Chasing the Big Leagues Real Valladolid and the contenders (Spain Segunda) is a post from: Just Football

Just Football's Tales from Tier Two series, in association with @tiertwofooty, continues now as we continue with Spain's Liga Adelante. First we assessed the promotion chances of Deportivo La Coruña in Spain's Segunda Division:

Real Valladolid

Real Valladolid have been in and around the top six all season in Spain's Segunda Division following a run of just 2 defeats in 22 games since kicking off the season with a 3-0 win at Gimnastic Tarragona.

It's true, there are a lot of Brentons in Swansea. Third most dense concentration of Brentons in the UK after southwest England (Plymouth) and Southampton. Fascinating stuff, this.

Read Martin's preview because you should and because he paints a bleak picture of our backline, a picture we all need to come to terms with.

The Ajax Experience x Sid Lee Architecture

Aside from my unwillingness to experience an angry pre-match speech from Frank de Boer, the new Ajax Experience museum is one of the freshest things I've seen.

The city is completely related to its club: Amsterdam is Ajax, Ajax is Amsterdam.

THFC1882 present a guest preview by Rob:

Shamrock Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur, Thursday 15th December 6pm KO ITV4

So here we are, at the last match in the laborious group stage of the Europa League. A competition that is supposed to be the second best European competition to win but in my opinion is just plain second rate as shown by the fact that not that many teams are interested in playing in it.

The Commercialisation of the European Cup - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Jumpers for Goalposts: How Football Sold Its Soul
by Rob Smyth and Georgina Turner
Published 1st December, £11.99 paperback original, Elliott & Thompson

Jumpers for Goalposts is a fascinating and funny reflection on why football has changed so much since the inception of the English Premier League in 1992, and why the old descriptions of "the beautiful game" and "the people's game" no longer fit.

When I was writing about the evolution of the football programme a few weeks ago I mentioned a Hibs v Liverpool Fairs Cup programme from December 1970 that carried an interview with Bill Shankly.
I can't remember seeing an interview with a visiting manager in a programme before.

Speaking to the media today, Roberto Di Matteo explained the significance of the League Cup and just how important it can be before our quarter final clash with Liverpool tomorrow night. Back in the day, a certain Jose Mourinho, after winning the title in his first season, explained just how much of a part winning the league cup played in giving the side confidence.

By Chris Wright

Sir Alex Ferguson, a man who turns 70 on New Year's Eve, celebrates 25 years as manager of Manchester United on 6th November (tomorrow), so we thought we'd mark this truly astounding milestone and all the incredible accomplishments therein with a suitably colossal retrospective photo essay of the Scot's time at Old Trafford.

I was recently asked to write a couple of paragraphs about what Sir Alex Ferguson meant to me. How on earth do you put in to words what a difference this man has made to us? My life is considerably better and I have been unquestionably happier than I would have otherwise been because Ferguson became the manager of Manchester United in 1986.

Tottenham have more immediate concerns than the Europa League. Their manager Harry Redknapp's health, usurping Arsenal and Chelsea as the top team in London and qualifying for next season's Champions League. Why, though, is the Europa League so far down their list of priorities?

Having stumbled to a victory against Rubin Kazan at White Hart Lane, despite resting the majority of their first team players and consequently playing poorly, Tottenham decided to rest even more players for the away fixture against Rubin Kazan.

Manchester United 1:6 Manchester City
Scorelines don't come much more amazing than Sunday's Mancunian derby, but was there really much reason to celebrate, however many records tumbled at Old Trafford?
With a few days' recuperation from that shellshock of a final score, can the result be deemed a welcome riposte to or even wholescale power shift from the hegemony of moneybags Chelsea and Manchester United, or another symptom of the obscene, out-of-control spending in the English top division which is upsetting its natural order of competition?

Every so often events conspire to make us question whether there is indeed some footballing god directing proceedings from, somewhere. After UEFA's initial decision to remove Swiss club FC Sion from the Europa League, the club they had previously beaten on aggregate in the final playoff round that club being Celtic FC were awarded their place in Group I in their stead.

Since there is an international break in club action this weekend, we are going to take advantage of the break to bring the next entry in our series of Annual Club Rankings.
For the second time in three years, Juventus headed the top of the Annual Rankings despite finishing as runner-up in the European Champions Cup.

Tonight's Europa League group game sees PAOK Salonika take on Spurs for the first time and with no history between these sides, how much do we know about our opponents tonight?

PAOK are usually in the shadow of the larger Greek club,s but they have won their national championship on two occasions, the last triumph coming in 1984/85.

Lauri Dalla Valle has been sent to Dundee United on loan. This might not mean much to you, but it's a nice reminder of days gone by for me.

(First things first, Dundee United play in orange-black-orange. If I started a team from scratch my team would wear these colours. I haven't thought about this seriously for about 25 years, but this was always my position on the matter: any football club I found would wear orange-black-orange.

Lauri Dalla Valle has been sent to Dundee United on loan. This might not mean much to you, but it's a nice reminder of days gone by for me.

(First things first, Dundee United play in orange-black-orange. If I started a team from scratch my team would wear these colours. I haven't thought about this seriously for about 25 years, but this was always my position on the matter: any football club I found would wear orange-black-orange.

A complete 360 took place in the 1996 rankings from 1995. In 1995, Ajax won the European Champions Cup only to finish second to Juventus in the rankings because of the lower ranking of the Eredivisie. In 1996, Juventus defeated Ajax on penalty kicks in the final of the European Champions Cup, but still finished behind Ajax in the rankings because AC Milan was able to take the Serie A title away from Juventus.

As 1983 drew to a close, Everton Football Club was in a state of crisis. On New Years Eve, with just over 13,500 people rattling around Goodison Park like marbles in a tin box, they played out a dismal goalless draw against Coventry City which was seen by the nation that night on Match Of The Day.

We'll be back early next week with our fourth annual World Club Ranking pre-season edition. In the meantime, we'll return to a place where we haven't been in a while. The past.
In 1995, we saw an end to three consecutive years in which the top ranked club of the year was the UEFA Champions Cup (now, Champions League) victor.

Booker Prize winner: Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner John Peel Festive 50 Number 1: The Smiths: How Soon is Now? Poet Laureate: John Betjeman President of Libya: Muammar al-Gaddafi The early eighties were torrid for Chelsea. A decade or so on from their greatest triumph – a Cup Winners Cup victory over Real Madrid in Athens - the club was marooned in Division Two, beset by financial trouble,

Britain's most succesful football cities - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Football has always thrown up rivalries, mostly between two or more side's that inhabit a city. Liverpool and Everton, Manchester United and City, Glasgow Rangers and Celtic all are at loggerheads with each other and are constantly looking for bragging rights in their individual battles.

A newbie to dexy's ranks, I thought I'd come in with a bang – well sort of. This season's been one of the strangest in recent memory. Gone are the stoic battles between two or maybe three formidable outfits – we now have about 6 teams in the top rung of our league, all of which could realistically challenge for top spot ove the next decade.

Manchester United and Barcelona at Wembley, then. These are two clubs whose European histories have become interwoven with each other as well as this venue. When Manchester United became the first English club to win the European Cup, they did so at Wembley in 1968. Twenty-four years later, Barcelona won it for the first time at the same venue.

Just something to decorate my blog before the big game tomorrow. The two very famous finals of the big clubs.
The first was the 1991 Cup Winners Cup final, when Mark Hughes played a great game and scored both goals of Manchester to beat the Catalonian team 2-1. The second goal was very special one,
and the second one was the famous 2009 CL final with a great second goal with 'elastic' jump from the 169cm boy Lionel Messi vs.

Just something to decorate my blog before the big game tomorrow. The two very famous finals of the big clubs.
The first was the 1991 Cup Winners Cup final, when Mark Hughes played a great game and scored both goals of Manchester to beat the Catalonian team 2-1. The second goal was very special one,
and the second one was the famous 2009 CL final with a great second goal with 'elastic' jump from the 169cm boy Lionel Messi vs.

There was a tiny, insignificant incident in one of the first matches I saw George Best play for Manchester United that has always haunted me, in some ways more than than the many moments of genius I witnessed in his brilliant subsequent career.It occured in March 1964 against Fulham as United were desperately trying to keep alive a faltering campaign to win the league title, having recently unexpectedly lost both a Cup Winners Cup quarter final against Sporting Lisbon and an FA Cup semi-final against West Ham in successive matches.

There was a tiny, insignificant incident in one of the first matches I saw George Best play for Manchester United that has always haunted me, in some ways more than than the many moments of genius I witnessed in his brilliant subsequent career.It occured in March 1964 against Fulham as United were desperately trying to keep alive a faltering campaign to win the league title, having recently unexpectedly lost both a Cup Winners Cup quarter final against Sporting Lisbon and an FA Cup semi-final against West Ham in successive matches.

By Tom Thomas

In the modern game its difficult to find legends and heroes. Perhaps that's because such things are better left for childhood sensibilities and nostalgic ruminations. The men of today often become the gods of tomorrow, somehow, and that's just the way these things work.

Let me just state one thing before I continue: Everton Football Club are a traditional English big club. A club that enjoyed having players such as the late, great Dixie Dean who is still the only man to score 60 goals in one season. Players like World Winner Alan Ball, England goal scoring legend Gary Lineker and modern day England Forward Wayne Rooney.

Sir Alex Ferguson admits the European Cup Winners' Cup unexpected victory against Barcelona 20 years ago was a major step in the club's development under his control. The famous night in Rotterdam in...
Continue to the full story

Sir Alex Ferguson admits the European Cup Winners' Cup unexpected victory against Barcelona 20 years ago was a major step in the club's development under his control. The famous night in Rotterdam in...
Continue to the full story

For the sixth year in a row, Arsenal are struggling to win trophies. Three chances of doing so were wasted in a matter of two weeks. Who is to blame?

Anyone but Arsene Wenger.

In 15 years, Arsenal have achieved just enough to match the famous Herbert Chapman side of the 1930s that dominated England.

I took this argument to Twitter last week in advance of the Europa League semifinals: Succinctly, it's my opinion the away goal rule sucks and, more importantly, is outdated. It was instituted in the mid-'60s, first in the Cup-Winners Cup and eventually to the European Cup (which became the Champions League) in order to force visiting teams to attack on the road in European ties.

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With Manchester United on the verge of a record-breaking 19th league title and a Champions League final to look forward to, this week languagecaster profiles the Red Devils Manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Manchester City are facing up to the fact that their influential skipper Carlos Tevez's participation in next weekend's FA Cup final is still under some serious doubt. The 27-year old suffered a hamstring injury last month against Liverpool, and it is still very much touch-and-go as to whether the Argentinean will be included in the match-day squad that travel to Wembley on May 14th.

George Graham wants Arsene Wenger to come out and explain why Arsenal have gone six seasons without winning a trophy. The former Gunners boss, who guided them to two league titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups and the European Cup Winners' Cup, in his nine years in charge believes it is time for some answers.

So that week rolled past fast, complete with two excellent days off school. Thankyou banks, thankyou wedding I could get used to these three-day weeks. I can't believe they moaned about them in the 70s. OK, so there was crippling industrial strife, high inflation and not enough electricity to chuck about, but I could handle a bit of candelight here and there so long as someone remembered to keep the internet meter stocked with 20p pieces.

On Tuesday night, Lionel Messi set a new record when recording his 48th goal of a wonderful season for Barcelona. The previous holder of the club record was Ronaldo, who in his solitary season at the club in 1996-97 won both the Copa del Rey and the Cup Winners' Cup under Bobby Robson, before his career at Camp Nou was truncated by a bitter contractual dispute.

The first legs of the quarter-finals saw 3 of 4 matches end with large advantages being established. The fixture that all the attention will be focused on this week will be the second leg match between Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC. United played a perfect road game and took an important away goal and a 1-0 aggregate lead back to Old Trafford.

I know that's a bold statement right off the bat, but I'm getting genuinely baffled by a competition that clubs, players and particularly UEFA consistently treat as the Champions League's annoying little brother. So by the end of last night's ‘entertainment' I found myself asking this exact question rhetorically, because there seems to no love left for UEFA's secondary competition.