Blaine Tulley

Is Roy Keane smirking right now? Is he rolling his eyes? Both? For two years Sunderland was Roy Keane's baby. He took the struggling side, nurtured it back to health and delivered it from the relegation zone of the Championship and back to the top flight. In every transfer window he made moves to improve […]

I admit it. I was fully dazzled by Amr Zaki when he first came to play in England. The stunning goals came so quickly. And they were gorgeous. Wigan Athletic's unknown striker just needed half a second on the ball to make miracles happen and it seemed like the goals were going to stream from […]

When did it come to this? As I watch Bolton's Reebok Hunt slide tackle Liverpool's Xabi Carlsberg at Carlsberg Lite Stadium in Liverpool on an overcast Saturday in April, I am filled with an unbearable nostalgia for the past. As Fly Emirates Bennett holds the red card aloft in Hunt's face who begins his long […]

If Wigan had hosted United in mid-August rather than mid-May, they might have thought they had a chance to hold onto the draw as the 80th minute mark passed. Ten minutes to go. A one all scoreline. Why not? But this season has been a long lesson on Manchester's late resolve, and so Michael Carrick's […]

Yes, yes: Football is a team sport and all that... but lately it feels like Liam Lawrence is keeping Stoke City clear of the drop all by himself. Two dazzling goals to secure key points for his side will standout as the highlights of Stoke's late climb from the danger zone. The first was a […]

Alan Shearer needs all the good luck he can find in the dying weeks of Newcastle United's disaster of a season. And after his 69th minute substitution of Michael Owen for Obafemi Martins, fortune smiled on the Magpies' former number nine when their current number nine found the back of the net almost immediately after […]

Marco van Basten told us Ryan Babel might just be the next Thierry Henry. And there have been some instances to suggest the 22-year-old could be on the path to greatness: Babel's 40 yard blast against Chelsea to give Liverpool a breath of hope in last year's Champions League semi-final. His arched rocket past Edwin […]

Away goals carry an immense weight in the Champions League. They delivered Milan to the final in 2005. They saw Liverpool oust Barcelona in 2007, despite the latter winning the leg at Anfield. And they pulled Barca's fate from the abyss in the 93rd minute in this past Wednesday's controversial leg at Stamford Bridge. Added […]

I had said before the contest between Chelsea and Barcelona would be a contest of league styles. Barca had yet to face an English side and this would be a vastly different context for the Spanish giants. Chelsea would not allow them the space for the same kind of free-flowing football they enjoy at home […]

There won't be a sympathy vote PFA award for Sami Hyypia as he ends his ten year career with Liverpool FC, but for Reds supporters his legend will remain as large as the 6'4 Finn himself. Bought from Willem II in 1999 for a mere £2.5m, Hyypia is easily one of the greatest bargains in […]

Liverpool fans voted Xabi Alonso man of the match against Newcastle. Clairvoyant passing and two shots from distance that ricocheted off the bar: Alonso was a beast against the Magpies. But I suspect it was his temporary martyrdom that won Alonso the honor over some of the other candidates. Xabi took the full force of […]

When I saw Newcastle United's lineup today before their 3-0 loss to Liverpool, I said aloud: Joey Barton's going to get a red card. I only meant it to elicit a laugh from friends, but with Newcastle's fate in the balance and Barton's famous temper in mind, I had a vision of Barton heading for […]

As Aston Villa's European dreams come to a halt, manager Martin O'Neill says he would allow Gareth Barry to move on if the midfielder so desires. Once again, Barry is expected to request a move to Liverpool. We all remember the tiresome saga of his transfer attempt last summer when Liverpool tried to unload Xabi […]

Paul Ince sacked by Blackburn. Kevin Keegan pushed out of Newcastle. Roy Keane frustrated by Sunderland. Ince was an outright firing after Blackburn only registered 3 wins in 17 matches. Keegan technically resigned, but has made allegations that the club forced him out. Roy Keane left Sunderland after failing to agree on contract negotiations. Poor […]

What was Guus Hiddink thinking? Yes, clean sheet at the Camp Nou is a commendable achievement, and I still feel Chelsea are the more likely to go through to the final. But after promising that the Blues would try to score in the away leg, Hiddink's tactics against FC Barcelona show he had absolutely no […]