Fabricio Coloccini was presented with the 2011 North East Football Writers' Footballer of the Year award on Sunday night, following Newcastle's 2-1 win over Aston Villa. Fab Coloccini receiving Footballer of the Year award on Sunday night Coloccini, who turned 30 last month, was voted by the region's press as their footballer of the year and received the trophy [.

Caicedo (L), and rumoured trilaist "The Dish"Not only has it been a good day for TFC's defensive line - but a great day for puns. Hot on the heels of this morning's "Ecks'ual satisfaction", Aron Winter started TFC's Media Day off with a bang by announcing that the club had signed Ecuadorian Geovanny Caicedo.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has acknowledged that Manchester City's continued hold on the Premier League's top spot is impressive but warned the Citizens that "funny things can happen" between now and the end of the season.

Scholes, 37, came out of retirement earlier this month and has since played a part in each of United's three victories, the latest being a substitute appearance in the 2-1 win away to Arsenal yesterday.

Today's the day football gets rediscovered in Singapore with the Daftly Named LionsX11 hosting Kelantan at the Jalan Besar Stadium and all 7,500 tickets sold out.
One round of SLeague games, six games, would never have accumulated that many fans yet they come crawling out the woodwork for this game.

Yesterday afternoon, or if back home in England, yesterday evening, a strange thing happened in the crazy world of soccer journalism and social networking that illustrated, to me at least, the huge power that has now developed across Twitter, Facebook and other popular network sites.

Football pundits Who do you most like listening to?

Sportsmail's top team of football writers tell us who they most enjoy listening to when the game is covered on TV or radio. Which pundits are your favourites?

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-12-30 23:46:33 from: The Mail

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

Over the last couple of weeks or so, a debate has been being passed back and forth between football bloggers over both the present and future of what they do. On the one hand, we have seen the introduction of a new news feed service which has angered some that are seeking to make a living from their writing whilst, on the other, the behaviour of an established football website (which could clearly be described as "Mainstream Media") has seen the scales fall from quite a few eyes on the matter of the ethics of established media sources.

Guest written by Jamie Dunn:
Last season, Scott Parker was depicted as a Churchillian figure, taking West Ham United's half time team talks and single-handedly leading the quest to keep the Hammers in the Premier League.
Of course it wasn't all that cut and dry, but in the end Parker toiled and harried to no avail as West Ham were relegated on the penultimate weekend of the campaign, relinquishing a 2-0 lead to Wigan and suffering defeat at the DW Stadium.

Did you see that remarkable stat this week that, before the game against Wales, Scott Parker had won seven caps for England under three different managers over the course of 8 years whilst playing for five different clubs?
Nothing like consistency of selection, eh?
Since his debut against Denmark in 2003, the following players have been capped in (broadly) midfield:
Alan Thompson (1 cap)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (36 caps)
Stewart Downing (29 caps)
Kieran Richardson (8 caps)
Theo Walcott (18 caps)
Aaron Lennon (19 caps)
Joey Barton (1 cap)
David Bentley (7 caps)
Ashley Young (17 caps)
Gabby Agbonglahor (3 caps)
James Milner (19 caps)
Tom Huddlestone (3 caps)
Adam Johnson (8 caps)
Jack Wilshere (5 caps)
Now, of those, the most capped are basically wingers: Wright-Phillips, Downing, Walcott, Lennon, Young, Milner.

Sell Luka Modric to Chelsea and give me the funds to spend on new players, Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp muttered under his breath a fortnight ago. A move which could have secured the signings of multiple long-term targets and inevitably defined our forthcoming season.

Spurs have retained a midfielder with undoubted quality, but no matter how hard Modric tries to forget about his dream move to Chelsea, he wouldn't be human if he wasn't feeling some bitterness toward a club he will be playing for each Saturday in front of a leaky defence.

Big move today by Tottenham have have signed England midfielder Scott Parker from West Ham for about £5m. The move comes after the 30-year-old handed in a transfer request on Tuesday, stating that he wished to play in the Premier League.

Parker, who joined West Ham from Newcastle for £7m in 2007, was named Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year last season despite the club finishing bottom of the Premier League.

Big move today by Tottenham have have signed England midfielder Scott Parker from West Ham for about £5m. The move comes after the 30-year-old handed in a transfer request on Tuesday, stating that he wished to play in the Premier League.

Parker, who joined West Ham from Newcastle for £7m in 2007, was named Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year last season despite the club finishing bottom of the Premier League.

Liverpool season preview: Can Kenny crack the Top Three or even take a tilt at the title?

The Premier League kicks off this weekend and we've got the Daily Mirror's top football writers to give you their thoughts on the new season. Today David Maddock assesses Liverpool's chances.

You The Manager: The Mirror's football writers reveal their teams

Will your side beat all this lot?

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2011-07-22 22:00:10 from: The Mirror

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

To Birtley yesterday for the unusual treat of enjoying three games for just three quid.
The Northern Leagues United day was raising funds for both Birtley Town and Cobaltore Onagawa, a Japanese club from the area of that country devastated by this year's tsunami.
The highlight of the day, I'm using the term loosely, was a clash between Northern League Fans and a motley collection of Football Writers.

Just no

You simply cannot beat the transfer window for laughs.

Michael Essien's apparent season-ending knee injury I say apparent because we know nothing for certain yet has sent the tabloids into a frenzy. It's to be expected, really. We've been linked with every midfielder in the known world, including Scott fucking Parker.

It's time, then, for our weekly write-up of football-related charities and charity events that are deserving of your time and money. This week, we feature a charity match, a new project from Kick It Out and an initiative to help non-league football clubs fill their matchday programmes. As ever, we would ask you to remember that if you would like your charity or good cause mentioned on this page, drop us a line via the Contact page at the top of this page and we will get straight back to you.

With everybody now seemingly on Twitter, it is difficult to know who is worth following especially if you're looking for decent football opinions. So it is that I've tried to compile a list of the best people out there who are well worth following. Be warned, however that as a rule I tend not to follow player - do they ever have anything really of interest to say?

Last week I listened to a number of end of season podcasts. Needless to say the non-Arsenal assessments were damning of the team and in particular the podcasts made by professional journalists.(SkySports, Guardian etc). Almost to a man the journalists blamed Arsenal's failure on Mr Wenger lack of activity in the transfer market and his reliance on his youth policy.

By Chris Wright

Doubtless that the myriad sycophantic Barca-fluffers of this world will be lighting a content cigarette in bed this morning after waking up swaddled head-to-toe in a halo of fuzzy, post-coital afterglow Clive Tydlesley, we're looking at you.

Celtic star Emilio Izaguirre has admitted he is 'flattered' by Liverpool's reported interest in him.
The Honduran left sider had a wonderful maiden campaign in Scotland, and was voted SPL Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year and Football Writers' Footballer of the Year.
Neil Lennon insists he has no plans to sell, but now a number of English clubs are being strongly linked with a move for the 25-year-old.

"I hate perception. There is far too much of it in the game. I prefer to stick to reality."
- Sam Allardyce

One of the perceptions in the game right now is that Owen Coyle plays football the right way. Apparently he's introduced football at the Reebok – and football writers are falling over themselves to lavish praise on him:

"Coyle has won admirers for an attractive style of passing football at Bolton, where predecessors Sam Allardyce and Gary Megson were noted for their direct play.

This morning there are rumours flying around suggesting Scott Parker is the subject of big interest from Arsenal. There are tons of names flying about right now but the main attribute that would make this deal one to get very excited about is the attitude of the player, he is a battler a doer not an excuse maker like so many players in this team.

Cop this, Jesse Fink, SBS Leading football writer, get's stuck into Mike Cockerill SMH@s leading football writer for Mike's piece on Frank Lowy.
What makes me laugh is that Jesse and Mike have both written to me, Jesse somewhat abusively, Mike somewhat aggressively telling me to desist in criticism of them both and what they write.

Close by the front gate of the West Ham training ground stands a plum Rolls-Royce, writes Patrick Collins. The personalised numberplate declares it the property of David Gold, the club's co-owner. Gold is spotted through an office window, waving his arms and making a point. His website describes him as being 'blessed with a friendly, welcoming nature'.

Bayern Munich is ready to challenge Liverpool in the battle to lure Jose Enrique from Newcastle United.
And Toon boss Alan Pardew, already in a fight to hang on to key midfielder Joey Barton, is facing up to the fact that top scorer Kevin Nolan is now a target for West Ham.
It had seemed that Anfield boss Kenny Dalglish was in pole position to land Enrique this summer, despite AC Milan's interest in the Spanish left-back.

In a bit of an upset, Scott Parker became the first West Ham United player since Booby Moore to be voted Footballer of the Year in 1962/64. Parker, whose Hammers team are in a relegation battle was voted 2011 Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers' Association.

What makes Parker's award even more impressive is that West Ham have been really poor this season, and the head into their last five games of the campaign one place off the bottom of the table.

Despite overtures to delicacy, Barcelona FC has become an unwieldy force, a football leviathan. Coinciding with the city's international debut in the '92 Olympics, the club began two decades of furious attack on Real Madrid's hegemony over Spanish football with championships in La Liga and the Champions League, with Super Copas and thrashings at the Bernabéu.

For exactly 40-odd seconds at Old Trafford yesterday, it seemed like Drogba had funnelled all the talk about Chelsea and their owners' 'obsession' into one surging run and a nerveless finish to leave Chelsea one goal short of what would be a definite Champions League Classic. At that moment all football writers wondered if they should rewrite the headlines for the morning papers, from singing paens about United and Sir Alex to Didier Drogba who did, at that moment, look like he would single-handedly drag 10 men in Blue to a famous victory.

For exactly 40-odd seconds at Old Trafford yesterday, it seemed like Drogba had funnelled all the talk about Chelsea and their owners' 'obsession' into one surging run and a nerveless finish to leave Chelsea one goal short of what would be a definite Champions League Classic. At that moment all football writers wondered if they should rewrite the headlines for the morning papers, from singing paens about United and Sir Alex to Didier Drogba who did, at that moment, look like he would single-handedly drag 10 men in Blue to a famous victory.

I'm a very big fan of the Guardian's football section, mainly because they offer excellent insight into soccer/football from around all of Europe. Of course, being an English newspaper they tend to focus a bit more regarding English clubs and the Premier League.
Here's a short video of Kevin McCarra, the Guardian's chief football writer talking about the UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw along with Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Jose Mourinho.

I'm a very big fan of the Guardian's football section, mainly because they offer excellent insight into soccer/football from around all of Europe. Of course, being an English newspaper they tend to focus a bit more regarding English clubs. Here's a short video of Kevin McCarra, the Guardian's chief football writer talking about the UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw along with Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Jose Mourinho.

Of all the Guardian's football writers, Barney Ronay is my favorite. His writing is raffish and superbly intimate. His is the voice of an older brother come home from college to tell you glib and exaggerated tales of the secret lives of girls, why Coldplay is insufferable, and why your parents are all too bourgeois.

James Richardson is a multimedia juggernaut for the Guardian. He hosts their Football Weekly podcast ("James Richardson, Barry Glendenning, Sid Lowe and the rest of the Guardian's football writers bring you their Sony award-nominated, twice-weekly podcast mixing puns and punditry, a round-up of all the action from the Premier League and around Europe") and also does a weekly video European newspaper review.

Meditation's what you need
Manchester City 4-2 Leicester City (18:01:11)
I'm delighted to welcome David Bevan from The Seventy Two back to European Football Weekends. As a fan of the Foxes, he's still coming to terms with the Thai-kover at Leicester City as well as pondering a conversion to Buddhism.

It is a truism of the world's media that only negative stories about Indonesia make headlines. You know that worldwide economic downturn that effected so many? hardly caused a ripple here. But did you read about that anywhere beyond a few scholarly economic treatise? Unlikely.
Now the civil war in Indonesian football has gone international.

The Incredible Caulk
For years the North East was described as a football hotbed. Given the recent lack of major success for our football clubs many fans from outside the region would suggest a sickbed would be a more befitting comparison. But football is still thriving on Tyneside, Wearside and Teesside - and at the forefront of that is our football reporting.