The public are comfortable with Harry Redknapp. His rumpled, down-to-earth persona harks back to a bygone era before football became a commercial monster, evoking soft fuzzy Sunday evening television images of a time when society was less complicated and life was better. With Harry, like him or not, you know where you are.

Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com

By AVI CREDITOR

WASHINGTON -- Perry Kitchen had just about everything including the kitchen sink thrown his way in 2011.

As a rookie, Kitchen started 30 of a possible 34 games for D.C. United, splitting time across three positions.

It's high time again for another hat trick and QOTD. Today's piece will focus a bit more on the USMNT as a couple of big games loom tonight and this weekend. One of the matchups includes two American soccer icons in a clash this weekend, which should make for must watch TV. Also follow after the break to have your say in the QOTD.

Oh it's happening, Kickettes. And it will be starring a real live WAG.

Jessica Lawlor, girlfriend of Aston Villa's Stephen Ireland confirmed on Twitter this morning that she will have a role in WAG! The Musical. Jess added,

In my role I am simply making fun out of the pre conception that ppl have formed of 'WAGS'.

At the end of the 2011 MLS season, one of Major League Soccer's veterans retired. After 14 years in the league, Andy Williams chose to hang up his boots and pick up a clipboard as he joined the RealSaltLake technical staff. After winning an MLS Cup, representing his national team and building a life in Utah, the Jamaican is able to look back on his career with pride.

A favorite quote of mine comes from a statement I heard years ago about adversity being a building block in developing one's character. I used to even prescribe to the theory: 'A B C - Adversity Builds Character'.
Helen Keller once said, "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.

There's no doubt that Newcastle will have to show their spirit in the next three league games. Alan Pardew we'll see how the players deal with adversity We are at second bottom Bolton Wanderers on Monday afternoon, Boxing Day, and they have lost seven of their eight league games at home this season, so surely we are in with a chance of all [.

It is not uncommon for teams to lose their composure when adversity strikes in a match. Whether it be conceding a goal at an inappropriate time in the match, an injury or a player being sent off.
The truly special teams are able to keep cool and stay in the moment when adversity arrives, and Barcelona's performance versus Real Madrid last week was a clear illustration of why they are the gold standard in world football.

Dalglish salutes triumph of Suarez and Downing

Liverpool boss praised the pair for impressing despite adversity

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2011-12-18 22:28:50 from: The Mirror

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Manchester City We are often told that our greatest tests are in response to adversity. Is now the time for Mancini to show his true worth? In truth, City should probably have won at Stamford Bridge on Monday. David Silva was brought down for a penalty, and Sergio Aguero had a chance which on other [.

Cesc goal helps Barcelona past Real Madrid 1-3 (Photo: REUTERS/Sergio Perez)

Barcelona recovered from conceding the quickest goal in El Clasico history to defeat Real Madrid 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu, delivering a decisive blow in the race for the La Liga title.

The victory snaps Madrid's 15 game winning streak and sees Barcelona leapfrog their bitter rivals to reclaim first place in the provisional Primera Division standings.

By Joel Greenwaldt
Baltimore Blast (5-2) vs. Syracuse Silver Knights (3-5)
Game Time: 12/10/2011 7:35PM
http://www.misllivesoccer.com/
What needs to go right for the Blast:

• Put last night's game in the rear view mirror: Last night's loss to the Missouri Comets was a hard one to swallow for the Blast and their fans.

It really is make or break for Chelsea tonight and I cannot emphasise enough just how important the right result is for our season. We have come up against adversity in recent weeks and took a massive step in the right direction at Newcastle on Saturday.
I have to stress that it's important that we do not get carried away as there is plenty still to do.

When Brad Guzan first joined Major League Soccer in 2005 as a part of Chivas USA, he was in his early twenties, basically just a kid, especially for a goalkeeper. But an injury to starter Martin Vasquez forced Guzan into the starters role and the adversity pushed him to excel, eventually earning a transfer abroad to England.

The new Arsenal: focus, enthusiasm, togetherness, and a mixture of raw talent and calm experience

The interlull is almost over. Although it has been a boring period from a footballing point of view at least we did not have to endure again the spectacle of recent interlulls: in-fighting of fellow Arsenal fans.

Bouncing Back, a story of resilience from XTG Media on Vimeo.
Two days now until the Scottish Football Blog Blogathon.
Why am I doing it?
To try and help, even in a small way, great organisations like the Homeless World Cup. My own little contribution to beating homelessness through football.

For any club to be successful you have to strike the right balance. You need the experience players combined with younger players to gel and if you do find the right mix, you will have a good chance of being successful.
It pains me to say it but look at Sir Alex Ferguson at United. He continues to do it season after season, he evolves his squad and his team to keep things fresh and has done it again this term with the likes of Wellbeck, Cleverley, Jones and Smalling.

Carl Jenkinson: the more I ponder his position as a player for the Arsenal, the more I grow to admire him. Not position as in right-back, you understand. No, his position as a 19-year-old footballer who only last season was propping up a part-time, non-league outfit on freezing nights in front of a handful of fans.

• Dynamo fans gobble up MLS Cup Final tickets [Houston Chronicle]
• Goalkeeper Tally Hall gets his shot in Houston [USA Today]
• Dynamo's Hainault keeps Euro interest on back burner [MLS Soccer]
• Defensive switch propels red-hot Houston [MLS Soccer]
• Davis-less Dynamo accustomed to adversity [Houston Chronicle]
• Despite quad injury, Davis calls 2011 "surreal" [MLS Soccer]
• Unlikely heroes Taylor, Moffat provide winner at KC [Houston Dynamo]

In Other News:

• Meet T.

The past two weeks have been very, very good for us. First of all the brilliant game against Chelsea will live long in the memory, it made people sit up and take notice of us again and most of all take notice of our captain currently one of the best best players in the world and probably the very best out and out striker.

Anfield legend Alan Hansen has lauded the consistency and growing impact of Liverpool's Lucas Leiva, and believes that the we're now beginning to see the 'true value' of the midfielder.
In his column for LFC magazine, Hansen enthused:
"Lucas was an important presence in both games [Stoke and West Brom].

On Arsenal's official website, there is a Robin van Persie fest. Accolades are pouring in to acknowledge his great run of form and as usual Arsene Wenger is taking the credit for this performance. here are his comments to the media

"Robin has scored 28 in 27 games and still people tell me he is not a centre forward," Wenger said.

Morning all.

North London prepares itself for the invasion of a traveling horde of drooling orcs, Stoke City come to town. It was interesting to read Tony Pubis talk about how there's no problem between him and Arsenal, what happened in the past is in the past. Good for you, Pubis.

Can't say the same though.

Arsene Wenger understands that it has been difficult for all the new Arsenal players coming in to handle the great expectations immediately placed on them while they were still settling in, but he now feels that the squad have the "mental strength" to deal with the criticism. "Football is difficult if you are not united," [.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

Union

In this week's power rankings roundup, the Union fall two spots to fifth at MLS Soccer.com. At ESPN, they move up one spot to fifth. They drop one spot to fourth at the Seattle Times. At Goal.com, the Union fall two spots to eighth.

Sheanon Williams, profiled on the Union website, was named to Goal.

An odd thing happened to the prediction that Celtic would break the GI Joe kung-fu grip Rangers have had on the Scottish Premier League trophy the past three years. Quite simply, it appears to have been rather hastily determined based on deceptive appearances alone, or perhaps a notable disappearance from Ibrox.

Over the past couple of years, Arsenal have been severely criticised for their transfer policy and their reluctance to splash the cash on big name players. The Gunners have been accused of everything from a lack of ambition to manipulating the share price, as their time without a trophy grows longer and longer and Arsene Wenger's men slip further and further down the Premier League pecking order.

"I think this is a team game and unfortunately there isn't an equal level between my teammates and I." -Rafa Marquez

I'm not an athlete, I've never been one so my understanding on the locker room dynamic is limited. However, as a human who has engaged in a variety of relationships in the last 31 years (I'm dating myself) I think I understand the importance of not selling out people you work with.

I give up. Honestly.
How can you love a team, desperate for points in the playoff race, that takes a 2-0 lead at home to one of the worst teams in the league and conspires through a combination of catastrophic defending, a complete inability to retain possession, and, most damningly, sheer gutlessness in the face of adversity, to throw away two points?

Holden is back and ready to get in the mix
U.S. midfielder Stuart Holden is back in business after playing for the first team at Bolton in their 1-0 victory on Sept. 20 against Aston Villa, ending a rehab stint of precisely six months and two days.
We spoke with Stuart in this exclusive Q&A about his feelings about the return, his performance, and his conversation with U.

Venue : Stade Michel d'Ornan
Sep 21, 2011, 1900 CET.

Of highs and spectacular lows highs!

Stade de Gerland turned into a graveyard for Olympique Marseille this Sunday. The memorable 2-0 loss to OL has brought upon OM a 10 point deficit from 2012-13 Champions League spots in just 6 games!

Blackburn skipper Chris Samba has vowed to make things horrible for the visiting Arsenal this afternoon despite being linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium all summer long.

Samba, 27, was tipped to bolster the Gunners defense along with several other names such as Gary Cahill and Scott Dann but in the end, German international Per Mertesacker was brought in to mitigate Arsenal's defensive shortcomings.

Photo courtesy of UCLA media relations

By ADAM SERRANO

UCLA midfielder Kelyn Rowe knows a thing or two about trying to live up to high expections.

Rowe, who will have no shortage of professional options after his sophomore season with the Bruins, starred for the United States Under-20 national team during its failed attempt to qualify for the Under-20 World Cup, scoring three goals and one assist in leading the U.

Why Everton must share a stadium with Liverpool if they want to keep David Moyes

Liverpool's great strength as a city is its ability to unite in adversity. Great causes such as the social injustice of ­Thatcherism and the human tragedy of Hillsborough evoke great ­responses.

*boilk*

Morning to you, last night I was out celebrating the Mugsmasher's birthday even though his birthday was last Sunday and we already went out and had some pints for it. What can I tell you? He loves a good celebration and lord knows the football has barely provided him with anything in the last few years.

I feel I have a responsibility to be completely truthful here. Last season was tough, really tough but as with everything in life, it is now consigned to history, done and dusted and yes whilst it is still fresh in the mind, our boys have this remarkable opportunity once again to embrace the uphill challenge of competing for the title, competing in Europe's most prestigious competition and defying the critics with dazzling displays of quite awesome football.

Arsenal slip again as Wenger obsesses over wantaway players - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

As Arsenal players struggled to convince Scousers that losing is part of being a trendy North Londoner this weekend, you'd be forgiven for asking exactly where all the adversity came from. A team carrying Robin Van Persie, Andrei Arshavin and Thomas Vermaelen shouldn't struggle very often, yet it couldn't pull away from a team containing Charlie Adam.

Arsenal slip again as Wenger obsesses over wantaway players - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

As Arsenal players struggled to convince Scousers that losing is part of being a trendy North Londoner this weekend, you'd be forgiven for asking exactly where all the adversity came from. A team carrying Robin Van Persie, Andrei Arshavin and Thomas Vermaelen shouldn't struggle very often, yet it couldn't pull away from a team containing Charlie Adam.

Why I strongly feel that in spite of hardships and adversity facing them, Toronto FC will qualify for the group stages of the CONCACAF Champions League and will emerge as a stronger club from the experience in Nicaragua.
Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)

Hope Solo was battered and bruised, but that doesn't matter when you can't hit your penalties and you're going up against the power of flower anyway. Or perhaps radioactively-enhanced athletes. (Good short-term, bad long?)

Japan, as everyone has heard, has won the Women's World Cup, and it's a bit of a big deal for them, proving that heart and good juju in the face of national crisis and adversity can bring home titles and fans, as the world especially America applauds.