I'll be back on Monday. -Sanford
SSN is a digest of the day's soccer/football/futbol articles with a focus on the top European leagues and the United States National Team. Below, you’ll find links to articles and video, as well as additional features and commentary. We locate the top news of the day so you can stay updated with ease.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Jacqui Oatley: My alternative review of the season
With the season drawing to a close, I thought I'd reflect on the past nine months or so and pick out some of the incidents and quotes that have stood out in my mind.
I've steered clear of the more traditional awards. Instead I've made up my own categories - just because I felt like it.
So this is my personal take on the 2008-09 season.
Worst ladies toilets
Portsmouth - they're well known for having the worst stadium facilities in the Premier League. After queuing for the whole of half time, it's a nightmare to try and clamber over people in the cramped press box for the start of the second half. Very friendly staff and fans, though.
Eduardo Alvarez in Spain
It's is hard to imagine a better representation of the heterogeneous mixture of economic interests, political views and cultural identities that Spain has become than Wednesday's Copa del Rey final.
Roberto Gotta in Italy
What a paradox the Serie A has become. While it is always healthy to look away from what goes on off the pitch in order to avoid embarrassment and the whiff of dodgy dealings that rarely obey to the principle of doing the best for the game, action on the pitch itself has often been delightful and entertaining.
Bundesliga Wednesday Round-Up: Werder Hit Five, Hamburg Win
Schalke 1-2 Stuttgart
Hamburg 3-1 Bochum
Arminia Bielefeld 0-2 Hoffenheim
Eintracht Frankfurt 0-5 Werder Bremen
Energie Cottbus 0-1 Borussia Moenchengladbach
English Angle: Worst Premier League Team Of The Season 2008-09
Second-season slumps, vulnerable veterans and transfer miscalculations; Greg Ptolomey offers his Worst Premier League Team of the Season…
Cups: Barcelona win Spain's and Lazio win Italy's
Barcelona stayed on course for an historic treble by crushing Athletic Bilbao 4-1 at the Mestalla Stadium on Wednesday to lift the Kings Cup for the first time in over a decade.
Lazio beat Sampdoria 6-5 on penalties to lift the Italian Cup after Wednesday’s final at the Stadio Olimpico finished 1-1 following extra-time.
Marcela Mora y Araujo not in Argentina
A fresh documentary about the Argentinian legend doesn't quite broach new ground, but does reveal much of interest.
Contradictions abound as a new film profiles Maradona.
Marina Hyde: Tottenham's is a double ... standard, that is
Footballers are increasingly being used to sell us alcohol, but heaven forbid they should actually go near the stuff.
Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger in Germany
At the beginning of each month, I send a brief run-down of the past four Bundesliga weeks to an English monthly. When I last did this, in early May, the editor of the section in question replied with an e-mail containing just one line: "Another crazy month in Europe's most exciting league."
Richard Jolly at the JJB Stadium
Wigan 1 - 2 Manchester United
Trailing 2-1 to Aston Villa, losing 2-0 to Tottenham, pegged back at Sunderland and facing defeat at Wigan, United have won them all. Where there could have been one point, there are 12 instead. Lacking the character and quality to respond to setbacks, they would languish far behind Liverpool.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The Forgotten Story Of ... Real Madrid's 107-goal season
Barcelona may be set to surpass the record this season, but that shouldn't diminish the achievement of John Toshack's 1989-90 Real Madrid side.
Quotes & Chants of the Week
"We had an interest in Joey (Barton) in January. There are obviously issues but he does play his football for somebody else so we need to respect that. We can't talk about other people's players."
Bolton boss Gary Megson, not talking about other people's players.
"He's been feeling his groin for a week now."
Alan Shearer explaining why Obafemi Martins didn't start the Middlesbrough game.
"The tension is palatable."
Commentary from Matt Jackson on the Hull v Stoke game. Hopefully the half-time pies were palpable
"That's not his natural left foot."
Tony Cascarino implies a leg transplant helped Michael Essien score his spectacular volley against Barcelona.
"Oh Vela, Vela
Our Mexican superstar
He hasn't got swine fever
Oh Vela, Vela."
Arsenal fans singing about Carlos Vela to the tune of Que Sera Sera.
"We've got Robinho, you've got Sam Allardyce."
Heard at the Man City-Blackburn game last week.
The Rest
Bolton boss Gary Megson, not talking about other people's players.
"He's been feeling his groin for a week now."
Alan Shearer explaining why Obafemi Martins didn't start the Middlesbrough game.
"The tension is palatable."
Commentary from Matt Jackson on the Hull v Stoke game. Hopefully the half-time pies were palpable
"That's not his natural left foot."
Tony Cascarino implies a leg transplant helped Michael Essien score his spectacular volley against Barcelona.
"Oh Vela, Vela
Our Mexican superstar
He hasn't got swine fever
Oh Vela, Vela."
Arsenal fans singing about Carlos Vela to the tune of Que Sera Sera.
"We've got Robinho, you've got Sam Allardyce."
Heard at the Man City-Blackburn game last week.
The Rest
Bundesliga Tuesday Round-Up: Big Three All Win
The Bundesliga title race is still going to the wire as Wolfsburg, Bayern and Hertha all grabbed wins tonight.
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 Borussia Dortmund
FC Koeln 1-2 Hertha Berlin
Karlsruhe 2-3 Hannover
Premier League Preview: Wigan Athletic - Manchester United
Kick-Off: Wednesday, May 13; 20:00;JJB Stadium, Wigan
So it's not quite the same as last season, but a win at the JJB this time around, a little earlier than last season, will put them just a point away from winning their third successive Premier League title - the second time they will have achieved this feat.
Preview
Spanish Inquisition: Worst La Liga Team Of The Season 2008/09
With the league calendar in Spain approaching the final straight, Ewan Macdonald offers his Worst Primera Division Team of the Season…
Steve Coppell quits Reading as Burnley close on Premier League
Reading 0 Burnley 2 (Burnley win 3-0 on agg)
It was widely expected but perhaps not quite so swiftly. Little more than two hours after Reading had bowed out of the Coca-Cola Championship play-offs at the Madejski Stadium last night, Steve Coppell, their manager, resigned.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Tim Vickery in South America
The biggest criticism that I could make of the organisation of Brazilian football is as follows - on the opening weekend of the national championship, the leading star in the entire competition was rested.
Ronaldo is fit and in form, looking full of goals in yet another remarkable comeback - and Corinthians decided not to pick him for Sunday's 1-0 defeat at home to Internacional.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)