Thierry Henry last night said "..what can I do.." in reference to the handball incident that led to Gallas goal against Ireland. Trappaoni today commented -Â "It wasn't up to Henry to say, 'I touched it with my hand'" . With that in mind we remember about FIFA and their fair play rules Where [...] Click to continue reading...

Thierry Henry the Basketball Player Thierry Henry the Yo Yo Expert Click to continue reading...

The securities have been tightened, people has been pouring in from all circles and the atmosphere has started to be nerve wrecking as Egypt will face Algeria at Khartoum, Omdurman. This is going to be highly tense encounter between these two African nations and both are ready to fight it out again after a tense [. Click to continue reading...

Although football today is a multi-billion dollar globalised industry which has spread its commercial influence to all corners of the planet, sometimes it pays to look back into the game's annals and revisit the humble origins of what has now become the most popular sport in the world.

In this article I look at the ten oldest football clubs still in existence today and try and put the magnitude of their impact upon the game into some sort of historical perspective.

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Sort of a big week in the Canadian national scene with Stephen Hart slotted as the Real© Head Coach of the mens squad, but there were some other interesting stories this week.
Like:

• The Toronto Junior Lynx have been rated the number one academy club for the Mid West Region, making Chicago Fire's academy team look like the feathery little pipsqueaks they are.

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- There are TWO QPR Reports! This QPR Report site. And, the second combination messageboard and quasi-blog QPR Report Messageboard. If you're interested in constantly-updated news re anything QPR-related and also QPR nostalgia, this site has both - along with assorted eclectic non-QPR football material. Click to continue reading...

The Guardian has an interesting piece on a forgotten tale involving United players, 100 years ago. Here's an extract:

The first meeting of the Association Football Players Union in 1907 was chaired by United player Billy Meredith – the "Welsh Wizard", who was one of the first footballing superstars.

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National League Division 2 South Fixtures

Would dearly love to go to a Richmond V Barnes fixture :

Saturday, 07 November 2009

Barking v Westcombe Park, 15:00

Bridgwater & Albion v Rosslyn Park, 15:00

Canterbury v Southend, 15:00

Dings Crusaders v Worthing, 15:00

Ealing v Henley, 15:00

Lydney v Clifton, 15:00

Richmond v Barnes, 15:00

Why?

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Whilst the FIFPro player of the year award itself has a relativily short history (having only been awarded since 2005), the origins of the awards could feasibly traced back to 1898 and the formation of the Association Football's Union in England. Whilst the AFU turned out to be unsuccessful and ultimately shortlived, shutting up shop in 1901, it was a precursor to the formation of the Professional Footballers Association which officially started in 1907.

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There should be an opposite of ESPN Classic. Like, ESPN Horsesh*t. Because Saturday's LA-Dallas game deserves immortality, but calling it a classic would be rank false advertising.
I'm sure in the 130 years or so they've been playing association football that there have been weirder games. Click to continue reading...

Coach Tom sent United supporters and email from his trip to Seoul, Korea. It reads;

UNITED Supporters,
This is Tom Atencio from Seoul South Korea. I am sitting in my hotel room at 8:01 PM Wednesday September 9 which is 3:01 AM September 9 in Portland. The time difference of 15 hours offers challenges in regard to your body's internal clock not to mention the 12 hour plane ride. Click to continue reading...

Yesterday I attended two soccer games. The first one cost me a total of $11 (two Gatorades and $4 match fees), the latter about $90. The first was very much a community event, the latter was distant and relatively alienating. The latter was better quality, but not by that much in many ways, and it certainly wasn't a philharmonic orchestra. Click to continue reading...

History fascinates me, combine history with footy and well it doesn't get much better than that really. For any fan of the beautiful game, The Rules of Association Football 1863 is a must read that takes one back to the simple yet amazingly crucial rules that built the foundation for the modern game. Click to continue reading...

The rules of soccer (or football, or more specifically "association football") are, as in every sport, ever changing and evolving. Substitutions, the offside rule, methods for breaking ties: over...

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I'm generally not one to promote proselytizing, but I found this old pamphlet in an antiquarian bookstore in southern Maine. It was written by St. Dickie of Assisi F.C., a reknowned football missionary and Premier League devotee who travelled throughout North America in the late 20th century, bringing the love of English association football wherever he went.

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Back in the good old days, before the commencement of the Barclays Premier League Asia Trophy, we produced a post on July 21st entitled "How The Rules Corrupt The Laws" (http://footballisfixed.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-rules-corrupt-laws.html).
In the article, we suggested how the Laws of the Game are being contorted by the fake implementation of New Rules that allow too much control to the match officials, particularly the Referee and the 4th Official. Click to continue reading...

It's pretty much unarguable that the game best suited to the (more or less) uniquely American "All Star Game" construct is baseball.
Virtually everything in that game, with the exception of some defensive technicalities (and even most of those are universal) is done individually: one guy pitches the ball, another guy tries to hit it, a third guy tries to catch it. Click to continue reading...

This is the first post on a new series examining the history of the Laws of the Game. When, where and why have they come to be as they are?

The origins of Association Football have been typically traced to a lower class mob game turned modern by the upper classes in their schools and universities.

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Scunthorpe United Football Club are an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. Nicknamed The Iron, they played the 2008-2009 season in the Football League One after one season in the Football League Championship, the first time they played at that level in 45 years. Click to continue reading...

USA Coach Bob Bradley and Sounders FC Goalkeeper Kasey Keller Photo: Greg Roth
As the United States of America celebrates it's 233rd birthday, the US National Team prepares to defend it's Gold Cup Champion title with honor. Across the country the soccer interested will be taking a break from the barbecues and kicking back with a few cold brews to watch a team with some of the same players who became heroes in South Africa during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. Click to continue reading...

Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team play in English Football League Two. The club's nickname is "The Shakers." It was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890's. Bury F.C. finished in 4th position during the 2008/09 League Two [. Click to continue reading...

Club Deportivo Guadalajara, commonly known as Chivas (The Goats), El Rebaño Sagrado (The Sacred Herd) or Los Rojoblancos is a Mexican association football team based in Guadalajara, Jalisco that competes in the Primera División de México, the highest football division in Mexico. Chivas has the most titles in the Mexican first division with 11. Click to continue reading...

1930 World Cup poster

The U.S.'s surprising run in the Confederations Cup is hardly the first time they have surpassed all expectations on the world stage. Their 1950 victory over England is the best-known; but in many ways, their surprising run to third place at the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay remains the most impressive achievement in the team's history, and the biggest lost opportunity to grow the game domestically.

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First of all I must apologise for the bad pun in the title, but like my title Newcastle United football club have became a bad joke under Chairman Mike Ashley. The replica kit wearing, pint drinking, apparent Tottenham Hotspur fan took over at a club in a city that lives and breathes football.

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After the 2006 World Cup I launched a one-man campaign to change the name of American Football to All-American Pig-Pile. It was time this country embraced the sport's true name, I thought. I received many chuckles but few converts. One who went along with it was my friend George from Manchester, England.

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It is a CONCACAF Sunday tomorrow as the football action will revolve around their league matches. The three matches lined up include Trinidad and Tobago up against Costa Rica, USA playing with Honduras and El Salvador against Mexico.

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From the moment Luis Saha scored the quickest ever goal in an FA Cup Final you sort of knew it wouldn't be enough. It was always asking a lot for two of our bitterest rivals to lose out in two big finals in four days.

It has to be said that Guus Hiddink has worked his magic yet again in his brief spell at <?

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Frank Lampard is posing with Princess Eugenie at Stamford Bridge, for the Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association football team exchange, May 26, 2009. Frank should totally date royalty. Click to continue reading...

Frank Lampard is posing with Princess Eugenie at Stamford Bridge, for the Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association football team exchange, May 26, 2009. Frank should totally date royalty. Click to continue reading...

It's fitting that the champions of the two biggest leagues in Europe, the Premier League and La Liga meet when English giants Manchester United face Spanish superstars Barcelona in Rome on Wednesday night.

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The phrase ‘there are lies, damned lies, and statistics, popularized by Mark Twain the author of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is often used when governments try to reinforce weak arguments with statistics. Not so when it comes to soccer betting.

A guide to football betting describes how you can use vital statistics to predict the outcome of football matches so that you win more than you lose.

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When you look at the body of work Steven Gerrard put together this season, it's difficult not to take a hard stance and be a little biased. 23 goals for a midfielder -- with two matches to play -- is a fantastic achievement that should be recognised on the highest level. We all knew he deserved the accolades for his successful season, and apparently so do the Football Writers' Association.

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When you look at the body of work Steven Gerrard put together this season, it's difficult not to take a hard stance and be a little biased. 23 goals for a midfielder -- with two matches to play -- is a fantastic achievement that should be recognised on the highest level. We all knew he deserved the accolades for his successful season, and apparently so do the Football Writers' Association.

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Mixed bag today. Catching up. No time for both subjects and predicates.
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When last the front page of BigSoccer encountered Ben Knight, he was being pilloried for having called Bill Archer a jackass on his TV show.
Last week, he made an impassioned plea for MLS to implement visible stoppage time, posted on the scoreboard clock. Click to continue reading...

Who knew staring at a sweaty, stoic Frenchman for ninety-three minutes could be this rewarding?

Filmmakers Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno must have suspected such when they set out to create Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait. The film was shot in 2005, released (limited) in 2006, but is now finally starting to reach a wider audience.

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