It was, as things turned out, a mercifully quiet transfer deadline day, but the most curious acquisition of the day ended up involving a young player with just a handful of first team substitute appearances under his belt but also, it would seem, the capacity for potential brilliance and and self-destruction in roughly equal measures.

After having been reducing to a flapping and floundering wreck in the Anfield penalty area, David De Gea is likely to have spent much of Sunday in a darkened room shaking at the prospect of being confronted with any of the further tall, muscle bound players the Premier League has to offer. But a twisted ankle suffered by Anders Lindegaard means that Sir Alex Ferguson is likely to be left with no option but to force the young Spaniard to confront his demons in his sides clash with Stoke the evening.

Manchester United put the demons of the terrible disappointment of being knocked out in the Champions League to rest by crushing Wolves 4-1 at Old Trafford. Much has been said and will, no doubt, be said about United's defeat against Basel that ended their Champions League campaign prematurely, but the Champions responded in the best [.

Sócrates is dead. It's hard to see how anyone could be surprised. It's also hard not to think that he died because he wanted to, since Sócrates always seems to have done what he wanted to. He smoked incessantly because it gave him pleasure; he seems to have ingested vast amounts of alcohol for the same reason.

After Speed, why the football family should look after its own

Football has cried a river following the tragic death of Gary Speed. Managers, players, and the fans who pays our wages, have been united in grief because we have lost one of our own. Everyone has been asking the same question since Speedo apparently took his own life last weekend.

Right then, back to Premier League action today with a trip to Wigan.

It would be fair to say that our last two trips to this ground have been less than fruitful. Last season 10 man Wigan came from behind to force a draw (was it a Squillaci own goal or a Fabianski flap? Either way it wasn't pretty).

Victory, at last Just 10 years ago American Samoa were a footballing joke after being mauled 31-0 by Australia in a World Cup qualifier, a result that still stands as the most one-sided full international in history. And frankly their entire international record hasn't been much of a party either with the Pacific side managing [.

2011 was a season to remember for HJK. Not only did ‘Klubi' won their third consecutive title and the Finnish Cup (overall their 24th league championship and 11th cup victory), but they did this in a swashbuckling fashion. The Helsinki team finished the season with a 24-point lead to second-place Inter and scored a whopping 86 goals in 33 matches while conceding only 23.

After a two week break for the international matches the Premier League awoke from its slumber at Stamford Bridge this afternoon. By early this evening, though, with Liverpool having plundered all three points from this match, Chelsea supporters must be wondering whether it is possible for them to pull the covers back over their faces and grab a couple more hours of shut-eye.

Newcastle United's attacking midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa is ready to face his demons on Saturday when the Toon army travel to the Etihad Stadium to face League leaders Manchester City, the unsavoury scene where a vicious tackle from Nigel De Jong broke his leg in two places nearly a year ago.

This was the scene last night at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park after CJ Sapong put the Rapids' chances of advancing to the Conference finals all but out of reach. I know it's a celebration shot but it kind of looks like a band of demons have come to drag his soul to hell. Blame Kei Kamara's gloves, which were apparently left over from the "Skeleton Boy" video shoot.

Monk out to banish Reds demons

Swansea captain Garry Monk has a score to settle at Liverpool after suffering the biggest humiliation of his career on Merseyside.

View the full story here: Sky Sports

A news article on 2011-11-03 09:32:47 from: Sky Sports

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Liverpool beware: Resilient Rooney will be looking to prove his doubters wrong once again with Manchester United at Anfield

The banned England striker will travel to Anfield with a cloud of controversy above him once again, but history suggests the Red Devil can overcome his demons

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-10-14 07:37:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

By Alan Duffy

One of the great dribbling demons of the last 20 years, Augustine Azuka "Jay-Jay" Okocha made his name in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt before cultivating his legendary status at Fenerbahce, PSG, Bolton Wanderers , Qatar SC and finally, none other than Hull City.

Football blogs serve one important function and that is to provide an escape valve for supporters to vent their angst and boy have we had cause of late. Such is the need to let off steam that AA has been flooded with with contributors wishing to exorcise their footballing demons. Today we publish the thoughts of 2 new writers who are Arsenal to the core and through their own words have reached the same upbeat conclusion as to our prospects this season.

Well this story is certainly interesting...or something.

According to The Ring, Dynamo minority owner Oscar de la Hoya admitted posing for pictures wearing women's lingerie while under the influence of cocaine and alcohol. In transcripts aquired by The Ring from an interview on Univision, De La Hoya admits to the pictures, to drug and alcohol abuse and being out of control.

Raise the curtain. Hit the lights. Let's get this show on the road- literally.

Watch the Throne.

Alright, we made it. Yeah, it's been a pretty meh summer and sure there have been enough rumors and speculative stories to whet your proverbial appetite, but now we no longer have to entertain ourselves with listless journalistic pandering.

So, here we are after a long, long off-season getting ready for the new one to begin. Just a working week away from our first game of the season.

There are many adjectives you could use about this summer, none of them terribly positive. In fact, the most positive thing about this summer is that it's almost over.

The United States Women's National Team captured the hearts of their country and likely several more. In the course of their run to the World Cup final, they overcame many challenges including a double overtime PK shootout to Brazil. The team improved with each game, but in the end they fell just short to a resilient Japanese team.

It's been a fairly eventful week for the Sounders; a disappointing draw at home to the Vancouver Whitecaps, the end of the trials of Cillian Sheridan and Myron Samuel, the beginning of the trial of Sammy Ochoa and the beginning of (credible) big-name transfer rumors.

We'd also hoped to have an interview with Ben Rycroft of Canadian Soccer News and It's Called Football, but the technology demons got in the way.

Over the weekend, we said signs indicated that Oscar De La Hoya was having marriage problems. We used Oscar De La Hoya's Twitter account as evidence. Well, it turns out we were right! TMZ is reporting that cocaine use by the boxing legend led to him to marital infidelity. As a result, Oscar De La Hoya checked into rehab.

He shoots from distance. The keeper sees it early and gets everything behind it.

Ultimately it comes down to the keeper. Number one, at the back, unique in that he and only he has the precious gift of being able to use his hands to repel the voracious attackers. Sure there are tactics. he's part of a team, the back four is really a back five, with him in a crucial role.

A chance to exorcise demons from each of the last three seasons, perhaps against those very clubs which denied us then and still haunt us to this day. To reach a second Champions League final, one fittingly held in our own backyard. The opportunity to make history, to become the first club from London to lift this hallowed trophy, in the very city in which we reside.

Real Salt Lake have had to slay a number of demons that have plagued Major League Soccer teams in the CONCACAF club competitions. First, they have had to navigate a home-and-away group stage against teams in three countries (albeit one of them was a fellow MLS side) and finish top of their group. Next, they had to master the subtleties of the two-leg playoff format.

What I'm about to write isn't designed to gain more views or to offend anyone. It's not been written to be controversial as nothing I write is meant in that way. I simply write what I believe and do so from the heart. What I sometimes say is often not what the majority might believe but then the majority spend their time on facebook and think the Spurs customer service is fantastic.

No television, grainy internet feed, or even radio of the Open Cup qualie up here in the wild hinterlands of central PA, but I was biting my nails watching the final minutes unwind on Twitter...
Okay, so I wasn't exactly biting my nails, but it seemed like a thrilling enough finish. Two goals in the second period of extra time canceling each other out so Hamid could play the hero in PK's on his season debut.

No television, grainy internet feed, or even radio of the Open Cup qualie up here in the wild hinterlands of central PA, but I was biting my nails watching the final minutes unwind on Twitter...
Okay, so I wasn't exactly biting my nails, but it seemed like a thrilling enough finish. Two goals in the second period of extra time canceling each other out so Hamid could play the hero in PK's on his season debut.

Real Madrid has been in this position before: Knockout stage, favored, against Lyon.

In 2010, the French side turned in one of the surprises of the UEFA Champions League by eliminating the Spanish giants in the same stage. In order to exorcise some of the past demons, Madrid will have to find a way to have success against a team it hasn't beaten in their last six matchups.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Position: 19th, 7-3-15 (24 points, -17 goal differential)

Away Form: 1-1-10 (-15 goal differential)

Recent Form: WLLLW

Last Meeting: Wolves 0 Arsenal 2 (November 10, 2010)

Arsenal back from internationals and back in league action tomorrow against Wolves.

There are SEVEN articles today all pulling hatchet jobs on Cesc Fabregas.

Before I continue I want to let you know that my regular readers will testify that it is very rare that I criticise the press deeply. Speculative and stories I dispel but rarely will you see a blog like this on here.

GOLAZO!

For weeks now, we've waited for a sign. A moment that would signal the return to form for the club, and serve as a definitive period on the statement of malaise we've left on the pitch for the last eight weeks. Tonight, there were many such moments that could qualify.

Arsenal on Twitter @UntoldArsenal Untold Arsenal on Facebook here Snooping Around Fallen Angles & Obsolete Demons By Sammy The Snake Enter the land of doom and gloom. Step in to a world of great expectations. Open your eyes to living in the past. Touch the faded grass, and smell the corpses on the ground.