So a couple of days after Roberto Mancini calls out Manchester City's football administrator
Brian Marwood over the club's failure to sign any new players this summer, City finally sign their
first player: Everton reserve Jack Rodwell for £12m. The 21-year-old midfielder has signed a
five-year deal at City for in excess of £100,000-a-week.
Liverpool's inconsistency in the premier league strikes again as just after picking up a
comfortable victory in the weekend, Kenny Dalglish were disappointed again this midweek as they
were humbled by Fulham at Anfield.
Martin Skertel's own goal which arrived rather early in the first half simply decided the
outcome of the tie since the Reds failed to pick up their game and grabbed the equalizing goal they
needed.
Newcastle United get themselves back in the Champions League zone after successfully beating
Stoke City 3-0, leaving their rival Tottenham Hotspurs behind, as Harry Redknapp's boys picked up
another defeat on the weekend, this time against Queens Park Rangers.
French midfielder, Yohan Cabaye, put on a classy performance on the day as he bagged a brace and
also assisted Pappiss Demba Cisse for the other goal, putting Newcastle on a potential surprise
Champions League inclusion thins summer.
The circus that is our season continues with a quick trip across city lines into enemy
territory. Up next, a delightful encounter with those Arsenal chaps. More, after the jump:
I hurt my knee doing this- my bad
It would be easy to live in the afterglow of our Barcelona triumph.
I still try to understand what our English winger Theo Walcott was trying to say when he went
ranting about how Arsenal is now a better side after the loss of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
Well, that sounds pretty much like a consolatory remark to me. Whilst being a true Gunner, I still
can't remain adamant that our side has improved the teeniest bit when in fact, things have never
gotten any better.
Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs has chosen teammate Theo Walcott as the best winger in England on
the merits of the former Southampton starlet's current form.
It has been a roller-coaster year for Walcott, whose inconsistency resulted in jeering from
certain sections of the Arsenal faithful as recently as last month.
What is now starting to become a familiar hush fell over Anfield on Saturday afternoon as
Liverpool huffed and puffed their way to another home defeat, this time at the hands of Wigan
Athletic. Whilst this result didn't necessarily qualify as the shock of the season, it was another
sign that a club that has been in the headlines more than most since last August is continuing to
derail, with only the inconsistency of those below them in the table keeping them in seventh place
in the table.
About the only consistent thing about Liverpool in the 2011-12 season has been whiplash-inducing
inconsistency, and so after a pair of encouraging victories over Everton in the derby and Stoke in
the FA Cup, the smart money probably wasn't on the club winning their third in a row. It might not
offer much hope for progress, but it's hard to look back at the end result without thinking that on
some level it was what everybody should have expected from this Liverpool side.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish must have known what he was talking about when he said that the
Merseyside derby could be the spark that re-ignites Liverpool's ascendency in the EPL table.
The Reds were 3-0 winners over local rivals Everton thanks to their captain Steven Gerrard who
bagged a hat-trick.
The defeat against Arsenal over the weekend means that the Reds are now
ten points behind Arsenal in the race for the final Champions League qualification spot, but we
still do have a game in hand. Just by looking at the remaining fixtures to be played, Liverpool
have eight games against the sides who started this weekend in the bottom half of the table, with
three coming against clubs in the bottom four of the standings.
I was born lucky. Very lucky, and what I'm referring to is the fact that I am comfortably the
most buoyant person I know.
I am a floater, and this provides me with top quality thinking time. Wealthy women with small
brains pay good money to enter floatation tanks. My tank is free, and it is called The Atlantic
Ocean.
I was born lucky. Very lucky, and what I'm referring to is the fact that I am comfortably the
most buoyant person I know.
I am a floater, and this provides me with top quality thinking time. Wealthy women with small
brains pay good money to enter floatation tanks. My tank is free, and it is called The Atlantic
Ocean.
photo courtesy of Puerto Rico Islanders/San Antonio Scorpions
By FRANCO PANIZO
The San Antonio Scorpions were tripped up in their quest to finish the regular season atop the
NASL table, as they suffered a defeat that has made things much tighter in the standings.
It could be a bleak day for English soccer, as Chelsea is the country's last remaining hope in
the UEFA Champions League and faces a two-goal deficit ahead of their Round of 16 second leg
against Napoli.
The two tangle at Stamford Bridge after a 3-1 result that went in favor of the attack-minded
Italian side.
Sorry for the inconsistency in the show schedule the last two months. My stupid "real" job has
been kinda crazy. How awesome would it be to just do everything you want to do all the time?
Don't get me wrong, I love my "real" job...but sometimes, it leaves little room for other
projects.
After a few weeks of very little MLS activity, we had a full slate this past weekend. The Fire
move up two spots after an impressive 4...errr 3-1 over the New York Red Bulls. Inconsistency from
previous games would make a one spot jump seem more reasonable.
The Brotherly Game talked with former MLSsoccer.com D.C. United beat
reporter Travis M. Clark ahead of tonight's US Open Cup game against the Philadelphia Union. The
current Top Drawer Soccer writer talked about various topics involving United and the USOC.
It's only been three weeks since the Dynamo and DC United played at
RFK Stadium. United won 3-2 and while they've continued to play very well since, things will
hopefully be a bit different on Saturday. To preview the match, Martin Shatzer of Black and Red
United and I exchanged a simple question: How will this match be different from the last?
Stephen McCarthy (concussive-like symptoms) was upgraded to probable in Friday's injury
report.
The New England Revolution will be facing a team that is eerily similar to them when they play
Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night. Both teams have veteran goalkeepers, capable defenses, and
a variety of players that handle the scoring burden.
It's one thing to pat the Revs on the back for their last second, point-saving effort, but it
can also be easy to overlook the fact that this game was the second in a row where they needed to
throw everything they had at their opponent to make up for earlier mistakes. The mistakes are what
the Revolution will want to focus on--both defensive and offensive--rather than the fortune they've
been able to muster to ultimately just save face.
Here's my belated tupporth on Theo, penned long after the issue's been battered around the
interwebs and beaten into digital submission.
Something's likely to give this summer, one way or the other, because the run-the-contract-down
option is unlikely to come to pass. Hence the stories that we are now seeing – whatever the truth
in them.
Yes, we finished third. Yes, there was a St. Totteringham's day after all (albeit much delayed).
Yes, we finally displayed some of that oft-referred-to mental strength. But I for one am glad we
have seen the back of 2011-12. I'd rather sit through a Justin Bieber Rebecca Black duet concert
than experience what I experienced last season again.
After an up-and-down rookie campaign, Will Bruin has found a rhythm in 2012.Â
The Houston Dynamo striker has scored nine goals in 17 appearances, claiming the up-for-grabs
starting job alongside Brian Ching with authority and emerging as one of the league's most
dangerous forwards.
Article by Luke Lohr
[Note: this article was originally published on January 24, 2012. Only some text has been
added.]
The Philadelphia Union will be hosting the 2012 MLS All-Star game at PPL Park. Philadelphia is an
ideal location and few could argue they do not deserve to host such an event.
A day after drawing French side Olympique Marseille in the quarter finals of the Champions
League, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are sending out a very clear message to their opponents
after thrashing Hertha Berlin 6-0 away to take their tally of goals in their last three games to a
staggering 20 goals.
A day after drawing French side Olympique Marseille in the quarter finals of the Champions
League, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are sending out a very clear message to their opponents
after thrashing Hertha Berlin 6-0 away to take their tally of goals in their last three games to a
staggering 20 goals.
So I went to bed shortly after the final whistle, and I woke up this morning trying to recall
whether the game I am certain I witnessed last night was real. On the one hand, the entire team has
periods of absolute inconsistency with passing and finishing, and then on the other they nailed
home two astonishingly impressive goals.
How do you play starting swingman/small forward on the best team in the NBA and not get more
consideration for Rookie of the Year? The vote for this year's ROY proves it's just a political
exercise to try and make stars.
Two point guards were ahead of Kawhi Leonard, Ricky Rubio of Minnesota got second place and Kyrie
Irving of Cleveland won the award.
So you've been waiting in unbearable anticipation, I just know it. The time has come once again
for "Fuzion does the Power Rankings". I know it's been a long time coming, mostly due to changing
jobs, but nevertheless it is here! Can you feel the excitement? This time around I've changed up
the process just a little, and if you're interested -- well, you'll just have to jump to join us,
now won't you?
In a few previous posts from this season, I had written Pappa off. His lackluster performance in
the season opener seemed to be a continuation of the 2011 season where Pappa never really seemed to
find a rhythm, and his only consistency was his inconsistency. In the following match against
Philly, he showed improvement, and since that match, he's been putting in quality minutes for the
Fire.
The weekend in Italy and perhaps world football has been overshadowed by the tragic news of
Piermario Morosini's death during a Serie B match between Livorno and Pescara. The Livorno
midfielder suffered a heart attack while playing against Pescara.
This tragic incident should serve as a reminder to everyone, whether players, football fans or
people in general, that life is fragile and they must appreciate what they have while trying to
make the best out of it.
Liverpool's Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt is ready to quit the Reds if he Kenny Dalglish does not
offer him more playing time. Kuyt has only featured for Liverpool 29 times this season scoring a
paltry 4 goal in the process.
Speaking to MirrorFootball, Kuyt made it clear that it was disappointing sitting on the
bench.
Stevenage v Oldham Athletic
Lamex Stadium | 7:45pm kick-off
Saturday's draw at home to Chesterfield showed both the good and the bad of Stevenage at the
moment. A below par 70 minutes was followed by 20 minutes of brilliance which earned Boro a point
after being 2-0 down at half-time. It may not have been the result that everyone expected before
kick-off, but once again, the team showed it's character to grab a share of the spoils.
