Luis Suarez has been back in action for twenty-five minutes, and he's already lucky he hasn't been banned two or four or seventeen more times. In related news, the buildup to a match against Manchester United is always so very much fun...

* In amongst all the excitement over Kenny Dalglish reminding the world that the club never thought Suarez' ban was an entirely appropriate punishment, following Monday's match there was an even more ridiculous Suarez b-plot that popped up when Wayne Rooney hopped on Twitter to suggest that the Liverpool striker should be banned for his mis-timed kick to Scott Parker's midriff.

This was how it began:

Graphic designer Brent Diskin had long liked soccer, but grew up in a household proud of its support of Oregon State's college football team, and that was his main sporting interest until very recently. So how did Diskin end up producing the posters above, upon the Portland Timbers' elevation to Major League Soccer in 2009?

Harry Redknapp's high-flying Tottenham travel to Anfield on Monday 6th February to take on Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool and bet365 have got a fantastic free bet offer to add to the excitement. Place a pre-match bet on the game and bet365 will give you a free In-Play bet to the same stake.
To qualify for your free In-Play bet, simply place a bet with bet365 before kick-off, then once the game starts place another bet on any In-Play market.

Chris Perez, our newest Albion Road correspondent, takes a look at English football just after the midpoint - revenge of the little guys, the contenders and pretenders, the latest news, and predictions for February. Think he's right or wrong? As always have your say in the comments.

Just like the cosmos the year 2011 died and in its place a supernova of excitement exploded onto the scene in the form of 2012, which in turn brought the infamous "January Transfer Window".

Eden Hazard, one of the most desirable transfer targets in world football at the moment, says he is not moving this January. Definitively. Moving this coming summer, however? That's on fo sho. To England? Why yes, actually.

Excuse me while I shit my pants with potential excitement.

Seeking a new challenge in the summer

Hazard spoke to Canal+ today and shed some light on his current situation.

Photo: Nicolae Stoian

All-Stars, Le Toux rumors, and a new signing for the Philadelphia Independence are all part of this week's KYW Philly Soccer Show.

In part one, KYW's Greg Orlandini and Philly Soccer Page writer Eli Pearlman-Storch kick of this week's edition of the pod by talking about the MLS All-Star game, which will be held at PPL Park, in Chester, Pa.

A lot of transfer business goes on during the last day of the transfer window. Cheick Tiote in action at Bolton That's next Tuesday in this particular window, and that's when Sky Sports seems to go crazy as they report the details of deals being closed amid all of the excitement that they say exists.

For the past three weeks, Jurgen Klinsmann has emphasized how valuable an opportunity this training camp and games are for the young and up and coming players. Every training session, every game counts, as you'll see from way back in 2005.
The U.S. was preparing to play Panama on Oct. 12, 2005 in an essentially meaningless World Cup Qualiifer.

Taye Taiwo has finally been officially unveiled as Queens Park Rangers' new signing this January and the player express his gratitude towards the club's manager, Mark Hughes, who reportedly was then one asking for the Nigerian international.

The six months loan deal with possible buy out clause at the end of season was actually done few days ago, but it's just got active after Taiwo received his working permit, a basic conditions for foreigners to play in the premier league.

Kickette: knowingly exploiting men (including those from the Brasiliense first team) for nefarious purposes since 2006. Image via brasiliensefc.com.br.

We were looking forward to dusting off our radical feminist costumes and having a good old bitch when we found out that Brazilian side Brasiliense FC had been pushing soft porn on their club website in a bid to boost site traffic.

What would the NSCAA Convention be without the added excitement (and pressure) of speaking? For the second year in a row, my good friend and peer Ryan Knapp and I presented together. Ryan and I met in 2009 at Tweet Blowing the Whistle on Social Media and have bantered back and forth on all things digital and social media since.

With the pressure and excitement of each and every week's matches, it's sometimes easy to lose the overall plot of how a season has evolved in the league as a whole. Since we are just past the halfway point of the season, I thought I'd take a look at a couple of trends in teams' output in the Premier League this season.

If you're eight or ten or twelve and your dad's just recently started taking you to Craven Cottage, you're probably loving life at the moment.

Most of us get into football because of the excitement of it, the hero worship, and the strange thrill of seeing a small round thing manipulated so expertly.

The MLS 101 series will be a "living/breathing document" in that I will continue to edit and update these post to keep up to date with the inevitable changes that MLS will make. I encourage you to bookmark the post so you can use them as a reference going forward.

In this edition of MLS 101, it's time to tie up some lose ends about MLS roster rules, along with player movement and acquisition.

Owen Coyle has left his side with a lot to do as they strive to get out of the relegation zone...Liverpool make the trip to Bolton on Saturday for another Premier League fixture. After a disappointing draw against Stoke at Anfield, the Reds will be looking to put that behind them and take all three points from a struggling Bolton side.

Head Coach Jay Heaps oversees the first day of preseason practice at the Dana Farber Fieldhouse on Monday (Photo: Chris Aduama/Aduama.com).

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Jay Heaps couldn't wait to get his players together for the first practice of 2012.

On the first day MLS allows its clubs to convene for preseasons training, the new Revolution head coach was busy overseeing and instructing his squad at the Dana Farber Fieldhouse Monday afternoon.

At White Hart Lane last night, Tottenham Hotspur beat Everton by two goals to nil. There was nothing particularly unusual about this result apart from the fact that Spurs have occasionally struggled to break Everton down in recent years but this was a result that may just prove to be one of the most important of manager Harry Redknapp's season.

The excitement is building for the 2012 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the Canadian Soccer Association has been busy promoting the eight-team competition. The CSA is featuring two U.S. players with strong northwest ties -- Seattle resident Hope Solo and former Portland Pilot star Megan Rapinoe -- as part of an advertising campaign titled "Made for This.

Oh SuperDraft Eve. You have to love the excitement surrounding a draft.

So many things can happen though between now and tomorrow afternoon. Teams will be wheeling and dealing all night in hopes of either moving up in the draft, finding some decent talent outside the draft in a trade, or just hoping that the one special player you've had your eye on since December is still available.

The hunt for Arlo White's replacement ends with Kasey Keller announced as the analyst and Ross Fletcher (formerly of BBC Sport) hired as the new voice of Seattle Sounders FC. Oddly enough Fletcher lived just minutes away from White in the East Midlands. The transition back to a two-man booth will be smoothed by the presence of a man that Fletcher simply calls a "hero.

Thierry Henry's promising debut on his return to Arsenal pretty much hypnotized everyone including the Gunners' manager, Arsene Wenger, who can't seem to stop sending out his praises towards the veteran striker.

Scoring the London team's winning goal against Leeds United in the FA Cup apparently convinced Wenger that Henry is ready to play in the premier league, partnering Robin Van Persie up front.

In a game that was begging for a special moment, Thierry Henry stepped up to the task to resume his duties as Arsenal's king.

Ten minutes after making his return to the field as a substitute for Arsenal, Henry delivered a game-winning goal to lift the Gunners in the fourth round of the FA Cup via a 1-0 victory over Leeds United in front of a delirious crowd at Emirates Stadium on Monday.

Over the years there have been few events in sport that can rival the excitement of the FA Cup. This Manchester Derby was a perfect example of the magic that this tournament embodies. It was exciting for fans of both ...
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This weekend the English Premier League takes a break as the oldest federation competition in the world takes centre stage. The FA Cup never fails to deliver excitement and controversy as well as the frequent ‘giant killings'. As the FA Cup Third Round kicks off this weekend we take a look at Umbro's new Hi Vis Neo Pro ball.

The excitement over the return of Thierry Henry, Arsenal's all-time top goalscorer, on a two-month loan is understandable, but the realistic impact Henry will have towards Arsenal's push for Champions League qualification is questionable. He'll be a...
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Norwich should not be underestimated, a good team with a good manager and we should have expected a tricky game. In the end we got one, Norwich's assortment of Russells and Bradleys and Wesleys eventually powering their team to a well deserved equaliser in stoppage time. Another late goal?

Let's not beat around the bush here and let's tell it like it is. We've seen two managers, drama, controversy, speculation, excitement, frustration and find ourselves at the turn of this year in the exact same position as we did a year ago. Isn't it strange how things have turned out!
This is my review of 2011 and a year on my blog as written by me, a lifelong Chelsea fan giving you my take on everything that happened.

Let's not beat around the bush here and let's tell it like it is. We've seen two managers, drama, controversy, speculation, excitement, frustration and find ourselves at the turn of this year in the exact same position as we did a year ago. Isn't it strange how things have turned out!
This is my review of 2011 and a year on my blog as written by me, a lifelong Chelsea fan giving you my take on everything that happened.

Two quick bits of Sporting KC news to throw out real quick for you.
First, last night during the Comets game, Robb Heineman posted on Twitter that there was good news on a "GREAT friendly." Nothing is finalized per the tweet, as Heineman said that "hopefully they'll be able to finish it up.

Boxing Day can make football smile again after shocking week

After a shameful week we arrive at the best day of the year for football fans. So let's hope for goals, drama and excitement on a day packed with fixtures remembered for the right reasons. Football needs it right now.

There was hope. Hope in Dalglish's return. Hope in Suarez' arrival. Hope in the introduction of a more pleasing brand of football. And then, in a moment, it seemed to have all been ripped away.

People talked about the club being bigger than any one player, and they rationalised that things would be alright given that that particular player hadn't really made much of a contribution to any kind of success over the previous eighteen months.

It's going to be a cracker tonight and here is a video promo I have found for the game on YouTube. It's short and sweet but get's the excitement going. Full credit for this video goes to Evgeniy Aleshov.
Have a watch and let me know what you all think.
KTBFFH
Check out my blog posts on the Official Chelsea Website - http://bit.

Manchester City Coach Roberto Mancini has issued a warning to striker Mario Balotelli to stop his outrageous behaviour if he intends to become one of the game's greats.

Balotelli who's controversial antiques both on and off the pitch have in the past landed him in serious problems with his club's and local authorities.

The day after a match typically means a regeneration session for players that involves some version of hydrotherapy, which usually takes place pool workout. After all, pools are usually the most accessible for a team, especially one on the road. But if there happens to be water nearby ...
And so it was that the U-23 team found themselves on the beach in Sarasota, doing stretching and other exercises in the Gulf of Mexico.

After all the excitement of the recent rounds of cup matches in the FA Cup and FA Trophy over the last couple of weeks, it was back to the league for non-league football this weekend, and we have highlights from six matches for you this evening. From the Blue Square Premier, we have the match between Forest Green Rovers and Lincoln City.

R9: Pra Sempre Fenomeno

As the career of one legend sets, the career of another is about to explode. There will never be another quite like O Fenomeno, but even after is playing days are over (no, scoring in a Match Against Poverty does not count as your career living on) the man continues to be a class act.

Manchester United star Wayne Rooney was at the centre of an unlikely Twitter spat with The X Factor 'wildman' Frankie Cocozza. The reality TV star tweeted: "#CelebsThatLookLikeTheyStink not really a celeb but I bet his pits are stinking, along with his breath @waynerooney." You might wonder what Rooney would gain from rising to the bait, [.

It's rather impressive that a man still playing gets a statue outside the grounds of a club the stature of Arsenal. Extremely impressive, really. It's also pretty funny that M. Va Va Voom! is now immortalized in bronze.

Arsene Wenger was on hand, dressed to the nines for the event in his track pants and training shoes.

Last time out George got 3 results right and one perfect score in last week's games and will be hoping for an improved performance this week.
Saturday 10th December 2011
Arsenal 2 v Everton 1
Bolton 0 v Aston Villa 1
Liverpool 2 v QPR 1
Man Utd 1 v Wolverhampton 0
Norwich 2 v Newcastle 2
Swansea 0 v Fulham 0
West Brom 3 v Wigan 1
Sunday 11th December 2011
Sunderland 1 v Blackburn 0
Stoke City 1 v Tottenham 1
Monday 12 December 2011
Chelsea 1 v Manchester City 1
Man City make the trip to London to take on Chelsea on Monday and bet365 have got a fantastic free bet offer to add to the excitement.

1. The reporter in the video above is probably feeling pleasantly vindicated this morning. 2. It's the same old story for Manchester United: a great team to a certain point, but they always come unstuck against Baselona. 3. A few media storylines about Manchester becoming the hotbed of elite football in England will have to [.