Photo: Nicolae Stoian from 2011

The offseason can be crazy in the business that is soccer and sometimes it can be all too easy to forget that in the end, it's really about the game. If you are looking for some inspiration to help you get your soccer head back on straight, go to the Ritz East tonight to see the Philadelphia premier of Laduma.

So Arsene Wenger will make a signing in the January transfer window after all although it is hardly likely to get moaning fans off his back anytime soon.

For we hear that Borussia Dortmund academy midfielder Thomas Eisfeld is set to join Arsenal pending a successful medical examination.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has urged the Stamford Bridge crowd to seek inspiration from the club's traveling support at Loftus Road on Saturday to change the anxious vibe at the Blues' home ground.

The West Londoners were nearly unbeatable at home not too long ago but have appeared extremely vulnerable under Villas-Boas, who is hoping that the recent return to form improves the atmosphere at the Bridge.

Guh. Read Martin's preview to be cheered up. (He almost completely ignores our big loss. Glosses over, I guess you could say.)

Last season Ramsey scored a late goal to win this for us 1-0. Here's a picture of that goal for some inspiration:

Could history repeat itself?

Could do.

Barcelona celebrated Eric Abidal's goal in their 2-1 win over Real Madrid last night. Abidal, who has officially completed his cancer recovery, is certainly an inspiration to all in football! / via Reuters

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Manchester United's Mexican striker, Javier Hernandez, acknowledged the need to improve his quality if he wants to compete with the strikers his club possessed at the moment.

Although injuries has been Hernandez's main obstacle in reprising last season's performance, but the 23-years-old stated that the competition is harder this season especially with Danny Wellbeck's arrival from Sunderland.

In celebration of Mr 'What you call...underdogggssch' McClaren's new job, we thought we would bring you some Steve McClaren translations... What you call...underdoggssch An interview ahead of FC Twente's Champions League qualifier with Arsenal I Always wanted to coach abroad An interview with inspiration from the great Bobby Robson.

You'll notice that the sports updates on here have been few and far between...haven't been making it to the match much recently for one reason or another and to be honest there's just nothing to inspire a post. The premiership in general is pretty dull and Everton are as uninspiring as they've been in ages.

Working alongside Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is acting as a learning curve for midfielder Jordan Henderson.
The England Under-21 international is still finding his feet at Anfield after his summer move from Sunderland.
He has made 22 appearances, 18 of which have been from the start and he has played the full 90 minutes in Liverpool's last eight matches.

Introducing the adidas 'Comoequa', the Official Match Ball for the 2012 Orange African Cup of Nations. The name takes its inspiration from the Como River which runs through both host...

Introducing the adidas 'Comoequa', the Official Match Ball for the 2012 Orange African Cup of Nations. The name takes its inspiration from the Como River which runs through both host...

'Stevie's an inspiration'

Jordan Henderson today reflected on Steven Gerrard's return to first-team action and declared: "He's an inspiration for everyone here."

View the full story here: Liverpool FC

A news article on 2012-01-03 08:37:05 from: Liverpool FC

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(Manchester, England) A unique piece from the Umbro archives has provided the inspiration for New Blue, a capsule collection of sportswear apparel for Autumn Winter 2011. It was a drill...

Steven Gerrard has shouldered the burden of being Liverpool's 'talisman' for years now, and when the chips are down, everyone seems to look to the captain for inspiration. Such over-reliance on Gerrard has arguably been a handicap at times, and with the team struggling to score goals, the pressure is once again on Gerrard to come in and solve the problem.

They say that Christmas is the time for giving and it is no more true than with our professions players. Footballers across the country have been visiting fans of all ages, spreading Christmas cheer to all, putting smiles on faces of many... As part of their fantastic youtube channel, Manchester City have been good enough [.

At this stage of the season and given how well the club has done since that awful start to the season, the last news you would want to read is that we're going to be patient with the contract of Robin Van Persie. This is our captain, our inspiration and quite literally has dragged us all the way up the table.

Shola Ameobi believes that the Newcastle players will take inspiration from the tribute to be paid to Gary Speed before Saturday's game against Swansea City. Gary Speed tribute before the game on Saturday They will also take inspiration from the memory of a former great player for Newcastle United, who was much loved in the game.

Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez recently revealed that Steven Gerrard is the best player he's ever managed, but who does Benitez himself look up to? Who is his greatest footballing inspiration? The answer will definitely come as no surprise.Speaking on Spanish Radio, Benitez stated:"I knew about Pele; I watched Maradona and Johann Cryuff, but my favourite was always Franz Beckenbauer".

To allow Cesc Fabregas to return to Barcelona was probably one of the toughest decisions Wenger had to make in his Arsenal managerial career. Cesc was the main conductor of the Arsenal orchestra, the skipper of the team and the inspiration of the players. Many factors had to be considered before letting Cesc leave the [.

The great Champions League escapes which Manchester City can draw inspiration from

Roberto Mancini's men are set to face Bayern Munich but must rely on Villarreal to do them a favour against Napoli if they are to progress in the unlikeliest of circumstances

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-12-07 07:15:00 from: Goal

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As a United fan, I must say life has been pretty dull of late. I don't remember the last time we scored more than one goal in a game (of course I remember the 8-2. Shameless Plug alert) or winning a game when we did go ahead and score 2 or 3. Not winning is definitely a bummer, especially when it closely follows home-ground hammerings at the hands of the rich, evil super-villain (also note lack of plug here).

There has been one story that has cheered me up today about our beloved blues and that's confirmation that Sam Hutchison has earned himself a new contract to the end of next season. Not bad for someone who had to retire with injury a while ago!.
I posted on my blog before that Hutchison is an inspiration and this news confirms the case.

"Say hello to my little friend". Ash seeks inspiration from the greats for his new role. Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe.

Ashley Cole has apparently signed on to play himself in a new movie about a dodgy sports agent. Ash, who has managed to stay relatively clear of the spotlight lately by limiting his exposure to ladies, mobile telephones and small arms, will feature in 'Played' alongside Sam Allardyce, Joe Cole and Brit actor Danny Dyer.

John Terry spoke to the press ahead of England's friendly with Sweden and has revealed he is feeling good, getting plenty of support from players and managers alike and always looks to two Chelsea Captains of the past as his inspiration.
We all know what allegations JT is facing at the moment and as a result he couldn't speak directly about the investigations being made by the FA and Police.

Dimitar Berbatov has praised Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's man-management style despite the striker struggling to break into the first team this season.
Berbatov, 30, has started one league game and his future at Old Trafford is far from certain with a year remaining on his contract.

Less than week to go now until the Scottish Football Blog's 24 hour "blogathon."
A good time then to feature this video from Donkey Stone Films featuring some of the sights and sounds of the Homeless World Cup in Paris.
Scotland reigning world champions. A network of grassroots projects in over 70 countries.

The Africa Artist Series. Created for the African Cup of Nations.

In an effort to truly harness the identity of different African nations participating in the upcoming 2012 African Cup of Nations (co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea), PUMA called upon local African artists to symbolically represent their nation's essence by designing respective football shirts for the tournament.

Football League blog: How the plight of Billy Sharp brought out the best in football fans

For the new season, MirrorFootball is teaming up with some of the blogosphere's best new writers to bring you even more great football reads every single day. Friday is Football League day, so please be upstanding for theseventytwo.

Their Words His effort was great tonight. He's a player with an unbelievable desire to win and compete. I thought when we got down a goal, I thought David helped pick up the team. His energy in the second half and earning that penalty kick, it was all David. And David I thought was an inspiration to our team tonight.

Vivek Ramakrishnan doesn't sound like your average high school student when he speaks.

Maybe it's the detailed manner with which he talks. Or maybe it's what he's talking about. Ramakrishnan is a 17-year-old senior at Madison West who for the past two-plus years has been operating Pass It On Soccer, an organization that aims to address the need for proper soccer equipment in Africa by collecting gently used items in the U.

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeDavid Beckham was the most influential player in the Galaxy's 1-0, playoff-opening victory over the New York Red Bulls. Becks created several opportunities with his long-range passes and assisted Mike Magee on his goal.
Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan returned from injuries and narrowly missed adding to the top-seeded Galaxy.

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeDavid Beckham was the most influential player in the Galaxy's 1-0, playoff-opening victory over the New York Red Bulls. Becks created several opportunities with his long-range passes and assisted Mike Magee on his goal.
Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan returned from injuries and narrowly missed adding to the top-seeded Galaxy.

If there was a criticism of the Roy Hodgson era it was that away from home we never really seemed interested in attacking. Hodgson denied that we played differently on our travels, but anyone who watched the team scuffle to horribly attritional narrow defeats in those seasons knows better: we kept everyone behind the ball and hoped that inspiration might strike.

'Carra is an inspiration'

In our latest starlet in profile interview, we speak to Stephen Sama ahead of this afternoon's Barclays Premier Reserve League North clash at home to Bolton.

View the full story here: Liverpool FC

A news article on 2011-11-01 08:10:41 from: Liverpool FC

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Man City fans were encouraged to create some special pumpkins for the holiday, and they weren't left without inspiration given recent happenings at the club.

A couple notch high enough on the cleverness ladder for wider appreciation. And figuring out just what the hell it says before "Oh, that's clever.

This past Saturday the Fort Lauderdale Strikers flew up to Minnesota to play the first leg of the NASL Div2 Championship versus the NSC Minnesota Stars.
Unfortunetly the Strikers lost 3-1. It was a heart breaker to see the team play timidly compared to their past few playoff games. Was it the cold weather up North?

Reds fans inspire Carlsberg winner

The unwavering belief of Liverpool supporters emerged as the key ingredient yet again as Carlsberg marked the 200th birthday of their founder J.C. Jacobsen by selecting a fitting winner of their 'inspiration' competition.

View the full story here: Liverpool FC

A news article on 2011-10-16 11:48:10 from: Liverpool FC

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I admit it, I idolised Roberto Baggio as a kid. He was my hero and I know I was not alone in this. He was the inspiration of a generation and arguably the best Italian player of all time. A slightly biased view perhaps, but one shared by many. It still pains me knowing he [...]

Bothroyd reveals his inspiration is 15-year-old cancer sufferer Alice Pyne

"When I go out onto the pitch I will be thinking of her," says QPR striker

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2011-10-10 21:30:01 from: The Mirror

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Bloggers, the Scottish Football Blog needs you!
On 19-20 November I'm doing a 24 hour blogathon to raise money for the Homeless World Cup and Alzheimer Scotland.
I'll be writing (and researching) a 500 word (or more) blog post every hour for 24 hours.
And I need your help.