--------------------That is some quality toad. Nice hole too.

Well, that's it then. 2009 is done and dusted with Toronto FC having nothing but a big wad of mediocrity to show for it. But have no fear brave TFC supporters - Mo Johnston is working feverishly to make everything better!

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By Billy "the Dog" McGraw watching the TV in the Auld Triangle God this was awful. Arsenal didn't have a clue.   Mine's a pint of Carlsberg. When Liverpool attacked Arsenal had no idea how to clear the ball, and I'll smash the face in of anyone who says anything else. It can't get any worse. Click to continue reading...

One of the things that many people that usually inhabit the world of the Premier League regularly comment upon when they visit the singular world of non-league football is how close one feels to the action. Every shout can be heard, and every gesticulation spotted. What supporters at that level often seem to forget, however, is that this works both ways and the average non-league footballer can pick out from a distance that it was you that called him a "useless sack of shite" half-way through the first half.

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TORONTO - Pistolas FC officially announced their entry today, into the Toronto-Mississauga Cup scheduled for Saturday, October 24th, 2009.
After days of speculation and trying to meet the minimum roster numbers, the team has assembled a cast they feel is quite capable of playing a high octane, competitive brand of soccer. Click to continue reading...

Since 1990, many things have conspired to rob Liverpool of the league title, but one thing in particular has brought with it extraordinary bad luck. Liverpool fans should rejoice though as it looks like this long-running jinx could be lifted very soon.
I am, of course, referring to Liverpool's sponsorship deal with Carling, which is reportedly set to end in mid-2010. Click to continue reading...

Despite Liverpool concluding a world record shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered earlier this month - a partnership the bank put down to the club's huge global fan-base - managing director Christian Purslow has warned that those same fans could put off other sponsors.
There has been great discontent at Anfield over the club's management by owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, which has manifested itself in a number of fan protests. Click to continue reading...

The News of The World reported on Sunday that brewing giants Carlsberg have shown interest in the naming-rights for the mythical new Liverpool Stadium.The paper claims that the Beer Company has offered £100 million in a ten-year deal which would be another small step in raising the £500 million needed to build the new ground. Click to continue reading...

Tom Hicks, the co-owner of English soccer club Liverpool, has vowed that the club will not rest on its laurels after securing a world record shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered worth more than US$130 million over the next four years.
Hicks expects that deal - which will see Standard Chartered sell Liverpool shirts in its branches throughout Asia - to be worth more than it is at first glance, while the club's managing director Christian Purslow is spearheading a number of other commercial sponsorships, including one with outgoing shirt sponsors Carlsberg. Click to continue reading...

This picture makes me smile.
That is all.
Now the links:

• Eduardo's dive ban lifted. [SkySports]
  
• No TV for the Honduras qualifier? [Goff]
  
• BMO might get some grass. [TOW]
  
• The Premiership has a new home-grown rule. [Daily Mail]
  
• Fernando Torres has a new book.

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I have a big problem with Liverpool's new sponsor. While I'm glad to see a deal that will provide the club with £80m over the next four years, and while the hope that new stadium plans and healthier transfer budgets will emerge gets me giddy... it's Standard Chartered Bank... I can't drink it during matchtime.

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As long as I've been an adult, Liverpool have been sponsored by Carlsberg. Not any more. The club got a cash infusion when Standard Chartered agreed to become the club's primary sponsor in a deal that will bring in £84m...

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Standard Chartered Bank, which employs 70,000 people worldwide and whose emblem will replace Carlsberg's on Liverpool's famous red shirts from next season, today hailed their new £80m, four-year shirt sponsorship deal.
While registered in London, SCB conducts most of its business in Asia and other parts of the world and its chairman John Peace said today as the deal was announced: "I am absolutely delighted. Click to continue reading...

Carlsberg...probably the best shirt sponsors in the world.

What was your favourite of the kits during our historic partnership with Carlsberg? I actually rate the current Black shirt as the best in decades.

Thanks for the memories Carlsberg.

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Aside from Babel having a cry that he's not getting any playing time and speculation that Aquilani might be closer to being fit than we thought, there's not a whole lot happening during the break. There is, however, a little news on the new kit sponsor. It's nothing new that Liverpool was looking for a shirt sponsor to replace Carlsberg that will bring more of the proverbial fat cash.

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Yes, I am not that good at Photoshop but you get the idea! New shirt sponsor deal about to be signed and this is what it could well look like!

Liverpool look set to end their 17-year partnership with Danish brewers Carlsberg at the end of the 2009/10 season, according to reports.

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Hace poco la revista Forbes dio a conocer que el acuerdo entre Liverpool FC y la cerveza Carlsberg que finaliza a mitad del 2010 no sería renovado, toda vez que la cervecera quiere estudiar otras opciones. Incluso se maneja la posibilidad que el contrato sea disuelto este mismo año.

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Liverpool, despite the serious financial difficulties facing American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, are confident of quickly finding a big-money shirt sponsor to replace Carlsberg.
The lager brand are not expected to renew their 17-year association with the club when their £8million-a-year deal expires at the end of the season, especially with Liverpool looking to almost double the price to £15m a year and Carlsberg's exclusive negotiating period having finished. Click to continue reading...

You might not know it as you zip up your coat to brave the rain and the wind, but summer is here in England. And that means one thing. Cricket. The Ashes are in full (reverse) swing at the moment, and the feelgood factor is pretty high following England's triumph at Lords.

I have to admit it, I like cricket, I enjoy playing it and watching it.

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The Reds want to cash-in on a new, big-money deal, but they'll have to wait a while before they can ditch their current benefactors.
Liverpool's 17-year partnership with their major sponsor, Carlsberg, is one of the longest in the game, so much so that the beer giant's logo has become an iconic emblem for the Anfield club. Click to continue reading...

When did it come to this? I thought.

As I watch Bolton's Reebok Hunt slide tackle Liverpool's Xabi Carlsberg at Carlsberg Lite Stadium in Liverpool on an overcast Saturday in April, I am filled with an unbearable nostalgia for the past.

As Fly Emirates Bennett holds the red card aloft in Hunt's face who behins his long walk of shame, (brought to you by Reebok), I can't help but long for the days before players, refs and stadia started adopting the names of massive corporate sponsors.

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Realistically for the new stadium to be built (if ever, under Hicks & Gillet), it was always going to be a case of naming rights being sold to the highest bidder in order to secure some funding for it. Losing 'Anfield' seems inevitable, unless a sponsor were willing to share naming rights with our heritage. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool FC has officially unveiled their new away football kit for the 2009-10 season. Designed and manufactured by Adidas with Carlsberg as sponsors, the new shirt is currently available for pre-order. Pictured above, the new Liverpool away shirt is black with red and gold trim.

The new away Liverpool football kit has been launched under a new advertising campaign from Adidas entitled "Every Team Needs The 12th Man.

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Football must be a pretty good way to advertise your company. We all know that Emirates sponsor Arsenal, AIG sponsor Manchester United, Samsung at Chelsea and Carlsberg at Liverpool. But did you know that Beko sponsor Watford or Fraser Eagle sponsor Accrington Stanley? Just how much money is to be made by sponsoring or advertising [. Click to continue reading...

El panameño Roberto Brown anotó un gol (1-0) en la victoria del Montreal Impact sobre los Carolina Hawks. Ademas del gol, brown tuvo dos asistencias y fue seleccionado el Carlsberg jugador del partido.
Jean-Sébastien Duguay le entrega el trofeo a Brown. Click to continue reading...

A tiny local brewer in the Swiss city of Basel has set itself up as a David taking on the Goliath of official Euro 2008 beer provider Carlsberg and says it has seen a huge jump in sales as a result.
Tasty... Click to continue reading...

"Respect The Passion" screamed the Half Time advertisement for a particularly shoddy make of vehicle.
And Passion must be respected.
No carefree acknowledgement of a passing Passion, but a firm recognition of the emanation of a Spectacular Passion - the Passion of a Polluting Force.

Passion is no longer a "linking of souls", but merely a part of an inappropriate narrative imposed on the consumer - a linking of a product with an emotion. Click to continue reading...

And I'm buried in the details folks. We've got a great line up of films and your attendance helps us support film makers in this region. The full schedule can be seen on my Film Festival blog.

In the meantime, here's some soccer video to enjoy. Hat tip to Jeff & Jan who have both sent it my way recently.

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And I'm buried in the details folks. We've got a great line up of films and your attendance helps us support film makers in this region. The full schedule can be seen on my Film Festival blog.

In the meantime, here's some soccer video to enjoy. Hat tip to Jeff & Jan who have both sent it my way recently.

Click to continue reading...