The thing that we all knew happened: Henry is a fraud. However, in the tradition of French smooth frauds he is someone who made it into an art; in his country the books about thieves are popular.

But the ‘hand' is not the only thing that makes Henry what he is; it is simply incredible how people in England or football fans in general forget all the things this man did.

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There are times in the life of the average non-league fan when he wonders if he is really and truly sane. I had such a moment Saturday as I watched Bath City defeat Chelmsford City 1-0. I was standing on the Bristol End terrace at Twerton Park in pelting rain and howling wind. I was cold and wet and tired. Click to continue reading...

Before yesterday's game, all Man United needed to do to qualify for the next stage of the Champions League was to win or draw. Last night there was a six-goal thriller at Old Trafford where things didn't go the way they were supposed to.
CSKA had got off to the better start but United were starting to control the game, when the visitors took the lead. Click to continue reading...

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- In addition to this site, try the combination messageboard and quasi-blog QPR Report Messageboard. If your're interested in constantly-updated QPR-related news; QPR nostalgia; and some other broader football-related isssues: QPR Report Messageboard is there for you. All opinions welcome! Click to continue reading...

by JAMES CURTIS The rage in Cesc Fabregas' eyes was uncontrollable as he raced to one corner of the Emirates, executed a mini knee-slide and bounced back up with clenched fists to celebrate Arsenal's second goal. Just one minute earlier Robin van Persie had circled the same section with his arms flung out and chest pumping having opened the scoring.

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Chelsea looked to keep their lead atop the English Premier League table as they traveled to face Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, October 31, 2009. Here's a recap of the match along with video highlights.

Chelsea beats Bolton Wanderers 4-0 Video Highlights

1st Half

Chelsea were the better team early but Bolton played solid to keep it scoreless through the first 20 minutes.

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This season is bringing back memories of some of the more undesirable aspects of the 70s and 80s.

The Barnsley and Man Utd Carling Cup fixture is now better known for its hooliganism (with more pictures). Catering staff were trapped for almost half an hour inside a food kiosk as Man Utd fans stole food and cash.

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A few numbers to have a peer at.

First thing that jumps out:Â when the bookies have not got our games quite right (4/9), all four results have been in our favour.

That's interesting isn't it? I appreciate that bookmakers' odds are not the be all and end all, but they are a good neutral barometer of what we might generally expect to happen in a game.

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After last week's World Cup packed podcast, let us return to our own affairs and look back on an eventful weekend in the Premier League.
Chris and Graham reflect on their respective team's performance in the London derby twixt West Ham and Arsenal. Manchester City's credentials are examined further after an unconvincing 2-2 draw with Fulham and we celebrate the Liverpool v Manchester United Super Classico or at least the last half an hour or so. Click to continue reading...

Scott the red over at 'The Republik of Mancunia' has kindly taken the time to answer some questions about - amongst other things - where it all went wrong for United at Anfield yesterday.
Jaimie Kanwar: What went wrong for United at Anfield?
Scott the Red: The first problem was the team selection. Click to continue reading...

Following United, the expectation is our lads will create at least five clear cut chances and at the very least, one will get put in the back of the net.

At Anfield yesterday this wasn't the case but the frustration we feel through the hangovers today could have been avoided if several things had been done differently.

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Evening all.

Apologies for not finishing my preview post/s. However considering the game is on Sunday I thought delaying it was a reasonable thing to do. Besides fatigue has got the better of me completely today. It is a strange feeling when one minute there is enough energy within me to challenge Usain Bolt to a race, but the next minute it feels as if challenging Michael Essien in a sleep marathon contest was more appropriate.

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Given the circumstances leading upto the game (preperations hampered through injury and an international break) and then during the ninety minutes itself (going a goal down on the stroke of half-time and then playing the final half an hour with ten men) a point can be seen as a very good return.
It is, I suppose, a measure of the current sides mentality that we came away with a point rather than empty handed, and also a sign of the ambition and expectation there is that there is also a sense of frustration to not come away with all three-points. Click to continue reading...

I got on to the concourse just in time to catch the Chelsea game from the 89th minute onwards. After Villa had gone 2-1 up I thought at best Chelsea would score an injury time equaliser, at worst, an injury time winner but kept my fingers crossed they would drop points regardless.

There was a roar at the final whistle before then pouring up the steps in to our seats in anticipation it what could be a table topping result.

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Morning all,

Arsenal moved into the top four yesterday with a good win over Birmingham, but it wasn't quite as comfortable as we would have liked. We started well, pretty much bossed the game and it was no surprise when in the 15th minute Robin van Persie put us ahead. Collecting a low, hard pass from Alex Song his first touch was quite brilliant and his finish first class.

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1. The governing bodies have finally succeeded in stacking the deck so firmly in favour of the major footballing nations that it is almost impossible for them not to qualify. Portugal won just two of their first seven games, but still managed to reach the playoffs simply because over the course of such a long group, they had time to recover.

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Introducing a new series of features on national teams travelling to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. We start with Switzerland.
Stealth technologists would do well to examine the characteristics of the Swiss national team. It seems that despite their successful qualification for the World Cup, no-one seems to be paying any attention to them. Click to continue reading...

Take a listen to Episode 24 of the world famous Soccerlens Podcast with ex-footballer Adrian Clarke and sports journalist Iain Spragg for half an hour of fascinating football discussion.

This week's chipper chat centres around Sir Alex Ferguson's ongoing run-in with the powers-that-be, the pro's and cons of Emile Heskey (more cons), and the possibility of a breakaway Atlantic League.

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It didn't take long for the bottom club Hertha to appoint a new coach after parting company with Lucien Favre only days after Week 7. Friedhelm Funkel had had a distinguished spell at Frankfurt up until last season. However, he was let go in the summer in the hope that a new manager will be able to inject some new zest in the side. Click to continue reading...

A Nicklas Bendtner inspired Denmark side over came Sweden this evening in a battle of Scandinavia to claim the final three World Cup qualifying points they needed to reach next summers tournament, with bragging rights for the natives to boot.

The exciting forward has led his country's charge to South Africa and started on the left hand side against the Swede's who boasted Zlatan Ibrahimovic in attack.

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Hello and welcome to episode 23 of the world famous Soccerlens Podcast. Join ex-footballer Adrian Clarke and celebrated sports journalist Iain Spragg for half an hour of proper football chat.

This week's entertaining show covers Internet-only football, a good old fashioned seedings stitch-up, Fergie v Referees, World Cup previews (including Russia v Germany and Republic of Ireland v Italy)  – and to round things off the dynamic duo share a lively discussion on the weird and wacky world of football club ownership!

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Christ...where to begin.
Sunday morning I was down the Thai Port shop checking out a couple of things. Even at the relatively early time of 10 am there were people hanging around and buying things. They were due to play PEA that same day but I had to be elsewhere.
Muang Thong Thani is pretty new I think. Click to continue reading...

Well, the game kicks off in half an hour, I need to get a shift on.

Blackburn and their vile manager are visiting the Grove this afternoon and after United slipped up yesterday we need to take advantage and close the points gap, especially with Liverpool and Chelsea playing each other. This season is certainly shaping up to be an interesting one, teams lower down the table believe they can beat any of the top 4 teams this season and we have had a fair few suprises in a short amount of time.

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Fernando Torres scored a hat-trick s Liverpool gained revenge for last season's 2-2 draw also at Anfield.
The Spaniard opened the scoring on 20mins with a bit of trickery before drilling home in the far corner.
Hull grabbed an instant equaliser when a poor headed clearance by Skrtel fell to Brazilian Geovanni whose low shot beat Reina. Click to continue reading...

Reina
Johnson Skrtel Carragher Insua
Lucas Gerrard
Benayoun Kuyt Riera
Torres
Goals:
Torres 12' 28' 47'
Geovanni 15'
Gerrard 61'
Babel 88' 90+1'
So much for struggling to beat the teams that just want a draw at Anfield. 13 goals put past Stoke, Burnley, and Hull – and Liverpool dropped points against Stoke and Hull last season. Click to continue reading...

After the Hull game back in August I wrote a brief post questioning why it takes so long to queue to get through the turnstiles at Stamford Bridge. That day it took me half an hour to get from the Britannia Gate to my seat, and I missed the first 12 minutes of the Spurs game on Sunday despite joining the one of the queues into the Matthew Harding Lower at 3.

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After the Hull game back in August I wrote a brief post questioning why it takes so long to queue to get through the turnstiles at Stamford Bridge. That day it took me half an hour to get from the Britannia Gate to my seat, and I missed the first 12 minutes of the Spurs game on Sunday despite joining the one of the queues into the Matthew Harding Lower at 3.

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Adam Griffin may feature on Saturday when County travel to Yorkshire to play Huddersfield Town, The 25 year old played around half an hour and scored midweek against Everton Youth.The midfielder may come straight into the side as Oli Johnson is a doubt after going for a scan on his Ankle on Monday.

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This was always going to be a tricky game, one from which Liverpool had everything to lose whilst Leeds United, doing so well in League One, were going to be determined to do well in front of their own fans. For Benitez, the headache was going to be who to play: on the one hand there was the calls to put in some of the younger players but on the other there was the fear of being shown up by Leeds with the hammering that would undoubtedly follow. Click to continue reading...

A week ago I said that Rafael Benitez will have been looking for more of his side other that Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to join Yossi Benayoun as match-winners but the Liverpool manager will still be delighted with his star striker's two-goal blast at West Ham.
It's not like the Spanish international has been struggling in front of goal so far this season – he netted in three consecutive Premier League games against Stoke, Aston Villa and Bolton last month – but his brace at Upton Park signalled a return to the kind of devastating form he is capable of. Click to continue reading...

Newcastle manager Chris Hughton has praised 18 year-old teenage striker Nile Ranger for the second-half display which turned the game for Newcastle against Plymouth Argyle. Nile Ranger - great in last 30 minutes on Saturday With the score at 1-1, just over half an hour left,  and things not looking too good for the Magpies, Ranger was brought [. Click to continue reading...

Public displays of fake unity are never entirely convincing. Take Brown and Blair in the 2005 election campaign or Ritchie and Madonna in the final days of their marriage. However, the post-goal celebration between Franck Ribery and his boss Louis van Gaal was positively coital in its intensity. Click to continue reading...

Stoke City may be a small club, but that never seems to faze them when they walk out in front of the crowd at The Britannia. Saturday was no different.

Chelsea was visiting, and they brought their undefeated record with them, too. Stoke was ready for a battle, though. It's pretty hard to describe how different Stoke is as a team when they are playing at home.

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It has been a while since I have been so passionate about a topic in the world of football that I have felt compelled to grace you fine people with one of my articles. However, having watched just half an hour of Manchester United's dire Champion's League Match against Besiktas, the subject on which I am to write this article has infuriated me so much that I cannot wait any longer: Nani – why is he playing in the Premier Division, let alone for the English Champions?

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