It was only about three weeks ago when United's rabid and passionate fanbase was ready to lay waste to the front offices of their beloved D.C. United. After failing to make the playoffs for a fourth year in a row ...

By Chris Wright

Early on Saturday morning Nottingham Forest owner and former chairman Nigel Doughty was found dead, aged 54, in the gym at his home in Lincolnshire.

A Forest fan from birth, Doughty saved the club and I don't use that term flippantly from being reduced to it's component parts and being flogged off to the highest bidders when he bought his football team using nigh-on £11 million of his own personal wealth back in 1999.

The first two months of the season were awful, the atmosphere was angry, unsettled and going to watch the team wasn't at all pleasant. The atmosphere eased after a good run of results, putting us well back into contention for the Champions League places.

A new year run that has yet to see us win in the league has heralded the return of that atmosphere, a portion of the fanbase have been very forward with their views on the manager and a few of the players an injury crisis has not helped matters either all in all, being an Arsenal fan in the past few weeks has not been the most pleasant of experiences.

Smiles mandatory, umlauts optional.
"You want it to be one way ... but it's the other way." -- Marlo Stanfield.
Back in the spring of 2010, during my epic, streets of Bodymore, Muderland-tinged World Cup preview, that quote was used to describe a lingering sentiment hanging around certain corners of the U.

A bit too melodramatic? No, this is Arsenal!

Can we get back in the game?

Everyone loves a good comeback story. Americans, in particular, are completely fixated upon this trope. Rocky Balboa, the Major League series (back when Charlie Sheen was a serious actor. WINNING!), among many others played this story to its full effect, culminating in the 1993 mega-hit, The Sandlot, where puny little white kids (and one tall, dark, handsome pseudo-Hispanic) showed that yeah, they could play baseball too!

Last season a small tweetmeme of #TheTrialist started after Seattle Sounders FC reported non-drafted, non-contracted players as "trialist" in their reports of pre-season scrimmages. There were occasions when "Trialist 1" passed to "Trialist 4." Due to Major League Soccer's various player acquisition methods this was done to reduce the chances of said player being claimed prior to Seattle claiming the player as their own.

To kickoff 2012, my first (and only) blog entry centered on a plea for the New England Revolution to be "blog worthy" in 2012. A hope that it would "show the fanbase how big the Revolution dream is, and steps you are taking to achieve it."

Given a week of activity, I'm concerned the team still cannot explain the vision of the team's future the way I'd like, but its actions actually give me hope.

He has more than 2,300 hits and was a cornerstone of a Yankees dynasty, playing, arguably, the most difficult position on the field, catcher.
As a catcher, he didn't win any Golden Gloves awards, but he was the backbone to the pitching staff and took control when necessary.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

Editor's note: At the end of the 2010 season, we posted a series of season reviews of every Philadelphia Union player. Over the next several weeks PSP continues with a review of the 2011 season.

When Roger Torres joined the Union at the young age of 18 he was an exceedingly raw talent.

Sigi Schmid refers to his central midfielders as the engine room. Whether these players are glamorous playmakers, defensive stalwarts or a box-to-box man who gets ignored or pilloried by fans these are players who make or break seasons. For Seattle Sounders FC the center includes a player who many will claim is their best, the Honey Badger.

Two weeks. Two weeks until the return fixtures begin. Two weeks until people start making resolutions they won't keep. Two weeks left in 2011. And so the time has arrived to look back on the last calendar year for Liverpool. A year for Kenny Dalglish, returned to lead his club after a lengthy time away.

"Se mira y se toca" Copa Sudamericana glory for Universidad de Chile is a post from: Just Football

Just Football's man in Chile, Santiago Irribarra reports on an historic continental cup triumph for Universidad de Chile:

In June, when Universidad de Chile lost the first leg of the Apertura final to bitter rivals Universidad Católica 2-0, everybody expected Católica, Copa Libertadores quarter-finalist and building on last year's title-winning form, would have no trouble sealing the win in the second leg, especially when they'd have to lose the second leg by three goals to not win the tournament, in accordance with new rules favouring the higher play-off seed.

The Montreal Impact have made quite the splash since kicking off their inaugural MLS preseason, but the club reportedly has a potential move in the works that would top everything it's done thus far in building its roster.

According to Fox Soccer, the Montreal Impact have had extensive talks with Nicolas Anelka about bringing the Chelsea striker to MLS.

I was still researching Watford owner Laurence Bassini's last no-show at a fans' forum when the headline "Watford owner to face fans' Q&A" appeared on the BBC Football website's homepage. By the time I'd done my research and clicked onto the story itself, Bassini had "no-shown" again. It is remarkable and depressing the lengths to which some fans will go to justify actions taken by their own club and/or its owners.

By AVI CREDITOR

With Major League Soccer continuing to grow, the state of the league's schedule and the future of league expansion remain trending topics in league circles.

MLS commissioner Don Garber harped on both in his State of the League address on Thursday, alluding to the the fact that the schedule will not be getting any longer despite more teams being added and that while putting a second team in New York is still a priority, the league is meeting with other cities to talk about expansion.

This is why Liverpool should've looked into the future rather than back to the past.
There's a section of Liverpool fans who will stand-by Kenny Dalglish regardless of how he performs as manager. That's laudable really, especially in an age where fans are more fickle than ever. However, John Henry must surely be starting to doubt the wisdom of installing Dalglish, because the pricey team that's been assembled grows more underwhelming by the week.

Happy Friday to you. The week of MLS action saw two wild card matches which dictated the terms of the playoffs. We have now determined two new match ups with worthwhile storylines.
The Two Big Clubs: Thanks to a mid-week victory over FC Dallas, the New York Red Bulls have booked their ticket to a showdown with the regular season champs.

By Alan Duffy

Peter Hill-Wood, Stan Kroenke and Stan Kroenke's hair take their seats at the Emirates

Silent Stan Kroenke finally spoke to Arsenal's shareholders at the club's annual AGM in London today. The US billionaire said: "(Arsenal) has tremendous management at the top, a wonderful manager on the pitch who makes great decisions in regard to personnel, and a tremendous following with the supporters.

The race for the Bundesliga title is hotting up, with a number of teams in close proximity and fighting for superiority. Last season's winners Borussia Dortmund have put an inconsistent start behind them, and Stuttgart have rekindled some of the form that saw them win the league five years ago.

The Rides of MarchTHE BUZZ:
For TFC supporters it felt as if this match was five years in the making. Half a decade of less than mediocre results and high drama off the pitch had the chance to be erased, even if only temporarily, if The Reds could grab a win tonight.

We'll be back to programming shortly. Internet connectivity issues at TSG's new locale as well as some corporate announcements shortly.

Donovan, out of action for the Nats...

• Banged up World Cup alums: Landon Donovan, Jonathan Spector

Landon Donovan out for the latest USMNT camp kicking off this week.

The average attendance figures from across Europe for the previous season popped up in a few places this week and, to no Chelsea supporter's surprise, the club remain firmly in the middle.

Sold out

Chelsea rose three places to 28th on the continent with an average attendance of 41,435.

Our biggest test of the Champions League group stage arrives Wednesday in the form of a trip to the Estadio Mestalla. Valencia not only bring forth a heavy test for the Chels, but they also eagerly await the return of a departed son.

Homecoming

Matchday 1 was particularly special to Chelsea supporters for, aside from a win over Bayer Leverkusen, the return of Michael Ballack to Stamford Bridge.

It was one month and 13 days ago we last visited the Be the GM series. A gauntlet had been laid and 'twas accepted by none other than Michael_D and playtherapy. For those who missed it, these two rose to the occasion as the challenge was the hardest ever to be levied by a DT writer. On top of the challenge, a reward was mentioned and I am going to live up to such, however I am changing the rules (as I am apt to do when I have a whim).

While the Seattle Sounder no longer need to worry about making the MLS Cup Playoffs, there is still much to play for up in Vancouver. The Cascadia Cup is in doubt and that minuscule chance at the Supporters Shield needs Seattle to win out. Fortunately Seattle is playing the rather weak Vancouver Whitecaps on the final day of Empire Field.

While any of the three teams could win the Cascadia Cup in the next two Saturdays in MLS play, the Seattle Sounders are in the driver's seat. With a win over the Vancouver Whitecaps they not only qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, they also get their first trophy. Or more appropriately, their fans get their first trophy as this is a Supporters Cup.

Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com

By ADAM SERRANO

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica --The Los Angeles Galaxy find themselves locked in a three-team dog fight for the final two places atop the CONCACAF Champions League's Group A.

With Alajuelense, Morelia, and the Galaxy currently tied at six points apiece, the Galaxy's match in Costa Rica may prove decisive if the MLS club is to qualify for the knockout rounds.

A recent blog on the AA website called 'Project Youth-fact or fiction?' (great write Illybongani) got me thinking about the direction that Arsenal has been heading in the last 6 trophyless years and also the grief that Arsène Wenger has had to endure. Fans seem to be divided into 2 opinions.

The Pot 4 Club Trabzonspor is a post from: Just Football

The Pot 4 Club continues on Just Football with an analysis of Trabzonspor from the creators of Turkish-Futbol.com:

Club: Trabzonspor

Straight outta': Turkey

Group: B with Internazionale, Lille and CSKA Moscow

Brief History

Trabzonspor are a professional sports club based in the city of Trabzon which is located on Turkey's north east Black Sea coast.

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(From Yesterday's QPR Photoshoot (No Championship Trophy - at least in this photo!)
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Bushman's 1936-37 Photo Archives
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- Throughout the day, the QPR Report Messageboard has news updates, comments and perspectives - even links to other board comments of interest re QPR matters (on and off the field) along with football (and ONLY football) topics in general.

Lamar Neagle has broken onto the scene this season in Major League Soccer. After taking time to develop in the USL-2 with the Charleston Battery, Neagle returned to his home state to play for the Seattle Sounders. This season has become a career year for the winger/forward. We checked in with Lamar to ask about everything from the Open Cup to the locker room antics.

Wes Knight is on his way to trial with the Seattle Sounders over the next few days. Joshua Mayers confirmed a tweet that indicated Knight would be headed to Seattle for a several day look. The 25 on Tuesday right back/right mid played with the Vancouver Whitecaps in both the USL (was a finalist for Rookie of Year in 2009) and in MLS.

Liverpool's decision to turn down Chelsea's offer of £8 million plus Yossi Benayoun for midfielder Raul Meireles seems to indicate the Portuguese is finally the flavour of the month at Anfield.
Meireles's short Liverpool career has been a strange one.
He arrived at the beginning of last season from FC Porto for £11.

"This is a club with a history in European competition and people throughout the world—at least our supporters—yearn for European nights. That's our first goal." —John Henry

Since arriving at Liverpool, John Henry and the rest of the Fenway Sports Group team have hardly put a foot wrong, immersing themselves in the club's history, bringing back a legend and giving him the support he needed to turn things around, and showing a willingness to invest in the playing staff in a way that hasn't been seen at the club in the Premier League era.

The fans who stayed away from this dirge fest in droves were the lucky ones; only surprise inclusion Chris Herd and Gabby Agbonlahor provided anything worth getting excited about. The ~12k empty seats generated more talking points during the game than the "action" on it.
There's nothing to say about the first half, it was truly awful.

Morning, this is a lot earlier than I would hope to start a normal Saturday morning but London's calling.

It's those dastardly Mugsmashers on the agenda, a club Arsene describes as 'hyperactive' in the transfer market this summer. There was no good news whatsoever regarding injuries. Djourou and Gibbs are out, Traore is out, Rosicky has a small niggle and is 'rested', and when you add in the injuries and the departures it leaves us light.

Full slate of games in Major League Soccer and WPS. Before we get our regular look at attendance, here are a couple of other business stories from the weekend. One quick note. Special thanks to the folks at World Football Daily and American Soccer Show for having me on in the last couple of days to talk about some of the big business issues in American soccer.

We all know that Alex McLeish has a tough task ahead of him. We all know that he's arrived with about as little goodwill as a new manager could possibly arrive with. We all know that he must win over large swathes of the Villa fanbase, and that there are significant numbers who will never accept him.

Images: Getty Images/Daylife

Balotelli: Daniele? Can I have a moment?

De Rossi: My time is precious, homie. What is it?

Balo: Well, as a team elder I hold you in high esteem and have long admired your reputation, both on and off the pitch.

Morning all, do you ever wonder about the routines that certain people have when they get up in the morning? Toilet, coffee, breakfast, shave, get dressed, slap on some aftershave, makes sure you have bus fare, prepare toys to be thrown out of pram at any stage during the day.

Arsenal made a signing yesterday and it was greeted in some quarters as a personal affront, another reason to trot out the tired hackneyed acronyms and slogans.