McBride Again

I was thinking about this photograph recently and when I tried to find it online again, it was gone. Luckily, it's still up on SSN from a previous post in August. Big Brian is having a good campaign so I thought I'd honor him with top billing for the weekend. -Sanford

p.s. - I love this picture

A George Best Goal

Thanks to Guardian Football's look into the world of YouTube, we don't have to search as hard for gems such as this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2HWUbFGHMU

Onyewu back with Liege after Fulham talks stall

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=398645&cc=5901

FA Cup Third Round Preview Part One: The Magic Starts Here

http://goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=203470

Boa Morte swaps Fulham for West Ham

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=398697&cc=5901

FA Cup preview: No sentiment from Zamora

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=398690&cc=5901

Season Over For Amauri

This is a shame. Amauri has been lighting it up so far for Palermo and has really established himself as one of Serie A's new stars. Hopefully he'll be back as strong as when he left. -Sanford

http://goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=203319

Liverpool Step Up Chase For Mascherano

http://goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=203241

Terry to miss cup-tie as comeback put on hold

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,283-2532914,00.html

Why so scary, Woodgate?

As the recent Stevens inquiry so vividly proved (Lord Stevens? They’d have got more out of footballers and agents if they’d sent Rachel Stevens), we still know little or nothing about football’s inner workings. The more we ask, it seems, the less we find out.

Now, one of my new year’s resolutions is to stop banging my noggin against brick walls, so I no longer wish to know who is purchasing a plainly hapless Andorran centre back because the lady wife fancies new curtains in the extension paid for by last year’s arrival of the equally hopeless striker from Tierra Del Fuego. But there are, though, a score of questions — some serious, others more friv — to which I simply demand to know the answers before 2007 is out . . .

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,23530-2526554,00.html

Decision time nears for Beckham

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-beckhamcolumn&prov=reuters&type=lgns

Football League Spy: 10 to watch in 2007

Ten of the best prospects outside the Premiership to keep a close eye on during the next 12 months.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/01/05/football_league_spy_10_to_watc.html

James Richardson in Italy

Emerson's fed up of Real Madrid and wants some Milan. Milan want some of Massimo Oddo, and possibly a family-size striker like Vincenzo Iaquinta, to score some goals. Inter are standing optimistically next to a £60m pot with Lionel Messi's name on it, while according to Wednesday's papers, Juventus have lined up Javier Mascherano and Werder's Miroslav Klose. Or, said yesterday's, Peter Crouch.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/01/05/money_makes_the_mercato_go_aro.html

Friday's rumours

Gilberto to Inter, Bent to Spurs, yadda, yadda...

http://football.guardian.co.uk/rumourmill/index/0,,1983596,00.html

Ince says age of most chairmen is bar to black managers

Paul Ince has criticised English football chairmen for failing to offer black British managers the opportunity to work at the higher levels, claiming that their reluctance may be "a generational thing".

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1983223,00.html

Spain: La Liga Weekend Preview:

And Fernando Gago adds some more quality hair to the Madrid lineup...
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=AjjbOA5f8jK85kxm6V_q2_Emw7YF?slug=reu-spainpreview&prov=reuters&type=lgns

Spain: La Liga Table

		P	GD	Pts
1	Seville	16	20	37
2	Barcelona	15	22	34
3	Real Madrid	16	12	32
4	Atl Madrid	16	9	28
5	Real Zaragoza	16	10	27
6	Valencia	16	8	27
7	Recreativo Huelva	16	2	25
8	Osasuna	16	1	23
9	Getafe	16	0	22
10	Espanyol	16	-1	22
11	Villarreal	16	-6	22
12	Celta Vigo	16	-1	21
13	R Santander	16	-4	21
14	Mallorca	16	-9	17
15	Deportivo	16	-12	17
16	Athl Bilbao	16	-8	15
17	Levante	16	-9	15
18	Real Betis	15	-4	13
19	Real Sociedad	16	-12	10
20	Gimnastic	16	-18	8

Spain: La Liga News in Brief

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-spainnews&prov=reuters&type=lgns

Lawro's FA Cup Predictions

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/fa_cup/6230379.stm

Kevin Nolan column

The Bolton captain talks about the transfer market...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6228091.stm

Were you there...when Charlie George won at Wembley?

Indeed, indeed. I was but a wee lad, and me pop took me round the ground for what he said would be a fine spot of footie. And a fine spot it was… -Sanford

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/fa_cup/6221099.stm

Zidane plays a bit of indoor 5 a side

The final scenes show the master in his full glory:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zZYRH0bdwc

Shevchenko risks being remembered as bigger flop than Verón

Tough call here -- Verón was so inept while Sheva's presence on the pitch has made a difference, especially for Drogba. Sure, for the money he's a flop but he was never going to live up to his pricetag. I'd vote for Taibi or Balaban. -Sanford

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,277-2530459,00.html

Mascherano demands move from West Ham

Poor Javi. You not only make the plane to Germany for a stacked Argentine side but have a great campaign and emerge from the World Cup as one of the top young talents on the planet. What’s next? Why your big move to Europe, of course. You’re ready to follow in the footsteps of the multitudes of Argentines before you: Maradona, Ayala, Redondo, Simeone, Balbo, just to name a few. Will you go to Italy? Or perhaps Spain? No, it turns out you’re off to the English Premiership. Well, that’s OK, you think. Ardiles and Villa did well at Spurs, surely you’ll be OK at West Ham. And they play a fast-paced, offensive style in a historic ground with boisterous fans. Y tu amigo Carlo will be coming too! Then it all goes to rot. You don’t play. No, really. You don’t play. And not only that, you are owned by an investment company. And that investment company is getting paid whether you ride the pine, play in the reserves, or come on for that last 45 seconds of injury time in a 4-1 loss to Fulham. Suerte, Javi. You need it. As a fan, I hope you get the hell out of East London and end up at a club that works for you. -Sanford

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1982816,00.html

Montella Flies In To Fulham On Loan

http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=202845

Davies continues trend by opting for Europe

Boston College forward Charlie Davies could have been the first pick in this month's MLS SuperDraft. But Davies refused MLS' contract offer and instead signed with Hammarby IF in Sweden last month.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=398428&root=us&cc=5901

Alan Hansen's column

Jose Mourinho has tried to lift Chelsea's spirits by claiming Manchester United have failed to take advantage of their blip by only building a six-point Premiership lead.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6228345.stm

Cassano banned from training: report

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=afp-fblespitamadrid&prov=afp&type=lgns

Who takes the blame for Chelsea's recruitment policy?

Whether it's an exercise in teamwork, or all down to Jose Mourinho, who at Chelsea will own up to signing the flops?

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/01/04/who_takes_the_blame_for_chelse.html

Thursday's rumours

http://football.guardian.co.uk/rumourmill/index/0,,1982821,00.html

Bentleys and bling make cars the stars for the Premiership elite

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/01/04/bentleys_and_bling_make_cars_t.html

I should have taken a break sooner, admits revived Henry

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1982322,00.html

EPL: Transfer Window Watch

Tore Andre Flo to Leeds! Can he really only be 33 years old?! Perhaps he got his birth certificate from Adu's agent. -Sanford

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,27-2529861,00.html

Fulham agrees on deal for Dempsey pending work permit

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=ap-fulham-dempsey&prov=ap&type=lgns

English Premier League Reports

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-englandreports&prov=reuters&type=lgns

EPL Table

Barclays Premiership Table

		P	GD	Pts
1	Man Utd	22	34	54
2	Chelsea	22	20	48
3	Liverpool	22	16	40
4	Arsenal	22	22	39
5	Bolton	22	6	39
6	Portsmouth	22	11	36
7	Tottenham	22	-2	32
8	Everton	22	6	31
9	Reading	22	0	30
10	Man City	22	-6	29
11	Blackburn	21	-5	28
12	Fulham	22	-10	27
13	Aston Villa	22	-2	26
14	Newcastle	22	-5	26
15	Middlesbrough	22	-6	24
16	Sheff Utd	22	-12	23
17	Wigan	21	-9	22
18	West Ham	22	-21	18
19	Charlton	22	-23	16
20	Watford	20	-14	12

Emre under the FA spotlight after Howard accuses him of racism

The FA has launched an investigation after Emre Belözoglu, the Newcastle United midfield player, was accused of racially abusing Tim Howard, the Everton goalkeeper, during his team’s 3-0 defeat at Goodison Park on Saturday.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,293-2528652,00.html

Mourinho confident despite Villa setback

The Special One keeps playing those mind games...

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=398491&cc=5901

Benayoun: Hammers played like drunks

The Hammers' miserable season reached a new low on Monday when they were thrashed 6-0 at the Madejski Stadium, leaving them four points adrift of Premiership safety.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=398492&cc=5901

Buffon issues Juventus quit warning

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=398510&cc=5901

Both Milan Clubs Chasing Arsenal's Lupoli

Why would he not want to stay with the Rams?

http://goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=201916

Wednesday's rumours

http://football.guardian.co.uk/rumourmill/index/0,,1981839,00.html

Onyewu Nearing Fulham Switch?

Will Coleman buy all the decent American players? -Sanford

http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=202117

Prem Perspectives: Top Of The Form

Now that the busy festive period in the Premiership has been completed, with teams having played four matches in ten days, managers and players can turn their immediate thoughts to this weekend's FA Cup Third Round ties. But before dreams of Cup glory take hold, it is worth reflecting on how the recent spate of matches has left things in the English top flight.

http://www.goal.com/en-US/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=202183

United must solve the strange case of Rooney's missing goals

According to Kevin McCarra, United won't win the title unless Wayne starts scoring...

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/01/03/united_must_solve_the_strange.html