It has been a bleak season for VfL Bochum. The club sits 17th in the table, switched coaches instead of fortunes and only had Hertha Berlin to cheer them up. A trip to the national team can be a welcome change of scene for the players. Bochum's central defender Anthar Yahia and their striker Zlatko Dedic chose to make the most of it by sending their nations to South Africa in a decisive World Cup playoff.

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It's funny the things that play on your mind when you head to the hills for a week to enjoy some much needed rest and relaxation.One question kept flickering through my mind. What is the point of Gordon Smith?His tenure at the SFA has coincided with a dismal downturn in the national team's fortunes. Boozing players and a manager with only the grudging support of his employers. Click to continue reading...

Since Randy Lerner appointed Martin O'Neill as Aston Villa manager, the club's fortunes seem to have changed. No, Villa haven't realistically competed for any silverware yet, but there are certainly promising signs at the club. Villa have recently appeared to be a club who are a solid top 6 team, with some promising talent on their books.

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There it is. The interlull curse strikes again. Did we really think we would come out of this break unscathed? Every thing was going too well. And now a player who is key to our entire club's fortunes looks set to be out for a while and will definitely miss our upcoming match against Chelsea, and for what?

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Maddy's Note albeit to Maddy's Post: I generally write a post in about 40 minutes. This however is the maximum thought I have ever put in into any piece of writing (yes, it includes my examinations as well). Forgive me, but this is a dissertation sized post. You have been warned.

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In football attacking players often get most of the praise when their team is achieving results while players in other positions are often overlooked. Defenders are typically ignored when accolades and awards are given out, yet it would be wrong to underestimate the contribution and influence of key defensive players such as Italy's Paolo Maldini or France's Lilian Thuram, just to name a couple of outstanding talents.

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I didn't really have a favourite Swedish Superettan (second tier) team to support until recently. But then Luka emailed The Offside and persuaded us to start a blog for Assyriska Föreningen, and I've been following their fortunes through the season. Assyriska finished 3rd in the Superettan, which was enough to earn a promotion/relegation playoff vs the [. Click to continue reading...

The forthcoming season of world football is set to be the most thrilling in recent history concluding with one man holding aloft that hallowed golden trophy in Jo'berg next summer.

As top-flight action kicks off around the globe, who should we be looking out for? Which players are capable of bursting on to the international scene and emulating the famous exploits of an adolescent Owen during France '98?

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Rafa Benitez is refusing to look any further ahead than Liverpool's next game as he hopes his side experience a change in fortunes.
The Reds drew 2-2 with Birmingham at Anfield on Monday night to leave them 11 points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Benitez's men had already been ruled out of the title race by some critics, but the Spaniard has always remained adamant that his side were contenders. Click to continue reading...

Are we a club in crisis? While I hate to disappoint the doom-mongers and mischievous press-men, it is a little too hasty to go down that route just yet.

Come the full-time whistle we ought to have a clearer idea of where we stand. Naturally, this being White Hart Lane, moderation is not welcome.

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In partnership with Russian Football Now, EPL Talk presents the twelfth episode of RNF's podcast.

Russian football may have gotten off to a shaky start in the 2009-10 Champions League, but the last two weeks have seen a measure of redemption. On Tuesday, CSKA Moskva came within minutes of a historic win at Old Trafford, while Rubin continued to their improved form by taking a fourth point in two matches from Barcelona.

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Hey all,

For those who care, I am doing weekend duties on the main Offside page. Started last week, and I will be sharing the load with a combo of theoffsides finest Rob, Jan and of course, Laurie. So check these installments out, shoot on by, and give your opinions outside of the Red Bulls sphere.

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It wasn't that long ago I did a piece on Jakarta Casual TV saying that the Young Lions were better off packing their bags and moving to Malaysia as that was the only way they were going to add the competitive bite that was necessary to their future development.
That was posted two days after a 1-1 draw with Super Reds, not a bad rsult as it happens, but look back at the run they were on at the time. Click to continue reading...

We're great when we're winning. Opponents are forced to push forward, and we duly pick them off on the break, with the clinical precision of a trained sniper (until Keane starts stumbling over his own feet). We have the players, including those on the fringes of the squad, to counter with pace and inventiveness, on top of which it makes for a cracking spectacle.

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See, I told you I'm a bit good

Let's face it. We all remember Julio Baptista once played for Arsenal on a season long loan from Real Madrid. Jose Antonio Reyes went the other way in the same deal. I don't know about you but for the life of me, I can't remember much of his performance during that season bar for one.

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Hammers fans who watched the riveting match against Arsenal voted in their player performances as such:
This was posted on Iain Dale's popular, West Ham Till I Die site.
Extremely good result for Zola and the boys, especially as I wrote previously in my preview that that victory would be a near impossible task. Click to continue reading...

A mixed week for Spanish fortunes, with the country's leading European lights (at least in statistical terms), both slipping up in the Champions League, although Sevilla continued to make it look like child's play with a 3-1 win at Stuttgart. Champions League? They're 'aving a laugh. Chelsea had one as well, predictably stuffing Atlético Madrid 4-0 and condemning their manager, Abel Resino, to the social security queue. Click to continue reading...

OCTOBER 24, 2009
Stade Municipal Du Ray, Nice
1 PM ET (19:00 CET, 18:00 GMT)
After Tuesday's unbelievable victory at Anfield, we can only hope that the players have come back down to earth- because I'm still on cloud nine- and are ready to dispatch there next league obstacle and maintain their miniscule +1 goal differential lead over second place Montpellier?

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The Houston Dynamo may have failed in their bid to become the second MLS team to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals but D.C. United still have a glimmer of hope left. After a rough start to the tournament that saw them drop their first two games, three consecutive wins and a draw have turned fortunes around.

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The Houston Dynamo may have failed in their bid to become the second MLS team to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals but D.C. United still have a glimmer of hope left. After a rough start to the tournament that saw them drop their first two games, three consecutive wins and a draw have turned fortunes around.

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Last night saw mixed fortunes for Spanish sides as Sevilla made it three wins from three in the Champions League this season but Barcelona lost 2-1 at home to Rubin Kazan and was probably the most unexpected result of the night, in a night that produced more than one surprise scoreline.

Tonight though is the meeting of the two European giants AC Milan and Real Madrid which looks like being the tastiest double header in the Champions League this season.

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Sailing close to the wind has been a feature of Liverpool's European adventures under the stewardship of Rafael Benítez. A defeat at home to Lyons last night meant they were all but blown off course altogether.

As in 2007, only a trio of victories from their final three group games will give the Merseyside club a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of this season's Champions League, and having lost their past four matches — Liverpool's worst run in 22 years — hopes will not be high that an upturn in fortunes is just around the corner.

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My blog over at SoccerCity is already a little outdated given the events of today but I'll publish it anyway!
A few months ago I wrote a blog comparing the fortunes of England's two Magpies – Newcastle and Notts County.
Back then Newcastle were in despair, mourning the loss of their Premier League status. Click to continue reading...

I certainly wouldn't want to blame that poor kid for throwing the beach ball on the pitch (his school mates might disagree). Sure it was a stupid thing to do, but it was hardly malicious either.
Instead there's a couple of other recurring themes to explain why Sunderland were able to beat us. Click to continue reading...

The Forecast notices how David Beckham's fortunes have changed recently before tackling the Week 31 slate. Click to continue reading...

US MNT Player Power Rankings (10/15/09): The US Men's Soccer Team has qualified for the 2010 World Cup, which kicks off a mere 8 months from now. Now that we're in, the big question is who will represent the Red, White, & Blue at the world's biggest sports spectacle.

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Well, at least we now have half an idea of what Catweazle looked like when he was younger. Actually, the most remarkable thing about David Beckham's beard which was just about the most interesting thing about this routine win is that it seems to be sculpted. It isn't the beard of a man that no longer cares, for sure.

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How many international breaks (interlullâ„¢) have there been this season already?
The game against Ukraine on Saturday – which I didn't watch, incidentally – sounds like it was one of the more unconvincing England displays we have seen for a while. To be fair to Capello and the team however, it wouldn't be the first time football sides have turned out sub-standard performances having previously completed the job at hand.

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How many international breaks (interlullâ„¢) have there been this season already?
The game against Ukraine on Saturday – which I didn't watch, incidentally – sounds like it was one of the more unconvincing England displays we have seen for a while. To be fair to Capello and the team however, it wouldn't be the first time football sides have turned out sub-standard performances having previously completed the job at hand.

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There has been a lot of heated debate about Rafa's signings and overall effectiveness since the ‘leaked' conversation between George Gillett and a member of the ‘Spirit of Shankly' group. How much cash has Rafa really spent since becoming manager and how much has he brought back in through sales? Click to continue reading...

In his second match for the North Queensland Fury, Robbie Fowler showed that even in the twilight of his career, he has not lost a single bit of his agility when it really mattered. What was truly amazing about this ninja kick was that it went unpunished. I checked officially and Fowler did not even get a yellow card. Click to continue reading...

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hot on the heels of Barcelona captain Carles Puyol. The Frenchman believes that Puyol would be an excellent defensive partner for Thomas Vermaelen, but Premier League rivals Manchester City are also jumping in to the chase.

City manager Mark Hughes looks to continue to bolster his defense, even after signing Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott over the summer.

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There has been increasing speculation recently that AC Milan are set to be bought over with Rezart Taci said be front of the queue with a 700 million euro offer however the club deny theya re looking to sell the club.

The recent poor form of the team coupled with the 750 million euro fine that AC Milans parent company recently had imposed on them has led to rumours that Berlusconi will look to sell his share to help offset the fine.

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Ever since Roman Abramovich sent him packing from Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2008, Avram Grant has been on a one-man mission to prove that he was a success during his brief tenure as Chelsea manager. Second place in the league and one inch away from winning the Champions League final won't earn you any silverware.

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This was a high scoring weekend of excitement and upsets at the ABSA Premiership around South Africa seven goals were scored on Sunday.

Sunday Matches in the ABSA Premiership

Ajax Cape Town 0 – Kaizer Chiefs 3

Kaizer Chiefs showed their class once again at Newlands Stadium on Sunday afternoon when they beat Ajax Cape Town 3-0.

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