When the final whistle went and those West Ham fans who'd spent most of Saturdays game against Chelsea abusing former old boys, Frank Lampard and John Terry, had disappeared to the pubs around and about, I bet they never thought they'd ever see either player back at Upton Park that soon. Obviously they were unaware […]

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 […]

I did not cost the Wolves the title this weekend. I didn't! Sure, this was the weekend that I finally bought my first German car. When I say German, I don't mean that it has a German name, I mean it has to be made in Germany. If I wanted a car made in Mexico, […]

Major League Soccer has announced Everton as the opponent for this year’s MLS All-Star game. "We are very excited about Everton FC agreeing to be the opponent for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game," MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a league statement. "Everton is an elite European club that features many world-class players, including former […]

Referees – the bane of a football fan's life. Your hopes and dreams can be shattered by one shrill peep of the man-in-black's (or red or green or whatever colour they choose to wear these days) shiny whistle. They are also, of course, an easy target for fans, players and managers who divert the attention […]

Beginning in the next episode of the podcast we will have a weekly Zygo Soccer Report from our friend Brian Zygo covering the Houston Dynamo as well as his other thoughts from around the world of football. We are also adding a new feature, the Miami Minute with Ignacio Rodriguez the director of Public Relations […]

I don't know whether to congratulate Chelsea for deactivating the explosive Barcelona attack. Or chastise them for playing a very negative, defensive brand of football that has nothing to do with the reasons why we call this the beautiful game. The reality is that if Chelsea played their usual brand of attacking football, they would […]

Spain did not enter the inaugural World Cup of 1930, but qualified for the Italy-hosted tournament of 1934. They progressed as far as the quarter-finals, drawing 1-1 with Italy, but losing 1-0 in a replay. A combination of the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War denied Spain competitive football until the 1950 World […]

For all those neutrals out there who may not have seen Barcelona play before this season I would encourage you not to write off the Catalan side based on just one performance. I have seen Barca break down some stubborn resistance at the Nou Camp this season both in La Liga and the Champions League […]

The Old Trafford clock showed 55 minutes had gone when Freddie Ljungberg'a shot was spilled by Fabien Barthez. The first player to react was Sylvain Wiltord, Arsenal's then record signing, to slot the ball home with minimum fuss to put Arsenal 1-0 up and ultimately wrap up the Premier League title. It was a great […]

The transfer merry-go-round has begun to turn once again as we approach the summer when all there is to talk about is who you would like your club to sign. For Liverpool top of their list appears to be Gareth Barry from Aston Villa, and David Villa and Raul Albiol from Valencia. The problem for […]

Arsenal fans love to speak of Arsene Wenger's shrewd and miserly eye for talent. Up until a few years ago, Wenger's net spending in the transfer market was something around ten million pounds, extraordinary when you consider the amount of trophies Arsenal have won since his arrival. Of course, much of Wenger's bottom-line performance can […]

This is not a post to moan about a referee getting a decision wrong. Rather, this particular incident got me wondering, "How is that supposed to work then?" Maybe you have the answer... It's been reasonably well accepted that Arsenal's opener against Middlesbrough should have been flagged offside (video link). Graham Poll on Setanta's Football […]

There he is ladies and gentleman the whiny quitter known as John Carver. As usual here is another wonderful mind coming to North America trying to install his tactics & emotion into a club that wants to be the best in Major League Soccer and of course being the best pro Canadian side to take […]

How do you stop the best player in the world, Lionel Messi will probably be keeping Guus Hiddink awake tonight as he prepares for his stiffest test yet as Chelsea's interim manager. Whilst I appreciate the bravado that Hiddink is giving in regards to his own players, he is right to dampen down the furore […]