Thursday, February 12, 2015

Chelsea Leave It Late, Messi, Suarez, Neymar Coming Into Ominous Form, Villa Sack Lambert, Venezuela

Good times at The Bridge...

Hello, hello, hello! The midweek action is done and it's time to revisit all the fun whilst looking ahead to the weekend. In the Premier League, Chelsea continue to set the pace, this time thanks to a late and dramatic Will.I.An winner that went through 38 sets of legs before sliding past Timmy Howard. But, wait! Did Ivanovic bite McCarthy?! Ahem.

Elsewhere, Manchester United were awful yet won, James Milner boosted Man City, nobody could score in the Southampton/West Ham match, West Brom beat Swansea, Palace and Newcastle drew, and Messi, Iniesta, and Piqué scored to lead Barcelona past Villarreal. They've now won 10 straight in all competitions. Let's do it.

Chelsea 1 - 0 Everton: Daniel Taylor at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 1 - 0 Everton: Three Quick Points
Stoke 1 - 4 Manchester City: Jamie Jackson at the Britannia Stadium
Stoke 1 - 4 Manchester City: Three Observations
Manchester United 3 - 1 Burnley: Paul Wilson at Old Trafford
Manchester Untied 3 - 1 Burnley: Three Observations
Manchester United 3 - 1 Burnley: Five Things We Learned
Crystal Palace 1 - 1 Newcastle: David Hytner at Selhurst Park
Southampton 0 - 0 West Ham: James Riach at St. Mary's

Paul Lambert.

As expected, Aston Villa have parted ways with Paul Lambert. Yep, you guessed it: You're Fired. It's deserved, it must be said. Villa have been shit, and they've been shit while looking ugly. And Yank Abroad Brad Guzan has kept it from being, really, really ugly. As Phil McNulty puts it, "no goals and dull football." Indeed.

As noted above, Barcelona won their Copa del Rey semifinal first-leg match at Camp Nou last night. Villarreal were the victims. Here's a report. According to Andy Mitten, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are coming into some ominous form, and that's not good news for their rivals.

Hey! Look at this! Tim Vickery has a piece out today on football in Venezuela. Apparently, it is improving. Good to hear.

Shitty Headline of the Week: Bradley saddened by Egypt's latest soccer tragedy. Thankfully, the article is better. Bird wrote it.


Here's a fun little article on Liverpool. They're the best team in England. Sort of.

And finally...is The Special One good for the Premier League?

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 11:03 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Super Mario Returns to Lift Liverpool Over Spurs, Arsenal Hang On, Villa In Trouble, QPR Stun Sunderland, More Mid-Week EPL, Copa del Rey



We have reached what is known in some circles as Hump Day. There were matches yesterday (see above) and there will be matches today. Yesterday's big news was that Mario Balotelli scored a goal. In the league. For Liverpool. To defeat Tottenham. Shocking, really. Let's get to it.

Liverpool 3 - 2 Tottenham: Phil McNulty at Anfield
Liverpool 3 - 2 Tottenham: Andy Hunter at Anfield
Liverpool 3 - 2 Tottenham: Three Quick Points
Arsenal 2 - 1 Leicester City: David Hytner at the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal 2 - 1 Leicester City: Three Observations
Arsenal 2 - 1 Leicester City: Five Thoughts
Hull City 2 - 0 Aston Villa: Richard Gibson at the KC Stadium
Sunderland 0 - 2 Queens Park Rangers: No light at the end of the tunnel for Sunderland

Louis van Gaal's bizarre response to accusations of playing the long ball have us headed for this: Top 10 Premier League Manager Meltdowns. Cue Kevin Keegan, duh. Oh, look! Everyone wants a piece! This piece is called, "When Premier League managers show the strain under pressure."

Not content with what's been rolled out about the Madrid Derby, Graham Hunter continues to wonder just how Diego Simeone gets it done.

Sticking in Spain, the Copa del Rey returns hoy. It's Barcelona vs. Villarreal. Go.

Right! Today's EPL matches. Here we go:

Chelsea vs. Everton: Preview
Southampton vs. West Ham: Preview

Julien Green. Remember that Yank Abroad? He's not doing so well over in Hamburg. Speaking of Yanks, Brian Strauss has an in-depth look at what's up with USMNT gaffer The Diving German.

And finally...who will make the Champions League from the Premier League?

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 11:06 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Mid-Week EPL, Scribes, Goals of the Week, Podcast, LVG Fights Back

I am...The Zlatan!

Hi! We've got tons to get through today, so we're going to jump right in. Matches. Today. Of Import. Go.

Liverpool vs. Tottenham: Preview

Looks like Big Sam got under LVG's skin with his long ball United comments. Really, Louis?

Tuesday Funtime = Scribe Time


Where? Germany. Who? Andy Brassell. What? Wolfsburg bagged a bargain in signing Kevin de Bruyne


Where? South America. Who? Tim Vickery. Again? Yes. OK. What? Messi, Neymar, Sanchez: In search of South America's next star.



How about a European Team of the Week? How about Goals of the Week?

Podcast! This week: Oi oi. On today's Football Weekly, AC Jimbo is joined by Jacob Steinberg, Barry Glendenning and Owen Gibson to analyse all the weekend's Premier League action and look ahead to an exciting midweek round of games. We start at Spurs, fresh from their Harry Kane-inspired derby win against Arsenal. They next travel to Liverpool in a battle of the top four pretenders, while the Gunners are looking to bounce back against Leicester, whose manager Nigel Pearson went slightly postal on Saturday. Be afraid. Elsewhere, we hear Jonathan Wilson's final report from Equatorial Guinea after he witnessed Ivory Coast finally getting their hands on the Africa Cup of Nations trophy, and we've even got time for Sid Lowe to tell us about another hammering for Real Madrid at the hands (feet?) of city rival Atlético.

 Marcotti is musing. This week it's Real Madrid's woe, Barry's fairy tale, Chelsea stay grounded, Barca surge. Gab on, Gabby.

What else? AC Milan are struggling. And that, friends, is bad for Italian football.

And finally...Alex Morgan with a sick move.

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 12:12 PM 0 comments

Monday, February 09, 2015

At Least 25 Dead in Egypt, Atlético Madrid and Tottenham Win Derbies, Everton & Liverpool Draw, USA Defeat Panama

You know, there was a ton of great football this weekend, but when you wake up on Monday morning to this bullshit, it kind of ruins things. Let's take a moment.


*************************


OK. On to the soccer. The weekend knocked off with a bang at White Hart Lane. Harry "Big Daddy" Kane continued his rich vein of form as Spurs defeated Arsenal 2-1. SSN Staff barely had a chance to catch their breath before Atlético Madrid turned the Vicente Calderón into a fiesta grande with a 4-0 thrashing of city rivals Real. Elsewhere, it was honors even on Merseyside, Blind saved United's blushes at the death at the Boleyn Ground, Juventus cruised past Milan, The Zlatan scored to rescue a point for PSG, Hull held Manchester City at the Eithad, and Ivory Coast won the African Cup of Nations. As is customary, we'll begin with the Premier League, where there is a ton of great stuff to get through.

Tottenham 2 - 1 Arsenal: James Riach at White Hart Lane
Everton 0 - 0 Liverpool: Phil McNulty at Goodison Park
Everton 0 - 0 Liverpool: Paul Wilson at Goodison Park

Everton 0 - 0 Liverpool: Three Thoughts
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Chelsea: Chris Bevan at Villa Park

West Ham 1 - 1 Manchester United: Barney Ronay at Upton Park
Manchester City 1 - 1 Hull City: Jamie Jackson at the Etihad Stadium

The African Cup of Nations is over and Ivory Coast actually won the damn thing! Here:

African Cup of Nations Review: High & Lows of the Tournament
Ivory Coast 0-0 Ghana (9-8 on penalties): Report
Ivory Coast 0-0 Ghana (9-8 on penalties): Highlights

Diego knows...

Holy Toledo! Atlético Madrid spanked Real Madrid, yo! Guillem Balague says that Atlético were "perfect." El Sid Lowe was on the scene and filed this report. More? Here are Five Things We Learned in La Liga over the weekend, including the fact that Barca are now favorites for the title. Yes, the title race is on!

Over in Italy, Juventus continues to dominate Serie A. They had little trouble with struggling Milan. Elsewhere, Inter (!), Napoli, and Roma won. Here's a wee wrap. More tomorrow with Paolo.

Uhhhh...no.

The United States Men's National Team played a match over the weekend. Indeed. Tis true. The opposition was Panama, and it all went down in L.A. Carson at the Stub Hub. Here's some information on how it all played out. And here are Three Things We Learned.

Banners in L.A.





And finally...it's come to this in Brazil.

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 11:32 AM 0 comments

Friday, February 06, 2015

Violence Mars Ghana Win, Merseyside Derby, Madrid Derby, North London Derby, Sid Lowe on Bale

Shit hits the fan.

And a very pleasant Friday to you! Not so pleasant in Equatorial Guinea, where Ghanian fans were attacked by the host country's fans during Ghana's 3-0 win. Good grief. Ghana will now face Ivory Coast in Sunday's African Cup of Nations final. Nick Ames was at Nuevo Estadío de Malabo and filed this report.

Let's move away from that sad nonsense and focus on the positives of the weekend. Derbies. Rock and Roll! Off to the Premier League we go...

Tottenham vs. Arsenal: Preview
Tottenham vs. Arsenal: Five Questions
Everton vs. Liverpool: Preview

Over in Madrid, Gareth Bale's been getting stick from the fans. Sid Lowe claims that the Bernabéu booing is not as deafening as the debate that has followed. Bale's Real face Atlético tomorrow, and Guillem Balague reckons Atlético are the favorites. It's certainly a must-win for them. Here's a preview of the match (10:00 a.m. EST on beIN Sport USA). Sticking with Spain, how about Top Five Madrid Derbies? Eh? Eh?

Over to Germany. Bundesliga Weekend Preview. Can Wolfsburg challenge Bayern for the title?!


Chelsea nabbed Juan Quadrado from Fiorentina during the window. Let's take a closer look at the Colombian, shall we?

Over in France, in Ligue Uhhhhhhhhhh, it's first vs. second as Lyon host PSG. Beware The Zlatan!


Serie A. Italia. Calcio. Weekend Preview? Done and Done. 

That'll do it for the week, Peeps! We'll see you Monday with all the fallout from the weekend's action.

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 11:23 AM 0 comments

Thursday, February 05, 2015

Ivory Coast Advance to the Final, Dortmund Disaster, Coutinho Saves Liverpool, Wilshire Smoking the Shisha, Ronaldo at 30

Smokin!!!

Good Day! This weekend is going to be fabulous, friends. Why? Derbies! Tottenham vs. Arsenal. Atlético Madrid vs Real Madrid. Everton vs. Liverpool. Throw in Juventus vs. Milan, Lyon vs. PSG, and West Ham vs. Manchester United, and you've got about as good a fixture list as your heart could possibly desire. More on all of that tomorrow, though. Let's rewind a bit, shall we?

Liverpool beat Bolton. They saved it for late, Bolton were a man down, and Coutinho hit a blinder and Liverpool move on to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup. Andy Hunter was at the Macron Stadium and filed this report. What's that? Richard Jolly was there, too? And he's got Three Points? Wonderful.

Inter Milan lost again. Mancini is NOT doing the business for the Nerazurri. This time it was a late winner by Higuain that sent Napoli to the Copa Italia semis.

What the hell is going on with Borussia Dortmund?! Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, they lost last night to Augsburg! An Augsburg side that played with a man down from the 64th minute! Oh, dear.

Klopp is in trouble.
Down in Africa, Ivory Coast blessed the rains to the tune of a 3-1 victory over Democratic Republic of Congo. Yaya Toure finally found his shooting boots to inspire the Elephants to victory. They'll face the winner of today's match between Ghana and Equatorial Guinea in the final. Here's Yaya's cracker. Look out!!!

Up in Spain, Real Madrid held on to defeat Sevilla 2-1 and go four points clear at the top of the table. Sadly for Los Blancos, however, they'll be without James for a while: He broke his foot. Here's a report. Dermot Corrigan was in Madrid and has Three Thoughts about the match.

Speaking of Real Madrid, we mentioned yesterday that Ronaldo is now 30. Sid Lowe is in Spain and takes a closer look at the Galactico here.

And finally...John Brewin's got a rather lengthy piece on why hooliganism endures in the pop culture. Check it out.

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 10:59 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

FA Cup, More Redknapp, Bundesliga, Real Madrid vs. Sevilla, Congo DR vs. Ivory Coast, Internazionale, Copa Libertadores

Is it Hump Day already? Geez. Let's get on it, then. Manchester United ended Cambridge United's FA Cup dream with a 3-0 win at Old Trafford. The League Two side certainly represented well, and headed home with heads held high. Jamie Jackson was at Old Trafford and filed this report. Richard Jolly was there, too, and has Three Points. The Reds will face Preston North End after The Lilywhites dispatched Sheffield United last night to also advance.




In the evening's other match, Sunderland overcame Fulham to advance to the Fifth Round. Russell Kempson was at Craven Cottage and filed this report. In action today? Bolton and Liverpool in the final Fourth Round replay. Here's a Preview.

Milan look like they'll finally leave the San Siro. They've unveiled plans for a new stadium. Take a gander.

In Italian action last night, Fiorentina won in Rome 0 - 2. There's another Copa match tonight featuring Internazionale. Inter have been ass (Mancini hasn't been the answer), and they could use some good news when they face Rafa's Napoli. Here's a Preview.

More midweek fun in Germany, yo. Bayern Munich were down to 10 men but held on for a draw. Here's a wrap of Tuesday's fun.

The first semifinal of the African Cup of Nations 2015 takes place today when Democratic Republic of Congo face Ivory Coast. Here's your Preview. Here's your Second Preview.

Spain? Here: Real Madrid look to extend lead at the top when they host Sevilla. Sums it up pretty well.

Harry Redknapp. What a bloody disaster. Enough said. Wait. No. Not enough said. There. That's better.



Copa Libertadores, people! It's kicking off down in South America. The region's biggest tournament features everything you want! Here's all you need to know.

And finally...Ronny turns 30 tomorrow. Here are 30 of his greatest moments.

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 10:27 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, February 03, 2015

'Arry Bails on QPR, Scribes, FA Cup, Goals of the Week, Bundesliga Mid-Week Action

Buh Bye.

It's a glorious Tuesday at SSN Headquarters, and we hope your week is progressing well. We've matches today, friends, and they matter! The FA Cup has replays for Cambridge United & Manchester United, along with Fulham & Sunderland. The Bundesliga is back with a bang and a set of mid-week clashes; Bayern Munich will attempt to bounce back from their shocker against Wolfsburg when they host Schalke later. Meanwhile, in Italy, Roma and Fiorentina will meet in the Copa Italia.

What else? Well, Harry Redknapp has resigned as manager of QPR. Obviously, the form of Rangers has been so bad he's been forced to leave. Wait. What? It's because of a knee operation? How convenient. Nice one, 'Arry! Very sneaky. Is it his final act? Let's hope so...

Goals of the Week

Alas, the Transfer Window is closed. We joke, because we are pleased, and not sad, by end of the mid-season silly season. Michael Cox has a list of the 10 Best January Transfers Worldwide for you to judge here, should you care to reflect. More? Fine. What did we learn?



Where? Brazil. Who? Tim Vickery. What? 21st century stadiums, 19th century calendar


Where? Germany. Who? Raphael Honigstein. What? For Bayern Munich defeat is always disaster, but maybe this one isn’t


It's Tuesday, and that means it's time for Marcotti's Musings. This week, Gab is gabbing about Chelsea and Man City accept draw, Barcelona and Real Madrid impress.


Right. The FA Cup. Fourth Round Replays. Manchester United vs. Cambridge United. Here's your Preview. 

Right. The Bundesliga. Time to make up some matches after all that time off over the holidays. Here's your Preview.

Right. Copa Italia. Roma vs. Fiorentina. Rome vs. Florence. Warriors vs. Artists, or something like that. Here's your Preview, from a Roman perspective. 

Want a European Team of the Week? Here. Have at it.

And finally...Anderson and Zaha have left United. Who are the Ten Worst Fergie Signings ever?

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 12:13 PM 0 comments

Monday, February 02, 2015

Shut The Transfer Window, Australia Rule Asia, Chelsea and City Draw, Bayern Back With a Whimper, Messi Saves Barca, Bale Gets it From Real Supporters, Bony Boosts Elephants, Inter Insurrection


Yes, yes, yes! Another fabulous weekend of footie is in the books. The big one in England ended even, as Chelsea and City fought to a 1-1 draw. Both sides looked a bit flat, it must be said. Sign of things to come? We'll see. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich were thumped by Wolfsburg, shit got ugly for Inter after they lost at Sussudio, and Gareth continues to hear it from the Real fans. Let's get to it, shall we?
Chelsea 1 - 1 Manchester City: Daniel Taylor at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 1 - 1 Manchester City: Three Things We Learned
West Brom 0 - 3 Tottenham: Peter Lansley at The Hawthorns
Manchester United 3 - 1 Leicester City: Paul Wilson at Old Trafford
Arsenal 5 - 0 Aston Villa: Sachin Nakrani at the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal signed someone. He hails from Brazil and played a bit in Spain. As such, Sid Lowe is on hand to offer his insight on Gabriel Armando de Abreu.

Elsewhere? Well, it's the final day of the Transfer Window. It'll slam shut soon, thank God. For the last time in a while, here you go...



Australia won the Asian Cup. Good on you, Socceroos! In Africa, the semis are set, and the Democratic Republic of Congo will face Ivory Coast, while Ghana will clash with Equatorial Guinea.

Over in Spain, it was biz per usual as the top sides won. Here are Five Things We Learned in La Liga, and here's a wee wrap.

Awkward!!!

Over in Germany, it was NOT biz per usual as Bayern Munich lost their first match of the season, 4-1 to Wolfsburg, and Dortmund are now bottom of the table! Das nutty, yah! Here's a review of the first post-break weekend in Germany's top flight.

Italy? Leaders Juve drew, Inter were humiliated (see vid above), and Roma also drew. Here's a wee review. More tomorrow with Paolo.

That's pretty good for a Monday. We're up to speed and can go in-depth tomorrow with Scribes.

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 11:41 AM 0 comments

Friday, January 30, 2015

Costa Banned, Chelsea vs. Manchester City, Bundesliga is Back, Congolese Derby?, Transfer Nuttiness


Welcome to Friday, friends! We've somehow reached the end of another week. As noted above, Diego Costa has been rightfully banned from participating in The Beautiful Game by making it decidedly not beautiful thanks to his propensity for going postal and stamping Liverpool players. The ban certainly adds a twist to the TOP OF THE TABLE CLASH that will take place tomorrow at Stamford Bridge (12:30 p.m. EST on NBC). Let's get to all the previews and see what the hell else is going on in the wonderful world of The Foot.

Chelsea vs. Manchester City: Key Battles

Yet another Yank Abroad is no longer a Yank Abroad. Juan Agudelo has failed in Europe and he will now be based in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Er...welcome back?

Down in Africa, they're blessing the rains with the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations. 

Saturday – Congo vs. Congo DR 
Saturday – Tunisia vs. Equitorial 
Sunday – Ghana vs. Guinea 
Sunday – Ivory Coast vs. Algeria 


Over in Asia, they've reached the final. Looks like it'll be South Korea vs. Australia. Apparently, there is a fairytale in the making with a certain Korean striker. Here's your preview for the match itself.

Goodness gracious, they do hibernate for a long time in Germany, do they not? The long sleep is finally over and there will be top-flight football in Germany this weekend. Here's your Preview. More? Sure, why not?

Spain? They'll be rocking, too. Real Madrid in particular. Here's your Preview. 

Italy? You know it. Milan and Parma are in trouble (crisis!!) and face each other on Sunday at the San Siro. Here's your Preview.


Richard Williams is a favorite scribe around SSN Headquarters. Today, his headline reads, "Euro 2012 left little mark on Ukraine, still haunted by its history." And then, there's this: "Few major tournaments can have felt so irrelevant to their time and place as the last European Championship and the potential fault lines in Ukraine were apparent to those who cared to look." Dig in.


That will be all, folks. Get to it.

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 11:51 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Costa's Dark Arts Defeat Liverpool, Scribes, Copa del Rey, Abu Dhabi Bernabéu, USA vs. Chile



Apologies. We lost our key to the new SSN Headquarters and failed to deliver a post yesterday. Really. We're sorry. 

Right! Diego Costa is a dirty player. Do we all agree? Good. Let's roll...

Chelsea 1 - 0 Liverpool (aet, agg. 2 - 1): Phil McNulty at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 1 - 0 Liverpool (aet, agg. 2 - 1): Five Talking Points
Chelsea 1 - 0 Liverpool (aet, agg. 2 - 1): Five Questions

So, Chelsea will face the winner of the Sheffield United/Tottenham semifinal. That match is at Bramall Lane and United need to overturn a 0 - 1 deficit. Here's a preview.

African Cup of Nations? African Nations Cup? Whatever you want to call it, Algeria are through. As are Ghana. Today is the last matchday of the group stage and it features Cameroon vs. Ivory Coast and Guinea vs. Mali. Oddly enough, each team has an identical record, which could mean (gasp!) the drawing of lots! Here's more on all of that with Kirsten.

This afternoon brings us more fun from Spain, where second leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona goes down at the Estadio Vicente Calderón. Barca are up 1 - 0. Here's your preview. Hit beIN Sports at 3:00 p.m. EST to view.

We were hoping she'd do it and she has. Our favorite Argentine scribe, Marcela Mora y Araujo, has written about Juan Ramon Riquelme now that he's hung up his boots. Excellent. Enjoy.

Speaking of scribes, we missed them yesterday. Let's go back in time and make things right:



Where? South America. Who? Tim Vickery. What? Juan Roman Riquelme: The master of his art will be missed by Argentina

Where? Italy. Who? Paolo Bandini. What? Parma's shrinking violets facing a sour future in Serie A

Where? Germany. Who? Uli Hesse. What? Ten memorable Bundesliga post-winter-break match-days

Where? Spain. Who? Graham Hunter. What? Cristiano Ronaldo, red card hysteria needs to calm down

Abu Dhabi Bernabéu. Get used to it, people.

Kaká is in Orlando. Pardon us, but we forgot. Grant Wahl is on hand to remind us, thankfully.






Onward!!

-SSN

nbcsoccer.com
Posted by The Editor at 11:26 AM 0 comments

Monday, January 26, 2015

The Romance of the Cup, Ronny Sees Red, African Cup of Nations, Barca Hit for Six, Mexes Gets Mad, Riquelme Retires, Good Times in Belgium

The Bantams in Dreamland...

Whew! How about that for a weekend of footie, eh? Chelsea? Up two-nil at The Bridge and lose to Bradford City. Manchester City? Failed to score upon return from a mid-week Middle Eastern jaunt and were ousted at the Etihad by Boro. Southampton? Also lost at home. Palace knocked them out thanks to goals from Chamakh and Sanogo. Yes, you read that right. Tottenham? You guessed it. They lost at home to Leicester. Elsewhere, Cambridge United held Manchester United, Arsenal managed to hold on to win at Brighton, and Liverpool and Bolton couldn't score. Let's roll right into the FA Cup Fourth Round fallout and then head to the Continent...

Cambridge United 0 - 0 Manchester United: Phil McNulty at Abbey Stadium
Cambridge United 0 - 0 Manchester United: Daniel Taylor at Abbey Stadium
Chelsea 2 - 4 Bradford City: Russell Kempson at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 2 - 4 Bradford City: Three Thoughts
Tottenham 1 - 2 Leicester City: Alan Smith at White Hart Lane
Tottenham 1 - 2 Leicester City: Three Thoughts
Manchester City 0 - 2 Middlesbrough: Paul Wilson at the Etihad Stadium
Southampton 2 - 3 Crystal Palace: Jacob Steinberg at St. Mary's Stadium
Liverpool 0 - 0 Bolton: Andy Hunter at Anfield
Brighton & Hove Albion 2 - 3 Arsenal: Barney Ronay at the Amex Stadium

Over in Italy, Inter lost at home to Torino, AC Milan lost in Rome to Lazio, and Juventus cruised past Chievo. Here's a wrap. Mexes? Yeah, he went a little nuts. Paul Pogba? He went a little nuts, too. But, in a good way...


Want more of Paul against Chievo? Check it.

Speaking of nuts, the Anderlecht/Standard Liege match provided plenty. Steven Defour got all (understandably) riled up by the Liege fans and their grotesque banner, and the fans got all pissed and threw chairs, and it was a good 'ol time! Check it out here. What's the deal, anyway? Learn more here.

Good grief. Spain? Ronaldo lost his marbles, too! It didn't matter, though. Gareth Bale saved the day with a penalty. Elsewhere, Messi and Neymar had a little fun in their 6 - 0 demolition of Elche.


Seems a bit excessive, no?
Juan Roman Riquelme has retired.  A classic Number 10 in the Pirlo mold, Riquelme always had his critics but was one of the few players we've seen who could single-handedly dictate the pace of a match. Suerte, Juan!

There is so much going on in the African Cup of Nations it's difficult to focus. Click here to begin your journey. The Group Stage continues through Wednesday. Hosts Equatorial Guinea have progressed to the Quarters, along with Congo. Today you've got Cape Verde Islands vs. Zambia and Tunisia vs. Democratic Republic of Congo.

Also today? Rochdale vs. Stoke City in another Fourth Round FA Cup tie. Head over to Fox Sports 2 at 3:00 p.m. EST to check out the action at Spotland. Will there be another upset?

Right! That'll have to do for this Monday!

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 12:15 PM 0 comments

Friday, January 23, 2015

FA Cup, Asian Cup, African Nations Cup, Hope Solo

Bloody Hell. Sorry for the absence. Hopefully your hearts have grown fonder. We had no idea how much stuff had accumulated at SSN Headquarters and it simply overwhelmed us. We're (kind of) settled in a temporary facility so we're going to attempt to get a post done while we have a minute. Some of our staff remain on unpaid leave, but we'll do the best we can.



Right! Where to begin? We suppose the FA Cup would be appropriate. We've reached the Fourth Round, friends, and matches such as Rochdale vs. Stoke, Derby vs. Chesterfield, and Aston Villa vs. Bournemouth are poised to ignite! Here are 10 Things To Look Out For. Here are Lawro's and Dion Dublin's predictions. Here's a Preview of the Round Four, which begins this afternoon with Manchester United's trip to Cambridge.

David Trezeguet has retired. Michael Cox takes a look back at the prolific Frenchman's career here.

Over in Asia, the United Arab Emirates stunned defending champs Japan to advance to a semi-final clash with the Aussies (see Cahill's bicycle above). Meanwhile, Iraq beat Iran on penalties. The Iraqis will play South Korea in the other Semi. Here's a wrap. And look! Iranian women can actually attend a match! Fancy that!


Has it really been 20 years since Eric Cantona went all Kung-Fu at Crystal Palace? We are getting old. Here's a look back at that shocking affair.


Barney Ronay's got a good piece out today. He's talking about the financial benefits enjoyed by the London clubs. Here are a nice couple of lines: "The fact is, and I write as someone who has lived here all his life, these days it feels as though nobody really loves or even likes London that much. Not least because London doesn’t actually want to be liked, but presents itself instead as a beautiful, frightening, frictionless economic machine."

The next Freddy Adu is here. His name is Martin Odegaard. He's signed at Real Madrid. Here's all you need to know about the kid.


Serie A? Yes. Lazio/AC Milan and Fiorentina/Roma look good. Here's a Preview of the weekend's schedule.

Das Bundesliga is still hibernating, but Raphael Honigstein is on hand to remind us that Borussia Dortmund are in big trouble. Could they actually go down?

La Liga? Yes. Here are Six Storylines to watch over the next few days in Spain.

Over at the African Nations Cup, Jonathan Wilson's talking about Ghana and their must-win match with Algeria this morning. Their manager is Avram Grant. Oh, dear. That competition is still in the group stage. Kirsten Schlewitz breaks down today's action here.

And finally...more bad news for Hope Solo. It looks like the end for her career. Hopefully she can get some help.

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 11:17 AM 2 comments

Monday, January 12, 2015

Headquarters Relocation

Happy Monday! 




SSN is relocating to a new facility, and posting will be sporadic in the meantime. We hope to be fully moved in by one week from today.

Onward!!

-SSN

Posted by The Editor at 1:04 PM 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)