After strong showings in the first leg of the playoff round, both Lyon and Arsenal are in a comfortable position to enter the group stage. Lyon can claim a tenth consecutive group-stage appearance unless they completely fall apart. The French club overwhelmed RSC Anderlecht 5-1 last week, while a 2-0 deficit would appear insurmountable for […]

What the hell is going on at Portsmouth? Despite Sulaiman Al Fayed passing the fit and proper persons test that the Premier League subjected him to, he's still not completed the takeover at Fratton Park. The fans of Pompey deserve better than this, it's not fair and it's getting beyond a joke. The club has […]

Where does this idea of a European Super League keep coming from? Scratch that, WE know where the idea comes from, The European Club Association, the collective of 135 clubs dotted around Europe, keeps trying to push for this dreadful idea to come into fruition. I can't think of anything I'd rather watch less than […]

Why is Michael Essien so underrated is a mystery to me. I must admit that I was nonplussed about him as a player, knowing next to nothing about him when he signed for Chelsea from Lyon in August 2005 for £24 million. That was in the dark days before I had Setanta and could immerse […]

With only three places left in the next round of this seasons Champions League and with only five teams capable of filling those spots it seems like a good time to look ahead to the draw for the knockout stages. Once again all four English sides look set to qualify for the next round, with […]

On Saturday Juninho showed why he is the master of the free kick after bringing Lyon single-handedly back into this one, with a clinical display of scoring from the deadball situation. While waiting for Inter – Catania to start I decided to turn the dial to TV5 and have a look-see of French Ligue One with Lyon vs. Nice. I wasn't disappointed as everything wasn't going Lyon's way early on […]

It's true Lyon have finally been knocked from their pedestal, and Bordeaux win 5 – 4 on penalties, the first Cup of the season and the first Girondins' Super Cup victory since 1987. Lyon having won the Super Cup 6 years running makes this a huge change of scenery for French Football. Bordeaux started the […]

Rumours of Tiago Mendes leaving Juventus are circulating, after vacating his home in Turin. The talented Portuguese midfielder was previously linked to both Tottenham and West Ham United of the English Premier League in January of this year. Tiago, who is a regular in the national team, spent one season at Chelsea after Jose Mourinho took him from Benfica and […]

Marseille president Pape Diouf announced today (via the club's official website) that 21-year-old winger Hatem Ben Arfa is set to officially join from Lyon on Wednesday following the completion of a medical. Terms have not been announced but are thought to be in in the region of 15 to 20 million euros. Lyon also admit […]

Alain Perrin, who guided Lyon to their first domestic league and Cup double last season, will be replaced by Lille coach Claude Puel according to reports circulating in the French news media. Nothing official has been posted on the official Olympique Lyonnais website. Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas refused to comment. "No decision has been taken", […]