Another home game, another win, another game with over three goals. Nearly three months into the season and we have not scored less than three goals in a home game in any competition, it shows just how strong we have been at home this season and any team visiting the Grove will be aware of this record and aware of how strong the squad we have is.

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So, despite protests from fans and politicians, Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has further cemented his unpopularity on Tyneside by announcing the renaming of St. James' Park apparently believing that adding an "@" symbol to it means the club is respecting history.

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Yesterday's stunning day of UEFA Champions League action is of course the focus of discussion today, with every game providing talking juicy points for the press.

The British press naturally focused on Liverpool after their home defeat to Lyon.

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I have found that listening to most podcasts is not good for my health, especially my blood pressure. With very few exceptions, most notably the Guardian's fantastic Football Weekly, the drivel spewed forth in these little mp3s is enough to make one scratch their eyes out. None more so at times than the BBC's 606.

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Recent Melbourne Victory supporters' protest

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It's an absurdly hyperbolic headline from the Roar, but their story of surveillance of fans is a little concerning, especially in the context of the long failure of the Australian football authorities to understand that heavy-handed restrictions and knuckle-headed security is not the way to grow the sport in a country with far more established sporting cultures.

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photo from:http://www.flickr.com/photos/oli79/2258149717/
Gabrielle Marcotti of the UK times online and Sports illustrated has a great article highlighting Real Madrids distinct advantage it has over all it European rivals.
"The answer to the first question is multi-layered. Click to continue reading...

Giancarlo Rinaldi has a layman's opinion on Silvio Berlusconi's outburst at his manager Carlo Ancelloti. You can read Giancarlo's piece here .Giancarlo ascribes Silvio's frustration to kick the cat syndrome.I along with Giancarlo feel its more shit flows down hill syndrome.An axiom i learnt while living in Texas for six years. Click to continue reading...

I spent allot of today pondering why managers in Italy and many parts of the continent choose alternatives to the 4-4-2.Last week in the Serie A only 2 of 20 sides employed a 4-4-2. Juventus and and Torino.Coincidental both Turin based sides.
The 4-4-2 is a perfectly balanced formation and its success i think early on in my day was it was very easy to teach out of. Click to continue reading...

I am a big fan of Gabrielle Marcotti the Italian journalist based in London.He has a great radio show podcast on the UK Times online where he writes a football column.He has written three books.Two of which i have read and enjoyed immensely,The Italian Job and Capello Portrait of a winner. Click to continue reading...

So how much football do any of us actually watch in real life compared to what we watch on TV? And how much is our opinion informed through the football media lens rather than through our own personal experience and knowledge?
Much of what we know, or think we know, is based on the journalists, presenters, anchormen, and ex-professionals that populate TV, radio and increasingly podcasts. Click to continue reading...

Listening to the game podcast with Gabrielle Marcotti i had learned that the sale of Roma to billionaire George Soros was an inevitability. Then as soon as i heard that i read that Rosella Sensi had confirmed the sale and it would be announced later this week. Rossella Sensi is the daughter of Franco Sensi whom is the owner of Italpetroli. Click to continue reading...