Ricardo Carvalho, the Portuguese defender, has said the Premiership is tougher than La Liga. The player has the credentials to speak about the Premiership, he played there for 6 seasons, but his views on La Liga, and therefore the actual comparison, is based on his first 3 matches in La Liga.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is sure that in Raul Meireles and Steven Gerrard he has the partnership to lead the club back to the Champions League.
Hodgson, 63, brought in Meireles this summer to bolster the midfield in the absence of Javier Mascherano and Alberto Aquilani. The £11.5 million signing played behind Fernando Torres in Sunday's 3-2 defeat to Manchester United in a role usually occupied by skipper Gerrard.

Ireland international winger Aiden McGeady was last night celebrating his first goal for Spartak Moscow.
His 77th minute equaliser saved his team from a home defeat to Amkar Perm, with the final score 2-2. The 24-year-old's goal came when he instinctively responded to a cross and scored from the right side of the Perm goal.

FFA Come out come out where ever you are.
I received this from A-League4Canberra today. Note whilst I am no longer able to be involved I'm a fully paid up Foundation Member.
Dear Eamonn,
The Committee for the establishment of an A-League 4 Canberra football has announced that their plans for a future team in the A League are still alive and kicking.

The song and dance finally ended on Sunday night when Darrelle Revis and the New York Jets agreed to a new contract. To end the seven-month holdout, Revis inked a deal worth $46 million over four seasons. The superstar cornerback will be paid $7.5 million this season and has a total of $32 million in guaranteed money coming his way.

Real Madrid Wednesday announced net profit for the 2009-2010 season jumped 11.5 percent from the previous year on what it said were the highest revenues "of any sports institution in the world."

It said gross revenues for the season were 442.3 million euros, up 8.6% from the previous year.

Real Madrid Wednesday announced net profit for the 2009-2010 season jumped 11.5 percent from the previous year on what it said were the highest revenues "of any sports institution in the world."

It said gross revenues for the season were 442.3 million euros, up 8.6% from the previous year.

So Western Sydney A-League team has no money; not when it got the nod in 2009 and worse still not today.....and Frank Lowy says if they don't have any money soon they ain't coming in in 2011/12.
Flashback:
March 6th, 2009. FFA presented with the Canberra bid. Over $5 million dollars on the table back then, with another two and a half years to get some further dosh.

Its always fascinating to know how much the football stars earn. Not because its of any benefit to their millions of fans but mostly because it can be used as a weapon to criticise them if they fail to deliver on the pitch.

Italian Daily Gazzetta dello Sport released their list of the highest paid players in the Serie A and and if your guess is as good as mine, then you should know who tops the list.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle has admitted that defender Gary Cahill is more than likely to leave the Reebok Stadium, and if he does so it will be on good terms. Cahill finally made his much anticipated England debut, and reports suggest his international cap has now pushed his value up to £17.5 million.

Digging into MLS salary numbers is a bit like knowing I'll get a hangover, but opening that next bottle of wine anyway. The problem is, understanding the salary cap and restrictions are core to understanding the league.

The hardest part of finishing up this series of around building an MLS roster for one million dollars in total compensation is that there are so many interesting ideas to follow up with that it's hard to keep focused on a few key points.

According to a study done by study by Sport+Markt, FC Barcelona have the most supporters of any club in Europe. Their combination of stylish play and results have won the hearts of football supporters world wide. The Blaugrana can claim to have an incredible 57.8 million fans, almost double that of their nearest rival.

The transfer window recently closed and Premier League super spenders Manchester City already targeted their next signing. Roberto Mancini is believed to be deeply interested in Javier Pastore, Palermo's flamboyant and talented playmaker. The 21 year old would cost the club approximately €48m (£40m) which would be a record Biritish transfer free smashing their previous milestone when they paid €42.

Note from JD - This is the first post from regular MFUSA commenter Chris Ballard, who I've invited on as a contributor.
I was thinking about what to base my first post upon when I stumbled upon the gem of a link that Jason put up yesterday. If you've not had a chance to take a look at it, here it is.

Diego Forlan has spoken to the official website about his time at Manchester United. After Dimitar Berbatov scored a hattrick against Liverpool yesterday, Forlan was asked how well he remembered the two goals he scored at Anfield in 2002.

"Very clearly," Forlan responded. "They came at a difficult time for me.

By Chris Wright

Tottenham have agreed a £1.5 million deal to sign South African international defender Bongani Khumalo that will see the 23-year-old moving from SuperSport United to White Hart Lane in January after he impressed manager Harry Redknapp during a trial period last month.

It appears that the only 'red' Arsenal currently find themselves in is their long-standing club colours, after announcing record pre-tax profits of £56 million earlier this morning. The figures for the financial year ending May 31st, 2010 also show that the club's pre-tax net profits rose by a further £10.

By Chris Wright

Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has but three short months to decide whether or not he will allow £16 million's worth of flesh and freckles to waltz out of the club on free transfers.

The contracts of Nigel Reo-Coker (£7.