard and John Terry, has got England fans drooling at the prospect of watching our beloved national team battle it out against that footballing superpower, Hungary, 3 days before the Premier League season kicks off. Oh, what joy!
David James has given The Robins the thumbs up on a surprise move to the Championship club
Bristol City have confirmed that they have captured the signature of England goalkeeper David James on a free transfer. James has put pen-to-paper on a one-year deal with the club, a move that is a sure signal of The Robins’ ambition this season. James, who turns 40 this weekend, took over England’s goalkeeping mantle at the World Cup following Robert Green’s embarrassing howler against the USA in England’s opening game of the tournament. He was one of a minority of players that escaped criticism on return from South Africa, and now has his sights firmly set on helping Bristol City achieve promotion into the Premier League.
The Home Grown Criteria
The new regulations stating that each of the 20 Premier League teams can only register 25 senior players, of which 8 are home grown, by September 1, which will be eligible to play in the club’s League fixtures has brought about some confusion. Here is my understanding of the home grown rule. I will not cover the 25 senior players rule as it speaks for itself. Do correct me where I am wrong, as this is my own interpretation.
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Blackpool may have difficulty in shaking off the ‘jokers’ tag, but could it play to their advantage?
This may come to be a familiar sight throughout the coming months as Ian Holloway prepares for his first PL campaign as a manager
Blackpool is best known for its pleasure beach, arcades, and thousands of bald-headed, sunburnt British tourists that flock to the seaside each year. You wouldn’t automatically associate Blackpool with football, and you certainly wouldn’t have predicted this time last year that they had a realistic chance of reaching the play-offs, let alone actually gaining promotion to the Premier League. A relegation battle would have been a more customary suggestion, with a low to mid-table finish the ultimate objection. But Ian Holloway built a team combining youthful exuberance and a die-hard work ethic, and throughout the duration of the 2009/10 season, Holloway and his men slowly but surely began to prove everybody wrong. Now, they are on the verge of embarking on their first ever Premier League journey.
Mascherano and teammate Fernando Torres after Liverpool's 2-1 victory over Marseille in the Champions League in the 2008/09 season
Fernando Torres’ future is still very much up in the air. He may stay, he may go. One member of the squad that Roy Hodgson can be certain wants to leave Anfield this summer is Argentina captain Javier Mascherano who is unsettled on Merseyside. It is believed that Mascha wants a reunion with ex-Reds boss Rafael Benitez, who is now the manager of Italian giants Inter Milan.
A little less conversation, a little more Torres please: Why Liverpool’s prize asset has no choice but to stay at Anfield
Fernando Torres quickly established himself as a fans' favourite at Anfield
Whenever Liverpool fans read a news headline boasting the name Fernando Torres, their heart usually sinks and they let out a dull sigh of resignation. “Torres to Chelsea”, “Torres to Manchester City”, “Torres to Real Madrid”. Same old, same old. But don’t fret Reds’ fans, I’m here to inject a bit of optimism into the situation. Fernando Torres won’t be leaving Liverpool this summer, and here’s why.
The highs and lows at the blue side of Manchester
Fans of the Citizens are not very different from fans of Spurs. Deprived of success over the years, we also have to come to terms with our immediate rivals gaining success after success, although in Man City’s case, they’ve probably had to deal with it for the best part of the last 30 years and counting, as Man United still win title after title, while they were playing yo-yo between the various divisions.
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Who is the greatest manager of all time?
Chelsea central defender and Real Madrid target Ricardo Carvalho has stated his desire to join up with former-boss Jose Mourinho at the Santiago Bernabeu. Carvalho also described Mourinho as the “greatest manager in the history of football”. This got me thinking. Who is the greatest manager ever?
Below are the four men I consider to be among the best of the best in football management, and now it’s your chance to vote for your favourite. The poll will be closed when votes stop coming in, and the winner will have the honour of being named WDKF’s greatest ever manager!
Click the link below to vote now! (If you vote for ‘none of the above’, please state your preferred choice in the comment box).
Yaya Toure is one of Roberto Mancini's superstar signings this summer
I’m certainly not the first person to start a discussion as to whether Manchester City will be good enough to challenge for the Premier League title this season, nor will I be the last. Until it is mathematically impossible, and until either Chelsea or Manchester United lift their 4th or 12th respective trophies, people won’t stop debating. Even then attentions will turn to the 2011/2012 season and whether City can strengthen their squad and push for honours again. Since the high-profile takeover of the club in 2007, the days of questioning City’s credentials as a Premier League club are long gone, and mid-table expectancies are a distant memory. The talk has now switched to top four, Champions League, and champions of England. Last season City came ever so close to breaching the once unbreachable ‘big four’, that thanks to Liverpool no longer exists. It’s now the ‘big three and whoever else is good enough to join them’, but unfortunately for City, last season belonged to Tottenham, and it will be Harry Redknapp’s side that will have the chance to compete with Barcelona and Inter Milan in Europe’s biggest competition.
New decade, new era for Manchester United, but what exactly will the future hold for the next generation?
Danny Welbeck is one of the many bright talents looking to make the breakthrough into the United first team
With another season on the horizon, and teams up and down the country gearing up for what they hope will be a successful season in their respective divisions, I investigate whether Manchester United’s dominance in the Premier League in the last decade is at risk with a number of ageing stars reaching the end of their tether.
