Some ill-advised comments made by the Celtic chairman John Reid at last year's club AGM may now be coming back to haunt him, as rivals Rangers seem to be coasting to a Scottish Premier League championship. Mark Murphy takes a look at how the two clubs have progressed this season and finds that Reid's bullishness couldn't have come with much worse timing.

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Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt has written off Monday's Premier League horror show at Wigan as a one-off.
The Reds' season sank to a new low on Monday after an abject 45 minutes at the DW Stadium when it seemed the ability to pass the ball to each other had deserted even the most gifted players in the side. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal 5 (Bendtner 10, 25, pen 90, Nasri 63, Eboue 66) Porto 0
(Champions League 1st Knockout Round, agg 6-2)

How quickly fortunes can change. Three days after missing a host of chances against Burnley, Nicklas Bendtner� performed like� a complete centre forward dominant in the air, leading the line well, and ending the game with the first hattrick of his fledgling career.

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The fortunes of Jonny Evans have truly been mixed in the last few days. He went from the elation of the Carling Cup Final on Sunday to his forced withdrawal from the Northern Ireland squad which...
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Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva believes his side's mixed fortunes this season have helped his progression into a first-team player.
The 23-year-old is one of just three Reds players to have figured in every Premier League game so far this season alongside Pepe Reina and Dirk Kuyt.
The Brazilian, who was in the squad for his country's 2-0 victory over Republic of Ireland on Tuesday at the Emirates Stadium and will hope to be in their World Cup squad this summer, has often been a much-maligned figure at Anfield since his transfer from Gremio in 2007. Click to continue reading...

With Chelsea safely through to the FA Cup quarter finals, the Chelsea Fancast team look forward to the draw. Chidge is otherwise engaged with family duties, so Dr. Martin fronts the show once again. Chelsea's defeat by Everton at Goodison in midweek leaves them still top of the league, but not really ‘aving a laugh. Click to continue reading...

At last the club have taken and made a stand with the players in light of all the attention the club has received for the wrong reasons in the press lately.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke of the team meeting and he said:
"I don't read the papers because my language is not so good but I know very well what happened. Click to continue reading...

Newcastle travel to Watford, looking to build on two good victories at home against Coventry and Preston respectively. We've struggled from travel sickness on the road in the Championship, but Toon fans are hoping for a change in fortunes. Yours truly misses this one and will be watching keenly for ways and means to listen [. Click to continue reading...

Between now and late May, speculation and debate will run rampant over American players and their fortunes for 2010. While there is an established core of players already locked into position, there's plenty to play for the fringe players hoping to make the squad come 2010.

And for those players, their performances will likely be rated on a basis similar to those of the stock market -- playing time, goals scored and solid play will increase chances of being there when the window closes, while those unable to see the pitch left off the squad.

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Between now and late May, speculation and debate will run rampant over American players and their fortunes for 2010. While there is an established core of players already locked into position, there's plenty to play for the fringe players hoping to make the squad come 2010.

And for those players, their performances will likely be rated on a basis similar to those of the stock market -- playing time, goals scored and solid play will increase chances of being there when the window closes, while those unable to see the pitch left off the squad.

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Uruguay have participated in the World Cup from the very start, in fact they won the first World Cup in 1930. However their World Cup fortunes of late have not come close to replicating their past glory having failed to qualify for 5 of the last 8 World Cups, they ... Click to continue reading...

Maddy's Note of Explanation: I was just going through the archives and i came across this piece I'd written in November, when I was full of hope and confidence. The hope remains. But will we be able to pull it off NOW? The extremely yo-yo esque season that this has been, it still seems strangly relevant and possible.

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Pokerface...that's exactly what sort of facial expression I was required to display when a close friend of mine tried to have a serious conversation with me regarding Greece's chances of qualifying for EURO 2012.

Chris beat me to it, but I was planning on breaking the news to y'all regarding Greece's fortunes after Sunday's draw for the EURO 2012 qualifying round.

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The roll of a dice, the turn of a card. The hand of fate twists and flips the fortunes of the worthy and the unworthy in an endless grind. Week 26 was such a week. This time the cards fell well for a petty criminal slumped at the bar in Dave's Café Americain. Rob Mulloy [...] Click to continue reading...

Well, it's that time again. We've lost to a title rival and it hurts like hell. It hurts so much that the internet is full of hundreds of experts who know all the answers. We have a mind numbing barrage of Wenger didn't buy so we are screwed posts asking for his head. I tried to look for an article that clearly showed what our problems are and which player would solve those issues.

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Derby protocol dictates form books should be hitting the pavement throughout Merseyside this morning. Liverpool FC skipper Steven Gerrard, though, would be forgiven for wanting to jettison a record of the entire season so far.

A campaign that started with hopes of another championship challenge has degenerated amid all-too-familiar problems both on and off the field.

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Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt admits that he feels under pressure to carry his side's fortunes in the absence of his injured team-mates.

The Anfield club have been without key men Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson for large parts of their troubled campaign, and as one of the senior players, the onus has been on Kuyt to perform in their absence.

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Location: Roudourou

Date: 05/02/2010

Kick-off: 7pm GMT

EAG will face Tours FC at the Roudourou on Friday night in an attempt to move out of the L2 relegation zone.

Guingamp showed great spirit to overturn a 2-0 deficit and earn a point away at local rivals Vannes OC last Saturday and will be looking to take some momentum into Friday's game at home to mid-table Tours FC.

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Two young Gunners had different fortunes this week, the young Arsenal attacker Sanchez Watt has joined Southend United on loan, while Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was arrested for driving without a license! The Southend boss Steve Tilson is really pleased to bag Watt, despite him only arriving on a one-month deal to start with. Click to continue reading...

American forward Kenny Cooper was officially unveiled as the newest member of Plymouth Argyle Football Club on Monday, joining the Championship side on loan from 1860 Munich. The former FC Dallas star has expressed optimism that the move will be a positive one for his career and is looking forward to working with two familiar faces on the coaching staff, manager Paul Mariner (former New England Revolution assistant) and assistant John Carver (former Toronto FC head coach). Click to continue reading...

Liverpool chief executive Christian Purslow has pledged the club will not sell their star players despite the financial restrictions currently in place at Anfield.
Rafael Benitez had little money to spend in the winter transfer window to bolster a squad which has had a disappointing first half of the season. Click to continue reading...

D.C. United central defender Dejan Jakovic played a full 90 minutes for Canada over the weekend in an international friendly against Jamaica. The Canadians fell 1-0 in Kingston before a crowd of 18,000, as Jakovic continued to build upon his national team experience. The Croatian-born centerback has become a strong contributor to Canada's fortunes since making his full international debut against Martinique on January 30, 2008.

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photo credit: wonker

Liverpool fans need to be careful with their expectations...

Rarely do we see a team's fortunes rise so quickly under the management of an unfit manager and with a superstar who is so disrespectful to his other teammates that he'd suggest the team pick up some of his Spanish countrymen because "he need help".

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The opening weekend of the second half of the season for the Turkcell Super League came to a close Sunday. With Fenerbahçe consolidating their lead at the top, Galatasaray needed to win to keep pace with their cross-town Istanbul rivals. Kayserispor looked to keep within striking distance of the top spot that they held for two weeks in the first half of the season.

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1. Mourning Has Broken?

With the business side of ownership concluded, the proper business of survival gets underway as we enter the pivotal stage of our season.
Over the next eighteen days we will face most all of our likely relegation contenders, with Bolton following a couple of weeks later.

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Big Story

Rob Smyth capped off his Guardian minute-by-minute report yesterday by printing an email from someone named Scott W., who wrote: "I never thought I'd say this, and as a United supporter you might not like to hear it, but Leeds United have become loveable, haven't they?

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There's a new wrinkle in the DC United stadium saga, and it comes by way of Craig Stauffer at the Washington Examiner; club president Kevin Payne implies that the World Cup hosting fortunes of...

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I won't argue that Liverpool FC deserve something more out of the last two matches based on form. Reading were the better team in both cup ties and Stoke were just about on par with the flailing Merseyside giants last weekend. And with Torres, Gerrard and Benayoun still out for today's fixture, one feels like the struggle to put a much-needed win away is less likely than ever.

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Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has launched a staunch defence of his record at the club as speculation about his future refuses to die down.
The Spaniard insists there have been huge improvements since he took over in the summer of 2004 and that has restored pride among the staff and fans. Click to continue reading...

Christian Purslow, the managing director of English soccer club Liverpool FC, has revealed that the banks with which the club hopes to secure financing for a new stadium will only deal with the club if new investment can be attracted.
Liverpool's owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, are keen to sell a stake in the club, in what Purslow says "could be part ownership or it could be complete ownership". Click to continue reading...

In this season of swift conclusions by the media, one must be wary of predicting any side's fate for often fortunes can be flipped on their head in the next round of matches. That said, it does appear England's top-flight crown will head to either Chelsea, Manchester United or Arsenal after a seven-point gap between third and fourth opened up. Click to continue reading...

Yesterday's football was certainly interesting. United's cruise past Burnley was perhaps unsurprising given the change in leadership at Burnley, not to mention their appalling away record (one point all season), but Chelsea turned on the style against a Sunderland side so lacking in the fight we saw a couple of months ago, putting seven past them.

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Liverpool have not altered their view that Rafael Benítez is the man to revive their fortunes despite yesterday's dismal FA Cup defeat to Reading, but will review his position at the end of the season. The manager's task of delivering the top-four finish that would save his job was made more difficult when Steven Gerrard, Yossi Benayoun and Fernando Torres all returned to the treatment table, the latter with a withering attack on the club's owners. Click to continue reading...

Following last nights calamitous defeat at home to Reading, there has been an outcry in the media by former players, pundits and some fans to sack Rafa Benitez as soon as possible.
However, this is not the Liverpool way of doing things, the Boss will be given until the end of the season to see if he can get things back on track. Click to continue reading...

Pennant playing for struggling Zaragoza...Smith injured with Real Union...Ex-Chelsea man Simmonds continues exodus from Hoddle's Academy...Ex-Hammers legend Tommy Taylor joins Torry Army... Spain has been a favourite haunt of English footballers and coaches over the years but those present this season have experienced some indifferent fortunes over the course of the first half of the season. Click to continue reading...

Given the size of the current squad, Newcastle United can ill-afford any casualties in the coming weeks, and supporters are waiting with bated breath for signs of recruitments, just in case. But it seems like for now, either our fortunes have changed or the way our players are being looked after has, because injuries have [. Click to continue reading...

Time is precious, or so the saying goes, yet as we all know there seems to be very little afforded in football these days.

You don't have to wait very long in any season now for owners to get nervous and take drastic measures and this is something which I think is really damaging the sport.

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It has been a while but Les Rosbifs is now back in action. I will be looking at posting regular updates on the fortunes of the Englishmen playing and coaching abroad, as well as updating the all-important list, which is in a state of disrepair since I last worked on it in mid-August. Please, if you [. Click to continue reading...

Olympiacos will return to Liverpool with a bid for Spanish midfielder Albert Riera after their £5 million approach for Yossi Benayoun was rejected by the Anfield outfit, according to a report from The Daily Mail.
The Spaniard has not managed this season to reproduce the fine form of his debut campaign on Merseyside, and Reds boss Rafa Benitez could be tempted to part with the left-sided midfielder. Click to continue reading...

Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are on their way out apparently.The new year hasn't brought any significant change of fortunes yet for the reds if their FA cup game against Reading is any indication.

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