Something to read while you watch the madness at the Maracana... Israel halts construction of Palestinian stadium (BBC.co.uk) This FIFA conspiracy goes deeper than we though (Studs Up) Five football injustices (Shortlist) What happens when you fart in a referee's face? (Sports Rubbish) A lot of Top 10s for 2010 (Pies) Goal-line referees for World Cup 2010? Click to continue reading...

Shockingly there's a full weekend of soccer action about to start. I know, how can that be?!?! Have the authorities lost their minds? With Thierry Henry roaming the streets, handling a ball, destroying a nation's economy, causing cancer and eating children, it's hard to believe European governments are allowing people out of their houses. Click to continue reading...

I'm typing this post from the rear seat of a town car on my way to the airport for MLS Cup madness 2009*. So while float over the country and plot my assault on Jet City may I suggest you listen to RSL skipper Jason Kreis talk coach stuff. Then later when my feet are back on the ground we can talk punk rock stuff. Click to continue reading...

A double international milestone was reached this past weekend, when both Italy's Gigi Buffon and Spain's Iker Casillas made their 100th international appearances on the same day. Nice little co-incidence as they are arguably (or maybe inarguably) the two best keepers in the world today.

Let me tell you what this is not: This is not a Buffon vs Casillas "who's better?

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The 4th biggest game in the world this weekend is Egypt v Algeria, for a spot in the World Cup. (#1 & #2 are MLS semifinals, and #3 is USA friendly, of course.) And this game is an insane rivalry.
The winner of this game goes to the World Cup, while the loser goes home.
Violence has always played a part and this time is no difference. Click to continue reading...

If you go by what has been written and said about Glen Johnson over the past few months, then you probably wouldn't have a very good opinion about the right-back.
Not good enough defensively, prone to lapses in concentration that leave him as well as his fellow defenders exposed, he is England's weak link and it was madness for Benitez to pay so much (whatever that 'much' is) for him. Click to continue reading...

Look at that sweater. That is not a sweater that a sane man wears. Since taking over as manager at Barcelona, Pep has been something of a touchline fashion icon, but this...this is madness.

Look at it it's like he cut two different sweaters down the middle and sewed them together to form one headache-inducing schizophrenic bastardization of clashing designs.

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]Let the FIFA World Cup 2010 madness begin! The Chile national team recently qualified for their first FIFA World Cup since France 1998. As one might expect, the natives are excited and restless and would love to accompany their team to South Africa. However, the cost of the trip from Chile to South Africa with hotel [. Click to continue reading...

That could have gone better. But I'll stand by my previous comments; Arsenal fans are generally morons.
Essentially, we did badly. We did very badly indeed. But up until about 40 minutes in, it was looking like a very close gig. We were defending both in numbers and extremely competently. Apart from one or two hairy moments, Ledley King and Seb Bassong were doing a more than adequate job. Click to continue reading...

Single ladies concerned about the years pressing on and your life ending up a series of drinking cider, peeking out at the failing youth of today from behind your net curtains and keeping up a regular feeding schedule for one of your 40 cats:

Elen Rives is here to give you back your power.

Click to continue reading...

Single ladies concerned about the years pressing on and your life ending up a series of drinking cider, peeking out at the failing youth of today from behind your net curtains and keeping up a regular feeding schedule for one of your 40 cats:

Elen Rives is here to give you back your power.

Click to continue reading...

Eventually, the madness of professional sports gets to everyone. Click here (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/sports/soccer/19iht-soccer.html?partner=rss emc=rss) to read more Click to continue reading...

Arsene Wenger is 60 today. The man is regarded by most as a legend and even his rivals have a begrudging respect for him. Arsenal's most successful manager has turned a team once known for George Graham's ‘One Nil to the Arsenal' style play into a team that plays the most attractive football in the division.

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If there is one thing clear at the moment, it is that Liverpool are in disarray and are on the road to nowhere. After the Champions League loss to Lyon at home it is now time to surely question Rafa Benitez's leadership as manager.

Without Gerrard and Torres we have seen Liverpool's true colors.

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We are in trouble. We have a bit of an injury-crisis going into tomorrow's game against Sunderland.
As I reported on Wednesday, Steven Gerrard stayed with the England squad even though he had a groin problem and he even tried to play in a practice match and in doing so, he aggravated the injury even further, madness! Click to continue reading...

Apologies for the predictable headline. But Mr. Ferdinand's moment of Sunday league defending madness, which led to Robert Green's sending off and should have led to Ukraine's first goal (poor Shevchenko put the pen wide) seems to have more or less cost us this game.

As I say seems to, because I didn't watch.

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So thats phase one of the international break over and done with and so far it seems we have no injuries, the Spanish squad has been ravished but Cesc Fabregas' withdrawal is down to serious family reasons, it is something that may have been affecting him for a while so I really hope its all going to be alright for him, hes not had the easiest of years has young Cesc.

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Well it is finally down to that expected time of year that we thought it would be. Barcelona remains the one undefeated team going into the October week break for the international World Cup Qualifier final matches. And of course it is no surprise that the treble winners are the lone undefeated squad and remain a perfect 6-0-0 after about two months of football.

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This is the kind of space Xavi thinks he deserves.

The theory is that because of the low amount of scoring in football, using particularly protective and cynical tactics ruins the sport whose nature inhibits a high amount of goals per match. Football's common nickname is "The Beautiful Game," but from where did that phrase initially originate?

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Can you beleive it? The low-seeded Montreal Impact is in the USL final while Portland, who dominated for much of the 2009 season, are already planning thier trips to see the fall folliage? It's madness I tell you but I guess them's the breaks.
Canucks should be stoked though, what with an all-maple final on the way. Click to continue reading...

As great as it is to see Liverpool embracing an attacking philosophy and scoring lots of goals in the league, the team has still been unable to win against anything other than comparatively inferior opposition. And with Chelsea coming up on Sunday, this does not bode well at all.
Here is a list of teams Liverpool has played so far:
Tottenham
Stoke
Aston Villa
Bolton
Burnley
Debrecen
West Ham
Leeds United
Hull City
Fiorentina
What do all the beaten teams (in bold) have in common? Click to continue reading...

The impossible continues since getting sent off against Cagliari last Sunday, Jose Mourinho has cut off his own source of lifeblood by refusing to talk to the media. In his place, Mourinho sent out Esteban Cambiasso for the press conference ahead of Wednesday's 3-1 win over Napoli a match Jose was banned from and today he had new boy Lucio fill in for him in the presser ahead of tomorrow night's match.

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Howdy doody LadyArse lovers. It seems as though I may have a very tiny apology to make regarding the standard of my blogging over the past number of weeks, maybe even months (this week aside). The reason for this is that I have been thoroughly and utterly miserable in work, more so than is normal.

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Sir Alex Ferguson has responded to the issue of the amount of injury time played but says that managers just need to get on with, however frustrating it is when it goes against you.

"I understand the frustration of Mark Hughes as the manager on the receiving end of a very late goal," said Ferguson.

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26:13 - Â I was going to watch today's match between Barcelona and Racing before I wrote a review on my position regarding Barcelona and the big time talent they have emptied their pockets to bring in. Â I couldn't do it.

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The Sound Of Football Podcast returns for another edition. This week Chris Oakley and Terry Duffelen discuss last Sunday's Manchester Derby at length. Topics of conversation range from the madness of Rio Ferdinand, the frailties of the Man City back four, the flawed genius of Craig Bellamy and time as a linear concept. Click to continue reading...

It took a Paul Scholes header to get us past Besiktas the other day, in what was otherwise, a mind-numbingly stodgy match. Passes went astray, Rooney left isolated frustrated, even wingers failing to provide a cutting edge consistently; all in all, a classic away European performance from the runners-up.

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I hate that I do!

Right, it's been a while since my last rant so here goes!

Ehup, this week I call to the stand Patrick Joseph "Paddy" Kenny your honour.

After the Blades' clash with Preston in May 2009, Paddy was found to have traces of the banned substance ephedrine present.

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Let's face it we're all guilty of not paying enough attention to African football. I don't say that because I believe in equal time for all the world's leagues and federations, but because I feel the true madness of African football is going under-appreciated.

Case in point, here's how an article from the Daily Nation about the disappearance of Kenyan national team (also known as the Harambee Stars) manager Antoine Hey.

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From the sublime..(Elano pulls off a perfect 'rabona' pass..)
...to the absolutely ridiculous.( Sergio Jauregui picks up a one year ban for this bit of madness )

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Matuidi

So here we are again, its not that long ago I was here throughout the Andrey Arshavin saga. Well, thats what it feels like anyway.

You can get all the rumours, confirmation of signings and general deadline day talk right here on The Goon Blog.

The most likely signings are Blaise Matuidi and Marouane Chamakh and the most likely departure is one Philippe Senderos who at one point, had a sealed move to Everton.

Click to continue reading...

Matuidi

So here we are again, its not that long ago I was here throughout the Andrey Arshavin saga. Well, thats what it feels like anyway.

You can get all the rumours, confirmation of signings and general deadline day talk right here on The Goon Blog.

The most likely signings are Blaise Matuidi and Marouane Chamakh and the most likely departure is one Philippe Senderos who at one point, had a sealed move to Everton.

Click to continue reading...

Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool's dramatic 3-2 victory at Bolton will kick-start their title challenge.
The skipper grabbed a stunning late winner at the Reebok Stadium to ensure the Reds bounced back from their defeat to Aston Villa.
The international break means Liverpool are without a game for a fortnight but Gerrard is confident they will build on Saturday's triumph. Click to continue reading...

...but so much worse.

Millwall and West Ham fans did their best to reenact deleted scenes from the Frodo Baggins flick Green Street Hooligans, invading the pitch numerous times, while prearranged fights outside Upton Park led to one man getting stabbed, while another took a dart to the head (yes, a dart), and many others were left bloodied and injured.

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Photo credit: Wonker (Flickr)

TweetBeat takes the pulse of fan opinion and reaction – the emotional, the insightful and the trivial.  But mostly trivial though.

Let's start with a comment from the BBC Sport's chief football writer, Phil McNulty, which induced varying opinions from a couple of Everton fans:

philmcnulty: Time for Manchester City to make that next Joleon Lescott bid.

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