Surely a good defence doesn't turn bad overnight and therefore a move for new additions at the back is a tad of a knee-jerk reaction?

WEST HAM could have a fight on their hands to keep their star players after reports emerged that Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is planning a £15million double raid for defenders Matthew Upson and Herita Ilunga.

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For many in England, last week's news that the Premier League would not be inviting Rangers or Celtic to join anytime soon was a welcome relief. After all, the Premier League has already done enough damage in some eyes to the traditional feel of English football, despite unquestionably expanding the international reach of the English game.

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It is believed that Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to add to his attacking options this January. One of the players being linked with a move to Old Trafford is 21-year old Angel Fabian di Maria.
The Argentine currently plays for Portuguese side Benfica. Click to continue reading...

by JOSH My friend posed this question to me on Sunday morning after Cesc moved to the top of our goalscoring charts for this season. Was this just another knee jerk reaction after a sumptuous run of form, or is Fabregas turning the corner from potentially world class, to one of the best midfielders in the world?

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Without doubt the highlight this weekend is the climax of the season in Malaysia with Kelantan taking on Negeri Sembilan in the Malaysia Cup final at Bukit Jalil. Earlier in the season some 40,000 fans from the north east descended on the nation's capital to see their heroes take on Selangor in the FA Cup Final only to go home broken hearted. Click to continue reading...

In these still early stages of the season a few new additions to the Premier League have looked like excellent additions to the league and indeed their respective clubs. The English game may have lost the massive talent of Cristiano Ronaldo but the following players have already made an impression on the Premier League.

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While a Liverpool versus Arsenal match is always an interesting affair, the prospect of seeing two stars make their Premier League season debuts in the match makes the game all the more interesting.

Arsenal's Samir Nasri and Liverpool's big money signing Alberto Aquilani are both set to make their season debuts in Wednesday night's Carling Cup match between Liverpool and Arsenal.

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Rafael Benítez has been unable to get beach-ball boy off his mind over the past few days. That's the kid who kicked off Liverpool's latest crisis by throwing an inflatable on to the pitch at the Stadium of Light.
Six days later, Benítez's side are on the brink of elimination from the Champions League after Tuesday's defeat by Lyons, their title aspirations are in ruins and Michael Owen and Manchester United are due in town on Sunday. Click to continue reading...

Sir Alex Ferguson has won 33 trophies in 22 years at the helm of Manchester United, and he was recently recognized for his tremendous success. The makers of Football Manager 2010 had Ferguson topping their poll of the Greatest Manager of All-Time.
The poll features other Knights of the Realm such as the late, great Sir Bobby Robson, Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alf Ramsey but despite their fine records, none of them can match Sir Alex's two decade long domination of the English game. Click to continue reading...

This may come as very surprising news for fans of English football in the 21st century - particularly with so many foreign names flooding our professional leagues from the Premiership all the way down to League 2 - but it seems that even today, many young non European footballers are still encountering serious difficulties in settling in at their new clubs here in the UK. Click to continue reading...

Who hates international football week(s)? Hands up. You at the back? Yep, me too.
International football week(s) means no Arsenal, so that means no proper football. I hate that. Almost as much as I hate treading in dog-shit as soon as I've slipped on a brand new pair of white Reebok work-outs fresh from the box. Click to continue reading...

The moment that England's chances of winning the 2010 World Cup ended came in the fifteenth minute in Dnepropetrovsk yesterday.
At that time, for the second occasion this season in England internationals, Rio Ferdinand, already well versed in defensive shenanigans at Old Trafford, did huge favours for David "Calamity" James, Key Sports agents and bookmakers throughout the land. Click to continue reading...

Ever since Roman Abramovich sent him packing from Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2008, Avram Grant has been on a one-man mission to prove that he was a success during his brief tenure as Chelsea manager. Second place in the league and one inch away from winning the Champions League final won't earn you any silverware.

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First of all, check out this insane header goal from Martin Palermo of Boca Juniors:
Then, read Jack Warner's comments about England's bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018. No word on whether others within FIFA feel the same way or not, but that can't be a bad thing for the USA bid. Click to continue reading...

Arsene Wenger interested in crazy haired centre back.

Watch Ukraine Vs England Live Online!

According to a report in Catalan newspaper, Sport, Arsene Wenger has indentified Puyol as an experienced figurehead to aid his young squad.
The 32 year-old is stalling over a new deal at the Nou Camp and has been given until December to decide on his future.

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Big Story
Right now, Chelsea are hosting the Leaders in Football conference, billed as "the world's most exclusive football business event where 1,000 senior executives linked to International Clubs, Leagues, Federations and Brands come together over 3 nights and 2 days at Chelsea FC to learn, network and do business.

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In the wake of Portsmouth's Financial mess, interest in the money driving the English game has come to the forefront. Filthy Rich. That's the name of the Wealthy Man's club where Roman Abramovich barely makes the membership list. But even with his latest maritime expenditures, he still makes the cut. Click to continue reading...

This week's Ultimate 11's is Alec Vjesticas' Stoke City. Now The Potters had one of the finest players ever to grace the English game in Stanley Matthews who was still playing in his late 40's.

Do you really know your clubs proud history or are you just a teenage glory hunter? (not mentioning any names from the Kings Road & Eastlands).

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Welcome to TGIF, and this week there are some milestones to celebrate, the odd champagne cork to pop, and also a growing realisation that eventually this team will deliver no matter how ugly the play may look. In this special week of all weeks at Arsenal Football Club, let us take the time to acknowledge Arsene Wenger's achievements and enjoy a degree of unity without bad mouthing the Frenchman.

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Spanish heavyweights Atletico Madrid are still seeking their first La Liga victory this season. In four games they've drawn two and lost two and they face the daunting task of traveling to Valencia's Mestalla Stadium on Saturday as they attempt to get it right at the fifth attempt.

Over the last couple of weeks my 'game of the week' style articles have focused heavily on English football, being English this is understandable but I will certainly be checking out La Liga action on Saturday night.

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Somewhere between Leeds and Manchester on the M62 I was able to truly digest my four-day jaunt back to my native land for the third round of the Carling Cup. Working in football in the United States is a great privilege, and in Seattle the advent of Seattle Sounders FC has been a revelation for Major League Soccer.

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Our latest contributor to COS, Mr Rant, can get a little carried away so if there are any small children reading this, we apologise.

I'm sure they just hate English football.

They're talking about bringing in the 6-5 rule. They blame the amount of
foreigners in the English game on the national teams poor showing at recent
international competitions.

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The influence of foreigners on football in England cannot be underestimated. While Coach Fabio Capello has guided England through the qualifiers and instilled a winning mentality amongst the players, the skills of English players such as Wayne Rooney and the presence of leaders like John Terry must also be credited with the change in England's fortunes. Click to continue reading...

Jonathan Spector believes that West Ham United have what it takes to spar with the heavyweights of the English game to qualify for the Europa League. Click to continue reading...

Rafael Benitez has expressed concern at the speed in which the Premier League have introduced a quota system for home-grown players.
The Liverpool manager will take charge of his 300th match since joining the Reds as another Champions League campaign starts tomorrow with a Group E clash against Hungarian champions Debrecen at Anfield. Click to continue reading...

Editor's Note: Geoff Reid appears on WVHooligan.com each week. This week he returns with his series on the life of a Liverpool fan. Feel free to leave Geoff your thoughts below.

It's been a little while since I last posted my thoughts on Liverpool FC. Last time out, the club had just suffered a demoralizing defeat at home to the hands on Aston Villa, and crisis mode was being pushed by the media and some fans adding fuel to the already growing fire.

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In 1999, West Ham United won the InterToto Cup beating Metz 3-2 over a two-legged tie. It marked a significant chapter in the careers of some of the younger players and the manager of West Ham at that time. They had ensured UEFA Cup football.
Then manager, Harry Redknapp had moulded an entertaining and skillful passing team with a very English mentality. Click to continue reading...

Consider that a bullet dodged!

Considered one of the best players in the world during his prime, former Inter striker Ronaldo was closely tracked by Roma in the summer's transfer period.

According to a report from globoesporte.com, Il Fenomeno rejected the possiblity to join the Giallorossi, as he had no intention of leaving Corinthians, as he has refound the passion and love for the game.

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With rosters bound and chained until the new year and this obnoxious international break now in full swing, there seems no better time than the present to effuse an EPL preview, one which -- despite three to four rounds having been waged already -- will feature a table read grossly different than the one incumbent. Click to continue reading...

Millwall - West Ham pitch invasion

Big Story

The big story, of course, is the serious trouble that broke out at the West Ham-Millwall Carling Cup match last night. The disgraceful scenes have brought out all the old chestnuts in the press about English football at home and abroad: perhaps my favourite comes from the USA Today, who under the headline "A bloody bad show for English soccer" lead with "Even by the low standards of English soccer, last night's violence at a soccer match in London was epic.

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A player well worth splashing the cash on.

MANCHESTER UNITED will launch a deadline-busting bid to sign Arjen Robben from Real Madrid.
United have been quoted £26million but the Red Devils plan to force the price down this weekend.

Old Trafford chiefs will begin the process with a bid of around £11m but an offer of £15m may be enough to bag the winger.

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It only took nearly the entire summer transfer window, but at last David Moyes has finally landed his first new signing. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov has agreed to personal terms and completed a medical and will join the Toffees as soon as his work permit is approved. Bilyaletdinov moves to Everton from Lokomotiv Moscow for an undisclosed fee, believed to be somewhere in the vicinity of £10m. Click to continue reading...

Talented Serie A man on his way to east London.

In a surprising twist to this particular Lazio saga, English outfit West Ham United are believed to have agreed a fee for the Biancocelesti's Macedonian forward, Goran Pandev.

According to calciomercato.com, the Roman club have reportedly accepted West Ham's offer of an initial €5 million.

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Liverpool's new Greek defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos plans to capitalise on his unexpected chance to be successful at the very highest level.
The 30-year-old central defender has signed a two-year contract at Anfield after a £2million move from AEK Athens.
Kyrgiakos was unlucky to miss Greece's Euro 2004 success through injury, and had to sit and watch his countrymen lift the title in Portugal. Click to continue reading...

Two-faced, slippery and he stinks.
The new man at the top of the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOB) is readying himself for the January takeover from a man who carries huge responsibility for the destruction of the English game at its highest tier.
Whether willingly or not, Keith Hackett has presided over this ruination without any obstruction from within the game, all those smiling faces with their little puns are more than aware of the generality of the hyperreality, if not the specifics. Click to continue reading...