Wednesday, March 05, 2014

USA In Cyprus To Face Ukraine, Other Friendlies, Vidic To Inter, Faustino Asprilla, Yet More Gooch

Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus
Geez. Is it Humpday already? Looks that way. There are matches available to enjoy. They are international friendlies, but matches nonetheless. And, as we near Brazil 2014, they actually become somewhat important. The United States play a country that may or may not exist on an island in the Mediterranean, Spain host Italy, England (they hired a shrink) welcome Denmark to Wembley, the French host the Dutch, and Romania host Argentina. Here's the good stuff:

Ukraine vs. United States: Preview
Ukraine vs. United States: Five Areas of Focus for the U.S.
Wilshere, Henderson or Cleverley: Who deserves a starting role?

The current roster for the USA:
(x-not eligible)

Goalkeepers: Cody Cropper (Southampton, England), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England)

Defenders: John Brooks (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Geoff Cameron (Stoke, England), Edgar Castillo (Tijuana, Mexico), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt, Germany), Oguchi Onyewu (Sheffield Wednesday, England), Will Packwood (Birmingham, England), Jonathan Spector (Birmingham, England)

Midfielders: Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes, France), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim, Germany), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas, Turkey), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht, Belgium), Brek Shea (Barnsley, England), Danny Williams (Reading, England)

Forwards: Juan Agudelo (Utrecht, Netherlands), Jozy Altidore (Sunderland, England), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna, Austria), Clint Dempsey (Seattle), x-Julian Green (Bayern Munich, Germany), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar, Netherlands)

Landon Donovan. Landy Cakes. After the amazing career he's had, does he still have something to prove?

Inter Milan have announced that Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic will join their squad on a Bosman at the end of the season. David Wilson argues that while old, Vidic still represents an excellent acquisition for the Nerazzurri.

Off to Milan...
Well, would you look at this. Sports Illustrated has an article about Tino Asprilla. We love that guy. Let's read it.

Yet more Gooch! It's the BBC this time. Go!

The Special One is featured on the cover of the UK Esquire. He claims that his Real Madrid boys lined up at the mirror prior to matches. We don't doubt it.

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:49 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, March 04, 2014

Pardew & Adam Charged, Scribes, U.S. & Ukraine?, Holden Hurt, More Gooch, Podcast, USA '94

Good Morning. Gosh. Let's just bust out with The Podcast. Word on the street? It's a whopper: It's a whopper of a Football Weekly we've got in store for you today, with the world's worst boyband - James Richardson, Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Kevin Kilbane - looking back on Manchester City's triumph in the Carling Cup final and all the shenanigans in the Premier League. And what shenanigans! There was Arsenal's collapse do Stoke's roughhouse tactics, Liverpool's 3-0 win at Southampton and, er, that's about it. Apart from Alan Pardew nutting David Meyler during Newcastle's 4-1 win at Hull. Oh, Alan, how could you? Also in the podcast, we hear from Sid Lowe about the Madrid derby, gaze ahead to the midweek internationalzzzz, and discover more of Phil Brown's motivational secrets.

What else is up on this fine Tuesday? Sadly, there's some bad news for Stuart Holden. Again. Poor guy. He's got loads of talent and it would be wonderful to see him healthy and playing regularly again. Sticking with Yanks, we've got Gooch, Gooch, and Gooch. Can't get us enough Gooch. He's back in camp and gunning for a trip to Brazil. Feeling patriotic? You want a hotlist of Yanks? Done.

Politics and Football. Inseparable, some would say. That's certainly the case when Ukraine is involved these days. The U.S. will play the Ukes (?) on Wednesday. In Cyprus.

Charlie Adam stomped on Giroud. He's been charged by the FA. Alan Pardew head-butted Meyler. He's been charged by the FA.

Yes, cocaine is known to have that effect on people...
Right. So, it's 100 days until the World Cup kicks off in Brazil. The BBC has graciously thrown together their experts to analyze England's group. The Group of "D", as it were.

Tuesday = Scribes. A closer look at the weekend action and beyond by those who know and write best:

Where? Spain. Who? Sid Lowe. What? Atlético take heart from derby

Where? Spain. Who? Graham Hunter. What? Derby delivers despite high stakes

Where? Italy. Who? Paolo Bandini. What? Roma get no favors from Milan

Where? Germany. Who? Raphael Honigstein. What? Schalke go from bad to worse

Where? Germany. Who? Uli Hesse. What? Transferring Loyalties

Yes, cocaine is known...
1994. 20 years ago. SSN's Editor was heavily ensconced in Buenos Aires, hoping a coked-up Maradona, a died-blond Caniggia, and a certain Gabriel Omar Batistuta could bring glory to the Argentines. While it was not to be, the USA more than made up for it with a tournament to remember. Roger Bennett is taking a look back. Here's his intro: In the first of a four-part series, Roger Bennett winds the clock back 20 years to the eve of the 1994 World Cup and talks to members of the United States squad, who were preparing to represent their country on home soil.

That'll do for today.

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:40 AM 0 comments

Monday, March 03, 2014

Manchester City Win League Cup, Madrid Derby A Draw, Pardew Headbutts Someone, Stoke Beat Arsenal, Top 10 Must-See World Cup Group Games


Let's start this week! The Capital One Cup Final was actually pretty damn good! Solid atmosphere at Wembley, Sunderland taking the lead, a couple of sweet shots from Toure and Nasri, not bad, not bad at all. The Madrid Derby was good, too. Ronaldo scored late to salvage a draw for Real. In the Premier League, not many surprises, although Arsenal did lose at Stoke. Is that a surprise? Debatable. Time to get cracking!

We'll start with the match at Wembley, since silverware was on offer and claimed by City. Barney Ronay was there and he says the match "oozed old-school magic." Groovy. Phil McNulty joins the fun and claims the win was big for San Pellegrino. Jamie Jackson has Five Talking Points, and Jonathan Wilson would like a word. Sadly for us Yanks, Jozy Altidore didn't even make Sunderland's squad.

In the league, Stoke beat Arsenal (as stated above), Chelsea moved four clear with their win at Fulham, Liverpool eased into second after victory at Southampton, and Alan Pardew (wanker) gave Hull City's David Meyler a headbutt in Newcastle's win at St. James' Park! Let's get the deets on all the hullabaloo:


Right. Spain. Here's a report on the thrilling and intense 2-2 Derby. And here's a wee wrap on all the rest of the results. More tomorrow with The Scribes.

I'm yelling! No, I'm yelling!
Over in Italy, Juventus handled Milan with ease, Lazio won at Fiorentina, Roma and Inter finished scoreless, and Napoli could only draw at Liverno. The title is Juve's to lose.

Sean Ingle wishes to examine why Arsenal appear to be losing their bite at the crunch. An easy early schedule? Injuries?

Are you guys ready for the World Cup? Those of us at SSN Headquarters certainly are not. We're still focused on the leagues and titles to be won. Not so for one Miguel Delaney. Miguel has taken a look at the Group Stage and offers his Top 10 Must-See World Cup Group Games.

And finally...it's Carnival in Brazil and Ronaldo (the Brazilian version) is the star of this show.

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:12 AM 0 comments

Friday, February 28, 2014

The Two Brazils, Capital One Cup Final, Football Films, USA Call-Ups, Madrid Derby, Roma/Inter, Milan/Juventus, Fulham/Chelsea, Ferguson Owes Success To Being Beaten With A Belt

And there goes another one! A pleasant Friday to all you SSN followers. There is some juicy fruit available this weekend as you may have gathered from the headlines. The Madrid Derby has a bit more pep since Simeone revived Atlético, and the big matches in Italy are important in terms of European qualification. It's only the League Cup, but it's still a Cup, and you can bet both Sunderland and Manchester City want it pretty bad. Gaffer Gus has already said he'd rather win it than stay up, which is actually rather refreshing. The London Derby this weekend features two sides whose grounds are only 1.9 miles apart but whose respective table positions sit 39 points apart. Now then, let's get moving...


It's Last Chance Saloon time for U.S. players who want to be on that place to Brazil. Jeff Carlisle takes a look at the recent call-ups.

Here's a nice one, especially for a Friday...Football films: the good, the bad and the ugly adventures on the big screen.
Woy says WAGs can go to Brazil
Grant Wahl has yet another excellent piece -- this one focuses on Brazil and features insight from SSN Brazilian Expert Chris Gaffney. Check it.

Back to previews. We mentioned the Madrid Derby. The "smaller" club has renewed belief, and they are playing at home, so who knows? Sid Lowe is on hand to explain further, thankfully. And here's your complete La Liga preview.

The What's In Your Wallet Cup Final is Sunday at Wembley. Suffice to say, it would be a bit of an upset were Sunderland to win. Here are Six League Cup Final Upsets.

Man. Serie A is where it is this weekend. Roma vs. Inter. AC Milan vs. Juventus. Fiorentina vs. Lazio. Here's your preview.

The Big Guns of the Europa League advanced. Tottenham, Juventus, Napoli, and Porto made the final 16.

And finally...Sir Alex Ferguson says he owes success to being beaten with a belt! So, keep that in mind the next time you're spanking your child. You're putting him/her on the road to success!!

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 12:09 PM 0 comments

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Chelsea Get A Goal And A Draw, Schalke Embarrassed By Real Madrid, RVP Uncertainty

Ahhh...
Good times in Gelsenkirchen last night. Here's how it went down. We'll begin with Real Madrid's contributions to the proceedings: Karim Benzema 13, Gareth Bale 21, Cristiano Ronaldo 52, Karim Benzema 57, Gareth Bale 69, Cristiano Ronaldo 89. And for Schalke? Klaas-Jan Huntelaar 90 + 0:13 !!

Yes, a 6-1 win on the road pretty much ends that tie. In the other match over in Turkey, Chelsea got the critical away goal thanks to Fernando Torres and the match ended 1-1. Marcus Christensen has Five Talking Points. Ben Littleton looks at both matches. And German expert Raphael Honigstein wasn't terribly surprised with the result.

At this point you've got to have Bayern Munich and Real Madrid as the favorites to win the whole thing, with Barcelona sitting a bit behind those two.


Here are five things we learned from this week's action: Here. Right here.

RVP is back in the headlines a day after saying that some of his teammates were getting in his way. It's all very odd. Today, he claims the season has been "lousy." Well, yes. Yes, it has. On that note, let's take a look at David Moyes, Manchester United, and the spectre of Sir Alex.

There is more European action today as the Europa League makes an effort to reduce its field to 16. Here's a preview.
Michael Bradley lost a bet.
Enough.

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:52 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Manchester United Slip In Greece, Dortmund Win In Russia, 1982 (The Fix), Adidas Idiots


Whoa. Everyone is freaking out because Manchester United lost to Olympiakos last night. Not only did they lose, they were awful. Poor. Very, very bad. It's all going wrong for English clubs in Europe. Let's inspect the damage, beginning with Henry Winter's report:

Olympiakos 2 - 0 Manchester United: Henry Winter at the Karaiskakis Stadium
Olympiakos 2 - 0 Manchester United: Jamie Jackson at the Karaiskakis Stadium

Meanwhile, Daniel Harris wants to take a look at United's top five worst Champions League performances. Ouch.

In Russia, Dortmund won. Great.

In today's action, Chelsea are off to hang with old boy Drogba in Istanbul, whilst Schalke welcome Real Madrid to Gelsenkirchen. Grant Wahl had a chat with Gala's Wesley Sneijder who reckons Chelsea can be beaten. Here are some previews:

The Chelsea Match: Preview
The Madrid Match: Preview

We saw this article yesterday but failed to pass it along. Apologies. SSN's Algerian Expert Kamal B. reminded us of the piece yesterday evening, and we now post post-haste. Here's your lead: Algeria fans shouted 'fix' as West Germany and Austria played out a mutually suitable scoreline in 1982's 'Disgrace of Gijón'.
Look at these shirts. Look at these shirts! Good grief, Adidas.
On that sad note...

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:47 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Champions League, Scribes (Phil Ball?!), USA Hotlist, Podcast, Roy Carroll, Super Mario's Whips

Hello, Hello, Hello. Loads to get through today, including an update on the suddenly elusive English Scribe Based In Spain, Phil Ball. Manchester United are in Athens, Dortmund are in St. Petersburg, what Yanks are hot?, Tim Vickery on Brazil's risks, a Podcast, and a whole lot more. We'll begin with the actual matches:

Olympiakos vs. Manchester United: Preview
Zenit St Petersburg vs. Borussia Dortmund: Preview

Karaiskakis Stadium, Athens
Scribes. For years, Phil Ball was our go-to guy for insight in La Liga. Living in San Sebastián, Ball often reported on Real Sociedad and neighboring clubs with a warmth and candor that we enjoyed -- we felt like we were in the stadia with him, or in the pub conversing with gruff Basque barmen. Ball has been silent of late, ever since his controversial article on Qatar. Here's what his wikipedia page says about said incidents:

On November 21 2013, Ball was subject to accusations of propaganda on behalf of Qatar's bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[7] Ball wrote a piece for ESPNFC, entitled 'Inside Doha: Give Qatar A Chance To Shine', however the article was later removed from ESPN's website after negative reaction to the in-article line that he was "invited on an all-expenses paid trip to see the inner workings." [8] ESPNFC announced in a tweet that they had "carefully re-evaluated ... [their] recent Qatar story and decided to remove it. It did not meet ... [their] journalistic standards. We apologize." Subsequently, in an article published by ESPN's ombudsman Robert Lipsyte ('Conflict of interest?' Dec.22, 2013), it was revealed that Ball had pre-warned ESPN that the trip (to attend the 'Aspire4Sports' conference in Doha) was funded, but that ESPN had accepted the offer in good faith and would publish two articles based on Ball's conclusions regarding the conference. Having accepted and merged the two original articles into one, an editor in the US then inserted the line regarding the 'all-expenses paid trip' without Ball's permission. Lipsyte quotes e-mail evidence to show that ESPN considered the article 'well-written' and 'balanced' on receipt, sentiments that contradict their subsequent behaviour in hastily pulling the piece when the controversy broke. [9] [10]

 Sadly, it appears Ball is no longer writing his wonderful columns. We miss him. Here are some of the others that remain, thankfully including El Sid:

Where? Spain. Who? Sid Lowe. What? Real Sociedad exact their perfect revenge

Where? Italy. Who? Paolo Bandini. What? Juventus claim ownership of Turin

Where? Germany. Who? Raphael Honigstein. What? Stuttgart flirting with disaster

Where? Brazil. Who? Tim Vickery. What? Scolari keeps faith in Fred, Jo and Julio Cesar

Where? Brazil. Who? Tim Vickery (again!). What? Why Uruguay could be 'party poopers'

Where? Brazil (again!). Who? Jonathan Watts. What? Why Brazil's footballers play to half-empty stadiums


The United States will play in Brazil this summer. Who is Hot? Who is Not? Who no longer has to try to play for Fulham on loan? (Hint: He's a Texas rapper)

Podcast! AC Jimbo returns to his spiritual home, and he has his oldest muckers Barry Glendenning and Sean Ingle and his hippest new best friend Ian McCourt to welcome him back for a hugely emotional edition of Football Weekly. We begin by examining Liverpool's title credentials after the Reds once again wowed at one end and boobed at the other in their 4-3 win over Swansea. Can they triumph when Chelsea are so good at sneaking horrid 1-0 wins, as they did against Everton? They've only 11 more games to make it happen. Next, we catch up with Sid Lowe about the weekend in La Liga, and look forward to the Champions League with Manchester United coming unstuck against Olympiakos and Galatasary's Didier Drogba not celebrating when he scores against Chelsea. Finally, we discuss the relegation battle and TV quiz shows, and recall a brief encounter with André the Giant.

 More Sid Lowe? It's our lucky day! Sid's got The Big Interview with Roy Carroll. Roy talks about a dramatic career that has included Manchester United, West Ham, rehab and now Olympiakos.

One more piece on Wayne Rooney, just because it's by Jonathan Wilson and we find him to be rather astute.

And...Balotelli's got some tite whips, yo.

We out.

Onward!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 12:02 PM 0 comments

Monday, February 24, 2014

Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, And Tottenham Lose, Chelsea Edge Everton, Juventus Own Turin, Carlos Vela

Good Day! Shockers in Spain, where our lovely hot three-some is no longer. Real Sociedad beat Barcelona 3-1 and Osasuna thumped Atlético Madrid 3-0. All of that was music to Real Madrid's ears as they took over top spot thanks to their 3-0 win over Elche (and a stunner from Bale).


Over in Italy, Juventus won the Derby della Mole thanks to a goal from Carlos Tévez. AC Milan won on the road, Inter could only manage a draw at home, and both Rome clubs won. Today is Parma vs. Fiorentina and Napoli vs. Genoa. Here's more.

In the Premier League, the only real surprise was Tottenham's loss at Norwich. Chelsea stay top after a late flub from Timmy Howard, Manchester City needed one and got one from Yaya, Arsenal cruised by Sunderland, and Manchester United got past Palace (that guy Marouane Fellaini started). Here's your lot from the weekend:



We've mentioned that Carlos Vela isn't going to play for Mexico this summer. He's playing well in La Liga for Real Sociedad, but he won't join El Tri in Brazil. It's all a big Telenovela, apparently. And we love it...

That'll do.

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:37 AM 0 comments

Friday, February 21, 2014

Europa League (Soldado Miss), Weekend Previews, Cantona Masks, More Gooch, Best Never To Win In England, Rooney Agrees Contract

And there goes another week! Time for domestic action to resume. What have we got? Chelsea vs. Everton looks interesting. The Turin Derby is, well, a Derby. Parma vs. Fiorentina could entertain, but that's on Monday. According to some, the European Match of the Weekend is Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona.

Beyond that? Meh. That's OK, though, because often when things look a little slow on paper, we end up with some solid matches. For instance, Manchester United go to Selhurst Park. Why is that of note? Well, the Palace fans have been in excellent voice all campaign, so the atmosphere should be top-notch. Throw in the plan to wear Cantona masks, and things could get dicey. Here are your usual Premier League Previews & Predictions:


Gosh. The Big Interview this week is Charlie Adam. Really? Fine. If you're not overly excited about listening to what Charlie Adam has to say, fear not. The Top Tenner makes up for it with some of the greatest players never to win the title in England.

Shit be tite in Spain, yo. You've got the sexy three-way at the top, others clamoring for European spaces, and more than a couple clubs fearing the drop. Here's your La Liga Weekend Preview.



He never won the title...
So...Rooney has agreed a new five-and-a-half year contract worth up to £300,000 a week. Is it a demonstration of United's strength? Or desperation...

Right. Matches in Europe yesterday. Tottenham lost. Juventus won. Fiorentina won. Here's a brief wrap, which is really all this competition deserves. Winners & Losers Slideshow? We can't resist.



We've covered Gooch a bit of late. Do The Heads want more? Hell, yeah.

Michael Cox knows a thing or two about tactics. Today, he's addressing the issue of geezers playing defense in the Premier League. Why do the gaffers bring in these old guys?

Everybody is piling on poor Mesut Ozil. The £42.4 million - man is floundering. Will he be the next Arshavin? In with a bang and out with a whimper? Phil McNulty thinks he simply needs a break.

We need a break, too. Check you clowns next week.

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:36 AM 0 comments

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Bayern Munich Beat Arsenal and Atlético Madrid Beat AC Milan

Nope.
Well! That was a pretty darn good match for a few minutes, no? And then there was a red card and that was that. In the other one, Atlético claimed a victory on the road (pattern?) with a late goal by Diego Costa. Go ahead and get down with your bad self:

Arsenal 0 - 2 Bayern Munich: Barney Ronay at the Emirates
Arsenal 0 - 2 Bayern Munich: Phil McNulty at the Emirates
Arsenal 0 - 2 Bayern Munich: David Hytner at the Emirates
Arsenal 0 - 2 Bayern Munich: Jeremy Wilson at the Emirates
Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich: Three Things
Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich: Player Ratings
AC Milan vs. Atlético Madrid: Report
AC Milan vs. Atlético Madrid: Three Things

Paul Campbell asks the question everyone is asking after the latest round of CL fixtures: Manchester City and Arsenal had to defend penalties with 10 men after their players mistimed tackles in the box. Is punishing a foul with a penalty, a red card and a suspension too harsh? Yes. Yes, it is.
Not to worry! The Europa League is back!

Enough of the Champions League. Today, the Europa League returns!! Yes, everybody's favorite secondary European club competition is raring to go! Liberec vs. AZ Alkmaar? You've got it! Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs. FC Basel? It will happen! Anzhi Makhachkala vs. Racing Genk? Consider it done! Here's a preview.

We're wiped out and there really isn't anything else happening.

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:44 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Barca Beat City, The Zlatan Strikes, Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich, AC Milan vs. Atlético Madrid, No Striker For Brazil

And a pleasant Humpday to you and yours. The main match yesterday was a bit of a letdown, we have to say. Not really the goal-fest we expected and craved. San Pellegrino is pissed at the ref but he must realize that when playing Barcelona in Europe you're really playing UEFA as well. The Catalans will always get the calls. It's simply a Fact of Life. In the other match, PSG had little trouble in Germany as they dismantled Leverkusen on the back of two goals from The Zlatan.
Beware The Zlatan...
Daniel Taylor was at the Eithad and filed this report. Michael Cox claims the City gaffer got his tactics right but was undone by a single error. Here's a bit more on yesterday's action:


Hopefully today's matches will boost the excitement level a bit. We've got Bayern Munich at Arsenal and Atlético Madrid at Milan. Take a look:

Jonathan Wilson: How Do Arsenal Tame Bayern?

Soooo...get thee to a TV. Or a computer. Fox is showing these matches and for some reason they are burying them deep in the folds of channeldom.

Bayern Munich at...Loftus Road.
There was some talk around SSN Headquarters yesterday about Rooney's new contract. Most opined that the offer seemed excessive and, well, odd. Turns out Paul Wilson agrees.

Here's something funny: Brazil host the World Cup this year. Brazil are certainly favorites to win the World Cup this year. Brazil ain't got no striker?!

Keep it tite!

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:59 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Dog Shits on Pitch, Manchester City vs. Barcelona, Scribes, Podcast Sans Jimbo, European Best XIs, Americans Abroad

Holy Tuesday! Loads to get through today. Scribes, that little Champions League thingy, Euro Best XIs, Gab's Musings, Podcast with no Jimbo, we'd better get moving.

Let's bust out of the gate and rock a few Scribes:

Where? Spain. Who? Graham Hunter. What? Atletico's UCL challenge, Jese's rise, Messi vs. Man City.

Where? Italy. Who? Paolo Bandini. What? Icardi fires Inter to Fiorentina win.

Where? Germany. Who? Uli Hesse. What? It's not easy being green.

Where? Brazil Who? Tim Vickery. What? Will World Cup stadiums be white elephants?

Two Champions League matches today. Manchester City host Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen host Paris-St. Germain. Here's your lot:

Manchester City vs. Barcelona: Preview
Manchester City vs. Barcelona: Matchpack
Bayer Levekusen vs. PSG: Preview
Guillem Balague: Barcelona in top form

Look at all of this! Go ahead! Take a look forward to Manchester City v Barcelona, Milan v Atlético Madrid, Arsenal v Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen v PSG, plus best XIs from around Europe this week.


Gab Marcotti is musing and gabbing. Today it's Rooney's new deal, Conte vs. Capello, Webb's bad day and more. Gab, Gab.

Oh, gosh. We almost forgot the Podcast. So, so much to discuss: On today's Jimbo-less edition of Football Weekly, charming host Dave Farrar has James Horncastle, Barry Glendenning and – tin hats at the ready – Fernando Duarte for company as they reflect on a weekend of FA Cup drama and look forward to some cracking games in the Champions League. Arsenal and Manchester City avenged their recent league defeats to Liverpool and Chelsea, but do they have what it takes to grab an advantage in their home ties against Bayern Munich and Barcelona? Next, we get ourselves acquainted with Felix Magath, the new and ever-so-slightly sadistic new manager of Fulham after the Cottagers decided to ditch poor old René Meulensteen. Finally, our fiery Latin friend fills us in on the progress of the hosts ahead of this summer's World Cup in Brazil.

That Arsenal/Bayern Munich match isn't until tomorrow, but Phil McNulty wants to talk about the win that kick-started a Gunners revival and we shall let him.

Let's conclude with Yanks Abroad, where Johannsson, Kljestan, Boyd, and Williams all scored.

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 12:30 PM 0 comments

Monday, February 17, 2014

City Beat Chelsea, Arsenal Beat Liverpool, Three-Way In Spain, Teargas in Spain, Rooney Mega-Deal, Yaya Toure, Pedro


And so another week arrives. We were treated to some lovely action over the weekend and we've got more in store as the Champions League finally returns this week after its long winter slumber. We'll begin with the FA Cup, where holders Wigan advanced, Chelsea did not, and Arsenal did, albeit in controversial circumstances.


Here's your FA Cup QF draw:
Arsenal v Everton
Brighton & Hove Albion or Hull City v Sunderland
Sheffield United v Sheffield Wednesday or Charlton Athletic
Manchester City v Wigan Athletic

Over in Spain, Barcelona hit for six but Real joined them at the top, creating a sexy three-way. This will be a fun run-in in La Liga. Here's a complete weekend review. More tomorrow with The Scribes.

In Italy, Juventus, Roma, and Napoli were victorious, as well as Inter, who won a big one at Fiorentina. More tomorrow with The Scribes.

£300,000 per week? Not bad. Not bad, at all. That's what 'Ol Fake Hair looks set to earn when he puts pen to paper on a new deal with Manchester United. Sorry Chelsea, looks like he's staying put.

Yaya Toure is a player we've always admired at SSN. Strong, smart, willing -- he occasionally gets a bit rough on the pitch, but you've gotta think he's a pretty decent dood. The BBC has a nice feature on how the lad from Abidjan made it to the big time.

Pedro is a player who doesn't always get the headlines at Barcelona but remains a critical piece of the Catalan club's successful puzzle. Sid Lowe? Please interview Pedro.

Bizarre scenes in Spain over the weekend as teargas flooded the pitch during Villarreal's match with Celta Vigo. For an explanation, let's go back to Sid Lowe.

Totally not cool.
That'll be fine to get things rolling...

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:00 AM 0 comments

Friday, February 14, 2014

Adriano, FA Cup, Juande Ramos, The Joy of Six, Onyewu, Eddie Johnson, Brendan Rogers' Face Tattoo

The romance of the Cup: Sunderland shock Leeds at Wembley in 1973.
Whew! Bit of a weather event at SSN Headquarters and we were forced to shut everything down yesterday. We're back up and running, however, and looking forward to another solid weekend of football. It's FA Cup time in England, with Manchester City vs. Chelsea and Arsenal vs. Liverpool leading the listings. In Italy, AC Milan host Bologna today whilst Fiorentina and Inter Milan clash tomorrow. Let's get down to bidness:


Enough of that Cup stuff. In Italy, it'll be four days of fun! Today, Bologna's visit to Milan starts the Serie A week, followed by a 4th vs. 5th clash between Fiorentina and Inter on Saturday. It all wraps up on Monday with Verona and Torino trying to prove they deserve a European position.

Not to be outdone, La Liga is offering four days of action, too! Qué bueno.

Jeff Carlisle has a task: He is attempting to figure out the curious case of Eddie Johnson. Good luck with that.

It's all very curious...
Adriano played soccer. Remember him? Sure, you do. Ahhhh...those were the days. Anyway, he's making a comeback. Yes, you can call it that.

Oguchi Onyewu really wants to play for the U.S. in Brazil. We'd love it if he did. The Yanks will face Mexico April 2 in Arizona in an attempt to prepare for the big summer tourny.

'Tottenham won a cup, everyone was happy. Then? Sacked' Sid Lowe talks to former Tottenham gaffer Juande Ramos in today's The Big Interview.

We've all heard the stories about footballers having trouble adapting to new countries and situations. The BBC has a nice little piece on how some EPL clubs handle foreign stars.

The Joy of Six today is Football Crosses. What are the odds that Golden Balls is featured?

Oh, dear. Someone actually got a tattoo of Brendan Rogers' face. Has it come to this?

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 9:36 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

West Brom Hold Chelsea, Real Cruise, Most Dangerous Fans In English Football, Arsenal vs. Manchester United

Right! A fine Wednesday to you. Yesterday's big surprise was West Brom's draw with Chelsea. After going one up, you'd a thunk the Blues would close shop and head back to London with all three points. Not to be, thanks to Anichebe, who equalized late in the affair. Richard Jolly has Three Things to say about the match. Elsewhere, Real Madrid had little trouble advancing to the final of the Copa del Rey (most likely to face Barca) thanks to that guy Ronaldo, West Ham won, Southampton won, and Cardiff &Villa finished scoreless. Here's a review.


The fare today is far brighter, with the Arsenal/Manchester United clash claiming most of the headlines. There are some other nice ones, too, as Everton host Palace, Liverpool go to Fulham, City welcome Sunderland, and Newcastle host Spurs. Check it:

Arsenal vs. Manchester United: Preview

Here's an interesting piece: 5 Most Dangerous Fanbases in English Football Today. Millwall don't make the list, but Scuntthorpe do. Of course, stats only tell part of the story.

Here's another interesting piece: World Cup: 25 stunning moments … No1: Cameroon stun Argentina in 1990.


Giuseppe Rossi. Born in New Jersey. Plays for Italy and Fiorentina. Grant Wahl has an interview.

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:54 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Midweek Premier League, Sid Lowe At The Double, Podcast, Madrid Derby II, Americans Abroad

OK, Tuesday. Whatcha got? Matches, for one. Cardiff vs. Aston Villa, Hull vs. Southampton, West Ham vs. Norwich, West Brom vs. Chelsea, Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid, Fiorentina vs. Udinese, and...wait for it...Ballinamallard United vs. Crusaders (look it up).


We'll begin in Wales and England. A bunch of this stuff covers tomorrow's action as well. Here's your lot:


It's tight at the top in the Premier League. It's also tight at the bottom (that's what she said - OH!).

The match is Spain is part of The Quest for the King's Cup. Real already have one foot in the door, up 3-0 after the first leg. Still, it is a Madrid Derby, so anything can happen. Here's all you need to know.

Podcast! It's been awhile since we checked in. Too long, really. On today's Football Weekly, a rare opportunity to revel in Arsenal's misery, as AC Jimbo is joined by Gregg Bakowski, Philippe Auclair and Michael Cox for a postmortem on Liverpool's five star dissection of the wannabe champions. The Gunners' next three games will make or break their season – and this being Arsenal and this being February, it's possible that things might go downhill quickly in North London. Boo and indeed hoo. A magnificent hat-trick for Eden Hazard in Chelsea's 3-0 win over Newcastle means that José Mourinho's men replaced Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, while at the bottom, Fulham became the latest team to leave Old Trafford with more than they anticipated after they drew 2-2 with Manchester United. Next up for United, a trip to the Emirates. Finally, we get up to speed with everything around Europe, where three teams sit at the top of La Liga; Monaco held PSG; Bayern continued their indomitable run; and Mario Balotelli had a bit of a cry – possibly because Adel Taarabt scored the fastest debut goal for Milan since George Weah.

It was a bad week for Americans Abroad. A very bad week. Clint Dempsey didn't even make Fulham's squad. Gooch got hurt. Timmy Chandler got hurt. Not good.

Scribe Time!

Where? Spain. Who? Sid Lowe. What? Luka Modric's value at Real Madrid finally appreciated.

Where? Spain. Who? Sid Lowe. What? Atlético Madrid stunned by Almería.

Where? Italy. Who? Paolo Bandini. What? Balotelli's haircut and tears distract from Milan's bad result.

Where? Germany. Who? Uli Hesse. What? Hamburg undecided over future of manager Bert van Marwijk.

Where? Spain. Who? Guillem Balague. What? Real Madrid on the rise.

Eden Hazard had a plan, apparently. Word is he wanted to be one of the best. It would appear that his plan is coming together.

AC Milan are having their troubles. Likewise, Inter. Things aren't quite as bad for the Nerazzurri, but they ain't great. Let's take a closer look at Internazionale Milan.

And finally...this is pretty great. Robert Lewandowski has already told the Dortmund faithful that he'll move to Bayern Munich this summer. Now his car has no tires.

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 10:51 AM 0 comments

Monday, February 10, 2014

Liverpool Crush Arsenal, Atlético Madrid Stunned By Almería, Manchester United Draw At Fulham, AC Milan Lose Again, Suddenly City Can't Score

Good Day, friends! Liverpool steamrolled Arsenal, we wondered on Friday if Atlético Madrid could stay on top in Spain (they could not), Manchester United failed to get past Fulham, Milan's season of woe continued, Spurs snuck past Everton, nobody scored in Rome, nobody scored in Norwich, and Eden Hazard scored three to send Chelsea top in the BPL. Let's begin there, shall we? Here's your lot from an exciting weekend:

Ouch. Wenger takes the fall...
If you've never been to Upton Park, start planning now because you're running out of time. The Boleyn Ground will be apartments before long. If you've never seen a Milan home match at the San Siro, start planning now because you're running out of time. AC Milan intend to bail on the hollowed ground, leave it to Inter, and build their own stadium.

So, the Rome Derby failed to inspire. Malcolm Ben Gladwell has this to say: Lazio, Roma fizz dissipates in dull derby draw. And there was so much in the Premier League this weekend that we think a simple European Review will do the trick for today until we can focus a bit more on Serie A, La Liga, and the Bundesliga with The Scribes tomorrow.

Bellamy acts like...Bellamy.
OK, fine. One article on the tight race in Spain.

Onward!!

-SSN
Posted by The Editor at 11:05 AM 0 comments
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