First let me kill any hopes you may have for screenshots or comparisons with current or former players. You can safely rule out long-winded analysis as well. There won't be any for this one. Put simply: Alfredo Francisco Martins is a mere sketch of a player in FM. No size, no footedness, roughly a quarter of his stats defined[1].

Anticipation is building after January served up a nice set of appetizers for the season to come, both for MLS and the US National Team. We begin with Klinsmann's first go-round at Camp Cupcake, the annual January gathering of the "best of the rest" in the USMNT pool...

One-Nil to the USMNT

Results were slow to arrive early in Klinsmann's tenure as USA boss, but a pair of 1-0 wins (home to Venuzuela and on the road in Panama) sees him start 2012 with an unblemished record.

It was a Papuan derby in South Jakarta. Persiram Raja Ampat don't have a stadium that meets ISL standards so they have become a bit nomadic this season; this was their third home game at Lebak Bulus while they have also used Surajaya Stadium in Lamongan.

At the weekend the ‘hosts' earned their first win of the season, defeating Deltras 3-1, a result that had Deltras coach Jorg Steinbrunner fuming over what he saw as poor refereeing decisions that cost him the match while Persidafon, up in Palembang, were trounced 5-0 by Sriwijaya.

As Chelsea fans and especially in recent seasons, we are always interested in seeing some of our promising youngsters come through into the first team squad. The likes of Betrand, McEachran, Van Aanholt and Bruma have featured last season but we haven't really seen much of the youngsters this term.

The Coach of Sydney FC is a very nice man...or so we're told over and over but after close to three years in charge the team from the biggest city in Australia flatters to deceive.....no-one.
Season 1: Won the Championship. Fantastic, but they were the most boring team ever to win the A-League under Vitaslav.

Congrats to Sevilla striker and Spanish international, Alvaro Negredo, who took advantage of the winter holidays to wed his girlfriend Clara Tapia at the El Salvador church in Sevilla. The bride looked beautiful in her dress with a gorgeous lace veil and the groom looked incredibly hot, which is really unfair since he's officially off the market.

Liverpool Lose 3-0 At Etihad

Suarez begins his 8 match ban... Manchester City put three goals past Liverpool on Tuesday night despite the away side retaining a lot of possession. A goalkeeping mishap and a dubious penalty helped City on their way but despite this, Liverpool still couldn't find a goal to put the pressure on Mancini's side.

Suarez begins his 8 match ban...Manchester City put three goals past Liverpool on Tuesday night despite the away side retaining a lot of possession. A goalkeeping mishap and a dubious penalty helped City on their way but despite this, Liverpool still couldn't find a goal to put the pressure on Mancini's side.

If we are to believe the lovely Mayans, the bearers of good news, then, sometime in 2012, the year we've just entered of course, the beautiful human race – and also Luis Suarez – will be wiped out by some sort of terrible catastrophe. Oh well. Thankfully however, there are a bunch of cool, slick wordsmiths who are considerably more optimistic than the Mayans and see this year as one, not of doom and gloom, but of happiness – in particular, for Manchester United.

If we are to believe the lovely Mayans, the bearers of good news, then, sometime in 2012, the year we've just entered of course, the beautiful human race – and also Luis Suarez – will be wiped out by some sort of terrible catastrophe. Oh well. Thankfully however, there are a bunch of cool, slick wordsmiths who are considerably more optimistic than the Mayans and see this year as one, not of doom and gloom, but of happiness – in particular, for Manchester United.

That Tottenham, can they do it? Contenders? Say no more. The JimmyG2 Column. It's getting deucedly difficult to write about Spurs these days. We've had it easy for years: missed opportunities; failures to close games out; last ditch losses; individual poor performances; lack of winning mentality; Jenas.

Will Carroll get a start?...
Liverpool make the short trip to the DW Stadium on Wednesday to face a rejuvenated Wigan side. Martinez's team are still hovering around the bottom of the table but some inspired performances of late have given them some much needed confidence.

Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez were very different managers in many ways but one thing they shared was a preference for hard-work and stamina over unpredictable flair and creativity. Players like Dirk Kuyt and Emile Heskey symbolised the footballing philosophy of both managers, and Liverpool legend John Barnes believes that Liverpool are still suffering as a result of prioritising hard-work

Borussia Dortmund and Polish striker Robert Lewandowski is back in the frame again with Liverpool his most likely destination. Liverpool have been linked with many strikers with the transfer period looming on the horizon as Dalglish looks to conquer his attacking headaches.
Liverpool haven't been clinical enough in front of goal this campaign notching up 18 goals in 15 Premier League games.

Liverpool youth player Raheem Sterling has signed his first professional contract with the club.
Sterling turned 17 on the 8th December, and Liverpool wasted no time in tying down the exciting prospect to a pro-contract.
"The talented winger joined from Queens Park Rangers in February 2010 with a reputation for pace and flair.

Liverpool youth player Raheem Sterling has signed his first professional contract with the club.Sterling turned 17 on the 8th December, and Liverpool wasted no time in tying the exciting prospect down to a pro-contract.Sterling's bio from the official LFC site:"The talented winger joined from Queens Park Rangers in February 2010 with a reputation for pace and flair.

By Chris Wright

Oh dear, oh dear. That really didn't go to plan did it? 'Twas a quiet evening in Manchester last night as it conspired that both of the city's sides will be playing knock-down, B-stock, factory damaged Europa League football in the new year after being sent sprawling from the Champions League in acrimonious fashion United especially, at the very least City actually won on the night.

Bet 365 - Click here for £200 of Free Bets now Manchester United haven't been the same team since the derby. The early season swagger, attacking play and flair that saw the champions serge to the summit of the Premier League seems like a distant memory. City currently lead United by five points, that and a massive goal difference.

Socrates, the great Brazilian soccer maverick, has died at age 57. Those who saw him play were moved by his style. He glided over the grass, his intelligence working the angles, carving space, inspirational and beautiful. He was unlike the other midfield maestro of his era Maradona. The Argentine was a short squat explosive; Socrates embodied elegance and poise, something special, the man with the golden heel.

With the Super Draft a little over a month away, it's time to start getting familiar with some of the prospects that will be available for selection. Every few days or so leading up to the draft we will be providing player profiles to give you some insight into each prospect. These previews will obviously have a Revolution-centric theme and feel to them, and we'll be looking at players that we feel will be a proper fit for the organization going forward.

When Cesc Fabregas betrayed Arsenal to return to his boyhood club, many thought it would spell trouble for the Gunners as they had lost their inspirational skipper. Then, Van Persie stepped up. Goals, assists, flair and leadership were provided by the Dutchman. More importantly, Van Persie gave Arsenal his heart and loyalty.

(Photo: Paul Rudderow)

Editor's note: At the end of the 2010 season, we posted a series of "Raves" about our favorite Philadelphia players. They need not be the team's best players, but they're guys and gals we like. Over the next two weeks, we continue the series again with some of the PSP writers' and contributors' favorite players of 2011.

I think we all agree that the Chelsea job isn't exactly a bed of roses based on the levels of expectation put on you as manager. You would imagine that only the most confident, determined and focused managers would even entertain the idea of taking the hot seat here and a task of taking the club out of the shadows of the Jose Mourinho era at the club.

Like I said in a previous post, I got out my 2004/5 season DVD last night to cheer myself up and watch a Chelsea side that new how to defend. On the bonus DVD there is an interview with Jose Mourinho at the end of that season, looking back at some of the headlines and comments from the press also.
One particular moment in that interview struck a chord with me when Chelsea TV's Gigi Salmon asked him about the negative press the side was getting for winning games 1-0 and not having a lot of flair.

Rafa Marquez and his gorgeous wife Jaydy Michel (she's even more stunning in person, trust us) attended a charity gala which benefitted Casita Maria, a center of arts and education for underprivileged youth. The event, seen by some as the unofficial 'kick off' to the New York Social season, was hosted by the zippy stylist, Robert Verdi, at famed NYC hotel, the Mandarin Oriental.

A lot will made of Chelsea's lost against Arsenal last weekend. The defensive mistakes that cost the team have been a feature of their season throughout.

Rightly or wrongly much of the blame will be laid at the feet of Andres Villas-Boas. He is in charge of the team and is shaping it in the mould of Porto's offensive play.

Fergie's 25 years at United: Alex's teams play with lots more flair than he ever did! Dalglish

Liverpool manager salutes old rival's commitment to good football

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2011-11-03 22:30:02 from: The Mirror

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

I've heard there was a special chord

That Ray Hudson sang when Messi scored

But you don't really care for pundits, do you?

It goes like this

The fourth, the fifth

The Xavi pass, the Andres split

The baffled d decomposing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was low you needed a lift

You saw him darting on the pitch

His beauty in the floodlights overthrew you

He glued you to a Nou Camp chair

He climbed your throne, he showed you flair

And from your lips he drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Halleluja, Hallelujah

There was a time when you tread below

Dinho was fat & Marquez slow

But now you look down upon me, do you?

(In)Famous Facial Hair in Football: Then and Now - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

It's something that's perhaps said almost as much in jest as it is in seriousness, but for some, the mark of a true manly man is all in the facial hair.

If you subscribe to that notion, then you may also be among the population that feels that football isn't what it used to be, with finesse, flair, and frailty pushing physicality in the past, or at best compressed into several three-to-five minute Youtube compilations.

Mourinho has plenty of reasons to be happy given how his Ramos-Pepe Central Defensive Partnership has fared. So we're back to Binary Code scorelines once again. After goalfests in the Champions League and against our La Liga rivals, we're back to clawing our way to victory again. Not that I mind – as I am a believer that there is a need for the team to suffer on their way to victory every now and then.

The Ronaldo and a History Lesson. A Four Hour History Lesson.

Pelé may have given Neymar his blessing to become the next great thing for Brazil, but no one will ever be quite like Ronaldo. O Fenomeno's power, pace, and unadulterated flair is enough to set him apart, but how well do you really know the #9?

Fernando Torres left Anfield under a cloud, but there's no denying that (for the most part) he was an absolutely outstanding striker for Liverpool. Luis Suarez has also been excellent for the club, but if you had to choose between the two, who would you play unfront for Liverpool?
A key difference between Suarez and Torres is finishing ability.

International midfielder Joe Cole has explained his reasons for leaving Anfield to join French champions Lille on loan, insisting he hopes to move permanently as Liverpool are now a 'settled' team under Kenny Dalglish without him.
Cole evidently feels that he is no longer a part of that 'settled' squad, though his ongoing loan spell at Lille has been a resounding success with the English midfielder currently impressing in Ligue 1.

Joe Cole is enjoying life in France, where he's in the process of reinvigorating his career with Lille. Playing regularly will be a relief for the former Chelsea man, who spent most of his time on the sidelines at Liverpool. Why did it all go wrong though?
Cole has shed some more light on the problems he believes contributed to his underwhelming performance at Anfield.

More comments from Bruce Buck, this time he has confirmed once again the requirement of the Chelsea manager from above. He said:

"You want to win trophies – we have started to do that. You want to win them creatively – we have done some of that and want to do more. We like the entertaining approach.

Galaxy mifielder Juninho fends off the Columbus Crew's Robbie Rogers; the Brazilian has become a fixture in the starting lineup this season combining flair with sheer hard work (AP Photo).

The Galaxy are fielding nominations from the media for the team MVP and defender of the Year awards that will be handed out at the final home game of the season.

Photo: Nicolae Stoian

Michael Farfan is without a doubt the most valuable player picked in Major League Soccer's amateur draft this year.

Even without his sick play against D.C. United and Sporting Kansas City, that would be unquestioned. You don't often get two starters with one second round draft pick.

Jonas Gutiérrez will be at Newcastle for another four years, and the news of him signing his new contract extension was well received by Geordie fans. Jonas Gutierrez - flair player Jonas is a bit of a character, but he follows his instructions from the manager in each game down to the letter, as Alan [.

Jonas Gutiérrez will be at Newcastle for another four years, and the news of him signing his new contract extension was well received by Geordie fans. Jonas Gutierrez - flair player Jonas is a bit of a character, but he follows his instructions from the manager in each game down to the letter, as Alan [.

In our latest column from the club's Academy, Frank McParland offers his thoughts on the NextGen Series so far and reveals which two Reds legends have visited Kirkby recently.
It's been a frustrating couple of weeks for us with regards to the NextGen Series double header against Wolfsburg.
I felt we played poorly in the first game at Anfield and were somewhat fortunate to get a point thanks to a late own goal.