Meanwhile in China... is a post from: Just Football
by Andrew Crawford, in China
Another Chinese transfer window, another big name signs with Shanghai Shenhua.
This time, Didier Drogba will be the man flying into Shanghai Pudong Airport to be
greeted by loud pockets of Shenhua supporters covered in face paint and clutching home-made
banners.
[W]ith the fallout from recent incidents involving Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra, and John Terry and
Anton Ferdinand, dominating the back pages, racism in English football is once again a hot topic.
An opportune time, then, to ask Stan Horne about (among other things) his experiences as the first
ever black player for a trio of current Premier League clubs: Villa, Fulham and his beloved Man
City.
Another win consolidating our grip on 3rd against West Brom. Good times. What did the Spurs players
have to say for themselves after the game? Read on to find out...
IAmJermainDefoe - "@Lord_Sugar: 2-1 to spurs defoe great goal"Thanks big Al @Lord_Sugar am I
worthy enough 2come help u choose your apprentice now?
Who is the best player ever to have been signed by Arsenal?
Last summer I wrote a post about ‘Arsenal's Best Transfer News Ever'. The point of that piece
was to determine which piece of transfer news was the most exciting when it was announced,
regardless of how that player went on to perform for the club.
We had some news yesterday that Newcastle were after 17 year-old Coventry City defender Jordan
Willis, and it seems Newcastle are still after another top young star at the same club 18
year-old midfielder Gael Bigirimana, who's been likened to Michael Essien. Gael Bigirimana with his
Championship Apprentice of the Year award That's because the [.
It's generally well known that Alan Pardew started life as an apprentice glazier, Â working on the
building sites in the City of London. Alan Pardew - pointing the way at Newcastle That's when he
was in his late teens in the late 70s, Â but since then he has been able to forge a career in [...]
It is some time since  the final day's matches have carried such import. So may permutations,
so much angst one thing is certain today, there will be tears.
This being Big Raddy's final pre-match of the season it should be stated that I have an agenda
today; not to muster the troops nor review the possibilities and permutations  - there are other
sites who can do all that for the reader No, this post will be a paean to the 44 (some say 48 he
joined as an apprentice in 1964) years of Pat Rice.
It is some time since  the final day's matches have carried such import. So may permutations,
so much angst one thing is certain today, there will be tears.
This being Big Raddy's final pre-match of the season it should be stated that I have an agenda
today; not to muster the troops nor review the possibilities and permutations  - there are other
sites who can do all that for the reader No, this post will be a paean to the 44 (some say 48 he
joined as an apprentice in 1964) years of Pat Rice.
It is some time since  the final day's matches have carried such import. So may permutations,
so much angst one thing is certain today, there will be tears.
This being Big Raddy's final pre-match of the season it should be stated that I have an agenda
today; not to muster the troops nor review the possibilities and permutations  - there are other
sites who can do all that for the reader No, this post will be a paean to the 44 (some say 48 he
joined as an apprentice in 1964) years of Pat Rice.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has announced that former Gunners legend Thierry Henry has
re-joined the club on a two month loan deal from MLS side New York Red Bulls.
It comes as no surprise in football circles that the Frenchman has returned to his spiritual
home, having been training with the London club during the MLS off-season, but will this move make
or break the Gunners stuttering season?
THFC1882 welcomes another guest writer on board. This time it's Glen Bocking.
Glen is an Essex boy but now lives in Stoke so is handily placed to attend this game. Glen's first
Spurs memories are the '91 FA Cup semi and final! Great start to his Spurs watching!
Jose Enrique was the special guest as Liverpool FC rewarded its staff for completing a training
course to help further enhance the club's customer service levels.
Around 50 Reds employees passed apprentice-based programs which focused on customer services,
business administration, IT, team leading and management, in addition to motivational training and
customer excellence experiences.
Daniel Levy was described by former Tottenham chairman and star of The Apprentice Alan
Sugar, as the toughest negotiator he has ever dealt with, after ENIC Group, an investment company
chaired by Levy, took over the club in 2001. However, it is vital that Levy eschews from entering
negotiations with any club regarding Luka Modric after categorically stating the player is not for
sale, at any price.
"They have no idea who's doing what and when," moaned Karren Brady on The
Apprentice. While clearly putting her West Ham experience to good use on the show last night, the
Hammers vice-chairman seems to be warming to her theme. Brady has hit back at claims Avram
Grant was undermined throughout the season, insisting the Israeli was given everything
possible to keep West Ham in the Premier League.
MANCHESTER, England — Neil Young, a striker in Manchester City's trophy winning teams of the late
1960s and early 1970s, has died aged 66 from cancer, the English Premier League club announced
Thursday. Young, who scored the winning goal in the 1969 FA Cup final, was also a member of the
City side that [.
I know, I know: technically, tonight's game fits the definition of a derby. Unfortunately, this
new L1 fixture (2 years old) is nowhere near in anticipation and expectation as an OL-ASSE, the
REAL derby.
So indeed the interest, if any, of this game is not obvious, as the outcome won't make much
difference to the two participants fortunes.
Lille, today. Rennes, on March 19. PSG on April 16. And Marseille on May 7. These are the 4 most
crucial games faced by the Lyonnais. 4 capital direct confrontations against the strongest
contenders for the title of Champion of France. Sometimes, a win is worth more than 3 points, it's
worth 6, and that's exactly what is at stake today.
Welcome to Offbeat Wednesday, where it's all about the Wacky World of Wags (and their
Warriors, of course!) This week, read about Iker Casillas and Sara Carbonero's outing, Victoria
Beckham's cupcakes, Neymar's new "martial arts" music video, Irina Shayk's Advise and Barbara
Berlusconi.
The greatest pleasure a celebrity can have is not from doing what people say he or she cannot
do, it's by doing what people say he or she shouldn't do.
I've been sitting on this post for almost a week now, forgive me.  MLS released its 2012
roster rules last week and there are a few changes from last season. Nothing too crazy or
different from 2011 but enough to note here.
Last night after posting about the Jack Jewsbury trade, someone posted about the allocation money
we were getting for Jewsbury. During my response I realized that along with explaining the
allocation money process it'd be interesting to look at how much money KC had available under the
cap. Well Gooch over at the Star beat me to both punches in the same post last night.
Benni McCarthy, Roy Keane, George Best and the Top 10 footballing insults
Former West Ham striker Benni McCarthy is clearly not a fan of the phrase "let bygones be
bygones." The lardy former West Ham striker was asked by the South Africa Times: "Karren Brady
described you as a ‘big fat mistake'.
It is all too easy to get wrapped up in the glamour of Wednesday night's tie with Barcelona at
the Emirates, a clash of perhaps the two purest footballing teamsin Europe, the apprentice against
the master, if you will. It is made easier when the only fixture that stands between now and then
is a home match against the side with the worst away record in the division four points and nine
goals in twelve matches.
Former Liverpool and Everton defender Gary Ablett passed away last night after a 16-month battle
with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
The 46-year-old was one of a select band of players to enjoy extended stays with both Liverpool
clubs after starting off with the red half of the city as an apprentice in 1982.
So, since most of my readers are soccer people, a little background on how things work in the
roller derby world. As of the day I write this, there are 1055 roller derby leagues world-wide;
there are 124 leagues in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association covering the US, Canada,
Scotland, and England, which is the gold-standard for roller derby leagues - both in operations and
in quality of play.
We all know everything about the major clubs that play Champions League football year-in,
year-out, right? Pot 1 with its Chelseas, Arsenals and Real Madrids is old news. Pot 4 is where the
fun's at. Introducing a new feature on Just Football:The Pot 4
Club.
Marko Marin. So we meet again. It's not the news that our alleged approach was rebuffed that's
got the man on the street in somewhat of a dither, rather the reasoning behind looking at a player,
who, let's not kid ourselves, bares more than a striking resemblance to a certain wee Croat that
often knocks about the homestead.
Another great review from Papai...
There were two Italias on display last night, each showcasing a facet of the Italian National team
that we have come to recognise over the years. The team in white was clearly in semi-holiday mode,
and taking things lightly as it was just a friendly. The team in green displayed the
characteristics so admired in the classic azzurri squads – tenacity, tactically nullifying an
opponent, organisation and taking full advantage of whatever chances that came their way.
What a game. What a night. For an hour it was difficult to understand how any team in the world
could live with Barcelona, but through sheer resilience and refusal to give in, we hung in and
eventually wore them down, before scoring two brilliant goals to turn the tie around. In the first
half Barcelona were at their mesmerising best, and despite not being able to fault a single Arsenal
performance, we were playing the apprentice role predicted before the contest.
