SIR BOBBY ROBSON: 1933-2009

Former England manager Sir Bobby Robson has passed away at the age of 76, having finally lost a long battle against cancer.

Robson, who distinguished himself first during a lengthy tenure that put Ipswich Town back on the map with FA Cup and UEFA Cup wins in 1978 and 1982 respectively, took on the England job and led them to the semi finals of the World Cup in 1990. A spell on the continent included jobs at PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, FC Porto and Barcelona before a return to his North-East roots at Newcastle United in 1999.

The Heart and Soul of English Football
Sir Bobby Robson Factfile
Great Man, Fabulous Manager

Adrian Mutu ordered to pay Chelsea £14.7m for breach of contract

Adrian Mutu is facing a bill in excess of £14.6m after a Fifa compensation award to Chelsea was upheld by sport's highest court. The sum was for Mutu's breach of contract relating to his having tested positive for using cocaine in September 2004.

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Friday's Rumours



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Friday MLS Forecast: Week 20

Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis will feel the effects of a rule he lobbied to change during the offseason this weekend in Chicago as the Forecast tries to keep on rolling this weekend.

Dutch Eredivisie Preview: Round 1

The Eredivisie returns following the summer break, and an exciting first round awaits…

Football Safaris Will Be Popular At 2010 World Cup

Some visitors to South Africa for the World Cup will be spending a great deal of time lounging peacefully on a terrace, watching the elephants, leopards and antelopes gather at the watering hole.

English Angle: Kolo Toure, The Last Invincible - How The Legends Left Arsenal

As the last member of the league-winning Gunners of 2004 left for the greener pastures of Man City yesterday, Goal.com's Alan Dawson looks back at the impact of each of the previous departures had on the club...

Aguirre Names El Tri Squad for U.S. game

More than half of the Mexico team that won the Gold Cup will face the United States again on Aug. 12 in a critical World Cup qualifier at Azteca Stadium.

Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (America), Jose de Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul).

Defenders: Efrain Juarez (Pumas), Jose Antonio Castro (Tigres), Ricardo Osorio (Stuttgart), Carlos Salcido (PSV Eindhoven), Oscar Rojas (America), Rafael Marquez (Barcelona), Jonny Magallon (Chivas), Aaron Galindo (Chivas).

Midfielders: Israel Castro (Pumas), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Cuautemoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), Andres Guardado (Deportivo La Coruna), Alberto Medina (Chivas).

Forwards: Miguel Sabah (Morelia), Giovani Dos Santos (Tottenham), Carlos Vela (Arsenal), Guillermo Franco (no team), Nery Castillo (Shakhtar Donetsk)

Look-A-Likes of the Week: Massimo Ambrosini and Peter Stormare

Scary German in Fargo.







Scary Italian in Milan.







Cheers to Nick in Pasadena!

Goal.com Player Profile: Kolo Toure

The last of Arsenal's legendary 'Invincibles' has left the Gunners. Goal.com's Owen Watson profiles Kolo Touré as he joins the Citizens of Manchester...

Marina Hyde: It's Sir Alex to you in Premier League's Upstairs, Downstairs

To the gilded corridors of the Premier League, where the etiquette is so rarefied it makes the court of Louis Quatorze look like a free-for-all. This week's lesson in protocol came from Sir Alex Ferguson, who was once again moved to explain the difference between Man U and Man non-U, as Manchester City must henceforth be known.

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Thursday's Rumours



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Now Arsène Wenger has all this money, what will he do with it?

Fans are clamouring for a big signing after the sale of Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Adebayor has put £39m into Arsenal's coffers.

MLS All-Star Game: Everton Win on Penalties

Everton managed a dramatic 4-3 shootout win over the host Major League Soccer All-Star squad in a match that wasn’t a fluid one, but created much interest among the sellout crowd at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.

Davis: Howard's star shines brightest

Top 10 Crazy Inter Swap Deals

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto’o have traded clubs in a blockbuster exchange between Barcelona and Inter. Carlo Garganese looks back at the Top 10 crazy Inter swap deals…





Inter got this clown. Milan got Pirlo...

English Angle: Can Man City's Tactical Spending Usurp Arsenal?

First Emmanuel Adebayor, now Kolo Toure... Goal.com's Alan Dawson examines the nature of Mark Hughes' spending.

McCarthy's Musings: MLS All-Star Game Preview

The MLS All-Stars will take on English Premier League side Everton tonight at Rio Tinto Stadium in the 2009 MLS All-Star Game. Kyle McCarthy welcomes back a special Wednesday edition of the Friday Five to preview the showcase fixture.

Jonathan Wilson in Russia

The weight of history - both on and off the pitch - stands between Dynamo Moscow and Champions League success.

Celtic stand in the way as Dynamo search for an answer to Russia's European conundrum.

Quotes & Chants of the Week

"Liverpool have The Beatles and Manchester have Oasis. I think Manchester has the better band."
Cristiano Ronaldo is not such a big Fab Four fan.

"I don't like John Terry and I never have. He's got funny eyes and he's a cry baby. He's also a Cockney."
Man City fan Noel Gallagher is uncharacteristically outspoken as he list the reasons why he doesn't want John Terry at Eastlands.

"At the end of the day we got the three points."
Jaime Moreno of DC United describing a win......in a cup semi final!

"I thought Cristiano played a lot better in the second half."
Jerzy Dudek after Ronaldo's debut against Shamrock Rovers, where he was taken off at half-time!

The Rest

Clough Times at Derby

Derby County manager Nigel Clough paused and momentarily collected his thoughts before commenting on the arrival of former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson as director of football at nearby Notts County.

"I hope Ian McParland is happy with it because after all he is the manager," Clough eventually told me as we talked football in the comfortable surrounds of his office at his club's Moor Farm training facility.

"I would like to see Sven at Accrington Stanley on a Tuesday night, see if he fancies going up there to watch his team."

Accrington Stanley (not on a Tuesday night)...

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Wednesday's Rumours





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All-Stars seek to protect perfect record against foreign clubs

So what if Major League Soccer's showcase night, just like other sports' All-Star events, is usually more sizzle than steak? It can still be fun.

Rio Tinto Stadium is the venue for Major League Soccer's 14th All-Star contest, this one against Everton (Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN360.com), a club aspiring to heavyweight status in the venerable English Premier League.

Defoe spends five hours in cell after police error

"Then, to add insult to injury, upon his release the police refused to give Mr Defoe his car back until he produced his documents and stated they were not sure where they had put the vehicle.

Martin Rogers: USA Shouldn't Be Too Bummed About Mexico Rout

The real effect of Sunday’s result is in the way that it sets the scene for the World Cup qualifier between the U.S. and Mexico at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on Aug. 12. That game will be the biggest either team will play ahead of the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer.

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Tuesday's Rumours





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Manchester City close on Kolo Touré but Joleon Lescott remains elusive

Touré's move would appear more straightforward, with Arsenal expected to accept a fee in the region of £15m. Hughes picked Touré out in January and his interest in the player resurfaced following Terry's decision to commit his future to Chelsea. Should Touré agree to join, he would be City's first defensive signing in a summer when the club have spent close to £70m on their forward line.

Fiorentina Reconsidering Swoop For Sao Paulo’s Miranda

With Fiorentina making no secret of their desire to bring in a top central defender before the start of the season, it seems the Viola are ready to turn their attentions back to Sao Paulo's Miranda, after making heavy work in luring current targets Luisao and Diego Lugano to the Franchi.











So it's a little slow at the moment...cut me some slack.

Spanish Inquisition: Barcelona & Real Madrid - Who Has The Better First XI Now?

Last season Barca's first eleven proved itself to be the indisputable leader both in Spain and the continent, while Madrid struggled in their wake and also in Europe.

But with significant changes at the Santiago Bernabeu, could it be different this time around?

Take a look:

Monday MLS Breakdown: Wild Weekend Leads Into All-Star Game

After perhaps the most entertaining weekend of MLS play this season, the focus shifts to Salt Lake City ahead of Wednesday's All-Star Game. Kyle McCarthy takes us through a couple of issues surrounding the buildup to the match before recapping all that was in Week 19.

Claudio Lopez's Sweet Strike

Tim Vickery in South America

It's not often that Bolivian football makes headlines all over the world, but that's what happened last week after a player made his first division debut a few days before his 13th birthday.

David Beckham has confrontation with another fan

The latest incident saw the 34-year-old exchange words with a male in the crowd, who was wearing an England shirt, during the Galaxy's 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday.

Peter Crouch joins Harry Redknapp for a third time

Peter Crouch is expected to have a medical today to complete his move from Portsmouth to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Big Interview: Sir Alex Ferguson refuses to accept 'small club' Manchester City as a threat

'City don't even come into the equation. They are a small club with a small mentality. All they can talk about is us'





Sparky and Fergie back in the day...

What have we learned from Chelsea's American tale?

A new tactical approach, a squad meshing nicely and a warm US reception – Chelsea's pre-season has been something to write home about.

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Monday's Rumours



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CONCACAF Gold Cup Final: United States 0 - 5 Mexico

As the green-clad fans rocked Giants Stadium, game MVP Dos Santos and Carlos Vela scored 5 minutes apart despite several brilliant saves by Troy Perkins. Indeed, it seemed the goalkeeper was the only American on the field during the 11-minute blitz in which Mexico's attackers could have sprinted all the way back to Azteca Stadium without being touched. The fiesta was on.

Winners and Losers

Player Ratings


Ives: U.S. turns into tired and overwhelmed mess

Trecker: Big game nerves once again U.S.'s undoing