On an international break Tuesday, this qualifies as noteworthy all Austria's Paul Scharner has to do now is suffer disfiguring burns on one side of his face and he'll be a Batman villain.

[Photo: Reuters]

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When it comes to the Premier League, the arguments could go on all night. The debate could turn ugly. The question even secretly burns in the mind of true believers.Which English top flight club has the most cumulative cool in the way of celebrity supporters?The four of us went off to research five clubs each, then came back with the data, made our individual tables and then averaged them out. Click to continue reading...

Another headline that's surely never been written in the history of the English language.
This story takes us to Scotland, where it turns out a bunch of Aberdeen fans were dressed as sheep as they rode the train to an upcoming soccer match against Hibs in Edinburgh.
One unfortunate 24-year-old dude was apparently set alight and ran through the cars with his sheep-suit engulfed in flames. Click to continue reading...

Fancy dress supporter train blaze An Aberdeen supporter dressed as a sheep was set alight on a train on his way home from their match against Hibs on Saturday. The 24-year-old suffered serious burns to his arms and legs when his suit caught fire on a train in Fife. The victim reportedly ran through the carriage ablaze [. Click to continue reading...

We finally got a win, with the only goal of the match coming from a very nicely set up play.

Here is the first video I could find of the goal

Overall the team showed some promise but lacked consistency throughout. There were times when everything was going smoothly. Passes were being made, plays were built up, and a few chances were created.

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In this second part to my season preview I examine the teams that will fill positions 4th – 6th.
6th – Adelaide United
It is sometimes amazing how a team's unofficial nickname can evolve from just a few misplaced comments. The pissants have had a low profile build up this preseason. Click to continue reading...

Highlights Below (Pavlis Goal, Burgas Goal, and Scocco post)

Again, another draw for AEK. I believe that's our third from three friendlies. Perhaps not an encouraging result on paper, but in reality, AEK dominated the match.

Each half saw two different lineups. The first half seemed to have what might be considered to main squad, consisting of players such as Scocco, Blanco, and Majstorovic.

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There is really nothing to say about the Crew. In true honesty they made me a little mad the way they played. The whole match they would win the ball and lose it somewhere in the Midfield. I wasn't too happy that Iro started because he didn't step up to his game. I rather seen Jed Zayner out there over him.

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Nothing burns calories like fear. [@ Funny Or Die] Vinnie is scary but does he make it into in Pies' Top 50 Scariest Footballers?...

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"Scientific tests prove nothing burns calories like fear." Attack Cardio with Vinnie Jones from Vinnie Jones Let ex-Wimbledon hardman Vinnie Jones hunt you down like a fat tub of lard and watch the pounds fall off. The "actor, footballer and personal trainer" (his prioritisation) has finally learnt to put thuggery to good use by helping chubby Americans [. Click to continue reading...

Not too much new news in the Evening Chronicle today, and that's a pity because today was the first day Alan Shearer could have been announced as the Newcastle manager but another day goes by and another room burns. Michael Owen is this player getting a bonus what for? But one report seems [. Click to continue reading...

The Newcastle Journal has some good news today regarding the appointment of Alan Shearer. Mike Ashley continues to sit on the fence while Newcastle burns While Alan has not been appointed yet, the Journal is reporting tha indeed the four groups who are in due diligence with the club, have Alan Shearer as their overwhelming choice [. Click to continue reading...

We haven't heard from Mike Ashley for quite a while, since Alan Shearer said on 25th May, the day after we were relegated, that with every day gone, another room burns. Alan Shearer 22 rooms burned in Newcastle mansion So if the Newcastle United mansion had 22 rooms in it, it will be burned to the [. Click to continue reading...

Blanco's point blank hiting of the post on 10 min and a typical dubious penalty given to Pao in the 30th min,care of a classical Karagounis "dive"(how are these referee's so gullible?)were enough to destroy any beleif our players had of securing that Champions League spot.Yes,Pao scored a second goal soon after but by then the damadge had been done.

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The squad has been anounced for tomorrow's game.

As I was hoping earlier last week, Kyrgiakos will not play at this game. Neither will Alexopoulos due to being suspended (along with Scocco and Pelletieri). Since Juanfran is injured, and neither Alexopoulos or Kyrgiakos will be playing it is possible that we might see N'Siambamfumu, our recently aquired French centre back, play!

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AEK put five past Panserraikos in Serres this evening, with two goals coming from Blanco, two from Djebbour, and one from Scocco. Panserraikos' goal came from a penalty. AEK, in what was arguably one of its best performances this season had no trouble with the team from Serres. Considering Pnaserraikos had just come back from beating [. Click to continue reading...

A lively first half has rendered a few yellow cards, a penalty kick and two goals, one by AEK's Blanco (penalty kick in the fifth minute) and one by Xanthi's #6 (not sure who that was).  Bajevic appears to have meant what he said in his Thrasyvoulos post-match interview on Saturday:  the starting eleven is no [. Click to continue reading...

The club from Fylis who came back from a 3-0 defecit to tie AEK 3-3 earlier this season almost got away with a another draw, this time at OAKA. However, youngster Panagiotis Tachtsidis came to the rescue in extra time and salvaged the three points for AEK. Tachtsidis, who is only 18 (he scored on the [. Click to continue reading...

The Shield I thought the team really missed Grella and Culina, Culina in particular. The operation of the two defensive midfielders somewhat reminded me of the game against China. Valeri was doing his best to be the first option out of defence but there was a lot of pressure on him because Burns wasn't really [. Click to continue reading...

This article compares AEK to an English Premiership team.  That's almost as funny as this! Click to continue reading...

A continuation of the look at the Foreign Player for the coming season
Adelaide United
Aurelio Vidmar seems to be in love with players with one name and now have four Brazilians. Adelaide fans have a lot of football to look forward to this year due to being the first team to graduate from the AFC Champions League Group Phase. Click to continue reading...

The Australian press continues their Burns obsession, documenting every second the youngster spends on the pitch of AEK.  The latest article, from the Australian 4-4-2, regards his 12 minutes in our friendly against Bolton and can be read here. Click to continue reading...

Alex is off on vacation and I've been busy at work, on my amatuer team AEK Baltimore (three games in three days) and nursing a nasty case of Athletic Pubalgia, so we've let the blog slide a few days. My apologies. The news has really started to pile up. AEK destroyed Turkish-side Ancaragucu on Sunday in Austria. Click to continue reading...

SBS has a decent article up reviewing new signing Burn's performance during last weekend's friendly against SpVgg Greuther Fürth. It doesn't sound like he impressed. But how could he? This was his first game for AEK; the kid had to be nervous. Plus, it sounds like he was played out of [...] Click to continue reading...

AEK ended their second friendly of the preseason against German Second Division team Greuther Furth in a 2-2 draw. AEK went down early on in the first minute and by the end of the scond half they were down 0-2. Two goals however, in the 83rd and 85th minutes of the game allowed AEK to catch [...] Click to continue reading...

This kind of snuck up on us, didn't it? Last season finished, there was a bit of transfer news, then the Euro 2008 tournament, then very little, just the long-expected departure of Lyberopoulos. So we searched for match reports of the U-19s to get a glimpse of Pavlis or Papastathopoulos, clicked over to footballshirtculture. Click to continue reading...

The Cary News' Tim Candon is at it again this week, churning out another three articles on soccer and the RailHawks for this week edition. At CaryNews.com you'll find:

• Pipeline Dreams - RailHawks host Burnley as a part of exploring a mutually beneficial relationship between the U.S. and English clubs
  
• Striker swap pays dividends - Diallo assists in each of first two matches
  
• A passion for Burnley burns in Dave - England native hasn't missed a Clarets' match since 1974

If you read nothing else about soccer this week, you've got to read the last article on Dave Burnley. Click to continue reading...

Pre-Olympics friendly, Olyroos 3 v New Zealand 2 Tony Tannous @ North Sydney Oval BURNS and Djite's omissions flogged to death, it's time to move on, so it was refreshing turn up for this afternoon's pre-Beijing friendly and finally have some football to sink the teeth into. Beyond that, it was also a great opportunity to gain some insight into Graham Arnold's thinking ahead of the games, and Click to continue reading...

Marcos Senna is listed as a midfielder but his usefulness lies in his being a utility player capable of coming forward on attack, falling back to defend, and controlling midfield. He is strong in the air, very capable with free kicks, burns up the outside turf to slice in a cross, quick and decisive in his tackling, and shows some dribbling chops too, turning and twisting his way through defenders.

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Maria Burns Ortiz opens her article on Brad Friedel's soccer academy in suburban Cleveland like this:
"Brad Friedel's Premier Soccer Academy is the kind of program that makes a soccer parent do a double take. The kind of program that is followed up quickly with a 'What's the catch?' The kind of program that Americans have a hard time comprehending, even though clubs like his are relatively commonplace in other parts of the world. Click to continue reading...

Strikers Mark Bridge, Nikita Rukavytsya, Archie Thompson Midfield David Carney, Billy Celeski, Stuart Musialik, Neil Kilkenny, Kristian Sarkies, James Troisi Defence Adrian Leijer, Trent McClenahan, Mark Milligan, Matthew Spiranovic, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Jade North, Ruben Zadkovich Goalkeeper Adam Federici, Tando Velaphi The Offsiders Everyone is talking about the exclusion of Burns and Djite. Click to continue reading...

A look at Arnold's Beijing 18 APPARENTLY Djite and Burns can't handle the heat. Now it's firmly on Graham Arnold. Their omission, and that of James Holland, are undoubtedly the most contentious of Arnold's Beijing selections, but there are numerous others. Before delving into them, a quick reflection on the Djite/Burns saga, which has got everyone talking. Click to continue reading...

Hi.  Alex, in Greece, and I, in the U.S., have both been inconvenienced by some of the non-football-related aspects of our lives this week, so I apologize for the unprecedented four day gap between posts.  I'm back now, Alex too in a day or so, and we'll try to keep the site current.  You all [... Click to continue reading...

What? The SFA Loyal appoint a Tim as manager.....behave....
A week that started off wie, a medija lackie chastising The Mint in his Times column- no surprise of his chosen target- and enlightening us that, those in the know- medija lackies- call the snippets that The Mint gives oot "Winalot Journalism- as the Laptop Loyal roll over, get their belly tickled and then get fed the propaganda that The Mint wishes fed to the orcish masses- we know that it's a slow newsworthy week. Click to continue reading...