Friday, March 27, 2009

England captain John Terry 'mortified' after his mother and mother-in-law are arrested for shoplifting


England football captain John Terry is 'mortified' after his mother and mother-in-law were cautioned for shoplifting.

Sue Terry, 50, and Sue Poole, 54, were accused of stealing clothes and food worth £800 from Marks & Spencer and Tesco in Weybridge, Surrey.

They were allegedly caught loading the goods into a car.


Can you say "WANKER" ???

South American World Cup Qualifiers Preview




Goal.com provides readers with a preview of round eleven of the 2010 South American World Cup qualifiers that takes place on the weekend. With only four automatic World Cup slots up for grabs each and every team will be after precious victories...


Soccer by Ives has a nice preview as well.





Guay vs. Guay (Montevideo)
Colombia vs. Bolivia (Bogota)
Peru vs. Chile (Lima)
Argentina vs. Venezuela (Buenos Aires)
Ecuador vs. Brazil (Quito)

Capello must decide whether to build team around Gerrard




There is no guarantee that Steven Gerrard playing in the hole for England would work, but Fabio Capello should at least give it a chance.











Or perhaps Lampard could play in the hole...

Friday MLS Forecast: Week Two




Goal.com's Kyle McCarthy unveils his new Friday MLS Forecast column with a look at this weekend's games.

Mexico’s Eriksson faces another day of reckoning



Mexico coach Sven-Goran Eriksson faces another day of reckoning on Saturday against a Costa Rica team who will be attempting to pull off a repeat of their famous Azteca stadium win eight years ago.

Eriksson’s future with Mexico seems to have been in doubt almost from the day he took over last June and few people believe he will survive a home defeat against the Central Americans in their World Cup qualifier.

Marcela Mora y Araujo in Argentina




Diego Maradona must bear the hopes of a nation once again as he faces his first competitive game in charge of Argentina.

All eyes on Maradona as his competitive reign begins in earnest.

Europe: 2010 World Cup Qualifying Preview



Italy will be seeking a morale-boosting victory at lowly Montenegro on Saturday to help show that the apparent decline of its clubs in European competition doesn't mean a successful World Cup defense is impossible.

General Preview

Raymond Domenech must harness France's creative forces




The France manager has yet to win over a skeptical public nor loosen the shackles on his talented side.

Burley Right to Concentrate on Iceland




It is not the game in Holland that will decide Scotland's World Cup fate – Wednesday's visit of Iceland is far more important.

The Joy of Six: Great Midfields




From France's Magic Square to Everton's title-winning quartet of 1984-85, here are half a dozen foursomes that bossed the middle.

2010 World Cup Qualifying Previews: El Salvador vs. U.S.

Who: United States vs. El Salvador

What:
World Cup 2010 qualifying, CONCACAF final round

When:
9 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 28

Where:
Estadio Cuscatlán; San Salvador, El Salvador

TV:
ESPN2 and Telefutura
Preview

Carlisle:
U.S. midfield aims to disrupt El Salvador's rhythm.


Rogers: What To Watch

U.S. vs. El Salvador
Saturday
San Salvador, El Salvador
9 p.m. ET, ESPN2, ESPN360

U.S. vs. Trinidad & Tobago
April 1
LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.
7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Premier League title run in: Liverpool throw race open after Aston Villa destruction



Liverpool's stunning recent form means Manchester United now face a real fight to retain their Premier League crown.


MANCHESTER UNITED
Played 29
Goal Difference 31
Points 65






PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

April 5 Aston Villa H.
April 11 Sunderland A.
April 22 Portsmouth H.
April 25 Tottenham H.
May 2 Middlesbrough A.
May 9 Manchester City H.
May 16 Arsenal H.
May 24 Hull A.
TBC Wigan A.

Key game: April 25, Tottenham H. Tottenham's impressive record against the top four will make this a vital game for United. Arsenal at Old Trafford is obviously huge, as is the derby, but the Spurs game cannot be underestimated.

Goal.commentary: Breaking Down The United States




Goal.com's Noah Davis takes a closer look at the U.S. roster called in by coach Bob Bradley for the next two qualifying matches.

Norman Hubbard: Time Running Out for Robinho




Sometimes a missed penalty can be more than just a simple failure to score from 12 yards. It can be indicative of a misplaced confidence and the errors of preferential treatment. It can epitomise a wider malaise and provoke an inquest into the taker's actual merit.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco says he'll leave Chicago Fire




"I'm leaving this year," Blanco said. "My contract will be done, and I will leave happy because I have great teammates. It's a decision I made. I'm going to look for other options."

Manchester City plan swoop for Franck Ribery and Thierry Henry




The club are determined to mount a sustained assault on the Barclays Premier League’s established top four and have identified the France players as their leading targets in the pursuit of Champions League football.

Donovan Says He's Learned From Bayern



Donovan will feature for the U.S in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago and the 27-year-old said on Monday his latest spell in the Bundesliga had made him a better player.

Betting firm drops Merson from ad campaign


A bookmaker has dropped gambling addict and former Arsenal star Paul Merson from its advertising campaign. Ian Hogg, managing director of Better, said the decision was made after the firm received "lots" of complaints.





What's next? A Carling advert featuring Gazza???

Capello Urges Rooney to Calm Down





"What were you doing punching the corner flag? You're a crazy man, a crazy man," he reportedly told Rooney.

AFRICAN QUALIFYING PREVIEW: Africa's elite aiming to impress



While next year's World Cup hosts, South Africa, must satisfy themselves with a friendly at home to Norway this weekend, the best 20 sides in Africa get on with the real business of seeing who will qualify for next year's Nations Cup and World Cup events.

Whelan: Mike Ashley Has Ruined Newcastle




Wigan owner Dave Whelan claims his Newcastle counterpart Mike Ashley has driven the north-east club to the brink of relegation from the Premier League.








Mike Ashley? No Class? What??

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Raphael Honigstein in Germany




Bayern Munich finally kept a clean sheet at home to rein in an unimaginative Hertha Berlin at the top of the Bundesliga.

Hertha not sitting quite so pretty after Bayern win ugly.

Eduardo Alvarez in Spain




Andalucía rises to prominence.

Amy Lawrence Column



It is no coincidence that England and the Republic of Ireland have coaches who made their reputations in Serie A – here's why Italians make the best gaffers.

Italian lessons.

Leaked Photos: Premier League 2009/10 Kits



The Spoiler’s
Richard Gilzene has gathered together and assessed prototype designs of what the Big Four may be wearing next season.

Enjoy, and prepare to laugh at the hideous garment Manchester Utd may be forced to wear while on tour…

Gabrielle Marcotti Column




The Clough phenomenon, Crouch's wages and Rome's legal failures.

Robinho prepared to sue Pelé over drug allegations


Local media reported that Pelé told a court in Brazil, where he is appearing in a case that involves his son, Edinho, who has confessed to being addicted to cocaine, that “it is unfair to talk about drugs in football because of just one or two cases, like Ronaldo and Robinho, who had that problem”.


I guess Ronaldo doesn't have a problem with it...

Marquez Breaks Silence, Speaks About Red Card, State Of El Tri




In an interview with FIFA.com, Mexico skipper Rafael Marquez said the national team has a "deep-rooted problem" but is confident of Mexico's chances of qualifying for 2010 World Cup.

The 50 Greatest Leeds United Players






The Rest

Quotes & Chants of the Week

"We had some bad experiences flying with Blackburn. On one occasion one of the lads actually wet himself."
Robbie Savage reveals life wasn't all plane sailing for one of his former colleagues.

"Arsene Wenger wrote a nice card and Alex Ferguson said he wanted to see me back in the dug-out soon and told me to back one of his horses at Cheltenham. I did and it came fourth. Thanks Alex, just what I needed to relax!"
Joe Kinnear, back cracking the gags after his heart op.

"Well, the paint has finally dried at Upton Park."
Setanta commentator at the final whistle after a painfully boring game against WBA.

"If United don't lose then it will be really difficult to catch them."
Javier Mascherano on goal.com. Difficult? More like impossible.

"Where were you when you were ****?"
Man City fans to Chelsea supporters.
"Where were you when you were poor?"
Chelsea fans hit back

"Scoring his first goal for Preston North End, Number 20, Ben Turner!"
After Coventry City defender Ben Turner scored an own goal at Deepdale!

The Rest

Americans On The Continent: Ironclad Carlos



Carlos Bocanegra and the Rennes defense continued their league-best defensive form, drawing 0-0 against Valenciennes at home. It was rather quiet around the continent for the rest of the Americans with many players injured or benched for the weekend.

Paolo Bandini in Italy



Roma and Lazio have lost more ground in the table after further rumblings about their 'dangerous' stadium.

Knives are out for Roman football, off the pitch as well as on it.

Sid Lowe in Spain




Abel Resino was supposed to bring to an end the cliques and the infighting at the Calderón – but Atlético remain a complete shambles.

The helmsman has changed but Atlético Madrid remain a complete shipwreck.

Four Top Clubs Coming To America This Summer




Four of the top clubs teams in the world will be in the United States this summer for the inaugural World Football Challenge. The teams will compete in a round robin format that is slated to begin on July 19th and conclude on July 26th.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Been Traveling

Normal service to resume tomorrow. -Sanford