AIK supporters all over the world are walking around with a smile on their face right now. Among all the supporters in Sweden there are none as starving for success as AIK fans. For the moment we're on the very top of Allsvenskan. This despite a horrendous away record against Halmstad, an early Halmstad goal in the first half and a heavy rain that almost ruined everything. Click to continue reading...

AIK won the game against Halmstad by 2-1 after goals from Ivan Obolo and Kenny Pavey. We are therefore in the very top of Allsvenskan. It was a tough game, almost ruined by monsoon-like conditions, but the boys did it!
More information as soon as I've gathered myself enough to put together a post-game report. Click to continue reading...

Monday's game against Halmstad is yet another crucial match for AIK, but one that wouldn't raise my pulse much at all if wasn't for the fact that AIK is involved in an intense title race. Halmstad is after all a pretty dull club. They show up twice a season as an opponent, but they usually fail to leave much of an impression or elicit very strong emotions. Click to continue reading...

The UEFA u21 Championship gets slowly bigger every two years, but remains half in shadow, a curious sideshow to the bigger tournaments.
Clashing with the FIFA Confederations Cup meant more international eyes were focused on South Africa, even in UEFA's backyard, since two European nations were involved (Italy & Spain). Click to continue reading...

Allsvenskan finally returned to full-fledged action with the thirteenth round. In case anyone forgot that Allsvenskan is extremely unpredictable and highly competitive; this round was a stark reminder.
The big story is that the results of round 13 sets up a monstrously important 14th round. Click to continue reading...

In a brief moment of clarity I once wrote that I will avoid making predictions because doing so will eventually offer proof that I have no idea of what I'm talking about. While I was smart enough to figure that much out on my own, I am unfortunately dumb enough to ignore my own advice.

The following entry will present my predictions for the fall season in Allsvenskan.

Click to continue reading...

In a brief moment of clarity I once wrote that I will avoid making predictions because doing so will eventually offer proof that I have no idea of what I'm talking about. While I was smart enough to figure that much out on my own, I am unfortunately dumb enough to ignore my own advice.
The following entry will present my predictions for the fall season in Allsvenskan. Click to continue reading...

Any coach who can afford to leave Theo Walcott out of his team is a lucky one.

But when that team is the England U21s and Walcott has started the last two games for the National Team, the manager opens himself up to scrutiny. Is the team really that good? Or is there another reason?

Predictably, journalists have latched onto Pearce's sporadic use of his best player as a story to run with and them to interrogate him on at every opportunity.

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It's do or die now as the UEFA U21 enters its semi-final stage.
Germany tackle the Italians in Helsingborg while a tasty clash is on the menu in Gothenburg, where a sell-out crowd is expected for Sweden v England.
A united Germany has yet to reach the finals while Italy have featured in five of the last nine u21 finals, winning four of them. Click to continue reading...

UEFA U21 Championship: England 2:1 Finland
Halmstad, Sweden - At 7,500, the Orjans Vall in Halmstad, twice a venue in the 1958 World Cup, must be the smallest venue a lot of England's team have played in for a while, but by the time of Finland's first corner in the fourth minute, the blue and white fans who had crossed the border made it feel a lot larger. Click to continue reading...

UEFA U21 Tournament: England v Finland
Halmstad, Sweden
Domestic interest in the UEFA U21 tournament is higher than usual this year, partly because the National Team is on leave for the summer and partly because there is the sniff of victory from England.
A tasty crop of young Englishmen have made the journey to Sweden including Premier League-honed Gabriel Agbonlahor, Michael Mancienne, James Milner, Micah Richards and Theo Walcott, giving coach Stuart Pearce both hopes and headaches; the Three Lion Cubs have the quality to win the trophy after falling to the Netherlands on penalties at the semi-final last time, but also for the first time in around a quarter of a century England head to a tournament as favourites; there is now expectation and responsibility on Pearce's head that was not there before. Click to continue reading...

IFK Göteborg won 2-1 against FF kalmar, thanks to a suberb goal from Tobias Hysen which was immediately hailed by some commentators as the goal of the season. It's some finish, but not quite that good, as Kalmar goalkeeper Petter Wastå will want to look at his positioning, but well-taken all the same from IFK's midfielder.

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FINLAND'S UNDER-21 team became the first national side to qualify for a major tournament this Autumn. They upset the odds, beating a strong Denmark team and a physical Scotland (Perparim Hetemaj refused to play in Scotland after they picked a man who broke his leg on a previous occasion), before overcoming an arrogant but skilful [. Click to continue reading...

FINLAND'S UNDER-21 team became the first Finnish national side to qualify for a major tournament this Autumn. They upset the odds, beating a strong Denmark team and a physical Scotland (Perparim Hetemaj refused to play in Scotland after having broken his leg there in a B international, although the Scottish team was quite different in [. Click to continue reading...