Beer Footy and Birds!

Classic Quotations made about Referees

2012-01-20T12:35:00.018Z

Back in April 2008 I started a thread on the subject of badly worded or simply daft comments made by football managers, past and present. Following this I then went on a crusade to poke fun at not only football managers but also players, fans, and chairman alike who have at various times spouted out drivel, in an attempt to get their point across.

Like a phoenix from the flames I have resurrected the topic, but this time the emphasis is on the referees, not so much what they have to say, but what is said about them!

There is enough material on the subject to write a novel, but here is just a taster of some of my favourite comments made about referees over the years.

We've got drug-testers here today. I assume they'll ignore the players and go straight to the officials - MICK McCARTHY, Wolves manager, after a controversial home defeat by Birmingham, 2007.

The ref was a big time homer, more interested in his rub-on suntan - DAVID MOYES, Everton manager talking about referee Jeff Winter, 2003.

Can anyone tell me why they give referees a watch? It's certainly not for keeping the time - ALEX FERGUSON, Manchester United manager, after Graham Poll added 'only three minutes' v Everton, 1996.

I tried to talk to the ref but it's easier to get an audience with the Pope. If I'm in London again and I get mugged, I hope the same amount of people turn up - there were six police officers, four stewards and a UN peace-keeping observer - GORDON STRACHAN, after controversy at Arsenal shortly before resigning as Southampton manager, 2004.

If the ref had stood still we wouldn't have had to chase him - ROY KEANE, Manchester United captain, on the Andy D'Urso incident, 2000.

When Paolo Di Canio pushed over the referee (Paul Alcock), if the referee had been a player he'd have been booked for diving - BARRY DAVIES, TV commentator, recalling the 1998 match between Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday, 2004.

I'm 27 years-old and yet the referee tells me I'm not allowed to swear - VINNIE JONES, Wimbledon midfielder, after being dismissed for foul and abusive language, 1992.

I have nothing against the visually handicapped as such, but I am surprised they are allowed to referee at this level - THE SOUP, Kidderminster Harriers fanzine, 1989.

My players wouldn't take a throw-in for that sort of money - GORDON STRACHAN, Coventry manager on learning that referee Gerald Ashby's match fee was £200, 1998.

I can't understand why the ref wasn't more sympathetic. After all, we used to go to the same bookies - STEVE CLARIDGE, Portsmouth player-manager, after his team incurred two red cards v Fulham, 2001.

I don't think we should have shoot-outs. We should have a shoot-the-ref shoot-out. After that penalty, the referee should have been shot - JOHN GREGORY, Aston Villa manager, afer a last-minute penalty was awarded to West Ham against Villa, 1999.

In the tunnel I said to David Ellery: 'You might as well book me now and get it over with.' He takes it pretty well but he still books me - ROY KEANE, Manchester United captain, 2000.

How the mega-rich male model referee slipped out of Molineux in his luxury Mercedes after a day of mayhem - HEADLINE in Wolvehampton's Express & Star, after referee Uriah Rennie's 'diabolical' handling of a game between Wolves and Bolton, 2004.

What makes a sane and rational person subject himself to such humiliation? Why on earth does anyone want to become a Premiership referee - LORD HATTERSLEY, Sheffield Wednesday supporter, 2002.

.......and to finish off here are a couple of comments made by the officials themselves:

At Stoke an elderly lady was waiting by the dressing room after the game. She said: "Mr. Night, I'm 74 and a grandmother, and I'd just like to say you're the worst f*cking referee I've ever seen." Certainly put me in my place - BARRY NIGHT, Football League referee, 2005.

You're out there with 22 multi-millionaires who you have to control with a whistle and two, sometimes three cards - GRAHAM POLL, English referee on quitting the game, 2007. A year earlier Poll had been cut from the World Cup after cautioning Croatia's Jossip Simunic three times, before sending him off against Australia.

Who's the Bastard in the Black? - TITLE of former Premiership referee Jeff Winter's autobiography, 2006.

To see previous posts by Beer Footy and Birds, on 'Classic Quotations' click on the links below:

Ten Classic Football Quotations made by Football Managers

Ten Classic Football Quotations made by Football Chairman

Classic Football Quotations said by Football Fans or made about Football Fans - Part One

Sexy London Bars!

2012-01-13T17:37:00.034Z

London is hip and trendy and don't you forget it!
It boasts an array of clandestine yet cultured watering holes.......it's just knowing where these sumptuous hideaways are situated.

Allow me to lend you a hand and wet your appetite, as I guide you into a world of edgy, almost borderline illicit such establishments!

Serving Number One:

Mark's Bar at Hix
Address: 66-70 Brewer Street, Soho, London, W1F 9UP.
Telephone: 0207 292 3518.
Opening hours: Mark's Bar is open from 12 noon everyday.
Last orders at the bar are 1.00am.
Average cocktail price: £9-11 each.

Formerly a below street level sushi bar, Mark's Bar sits in the basement of Hix Restaurant in Soho. Mark's is one of the coolest or hottest bars in London. Before you can get there though you have to find the restaurant itself. So, listen up people – once you get to Brewer Street look out for a huge solid wooden door. The first thing you notice when you walk into the basement is the long zinc bar that runs the length of the room. This 'chic' cocktail bar is decked out with leather chesterfields, smoky mirrors and ambient lighting, giving the place a very New York vibe. With a traditional bar billiards table and a cocktail list, designed by Nick Strangeway, and Charles Vexenat, it features historical British cocktails, all beautifully crafted, an assortment of wines and bubbly along with Hix's own-brand ales from Dorset.

The cocktails are to die for, and they have re-ignited new life into some real classics: From the 'Hanky Panky' (a gin based infusion created for the actor Charles Hawtry who asked a bartender to make him something with a "bit of punch in it."
When he tasted the result of hours of experimentation, he commented, "By Jove! That's the real hanky panky!)."

Then there is the Scoff-Law Cocktail (invented at Harry's Bar in Paris, this rye whisky based creation quickly became popular with expat Americans). Added to that is the delightful 'Punch a la Regent' (This drink is said to have been held in high esteem by the Prince Regent of the time, George IV, who is largely remembered by his extravagant lifestyle and excesses). An elaborate combination of PX Sherry, rum and brandy combined with curacao, pineapple syrup and lemon sherbet. Soured with citrus and lengthened with green tea, before the pièce de résistance - a regal topping of Champagne.

My personal favourite however is 'The Celebration', a 1930's concoction of Havana Club three year-old rum shaken with fresh white grapefruit, finished with a splash of Beefeater gin and a dash of homemade redcurrant syrup. It is simply irresistible!

Oh, and I have to mention the glassware, which is really cool and quirky, from huge metal tankards to teacups mounted on Martini stems and the odd vintage babysham glass or two.

Overall it's a great venue, full of old school charm, with attentive staff serving fantastic cocktails, but the atmosphere sells it! I was surprised to find a place like this in Soho, where bars can often be too loud, crowded and overpriced for my liking, especially on a weekend.

Mark's Bar, Soho - One of London's 'sexiest' drinking establishments!

I will introduce you to more 'sexy drinking establishments' over the coming weeks and months........so stay aboard to see if I can locate you, your very own guilty pleasure!

The Worst Foreign Transfer Deals in Premier League History!

2012-01-06T11:06:00.044Z

Any fan of Premier League football will have at sometime seen some of the world's best players grace football pitches up and down the country, week in and week out. Their breathless skills, sheer talent and the panache they possess for the game often leave us captivated and at times mesmerised!

It is that time of the year again when some football club owners will be considering whether or not to open up their chequebooks, and give the managers of their businesses carte blanche to invest outrageous sums of money on one or two 'big name' players, that could ultimately define the outcome of the season - be it in success or failure!

However, every now and then you get some transfer deals which quite frankly don't work out. Maybe its the high pressure and tempo of Premier League football, the inability to settle in England, the size of the transfer fee and the resultant high expectations of the fans, or possibly they are just suffering from a dip in form.
There are unquestionably numerous reasons why certain players just don't live up to expectations.

Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, there have been dozens of players over the years who fit into this category, but I ask you, which ones can be best described as quite simply 'the worst foreign Premier League signings of all time.'

Here is my own list of players that I consider fall into that category!

Winston Bogarde - (Barcelona to Chelsea, 2000, Free Transfer)

While I’m sure many of you will wonder how Bogarde could possibly be in the top 10 worst signings considering he arrived at Stamford Bridge on a free transfer, the Dutchman’s transfer fee isn't what cost the club, but his high wages were.

Chelsea gave the Holland centre half a four-year contract worth £10m when he moved to London on a free transfer in July 2000.

The Gordon Gecko of Premier League football, Bogarde bled Chelsea dry for £40,000 a week over a four year period, clocking up just a dozen or so appearances. He famously didn’t even own a house in London, flying in for training in order to honour his contract to the letter.

In his own words: "This world is about money, so when you are offered those millions you take them. Few people will ever earn so many. I am one of the few fortunates who do. I may be one of the worst buys in the history of the Premiership, but I don’t care, I am the best Chelsea pickpocket in history."

He even picked up a contractual bonus following the Blues 2000 FA Cup win, despite Bogarde not featuring at all for Chelsea that season.

The deal was a complete waste of money on the part of Chelsea. Bogarde seemed to typify a foreign player who came to England for nothing but the money. Often referred to by the term 'mercenary' in the modern era!

As Bogarde succinctly put it: "This world is about money, so when you are offered those millions you take them. Few people will ever earn so many. I am one of the few fortunates who do. I may be one of the worst buys in the history of the Premiership, but I don't care."

Massimo Taibi - (Venezia to Manchester United, 1999, £4.5 million)

Massimo Taibi has to be considered not only the worst transfer of all time but also one of, if not the worst keeper to ever grace the Premier League. Taibi was brought to the club in 1999 by Sir Alex Ferguson who splashed out £4.5m on the Venezian journeyman as a potential replacement for United legend Peter Schmeichel, but many soon found out that the Italian shot stopper was going to become a legend at United for all the wrong reasons.

Taibi was competing with the other two Manchester United goalkeepers, Mark Bosnich and Raimond van der Gouw, for the first-team place. Taibi conceded two sloppy goals at Liverpool on his debut and one to Wimbledon the following week. Then the fun began: Southampton scored three at Old Trafford, including a Matthew Le Tissier 'shot' that trickled through Taibi's legs and was so soft, it barely dribbled over the line. This left the former Milan keeper red faced with embarrassment and the United faithful red faced in anger. This led to Taibi being dubbed 'The Blind Venetian' by one newspaper. Eight days later, Chelsea put five past him at Stamford Bridge and this Italian’s job was over, little more than a month after it had began.

Taibi was left to rot in the United reserves after making only four first-team appearances, until Reggina took him first on loan, before he eventually completed a £2.5m transfer to the Italian side in July 2000. His very brief spell at Manchester United will never be forgotten, even if only for the wrong reasons!

Taibi went on to play over 500 top flight matches for eleven different clubs during an eventful career, before he announced his retirement from football in 2009.

Adrian Mutu - (Parma to Chelsea, 2003, £15.8 million)

Adrian Mutu’s move to Chelsea filled many of the Stamford Bridge faithful with optimism as to what he could possibly do in a Blues shirt.

The Romanian's first season started well, but the goals dried up and his relationship with José Mourinho soured soon after Mourinho arrived the following summer. Not long into his second season at Chelsea Mutu failed a drugs test, and his cocaine bust resulted in the 31 year old being immediately sacked from the club.

In early 2005 Chelsea started legal proceedings against Mutu for breach of contract, and they were eventually awarded €17 million in compensation. The case has been appealed from one court to the next, and Chelsea still haven't received their compensation as it stands. I'm sure they regret signing Mutu and all the trouble he brought with him.

Marco Boogers - (Sparta Rotterdam to West Ham, 1995, £1 million)

Possibly one of the worst and funniest transfers of all time. After arriving at the club, Boogers second appearance for the Hammers saw the Dutchman receive a red card against Manchester United for 'a horror tackle' on Gary Neville, which was to be the start to a rather odd story.

Upon receiving the red card, Boogers then decided to go AWOL, disappearing from the club with no one knowing of his whereabouts. Some days later it was alleged that the player had been found depressed and hiding out in a mobile home on a Dutch caravan site. The Boogers debacle resulted in a rather bewildered Harry Redknapp at first loaning him out, before allowing the Dutchman to leave on a subsequent free transfer to FC Groningen despite his protestations - "I'm not mental."

Redknapp later berated Boogers in an interview and claimed he never saw Boogers play, and that he contracted him on a whim based on a videotape where he appeared to be a world class player. Boogers himself disputes this and says scouts from West Ham United attended several of his matches with Sparta before signing him.

Bosko Balaban - (Dianamo Zagreb to Aston Villa, 2001, £6.5 million)

Signed by John Gregory for £6.5 million from Zagreb in 2001, the Croatian striker played just nine times (seven as a substitute) and he did not start a single league game for Aston Villa in his two and a half years at the club.

He was loaned back to Dinamo Zagreb for the 2002–03 season, scoring 15 times in 24 appearances.

In December 2003, Aston Villa released Balaban from his contract with a £1m pay-off declaring on his departure that "Villa is all bullshit."
He signed for Club Brugge on a free transfer. In the 2004–05 season, he scored 25 goals in 24 appearances for the club and in the 2005–06 season, he scored 27 goals in 30 games for the Belgian side.

Balaban certainly knows where the back of the net is, as he is seemingly able to score freely for every club he has represented, but for whatever reason he was clearly unable to impress in England. He currently plys his trade in the Greek Super League with Panionios.

Michele Padovano - (Juventus to Crystal Palace, 1997, £1.7 million)

Former Crystal Palace chairman Mark Goldberg, signed Padovano from Juventus reserves in November 1997 for £1.7m in a typically ill-considered move. Handing the Italian an enormous contract in the hope that gratitude alone would spur him to score the goals to beat relegation, Goldberg touted his newest expensive arrival as the answer to Palace's prayers.

In the event, the long-haired, out-of-condition forward scored once, against Leicester City, played just twelve times for the South London club, and came to embody the club's failings. Utterly disinterested, Padovano never played more than two games in a row, and, after his twelfth appearance, settled contentedly into reserve team football, before leaving on a free to join Metz in 1998.

When Crystal Palace were in receivership during the 1999-2000 season, Padovano made a million-pound claim against the club's directors for lost wages.

In May 2006, he was arrested by Italian police in Torino over allegation of his implication in hashish traffic and was later sentenced to 8 years and 8 months in jail.

Alberto Aquilani - (Roma to Liverpool, 2009, £17 million plus add-ons)

Alberto Aquilani is a prime example of a player who just didn’t cut the mustard when arriving in England. The Italian created a large reputation back in his native country with a number of key performances for Roma, resulting in then Anfield boss Rafa Benitez splashing out £17 million initially and handing the 26 year-old a five-year contract in August 2009.

The beginning of his Liverpool career was plagued by injury, but when he did play he did little to wet the appetite of the fans of the Merseyside club. In August 2010, a deal between Liverpool and Juventus was agreed, to allow Aquilani to go on a one season loan deal to Juventus with an option of a permanent move. Aquilani returned to Liverpool after Juventus decided against making his transfer permanent, the club's owners declining to meet the previously agreed £14m transfer fee. In August 2011 it was announced that Aquilani would be would be returning to Serie A, joining AC Milan on loan for the 2011-2012 season with Milan having an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.......we shall have to wait and see what Milan decide, but his days at Anfield are numbered.

Andrea Silenzi - (Torino to Nottingham Forest, 1995, £1.8 million)

Signed from Torino in 1995 by Frank Clark for Nottingham Forest, Silenzi became the first ever Italian to play in the Premier League. The 6'3" centre-forward, known as 'the Big Brush' made just seven starts (20 appearances in total). Silenzi was a picture of disinterest. Earning a then enormous £30,000 a month, his laid-back control, finishing and approach play soon had management and supporters worried.

It took just weeks for the deal to look suspect, a month for it to look plain wrong and another month to collapse. Half way through his first season, he had lost his first team place and was loaned out to Venezia, and when told to return by the then manager Dave Bassett, he refused. Forest tore up his contract - meaning the whole deal, including wages and bonuses, had cost the club £2.75m. He scored twice - one against Oxford in the FA Cup and the other against Bradford in the Coca-Cola Cup. Bassett said of the deal, "The whole business turned into a complete fiasco."

Steve Marlet - (Olympique Lyonnais to Fulham, 2001, £11.5 million)

When Fulham were promoted to the Premiership in 2001, Chairman Mohammed Al-Fayed was focused on spending lots of money in the hope they would win the league.
Unfortunately, things didn’t quite turn out as planned and French striker Steve Marlet, signed for £11.5m in 2001 wasn't able to perform anywhere near the level expected. As Fulham's then record signing, it angered Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed so much that the then manager Jean Tigana who signed Marlet was dismissed in April 2003.

Marlet played just one game in the 2003–04 season for Fulham before he was loaned out to Olympique Marseille for 18 months, with his sizeable contract still being paid by the English team, before his contract was finally cancelled in 2005.

Marlet's terrible performances for Fulham led to chairman Mohammed Al Fayed taking his former manager Jean Tigana to the High Court. He claimed Tigana had intentionally overpaid for the striker and wanted compensation, saying "I won't let any crook destroy Fulham". It was suspected that Tigana, who had ties to Olympique Lyonnais, signed Marlet for an exorbitant fee, taking a cut of the fee himself. The charges were quickly dropped.

Babe Of The Month - Happy New Year/Prosit Neujahr/Bonne Année/Feliz Año Nuevo/Felice Anno Nuovo/Feliz Ano Novo/Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku/S Novim Godom.

2012-01-01T10:39:00.014Z

All the latest Transfer Gossip across Europe

2011-12-28T10:59:00.026Z

With the January transfer window opening in a matter of days, let's take a look at the latest transfer rumours to be making the headlines, as clubs across Europe get a one last chance this season to shuffle their squads in a final push for success, whether it in the form of trophies, UEFA Champions League/Europa League qualification, or simply to maintain their status in their respective leagues.
As the clock ticks down here is the most recent transfer gossip to be doing the rounds!

Blackburn, Fulham, Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester United, Manchester City, Lille, Olympiakos, Bolton, Chelsea, Everton, Barcelona, New York Red Bulls, Dijon, AC Milan, Liverpool, Racing Club de Avellaneda, Paris Saint Germain, QPR, Arsenal, FC Köln, Olympique Lyonnais, Fiorentina, Tottenham, Spartak Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, Anzhi Makhachkala, Watford, Montpellier, Newcastle, Sochaux, Malaga, AS Roma, Leicester City, Doncaster Rovers, Derby County, Middlesbrough, Nottm Forest, West Ham, Valencia, Swindon Town, Huddersfield and Bournemouth..........are all caught up in transfer gossip as we speak.

Here is a round up:

Blackburn boss Steve Kean expects the green light to bid £2 million for unhappy Fulham striker Andy Johnson (right) today - and make him one of the first signings of the winter transfer window. QPR are also keen, but the 30-year-old is not a priority capture for them just now - Daily Mirror and The Guardian

Bayer Leverkusen are desperate to take Dimitar Berbatov back to the Bundesliga and have been in contact with the Manchester United striker - Daily Mail

Manchester City could fuel the rivalry with Manchester United by snapping up two of their best up-and-coming youngsters Ravel Morrison and Paul Pogba.
Both Pogba and Morrison, both 18 years-old are out of contract at the end of season and City are best-placed if neither players agrees a new deal - Daily Express, Daily Mail and footballpress.net

Manchester City are also rumoured to be lining up a £25m swoop for Lille's Eden Hazard (right), who will be immediately loaned back to France for the remainder of this season - skysports.com and The Guardian

Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill has agreed in principal to join Chelsea in January - footballpress.net

Bolton boss Owen Coyle will swoop for New York Red Bulls and USA defender Tim Ream as a replacement for Gary Cahill - Daily Star

Bolton hope toalso sign Josh McEachran on loan from Chelsea, after sending back the unwanted Gaël Kakuta, who's now heading for Dijon - The Guardian

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas insists Chelsea will not be trying to buy Everton's Jack Rodwell when the transfer window reopens.
The Blues were this week linked with a £20million bid for the midfielder, who made his senior England debut last month - sportinglife.com

Chelsea are facing an unexpected battle to keep Oriol Romeu less than six months after signing him. Barcelona are said to want to bring the midfielder, who has broken into Andre Villas-Boas' first team, back to the Nou Camp as a replacement for Serie A-bound Seydou Keita in summer - Daily Mirror

Liverpool target Teo Gutierrez (right) has been made available by his club - but only if his £8m valuation is met. The Racing Club de Avellaneda (of Argentina) forward has been attracting the attention of a number of clubs across Europe and the impending eight game ban Luis Suarez is facing has heightened Liverpool's thoughts of adding another striker to their squad - talkSPORT

AC Milan have dismissed reports that Brazilian star Alexandre Pato has asked for a big-money move to Paris Saint Germain. The forward admitted yesterday that his relationship with Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri is not ideal, and that has only increased speculation of a €50million (£42m) switch to France - skysports.com and Daily Mirror

Manager Arsene Wenger is set to consider offers for Arsenal trio Marouane Chamakh, Andrey Arshavin and Sebastien Squillaci as he looks to make way for possible additions to his squad next month - Caught Offside

Andrey Arshavin appears to be closer than ever to leaving Arsenal with Chelsea among the clubs who could be keen on him - Metro

Arsenal will only make loan signings this January but are preparing a £30m summer spending spree on FC Köln striker Lukas Podolski, Fiorentina midfielder Juan Vargas (right) and Lyon midfielder Yoann Gourcuff. Poldolski and Gourcuff would cost the Gunners a combined fee in the region of £15 million pounds, with Vargas' fee expected to be around £10 million - footballpress.net

Tottenham will consider a move for Blackburn defender Chris Samba when the transfer window opens next week, after missing out on Gary Cahill - Daily Mail

Roman Pavlyuchenko's agent claims the Tottenham Hotspur striker is prepared to join Anzhi Makhachkala unless he receives a better offer in January. The 30 year-old forward is unhappy with his lack of playing time and has been linked with a return to former club Spartak Moscow, along with rivals Lokomotiv Moscow and Queens Park Rangers - skysports.com and sportinglife.com

Blackburn are lining up a bid for £5m-rated Watford striker Marvin Sordell - Daily Star

Montpellier owner Louis Nicollin has ruled out selling striker Olivier Giroud (right) to Newcastle United after claiming the club are 'too small' for the striker. Giroud is reportedly a target for Newcastle in the January transfer window as Alan Pardew seeks to boost his attack after a move for Sochaux's Modibo Maiga collapsed. The French international has also been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Malaga - skysports.com

Tottenham's 25 year-old defender Vedran Corluka looks set to join Italian giants AS Roma - Daily Star and The Sun

Olympiakos have been linked to a move for Manchester United goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak - The Guardian

Middlesbrough are keen on landing Nottingham Forest striker Ishmael Miller. The 23-year-old only moved to the City Ground in the summer, when Forest paid West Bromwich Albion just over £1million - skysports.com

Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Warnock has ruled out a bid to sign former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb in January. Hleb has spent the first half of the season on loan at Wolfsburg from Barcelona, but the Bundesliga club will not be extending the arrangement - sportinglife.com

Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson insists will not be 'held to ransom' in the January transfer window amid reports he has made a bid for Doncaster Rovers striker Billy Sharp (right). Foxes boss Pearson is keen to improve his squad in the New Year and reports claim that Leicester have offered £3million for Sharp - skysports.com

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is keen on bringing Valencia defender Ricardo Costa to East London - skysports.com

Derby County manager Nigel Clough is hoping to release several members of his squad during the January transfer window. Midfielder Stephen Pearson, currently on loan at Championship rivals Bristol City, and goalkeeper Stephen Bywater could be among the first to leave the club in the New Year - skysports.com

Swindon Town will give Leon Clarke to Huddersfield on a free after he fell out with manager Paolo di Canio, but have turned down Bournemouth's £500,000 bid for winger Matt Ritchie, whom they rate at £2m - skysports.com and The Guardian

What not to buy a man for Christmas!

2011-12-22T02:17:00.020Z

Last week I posted an article on 'What not to buy a woman for Christmas!'

It provoked quite a reaction, so I have reversed the roles and written an article for women on what not to buy their man for Christmas.

So ladies, if you’re trying to figure out what to buy the guy in your life for Christmas, it might be good to check out this list of things identified as the absolute worst things you can buy for him. Some of these might be a little surprising but see for yourself. If you avoid the things on this list, you might end up buying him something he’ll actually enjoy. You might be taken aback by the mere fact that some of those unwanted Xmas gifts appear on both sexes lists!

Here’s what NOT to buy your guy for Christmas this year........in no particular order!

1/ Hair Treatment.

Don't add insult to injury! If your man's hairline keeps recessing like the tide of a Norwegian Fjord then chances are good that he knows about it. He is probably not happy about this natural phenomenon either, but giving him 'Rogaine' even beautifully wrapped by your goodself this Christmas is definitely not the solution.

2/ One Month Gym Membership.

Yes, yes, yes he has put on a few pounds since you two got together, and then add into the equation all the traditional Christmas fayre and festive parties attended in December - and you can be sure he knows it!
Motivating him to get in shape with a one month gym membership is a bit passive aggressive and a huge turn off. Unless he is asking for the membership as a gift, don't do it.

3/ Back Hair Shaving Kit.

Yes, they do exist. It is basically a razor with a telescope extension designed for back hair removal. Even if he could use some back grooming, don't make this a stocking filler.

4/ Sports-related gifts.

It's okay if you follow the Gunners and he's a Spurs fan. But buying him a club shirt with Sol Campbell printed on the back is just downright unacceptable.

5/ A Puppy.

Giving a living thing as a present without notice is never a good idea.
Yes, puppies make cute gifts, but unless you're planning to feed and walk the little guy every day, it's best not to show up with a barking present. A puppy is something that needs to be talked about first, and picked out together.

6/ An 'Old-Fashioned' cologne/after-shave.

What man wants to smell like a 1980's throwback?
'Denim,' 'Brut,' 'Tabac,' 'Insignia' and 'Saxon' or any other 'out-dated' fragrances are a major no-no for almost all guys.
Girls, would you really want him wearing them anyway?

7/ Turtleneck top.

It's uncomfortable and out-of-style.
You might get away with it if he is planning a ski trip in the next month.

8/ Tickets to the ballet or a Justin Bieber concert (something that you want to see).

Making him sit through four hours of 'Swan Lake' or a Justin Bieber concert isn't cool. Yes, it's an activity to do together, but it's only fun for you. Ladies save this one for your girlfriends.

9/ A book that is meant to improve your relationship.

There's no better way to make your guy insecure and offend him than by giving him a self-help guide or a book that implies that he needs to improve his skills in the bedroom. What man wants to spend his Christmas thinking his woman isn't satisfied?

10/ Bath products.

What guy is seriously going to use bath salts and scented candles? That's why men buy the 3-in-1 shampoo/conditioner/body wash - so they can shower with as little effort as possible.

11/ Skinny jeans.

Many men think they're too tight. Plus, what guy wants to wear the same pants as his wife? Unless he's part of the hipster scene and wears them already.

12/ Underwear with unusual themes or supposedly witty sayings.

Men's underwear with 'funny' sayings or designs are super cheesy and a waste of money. To buy a product of any sort with phrases such as the following are truly naff:
"Food has replaced sex in my life, now I can't even get into my own pants" or "Happiness is like peeing in your pants. Everyone can see it, but only you can feel it,"

13/ Grooming products.

Facial cleanser, deodorant and nail clippers give your man the message that you want him to change the way he looks, or equally could be interpreted as quite simply 'shape up or ship out'............ouch!

14/ Vacuum cleaner.

This is not a present any man would appreciate. Don't think that buying a Vacuum will change his bad habits of leaving his stuff everywhere. Buying him a vacuum for Christmas is the equivalent of him buying you a vacuum for Christmas.

15/ Socks.

You're probably thinking, "Everyone needs socks." We'll keep this simple: you're not his mother!

The clock is ticking and Christmas will be here before you know it. Now that you know a few of the things you should not purchase, how do you know what would be a great gift?

It is the season of giving, so why not start with the most extravagant choice? Ask any man what tops his wish list, and he will say that it's a state-of-the-art television with crisp picture and surround sound for his sports, movies and shows.

If he's not up-to-date on technology, then you need to get him the newest iPad tablet on which he can peruse the Web, e-mail, watch TV shows and movies and do just about everything else! For a personalized touch, engrave his name or initials on the back.

Ray-Ban Aviator glasses. Not just for pilots and policemen, these sunglasses are a classic staple, are flattering on just about anybody and can be worn all year round.

People all over the world were touched by the death of Steve Jobs, and this critically-acclaimed and best-selling book is an intense and fascinating look at the life of one of this greatest businessmen and pioneers of our time.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. If your guy owns a PlayStation then this is a must. Already one of the smash hits (literally) of the season, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the most recent installment in this extremely popular series of video games.

It may seem cliché, but a beautiful scarf remains a great gift, and a classic Burberry cashmere one just can't be beaten.

Sony MiniDV Video Camera. With a DV video camera like one from Sony, it's easy to import your home movies to a computer for editing and burning to DVD.

Finally, how about the Cyclone II Foosball Table. The Tornado series of foosball tables is widely considered to be the Cadillac of table soccer, and they're certainly built to last. The rods glide beautifully, and the unit as a whole is made to withstand even the toughest, most vigorous foosball play. It may be expensive, but he'll never outgrow it.

Good luck ladies!

What not to buy a woman for Christmas!

2011-12-15T08:05:00.017Z

It’s that time of year again, when thoughts turn to Christmas and that annual dilemma of what to buy friends and family.

Buying Christmas presents for your partner however, can prove even more of a minefield, especially if you are the kind of man that finds gift buying an ordeal.

Be wary of the kind of Christmas present you choose for your beloved, as giving an inappropriate present could spell the end of a beautiful relationship!

Although giving gift certificates and money may be a good gift idea in some cases, it is also advisable to give some sort of other small item attached with it. You want your wife to feel that you put some thought into her gift. Don't give gift certificates to places like bowling alleys or a day driving a souped up car around a racing track (unless she is a car fanatic). The gift is supposed to be for her — not you!

Unless you know that your gift is going to be well received avoid buying anything that implies a flaw. This could include a self-help book, bathroom scales, a set of cookbooks, a style guide, exercise equipment or a Wii fit!

Chore-related or practical gifts may seem just the thing, but avoid gifts like vacuum cleaners, blenders, irons, brooms, toasters and saucepans etc, unless such an item has been specifically requested. Christmas is for the buying of personal gifts — ones that are thoughtful, meaningful, possibly intimate, sometimes fun and in some cases indulgent.

Do not give your partner any item that you charge to her credit card. She wants you to pay for her gift. Not only that, you don't want her to know that you got that beautiful gift at a bargain basement price. Make her believe that you were willing to pay top dollar and that no amount is too much for you to spend on her.

Let's face it – shopping for girls is not easy. There are tons of resources out there telling you what to buy and where to buy it. I thought I'd take a different approach and point out some gifts I'd suggest you steer well clear of this Christmas. Here’s what NOT to buy your wife or girlfriend for Christmas this year.........

1/ P-Mate.

What weirder way to let her know you care than to give her the ability to pee standing up. Yes, yes, yes, it's hilarious that this product exists, but it's for hiking, camping or for women with hip problems. So as funny as it may be when you place the order on a drunken night of online shopping, it probably won't be as much fun explaining this one on a sober Christmas morning.

2/ Facial Hair Remover.

These things, hilarious as they may be, are all the rage right now among women. They apparently do work for all sorts of things, but women don’t generally react well to guys suggesting they use them. You may think you’re being clever in getting her a useful tool to use in her never ending quest for beauty, but she’ll think you’re telling her she has a moustache and a unibrow.

3/ Gel inserts for her bra.

.....it equates to receiving a gift certificate from your partner for a penis enlargement. How festive! If 'she' wants a boob job then pay for her to have one, but not in some dodgy back-street underground surgery, by a half-baked surgeon, in a country better known for brewing lager than performing breast augmentation.

4/ Acne or Wrinkle Creams.

We see women spend ridiculous amounts of money and time on facial creams, exfoliants, complexion repair treatments, 'age-defying' lotions and all the other things they gobble up on a regular basis. Some of us might get the bright idea to get a girl some of this stuff for Christmas, thinking it’s normal and apparently appreciated. We’d be wrong. Getting a girl anything but scented lotions is like saying she needs some work done, and she’s not likely to appreciate that very much.

5/ Playboy Playmate of the Month Necklace.

She likes jewellery and she likes things that are personal, like her birthstone and you of course love Playmates, so a 'Playmate of the Month Necklace' with her birthday month is the perfect gift right? Okay, let’s start over. Do you want her to find your stash of magazines and then bin them? No? Okay, then don’t buy this for her.

6/ Promise Rings.

Yes it’s pretty and sweet and she'll totally love it, but if you’re not planning to give her an engagement ring by Valentine’s day or at least by next Christmas you will have one bitter, disappointed woman on your hands. Women will tell you that Promise Rings are just a promise to love her forever, but the truth is you’re basically saying: "I promise to get engaged soon, I’m just saving up for the the £5000 version, so for now, enjoy this."
If you want to do the jewellery thing, just stick to an elegant necklace and/or some earrings, but definitely do not give your partner pieces of jewellery that belonged to ex-wives or past girlfriends.

7/ Ceiling Mirror.

A bedroom ceiling mirror may seem like an awesome idea at first, but do you really want her to get a good view of your hairy back or black moles? Plus don’t actively encourage her to call you a pervert. The bonus? She might actually love this if she’s into decorating, but if you’re banking on it going up over the bed, you might be disappointed when you come home and see it above the dresser.

8/ Nono Razor.

Whether or not she enjoys personal grooming, she probably doesn’t want to hear from you that she should shave her 'nono'. We understand that this was a thoughtful gift because of its Thermacon technology that gently transmits heat to the hair and can be used frequently to eliminate rashes and ingrowing hairs. It's just.......well, it’s just wrong to buy one of those things for your partner.

9/ Bikini Wax Kit.

This says "I don’t like the way your whole crotch looks, and I’d like you to change that for me." Not exactly the romantic message you want to send to a girl at Christmas, is it? A gift certificate to an expensive, full service salon/spa that also offers bikini wax services is a better bet. You never know, while she’s there, she may decide on her own to go ahead and trim the grounds.

10/ Nose Hair Trimmer.

As odd as this sounds, it’s happened more times than should ever be counted. Usually as part of a bigger package, lazy guys make the mistake of not accounting for the unisex nature of travel kits. It’s bad enough that you’re handing your girlfriend a totally insincere, last minute 'gift,' but having a nose hair trimmer as part of the deal is like a slap to the face — something you should probably expect if you try this one.

11/ Tickle His Pickle.

How-To sex books are probably not very kosher as far as Chanukah gifts go. Seriously save this for a less spiritual holiday, even Valentine’s Day is a little risky.......besides it’ll probably backfire when she lets you know who REALLY needs tips. Ouch!

12/ A Divorce.

Yes, I have heard of this happening and I think it is both a cruel and psychopathic way to behave at Christmas. If you are going to end the marriage, don't ruin Christmas and scar her for the rest of her life by handing her a set of divorce papers. Get it over with at least a month before or after Christmas. At least then she can buy her own Christmas present.

The clock is ticking and Christmas will be here before you know it. Now that you know a few of the things you should not purchase, how do you know what would be a great gift?

Be a good understudy to your partner. Listen carefully to what she says. Pay attention to the things she enjoys and the way she spends her time. Does she enjoy weekend breaks, being pampered, reading a good book, going to the movies, eating out or crazy outdoor activities?

You might even try asking her to give you a list of things she would like for Christmas. (Note: wives/girlfriends/partners, if your other half asks you to make a list of things you would like for Christmas, please do it. Don’t respond with, "If you don’t know what to buy me for Christmas, I am certainly not going to tell you.")

Men, with a little investigative work you can uncover some helpful hints that will guide you in your gift buying.

If all else fails and you are still at a loss it isn’t against the rules to ask her to accompany you on a shopping spree, to find the perfect gift.

Good luck guys!

All The Latest Transfer Gossip

2011-12-09T13:02:00.033Z

After a busy week in Europe, as the final Champions League group games were completed, and with the traditionally busy Christmas fixture list on the horizon, clubs across Europe are hard at work as they plan ahead for the second-half of the season.

Players will come and go in January, as clubs wheel and deal in the transfer window. There are numerous reasons why clubs and players move in the New Year. Some clubs may be be strapped for cash, others may be struggling in their respective leagues while others may boast an array of injured players and feel the need to freshen up their squads. Players themselves on the other hand may find they are surplus to requirements, maybe they are not playing on a regular basis for their clubs or have fallen out with their boss. They may also be out of contract in the summer and need to find a new club, or perhaps they are quite simply looking for more money!

AC Milan, PSG, Manchester City, Chelsea, Ajax, LA Galaxy, Valencia, Tottenham, Arsenal, Juventus, West Ham, Blackburn, Spartak Moscow, Aston Villa, Schalke, Olympique Marseille, Bayern Munich, Villarreal, Wolfsburg, Lazio, QPR, Birmingham City, Stoke, Newcastle and West Brom, Wigan, Napoli, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Cardiff, Burnley and Sheffield United are all caught up in transfer gossip as we speak.

Here is a round up:

AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani remains hopeful the club can agree a loan deal for Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez despite reported interest from Paris St Germain - footballpress.net and sportinglife.com

Chelsea and Manchester City are thought to be monitoring Ajax full-back Gregory van der Wiel (right), who says he will not sign a new contract at the club. The 23-year-old is also wanted by Valencia - The Sun and The Guardian

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has dismissed reports linking midfielder Frank Lampard with a move to LA Galaxy. Lampard appears to have fallen out of favour with Villas-Boas in recent weeks, fuelling suggestions the 33-year-old may be on his way out of Stamford Brigde and perhaps heading across the pond to ply his trade in Major League Soccer - skysports.com

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has confirmed his interest in signing wantaway Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka. owever, Allardyce, who worked with Anelka at Bolton, admits he is keeping tabs on the striker's situation, although he concedes he would only move for the 32-year-old on a free transfer in the summer rather than next month - The Sun and skysports.com

Spurs, Arsenal and Juventus are all reportedly interested in Chelsea's out-of-favour defender Alex - Daily Star and football.co.uk

Blackburn Rovers midfielder Steven Nzonzi is wanted by Spartak Moscow, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Aston Villa also thought to be interested in the £7m-rated Frenchman - The Sun and The Guardian

Bundesliga side Schalke are keen to hijack Arsenal's interest in FC Köln's Germany international striker Lukas Podolski, 26. Schalke want to sign Podolski as a replacement for former Real Madrid man Raul, 34, who is contracted to the club until next summer - talkSPORT

Croatian international Ivica Olic (right) looks set to leave Bayern Munich in January. The 32 year-old Bayern forward is being tracked by Villarreal, Wolfsburg, Juventus and Lazio - skysports.com and sportinglife.com

Already tracked by several European top clubs and ready to leave Olympique Marseille, Ghanaian international André Ayew is now a primary target for Chelsea. The London club are thought to be ready to offer in the region of £10 million for the 21 year-old winger in January - footballpress.net

QPR midfielder Alejandro Faurlin is believed to be attracting interest from Napoli and two other Premier League clubs - Daily Mail

Meanwhile, Neil Warnock's side have joined Stoke, Newcastle and West Brom in the chase for Birmingham City defender Liam Ridgewell - Daily Mirror

Arsenal and Tottenham will be the clubs battling for signing Belgian international centre-back Jan Vertonghen from Ajax in January. The 24 year-old is currently on a deal with Dutch club until June 2013, and might decide to wait until the end of the season to leave - Metro and footballpress.net

Premier League sides West Brom and Wigan are both lining up moves for Nottingham Forest defender Luke Chambers, who is out of contract at the City Ground in the summer - Daily Mail

Stoke City are planning to offer £3m for Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha (right), and are looking at Blackburn Rovers winger Junior Hoilett as well. Enoch Balotelli, the 19-year-old brother of Manchester City's understated forward, might join the pair at the Britannia. Balotelli has been training with the Potters for a few weeks - The Guardian, The Metro and skysports.com

Aston Villa are holding talks with goalkeeper Brad Guzan over a new contract. The 27-year-old United States international is set to step into the breach tomorrow at Bolton, following an injury to Shay Given. His contract expires next summer and boss Alex McLeish is confident he can come in and make an immediate impact - skysports.com

Championship duo Cardiff and Burnley are chasing Sheffield United's Matt Lowton. The 22 year-old who can play at the back or in midfield has been an ever-present in the United side this season - skysports.com

Sócrates - Brazilian and World Football Legend

2011-12-05T20:15:00.025Z

Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, born 19th February 1933 in Belém do Pará, Brazil died on Sunday, aged 57.

Sócrates had been admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo with food poisoning, and was on a life-support machine with septic shock when he passed away in the early hours of the 4th December 2011. He leaves a wife and six sons.

It was the third time in four months he had been treated at an intensive care unit since alcohol abuse caused gastrointestinal bleeding secondary to portal hypertension (causing his stomach to hemorrhage). By far the most common cause of this is cirrhosis of the liver, and Sócrates was known to be both a heavy drinker and a chain smoker.

However less than a fortnight ago he insisted he was not dependent on drink.
He told SporTV: "I never had many problems with alcohol because I was not addicted. All the time I interacted with alcohol as if it were a partner, but I never had withdrawal symptoms. I spent long periods without use. I do not feel like drinking. It is five months since I put a drop of alcohol in my mouth. I do not miss it. Obviously you have to change some of your behaviour and avoid risky situations, so to speak. In my case, it is easy. I have no addiction. For those with addiction it is much more complicated."

He began playing football professionally in 1974 for Botafogo in Ribeirão Preto, but spent the majority of his career from 1978 to 1984 with Corinthians in São Paulo.

He also played for Italian club Fiorentina and the Brazilian clubs Flamengo and Santos towards the end of his career,

An astute passer and reader of the game, Sócrates had a uniquely nonchalant playing style, using the backheel to telling effect and scoring memorable goals with both feet.

Sócrates was capped 60 times for Brazil between May 1979 and June 1986, scoring 22 goals. He played for, and captained, Brazil in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. In Spain the world fell in love with Brazil's incredible football, with their precise, brilliant passing under the command of the maestro Tele Santana.
Socrates was part of a golden Brazilian generation of players who included Zico, Falcao, Júnior, Oscar, Cerezo and Eder.

Brazil lost 3-2 to Italy in the quarter-final in what is often described as one of the all-time classic World cup matches. Brazilian fans and journalists recognized that this team was indeed excellent. What happened to Brazil in 1982 was similar to what had happened to Holland in 1974 and Hungary in 1954 - the best team in the competition failed to win the tournament.

Sócrates also appeared in the 1986 World Cup held in Mexico, where Brazil lost to France in a quarter-final penalty shoot-out. it was the last time he would wear the famous yellow shirt.

He was nicknamed 'O Doutor' - The Doctor - as he graduated as medical student during the early years of his football career.

Former Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who trained Sócrates with the national team in 1983-84, told Reuters: "He was the most intellectual of the players I worked with, intelligent, objective and he had opinions that were his own and firm about anything and mainly politics. He was a genius on the field. He marked a generation with the technical quality and intelligence of his football.....He was one of the great icons of that (1982) team that marveled the world."

He retired from professional football in 1989, at the age of 35.

In 2004, Socrates made a memorable cameo for English amateur side Garforth Town for 12 minutes in front of a club-record 1,000 people at Wheatley Park against Tadcaster Albion, in a 2-2 draw.

Pelé named him as one of the Top 125 Living Footballers in March 2004, and World Soccer named him one of 100 best footballers in history. In October 2008, Sócrates was inducted into the Pacaembu Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame.

After retiring as a player he practised medicine at Ribeirão Preto, and also worked as a media pundit.

Just when he was fighting to stay away from the drink, those many years of alcohol abuse finally proved to be his nemesis. The complications from years of drinking have cut his journey short, the journey of one of the most outstanding, iconic footballers in our history.

Sócrates
Career history:

1974: Makes professional debut for Botafogo Futebol Clube in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo.
1978: Joins Corinthians, going on to play almost 300 games for the club.
1979: Makes Brazil debut, going on to win 60 caps and score 22 goals.
1982: Captains Brazil in the 1982 World Cup, but they fail to make it past the second group stage.
1983: South American Footballer of the Year.
1984: Joins Italian side Fiorentina.
1986: Returns to Brazil to play for Clube de Regatas do Flamengo in Zona Sul, Rio de Janeiro.
1986: Plays for Brazil in the World Cup, but they lose in the quarter-finals to France on penalties.
1986: Retires from international football.
1988: Joins Santos Futebol Clube in Santos, São Paulo.
1989: Returns to Botafogo Futebol Clube.
1989: Retires from professional football.
2004: More than a decade after retiring from action, he agrees to a one-month player-coaching deal with English Northern Counties East side Garforth Town.
2008: Inducted into the Pacembu Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame.

Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, Rest in Peace.

Babes Of The Month - Merry Christmas/Fröhe Weihnachten/Joyeux Noël/Feliz Navidad/Buon Natale/Feliz Natal/Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia.

2011-12-01T13:46:00.059Z

Gary Andrew Speed, MBE - 1969 - 2011

2011-11-28T11:01:00.016Z

It is always so very sad to write about the death of someone, particularly when it is a relative or friend, but in this instance although I have no personal association with Gary Speed, other than having watched him play from the stands, I personally wanted to pay my respects to a true gentleman and a model professional.
It really does put the game of football into perspective........everything else pales into insignificance when the reality of such a tragedy hits home.

Gary Speed with his wife Louise

The news of his death has been broadcast by the media continuously over the last 24 hours, and it is hard to add to all the touching, heartfelt sentiments of those people who were closest to him, his family, his friends and his fellow professionals in particular.

Gary was born at Mancot, in Flintshire on the 8th September 1969.
He attended Hawarden High School as a child. and supported Everton FC as a youngster.
Gary began his playing career with Leeds United as a trainee, signing a professional contract on the 13th June 1988 and making his first-team debut at the age of 19. His playing career spanned 22 years and he won 85 caps for Wales between 1990 and 2004, before he took on the mantle of Wales national team manager on the 14th December 2010.

At midday on Saturday the Wales manager Gary Speed was live on the BBC's Football Focus programme discussing his future plans for the side. On Sunday morning the 42-year-old was found hanged at his home in Cheshire having 'apparently committed suicide.'

Speed's death came a day after the former Liverpool footballer Stan Collymore spoke candidly about his battle with depression. Speculation surrounding Gary's death has included the possibility that perhaps he himself was suffering this horrendous mental illness.
It has also been 'alleged' that a national newspaper was going to release an article today regarding a very private matter relating to his personal life, but I must reiterate this is purely 'rumour' and nothing more. There is no substance whatsoever to this allegation.

Tributes for Gary have been pouring in since his death. Here are just a few of them:

BBC Sport's Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer, who played alongside Speed at Newcastle, told BBC Sport: "Gary was a magnificent person, bright, fun and a wonderful family man - he lit up every room he walked into. I am proud to have been his friend and will miss him dreadfully."

Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs, who played alongside Speed with Wales for 13 years, said he was "totally devastated."
"Gary Speed was one of the nicest men in football and someone I am honoured to call a team-mate and friend."

Former Wales team-mate Dean Saunders said: "I just can't believe it. I spoke to him last week. We roomed together all of our careers with Wales. I just can't get my head around it. It's incredible. He's so level-headed. You never saw him down in the dumps. He was just a really nice fella. I'm just thinking about his wife and his lads."

Another former Wales teammate, Robbie Savage, tweeted: "The world has lost a great man in Gary speed I'm devastated spoke to him yesterday morning why ! Why Why !! I'll miss him so much x"

A statement from the Welsh Rugby Union said: "Wales has lost a great sportsman, a true gentleman and a man who was working extremely hard and succeeding to deliver a bright future for Welsh football."

Sincere and heartfelt condolences go to his wife, Louise and sons Tommy and Eddie.

It goes without saying that the sport of football will truly miss Gary, but without a shadow of doubt his memory will live long in the hearts of fans all over the world.

Gary Speed
Career History:

1988: Signs with Leeds and makes his first-team debut aged 19.
1990: He makes his first appearance for the national side on 20th May 1990.
1992: Wins the Football League First Division Championship title with Leeds.
1996: League Cup finalist with Leeds.
1996: Joins Everton for £3.5m.
1998: Joins Newcastle for £5.5m.
1998: FA Cup finalist with Newcastle.
1999: FA Cup finalist with Newcastle.
2004: Joins Bolton for £750,000.
2004: League Cup finalist with Bolton.
2004: Retires from International football.
2006: First player to make 500 Premier League appearances.
2007: Joins Sheffield United on loan.
2008: Joins Sheffield United permanently for £250,000 and moves into coaching.
2010: Retires from playing, appointed Sheffield United manager in August.
2010: Awarded MBE for his services to football.
2010: Confirmed as the new Welsh national team manager on the 14th December 2010
2011: Last game as manager of Wales, 12th November 2011, a 4–1 win against Norway.

Gary Speed, Rest in Peace.

The World's Richest Football Club Owners

2011-11-22T21:49:00.029Z

#5 – Silvio Berlusconi – AC Milan

In 5th Position, is Silvio Berlusconi who was born in Milan in 1936. He has been an Italian politician and a businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the controlling shareholder of Mediaset, the largest broadcasting company in Italy, and owns a controlling stake in Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, the largest Italian publishing house. He has been the owner of Italian football giants AC Milan since 2006. According to Forbes, Berlusconi is Italy's third richest man, with his net worth believed to be in the region of $7.8 Billion.

Under his ownership AC Milan won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. In 2007 he signed the gifted Brazilian Alexander Pato for €24 million and in 2009 he brought the legendary David Beckham to play for Milan on loan from MLS side LA Galaxy. Despite being one of several Italian clubs at the centre of charges of match fixing and corruption in 2007, Milan managed to maintain a strong squad of players with a wealth of experience and the likes of Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Nesta, Massimo Ambrosini and Gennaro Gattuso are all still playing under Berlusconi. Last season they finally came out of the shadows of their fierce city rivals Internazionale, and were crowned Italian Serie A league winners for the eighteenth time in their illustrious history.

Silvio Berlusconi has an extensive record of criminal allegations, including mafia collusion, false accounting, tax fraud, corruption and bribery of police officers and judges. His leadership was also undermined by sex scandals. After losing his majority in parliament amid growing fiscal problems related to the European debt crisis, Berlusconi officially resigned as Prime Minister on the 16th November 2011.

#4 – Roman Abramovich – Chelsea

In 4th position is Roman Abramovich. In June 2003, Roman Abramovich bought the companies that control Chelsea Football Club in London at a cost of £140 million, completing what was then the biggest-ever sale of an English football club. The club immediately embarked on an ambitious programme of commercial development, with the aim of making it a worldwide brand on a par with footballing dynasties like Manchester United and Real Madrid. Over £100 million was also spent on new players.

In 2004-05 Abramovich has been alleged to be involved in various wrongdoings by many people. It is also alleged that, at one time, then Russian president Boris Yeltsin himself provided Abramovich with protection from prosecution for various criminal activities ranging from stealing diesel fuel to illegally acquiring Sibneft at a staged contest. Nonetheless, many of the allegations against Abramovich are unproven and he has never been convicted of any crime in any world court.

Under his ownership, the 45 year-old Russian has done marvelous things for Chelsea. In Abramovich's second season at Stamford Bridge José Mourinho was recruited as the new manager and Chelsea ended the following season as Premier League champions, for the first time in 50 years. Since the takeover the club have won eight major trophies – the Premier League on three occasions, the FA Cup three times and the League Cup twice. They also reached UEFA Champions League Final for the first time in the history of the club in 2007-08. Despite José Mourinho's success on the field a feud developed between Abramovich and Mourinho off of it. It is alleged that Roman actually forced him to buy Andriy Shevchenko for a then British record transfer fee of around £30 million (€35.3 million), when Mourniho did not want to buy him. This along with murmurings of discontent about Abramovich's meddling and interfering in his work as manager, ultimately led to Mourinio leaving the London club in September 2007. However in the 2009-2010 season Chelsea won for the first time in their history the Premier League and FA Cup 'double' under Carlo Ancelotti's stewardship and Abromovich’s rule.

It is argued that Abramovich's involvement with Chelsea has distorted the football transfer market throughout Europe, as his wealth often allows the club to purchase players virtually at will. In January 2011, Spanish footballer Fernando Torres completed his move from Liverpool to Chelsea on a five-and-a-half year contract for an undisclosed fee reported to be £50 million, which set a new record for a British transfer and made him the fourth most expensive footballer in history.

Abramovich has become the world's greatest spender on luxury yachts, and had been linked to five yachts in what the media have called 'Abramovich's Navy.' He also owns a private Boeing 767, an Airbus A340 and three Eurocopter helicopters. It is said that the aircraft and his yachts are fitted with radar to detect missile threats, and different defensive counter-measures. Abramovich has recently boosted his security staff to a 40 person 'private army,' making him one of the best protected businessmen in the world.
Prior to the financial crisis, he was considered to be the second richest person living within the United Kingdom. His net worth is $13.4 Billion.

#3 – Amancio Ortega Gaona – Deportivo La Coruna

In 3rd position is Amancio Ortega who owns the Spanish side Deprtivo La Coruna. He is also known as the 'Fashion Kingpin' who founded a retail company named Inditex Group, parent company of the Zara chain. He owns 59.29% of the Inditex Group (Industrias de Diseño Textil Sociedad Anónima) which includes the brands Zara, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Zara Home, Kiddy's Class, Tempe, Stradivarius, Pull and Bear/Often and Bershka and has more than 92,000 employees. His net worth is $31 Billion. In 2011 Forbes ranked Ortega as Spain's richest man, Europe's second richest man and the seventh richest man in the world.

His Deportivo side were relegated to the Spanish second división at the end of the 2010-11 season, after twenty consecutive seasons in the top flight of Spanish football - La Liga, finishing in the top half of the table in 16 out of 19 seasons. As a result, the club has been a regular participant in European competitions, playing in the UEFA Champions League five seasons in a row. Even though they are not up there with the Spanish and world giants in Barcelona or Real Madrid, Deportivo La Coruna boast a proud footballing history since they were founded back in 1906.

Ortega however keeps a very low profile and there are practically no photographs of him.

#2 – Laxmi Mittal – Queens Park Rangers (QPR)

In 2nd Position is the Indian born Laxmi Mittal owner of Queens Park Rangers (QPR), who recently got promoted to the English Premier League by winning the Coca-Cola Championship last May.

The 61 year-old lives in the UK and is the richest man in India, Asia and the United Kingdom. He is presently the sixth richest individual in the world with a net worth of $31.1 Billion. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaking company. Mittal is an independent director of Goldman Sachs, member of Board of Directors to Goldman Sachs Media/Film IP Group and a member of the Board of Directors of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.

He currently has a 54% share holding in QPR and looks likely to purchase further shares in the West London club, now that they are competing in the English Premier League.

#1 – Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed – Manchester City

.....and in first position is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan owner of English Premier League club Manchester City. The 41 year-old is a United Arab Emirati politician and a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family. He is known as a 'trillion dollar man.' In 2007 he was appointed as the Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of UAE. His net worth is approximately around $555 Billion. None of the above four mentioned compare to Sheikh Mansour in the wealth stakes!

Since the day he arrived as the owner of Manchester City, he changed the entire future of the club by splashing the cash on many high profile players. He first bought in Carloz Tevez, Joleon Lescott, Gareth Barry and Emmanuel Adebayor. Prior to the start of the 2010–11 season, City completed the transfers of Jérôme Boateng, Yaya Touré, David Silva, Aleksandar Kolarov and Mario Balotelli. James Milner signed during the first week of the season and Edin Džeko joined the club during the January 2011 transfer window. The spending didn't stop there and this season he went out and spent more than a $100 million on Sergio Aguero, Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri.

Under his ownership, Manchester City prospered last season by winning the FA Cup and bringing silverware to Eastlands for the first time since City's League Cup triumph back in 1976. They also finished third in the Premier League and in doing so gained automatic promotion into this seasons financially lucrative UEFA Champions League. At the moment no other rich tycoon football owner is even near to him when it comes to finances. He is known as the 'Jackpot of Manchester City' and he truly is.

Kaylyn Kyle - Canadian Soccer Babe

2011-11-16T12:19:00.037Z

Kaylyn Mackenzie Kyle was born on the 6th October 1988, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewanis. She is a Canadian International footballer who plays her club football with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) W-League.

Kaylyn has represented Canada at U-17 and U-20 level and senior level.
In 2006 she participated in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Russia. In 2008 she represented Canada at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile.

Kaylyn won her first senior cap for the Canadian national team against the United States, at the 'Four Nations Tournament' in China on 16th January 2008, and was a member of the senior squad that won the 2010 CONCACAF Women's Championship beating the hosts 1-0 in the Final in the Estadio Andrés Quintana Roo, Cancún, Mexico.

The 23 year-old midfielder also represented Canada this summer at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.

Kaylyn last competitive international match was in Canada's penalty shoot-out victory over Brazil in Guadalajara, Mexico on the 28th October 2011, as Canada claimed its first Pan American Games gold medal in women's soccer.

The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup will be the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, and in March 2011, Canada won the right to host the event.

Follow Kaylyn on Facebook and Twitter

All the latest Transfer Gossip across Europe

2011-11-11T09:57:00.036Z

With international football top of the agenda this week and next, top flight clubs across Europe are able to take a well-earned break from domestic football.
However the transfer rumour mill door continues to revolve, as clubs look to strengthen their sides. Whether it be this January or next summer clubs across Europe are constantly planning for the future, and today some of the biggest clubs in Britain and Europe are the subject of transfer speculation.

Liverpool, Barcelona, Anzhi Makhachkal, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Valencia, Sochaux, Tottenham, Newcastle, Rennes, New York Red Bulls, Arsenal, West Brom, Villarreal, Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, Napoli, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Wolfsburg, Rosenborg, Espanyol, Fulham, Celtic and Glasgow Rangers are all caught up in transfer gossip as we speak.

Here is a round up:

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish's has been linked with a move for Barcelona striker David Villa. Reports in Spain say the 29-year-old striker is unhappy at Barcelona and has fallen out with Lionel Messi - The Guardian

Liverpool who were looking at Sochaux midfielder Ryad Boudebouz (right) in May are back in for for the Algerian international. Expect a bid in January - The Guardian

There is also reported interest from Liverpool in Barcelona star Seydou Keita. Russian giants Anzhi Makhachkala, are also keen to land the Mali international - skysports.com

Real Madrid are looking tempt Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic into making a big money move to the Bernabéu next Summer. The Seriban, who signed a new deal early last season, will have just two years left on his contract at the end of the season - football.co.uk

Manchester United are running the rule over Valencia defender Adil Rami (right) as Sir Alex Ferguson plans for the eventual replacement of both Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Sources in Spain have confirmed the English champions’ interest in the Valencia defender. Rami is thought to have a buy-out clause of €25million in his contract, well within reach for the Red Devils. The Frenchman only joined Valencia in the summer, moving from Lille, the side which he helped to last season’s Ligue 1 title - insidefutbol.com

Alan Pardew’s Newcastle has made a dream start in the Premier League this campaign and are now preparing to bolster their attacking options by signing Tottenham duo Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenkov, both 29, for £20million in the January transfer window - european-football-updates.blogspot.com

Arsenal have entered the race to sign Rennes' 6ft 3in midfielder Tongo Hamed Doumbia, The 22 year-old is rated at £8million - Daily Mail and footylatest.com

New York Red Bulls defender Tim Ream has spoken out on interest from two English Premier League sides. The 24-year-old has been linked with Arsenal, while West Brom are also believed to have asked the American to head over to the Hawthornes on trial. Ream has been in fine form for New York Red Bulls, profiting from playing in the same side as the likes of Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez - insidefutbol.com

Villarreal are keen to bring in teenage Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, 18, on loan in the January transfer window - Daily Mirror

France International midfielder Yann M' Vila (right), 21, who Arsenal made an unsuccessful £20 million bid for on transfer deadline day in August, says he is prepared to leave Rennes - but not until after Euro 2012 - Metro and Daily Mail

Blackburn Rovers and West Ham are thought to be considering a move for Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha - The Guardian

West Ham are ready to throw caution to the wind and snap up the lesser known Ferdinand, Rio and Anton's cousin Kane. The 19 year-old Southend midfielder will cost £500,000 - The Sun

AC Milan are weighing up replacing their summer signing Taye Taiwo with Barcelona full-back Maxwell. The 26-year-old has failed to cement his place in the first-team since his move from Marseille in the summer, while Maxwell has found opportunites at Camp Nou few and far between since leaving Milan's great rivals Inter for the European champions two years ago - goal.com and insidefutbol.com

AC Milan are stepping up their efforts to pip Arsenal to the signing of Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo. AC Milan have put together an offer of €3 million for the Fiorentina midfielder. Fiorentina are keen to prevent losing Montolivo on a free transfer in the summer and may accept a cut-price deal for the 26-year-old - sportmediaset.mediaset.it

Chelsea have been linked with Wolfsburg striker Mario Mandzukic (right). The 25-year-old Croatian joined Wolfsburg last year for a fee of €8M from Dinamo Zagreb. Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is known to be on the lookout for more striking power to add to his squad, especially given that Nicolas Anelka is heading for the exit door and could soon be joined by Didier Drogba - insidefutbol.com

Napoli have played down speculation linking Slovakian midfielder Marek Hamsik with a move away from the club by revealing they expect him to sign a contract extension at the Stadio San Paolo - skysports.com

Rosenborg defender Mikael Lustig would be willing to discuss a move to Celtic, with the Bhoys one of a number of clubs chasing his signature. The Swedish full-back is set to become a free agent in the New Year and his imminent availability is attracting plenty of interest. Premier League outfit Fulham are also known to be in the running, while Spanish side Espanyol are keen to bolster their defensive options.

Glasgow Rangers are considering signing India international strikers Jej Lalpekhlua and Sunil Chettri in the hope of opening up a new market in the subcontinent. The duo will arrive in Glasgow before the end of the month for a trial with Ally McCoist's side - Daily Record

Congratulations to Nathaniel Clyne - named Football League Championship Player of the Month for October

2011-11-05T20:02:00.022Z

Clyne with his 'Player of the Month' award

Crystal Palace defender Nathaniel Clyne was this week named 'npower Championship Player of the Month' for October 2011.

Clyne who was voted the Club's 'Player of the Year' last season picked up the award ahead of Birmingham's Chris Burke, West Ham's Kevin Nolan and Southampton's Rickie Lambert.

The 20-year-old right-back only made his first appearance of the season on the 15th October, after recovering from a pre-season foot injury, but helped Palace keep five clean sheets throughout the rest of the month, and the Eagles did not concede a goal with him in the side.

Palace manager Dougie Freedman, who was nominated for manager of the month after taking Palace into the play-off places, lost out to Birmingham's Chris Hughton but was pleased for Clyne.

Freedman said: "I am delighted Nathaniel has won this award for October. He suffered the disappointment of a pre-season injury but typically worked hard to get back to full fitness. He came back into the side at Watford and has been part of some excellent defensive displays in the league."

Academy graduate Nathanial Clyne in action for Crystal Palace

The Player of the Month judging panel comprises of Sky Sports Football League expert Peter Beagrie, Football League Head of Communications John Nagle, BBC Sport's Mark Clemmit and npower Head of Sponsorship Emma Collins.

Peter Beagrie said: "Another product of Crystal Palace's prolific academy, Clyne was a pivotal part of his side's miserly defence during October."

Emma Collins added: "Crystal Palace had a superb record during October and Nathaniel played a big part in their success. His energy and desire to get forward also made him a real attacking threat as Palace strengthened their grip on a Play-Off spot.
I'd like to congratulate Nathaniel on behalf of npower, and wish him the best of luck for the rest of the season."

Huddersfield Town striker Jordan Rhodes has been named 'npower League 1 Player of the Month' for October.
Rhodes netted nine goals in six games to help the Terriers to second place in the table.

Aldershot Town striker Danny Hylton has been named 'npower League 2 Player of the Month' for October.
Hylton netted six goals in five games to help The Shots push towards a League 2 Play-Off spot.

Birmingham City manager Chris Hughton is the 'npower Championship Manager of the Month' for October.
Hughton led Blues to an unbeaten month with four wins and a draw during October.

Huddersfield Town manager Lee Clark is the 'npower League 1 Manager of the Month' for October.
Clark led his side to second in the table with five wins and a draw during the month.

Crawley Town manager Steve Evans is the 'npower League 2 Manager of the Month' for October.
Evans led the Reds to second in the table with five wins and a draw during an unbeaten month.

The judging panel for the 'npower Manager of the Month' awards comprises of former Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley, Sky Sports Football League expert Peter Beagrie, Football League Chief Operating Officer Andy Williamson, BBC Sport's Mark Clemmit, League Managers Association Deputy CEO Olaf Dixon and npower Head of Sponsorship Emma Collins.

Babes Of The Month - The Crystals: Simply one more reason to love the Palace!

2011-11-01T00:06:00.007Z

Check out The Crystal Cheerleaders on Facebook

Racism in Football.....neither clever, nor funny but hardly avant-garde!

2011-10-27T18:41:00.028+01:00

Racism is nothing new in football. This week, though, it is news in football.

Racism in association football is the abuse of players, officials and fans because of their skin colour, nationality, religion or ethnicity. Some may be targeted (also) because of their association with an opposing team. However, there have been instances of individuals being targeted by their own fans.

Here in England, Chelsea's John Terry is battling accusations of racism this week after his team's weekend loss to Queens Park Rangers.

As of now, Terry is still the captain of the England international squad, but the issue is quite serious, with both the Football Association and police launching investigations.

In the latest contentious episode of Terry’s career, video posted on the Internet appeared to show Terry (right) directing a racial slur at Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during last Sunday’s game. The issue could again throw into question Terry’s suitability as England captain.

Terry has been in trouble on and off the field throughout his career. He regained the armband only this year after being stripped of it by England manager Fabio Capello in February 2010. He allegedly had an affair with the former girlfriend of Chelsea and England team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Rio Ferdinand, the older brother of Anton and Terry’s longtime defense partner for England, took over as captain only to relinquish the position 13 months later.

Terry was also fined by the club after he and three teammates drunkenly abused American guests at a hotel the day after the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001.

Less than two weeks ago, Liverpool's Luis Suarez was accused of racist abuse against an opponent, Manchester United's Patrice Evra.
With the English FA expected to seek Manchester United's permission to speak with Evra, as it launches its investigation into the Frenchman's allegations, one post-match witness from the Anfield players' tunnel said the defender had remained "very angry" 20 minutes after the game, when he and Alex Ferguson visited the match officials' office to report that Suarez had called the player a "n****r" at least 10 times during the 1-1 draw.

It might be weeks or months before we know exactly what happened. Until then, it will be hard to judge these incidents in their historical context.

Racism in football is rife right across all of Europe, in many forms, and has been so going on decades. It is just that it seems to be more prevalent in Eastern Europe at present, and with next years European Championships scheduled to be jointly held in Poland and the Ukraine, these are worrying times. All the major footballing nations across Europe have been subject to periods of racist (and sometimes fascist) behaviour over the years, including the likes of France, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.

The worldwide governing bodies of the game, along with the players need to set an example to the supporters, because the fans do not need much incentive to light the blue touch paper, and use racist behaviour as a means of provoking a sharp reaction on and off the field.

However you only need to look at recent incidents this year to show that this type of abuse is gathering momentum, despite several high profile campaigns over recent years to rid the game of this virus!

If society cannot behave itself away from the game, then the job of controlling hundreds of thousands of football fans every week is a futile one.

Here are several high-profile examples of controversial racist incidents not directly fan related:

The Player:
Lazio striker Paolo Di Canio (right), found himself in trouble with the Italian football authorities in December 2005, after giving an alleged fascist salute in their Serie A match away to Livorno.
According to Italian news agency ANSA, Di Canio made the gesture to the visiting Lazio supporters while he was being substituted.
Games between Livorno and Lazio are always tense because of the political leaning of the clubs' supporters. Livorno have always had a strong left-wing following, while Lazio supporters have links to the far right.
ANSA said Livorno fans waved communist flags with the hammer and sickle emblem, while Celtic crosses (a popular symbol for the neo nazis especially as the swastika is banned) were spotted in the Lazio enclosure.

It is not the first time Di Canio's politics have landed him in hot water. In March 2005 he was fined 10,000 euros for giving a fascist-style salute at the end of the Rome derby two months earlier.
Di Canio denied any political significance but the Italian football league's disciplinary commission ruled his gesture had "unequivocally recalled a precise political ideology which could have provoked a violent reaction from fans".

The Player:
Also in 2005 Serbian striker Nenad Jestrovic became the first player to be dismissed in a Champion's League match for alleged racist comments while his side, Anderlecht of Belgium, played against Liverpool earlier in the month. UEFA banned him for three matches.

Former Manager, TV Analyst and Newspaper Columnist:
On the 21st April 2004, Ron Atkinson resigned from ITV after he was caught making a racist remark live on air about the black Chelsea player Marcel Desailly: believing the microphone to be switched off, he said, ".....he [Desailly] is what is known in some schools as a fucking lazy thick n****r". Although transmission in the UK had finished, the microphone gaffe meant that his comment was broadcast to various countries in the Middle East. He also left his job as a columnist for The Guardian "by mutual agreement" as a result of the comment.

Society:
In Dec 2010 the Pizza Hut restaurant chain was accused of racism after asking a group of black professional footballers to pay in advance for their meals.
The demand was made as a table of white youngsters seated nearby were allowed to settle up after eating.
Five AFC Bournemouth players were stunned when a duty manager told them to pay up front because of "the way you lot look."
When they refused, staff claimed they were being "disruptive" and called the police.
Officers arrived at the restaurant but took no action after the players, including first-team regulars Anton Robinson, Liam Feeney and Marvin Bartley agreed to leave.

Pizza Hut were forced to apologise to the League One stars and admitted they had been treated "very shabbily" but insisted there was no racism.
However, midfielder Mr Robinson, 24, said later: "The only thing that was different was the colour of our skins."

So with players, television presenters and society unable to control their vile tongues, it is no surprise that the fans of the game continue to use racism to further stoke up the fires that already smoulder!

Here are some incidents of racist behaviour by fans that have all taken place in 2011 alone, right across Europe.

The Fans:
15th October 2011: Corsican nationalists have accused the French Football League (LFP) of racism as the fall-out from a brawl that marred the end the second division match between Bastia and Lens continues. Three players – Gilles Cioni of Bastia and Lens duo Gabriel Cichero and Samba Sow of Lens, were sent-off towards the end of the 2-2 draw at the Stade Armand-Cesari.
As the players made their way off the pitch, fighting continued in the tunnel, and Cichero – a Venezuelan international defender – is alleged to have kicked Bastia director Alain Seghi in the face, breaking his nose, cheekbone and eye-socket.

September 2011: England's Ashley Young was targeted by Bulgarian fans (right) not because he is a great player - one who has illuminated the early stages of the English Premier League season with Manchester United - but because he is black.
However, the actions of a minority in the international match in Sofia in September showed that, for some countries, attitudes that seem out-of-step in today's multicultural world are still prevalent. Bulgaria's German coach Lothar Matthaus, who has since been sacked, was so embarrassed by the fans' behavior that he publicly apologized after the match.

April 2011: Real Madrid striker Emmanuel Adebayor has said nothing can be done to stop racism in football after he was targeted by Tottenham fans during his side’s Champions League win over Spurs. The on-loan Manchester City man scored twice in Madrid's 4-0 win at the Bernabeu but was singled out by the travelling fans following his three-and-a-half-year spell with Tottenham Hotspur’s rivals Arsenal.
The Tottenham fans are reported to have sung a derogatory chant about Adebayor's parents.

March 2011: A German teenager admitted throwing a banana onto the field in the direction of Brazil soccer star Neymar during a friendly with Scotland in March. First it was believed that the notorious Tartan Army, Scotland’s raucous rooting section, had flung the fruit, which caused all manner of controversy. When the teenager came forward, the Scottish Football Association demanded an apology, saying; "Scotland supporters are known for impeccable behaviour." Everyone had a good laugh over that quote.

January 2011: Kenny Dalglish's job as Liverpool's new short-term manager this week will include investigating a racism row involving the club's academy players. It follows an allegation that Crystal Palace's players were subjected to racial abuse during their FA Youth Cup fourth‑round tie at Anfield. One player said he was "disgusted" by what he had heard.
The Football Association contacted Palace for a full account of what happened and to ascertain whether they intend to make an official complaint.

The FA may also ask to speak to Dan Pringle, one of the players involved in the 3-1 defeat for Palace. Pringle expressed his dismay on his Twitter account after the match, saying: "Disappointed with result but really disgusted with the racism from Liverpool throughout the game. Disgraceful."

When he was contacted by several Palace supporters he later clarified that he was talking about Liverpool's players rather than the crowd.

Liverpool reacted with surprise, not least as they had several black players in their team. A club spokesman said: "We didn't receive any complaints either during or after the game and nothing was mentioned by the referee."

There have been many high-profile incidents of racist behavior towards players in recent seasons. Here are some examples of racist behaviour by fans going back to 1988.

August 2010: The Lokomotiv Moscow soccer team sold Peter Odemwingie, who is half-Russian and is a Nigeria international, to West Brom in the transfer window in August, with some Lokomotiv fans displaying an offensive banner on his exit. Their fans celebrated during the next game with a banner (below) showing a banana and the message: "Thanks West Brom."

"It's a minority group but it's really sad - I have a good relationship with the club but this is a big disgrace," Odemwingie told BBC Sport.
The 29-year-old explained that black players are regularly subjected to insults in the Russian league but said the authorities do not act.
"Some fans treated me well at the club - only a group of supporters have shown how narrow minded they are to the world," Odemwingie said.

From BBC Sport: The Russian Football Union’s (RFU) disciplinary body held a board meeting on 25th August 2010, but opted not to fine Lokomotiv and Sorokin, who is also the Russian Football Union’s director general, who insisted that the banana banner was not "racist."

Racism seems particularly endemic in Russian soccer, "The supporters' attitude to black players in Russia is appalling, it's totally abysmal," Keir Radnedge of World Soccer magazine told CNN.
"Not only is there racism towards black players in Russia, but there is an inter-racial side to things, where players or fans from countries that formed part of the former Soviet Union get targeted as well."
Zenit St Petersburg - Russia's most fascist and rightwing club, virulently racist, they won't even let non-whites on the team and have admitted this publicly.

February 2010: A racist football fan was banned from matches for three years yesterday after abusing striker Darren Bent's mother. John Davison, 26, called Shirley Bent a "n****r" as he walked past her on the way to watch her son play for Sunderland at Wigan Athletic.
John Davison, 26, called Shirley Bent a "n****r" as he walked past her on the way to watch her son play for Sunderland at Wigan Athletic. He was also fined £170 and ordered to pay Mrs Bent £50 compensation.

African star Samuel Eto'o (right) has been targeted on several occasions.
October 2010: While playing for Italian side Inter Milan, play was halted for three minutes after Eto'o was abused by supporters of Sicily-based Cagliari.

February 2006: While playing for Barcelona, the Cameroon striker was so incensed by chants from Real Zaragoza fans that he walked off the pitch.

April 2009: Internazionale's Mario Balotelli, an Italian footballer of Ghanaian descent, was subjected to racial abuse from Juventus fans. They were handed a one game home fan ban as a result

March 2008: Black players of French side Marseille - including André Ayew, Ronald Zubar and Charles Kaboré - were targeted by the fascist fans of Russian side Zenit St Petersburg.

24th March 2007: In a match between France and Lithuania, a racist banner was unfurled by Lithuanian supporters. Directed against France's black players, it represented a map of Africa, painted with the French flag colors (blue, white and red), with a slogan of "Welcome to Europe"

13th January 2007: The FA charged Newcastle player Emre Belözoğlu with "using racially-aggravated abusive and/or insulting words", referring to an incident during the 3-0 defeat by Everton at Goodison Park on 30th December 2006. Emre was, on the 16th February 2007, accused of more racist behaviour, this time against Bolton's El Hadji Diouf. However, on 1st March 2007, it was revealed that Diouf would not be pursuing his claim. It was also later revealed that Watford player Al Bangura had released a statement declaring that he was the victim of racist abuse from Emre. On the 19th March he was cleared of the charges relating to the Everton game.

No smoke without fire in my opinion!

March 2006: Two Eastern German soccer teams in the fourth division, FC Sachsen Leipzig and Hallesche FC, had just drawn 2-2 on 25th March in Halle, and the fans weren't happy.

Leipzig's Nigerian midfielder Adebowale Ogungbure was walking off the pitch when hooligans ran up to him, spat at him and called him "Dirty n****r," "Shit n****r" and "Ape." He ignored it and walked on. Then, when he passed the main stand and heard fans making whooping monkey noises at him, he decided he'd had enough. He put two fingers above his mouth to symbolise a Hitler moustache and stuck out his right arm in a Nazi salute to the crowd.
Given their behavior, one might think they would have appreciated the gesture and even returned it. But a Hallesche FC supporter attacked him from behind with a corner flag and another grabbed him in a stranglehold. Ogungbure pushed them away as a teammate intervened and dragged him towards the tunnel, to the safety of the changing rooms.

January 2006: After racist chants one weekend in stadiums in Italy and Spain had brought African players to tears, the European Union and soccer's governing body planned to get tougher on soccer's major problem.

On soccer pitches across Belgium the following weekend, players wore a black and white stripe on their faces. In Italy, an anti-racism banner was unveiled before the opening whistle of every top Italian league and Italian Cup match.

The measures, organized by the Belgian and Italian leagues, followed a shameful weekend of racism in European soccer. The week before Messina's Ivory Coast defender Marc Zoro threatened to walk off the field after fans of his team's opponents, Inter Milan, repeatedly hurled racial epithets at him.

Two Espanyol fans were suspended for abusing Barcelona's Cameroon goalkeeper Carlos Kameni. Kameni has been a regular victim of racial abuse from a section of the club's radical fans as well as opposing supporters at other grounds in Spain. Meanwhile the Brazilian midfielder Fredson, were subjected to racist chants in Madrid by fans of opponents Atletico Madrid.

November 2004: An large explosion of racial abuse in European soccer was seen and the return of a problem once thought of as a relic of the game. But has it really ever been away?
The recent increase in reported offences has once again turned the spotlight on the uglier side of the beautiful game and raised the question: Are these latest sickening outbursts just copycat incidents or is European soccer still rife with racists and xenophobes?

Racist taunting aimed at Partizan Belgrade's black players overshadowed the Serbian side's 2-2 draw against Lazio in Rome to plunge the game in Europe into another race shame.
Lazio’s hardcore Ultras (right), notorious for their xenophobic and racist views and their support for the former right wing regime in Yugoslavia, targeted Cameroon striker Pierre Boya in particular, during the explosive UEFA Cup Group E clash.

Two days later following the incident in Rome. Real Madrid's Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen was marred by racist chanting by Spanish fans with Bayer's Brazilian defenders Roque Junior and Juan the target of abuse from Real's Ultra Sur hooligan element during the 1-1 draw. The Spanish giants became the subject of an investigation by UEFA as a result.

Also in November 2004: The specter of racism then reared its ugly head in the English Premiership when Birmingham City striker Dwight Yorke was abused by a Blackburn Rovers supporter, as he warmed up on the sidelines with his fellow substitutes during the match.

January 1988: Mark Walters debut for Rangers FC. Walters became the first black player in Ranger's history, making his debut on 2nd January 1988, in the Old Firm derby match with Celtic at Parkhead, Scotland.
Celtic fans marked the occasion by throwing bananas and making monkey noises, with some even wearing tuxedos — or "monkey suits" — to the match. During the same game, in defence of Walters, Rangers’ fans, responded with an 'unconscious' racist song, singing "I’d rather be a darkie than a Tim" (Tim being a slang term to describe a person of Scots-Irish catholic decent). The match commentator seemed oblivious to the racial implications: He commented - "Well the game was slightly held up while some assortment of fruit was removed from the pitch. You can see it there, just in front of The Jungle."
The Scottish Football Association chose to remain silent on the incident.

It was in the mid-1980s that German football club St. Pauli's transition from a traditional club into a "Kult" club began. It was also during the 1980's when the club first became associated with the Skull and Crossbones symbol.

The deal is St. Pauli is no ordinary team. This is an anti-racist, anti-fascist, pretty much anarchist soccer team which represents a shall we say bohemian area of Hamburg home to prostitutes, squatters and activists of the left wing and anarchist persuation. Opposition to fascism, sexism and homophobia has actually been included in the club constitution.

More than 20,000 fans regularly pack the home stadium, and the club has the largest proportion of female fans in German football.

The ugly cloud of racism appears to hang like a shadow over soccer, particularly in Eastern Europe, but with the Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine on the horizon, a campaign to ensure that such behavior is stamped out in stadiums is gathering pace.
Rafal Pankowski heads Poland-based organization 'Never Again,' which works closely with European football's governing body UEFA and Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE). Their collective aim is to challenge racism in Eastern European soccer, with particular emphasis on next year's co-hosted tournament.

"Unfortunately it seems racism is deeply rooted in the culture of soccer, especially in Eastern Europe," Pankowski told CNN. "Of course it's a broader problem, affecting countries such as Spain and Italy, but it is a real issue in Eastern Europe.
"We appreciate the steps and initiatives that UEFA are taking, but we are still a very long way from eradicating the problem and it's just not something that can be eliminated overnight."

Earlier this year, 'Never Again' published a report called "Hateful" which documented the number of racist incidents in Poland and Ukraine.
It detailed 195 individual incidents of racist and discriminatory behavior in an 18-month period from September 2009 to March 2011, a figure that underlines the amount of work that still needs to be done.

A slap on the wrists, puny fines and meaningless five-minute delays to matches will not deter the racists, but what will?

The relationship between 'race' and football takes a number of forms. It has long been the case that a number of fans have used Saturday afternoons at football matches to air their racial prejudices but it is now recognised that this minority of racist fans is only part of the problem. What is also important is how members of minority groups can become involved in football as players, coaches or spectators, the interest they take in football and whether in certain areas they feel excluded.

The UK was the first country to make a concerted effort to rid the game of racism, at least in its most obvious forms, with the founding of the ‘Let’s Kick Racism out of Football’ campaign in 1993, followed two years later by the launch of ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ in the north-east of England, and the Football Unites, Racism Divides project in Sheffield. FURD is now centrally involved in international campaigns against racism in football, through the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network.

Racism is not a problem of football's making. It is society's problem. Yet it is an issue the game cannot afford to sideline. It presents it with responsibilities - and new opportunities.
The game’s ruling bodies - and clubs and players as its ambassadors - have a responsibility to protect and promote its image as the game that unites the world. They must act wherever necessary to ensure people can watch and play free from prejudice and abuse.
They also have an opportunity to make a positive contribution to creating a better society.

Football's Most Sensational Teen Transfers!

2011-10-21T12:15:00.034+01:00

IAN RUSH:
Fee: £300,000 from Chester to Liverpool, aged 18, in 1980.

Rush began his playing career at Football League Third Division side Chester. After impressing in the youth ranks, he made his Chester debut in April 1979 against Sheffield Wednesday and went on to play 34 League games and score 14 goals before
Liverpool payed £300,000 for the 18-year-old in 1980. Rush finally made his Liverpool first-team debut five months after his arrival, in December 1980 in a league game at Ipswich Town, and though it took him a little while to get going he formed a memorable partnership with Kenny Dalglish. In the 1983-84 season Rush scored an incredible 47 goals as Liverpool won an unprecedented treble of League, European Cup and League Cup. Juventus paid £3.2m for him in 1987 and he scored 13 goals in his only season in Italy, before returning to Anfield in 1988. He eventually surpassed Roger Hunt's 245 goals to become the Reds' record hitman with 346 goals in 660 games. Rush won five First Division titles, five League Cups, three FA Cups, the European Cup and was the Club's top scorer nine times, during his incredible career with Liverpool, spanning fifteen seasons. Rush said farewell to Anfield on 20th May 1996.

STEVE MACKENZIE:
Fee: £250,000 from Crystal Palace to Manchester City, aged, 17 in 1979.

After beginning as an apprentice at Crystal Palace, MacKenzie was just a 17-year-old trainee when Manchester City decided to spend a quarter of a million pounds on the Palace midfielder in 1979 - although he had yet to play a single Football League match, so it really was a huge gamble at the time. He gained a reputation for scoring spectacular goals, most notably in the 1981 FA Cup Final replay against Tottenham Hotspur. He left City after two seasons to join West Bromwich Albion where he spent six seasons at the Hawthorns before joining Charlton Athletic. He later had spells with Sheffield Wednesday and Shrewsbury Town. He made 353 career appearances between 1979 and 1994, scoring 41 goals.

STEVE SIMONSEN:
Fee: £3.3 million from Tranmere Rovers to Everton, aged 19, in 1998.

After being released by Nottingham Forest, he started his career at Tranmere Rovers in August 1996 as a trainee. By November 1996 Simonsen had already made his League debut for the club.
At the age of 19, and after just 42 league and cup appearances for the Tranmere first-team, Simonsen was bought by Everton for a record breaking £3.3 million in September 1998 and became Britain's most expensive teenager and goalkeeper.
But despite the price-tag he did not make his Everton debut until the 1999–2000 season, in a League Cup tie against Oxford United. In six seasons at Everton he played just 37 times in all competitions and football's forgotten teenager was given a free transfer to Stoke City in 2004. Simonsen was named as Stoke City player's player of the season in the 2004–05 season. He left Stoke in July 2010 on a free transfer after spending six years at the Potters, and making almost 200 appearances.
He currently plys his trade with League One side Sheffield United.

WAYNE ROONEY:
Fee: £25.6 million from Everton to Manchester United, aged 18, in 2004.

His senior debut for Everton came on 17th August 2002 in a 2–2 home draw against Tottenham. His first senior goals came on 2nd October 2002 as he scored twice in a 3–0 win at Wrexham in the League Cup. These goals meant that Rooney was Everton's youngest-ever goalscorer at the time. On the 19th October, five days before his 17th birthday, Rooney scored a last-minute winning goal against Arsenal.
Rooney signed for Manchester United in 2004 for a fee in excess of £25 million.
He scored a hat-trick on his United debut against Fenerbahce in the Champions League. These goals made Rooney the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League aged 18 years 335 days.
For his club at least has hardly looked back since. Between 2006-2009 he formed an lethal attacking partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo, in a United side that won a hat-trick of Premier League titles and the Champions League.
The striker has struggled to hit these dizzy heights in the last couple of seasons, but he still holds an impressive career record of 158 goals in 332 appearances for the Red Devils.

WAYNE HARRISON:
Fee: £250,000 from Oldham Athletic to Liverpool, aged, 17 in 1985.

At £250,000 Harrison became the most expensive 17-year-old footballer in the world when he signed for Liverpool in 1985. Harrison had only made five first team appearances for the Latics, though it included a virtuoso performance against the Reds in an FA Youth Cup match. However, injuries wrecked any chance of appearing in a competitive match for Liverpool. First came a horrid fall through a greenhouse where he almost died as a result of loss of blood. Thereafter he suffered double hernia, cartilage, knee and shoulder injuries and on the last reserve game of the 1989-90 season he shattered his knee against Bradford.
After having undergone 23 operations at Anfield, there was no way back for Harrison and he had to retire from football at just 22 years of age. The player's plight was alleviated somewhat by a testimonial game between Oldham and Liverpool in 1992, but sadly Harrison was not even fit enough to turn out on the field for a token appearance.

THEO WALCOTT:
Fee: £5 million (plus clauses) from Southampton to Arsenal, aged 16, in 2006.

Walcott was a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. The striker became the youngest-ever player at 16 years and 143 days to feature for the Southampton first team, after coming on as a substitute in Southampton's 0–0 draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Football League Championship in 2005.
Sven-Goran Eriksson shocked the footballing world by naming the 17-year-old in his 2006 World Cup squad, just five months after Arsenal signed him from Championship side Southampton and before he had even made his Gunners' debut.
On 30 May 2006, Walcott became England's youngest ever senior football player by appearing in a 3–1 friendly win over Hungary at Old Trafford at the age of 17 years and 75 days. Four years later he wasn't even in Fabio Capello's 2010 squad.
He still hasn't hit the expected heights since, due in part to injuries, but Walcott has shown flashes of brilliance. Most notably he produced a stand-out performance against Liverpool in the Champions League, while for England he hit a hat-trick in September 2008 against Croatia in Zagreb to underline his ability.

JERMAINE PENNANT
Fee: £2 million from Notts County to Arsenal, aged 15, in 1999.

Arsenal paid Notts County £2.5m in 1999 for the 15-year-old midfielder, which was a record for a trainee. After the youngster's two spells on loan at Watford and a substitute appearance for the Gunners against Middlesbrough in the League Cup when he was just 16 years 319 days. He scored a hat-trick for Arsene Wenger's side on his full Premier League debut against Southampton in May 2003. Disciplinary problems, including serving 31 days of a three-month prison sentence while on loan at Birmingham City in 2005, has seen him play for six clubs since leaving north London to join the Blues, including three seasons at Liverpool and a spell in Spain with Real Zaragoza.
He is now plying his trade at Stoke City and featured in the 2011 FA Cup final.

CONNOR WICKHAM:
Initial fee: £8.1 million from Ipswich Town to Sunderland, aged 18, in 2011.

After joining Ipswich as a trainee in July 2008, the striker made 72 first-team appearances, coming off the bench 33 times and scoring a total of 15 goals.
Wickham made his first-team debut for Ipswich at the age of 16 years and 11 days against Doncaster Rovers in April 2009.
In May 2010 Wickham helped England to victory in the European Under-17 Championship, scoring the winning goal as they beat Spain 2-1 in the final.
On 29 June 2011, Wickham signed a four year deal with Premier League club Sunderland for a fee of £8 million. The fee has the potential to rise to £12 million over the course of the contract. Wickham made his first competitive appearance for Sunderland when he came on as a substitute in the 1–0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Tyne–Wear derby on 20 August 2011.

GARETH BALE:
Fee: £5 million from Southampton to Tottenham, aged 17, in 2007.

At 16 Bale became the second youngest player after Theo Walcott to play for Southampton when he made his debut against Millwall. His efforts on the south coast were enough to persuade Spurs to spend £5m on him a year later, fending off interest from Manchester United
On a personal level the winger got off to a good start scoring in three of his first five games.
But Spurs were beginning a downturn in fortunes and they failed to win a single game in any of Bale's first 24 Premier League matches he played – a record!
Rumours of a loan move to the Championship were rife just last year, but an injury to Benoit Assou-Ekotto gave him a rare run in the team and he hasn't lost his place since. Last season he captivated the world with stunning performances in the Champions League and topped his year off by picking up the PFA Player of the Year award.

MARK KENNEDY:
Initial Fee: £1.5 million from Millwall to Liverpool, aged 18, in 1995.

Kennedy began his professional career at Millwall, making his senior debut in April 1993 in a win over Charlton, when still only 16. Kennedy joined Liverpool in March 1995 for an initial £1.5 million fee (potentially rising to £2.3 million), making him then the most expensive teenage footballer in British history.
However, opportunities at Anfield were scarce, as he failed to fit into a midfield boasting the likes of Steve McManaman, Patrik Berger and John Barnes. Kennedy was in the starting line-up four times in his first season, but astonishingly was given only one chance in the first eleven over the next three seasons. In total he managed just 21 appearances in all competitions.
In the summer of 1998 he was transferred to Wimbledon for a fee in excess of what Liverpool initially paid for him, despite only making fleeting appearances for the Reds!
Kennedy only spent one season at Wimbledon before signing for Manchester City. Kennedy's career has also seen him turn out for Wolves, Crystal Palace and Cardiff. Kennedy, now 35 currently plays for Championship side Ipswich Town.

Fantasy Football 2011/12 - The npower Championship. Update!

2011-10-07T12:41:00.028+01:00

With the football international break upon us, I thought I would take this opportunity to update you all on my progress in this seasons Texaco sponsored Championship Fantasy Football league.

Two months ago I selected eleven players from the second tier of English football that I felt would excel for their respective clubs this season, as I pitted my wits against friends and football fans around the country, in a 'foolish' attempt to convince myself that my knowledge of Championship football was equal to or maybe even superior to that of other football fans.

I must point out that I have stayed within the rules, which fundamentally consist of four main criteria - keeping within my set 'fictitious' financial budget, selecting a maximum of no more than three players from any one club, choosing one of two formations for my team, namely 5-3-2 or 4-4-2 and finally observing the rules regarding the transfer of players in/out my side, as set out at the start of the competition.

Now, who would have thought with nearly a quarter of the season gone, newly promoted Southampton would be top of the league, with Middlesbrough second and Derby, along with another newly promoted club Brighton in the top six.

More surprising is possibly the shocking form of managerless Nottingham Forest and South London's Millwall, and the rather average start to the season made by the likes of relegated Birmingham and last seasons play-off finalists Reading.
Money-bags Leicester started poorly but are making good progress, as are Leeds and Cardiff.

My own club Crystal Palace have surprised me with a solid start to the season after fighting off relegation for the previous two seasons, and they are also into the last 16 of the League Cup. Peterborough too have kicked on well after promotion from League One last season...........but it's still very early days!

So how has this reflected on the Championship fantasy football team I selected two months ago?

At the beginning of the 2011/12 campaign my team was as follows:

Goalkeeper: Kelvin Davies (Southampton).

Defenders: Ian Evatt (Blackpool), Jose Fonte (Southampton), Anthony Gerrard (Cardiff), Sean St Ledger (Leicester).

Midfield: Kevin Nolan (West Ham and Captain), George Boyd (Peterborough), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds), Lee Bowyer (Ipswich).

Strikers: Rickie Lambert (Southampton, pictured right), Rob Earnshaw (Cardiff).

Since then I have made five transfers: First to go was Sean St.Ledger, a player I really thought was going to score me a lot of points after his £1.2m move from Preston, but he has failed to deliver. Leicester started the season poorly and St.Ledger has rarely featured, so I think that was a good move. I replaced him with Palace's versatile Norwegian full-back/midfielder Jonathan Parr and he has one cleen sheet and two assists in five appearances. Steady if not spectacular.

I recently made another defensive transfer when I off-loaded former Palace favourite Jose Fonte from a Souhampton side that was scoring goals for fun but conceding too many for my liking. Derby's Jason Shackell has replaced Fonte, but although he was a cheaper option he has not really improved my defence significantly with one cleen sheet in three appearances, but if Derby continue their good form he may prove a valuable acquisition. Without doubt the purchase of a Middlesborough defender would have been a better option, as three of their defenders are the top defensive points scorers in the league!

In midfield I believed the experience of Lee Bowyer would have been a bright light in the Ipswich side, but both Ipswich and Bowyer started slowly, and although Ipswich's season has picked up, Bowyer has failed to impress in my opinion. I replaced Bowyer with another Derby player, the experienced Ben Davies and he has had a greater impact, with four assists in his six games since I brought him in.

Kevin Nolan was my most expensive purchase at the beginning of the season, but he has had a stop-start season so far, terrific one week and anonymous the next. Maybe he is taking time to settle in at West Ham. However I have been more impressed with the displays of his team-mate Matt Taylor, a summer signing from Bolton, so I swapped Taylor for Nolan.

In midfield I have also replaced Peterborough's highly rated George Boyd with Saints Adam Lallana who has so far had an outstanding season for his club. The England U'21 international is currently the top point scoring midfielder in the Championship. Lallana has four goals from midfield and a host of assists in a free-scoring Southampton side, who have bagged 25 goals in their opening 10 games!
Meanwhile Boyd has made a disappointing start to the season.

Up front Rickie Lambert is rattling in the goals with eight in just ten appearances, but Rob Earnshaw concerns me. He has only netted three times this season, and has recently lost his place in the Cardiff team. I am definitely looking for a new striker, perhaps Miller, Jermaine Beckford, Glenn Murray, Ross McCormack or Chris Wood would be more effective. I have the international break to decide who to partner Lambert with.

As it stands today my current team is as follows:

Goalkeeper: Kelvin Davies (Southampton).

Defenders: Ian Evatt (Blackpool), Jason Shackell (Derby), Anthony Gerrard (Cardiff), Jonathan Parr (Palace, pictured right).

Midfield: Matt Taylor (West Ham), Ben Davies (Derby), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds), Adam Lallana (Southampton).

Strikers: Rickie Lambert (Southampton and Captain), Rob Earnshaw (Cardiff).

Rickie Lambert, Blackpool defender Ian Evatt, and Leeds midfielder Robert Snodgrass have been my stand-out players so far this season. As far as my own season goes I am in the main competition along with tens of thousands of other players, and also in three private leagues.
My current points total is 125, after ten league games.

I am 2,386th overall in the whole competition, 3rd of 28 players in the 'Holmesdale Radio' private league, 26th of 752 in the 'Official Crystal Palace FC' private league and 3rd of 99 in the 'Where Eagles Dare' private league.

Until next time............good luck!

Babe Of The Month - Sexy Spanish Golfer Beatriz Recari

2011-10-01T02:01:00.011+01:00

Beatriz Recari Eransus (born 21st April 1987) is a Spanish professional golfer on the U.S based LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour (LET).

Born and raised in Pamplona in northern Spain, Beatriz won the 2004 Spanish Amateur Golf Championship and the 2005 French Amateur Golf Championship. In 2005, she was also a member of 'Team Europe' in the Junior Solheim Cup.

She qualified for the Ladies European Tour in November 2005 and turned professional at age 18, for the 2006 season. She won her first tournament as a pro in her fourth LET season at the 2009 Finnair Masters in Helsinki, Finland.

Beatriz won her first LPGA event in October 2010 at the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge at Blackhawk Country Club in northern California, and made the cut in her final five events to finish as runner-up to compatriot Azahara Muñozthe for the title of 2010 LPGA Rookie of the Year.

So far in 2011 Beatriz has played in 17 tournaments, making the cut 13 times, with a best finish of tied 11th at the Shoprite LPGA Classic at the Bay Course, Dolce Seaview Resort, New Jersey.

This month Beatriz is off to Asia where there are LPGA tournaments in South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan. There are also LET events being held in Sanya and Shanghai in China.

You can follow Beatriz on Facebook and on Twitter

Fierce Football Rivalry - Crystal Palace versus Brighton

2011-09-23T13:30:00.040+01:00

Brighton & Hove Albion host Crystal Palace this coming Tuesday night, the 27th September 2011 as one of the fiercest fan rivalries in British football is reignited for the first time since November 2005.

At first glance, it may seem strange that one of English football's fiercest rivalries is between two teams 60 miles apart, one Club which resides on the South Coast, whilst the other is in South London.

Correct, they are not in the same county let alone the same city, there's no deep routed historical reason, no trading rivalries between the areas, no religious differences, it's pure and simple - a genuine footballing rivalry based on the fact that both clubs used to play each other a lot and had managers happy to stoke up the fires of rivalry.

Crystal Palace and Brighton are fierce rivals - See why!

Many football fans assume that Millwall and Charlton are Palace’s main rivals, being so close in location, and that Portsmouth 40 miles along the coast might be Brighton's number one enemy.

To really understand the hatred between Palace and Brighton you need to turn the clock back to the 1970's and the days of Mullery v Venables.

Between January 1963 and August 1974 there were no competitive fixtures at all between Palace and Brighton - as Brighton got relegated into Division Four in 1963 and Palace started their climb into the top flight.

Their rivalry did not develop until Palace's relegation to the Third Division in 1974. The clubs had two of the division's biggest followings, communications between Croydon and Brighton were good and many fans were keen to travel to an away fixture.

So in August 1974 the two teams met in full competition, for the first time since the early 1960's in the old Division Three, and both clubs with new nicknames to boot. "The Dolphins" versus "The Eagles" was the first game of that 74-75 season and Palace suffered a 1-0 reverse in front of the largest crowd to watch Palace at home that season. The following March, revenge was metered out by Palace as they defeated the South Coast side 3-0. The win did little to aid Palace's dying promotion effort, but it almost spelt disaster for Brighton, who only narrowly avoided relegation.

The following season Palace got off to a flying start, were undefeated in their opening seven games and sat proudly at the summit of the division. Then came the visit of Brighton and with it a 1-0 defeat. It wasn't a disaster in footballing terms at the time, as come Christmas Palace were sitting pretty at the top of the league by seven clear points. By the time the away fixture came around, Palace were in the midst of the great FA Cup run of 1976, but their league form had deserted them and Palace went down 2-0. Brighton finished the season in fourth, a place above Palace on goal difference and they had completed the 'double' over their rivals.

It was the following season that the fireworks really began!
Terry Venables, fresh out of coaching school under the late Malcolm Allison was the new manager at Palace, and Alan Mullery was appointed the new boss at Brighton, after Brighton manager Peter Taylor rejoined his old mate the late Brian Clough, up at Forest. Both clubs were the biggest in the old Division Three and doing quite well.

In the 1976-77 season the sides meet five times: twice in the league and three times to decide an First Round FA Cup tie. To say neither manager had much time for the other would be understating the case. Palace remained undefeated against Brighton over the season recording three draws and two victories.

It was an FA Cup second round replay at neutral Stamford Bridge that finally ignited the already smouldering blue touch paper that season. Mullery got out of his pram about a number of dodgy decisions from referee Ron Challis, including a converted Brighton penalty that had to be retaken and a disallowed goal! The retake was saved by Paul Hammond. That referee is still known as "Challis of the Palace" down in Brighton! It culminated in Mullery blowing his top in front of the Palace fans who were giving him abuse for his outraged protests. He flung down about a fiver's worth of change into a puddle and screamed "You're not worth that, Palace" - in the end, the police had to lead him away! At the end of the 1976-77 season both sides were promoted.

Alan Mullery's outspoken-ness continued to fan the flames of a rivalry that often violently spilled over into the alleyways, railway stations and park areas of Brighton and Hove and, on more than one occasion, the side-streets and shops of Croydon. It was rumoured that he was motivated by jealousy having wanted the Palace managerial job himself. He decided to change the Club nick-name once again, this time to "The Seagulls"

The 1978-79 season saw Palace, Brighton, Stoke and Sunderland all slog out a nail-biting promotion race. On the last Saturday of the season, Brighton, Stoke and Sunderland had finished their seasons, Brighton ended up top on goal difference, Stoke and Sunderland provisionally claimed second and third, but Palace still had a game in hand - win it and Palace were Champions, displacing Brighton, lose and Palace would miss out on promotion completely, on goal difference.

On the 11th May 1979 Palace defeated Burnley 2-0 in front of a record 51,801 people at Selhurst Park, and in doing so Palace snatched the Second Division Championship title away from Brighton.

The news was broken to the Brighton players at 30,000 feet whilst on route to play in a tournament in the US. That wasn't the only bad news they were receive that day, when they landed they found the tournament had been scrapped, due to a fuel crisis!

The next season saw both clubs in the First Division, Brighton for the first time in their history. To cope with the larger crowds that top-flight football brings, Brighton erected the naffest temporary grandstand of all time on one side. Even their own fans nicknamed it 'The Lego stand'. Palace fans quickly coined the phrase and the Goldstone Ground became known as 'Legoland.'
Later that season, fire swept through the South Stand, gutting the seats and wooden structure. An act which many local fans pointing the finger at Palace fans, who lived in the area! On the field, both sides held onto their First division status.

The following season Palace were relegated but Brighton went on escaping relegation for another two seasons, band managed a Cup Final appearance in their last season in the top flight.

In November 1981 Palace played a 'friendly' against Brighton and came away with a credible 1-1 draw adminst another management upheaval at the club as Dario Gradi made way for Steve Kember. Then in a enormously unpopular move, Ron Noades appointed Alan Mullery as manager. Palace fans couldn't not swallow this and deserted the Club in large numbers, whilst some drifted back slowly over the years - plenty never came back at all. One of Mullery's first games in charge was a home 'friendly' against Brighton, which Palace managed to win by a single goal.

Palace renewed acquaintance with Brighton again in the 1983-84 season, the second year of Mullery's two years. The now traditional Christmas and Easter games saw Mullery stick the dagger even further into mortally wounded Palace hearts, yes, he let them get away with all six points again. This were the nadir of recent Palace history and the serious violence that followed the April trip to the Goldstone served only to counterpoint the frustrations.

Mullery slipped away quietly to Q.P.R. after two relegation struggles, giving way to managerial new boy Steve Coppell. His first season saw an early South Coast encounter end in 1-0 defeat, but the home game saw a Trevor Aylott goal ensure a deserved draw. The game was surrounded by controversy with Palace defender Henry Hughton sent off for a late tackle on Brighton winger Gerry Ryan, who sustained a badly broken leg, which ultimately ended his playing career. The Brighton Manager Chris Cattlin claimed in the press it was the worst tackle he'd ever seen, but Ryan himself refused to condemn Hughton.

In the 1985-86 season Palace lost at Brighton on New Year's Day, a game mainly remembered by Palace fans for a scandalous dive by Terry Connor which earned Brighton a penalty. Late in March, Palace managed to chalk up a narrow league victory against their rivals in the reverse fixture.

Later that year in another bizarre twist of fate surrounding the two clubs, Brighton re-appointed the 'Prince of Darkness' Allan Mullery OBE as their new manager.

The following season, Palace fans saw this as their chance for revenge on Mullery in the Boxing Day fixture of 1986. The players duly obliged as Palace beat their rivals and relegation strugglers. By Easter Monday, Barry Lloyd was in charge of a Brighton side that had not won a League game for three months.........enter Palace, chasing a 'play-off' place, but on the day they somehow contrived to lose 2-0 to a woeful Brighton side, that were up for this fixture and ultimately this result helped end Palace's play-off hopes for that season.

The mood of the Palace fans was not pleasant, angry at the scoreline and fed up at being so tightly packed onto a tiny corner terrace, when the Brighton fans had the run of the open East Terrace. With ten minutes left, a sizeable number stormed out of the terrace, to confront Brighton fans in their own end. The ensuing violence spilled out of the ground into Phoenix Park which played host to several running battles before The Sussex Constabulary eventually brought order to the seaside town.

There was some consolation for Palace that the result did nothing to assist Brighton's survival. They ended up getting relegated, thanks in the main to the ministrations of their one-time idol, Alan Mulllery.

Two seasons later and Brighton were back in Division Two. Palace lost at Brighton in another Boxing Day encounter in 1988, but the return fixture on the 27th March 1989 still holds a place in the English League record books thanks to a certain referee named Kelvin Morton. Morton awarded five penalties, Palace were given four of those five and incredibly managed to miss three of them - but Palace still won the game 2-1! Morton also sent off Brighton midfielder Mike Trusson in the first-half.
That season Palace were promoted to Division One via the play-offs, whilst Brighton finished 19th.

However, the two did not play in a league encounter between 1990 and 2001, although there were have been a number of 'pre-season friendlies' staged between the sides, all at Brighton!

The first in August 1992, saw an injury-struck Palace side once more deliver a below par performance, although still managing to win 1-0. This game was originally scheduled for a Saturday afternoon, when it would have attracted a much larger crowd, but was eventually played on Friday night. Possibily the only friendly fixture ever to have been moved on Police advice!
After the game, however, it was Palace fans getting back on the train who were subjected to a CS gas attack at Hove station.

That season ended with Palace's relegation from the Premier League, whilst Brighton having survived a number of High Court actions maintained their Division Two status.

In August 1993, a second 'friendly' took place, the game was to have been a testimonial match for Palace player Gary O'Reilly, but a row about gate receipts scuppered that. Once again, some Palace fans were subjected to another tear gas attack, this time before the game in a pub. Just for a change, Palace really turned on the style on the pitch. A 2,000-strong Palace posse of supporters saw Palace score three times without reply. A performance that underlined the major difference in class that now existed between the sides.

The 2000/01 season saw Brighton, under the stewardship of Mickey Adams, promoted out of Division Three as Champions, Palace on the other hand, had a shockingly bad season and coming into the final week of that season they were firmly ensconced in the relegation zone.

On the morning of Sunday 6th May 2001, Brighton paraded their Division Three Championship trophy through the streets of Brighton, and afterwards their supporters settled in pubs everywhere to watch Palace get relegated to Division Two, thereby setting up two mouth-watering encounters. For 87 minutes, the party was in full swing, then Dougie Freedman worked his magic and his epic late winner at Stockport sent the South London fans' delirious and the Brighton fans were left inconsolable!

Crystal Palace beat the drop - 2000/2001 season

The following season, despite losing manager Mickey Adams to Leicester, Brighton appointed former Palace legend Peter Taylor as manager. Taylor helped Brighton get promoted as Champions, thereby setting up two more spicy Brighton versus Palace derby matches for the forthcoming season, before he walked out on them. Another ex-Palace player, Martin Hinshelwood was appointed the new manager.

So 2002 saw the return of Brighton to the second tier but they started the season poorly and Hinshelwood was kicked upstairs, and then the unthinkable happened - they went and appointed Steve Coppell, the former Palace manager as their new boss a couple of weeks before Palace hosted the South Coast side at Selhurst Park!

On 26th October 2002 Palace thrashed them 5–0 in a memorable game, with Palace striker Andy Johnson scoring a hat-trick. That date and scoreline is etched in Palace history forever!

The return fixture, the following March was a dull affair, the game ended 0-0 with Palace full-back Danny Granville getting himself sent off, but endearing himself to the Palace faithful by telling the jeering Brighton fans near the tunnel to "f**k off".

Brighton were relegated that season, making Steve Coppell an even bigger cult hero at Palace, for taking their bitter rivals down a division, while Palace finished the season mid-table.

Brighton bounced straight back through the play-offs into Division One in 2003-04, only to find Palace had already left the Division by the gentleman's exit, promoted into the Premiership via the play-offs.

Palace got themselves relegated from the Premiership straight away, whilst Brighton managed to take it right to the last day of the season before narrowly ensuring their survival in 2004-05.

Brighton gained revenge in 2005 with a 1–0 win at Selhurst Park, however, a month later at the Withdean, Palace twice came from behind, with Dougie Freedman scoring his 100th and 101st goals for Palace and Jobi McAnuff scoring in the very last minute to win the game 3–2.

Last meeting between Brighton and Crystal Palace 20/11/2005

No wonder there is rivalry between the two clubs, with a history like that....................................

However both Clubs and both sets of fans are in a much better place than when they last met almost six years ago. A lot has happened and a lot has changed for the good.

Brighton were promoted as League One champions last season and have former Chelsea, Spurs and Uruguay international Gus Poyet as boss. They have moved from their temporary home at the Withdean Stadium,(which was not predominantly a football ground, having been used for athletics throughout most of its history, and previously as a zoo), to a new 22,000 all-seater stadium, sponsored by AMEX, situated just outside Brighton in Falmer. They have started this season like a train and are currently lie third in The Championship table, at the time of writing.

Meanwhile Crystal Palace have recently survived administration and two successive relegation battles to maintain their place in the Championship, and with new owners in place, and former Palace legend Dougie Freedman at the helm, the club are finally on sound financial footing, and in Freedman they have one of the brightest young managers in the league. They have exceeded expectations on the field so far this season and have a support base, particularly on the road, that is the envy of many fellow Championship clubs.

The Psychology of the 'half-time team talk'

2011-09-16T13:40:00.035+01:00

For the fan who has sat through the first 45 minutes of a football match and watched his side play abysmally, it can often be a deeply frustrating and emotional time. He may have witnessed his side concede a goal or more, be playing like strangers who only met for the first time in the car park an hour before kick-off, or whose side are playing so badly that they may as well have stayed in bed!

However one can still draw comfort from the peep of the half-time whistle, for it is now time for the manager to metaphorically speaking, get his hands on the players and really earn his corn!

The half-time period in a game tends to create an emotional experience amongst the players and the coach/manager. At half-time the outcome of the game is yet to be decided. The interval is only around 15 minutes in duration, and is the only direct opportunity the coach will have to speak to all the players and to influence the second-half performance and result.

Above all, as a fan there's the hope that the manager is delivering an 'epic' half-time team talk.

Sir Alex Ferguson ' barks out' instructions

Perhaps a manager might consider using famous motivational quote/speeches in an effort to rally his troops such as one of the following:

"I've learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it." (Andy Rooney, born 1919, American journalist, author and TV correspondent).

"The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory!" (Vince Lombardi, 1913-1970, an American football coach)

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do........" (Mark Twain 1835-1910, American author and commentator).

"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room." (Dame Anita Roddick, 1942-2007, British businesswoman)

"Fear cannot be without hope, nor hope without fear." (Benedict Spinoza, also known as Baruch, 1632-77, Jewish born Dutch philosopher and theologian).

"I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to work hard at it. Whether you're a musician, a writer, an athlete or a businessman, there is no getting around it. If you do, you'll win-if you don't you won't." (Bruce Jenner, born 1949, is a former U.S. track and field athlete).

"Any fact facing us, however difficult, even seemingly hopeless, is not so important as our attitude towards that fact. How you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You may permit a fact to overwhelm you mentally before you deal with it actually. On the other hand, a confident and optimistic thought pattern can overcome or modify the fact altogether." (Norman Vincent Peale, 1898-1993, author and protestant minister).

"Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that." (Bill Shankly, 1913-1981, one of Britain's most successful and respected football managers).

Bill Shankley (right) gets his point accross!

"It's nice to imagine there are Churchillian speeches going on, week in, week out," says sports presenter Gabby Logan. "You imagine the unlikeliest characters standing in front of a dressing room and delivering powerful oratory. I really hope that happens. It probably doesn't."

Football, in particular, is a game with many psychological demands, such as confidence, motivation and concentration, and these demands can be influenced by the situation in the game at half-time.

The main goal of the coach during the half-time interval is to influence positively the second-half performance as much as possible.

Castigation can be risky. Hull City manager Phil Brown is still remembered for an ill-judged decision to deliver his team talk on the City of Manchester pitch (below) when the Tigers were losing 4-0 against Manchester City in December 2008. Embarrassed and showing empathy for the travelling Hull fans, manager Brown reacted by leading his Tigers towards their own support at the break, ordering his troops to sit down in front of their own fans, while the boss began his public finger-wagging and shouting exercise. His players, visibly mortified, went on to lose the game 5-1, and won just one more game that season!

Brown explained his actions after the game: "I thought it was nice and cold and I thought I would keep the boys alive because they looked as if they were dead. Let’s not read too much into it but I think 3,500-4,000 travelling fans deserved some kind of explanation for the first-half performance and it was difficult for me to do that from the confines of a changing room."

A key element of a successful half-time talk is communication. This is a two-way process that consists of giving and receiving information. Coaches can learn a lot about the development of the game at half-time by listening and asking the members of the team questions to prompt a two-way discussion. However, while coaches are typically good at talking, being in charge and giving instructions, they are often poor listeners.

It is also important to note that communication is not only verbal. As early as the late 1960s, research in communication had indicated that non-verbal behaviour (ie body language) plays an important role in communication. Researchers have determined that just 7% of what we communicate is the result of the words that we use or the content of our communication; 38% of our communication to others is a result of our verbal behaviour, which includes tone of voice, timbre, tempo and volume; and 55% of our communication to others is a result of our non-verbal communication, our body posture, breathing, skin colour and our movement.

The leadership style also has a major influence on the effectiveness of a half-time team talk. There are several types of leadership styles, including ‘authoritarian’, ‘democratic’ and ‘laissez-faire.’ It is possible for coaches to use different methods in different situations, and it’s important to note that personality types, cultural behaviour and other factors also contribute to coaching styles.

Looking back to half-time in the 2005 European Champions League final, with Liverpool 3-0 down to AC Milan, according to his Liverpool colleagues, captain Steven Gerrard was in a state of disbelief and was ready to concede defeat. Afterwards, all he could remember of half-time was the manager Rafa Benítez getting his pen out, writing down the changes he wanted on the board and telling the team to try and get an early goal, as that could make the opposition nervous. But Gerrard said that, to be honest, he just couldn’t concentrate. There were all sorts of things going through his head. He just sat there with his head in his hands. He really thought it was over.

Saying the right things: that's the difficulty. "We live on a volcano," said Arsène Wenger in December 2009, describing how a group of players are equally likely to respond negatively as positively to a telling-off.

Alex Ferguson is famous for his half-time scolds – admonishment immortally named by Mark Hughes "the hairdryer treatment"

Logic suggests that if you get a bollocking you want to do better because you don't want another one. But often that isn't the case. A telling-off can lower a player's confidence, and it is hard to be motivated when confidence is low. There is evidence that suggests feeling appreciated – feeling that those around you have pride and faith in you – is the most important thing.

For real fireworks, look no further than Ron Atkinson. He had a half-time punch-up with Dalian Atkinson, one of his own players, when boss of Aston Villa. Ron Atkinson also once summoned a speech with the wrong score in mind; he implored his team to score an equaliser even though they already had. The goalscorer eventually put up a hand to correct the boss's oversight.

Roy Keane, a man never far from controversy kung-fu kicked a chalkboard in the middle of a half-time tantrum, when manager at Sunderland.

In 2001, Burnley boss Stan Ternent launched himself foot-first through a fire exit, convinced that the opposition were spying outside.

Footage of Neil Warnock berating his Huddersfield Town side in 1995 has recorded a huge number of hits on YouTube (particularly good is the moment the apoplectic Yorkshireman screams at one defender "You're in fucking Latvia!" – whatever that means).

Ex-Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke believes a dressing-room is no place for cameras. "It's a tough business, a survival business. If players are not doing their job then there will be some harsh words said in there. There are unpleasant times in the dressing room, but that's all part of football. It's a fascinating place to be at half time, but the world outside shouldn't know what's going on."

So the team talk remains an enigma, and that rare thing: a commodity without a price in a sport that has been happy to cash in on just about everything else. "Maybe it's better that it all stays a mystery," says Logan. "It's similar to the idea of not meeting your heroes. If we don't see what actually goes on we can't be disappointed."

References:
1. J Counselling Psych 1967; 31:248-52
2. European J Social Psych 1970; 1:385-402
3. RL Birdwhistle (1970) Kinesics and Context, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania
4. J Curriculum Studies 1985; 18:197-209
5. The Guardian Newspaper: February 2010

Football Fans Pre-Match Rituals

2011-09-07T13:52:00.032+01:00

During the international football break I thought I would take the time out to do some research on the subject of football fans and their pre-match rituals.

Rituals of various kinds are a common feature of every known human society, past or present, and they may be performed on specific occasions by a single individual or by an entire community.

It is a well known fact that many football players have some unusual and often bizarre pre-match rituals.

In fact I wrote an article on the subject a year ago.
Click on the link to read about 'The weird and wacky world of footballer's pre-match rituals' which includes entries about some of the biggest names in football including: John Terry, Kolo Toure and Shay Given.

As for us fans of the game.........well we are not immune to some rather eccentric pre-match behaviour in an effort to bring our team good fortune.

There are however, some generalised commonalities among the habits of most fans.

Many fans feel guilty if they don't carry out their ritual and their side goes on to lose the match.

Kissing the badge on the shirt, sitting in the same seat, or wearing your lucky pants are all classic examples of superstitious behaviour, that help football fans feel they've done a little to influence the outcome of the game.

Football is an unpredictable game, but performing a ritual or superstition can give supporters a feeling of control in what is essentially an uncontrollable situation.

Carrying out their ritual gives fans peace of mind or confidence that they are helping their team towards victory.

Across European countries and clubs there is a wide variety of rituals in which football fans engage, consciously or unconsciously, prior, during and after matches.

Once a match has kicked-off it is rife with ritualised behaviour, such as chanting and flag-waving, but the period immediately before and sometimes after the game – what we term 'playing football outside of the match' – also provide numerous examples of symbolic ways in which fans demonstrate their passion for the team.

Here are some of the most common pre-match rituals/superstitions performed by football fans across the globe:

a) Drinking in the same pub before a game.
b) Wearing lucky clothing, from scarves, shirts, hats to pants.
c) Eating a particular meal or visiting a lucky burger van.
d) Taking the same route to every game.
e) Watching the game from the same seat.
f) Placing a bet before kick-off.
g) Having sex before the game.
h) Using the same parking spot on match day.
i) Using a lucky toilet before the game starts.
j) Praying.
k) Watching the match with the same group of friends.
l) Kissing the badge on your shirt.
m) Listening to a particular piece of music before a game.

From Dave an England fan:
"It is sod's law a team always scores when I go to the toilet. So if England are 1-0 ahead I stay right where I am. We could be the team that scores the second goal, making it 2-0, but I'm not willing to take the chance."

From Roddy an England fan:
"Praying to St.Jude often helps. The patron saint of desperate causes."

From John a Leeds fan:
"When Leeds were in the Champions League I spilt some spaghetti bolognese down my Leeds top during the first televised game, which we won. I did exactly the same for the second game and after that I didn't wash the top and deliberately spilt spaghetti on it every game. It nearly worked, we got to the semi-finals!"

From Ian a Sunderland fan:
"If Sunderland are losing by one goal, I always take off my watch and put it into my pocket. When they equalise I put it back on. I have done this in nearly every game for about 10 years."

The title for the most superstitious football fans goes to the Spanish teams Barcelona and Real Madrid. Their fans don’t keep their superstitions to themselves but pass them onto family members. Tony, a F.C Barcelona fan currently residing in Tampa, Florida, requests his wife cook garlic-filled meals throughout game week. His entire family must sing the F.C Barcelona anthem at exactly midnight on the eve of game day, and just before he leaves for the game, he sleeps with his wife.

Some fans believe if they don’t show up to a game, their team will lose. This is the case with Real Madrid fanatic Diego. He confesses that he visits his grandmother on game day, asking her to pray over him as he wears his Real Madrid replica shirt. It’s not uncommon to see Real Madrid fans stop at local cathedrals in between bar-hopping for a moment of prayer.

Examples such as these further support the notion of the fan as being 'the twelfth man' – as an entity whose presence and actions off the field can help alter the course of events on it.

For newcomers, the frenzy-like culture of football initially may seem chaotic, irrational and overwhelming. The many rituals and traditions of football fans cannot be easily summarized. However, catching onto the wave is easier than you may think.

Here’s your newcomers starter kit.

The Ten Commandments of Football:

1. Thou shall not support another team. Choose one team and stick with them till the end.
2. Thou shall wear the proper regalia. A replica is a good start, but you could at least paint one side of your face.
3. Thou shall disrespect thy neighbor’s team. You must make your neighbor feel as uncomfortable and unwelcome as legally possible.
4. Thou shall respect thy neighbor’s bounds. Know your territory. If you’re the only one wearing blue in a sea of red, don’t choose that moment to announce your pride. This advice is not to hurt your ego, but to enhance your physical well being.
5. Thou shall rally. It’s imperative to congregate wherever you can. Rally on the train, in the pub, in the town square, in the ally, at the game and after the game.
6. Thou shall expect your team to win. Bad jujube starts in your mind. You must believe your team will win and expect your opponents to be utterly destroyed.
7. Thou shall sing at all times, pausing only to drink.
8. Thou shall freak out for every goal your team makes.
9. Thou shall begin a tradition. Take a drink for every corner kick, eat a meat pie at half time, or sleep with your significant other before the game.
10. Thou shall sober up in the morning, go back to work and become an integral part of society.

It shall surely come to pass, if you obey the commandments that I have given you this day, you will immediately feel a sense of belonging and an overwhelming desire to countdown to the next game. You will receive the promise of triumph. Welcome to the feeling of victory.
Welcome to the religion of football.

Whilst coming to the end of this piece I remembered an article I read in 2009 about Matt Lawrence, a professional footballer with Crystal Palace at the time. To those people who think as fans they have a very obsessive pre-match ritual, or to their long suffering spouses who think their fanatical partners are 'barking mad' when it comes to their superstitious behaviour come matchday........then please take five minutes to read this unique, insightful account of how this modern day football player prepares for a match!

Once you have read: 'Matt Lawrence - Revealed' you might think very differently about the antics of your football mad partner and consider his/her behaviour at worst a little over the top.........and be thankful you don't live in the Lawrence household!

Babe Of The Month - Sexy British Heptathlete Jessica Ennis

2011-09-01T00:01:00.014+01:00

Read more at the: Jessica Ennis Official Website and follow Jessica on Twitter

Transfer Deadline Day - No Rumours just Done Deals!

2011-08-31T00:41:00.078+01:00

Updated regularly all-day today..............The August transfer window is now officially closed. Here are a list of the 'done deals.'

Paris St Germain have completed the signing of Uruguay captain Diego Lugano from Fenerbahce on a three-year contract.
Juventus have signed Dutch player Eljero Elia from Hamburg SV on a four-year deal, for a fee of €9 million.
Plymouth Argyle have snapped up 28 year-old defender Simon King on a month's loan from Gillingham.
Siena have signed Argentine striker Pablo Andres Gonzalez and Serbian defender Milan Milanovic from Palermo, both on loan.
Hannover have snapped up Austria international Daniel Royer from SV Ried for an undisclosed fee.
West Ham have signed Guy Demel from Hamburg. The full-back has signed a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
Birmingham have signed former Wrexham defender Jack Deaman on a one-year professional contract.
Peterborough Utd sign striker Emile Sinclair from Macclesfield on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
Udinese have signed Uruguay right-back Maximiliano Pereyra on a permanent transfer from River Plate, and goalkeeper Daniele Padelli on a season-long deal from Sampdoria.
AS Roma have completed the signing of centre-back Simon Kjaer on a season-long loan deal from Wolfsburg.
Lille, the French champions have signed Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole on loan for the rest of the season.
Chievo Verona have signed USA midfielder Michael Bradley from Borussia Monchengladbach.
Caglairi have signed 24 year-old Portuguese midfielder Rui Sampaio from Beira Mar.
Newcastle Utd have signed Davide Santon from Internazionale on a 5 year contract, for an undisclosed fee. Last season the the 20 year-old full-back was sent out on loan to Cesena.
Vitesse Arnham have signed Chelsea's 20 year-old midfielder Ulises Dávila for the rest of the season. Dávila only joined The Blues 4 days ago from Mexican side Guadalajara, on a five-year deal.
St Etienne have confirmed the signing of winger Max Gradel from Leeds United on a four-year contract, for a fee of around £2.5 million.
Crystal Palace have extended their loan deal with QPR defender Peter Ramage until January.
Wolfsburg have confirmed that Alexander Hleb has joined the Bundesliga side on loan from Barcelona.
Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of long-term target Scott Parker from West Ham United for a fee of £5 million.
QPR has joined goalkeeper Tommaso Trani on a two-year deal following his release by AC Milan
Évian TG, the French Ligue 1 club have confirmed the signing of Denmark midfielder Christian Poulsen from Liverpool.
Inter Milan have completed the transfer of Diego Forlan from Atletico Madrid for an undisclosed fee. Inter have also agreed a loan deal to take Mauro Zarate from Lazio.
Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has confirmed that he has lined up a deal for Shamrock Rovers defender Enda Stevens. The 21-year-old is set to join Villa on a three-year deal in January.
Arsenal have signed Brazil defender Andre Santos on a long-term contract from Fenerbahce. The 28-year-old left-back moves to the Emirates for an undisclosed fee, thought to be in the region of £6 million.
Swindon have signed West Ham's Saudi Arabian-born striker Ahmed Abdullah, on a six-month loan deal.
Genoa have signed Andrea Caracciolo from Brescia on loan with the view to a permanent deal for €1.6 million.
PSV Eindhoven have signed Slovenian international striker Tim Matavz from Groningen on a 5 years deal.
Scunthorpe have had an undisclosed six-figure bid accepted by Bury for midfielder Damien Mozika.
Watford have completed the signing of Joe Garner from Nottingham Forest on a two-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.
Hamburg have announced the signing of Croatian international midfielder Ivo Ilicevic from Kaiserslautern on a four-year deal, for a fee in the region €4 million.
Parma have signed Lazio striker Sergio Floccari on loan with a view to a permanent move.
Liverpool have completed the signing of United States Under-18 striker Villyan Bijev from California Odyssey after the youngster impressed on trial.
Fulham have wrapped up the signing of Juventus' Czech Republic defender Zdenek Grygera on an initial one-year contract.
West Ham have confirmed that Tottenham winger David Bentley has joined the club on a season-long loan.
Millwall have captured the permanent signing of Dany N'Guessan from Leicester.
Rotherham have confirmed that Leyton Orient striker Alex Revell has joined The Millers on a two-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.
Port Vale have completed the loan signing of Rangers youngster Andrew Little on loan until January.
AS Roma have signed Bosnian playmaker Miralem Pjanic from Olympique Lyon for €11 million.
Arsenal have agreed terms with Werder Bremen to sign German international defender Per Mertesacker on a four-year deal for a reporteted £9 million.
Scunthorpe have made their second signing of the day, bringing in Everton defender Shane Duffy on loan for a month.
Blackpool have signed 19-year-old West Brom defender James Hurst on a season-long loan deal.
Brentford have captured Mike Grella on a permanent deal, and he will see out the season at Griffin Park after becoming a free agent.
Rennes have re-signed Morocco international Youssouf Hadji from fellow Ligue 1 outfit Nancy for €1.7million.
Cardiff City have confirmed the signing of defender Ben Turner from Coventry City for a fee of £750,000.
Charlton have confirmed that 19-year-old striker Michael Smith has joined them from Darlington on a three-year contract, for an undisclosed fee.
West Ham confirm the signing of Arsenal midfielder Henri Lansbury on an initial season-long loan.
Oldham have signed Norwich City midfielder Tom Adeyemi on loan until 3rd January.
Bury have signed Northampton Town striker Shaun Harrad for an undisclosed fee.
AS Roma have confirmed the loan signing of Argentina midfielder Fernando Gago from Real Madrid.
Aldershot Town have signed 19-year-old left-back Jordan Brown on a one-month loan from West Ham.
Wigan have confirmed the signing of Shaun Maloney from Celtic, for a fee of £1 million.
Ajax have signed Russia striker Dmitri Bulykin from Belgian side Anderlecht on a free transfer.
Atalanta, the Serie A newcomers have bolstered their midfield for the coming campaign with a double loan capture, signing Luca Cigarini and Matteo Brighi.
Preston have signed winger Keammar Daley from Jamaican club Tivoli Gardens on a two-year deal.
AC Milan have signed midfielder Antonio Nocerino from Palermo on a five-year deal.
Wigan have signed Chelsea's 21-year-old Dutch left-back Patrick van Aanholt on a season-long loan deal.
Manchester City have confirmed they have signed free-agent Owen Hargreaves on a one-year contract.
Blackpool have signed Sheffield United forward Daniel Bogdanovic on a one-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.
Rochdale have signed Manchester City midfielder Ahmed Benali on a season-long loan deal.
Celtic have signed Moroccan left-back Badr El Kaddouri on a six-month loan from Dynamo Kiev.
Bolton have completed the signing of Liverpool's French striker David Ngog, for a fee of £4 million.
Bradford have signed former Hull goalkeeper Matt Duke on a two-year deal.
MK Dons have signed Sheffield Wednesday defender Mark Beevers in a loan deal until 31st December.
Bolton have confirmed that they have signed Gael Kakuta from Chelsea on loan until 1st January.
Burnley have signed West Ham striker Junior Stanislas for an undisclosed fee. They have also agreed an undisclosed fee with the Hammers for frontman Zavon Hines, who moved to the Clarets 13 days ago.
Bury have made another signing today, with Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Giles Coke joining on a two-month loan deal.
Hearts have signed midfielder Callum Tapping from Tottenham for a nominal fee. The 18-year-old, has signed a two-year contract with an option of a further 12 months.
Rochdale have signed Peterborough frontman David Ball on a three-month loan deal.
Trabzonspor of Turkey have confirmed the signing of Marek Cech from West Brom for an undisclosed fee.
Leicester City have completed the signing of Everton striker Jermaine Beckford, for a fee which could rise to £4 million.
West Ham have signed Ivory Coast utility man Guy Demel from Hamburg.
Millwall have signed Bournemouth winger Liam Feeney for an undisclosed fee.
Oxford United have completed the signing of Middlesbrough forward Jonathan Franks on loan until 1st January.
Stoke City have announced the capture of midfielder Wilson Palacios from Tottenham, on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £8 million.
Lincoln have signed sign 22-year-old defender Mitchell Nelson on loan from Bournemouth until October.
Oldham have signed former Newcastle striker Shefki Kuqi until the end of the season.
Southend United have signed Swindon midfielder Michael Timlin on loan until January.
QPR complete the signing of Shaun Wright-Phillips from Manchester City.
Blackburn sign defender Scott Dann from Birmingham on a four-year deal, for a fee approaching £8 million.
Liverpool announce that Craig Bellamy has left Manchester City and re-signed for The Reds.
Arsenal sign Yossi Benayoun on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
MK Dons have signed Norwich City midfielder Anthony McNamee on a free transfer.
Birmingham complete the signing of midfielder Wayne Elliott from Burnley for a fee of £500,,000.
Southampton have taken Celtic centre-half Jos Hooiveld on loan.
Chelsea have signed Raul Meireles on a four-year deal, for a fee believed to be in the region of £12 million.
Arsenal have signed Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta, for a fee in the region of £10 million.
Sunderland have signed Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner on a season-long loan.
Blackburn sign Sheffield United striker Jordan Slew. The 18-year-old frontman will cost Rovers an initial £1m.
Millwall have signed Hull City striker Jay Simpson on loan until January.
Birmingham have signed West Brom defender Pablo Ibanez for a fee of £1.5 million.
Aston Villa have captured Spurs full-back Alan Hutton, on a permanent deal until 2015, for a fee in the region £4 million. His North London team-mate Jermaine Jenas has also joined Villa on a season-long loan.
Atletico Madrid have agreed to take Brazil playmaker Diego on loan from Wolfsburg.
Stoke have confirmed the signing of Birmingham striker Cameron Jerome on a four-year deal, for a fee of £4 million.
Everton have confirmed the signing of striker Denis Stracqualursi on a season-long loan from Argentinian side Tigre.
Fulham have completed the free signing of former Porto striker Orlando Sa on a three-year deal.
Hull City have signed Leicester striker Martyn Waghorn on loan until January.
Swansea have re-signed their former left-back Federico Bessone from Leeds on a two-year deal deal.
Blackburn have confirmed the signing of Everton striker Yakubu on a three-year deal, for a fee in the region of £2 million.
Everton have confirmed the signing of Real Madrid winger Royston Drenthe on a season-long loan.
West Ham have captured Spurs midfielder David Bentley on a season long loan.
QPR have completed the signing of Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand, for a fee in the region of £4.5 million.
Fulham have signed FC Twente striker Bryan Ruiz for a fee of £10.5 million
Stoke have completed the £10 million signing of England and Spurs striker Peter Crouch.

The Art of Dating - Things you should never do or say on a first date !

2011-08-23T14:47:00.045+01:00

1/ Don’t be late for a date - it’s just plain rude. There is nothing worse than sitting waiting for a first date to show up, not knowing whether they’ve stood you up or are merely running a bit behind. So save everyone the extra stress – since first dates are stressful enough – and make a point of being there on time.

2/ Don't take your kids with you, seems obvious but it happens!

3/ Don’t leave your date to go talk to friends. It’s indecorous. Instead if you run into buddies, introduce them to your date and then politely have them move on.

4/ Don't say you want to meet their parents or start talking about marriage and babies.

5/ Ladies, don’t re-apply make-up at the dinner table. It’s not cute, in fact it’s rather uncouth. Excuse yourself, and go to the washroom.

6/ Keep your super fan status in check. If you love your sports and enjoy watching a game with your mates, fine. If sport is a religion and you have your favourite team or player tattooed on your back, you may have a problem! If you are serious about dating, rattling off football stats, ranting on about unfair refereeing decisions and constantly checking the score while out on a date is a no no. To the uninitiated, sport is boring, and many women interpret the obsession as a total lack of thought, creativity or inspiration. Millions of girls love sports too, and rooting for the same team is great, but making your passion into a one-sided affair is a dangerous game.

7/ Ladies, don't wear those six-inch heels you bought on eBay, thinking they were Louboutins, but actually turned out to be regulation stripper footwear.

8/ Don't check out other people when you're on a date. This is just tacky. You may think you are subtle, but while you're scoping the cutie in the corner, your date will be heading for the door.

9/Don't mention illnesses, defects or injuries. Girls like healthy, strong guys, so if you have some type of illness, defect or injury, don’t go speaking about it. Don’t lie nor hide anything – just don’t bring the conversation that way.

10/ Don't talk about your ex. Discussing your dating past will make your date horribly uncomfortable until he or she knows you better. Girls, you know what, I don't care about your last boyfriend. I'd rather hear about your gynecologist's cold hands!

11/ Girls, even guys know that the friend who calls you exactly 30 minutes into our date isn't really in the hospital with Toxic Shock Syndrome. It means you're not interested. But if you're actually into a guy you're on a date with, put away your damn phone.

12/ When it comes to a date, try to squeeze in some questions about the other person in between excessive uses of 'me' and ' I ' - Not allowing your date to talk about themselves will make them feel like your therapist!

13/Don’t take medication in front of your date.

14/ Avoid Belching, farting, pick your nose, spiting, eating with your mouth open, and chewing gum. It's not clever and it's not funny!

15/ Why let facts get in the way of a good story:
It is tempting to lie about yourself because you want to look understanding, funny, easy going, compassionate, cool and the rest of the more favorable traits. However anything you hide will slowly be unraveled in time. So if you think killing animals and burying them in your garden is a fun activity, you’d best convey that information up front. After all, even a potential serial killer can find love.

What NOT to say on a first date?

"I think my biological clock is ticking."

"Do you mind paying? I'm in between jobs."

"I never said you NEED a nose job. I just said it wouldn't hurt to consider it."

"I've got a gimp suit in the car boot, and it will fit you like a glove"

"No wine for me tonight. My urologist says it's not good to mix alcohol and penicillin."

"I just got out of rehab."

"I really feel that I’ve grown as a person in the past few years. Used to be, I wouldn’t have given someone like you a second look."

"I’ll miss you, until I go out and buy some porn."

"I really like your dress, I have one at home just like it."

.........and for those lads out there who wish to explore the topic in more detail, and find out the truth about what skills and strategies are needed on a first date, then this is a must read! coffee-date-secrets

The Wierd and Wacky World of Football

2011-08-17T14:32:00.021+01:00

In 1990, the Football League banned Scarborough from wearing shirts advertising 'Black Death' vodka on the grounds of bad taste.

A Manchester City fan was banned in 1995 from bringing dead chickens into City’s Maine Road ground. He used to celebrate City goals by swinging the birds around his head.

In 1998, the Macclesfield mascot, Roary the Lion (right), was sent-off for making obscene gestures during a players’ brawl in the match with Lincoln City.

A Tanzanian soccer match was postponed in 1978 after the referee was arrested on the pitch and accused of smoking marijuana just before the kick-off.

Barcelona’s Hristo Stoichkov was banned for six months in 1990 for stamping on the referee’s foot after being sent off in a Cup tie against Real Madrid.

Cash-strapped Portsmouth cancelled their weekly order of new jockstraps in 1999, a move which would save £112. Administrator Tom Burton ordered the club to wash them instead of buying new ones.

In 2003, Manchester City's Shaun Goater (right) celebrated Nicolas Anelka's goal at Birmingham by kicking an advertising hoarding, but he injured his knee in the process and had to be substituted.

Up until 2005 Young Boys of Switzerland played their home games at the Wankdorrf Stadium, Bern in Switzerland.

West Ham defender Alvin Martin scored a hat-trick against three different goalkeepers in the 8-1 win over Newcastle in 1986. The injured Martin Thomas was replaced in the Newcastle goal first by Chris Hedworth, then by Peter Beardsley.

Bury players refused to do any more promotional work for the club in 1997 as a protest at the lack of nappy-changing facilities at Gigg Lane for their wives.

In 2004, James Hayter (below) came on as an 84th minute substitute for Bournemouth against Wrexham and scored the fastest Football League hat-trick ever. It took less than 140 seconds.

The Scottish Cup tie between Falkirk and Inverness Thistle in 1979 was postponed no fewer than 29 times because of bad weather.

Fans at Gillingham were subjected to celery searches in 1996. a craze had started for waving sticks of celery while chanting an obscene song. So anyone caught in possession of the vegetable was threatened with a life ban.

Sheffield Wednesday keeper Kevin Pressman has the somewhat dubious distinction of holding the record for the fastest ever red card in English football. He was sent off after just 13 seconds on the opening day of the 2000/01 season against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Cameroonian, Roger Milla (right), is the oldest player to play in the World Cup. He was all of 42 years and 39 days when he played against Russia in 1994!
During that game, he also scored, making him the oldest goal scorer in the World Cup!

West Bromwich Albion's 'Hawthorns' stadium is English football's highest ground above sea-level.

In 1950 India withdrew form the World Cup because FIFA refused to let their team play barefoot.

The Anglican church in 2002 in England decided that instead of loosing its parishoners they would try a new approach. A number of parishes held services earlier, then put TV screens on altars and the lawns. One put a sign out front that read "make jesus the center forward of your life" and urged fans to come to church in their jerseys.

The Physio Room - Injury Update

2011-08-09T14:01:00.017+01:00

With the new Premier League season only four days away, spare a thought for the English Premier League clubs' physios and medical teams and their 'healing hands.'

However following three nights of rioting in London, England's friendly at Wembley tomorrow night against the Netherlands has been postponed on police advice - which in the light of the seriousness of the trouble is in my opinion the correct decision.

The FA chairman David Bernstein said the FA had consulted with the police, Government and Brent Council, and in a statement said: "We were unable to host the fixture under the terms of our safety certificate or guarantee the safety of the fans."

I am sure there is a peculiar, almost selfish sense of relief on the part of any club manager who had players involved in the England set-up, so close to the opening weekend of the English Premier League season, but no satisfaction in the reason for the postponement.

The English Premier League is littered with 'foreign players' from all over the world, and there are still plenty of international fixtures involving them on Wednesday and Thursday. On that note tonight's game between Ghana and Nigeria at Vicarage Road, Watford has also been postponed for safety reasons. As well as full internationals there are a number of UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifying games being played tonight and tomorrow.

International teams involved in friendlies with Premier League players on their books include: Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, France, Spain, Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Russia, Belgium, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Bulgaria, Australia, Croatia, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Denmark and the USA.

Those managers with players involved will be praying all of them return from international duty injury free.

Meanwhile there is a full programme of English Premier League fixtures this weekend, so here is your chance to catch up on which players are definitely out injured, who is doubtful or struggling, and who will be fit to play for their clubs. Also some players are carrying over suspensions picked up at the tail end of last season, so they will also be unavailable for selection.

There are some Premier League teams who have players that are already out before a ball has been kicked, and other clubs have players that are struggling to be fit for the opening fixtures this weekend.

Some of the more high profile players carrying injuries at the moment include: Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen and Jack Wilshire, Aston Villa's Darren Bent, Tottenham's Rafael Van Der Vaart (right), Manchester United's Danny Welbeck , Liverpool's Glen Johnson and Chelsea's Frank Lampard.

Click on the 'link' to find out the latest on your Club's injury woes, and how soon it will be before some of your teams players will be back in action.

Those players that are definitely ruled out through suspension include: Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge (right), Manchester City's Kolo Toure, and Everton's Seamus Coleman.

Fantasy Football 2011/12 - The npower Championship

2011-08-03T18:28:00.026+01:00

The opening game of 'The Championship' football season kicks-off in just 48 hours, when Hull City host Blackpool, and I have decided to take part in the forthcoming Texaco sponsored Championship Fantasy Football league for the 2011/12 season.

In doing so I shall be pitting my wits against friends and football fans around the country in an attempt to gain some bragging rights, and similarly dent a few egos of those fans who 'believe' they know everything about the second tier of English football.

I shall attempt to keep you updated throughout the season on my progress, good or bad as I suffer like any football manager does by trying to select an initial starting eleven of the best players available, without exceeding my 'fictitious' set budget.

Then as every week passes I will have to cope with injuries, suspensions, players moving clubs, along with 'jettisoning my flops' - those players that promised so much but failed to deliver! Then as the manager of my team I will be responsible for any wheeling and dealing in the transfer market, whilst keeping within my financial means.

Click on this link for the rules on how to pick your team, score points and make transfers.

The 'Team of the Season' for 2010/11 in terms of top points scorers in their respective positions was as follows:

Goalkeeper: Paddy Kenny (QPR).

Defenders - Angel Rangel (Swansea), Ian Harte (Reading, pictured right), Clint Hill (QPR), Ashley Williams (Swansea).

Midfielders - Lewis McGugan (Nottm Forest), Max Gradel (Leeds), Andy King (Leicester), Adel Taarabt (QPR).

Strikers - Danny Graham (Watford), Grant Holt (Norwich).

Here is my team to start the 2011/12 campaign:

Goalkeeper:

Kelvin Davies (Southampton).

Defenders:

Ian Evatt (Blackpool, pictured right), Jose Fonte (Southampton), Anthony Gerrard (Cardiff), Sean St Ledger (Leicester).

Midfield:

Kevin Nolan (West Ham and Captain), George Boyd (Peterborough), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds), Lee Bowyer (Ipswich).

Strikers:

Rickie Lambert (Southampton, pictured right), Rob Earnshaw (Cardiff).

If you fancy playing and you want to prove you know the most about the beautiful game then go head-to-head with your friends, work colleagues or family by logging onto Texaco Fantasy Football and sign up right away.

It's free to play and there's plenty up for grabs including: npower Championship Play-off Final tickets, VIP 'behind the scenes' experiences at your favourite npower Championship club, Texaco fuel vouchers, signed shirts, mini-footballs, and even the chance to meet your club's manager!

If you miss the opening match deadline (the new season gets underway at 19:45 on Friday 5th August), don't worry just join the league as soon as you can. Remember the competition is not won in the first week of the season, but in May of next year.

Good Luck!

Babe Of The Month - Sexy US Soccer Star Alex Morgan

2011-08-01T00:02:00.019+01:00

Alexandra Patricia "Alex" Morgan (born 2nd July, 1989) is an American soccer player from Diamond Bar, California. She is a forward for the Western New York Flash in the (WPS) Women's Professional Soccer league in the United States. Alex is also a member of the US Women's National Team. Alex was the youngest player on the US team that finished runners-up at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. Alex has made 24 appearances for the national team scoring nine times, including two goals at the World Cup finals held in Germany last month.

Follow Alex on Twitter or Facebook

Read more about Alex on her official website: Alex Morgan Soccer

All The Latest Transfer Gossip

2011-07-30T10:20:00.030+01:00

With the English Football League season kicking off a week today and the Premier League season in two weeks time, transfer speculation is rife in the UK and right across Europe at the moment. Some of the biggest names in world football, even at this late stage, do not know where they will be plying their trade this coming season, while many clubs are desperately trying to put the the final touches to their squads before the big kick-off. Although the transfer window remains open until the end of August, I am sure most clubs would like to have their squads in place sooner rather than later, as last minute signings can sometimes be seen as panic buys, often bought at over-inflated prices!

Tottenham, Arsenal, Valencia, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City, Juventus, AS Roma, Sao Paulo, Liverpol, Palermo, Manchester United, AIK Solna, Lazio, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Napoli, Genoa, Bayer Leverkusen, Sunderland, Wigan, Newcastle, Fulham, Liverpool, Bolton, Newcastle, Galatasaray, Blackburn, Everton, Stoke, Wolves, QPR, Birmingham, Lokomotiv Moscow, Marseille, West Ham, Leicester, Fulham, Bolton, Swansea and Nottingham Forest............are all currently caught up in transfer gossip.

Is your club involved?

Tottenham have tabled a bid of around £22m for Arsenal target Juan Mata. The Valencia winger is open to a move to the Premier League and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is a fan of the 23-year-old but he is yet to make a formal offer - Daily Mirror

Juventus have reached an agreement with AS Roma for forward Mirko Vucinic (right), La Gazzetta dello Sport has revealed. They have now agreed to pay Roma €15 million over the course of three years - soccernews.com & footballpress.net

Roma have also confirmed that Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze will join the club on a free transfer after the player left Marseille in June. Roma have signed the player on a one year deal - Internationalbusinesstimes.com

AC Milan chief Adriano Galliani has reiterated that neither Cesc Fabregas nor Kaka are on the Italian champions' radar this summer.

Arsenal captain Fabregas has been strongly linked with a £40million move to Barcelona this summer, but reports recently emerged that the Rossoneri had joined the hunt for his signature. Chelsea and Manchester City have previously been linked with Real Madrid striker Kaka this summer, while Tottenham are believed to have emerged as his latest suitors - skysports.com

Liverpool and Tottenham are set to go head-to-head for the signature of Sao Paulo midfielder Lucas, according to reports in Brazil - talkSPORT

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has revealed that Javier Pastore is on the verge of completing a move to Paris Saint-Germain for a fee in the region of €43m. Chelsea were thought to be chasing the talented youngster's signature, but it appears they have been beaten to the punch by the French Ligue 1 outfit - skysports.com & soccernews.com

Manchester United are tracking another teenage strker - Teteh Bangura (right) of Swedish side AIK Solna. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has sent brother and chief scout Martin to assess the Sierra Leone international - talkSPORT

After being frustrated in their rumoured £40m pursuit of Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder, Manchester United will switch their attentions to Lazio midfielder and Slovakia captain Marek Hamsik, who is available at a less costly £25m - fanatix.com/football

Despite recent rumours that Arsenal's Danish international Nicklas Bendtner (23) is about to join Sporting Lisbon, Leões chairman Carlos Freitas has reportedly denied it, calling it "just fictitious news" - footballpress.net

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has made a move for Fiorentina winger Alessio Cerci, according to reports in Italy - Gazzetta dello Sport

Meanwhile, Manchester City and Inter Milan will hold talks over a swap deal involving strikers Carlos Tevez and Samuel Eto'o this weekend - Daily Telegraph

The agent of Inter Milan forward Goran Pandev has hinted that his client would be interested in a move to Napoli. The FYR Macedonia international rejected a move to Genoa in exchange for Rodrigo Palacio, but his agent has now hinted that Naples is his preferred destination - soccernews.com & footballpress.net

AS Roma star Daniele De Rossi, who is a target from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United will not be leaving the Stadio Olimpico this summer despite being out of contract in twelve months' time -Internationalbusinesstimes.com

Dimitar Berbatov's agent says the Manchester United striker will not be leaving the club, even if the Premier League champions sign another forward this summer - Inside Futbol

Several English clubs including Wigan, Sunderland and Newcastle are targeting Bayer Leverkusen's Swiss international winger Tranquillo Barnetta (right) - skysports.com

Everton are considering a move to sign Manchester City's Adam Johnson on a season-long loan. Johnson is behind midfielder David Silva in the City pecking order, and may feel he needs a move if he wants to keep his place in the England squad in the run-up to Euro 2012 - Daily Mirror

Having publicly declared he would not leave Tottenham for the northeast of England after Newcastle United showed interest, striker Jermain Defoe could be the subject of a bid by London neighbours Fulham - Footie Online

Liverpool are plotting a £15m double defender deal for Newcastle United's Jose Enrique and Birmingham City's Scott Dann - fanatix.com/football

Bolton Wanderers boss Owen Coyle has set a deadline of this weekend for the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs to come forward with an acceptable bid for defender Gary Cahill - Bolton News

Stoke, Wolves and top-flight newcomers QPR are all thought to be interested in the former Republic of Ireland international Birmingham right-back Stephen Carr - skysports.com

Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Warnock is lining up a loan deal for Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha - Daily Mail

Warnock also plans to make Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, 31, his last signing of the summer - The Sun

Real Madrid's, French international defender Lassana Diarra (26), has been targeted by Galatasaray, who are ready to offer €8m for him - footballpress.net

Argentinian striker Mariano Pavone, who is a free agent after buying out the remaining year of his contract at Real Betis, has confirmed that talks with Blackburn over a potential move have completely broken down. The 29-year-old had agreed a three-year deal contract at Ewood Park but the Premier League side were unable to finalise the deal - skysports.com

Blackburn are in talks to sign Romania striker Ciprian Marica (right) on a free transfer, having moved ahead of Marseille and Lokomotiv Moscow in the race for his services, after he left German side Stuttgart -Daily Mirror

West Ham have confirmed the signing of midfielder Joey O'Brien on a free transfer after he was released by Bolton earlier this summer - skysports.com

Birmingham City are closing in on the signing of former West Ham United utility player Jonathan Spector. The 25-year-old is available on a free transfer after his contract at West Ham expired - skysports.com

Big-spending Championship side Leicester are to bid £4m-plus for Birmingham striker Cameron Jerome, who is also a target for Premier League sides Stoke, Fulham and Bolton - Daily Mirror

Swansea City have had a third bid of £1.8million turned down by Nottingham Forest for goalkeeper Lee Camp - skysports.com

Forlan fires Uruguay to 2011 Copa América triumph.

2011-07-24T23:24:00.039+01:00

Uruguay celebrate after winning the 2011 Copa América today

Uruguay defeated Paraguay 3-0 in the Copa América final at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, to win South America’s continental soccer championship for a record 15th time.

Luis Suárez opened the scoring in the game’s 12th minute and Diego Forlán (right) made it 2-0 late in the first half. Forlán added his second and Uruguay's third goal in the game’s final minutes, to secure Uruguay’s first title since winning on home soil in 1995.

The victory lifts Uruguay, who reached the semi-finals at last year’s World Cup, one championship clear of arch rival Argentina in the 43 tournaments of soccer’s oldest international tournament.

Uruguay's squad featured 20 of the 23 players it took to the World Cup a year ago, and they won the tournament with a combination of good teamwork, a solid defence, along with a burning hunger and desire - despite not having the vast pool of 'star' players available to them, compared to the likes of Argentina or Brazil.
Uruguay eliminated the host nation and pre-tournament favourites in the quarter-finals.

Paraguay, the 1953 and 1979 champions, had been seeking its third title after advancing to the final without having won a single game. The Paraguayans drew all three group games and needed penalty kicks to get past Brazil and Venezuela in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.

Today’s win also earned La Celeste, as Uruguay’s team is known, a berth at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Of the region's top four teams in the FIFA world rankings, only Uruguay (ranked world number 18 by FIFA) made the semi-finals of this years 12-nation event, following up its fourth-place finish in South Africa last year.

Uruguay was the clear favorite going into the final, wrapping up a tournament filled with surprises.

Uruguay beat Argentina 5-4 in a quarter-final penalty shootout, while Brazil's bid to win the tournament for the fifth time in the past six occasions ended when lost 2-0 on penalties to Paraguay, missing all four of their spot-kicks in the process!

Not only had Brazil and Argentina been sent home early, but Venezuela reached the third-place match on Saturday before losing 4-1 to Peru.
Those two countries have been the weakest in the region in recent years, but they suddenly look formidable going into the regional World Cup qualifying matches starting later this year.

It was only the second time in the tournament’s 95-year history that neither Brazil nor Argentina made the semi-finals of a tournament in which at least one of them took part.

Uruguay could have even have taken the lead as early as the second minute, when 'keeper Justo Villar superbly kept out Fenerbahçe defender Diego Lugano's powerful point-blank header.

Luis Suárez (right) did give Uruguay the lead ten minutes later, in a match they dominated from start to finish. Receiving a pass in the area, the Liverpool forward beat defender Dario Veron to score with a deflected left-footed shot that went in off the far post.

Atlético Madrid's Forlán, who was voted the best player at last year's World Cup in South Africa, made it 2-0 just before half-time, lashing home an angled drive following a pass from Egidio Arevalo Rios.

Sebastian Eguren almost made it 3-0 in the 74th minute, but Villar saved well.
Forlán notched the final goal in the last minute. Cavani swept a cross-field pass to Suárez, whose cushioned header found Forlán and he calmly rolled the ball into the corner of the net, past the advancing Villar to register his 31st international goal.

Paraguay seldom threatened the Uruguayan goal, and badly missed their injured duo of striker Roque Santa Cruz and winger Aureliano Torres. In addition Paraguay Coach Gerardo Martino and assistant Jorge Pautasso were suspended from the match after being sent off for repeatedly arguing with the referee in Wednesday's victory over Venezuela.

"The important thing was getting started well, with two goals in the first half, I think it was very difficult for them to come back," said Suárez after the match.

"We played as a group,I think when groups are united like this, everyone together and going for the same thing, you can get things done," added Suárez, who was both the competition's joint top-scorer, and voted the 'best player of the tournament.'

Lineups:

Uruguay: Fernando Muslera, Maximiliano Pereira, Diego Lugano, Sebastian Coates, Martin Caceres (Diego Godin, 88), Alvaro Gonzalez, Diego Perez (Sebastian Eguren, 69), Egidio Arevalo Rios, Alvaro Pereira (Edinson Cavani, 63), Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez.

Paraguay: Justo Villar, Ivan Piris, Dario Veron, Paulo Da Silva, Elvis Marecos, Nestor Ortigoza, Cristian Riveros, Victor Careces (Hernan Perez, 64), Enrique Vera (Marcelo Estigarribia, 64), Nelson Haedo Valdez, Pablo Zeballos (Lucas Barrios, 76).

Goals: Luis Suárez 12', Diego Forlán 42', Diego Forlán 89'

Penalty pain for USA, as Japan hold their nerve in Women's World Cup Final shoot-out !

2011-07-17T23:43:00.031+01:00

Japan celebrate their World Cup success after defeating USA in a penalty shoot-out tonight

Japan became the first Asian nation to win the Women's World Cup, beating the USA in a penalty shoot-out in Frankfurt tonight.

It was a heart breaking end to the tournament for the USA, who were just three minutes away from becoming the first country to lift the trophy for a third time, in what was a truly exhilarating final.

The USA dominated the opening stages. Lively winger Lauren Cheney forced a save from Ayumi Kaihori with a shot from an acute angle, just 25 second into the contest.

On eight minutes, Megan Rapinoe found some space on the left and her excellent near post cross was turned just wide again by Cheney. Barely a minute later, Abby Wambach fired a shot over as USA maintained their bright start.

Then it was Atlanta Beat midfielder Carli Lloyd who had the next chance to break the deadlock. Japan were unable to deal with Shannon Boxx's cross into the penalty area and the ball dropped kindly for the midfielder, but her sweetly struck shot from inside the the box sailed just over.

In the 12th minute Rapinoe then pushed the ball wide at the near post in a move reminiscent of Cheney’s effort a few minutes earlier.

In the 29 minute Wambach, the USA’s all-time top FIFA Women’s World Cup goalscorer, hit a stunning shot from close to the corner of the penalty area which rattled the underside of the crossbar and rolled away to safety.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with the USA looking the far more threatening and the more likely to score.

Alex Morgan who came on at half-time for Cheney immediately imposed herself on the game. Four minutes after coming on the youngster got on the end of a Heather O’Reilly cross, only to see her toe-poked effort come back off the upright.

Then on the hour mark a Wambach header forced an excellent save from Kaihori as USA pushed ever closer to an opener.

However it was Morgan (right, wearing 13) who eventually gave the Stars and Stripes the lead on 69 minutes. A quick counter attack saw Rapinoe play an excellent long ball through for Morgan to run onto. She used her strength to hold off a defender, before the 22 year-old substitute hit a perfectly placed angled drive past the despairing Kaihori. 1-0 USA.

The USA seemed comfortably on course for victory with Japan posing little in the way of an attacking force, but with nine minutes of normal time remaining and against the run of play the Asian side equalised. Rachel Buehler and Alex Krieger failed to clear their lines following a cross from the right, allowing Aya Miyama to smash the loose ball past Hope Solo. USA 1-1 Japan.

So for the fourth time in six FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals, the match went into extra-time.

The USA regained the lead in the 104th minute when Morgan aimed a pinpoint cross towards the towering Wambach. The forward powered home a header from six yards, Wambach's fourth goal of the tournament - all from headers. 2-1 USA

But once again, resilient and stubborn Japan equalised when captain Homare Sawa produced an audacious flick from a corner that left keeper Solo helpless. USA 2-2 Japan

The USA pressed again in search for a late winner. Morgan was en route to scoring her second before she was cynically brought down by Azuza Iwashimizu on the edge of the area, and the full-back received a straight red from German referee Bibiana Steinhaus.

The free-kick came to nothing which was followed by the whistle to signal the end of extra-time and penalty-kicks.

Shannon Boxx and Tobin Heath both had their penalties saved by Kaihori, whilst Carli Lloyd completely missed the target, as the USA failed to convert any of their opening three penalties. Although Yuki Nagasato had her effort saved by Solo, Saki Kumagai stayed cool to fire in the decisive spot-kick for Japan as they claimed the FIFA World Cup for the first time.

"We're so happy about the title, now we're number one," said Japan captain Homare Sawa, who won the Golden Boot for top scorer in the tournament with five goals.

Ayumi Kaihori, Japan's goalkeeper added: "We have some very good players on the team and this is why we have been able to win the final. I received excellent support from the other players and I want to emphasise this is a team effort. In the penalty shootout I just had to believe in myself and I was very confident."

USA goalkeeper Hope Solo offered her congratulations to Japan saying: "As much as I've always wanted this, if there were any other team I could give this to it would have to be Japan. I'm happy for them and they do deserve it."

Abby Wambach, the USA striker added: "Japan just kept coming and they never gave up, and in the end they're the world champs."

Match highlights: Women's World Cup Final - USA v Japan on 17th July 2011

Goals: Alex Morgan (USA) 69', Aya Miyama (JPN) 81', Abby Wambach (USA) 104', Homare Sawa (JPN) 117'

Penalty shoot-out:
Shannon Boxx - Saved
Aya Miyami - Goal
Carli Lloyd - Missed
Yuki Nagasato - Saved
Tobin Heath - Saved
Mizuho Sakaguchi - Goal
Abby Wambach- Goal
Saki Kumagai - Goal

Japan beat the USA 3-1 on penalties.

The next Women's World Cup finals will be held in Canada in 2015.

USA reach Women's World Cup Final as the French are fried!

2011-07-13T18:56:00.040+01:00

For the first time since winning on home soil in 1999, the USWNT is back in the World Cup final, after they defeated a spirited French side 3-1 today in the Women's World Cup semi-final at the Borussia Park Stadium in Moenchengladbach, Germany.

Pia Sundhage, the Swedish coach of the USA team, was forced to make one lineup change from the starting eleven that took the field in the quarterfinal against Brazil. With defender Rachel Buehler serving a one-game red-card suspension, Sundhage opted to start Becky Sauerbrunn in her place in central defense.
Sauerbrunn aged 26, a former University of Virginia defender, was making her World Cup debut.

Although France started off the brighter and more adventurous of the two teams in wet conditions, it was the U.S. that took the lead in the ninth minute, when Lauren Cheney scored her second goal of the tournament. Following Heather O’Reilly’s strong run and cross down the left flank, Cheney was on hand at to deftly deflect the ball home at the near post.

Approaching the half-hour mark a Louisa Necib's shot from the edge of the penalty area forced Hope Solo (pictured right, at training yesterday) into a smart save, as she tipped the ball over the crossbar.

Then in the 33rd minute, the French then came even close to scoring an equaliser, but Sonia Bompastor's fierce shot rattled the crossbar.

USA striker Abby Wambach came close to increasing the American's lead twice in a matter of minutes before the interval. First she could only direct a header across the face of goal following a Shannon Boxx cross, and then she should have scored at the near post, but instead stabbed her shot wide.

However the first-half ended with the USA a goal to the good.

The second period continued in a similar vein to the first, with high tempo and end-to-end action. France restored parity ten minutes after the interval with a somewhat fortuitous goal, although one that proved reward for their persistent attacking endeavour. Bompastor played a searching cross into the penalty area for Gaetane Thiney and with Hope Solo in the American goal anticipating a header, she was caught wrong-footed when Thiney failed to connect, allowing Bompastor's cross to sail directly into the net.

Immediately Pia Sundhage made a couple of substitutions, bringing Alex Morgan on for Amy Rodriguez and Megan Rapinoe on for Carli Lloyd, and moving Cheney into the center of midfield.

With just 11 minutes remaining the U.S finally broke the deadlock and took the lead when Lauren Cheney's peach of a corner was met by Abby Wambach. The American striker scored with a towering header giving Berangere Sapowicz no chance in the French goal.

That goal saw Wambach, draw level with fellow American Michelle Akers as the USA's most prolific scorer to date in Women's World Cup Final tournaments, with twelve goals.

Alex Morgan, (below, wearing 13) who came on as a second-half substitute for Amy Rodriguez, added a third just three minutes later with a smart finish following a swift counter-attack, to put the result beyond doubt.

The 3-1 scoreline somewhat flattered the U.S, who were often outplayed by a French team that were resilient, dominated possession and were a constant goal threat throughout the match.

However their poor defending and goalkeeping was their undoing and proved to be the ultimate difference in the match.

So a combination of determination, some solid defending, particularly from the U.S central defensive pairing of Becky Sauerbrunn and Christie Rampone, and a a bit of luck saw the U.S through, but France have shown that they can compete with the superpowers of women's soccer. They are undoubtedly a team to watch in the future.

"First of all I’d like to thank the French team. They’re a fantastic side with an amazing attack. It was a great game and a privilege to play against them today. We stuck together out there. We stayed strong and we kept going when things got tough. In the dressing room I said to [Lauren] Cheney: ‘When we have a corner send the ball to the far post and we’ll score’. Her delivery was exceptional. I was so close to the post I thought I was going to bang my head against it, but luckily I made contact with the ball. I couldn’t be more excited, proud or happy." - USA striker Abby Wambach's post-match reaction.

"We didn’t play well today. France played well. But the team found a way to win and that’s the great thing about being the coach of this team. I made some tactical errors today, but my coaching staff gave me a hand and switched the midfield around just when France were playing their best football." - Pia Sundhage, the USA coach speaks after his sides victory over France.

Match highlights: Women's World Cup Semi-Final - USA v France on 13th July 2011

Goals:Lauren Cheney (USA) 9', Sonia Bompastor (FRA) 55', Abby Wambach(USA) 79', Alex Morgan (USA) 82'

In today's other semi-final, Japan beat Sweden 3-1 and will play the USA in Sunday's Women's World Cup Final.

Sunday 17th July: FIFA Women's World Cup Final, United States v Japan, in the Frankfurt Stadium, Germany, kick-off 19.45 BST, live on BBC3, ESPN, British EuroSport1, ARD, CBC, cbcsports.ca, FIFA.com, SBS One Australia, TLN.

Read more at: USA Women's Soccer and USA Women's Soccer/Facebook

Congratulations to Mexico - 2011 FIFA Under-17 World Cup Winners

2011-07-11T09:32:00.022+01:00

Mexico captain Antonio Briseno holds aloft the FIFA U-17 World Cup

Hosts Mexico won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup on Sunday, with a 2-0 victory over Uruguay in front of a crowd of just under 100,00O at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Goals from Antonio Briseno in the 31st minute and Giovani Casillas in second-half stoppage time saw Mexico lift the trophy for the second time, having previously won the tournament in 2005.

Briseno scored on 31 minutes, with a close range volley after a cross from the right was headed back across goal by striker Carlos Fierro, leaving Uruguay keeper Jonathan Cubero stranded.
Uruguay nearly hit back straight away, but Elbio Alvarez's long range effort came back off the upright.

Mexico started the the second-half with more urgency, and looked the more likely to score as they tested Cubero with shots from distance.

However it was Uruguayan striker Juan San Martin who almost levelled the scores in the 61st minute, only to see his left foot shot from six yards strike the post with Richard Sanchez beaten. It was the second time the home team had been saved by the woodwork.

Casillas got his goal and Mexico's second in second-half stoppage time, scoring on the counter attack as Uruguay pressed for an equalizer. The final whistle followed just seconds later, sparking joyous scenes of unrivaled passion from fans and players alike.

"This is an amazing feeling and one of my absolute greatest sporting moments here in Mexico. We have a strong group of players in this young Mexican team, I love this job and I love this team. This is a great day." Mexico coach Raul Gutierrez after the game.

"I can't even begin to explain how happy I am, to play at the Estadio Azteca, we're so happy, me and my teammates. We worked really hard, I can't even explain how I feel," said Mexico goalkeeper Richard Sanchez.

The Under-17 World Cup tournament is famously unreliable as a guide of future success at senior level. Brazil has won the event three times, but so has Nigeria. Spain and England have never lifted the trophy, but Saudi Arabia and Switzerland have. Germany played in the first final, in 1985, but has never been back.

However, only two weeks ago the Mexico senior team won the CONCACAF Gold Cup — a competition to determine the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean combined — defeating the United States 4-2 in the final in California.
Mexico also won the Gold Cup trophy in 2009, so are we about to witness a new era of world football domination, in the shape of Mexico? We shall see!

Mexican midfielder Julio Gomez – star of the semi-final win over Germany – was handed the adidas Golden Ball as top player while his teammates Jorge Espericueta and striker Carlos Fierro picked up the Silver and Bronze Balls respectively.

Ivorian striker Souleymane Coulibaly held out as the top finisher, to scoop the adidas Golden Shoe. His nine tournament goals in just four games was a record-equaling feat, tying him with previous tournament top scorer Frenchman Florent Sinama Pongolle, who reached the milestone playing three extra games back in 2001.

The adidas Silver Shoe went to Samed Yesil of Germany who scored six goals (and set up a further five) in a tournament where the Germans finished third.

Uruguayan goalkeeper Jonathan Cubero was awarded the adidas Golden Glove for best goalkeeper in the tournament. The Cerro man helped Uruguay earn their reputation as the meanest defence at these finals, only conceding five goals in his team’s seven games.

Full match highlights of the 2011 FIFA Under-17 World Cup Final

The 2011 FIFA Under 17's World Cup Final

2011-07-08T13:51:00.035+01:00

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This Sunday the 2011 Under 17's World Cup Final takes place between Mexico and Uruguay.

Tournament hosts Mexico dominated Group A, winning all three of their games against North Korea, eventual group runners-up Congo and the Netherlands, scoring eight goals in the process. Next they despatched of Central American rivals Panama 2-0, setting up a quarter-final tie with France which they narrowly edged 2-1.

After their stunning 3-2 victory over Germany in the semi-final the Mexicans now move on to the final of the tournament at the Estadio Azteca on the 10th July, where they will meet Uruguay, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the other semi-final.

One of the biggest stars for the El Tri Under-17 team is striker Carlos Fierro, who plays for Club Deportivo Guadalajara, of the Mexican First Division - the parent club of Chivas USA. He's Mexico's leading scorer with four goals.

Arguably, El Tri's most gifted player has been the young man who flanks Fierro on the left, Giovanni Casillas. He has two goals and his been instrumental in others. Like Fierro, he also plays for Club Deportivo Guadalajara.

Mexican midfielder Julio Gomez is the only player in coach Raul Gutierrez’s squad to have already played in Mexico’s top flight. His last minute winner against Germany - a dazzling overhead kick will go down in the legend and lore of Mexican football and the U-17 World Cup.

Gomez said: "Just thinking about playing in front of a full Estadio Azteca makes me extremely happy, because it means we’ve managed to reach the final." He added, "It’s a reward for all our efforts, but we’re not finished yet. We’ve got one more very tough match against an opponent we know well (Uruguay). They beat us 6-2 in the last friendly we played together, so this could be sweet revenge."

Mexico are a best priced 6/5 with Paddy Power, Betfred and William Hill to win the final in 90 minutes, and 8/11 with Betfred to lift the trophy.

Uruguay coach Fabian Coito’s side booked a place in their first-ever final of a FIFA Under-17 World Cup with a 3-0 win over South American neighbours and arch-rivals Brazil in Guadalajara in Thursday's semi-final.

Uruguay's attacking plans may have worked out perfectly so far, but the foundation for their exploits at Mexico 2011 has been their miserly defence, which has let in just three goals in six games.

In the group stages Uruguay recorded victories over Rwanda and Canada 1-0 and 3-0 respectively, but lost 2-0 to England in their final group game having already qualified for the second stage before they took to the field.
Next up for Uruguay were Congo and the South Americans had to come from a goal behind to edge out the African Congo 2-1 and book their passage into the quarter-finals.

Uruguay secured their place in the semi-final round of the FIFA U-17 World Cup with a comprehensive 2-0 quarter-final win over Asian side Uzbekistan in Monterrey.

Their collective determination and opportunism is a hallmark of Fabian Coito’s spirited side, whose run to Sunday’s showpiece match has been founded on teamwork rather than individual brilliance - teamwork encapsulated by the contribution of squad members such as Guillermo Mendez and San Martin.

Uruguay are a best priced 12/5 with Bet365 to win in 90 minutes and are even money with Betfred to lift the trophy.

Mendez said after his sides thrilling semi-final victory over Germany: "This team always battles hard and gives everything it’s got. And we do that because we know what this jersey means. Now we’re on the way to the final."

One of the most impressive aspects of Uruguay’s relentless advance to Sunday’s showdown with Mexico at the Azteca is that is has been achieved despite a troublesome knee-injury to their star asset Juan Cruz Mascia. Despite his absence from the front line for their quarter-final against Uzbekistan and the semi-final with Brazil, Coito’s charges still managed to rack up five goals, conceding none in the process.

With Mascia sidelined, the attacking burden has been shared. Santiago Charamoni and Rodrigo Aguirre were the men on target against the Uzbeks, while Elbio Alvarez struck from the spot to set 'Los Charrúas' on the road to victory over Brazil.

Mendez concluded: "There’s no such thing as pressure as far as I’m concerned. When I’m out there I try to get on with my job, which is to play football. I don’t pay much attention to what’s going on off the pitch or in the stands."

Given the cacophony of noise that the Mexico fans are sure to serve up at the Azteca on Sunday, that approach looks to be a sensible one.

My Tip of the Weekend:

In what I expect to be be a closely fought affair I fancy Mexico to win the final by the odd goal, particularly as they are playing in front of their own fans. Mexico to win 2-1 is a best priced 8/1 with Paddy Power, Betfred and William Hill, and looks a value bet.
If you think the game will go beyond the 90 minutes, Paddy Power are offering odds of 9/2 on the final being won on a penalty shoot-out.

Sunday 10th July: The 2011 FIFA Under 17's World Cup Final - Uruguay v Mexico, Aztec Stadium, Mexico City, kick-off 00.00 BST, live on British Eurosport 1, ESPNU, Galavision and SBS One Australia.

All 'White' On The Night - England's Lionesses March On!

2011-07-05T19:13:00.033+01:00

England booked their ticket into the quarter-finals of the 2011 Women's World Cup tonight, with an impressive 2-0 victory over Japan, in the Impuls Arena, Augsburg to claim top spot in Group B.

England now face a quarter-final in Leverkusen on Saturday, against France who lost tonight 4-2 to hosts Germany.

England manager Hope Powell made four changes to the line-up that started against New Zealand in their last match.

Captain Faye White and midfielder Fara Williams were both rested while Jess Clarke and Karen Carney, both substitutes against New Zealand, were preferred to Yankey and Eni Aluko by the England manager.

England were forced to hold off some intense early pressure from the Japanese, before taking the lead in the 15th minute in quite spectacular fashion.

Karen Carney delivering a perfectly weighted ball from inside her own half for Ellen White to chase.
Running in between the Japanese centre-backs, the Arsenal striker did not break stride before lifting the ball sublimely over goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori from the edge of the penalty box, to score arguably the goal of the tournament so far.

England striker Ellen White celebrates after scoring a 'wonder goal' in the Women's World Cup tonight

Not long after her goal striker White who was a constant threat, saw another stunning effort, an acrobatic hooked volley fabulously tipped onto the crossbar by Kaihori.

Japan's potent attack, which put four goals past Mexico in its last game, was unusually quiet and their best chance came when Kozue Ando had her shot blocked and cleared near the goal line by England defender Sophie Bradley midway through the opening half.

The second goal eventually came after 66 minutes from half-time substitute Rachel Yankey. England's most experienced player took down Rachel Unitt’s cross before cleverly chipping the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper from a tight angle.

The Japanese, who were already guaranteed a last-eight berth, impressed with their neat approach play and movement, but they could not find an end product to match.

England played the rest of the game out in relative calm, with few scares, while New Zealand produced a terrific fightback in Sinsheim, scoring twice in stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw with Mexico in tonight's other Group B fixture.

England, despite a disappointing opening draw against Mexico followed by a narrow 2-1 win against New Zealand, will go into Saturday's game against France full of confidence after this solid performance against a talented Japanese side.
England look to have a strong squad with strength and depth in all areas, and most importantly they seem to be peaking at the right time.

In Tuesday's other match in Group A, Nigeria beat Canada 1-0 in Dresden, a third successive defeat for the Canadians.

"We were very, very good today. You've got to respect Japan and the way they play, but we had a gameplan and we implemented it. The ambition was to get out of the group and top the group and we've done that. We're in the quarters and we'll have to do our best" - England manager Hope Powell's post match comments.

"It's almost indescribable, scoring in a World Cup, it's the pinnacle of your career. You've got to beat the best to be the best, so bring them on in the quarter-finals" - England scorer Ellen White's post match comments.

Match Highlights - England v Japan, Women's World Cup 5th July 2011

England Ladies:(4-4-1-1): Bardsley; A Scott, Bradley, Stoney, Unitt; Carney, J Scott, Asante, Clarke (Yankey 46); K Smith (Aluko 62); E White (Bassett 90).

Subs not used: F White, F Williams, Brown (g), Houghton, Susi, Rafferty, Chamberlain (g).

Goals: E White (15), Hankey (66)

Babes Of The Month - Sexy Soccer Stars of 2011 World Cup

2011-07-01T08:07:00.022+01:00

Top: Madeleine Giske - Norway and Arna-Bjørnar, midfield/striker, aged 23.

Middle left: Jessica Landström - Sweden and FFC Frankfurt, midfield/striker, aged 26.

Middle right: Corine Franco - France and Lyon, defensive midfielder, aged 27.

Bottom: Alex Morgan - United States and Western New York Flash, striker, aged 21.

All The Latest Transfer Gossip

2011-06-27T11:37:00.035+01:00

Transfer speculation is rife as we approach the beginning of July. It looks like some of the 'bigger' domestic and European clubs are going to have to pay top dollar to secure the services of some of the players they feel will help them land trophies next season.

On the flip of the coin a lot of players will become free agents on the 1st July.
A free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired, and who is thus eligible to sign for another club. In some instances this gives some of the less affluent clubs the chance to pick up some experienced players without the initial expense of a transfer fee, before personal terms are agreed. However the power is with the players as they use the fact that there is no transfer fee involved to often negotiate a financial package including wages, in excess of what they were earning at their previous club.

Expect some major financial wheeling and dealing to take place in July, as clubs fight it out to lure the most sought after players to 'their' club. Meanwhile many of the free agents will more often than not find they have more than one club to choose from, and it may well all boil down to which club can afford to offer the player the most money!
It is at this time of year in the world of football that the infamous phrase "show me the money," which first came to prominence in the 1996 movie 'Jerry Maguire' seems most apt.

Chelsea, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Barcelona, Manchester United, Valencia, Manchester City, Porto, Fiorentina, Partizan Belgrade, AZ Alkmaar, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Liverpool, Blackpool, Bayer Leverkusen, Wigan, Sochaux, Galatasaray, West Brom, Stoke, Birmingham, Monaco, West Ham, Newcastle, Bolton, Crystal Palace, Leicester, Peterborough, Reading, Sunderland, Derby, Barnsley, Dundee United, Cardiff and Tranmere......................are all currently caught up in transfer gossip.

Is your club involved?

Chelsea's Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien is for sale and already attracting interest from various clubs. Bayern Munich have now joined AC Milan and Real Madrid in the chase to sign the 28-year-old, who is worth at least 28 million Euros - footballpress.net

Manchester United are confident of being able to sign Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri, 23, for £20m - caughtoffside.com

Barcelona have turned down a £15million offer from Manchester United for Spanish Euro Under-21 Championships star Thiago Alcântara (right) - footballpress.net

Alcântara may in fact end up at Arsenal as a makeweight in the Cesc Fábregas deal, though other sources believe that Barcelona are preparing a £31m straight-cash offer for the Arsenal midfielder that should land on a desk in north London sometime today - The Guardian

Arsenal have made Valencia midfielder Juan Mata, another star of Spain's U21 side, their top summer transfer target. The Gunners have offered £18m for the 23-year-old - Daily Mail

Barcelona star David Villa has quashed rumours linking him to Chelsea and Manchester City, claiming he wants to end his career at Barcelona. The 29-year-old joined the Catalans last summer for €40 million and went on to score 23 goals in all competitions as the Spanish giants claimed the double with the Primera Liga and the Champions League - Internationalbusinesstimes.com

Manchester City are lining up a triple swoop for Fiorentina midfielder Alessio Cerci, 23 (right), Partizan Belgrade defender Stefan Savic, 20, and 24-year-old Argentina international keeper Sergio Romero from AZ Alkmaar - The Sun & The Guardian

Manchester City will need to spend a club record £36m if they want to land Brazilian forward Givanildo Vieira de Souza aka 'Hulk' from Porto - Daily Star & The Guardian

Bayern Munich are interested in Manchester United winger and Portugal international Nani. An attempt to sign him will be made if Franck Ribery is sold - footballpress.net

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas will make a double raid on Tottenham with a £60m bid for midfielder Luka Modric and the left-sided Gareth Bale - caughtoffside.com

Bayern Munich admit they are waiting on news in their bids for Manchester City's Jerome Boateng and Bayer Leverkusen's Arturo Vidal. Boateng has already revealed that he has agreed terms with Bayern, but as yet they cannot agree a fee with Manchester City - skysports.com

Liverpool are close to completing the signing of Charlie Adam, the Blackpool midfielder, with Jonjo Shelvey moving in the opposite direction on a season-long loan. The Anfield club are also set to sign Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing (right) - The Independent

If Downing leaves, then Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish plans to spend half of the estimated £18m asking price on Wigan's Charles N'Zogbia as a direct replacement - Daily Mail

Aston Villa are also interested in signing Stoke winger Matthew Etherington as a replacement for Ashley Young - Daily Mail

Aston Villa are plotting an audacious £14million bid to bring James Milner back from Manchester City - The Mirror

Chelsea have been told they can have Arda Turan (right) from Galatasaray, but only if the Turks get £7m and Didier Drogba in return - The Sun & The Guardian

West Brom have joined the race to sign Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge, along with Newcastle, Stoke and Bolton, where he scored eight goals on loan last season - The Sun & The Guardian

Stoke will make a joint bid in the region of £8m for Birmingham duo Scott Dann and Cameron Jerome. Stoke are also keen on £4m-rated Monaco defender Cédric Mongongu. Meanwhile Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen could be on his way to West Ham - Daily Mirror & The Guardian

Peterborough United's director of football Barry Fry has confirmed the club have accepted an offer from Leicester City for Craig Mackail-Smith - skysports.com

Sochaux starlet Ryad Boudebouz claims Liverpool have expressed an interest in acquiring his services. That has opened the door for Liverpool to make an approach, with tentative discussions regarding a possible move to Anfield already underway - skysports.com

Leicester City are set to win the race to sign Neil Danns (right). The 28-year-old is available on a Bosman transfer as his contract with Crystal Palace is set to expire and he has decided to leave Selhurst Park. A host of clubs have been chasing the midfielder, with both of the Old Firm, Celtic and Rangers, holding talks, and the likes of Bolton, Hull City and Southampton are all understood to have made moves for him - skysports.com

Newcastle are interested in Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson (23), and will try to hijack his planned move to Sunderland - footballpress.net

Sunderland are also preparing a £7m bid for Reading's Shane Long - The Guardian

Dundee United manager Peter Houston has confirmed talks have been held with several clubs regarding in-demand striker David Goodwillie. SPL champions Rangers have made an approach along with Championship clubs Blackpool and Cardiff. Cardiff are rumoured to be favourites to win the chase - skysports.com

Dale Jennings has signalled his intention to sign for one of the biggest clubs in the world as negotiations with his club Tranmere Rovers and Bayern Munich reached a critical stage last night. Tranmere are understood to have negotiated a package of around £500,000 up front for the 18-year-old striker in a deal that could rise to £1.5 million - The Independent

Derby County defender Miles Addison has agreed to join Barnsley on a six-month loan deal - skysports.com

Spain face Swiss challenge in Euro U21's Final - Betting News with Betfred

2011-06-23T17:59:00.027+01:00

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Spain have looked virtually unbeatable at times in the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championships, but came within a whisker of elimination in Wednesday's semi-final against Belarus.

Having rescued victory from the jaws of defeat, their last gasp comeback against Belarus has taken them to within 90 minutes of another Under-21 title, but they face an impressive Switzerland team on Saturday evening, playing in their first final, having been semi-finalists in 2002.

The Spanish, European Under-21 champions in 1986 and 1998 have been praised from all sides for their football so far – which is reminiscent of their senior team's brand of play that took them to World Cup glory last summer.

Spain are odds of 4/6 to win in 90 minutes but might not have everything their own way against Switzerland though. The Swiss have emerged victorious from all four matches in Jutland and, perhaps more impressively, the Group A victors have yet to concede a goal.

The football experts believe Spain will lift the trophy, and in Adrián López of Deportivo de La Coruña, Spain have a striker in a rich vein of form, and with five tournament goals to his name already, he will seriously test the so far watertight Swiss defence!

Spain needed an 89th-minute equaliser from Adrián against Belarus to take the match into extra-time, before the same player headed them in front and Barcelona striker Jeffren Suárez clinched the win, as they failed to hit the same heights showed earlier in the tournament.

In the other semi-final the Swiss too needed extra-time to clinch a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic, thanks to a winner from FC Zürich forward Admir Mehmedi.

There is no doubt the two best sides in the tournament have made it into the final of the European under-21 Championships and it promises to be a great meeting between two in-form sides.

Spain have been most people's favourites to win the tournament ever since a ball was kicked, but they showed against England and Belarus they can struggle to break down organised defences, and they looked a little tired in their semi-final.

They will not have everything their own way in the final against a strong Switzerland side that are big outsiders and football odds of 9/2 for a Swiss win in normal time reflect this.

Swiss fans and punters looking for inspiration and a possible upset on Saturday need only to cast their minds back 12 months ago when the senior Swiss side caused a major shock at the World Cup, beating Spain in their opening game group game.

My Tip of the Weekend:

Spain should be too strong for Switzerland but there will not be many goals in the game, with a 1-0 win to the Spaniards looking good at 5/1 with Betfred.
For those of you who feel this final could go beyond the 90 minutes, you can get 5/1 also on the game to be both a draw at half-time and at full-time.

Saturday 25th June: Spain U21's v Switzerland U21's, Aarhus Stadium, Aarhus, kick-off 19.45 BST, live on Sky Sports 1.

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)