Bale Magic, Liverpool Loss, Gus Johnson, FA Cup Previews, Giving Up Football to Have More Sex, Quiniela

That Gareth Bale. He really is something. He's the biggest thing since sliced bread. Two lovely free-kicks by the Welsh Wizard gave Spurs a win in their Europa League match at The Lane against Lyon. Liverpool were not so lucky. Their miserable week continued with a loss up in St. Petersburg. Hulk scored one and Semak got the other as the hosts won 2-0. Andy Hunter was at Petrovsky Stadium. Thankfully, there were no reports of racism.

Newcastle are still alive in Europe, but things didn't go so well for them yesterday either. They had two goals incorrectly disallowed (one wasn't even close) for offside and their match at St. James' Park against Metalist finished scoreless. Let's see. What else? Chelsea won on the road, Inter Milan won, and Victoria Plzen shocked Napoli 0-3. Here's complete review all the action.



It is Friday (yes!) so we've got The Joy of Six. Today's edition is a bit odd. It's Peculiar Reasons to Give Up Football. Who said this:  "I have given up football for sex," he said. "I wouldn't sign for another club even if they gave me £10m, but it would be different if they were to offer me 15 different women from across the world. I would tell the club chairman: 'Please let me make these women happy – I will satisfy them like they have never been satisfied.' Nowadays, every time I think about football I feel like throwing up."  ??

Right. Enough of that. Sid Lowe is still thinking about Wednesday's match in Madrid. Here are his thoughts. Per usual from Sid, they are interesting thoughts. Speaking of the match on Wednesday, we didn't really comment on Gus Johnson's performance. We will now. We didn't like it. It was everything we feared. Too melodramatic, too much hyperbole, too loud. When he didn't talk, we enjoyed it. Add Warren Barton to the mix and you've got a disgusting cocktail on your hands. Toss it and get a beer. Hopefully this "experiment" won't last too long. Let's just say we're looking forward to the FA Cup this weekend. Unless David Pleat is on the mic, that is...

So, the FA Cup. The storied competition. A headline: Chelsea playing catch-up; Man City face Leeds; Luton host Lions. A preview. It's primarily fifth-round matches but Chelsea do have a fourth-round replay against League One's Brentford. Lawro's got some predictions.

David Beckham is in Paris. David Beckham is living fat.

Eduardo Alvarez knows what's up in La Liga. He's got his Quiniela in case you want to place some bets on the matches in Spain. As we reported earlier in the week, the race for the title is over, but there is plenty to battle for in terms of European spots. Check it.

The fixture list in Serie A is far more exciting. Michael Bradley's Roma host leaders Juventus whiel Fiorentina welcome Inter Milan to Florence. Here's a preview. Can't wait until tomorrow to get your live footy fix? You can watch AC Milan vs. Parma this afternoon at 2:45pm EST on beIN Sport USA.

Roberto Mancini says we just don't understand. Oh, we understand, all right. You will not retain the title with that group of mercenaries.

We'll finish on a sad note with a return to the FA Cup. In 1985, Luton and Millwall played (as they will tomorrow) and a riot ensued. It most likely prevented England from hosting Euro '88.


Off you go. Enjoy the weekend.

Onward!!

-SSN

Madrid and United in Exciting Draw, Europa League, Tim Vickery in Brazil, Football Weekly Extra

Get a room...

Well, that was quite entertaining. Real Madrid had the better run of play, but United certainly had their chances and in the end a 1-1 draw seemed pretty darn fair. There were also some glaring non-calls. Once, Phil Jones totally steamrolled some Madrid dude in the box. Then, Danny Wellbeck was obviously held when he was about to explode in on goal. No calls for either of them. Man of the Match? We'd vote for David de Gea. The Madrid native played like all of his family were in the stands watching. He was simply outstanding. There are obviously loads of reports and opinion pieces. We'll just make a list:

Henry Winter at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

Phil McNulty at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

Daniel Taylor at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

Sid Lowe on the Spanish Press Reaction

Talking Points

Player Ratings

There actually was another Champions League match yesterday out in Ukraine. Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Dortmund drew 2-2. Uhh, we didn't watch that one but apparently there was some pretty sweet action. Like this lovely number from Douglas Costa.

Chelsea enjoy Prague...

There's more action in Europe today. The Europa League is back in action. Liverpool have to go to St. Petersburg and all the talk is over fears of racially motivated insanity. They are the The Most Racist Club, you know.

Elsewhere, Tottenham and Chelsea are in action, along with a slew of other top clubs like Napoli, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Newcastle. Well, maybe Newcastle shouldn't be included in that group.

Speaking of Inter Milan, James Horncastle wants us to know about their new man: Mateo Kovacic.

Football Weekly Extra! Yes! Here: It's Valentine's Day, so James Richardson has Pedro Pinto, James Horncastle and Tom Lutz making up an extra sexy line-up of pundits and putting the 'ooh' and indeed 'ahh' into this this edition of Football Weekly Extra. We start with the fun and frolics in the Bernabéu, where Manchester United's away goal surely gives them the edge over Real Madrid ahead of the second leg in a fortnight's time. Sid Lowe gives his view, before heading off for some quality time with his laptop. (Note to Sid: this is music like it used to be). Next, we welcome Iain Macintosh to the pod for the first time as he analyses Borussia Dortmund's draw with Shakhtar Donestk, before we mop up all that business with PSG and Valencia and Celtic's chastening by Juventus. Still, at least they can concentrate on the league now. Finally, we finish off by summoning all the enthusiasm we can for a less-than-glamorous looking bunch of fixtures for the fifth round of the FA Cup. But, on this day in particular, remember that it's not looks that count.

Finally, Tim Vickery is in Brazil talking about their big tournament: Copa Libertadores.

That looks to be it for today. Dig it.

Onward!!

-SSN

Phil Ball in Spain, Champions League, Gazza Trouble, Millwall Racist Arrested, More Americans Abroad

Yesterday we posted the gross video from the Millwall/Leeds match that featured plenty of racist language aimed at Leeds' El Hadji Diouf. At least some good has happened thanks to that Sky Sport report. One of the assholes has been arrested.

Moving on to lighter fare. It's time to catch up with Phil Ball. He's still bouncing about Spain, checking out venues that are new to him. And us. This week he reports on his journey to Zaragoza and the Romareda. This time, Phil makes a big mistake: Estas provocando, cabrón! (You're provoking us, b*****d!) he informs me, purple-faced with rage. Si aplaudes otra vez, te mato! (If you applaud again, I'll kill you!) he adds, jabbing his finger at my nose.

OK, so maybe that wasn't much lighter...

Champions League! Yesterday, the darlings at Celtic tried admirably to hold their own against Juventus but ultimately failed. They went down at home 0-3 so surely their time in the big time is over for now. Ewan Murray was at Celtic Park. In the other match, Ibra saw red (idiot!) but PSG won on the road 1-2 so they look set to advance as well. Here's a look back at yesterday's action.

Today's big match? Why, it's Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Borussia Dortmund. Hah! So funny. We're all laughing out loud over here at SSN Headquarters.

No, it's obviously Real Madrid vs. Manchester United. It's also Gus Johnson's maiden voyage. We are very curious to see how it plays. Sid Lowe is focusing on United's Spanish keeper De Gea and his audition at the Bernabéu. Everyone wants to talk about Ferguson & Mourinho and their upcoming battle. And their "friendship." And by everyone we mean Phil McNulty and Marina Hyde.

Here's a preview. And another. Both matches get going at 2:45pm EST. The action from Madrid is on Fox Soccer Channel and the action from Ukraine on Fox Soccer plus. Here's even more hype.

Right! How about another look at Americans Abroad? This one includes DeMarcus Beasley's heroics over the weekend in Mexico. The Indiana native notched two for Puebla.

Paul Gascoigne is struggling again. The legend is now in rehab in Arizona, apparently. Things have not been going well. According to someone, he was downing two litres of gin and 15 cans of Stella a day, along with shooting cocaine. Here's a sad video and all the sordid info.

Well, that's going to do it for today. We're going to try to get away to see how Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Gus Johnson perform later. We hope you can, too.

Onward!!

-SSN

Champions League Returns, Americans Abroad, Liverpool Lose, Sky Sports Racism Report

Man. What a night and what a morning. The office is in chaos, and we're way behind on everything. He's the scoop. The Champions League is back. Today we're got Celtic vs. Juventus and Valencia vs. Paris St. Germain. Here's a preview of how it all looks. Per usual, matches begin at 2:45pm EST. Celtic/Juve is on FSC and Valencia/PSG is on FSPlus. Let's get it on!

Sid Lowe is in Madrid waiting eagerly for the Real/Manchester United match that'll have the world watching tomorrow afternoon. He's talking The Special One and what it would mean for him to win another European title.

Wait! Is the balance of power shifting in Europe?

Yanks Abroad. It's been awhile. Here's what the big names are doing in Europe at the moment.

Liverpool and West Brom played last night. Liverpool had loads and loads of chances. And they lost 0-2 at Anfield. Suarez had a nice dive to win a penalty but Stevie G failed to convert. We were discussing this at SSN Headquarters yesterday. There has to be something in the back of a player's head as he steps up to take the penalty knowing that it was undeserved. It seems like the ones that are saved are often the ones that never should have been given. Just a thought. Chris Bascombe was at Anfield and filed this report.

We don't like Samir Nasri.

But that's nothing compared what we think of these morons: 

And that's your sad lot for this Tuesday. Enjoy the matches later...

Onward!!

-SSN

Inter's Turn For Racism, Nigeria Top In Africa, League Titles Decided in England, Spain, Germany, Monday Night Football

Off we go with a new week and we always enjoy doing so with The Fifth Official. He/she is a complete prick but therein lies the fun.

Off to Italy now where Inter Milan fans joined the fun yesterday by singing racially abusive songs directed at Mario Balotelli. And he wasn't even there. Inter were playing Chievo but since their former striker has returned to his homeland to ply his trade, some of the Nerazzurri decided it was time to have a go. Fuck. You.

In nicer news, Nigeria won the African Cup of Nations on Sunday thanks to this goal from Sunday:



Jonathan Wilson reviews all the action from the final in South Africa in this report. He also takes a look at Nigeria's coach and offers us his Team of the Tournament.

Title races. Well, we basically have to go to Serie A to find one that's still in the balance. Manchester United most likely wrapped up the race in the EPL with their win over Everton yesterday. Actually, it wasn't so much their win, but Manchester City's pathetic showing against Southampton on Saturday. The Blues were simply dreadful. The icing on the cake of a horrific performance was Gareth Barry's calm and composed finish. Past his own keeper. Yikes! United won't let this one slip. Certainly not two years in a row. That's done. Phil McNulty is sure of it.

Meanwhile, in Spain, Barcelona's 6-1 smashing of Getafe coupled with Atlético Madrid's loss to Rayo Vallecano means the gap is now 12 in La Liga. (Meanwhile, Real Madrid slammed Sevilla). That's done.

And up in Germany, Borussia Dortmund were hammered at home by Hamburg (1-4) while Bayern Munich swatted Schalke away (4-0) to increase the gap at the top to 14 points. That's done.

In Italy, Juventus beat Fiorentina (2-0) and Napoli could only draw at Lazio (1-1) so that gap is now five. Not insurmountable, be any means.

It's all about the races for European spots, now!

Back to England. Here are some goodies:

10 Talking Points

Tottenham 2 - 1 Newcastle

Kevin Palmer at White Hart Lane

Manchester United 2 - 0 Everton

Andy Hunter at Old Trafford

Sunderland 0 - 1 Arsenal

Luke Edwards at the Stadium of Light

There's more action in the EPL tonight as Liverpool host West Brom. Here's your preview.

And let's terminate today's talk with some Monday musings from Marcotti...

Onward!!

-SSN

Rooney & RVP, ACN, Previews, The Joy of Six, Everton, Lawro vs. Hulk Hogan

Barney Ronay is a great writer. One of our favorites. Today, he's got a column on Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie. Here's his lead: Manchester United pair stand near each other and score goals for the same team, but each carries a distinct, individual threat. Yes. Yes, they do. And it looks like they'll bring the trophy back to Old Trafford this season.

Can Everton really make the top four in the Premier League? They currently sit fifth. Tactician Expert Michael Cox takes a look at what's been going on at Goodison Park this campaign.

Jonathan Wilson is in South Africa. He's talking about The Faso. The Burkina Faso, that is. They'll face South Africa in the final of the ACN on Sunday. They've proven they can play with the big boys.

Germany defeated France yesterday in Paris. It was only a friendly, but it was the Germans first win in France since 1935. 1935! OK, so they won their fair share in France in WWII (ouch!), but we're talking about football here, folks. Anyway, Raphael Honigstein knows his Germany. So who were the winners and losers of yesterday's contest?

The USA lost to Honduras on Wednesday. You already knew that. Here's some more analysis for ya.

Record of Manchester United with Mark Halsey in charge: Won 18 Drawn 3 Lost 0 - Goals for 47 Against 11

Right. What have we got in terms of matches this weekend? Let's begin in England, shall we? Manchester United vs. Everton looks good on paper but the match is at Old Trafford and we can't see them dropping points at home. Look who will be the ref! Paul Merson disagrees. Check his predictions below to see why. The early match tomorrow is Tottenham vs. Newcastle (7:45am EST on ESPN2). That one could offer up some solid action. Newcastle just bought 36 French guys to boost their squad while Spurs don't have any strikers. Still, Bale is on fire and Clint is returning to form. It should be a tight contest. Here's a preview for all the EPL action followed by your usual Friday fun.

Premier League Spotlight

Ten Things to Look Out For

Lawro and Hulk Hogan's Predictions

Paul Merson's Predictions

Moving on! Italy! Yes, Serie A action will be taking place this weekend. Juventus vs. Fiorentina looks to be exciting. Lazio/Napoli might be nice. Here's a preview. Over in Spain, they'll be out and about as well. Leaders Barcelona host Getafe while Real Madrid welcome Sevilla. Preview? Yes. 

The Joy of Six: Tales From the Boot Room! You don't need any more intro than that!

Bleh! That'll do! Enjoy the weekend.

Onward!!

-SSN

USA Defeat, Mexico Draw, England Victory, African Cup of Nations Semis, Carragher to Retire

There's only once place to begin today and that's in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Team USA lost after some poor defending allowed the hosts a late goal. It looked set for a draw, which would have been a good result for the Yanks, but it wasn't to be. The game featured two lovely goals, though. The first a glorious volley by Clint Dempsey from a Jermaine Jones pass, and the second a spectacular bicycle kick from Juan Carlos Garcia. Grant Wahl says the pressure is now on Klinsmann big time. And we agree. There's been nothing to indicate any improvement from the previous regime.

Here are the U.S. Player Ratings. And Grant's Three Thoughts. And more U.S. Player Ratings.

Little Boy Jamie...

There was a bit of a shock at the Azteca last night as Mexico failed to score and drew with Jamaica. We were already in bed so didn't se the match. Apparently Los Tri were booed heavily. Good. Wankers.

And then there were two. Nigeria and Burkina Faso will battle it out for the African Cup of Nations title. Nigeria began the day by defeating Mali. Later, The Fasos (?) ousted Ghana in a shootout. The final is set for Sunday at 1pm EST. It'll be streaming on ESPN3.

Meanwhile, there were enough decent match-ups in the world of friendlies yesterday to warrant a wrap-up. Here's a nice one with some video highlights of the bigger clashes such as France/Germany, Netherlands/Italy, and Sweden/Argentina.

Jamie Carragher. Love him or hate him he's had quite a career. We feel like he's been playing forever. Well, he announced this will be it for him once the season is complete. He's 35 and it's certainly the right decision. He tackles are getting later, and later, and later...

Right! That's your lot for the day. More tomorrow when we conclude the week with a bang!

Wait! Beckham is back in his briefs for H&M! Here you go!

Onward!!

-SSN

Honduras vs. USA, Milan Racism, ACN Semis, Bob Bradley in Egypt, Gus Johnson

The road to Brazil continues for the men of the United States National Team this afternoon in Honduras. Things get going at 4pm EST and you can watch all the fun on beIN Sport USA. Mexico and Jamaica clash later tonight at 9:30pm EST and that one is on ESPN2. There are also a few friendlies of note (England/Brazil, France/Germany, Sweden/Argentina, Netherlands/Italy, Spain/Uruguay) but they are simply friendlies and therefore a complete waste of time. Back to the match that matters, here's a preview. And here's Grant Wahl's look at the match.

Sticking with Grant Wahl, he's got an interview with former USMNT gaffer, Bob Bradley. Bradley remains in Egypt after all the insane-o shit that's gone down there. It makes for an interesting read.

More sad, stupid news from Italy. This time the idiot in question is Burlesconi. No, not that asshole, his brother. Paolo, not Silvio. Anyway, he was talking about Mario Balotelli and he said this: OK, we are all off to see the family's little nigger. He's a crazy head. All the young ladies are invited as well – you can even have a chance to meet the president [Silvio Berlusconi]." So, right. OK, then. Stay classy.

Gus Johnson is going to be gracing our footie airwaves soon. Fox want him to be the "voice of American soccer". He'll do the Madrid/ United Champions League game and the Bayern/Arsenal CL match. He'll also get the FA Cup Final and the Champions League Final. The SSN staff is in agreement: Not Cool. Johnson and his hyperbole can stick to basketball. That said, we're willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. This quote, in particular, gives us hope: "Look, of course, we are concerned," (Fox executive) Shanks said. "But we would not be doing this if we did not think that Gus was putting the time, effort and energy into doing a broadcast that appeals to the people listening to Martin Tyler and Ian Darke. We will work to be as good as those guys but by no means does Gus think he is Martin Tyler or Ian Darke at this point. He will continue to get better and he will make sure he's telling the true story of a match as it happens, and telling it with Gus's voice, which a lot of people love. By no means is this meant to be a sideshow."

So, we shall see. It will be a bit of a shock to hear him call matches, that's for sure. Hopefully he'll settle in quickly.

We're down to the semi-finals in the African Cup of Nations. Burkina Faso face Ghana and it's already underway between Mali and Nigeria.

Do you know who we hate? Besides, John Terry, of course. Why, it's his pal Ashley Cole. He's cretinous, really. But, but, but, he's a great player. Phil McNulty writes about him here on the occasion of the wanker's 100th cap for England.

We'll finish by acknowledging that friendlies can be fun. Here are a few things to look for today.

Onward!!

-SSN

The Hex, Match Fixing, Scribes, Aston Villa, MLS to Europe, Ivory Coast

Right. Sorry, we had to attend this yesterday and with party obligations Sunday night, we were unable to get a post out yesterday. Excuses, excuses...

So this match fixing shit. It's not really new news. If you've been paying attention, all of this has come out already. Europol simply finally finished their investigation and issued a report. So that's that. Well, almost. Henry Winter has written something about it and Henry Winter is a damn fine writer so let's read what he wrote.

Phil Ball is in Spain and he went somewhere he's never been. He hit the Coliseum Alfonso Perez at Getafe for their match against Deportivo de La Coruña. As always, it's a great read. Sid Lowe is over there, too. El Sid decided to focus on Atlético Madrid and the excellent season they are enjoying. Atlético are now seven points clear of Real and nine behind Barcelona.

World Cup Qualifying! The Hexagonal gets underway tomorrow as the United States head to San Pedro Sula to face Honduras. The Washington Post's Steve Goff is already there and he sent this postcard. Grant Wahl is probably there as well. He's got this preview of the entire Hex.

Brek Shea is the latest MLS product to jump across the pond. Additionally, Sporting Kansas City attacker Kei Kamara will be joining up with Norwich City on loan, and D.C. United’s Andy Najar has been sold to Belgian side Anderlecht. Jeff Carlisle takes a look at the domestic league and the strides being made.

Mega crisis, indeed!

Ivory Coast's golden generation falls short at Cup of Nations again. That's the headline from Jonathan Wilson down in South Africa. The Elephants lost to Nigeria in the quarterfinals. Didier Drogba. Yaya Toure. Gervinho. Salomon Kalou. Emmanuel Eboué. Cheik Tioté. Didier Zokora. All of these guys are experienced in top-level football. And yet they've fallen short yet again.

Aston Villa. It's a massive club with loads of supporters. It's also in big trouble because the Villains currently sit in the relegation zone and have been leaking goals for fun. Georgina Turner takes a look at what ails the storied club and if it can be saved from a trip down to The Championship.

We should probably give Paolo and Raphael some airtime. We've got to know what's going on in Serie A and the Bundesliga, after all. Paolo was actually Stateside for the Super Bowl but he knows that Balotelli scored twice for Milan on his debut. Meanwhile, Rafa reports that Schalke are in a "mega crisis." Yaahoo! We get to use the photo!

There's also The Podcast to contend with. Here's your intro: On today's Football Weekly, James Richardson is joined by Gregg Bakowski, Simon Burnton and the one and only Fernando Duarte, and it's a doozy - at 57 (fifty-seven)-and-a-bit minutes long. Woof. We start with all the fun and frolics of the Premier League, where Manchester City had to conjure up some Sergio Agüero-shaped magic to rescue a point against a very impressive Liverpool, Newcastle's French connection inflicted another defeat on Chelsea, and Aston Villa finally showed some fight. Next, we catch up on all the Brazilian football news that you could possibly want to hear. They're playing England in a friendly this week, since you asked. Finally, there's Sid Lowe on the doping scandal engulfing Spain, Jonathan Wilson on the Africa Cup of Nations, where Ivory Coast have failed again, and some much-needed love for Watford, who - would you believe it - didn't always play in yellow ...

Let's finish today by watching someone do something really stupid:


Onward!!

-SSN

Sterling Charged With Assault, Transfers Done, The Joy of Six, Previews, ACN

We'll start with some sad news today. Liverpool's Raheem Sterling has been charged with assaulting a woman. Sterling denies the allegation and plans to plead not guilty. So, let's hope he's telling the truth.

On to more positive news. There is another Yank Abroad as of yesterday. Everyone's favorite enigma Brek Shea has joined Tony Pubis' Stoke City. We're not big fans of the football Stoke play, but it's great to have another American in the Premier League. Best of luck to Brek.

Awkward...

Now then. What other transfers went down yesterday? Perhaps the funniest is the one that did not. Peter Odemwingie so wanted to move to QPR from West Brom that he simply showed up at Loftus Road. He was not allowed to enter. Even without adding the Nigerian to their books, old 'Arry still managed to drop loads and loads of cash in the transfer window. The deal for Samba broke the club's transfer record for the second time in a two week period. The fee was £12.5m and the contract is worth more than £20m over the four-and-a-half-year deal. Don't people realize that Harry Redknapp has done this over and over again? If QPR are relegated, they're screwed! Pompey, anyone? Unbelievable. Paul Hayward agrees: "A few days ago they were blaming the high-rollers. Queens Park Rangers had hired too many mercenaries. There was only one thing for it. Hire some different high-rollers, on even more money, and to hell with the long-term cost."

The Telegraph has a nice interactive thingy and a listing of everything that happened yesterday. Have at it. Also, Phil McNulty gives us his verdict.

Oh, and Nicolas Anelka has joined Juventus. That's his 35th club. What, you think we're joking? OK, we are. It's not quite his 35th stop. He has only graced PSG, Arsenal, Real Madrid, PSG again, Liverpool, Manchester City, Fenerbahçe, Bolton, Chelsea, Shanghai, and now Juventus. So, just 10.

La Liga. Primera Division. Whatever you want to call it, Eduardo Alvarez has his Quiniela so you know how to bet on the weekend's action. Barcelona head to Valencia and Eduardo predicts they'll lose.

In Italy, everyone has Balotelli fever. Word is he'll play in Milan's match against Udinese on Monday. Elsewhere, Juventus go to Chievo, Inter travel to Siena, and Fiorentina host Parma. Here's your preview.

Let's hit The Joy of Six. Today's edition is Disallowed Goals. Look! Here's one now:


The matches just keep coming, don't they? We love it. In England this weekend, the biggie is Manchester City vs. Liverpool on Sunday. Newcastle vs. Chelsea could be interesting (Ba goes back), as could West Brom vs. Spurs. Here's a complete preview. The other usual suspects are below...

Ten Things To Look Out For

Premier League Spotlight

Paul Merson's Predictions

Grant Wahl interviewed Wesley Sneijder. Does he think Galatasaray can win the Champions League?

Finally, on to the African Cup of Nations. For the first time since 1992, no North African country has made the Final Eight. Stephen Fottrell takes a look.

That's it. We're out. Enjoy the weekend.

Onward!!

-SSN

TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY!!!! (plus other stuff)

"How much for the little girl? How much for the women?"

OMG! OMG! David Beckham has gone to Paris, Christopher Samba has gone to QPR, Danny Graham has gone to Sunderland, Philippe Coutinho has gone to Liverpool, and, and...here's The Mill and here's your Plus One. Geez. Glad that's over and done.

El Clásico! Yes, the Copa del Rey semi-final sits at 1-1 and neither Messi nor Ronaldo scored! Unbelievable! Madrid looked pretty impressive, we have to say. Certainly better than in some of these meetings last year. They were far less ponderous and had a better plan of how to compete. They deserved the draw. Let's see what the experts thought of it all. Sid Lowe was at the Santiago Bernabéu. Graham Hunter was there as well, and sadly has to end his excellent piece with more reports of racist chanting. This time is was some Real Madrid fans making monkey chants at Dani Alves.

Moving on. Wednesday action in the EPL. Arsenal 2 - 2 Liverpool. The always excellent Amy Lawrence was at the Emirates. As was David Hytner.

Reading 2 - 2 Chelsea. Kevin Palmer was at The Madejski Stadium to see the Royals come back to grab a draw.

Manchester United 2 - 1 Southampton. The Reds were poor but win yet again. Alistair Magowan was at Old Trafford.

Peter Berlin has Five Thoughts. And here are your 10 Talking Points. And here's a full review of all of yesterday's action. And how about the current table? Why not?

Here's the official poster...

Grant Wahl's column focuses on the Jozy Altidore incident. Take a look.

Jonathan Wilson has an update on Togo from the African Cup of Nations: An Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final spot was secured in spite of bizarre refereeing, an awful pitch and difficult memories.

We'll keep an eye on the window and report if anything major happens. Peter Crouch to QPR is not major, by the way...

Onward!!

-SSN

Altidore Racially Abused, USA/Canada Drab Draw, EPL Action, Mario Back to Milan

We'll begin our hump day with some crapola. Yank Abroad Jozy Altidore was subjected to monkey chants during his side's Dutch Cup match against Den Bosch. Apparently Jozy handled things quite well, and from the video, it appears the players did also. Dock these teams points. It's the only way it'll stop.

Meanwhile, down in Houston, Jozy's American brothers were BORING. What an awful match. It ended scoreless. Here's a report and some player grades. Bleh. Thankfully, the squad will look very, very different in the upcoming match that matters against Honduras. Grant Wahl has his Three Thoughts.

Do you really have to ask? Dumb Ass.

Back in England, Manchester City failed to score at Loftus Road. QPR didn't score either. It was the final match for Ryan Nelson as he prepares to take over at Toronto FC. The Kiwi got a nice send-off from the home crowd. Dominic Fifield was there. Speaking of Manchester City, it is finally official: Mario Balotelli has moved to AC Milan. The Man-Child is back in Serie A. His antics will be missed, that's certain. Here's a look back at his bizarre ride.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa are in big trouble after losing at home to Newcastle, Stoke and Wigan drew 2-2, and Sunderland and Swansea finished goalless.

Today's menu of matches is far superior. We've got Arsenal vs. Liverpool, Reading vs. Chelsea, Norwich vs. Tottenham, Fulham vs. West Ham, Manchester United vs. Southampton, and Everton vs. West Brom. Here's a preview. And here are Lawro's Predictions and Paul Merson's Predictions.

Competing for air time with the above fixtures is El Clásico. Today's edition takes place at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid and is a Copa del Rey fixture. Here's an interesting piece on the problems facing Real Madrid. And here's a preview of the match.

Wondering what is being shown where and when? Here you go: 

2:45pm

Arsenal vs. Liverpool on Fox Soccer Channel

3pm

Manchester United vs. Southampton on ESPN2

Reading vs. Chelsea on Fox Soccer Plus

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona on beIN Sport USA

Right. So, the Transfer Window is open for one more day. Thank The Lord. Here's The Mill and here's your Plus One. Basically, Balotelli is back at Milan, 'Arry Redknapp wants to buy everyone, and Drogba might not be able to go to Turkey after all. Oh, and Lewis Holtby could be Tottenham's Deal of the Century.

Meanwhile, Martin Samuel looks back at the greed and panic that have graced the January window and thinks it's time to shut it. For good.

Sam Kelly is in Argentina and wants us to know more about Mauro Icardi. We will allow it.

That's about it. Enjoy Wednesday.

Onward!!

-SSN

Phil Ball, USA vs. Canada, EPL Midweek Action, Podcast, ACN, Super Mario

Tuesday. Time to check in with our favorite scribes in select nations around the globe. At the top of the list is Phil Ball. The Englishman who's been in Spain for eons reports this week on La Copa del Rey and the action in the Second Division. It's a nice break from the usual Messi/Ronaldo-dominated fare. Also in Spain is Sid Lowe. El Sid takes time to delve into the issues facing Deportivo de La Coruña and Valencia. Again, it's not all Barcelona and Real Madrid, folks.

Across the Mediterranean in Italy, we've got Paolo Bandini on the case. Today's entry looks at Juventus and their gaffer Conte and the controversy surrounding The Old Lady's draw against Genoa. Paolo also looks at all the rest of the action in Italy's top flight.

Conte = Angry

Let's bounce to Brazil. Tim Vickery is down in the South American behemoth trying to make sense of it all. The hot topic today is the Fabricio Coloccini Affair and why there is little hope of buying big names back from Europe.

The Bundesliga is back, baby. Those lucky enough to ply their trade in Germany's top league get a nice, long winter break. It's finally over, and Raphael Honigstein is ready to bring us up to speed. He starts with a club from one of our favorite cities: Hamburg.

Meanwhile, in The Republic of Texas, the United States Men's Team is preparing to face our neighbors from the Great White North. It's the final prep for Klinmann's men before World Cup Qualifying begins. Jeff Carlisle has a preview. You can check out the match tonight on ESPN2 at 9pm EST.

Mario's headed back to Italy...

Today is January 29. That means the Transfer Window is about to slam its ass shut. Here's The Mill and here's your Plus One. It looks like Balotelli is headed back to Italy and everyone is wondering who Pep will bring to Bayern once he starts to make moves. And Didier Drogba has left China and landed in Turkey. Is Brek Shea going to Stoke?

One deal that is done is Lewis Holtby from Schalke to Spurs. The Independent's German Football Expert Kit Holden looks at what Tottenham fans can expect.

Bloody hell. There's even more footie on the telly today. Yes, midweek action in the EPL. Today we've got Aston Villa vs. Newcastle, QPR vs. Manchester City, Stoke vs. Wigan, and Sunderland vs. Swansea. Here's a little preview that includes tomorrow's matches. Likewise your Team News. We'll wait until tomorrow for predictions.

Jonathan Wilson is in South Africa for the African Cup of Nations. He sends this report on Mali. They've made the Final Eight and that should bring at least a bit of hope to a nation in crisis. Wilson also filed this report on Cape Verde. The tiny nation is the Cinderella story of the tournament thus far.

Want to see a Manchester United fan peeing on Mario Balotelli's car? Here.

And...we've got The Podcast to enjoy. Today it's this: In an especially argumentative edition of Football Weekly, James Richardson is joined by two former lawyers – Barney Ronay and Daniel Harris – and professional ne'er do well Barry Glendenning. The panel get stuck into a raucous weekend in the fourth round of the FA Cup, where Oldham outplayed Liverpool, Luton embarrassed Norwich, MK Dons spanked QPR, Tottenham tumbled to Leeds, Chelsea salvaged a draw at Brentford, and Millwall didn't beat Aston Villa by more than the odd goal in three. Plus, there's Sid Lowe in Spain with a Barcelona and Real Madrid-free round up from La Liga, and discussions about Ray Parlour's punditry, reverse nominative determinism, and errant pets.

We'll finish with poor Paul Scholes. Seems he wanted to warm his car up and someone stole it. Oh well.

Onward!!

-SSN

FA Cup Magic, Egypt Riots, Messi For Four, Jurgen the Chopper Pilot, Kuper on Wenger

Oldham Athletic players celebrate their win over Liverpool

We told you. The magic, the intrigue, the upsets, the minnows, the "classic Cup ties". Well, it followed the script this weekend as there were upsets aplenty and nail-biters galore. Oldham Athletic over Liverpool. Luton Town over Norwich. Leeds over Tottenham. MK Dons over QPR. Millwall over Aston Villa (that might not really count as an upset...). Brentford Town almost over Chelsea.

We'll begin with Phil McNulty's piece. Phil says this: The FA Cup always works best when it is not a battle of equals and the odds are stretched - and so it proved on a weekend when the great old competition answered back to its detractors. Yes!!

You want talking points? Of course you do. Here are 10.

You want some specifics? How about Michael Cox talking some tactics in regards to Leeds vs. Tottenham? What exactly happened between Brentford and Chelsea? Henry Winter was there. Just how did Liverpool lose to Oldham Athletic? Andy Hunter was at Boundry Park.

How about a Team of the Week? Boo Yah! All of that leaves us with this: The Fifth Round Draw


Moving on, Jurgen Klinsmann flies a helicopter. Who knew?

Sadly, in Egypt, the fallout from last year's riots at the El Masry vs. Al Ahly match has resulted in yet more deaths. The sentencing of those involved in the horrific scenes from last February prompted more unrest with another 30 reported dead. We'll just stick with The New York Times for this story.

Lionel Messi scored four goals. Cristiano Ronaldo scored three. Here's a wrap of the weekend action in La Liga. The two meet Weds. in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi. Excellent...

In Italy, leaders Juventus drew, Napoli notched a late win, Roma and Bologna hit for six, and AC Milan edged Atalanta. Here's your wrap. And here's your table.

The Bundesliga winter hibernation is over in Germany, but let's wait until we check in with Honigstein tomorrow to see what's up.

You know the Soccernomics dude? Simon Kuper? Right, so he's got a piece in the Financial Times about Arsenal. Here's his question: Has football’s economist got it wrong when it comes to the game’s finances?

And that's your Monday. Have at it.

Onward!!

-SSN

Ronaldinho, Rewind to 1975 with Leeds & Spurs, FA Cup, Nile Ranger

Buck Tooth Ronny is back in the news. And for the right reasons, no less. Barney Ronay has a little ditty about the Brazilian star's resurgence back in his homeland. He's still only 32 and he just won the Brazilian Player of the Year award. The question is, how is his hair looking these days? Oh.

Moving on, the Copa del Rey is shaping up nicely in Spain. Barcelona clinched a spot in the semis where they'll play...wait for it...Real Madrid! Shocking, we know. Atlético Madrid face Sevilla in the other semifinal. Atlético are having a great year, by the way.

Yes. 1975.

On Fridays we like to go back in time with Jon Carter. Today, he takes us back to 1975. This is the reason: One of the most important games in Tottenham's history came in 1975, when Spurs were left languishing in the relegation zone and had to beat the reigning champions, Leeds United, on the final day of the season to ensure they stayed in the top flight.









The Home Depot Center will be getting a new name soon. We thought someone might care. No biggie.

OK, what's on offer this weekend? Let's begin in England, yeah? It's an FA Cup Weekend. Here's a complete preview. Here's one for Fulham vs. Manchester United. Here's one for Leeds vs. Tottenham. Macclesfield and Luton are the two non-league sides that remain in the competition. Best of luck to them. Here are Ten Things that some people are looking forward to.

Over in Italy, Serie A remains in full swing. Leaders Juventus host Genoa, Torino are at Inter Milan, Bologna host Roma, and Napoli go to Parma. Here's a preview.

In Spain, Athletic Bilbao and Atlético Madrid clash, Barcelona are at home against Osasuna, and Real Madrid host Getafe. Here's a preview.

Time for The Mill and your Plus One. Again, things remain fairly quiet. We think it'll stay like this through the end of the month. There simply won't be any big moves, sadly.

Down in South Africa, Ghana beat Mali.

You want class? How about Newcastle's Nile Ranger? He's been arrested on suspicion of rape...the day after he spelt his name out in £1,500 worth of £20 notes. For fuck's sake.

There's your lot. Enjoy the weekend and keep it tite.

Onward!!

-SSN

Swansea City, Hazard Ballboy Kick, Gold Cup Venues, ACN, Adu Update

Where to start today but with Eden Hazard? You say you're not really a fan of Chelsea? How about now? The Chelsea dynamo kicked a ball boy. He was frustrated because Chelsea were not going to advance to the final of the What's In Your Wallet Cup. Instead, Swansea City now have that honor.

Let's go to the videotape!

It's really not that big a deal. We think the kid is faking it. And just who is this kid, anyway? Regarding Chelsea, the BBC's Phil McNulty says this: ...if one club is a symbol for the permanent turbulence that swirls around our national sport away from the actual playing of the game, it is Chelsea. Damage limitation has almost become a way of life at Stamford Bridge. Here's the rest of Phil's piece.

Let's not let the whole sordid affair take away from Swansea's wonderful run to the final. Swansea City vs. Bradford City for the League Cup. No arguments here. Daniel Taylor took in all the fun at the Liberty Stadium. And, while we're at it, let's check out this fine article from David Conn on Bradford the club and Bradford the town.

The Gold Cup is coming to a city near you. If you're lucky, that is. Everyone's favorite CONCACAF tournament will go down in the USA this July. Yes, the giants of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean will fight it out on our soil. Watch out for Belize. They're strong this year. Anyway, here are your cities and venues:

Atlanta – Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA)

Baltimore – M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, MD)

Chicago – Soldier Field (Chicago, IL)

Dallas – Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, TX)

Denver – Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Denver, CO)

Hartford – Rentschler Field (East Hartford, CT)

Houston – BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, TX)

Los Angeles – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)

Miami – Sun Life Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)

New York- Red Bull Arena (Harrison, NJ)

Portland – JELD-WEN Field (Portland, OR)

Salt Lake City – Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, UT)

Seattle – CenturyLink Field (Seattle, WA)

Back in the English Premier League, Arsenal took their finger out of the dyke and hit five past West Ham. Nothing much more to say than that, really. Per usual, it took a West Ham goal to wake the Gunners up, but after that they were off and running. There was a scary moment late on when Hammers' defender Daniel Potts was knocked out for a significant amount of time. Apparently he has a concussion and should be OK. Jeremy Wilson saw the show at the Emirates Stadium.

Big Sam = Not Happy

Freddie Adu. It's been awhile, mate. Let's check in and see how shitty your career is progressing.

The Mill. Your Plus One. It appears Manchester United are poised so sign Crystal Palace sensation Zaha. Newcastle Captain Coloccini wants nothing to do with the club. Llorente is going to Juve this summer.

The African Cup of Nations is underway. Here's everything you need to know for today's action where Ghana find themselves in need of a win against Mali. And here's your Round 1 Round-Up.

Meanwhile, in North London, Tottenham have cloned Gareth Bale.

That'd do for today.

Onward!!

-SSN

Bradford City, League Cup, Americans Abroad, Arsenal vs. West Ham

We just can't seem to get into a rhythm these days. The entire SSN Staff took a trip up to D.C. for the inauguration Monday and we were unable to produce posts until now. Apologies. Now, what went down?

Let's start with Phil Ball. He's in Spain (duh) and Barcelona lost last weekend. As we expected, since he lives in San Sebastian, he attended the match between Real Sociedad and Barcelona. Good stuff as always. 

We're sure everyone knows about Sunday's results. Yank Abroad Clint Dempsey scored very, very late to snatch a deserved draw for his Totttenham against ManU. At Stamford Bridge, Arsenal woke up too late and were overrun by Chelsea. 

Yesterday, however, Bradford City shocked the world by defeating Aston Villa (over two legs) and making the final of the What's In Your Wallet Cup. By eliminating Villa, Bradford became the first side from the fourth tier of English football to reach the League Cup final - or the showpiece of any of the two major knock-outs - since Rochdale in 1962. They're also the first team from outside the top two divisions to do so since Villa themselves in 1971. They are currently 10th in League Two! That's pretty damn impressive. Well played, Bantams! Daniel Taylor saw the history made at Villa Park. And this is pretty nice. Who says footballers don't care?

Now then, who will join them in that final match at Wembley? It'll be either Swansea City or Chelsea. They clash this afternoon, but as far as we can tell, there is no U.S. TV. Find a stream...

Holy Christ. The African Cup of Nations is already underway down in South Africa. Jonathan Wilson is there. Apparently, Gervinho doesn't suck. At least not all of the time.

Americans Abroad. Jozy continues to burn in Holland. He hit for three at the weekend. Here are all the rest.

Three More For Jozy

Speaking of Yanks Abroad, Tactics Master Michael Cox has an interesting piece on why Serie A clubs are moving away from the classic Number 10 and toward players in the mold of Roma's Michael Bradley. It's a big reason Sneijder is now in Turkey and no longer in Milan.

There is another Yank Abroad who deserves a mention. Stuart Holden. He played! Check it.

And that leads nicely into The Mill and your Plus One. The Dutch maestro had some fine years in Serie A but he'll now be enjoying the delights of Istanbul. That's really the only "big" news.

Right. There's a big match in the EPL this afternoon. Arsenal host West Ham in the match that was canceled back on Boxing Day. Arsenal are in crisis. They won't make the top four. Wenger out. Right? Here's a preview. And here's an interesting graphic thanks to Arseblog comparing the top 10 in the tables from this time last year and now:

Right! That'll do for now. We'll see you tomorrow.

Onward!!

-SSN