A bit of what's going on in Butt's Brain as we prepare to roll out our Euro 2012 fantasy previews imminently... But first, some news: Liverpool choose Swansea's Rodgers, not Wigan's Martinez [SB Nation] Frank Lampard suffers England Euro 2012 ... Continue reading →

OTP gives you the lowdown on all the Euro 2012 teams. 10 word description: Tournament specialists make familiar trip to Poland with exciting generation. Coach: Joachim Low Jogi stepped out of Jurgen Klinsmann's shadow in 2006 and has left most people in no doubt that he was always the footballing brain behind the operation.

A bit of what's going on in Butt's Brain as we are still catching our breath from the last day of the Premier League season: The oldest looking 28 year old in history, Arjen Robben, will be the key man ... Continue reading →

I've Been Supporting Arsenal for 27 Years, and ...

by Gord

1 Introduction

I'm sorry, I am getting tired of crap comments. What got me into this state was someone who wrote in (who I am calling Super-brain) and who said (on the night the 2012 season ended) something to the effect [.

I don't think the point is getting across.

As it relates to a post, let me just say that it's ok if a reader "doesn't get it". People can't be convinced or changed with a solitary article not at their core anyways.

Every time I write one of these, my brain screams:

• "Oh, but what about this?

Junior Seau's girlfriend made a frantic all to 911 when she discovered Seau dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Wednesday.

"Oh my God, I need an ambulance," the girlfriend of the former USC and NFL linebacker said as she cried. "Oh my God.... My boyfriend shot himself." A nearly nine-minute conversation with the emergency dispatcher took place, and audio of the call was released by Oceanside officials on Friday.

A bit of what's going on in Butt's Brain on a Monday afternoon: Manchester Derby / Title Decider / Massive / Massive / Massive in just a few hours [ESPN] Roy Hodgson, not Harry Redknapp, closing in on England job ... Continue reading →

I gave up giving a few rat's giblets about footballing awards a very long time ago. There is so much bias and stupidity at work that there is absolutely no point getting worked up over who wins the FIFA/UEFA/PFA or anyone else's award. There is a massive bias towards strikers, there is a massive bias towards certain clubs and countries, also a lot of people who vote have about as many brain

Having already secured their well-deserved return to the Premier League, Reading can now start preparing for the challenge to stay in the top flight for many seasons to come.
The current crop of players at the Madejski Stadium have enjoyed a remarkable spell of form over the last few months and secured their return to the top tier of English football on Tuesday night, thanks to a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

I don't want to talk about the game, as the result turned the whole event into a disaster. Dropping three points for the second time in 10 days in the run-in is really poor form for a team hoping to consolidate a Champions League place. Losing Mikel Arteta to an injury that might keep him out of the team for the rest of the season is a double disaster.

I don't want to talk about the game, as the result turned the whole event into a disaster. Dropping three points for the second time in 10 days in the run-in is really poor form for a team hoping to consolidate a Champions League place. Losing Mikel Arteta to an injury that might keep him out of the team for the rest of the season is a double disaster.

It's only the Paraguayan third division, but any sort of professional football will be good for the man with a bullet in his brain.

Salvador Cabanas, shot in the head in a Mexico City bar just over two years ago, recently played a friendly with his former club side, Club America. Getting back to competitive football required two notches, so he saddled up with his hometown club, 12 de Octubre of Itaugua.

A bit of what's going on in Butt's Brain as the midweek games and race for a Top 4 position play out... Derry, Ivanovic, and Balotelli cases show the FA is not on the ball [Guardian] Clint Dempsey just can't ... Continue reading →

It wasn't pretty football in the West but it was a belter of a game. Perth v Wellington. And arguably two of my least favourite football teams are playing much better football than years gone by.
But it's not Swansea is it.
Great to see my most hated Coach ex-Ger Iain Ferguson using brain and craft to play full-back Scott Neville in a switch for my man of the match Billy Mehmet.

Morning all, today starts with a mild *boilk* but it's not my fault. It's all the fault of The Man from East Lower who has left his comfortable surrounds and is in Dublin instead and insisted that I drink beer with him.

"No," I said, "I am an abstemious man who rarely partakes of the demon drink, especially around this most holy of times.

Alright, week four was yet another edition of "you don't know jack".

My rankings saw a good amount of movement this week too. The tier system may not be loved by all but it makes my brain hurt less in writing these up each week. LA dropped out of the top tier for me and are in real danger of dropping even further down.

Unlike Liverpool, the ocean is filled with neverending delight and joy. Liverpool may be exploring the metaphorical depths with a consistent run of horrible performances, capped by today's farce in the Northeast, but the sea contains quite literal depths that frequently amaze and rarely disappoint.

Knock knock, Pep.

Who's there? Zlatan.

Zlatan who? I am Zlatan. And your chin looks like a Greek person's elbow.

How do you like that Pep? I don't mean my joke about your elbow chin -- that's genius, so of course you don't like it -- I mean the fact that I held your band of hormone-infused munchkins scoreless for the first time in their last 30 Champions League matches.

Butt's Brain on a Tuesday... Twitter is a powerful tool as a breaking news platform. You can follow us @NickyButt but first read this great article on Muamba & Twitter [EPL Talk] Fabrice Muamba is improving, but his long term prognosis ... Continue reading →

The horrific scenes at White Hart Lane on Saturday inevitably led to media outlets drawing comparisons between Fabrice Muamba's cardiac arrest and previous incidents of a similar nature. This was done with varying degrees of taste. Of course, Marc Vivien Foe was sadly among most people's immediate thoughts.

Next opponent: Zangief "This is shit ... AND I ATE IT!!!!!!" -- Gordon Ramsay Somehow my brother has gotten me to start watching "Kitchen Nightmares" on BBC America. I'm not proud of it, yet it's dumb, don't think, entertainment that doesn't tax the brain at odd hours of the night. Sort of like the Premier League the last couple weeks, except in the early morning and midday.

"No Andrea, I can't see your brain from here. Or any aliens."

Sam is on Twitter. There aren't any aliens in his ears, either. [read more]

We can heap encomiums on encomiums on Messi for his amazing gifts on and off the ball but he also happens to have the sharpest footballing brain in the world.

A stubborn Atletico Madrid team that refused to be broken were undone by the quick witted maestro who launched his curling and deadly accurate free kick from wide on the left against the hapless Thibaut Courtois before Atletico's players could get their feet set.

His brain said 'cross it' but his body said 'dive'. Cristiano Ronaldo got himself into a bit of a tangle as he attempted to put the ball into the box during Real Madrid's Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow last night. Via 101GG

One of the most liked players in baseball history died on Thursday. In the days since that horrible news, people from around the world have told how much they appreciated Gary Carter. The Hall of Fame catcher is probably best known for leading the 1986 New York Mets to a World Series championship.

A bit of what's going on in Butt's Brain this midweek as we take in European and FA Cup matches with the Premier League on a short break... Arsenal's season hangs in the balance after 4-0 loss to AC Milan ... Continue reading →

Combustible words from Mario Balotelli's agent Mino Raiola after his client was banned for four games for his stamp on the head of Scott Parker at the weekend.

Raiola was just getting warmed up when he said that he will take his client away from the Premier League if referees do not do a better job of protecting Balotelli:

"I don't want to say that they are always against him, but when English players are involved nothing happens," Balotelli's agent Mino Raiola said in an interview with Italian radio station Radio Radio on Tuesday.

Yesterday I discussed some of the basic roster rules in MLS and how it ties in with the salary cap. Hopefully the swelling in your brain has reduced sufficiently to allow you to move forward with your lessons as I attempt to help you further understand (to the best of our ability), the league's various roster mechanisms.

You'll like this. The difference between success and failure in football can be minute you need every edge you can get. And when you think about it, so much of football is in the mind. We talk about teams playing with confidence: that's a mental state. We talk about players looking nervous, or not knowing what they're supposed to be doing, or playing tentatively, or showing complacency.

U.S. soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann: 'You can't stop soccer in the U.S.'

Writer for The Arizona Republic picks the brain of Jurgen Klinsmann. Many very thoughtful questions asked and answers that show the direction Klinsmann wants to take.

Firstly I have no time for anyone who is so fickle as to suddenly turn on our manager after a short series of poor results, get a grip on reality and try to be objective, I know it's hard sometimes but engage your brain before letting loose with any bitter resentful bile. Secondly well played Swansea, they played some excellent football and their style deserves praise.

Elite coaching is an art.

This is my response to reader John, who left an excellent set of comments. The last of which I'll address here.

Specifically:

I'd love to see you talk about specific tactics, Gary. I have no doubt that you are very a bright guy, but I wish you'd share your knowledge with us.

If you've been stopping by Aston Villa Central for a while now you would have noticed something amiss this past weekend and may have assumed that I had joined Darren Bent on a quick shopping jaunt.
I had no such luck I'm afraid. I did indeed watch the 2-0 loss at the hands of Liverpool, but for the first time in a few years I hadn't done any preparation before the game.

Mikel Arteta has been an essential piece in the Arsenal midfield set up ever since his deadline day transfer from Everton. He has impressed many Arsenal fans with his footballing brain, accurate passing, ability to keep the ball and technical ability. Now, the Arsenal midfield maestro is looking to beat Manchester City in the big [.

Wayne Rooney scored his first league goal since September as Manchester United crushed Wolves 4-1 on Saturday. But with all the analysis and comments that followed an eventful week for Rooney, one quote stood out.

As well as stating that ‘Wayne was brilliant', United defender Phil Jones went on to say, ‘but he still has an influence on the team even when he is not scoring.

A bit of what's going on in Butt's Brain today... Didier Drogba with a complete revival yesterday in Chelsea's 3-0 Champions League win. The aging Ivorian looked fit, ruthless, and back to his best. What does that mean for his ... Continue reading →

When Arsenal brought Chelsea down 5-3 at Stamford Bridge, it was with a rather maniacal chuckle that Alan Hansen talked about van Persie. The same man who spoke of Walcott's lack of a "footballing brain" was finally going to get on Arsenal's back. "Arsenal almost looking like a one-man team!" he commented rather casually.

Liverpool manager Kenny Daglish slammed the shambolic scheduling of Carling Cup games several times prior to last night's 2-0 victory over Chelsea, and he reiterated his frustration again in his post-match press conference.
Prior to the game, Liverpool held discussions with the Sky, the Premier League and the Football League in an attempt to get one of the games moved, but the club's requests were roundly ignored, something that has clearly irritated Dalglish, who scathed:
"It's totally irresponsible - three teams in the quarter-finals have got problems with fixtures: ourselves, Man City, and Crystal Palace, who play on Wednesday night, and then have to play again on Friday.

A bit of what's going on in Butt's Brain... Adebayor sends Tottenham into third place [BBC Football] 8 reasons why NBA fans should watch soccer [EPL Talk] Bonjour Beckham [The Independent] Will Chelsea sack Villas-Boas? [Tribal Football] AWOL Carlos Tevez ... Continue reading →

By Chris Wright

Remember Dynamo? The magician that reduced Nemanja Vidic to a puddle of bubbling silicon and nano-circuitry, blew Bobby Zamora's brain and then made Gary Neville swear like a navvy with his sleight-of-hand shenanigans? Remembered him? Yes? Well now forget him, because football's got a new magic man and his name is Iker the Incredible.