This should prove beyond a shadow Luis Suarez meant what he said to Patrice Evra. Every racist word. This does not mean he is a paid member of the KKK. He's just a prick with a very low threshold for frustration. Many fans in some blind reflexive way believed Suarez was the victim of a smear job and their misguided support probably emboldened him today.

"No, we're the underdogs."
Ayr v Kilmarnock. An Ayrshire derby in a league cup semi final and nobody wants to be favourites.
No surprise there. Derby games are different. Derby games in cups carry an extra weight. Make it a semi final and you've got a hell of a game on your hands.

I will always remember last night's game for Callejon's Celebration: The Canterano showed the world that a man who wears THAT badge never surrenders. Never. I was reading Guillem Balague's pre-match thoughts on last night's game in Sky sports here and this was what he had to say about Mallorca: .

• Kop That: Why the title race will become the battle of the mind games http://t.co/OYphE4dl 23:34:36, 2011-12-31
• Kop That: Sportsmail review of 2011: December http://t.co/IBhWMNN4 23:17:01, 2011-12-31
• Kop That: Patrick Collins: Kenny Dalglish needs a few home truths¿ not more flattery http://t.

Why the title race will become the battle of the mind games

Roberto Mancini knows all about squeaky bum time. In 2008, his Inter Milan team ­frittered away an 11-point ­advantage at the top of Serie A and went into the final game of the ­season needing to win at Parma to ensure the league title.

Kenny Dalglish: Luis Suarez is target of mind games

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has given his full backing to Luis Suarez as he believes the under-fire striker is being unfairly targeted by opposition players.

View the full story here: The Mail

A news article on 2011-12-09 08:08:16 from: The Mail

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Facts fly in Rafael Benítez blitz on Liverpool grievances against FA

Rafael Benítez's exasperation at Liverpool's treatment by the authorities was fuelled by the actions of a certain Mr Ferguson Kenny Dalglish's outburst on Thursday was reminiscent of Rafael Benítez's rant about Sir Alex Ferguson in 2009.

Kevin Muscat wants to be coach of Melbourne Victory.
Just what he is prepared to do to ensure he gets there is unclear. It is also unclear who his powerful backers are. But they are there and as ABC Offsiders sports commentators noted last week, they or Muscat directly are influencing the Melbourne Victory Board.

Ah the scrap heap of MLS. Guys who were once counted on by their teams now discarded because next year's salary is to high. So who should the Fire be considering to take off the scrap heap? Join me after the jump where I will talk about phases, players, and make fun of Baggio Husidic. It will be fun!

According to Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas, Liverpool FC are genuine title contenders this season. Given the club's patchy home form and continuing problems in front of goal, this doesn't seem very likely, but you never know in football. Is AVB right?
Villas-Boas made his surprising admission during a press conference on Friday, arguing:
"I think Daglish has made the necessary changes for Liverpool to be considered title contenders this year.

For 25 year's Sir Alex Ferguson has played mind games at Old Trafford but nobody thought it would make Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan cry, after what Fergie said about Leeds in 1996.

25 years ago Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards introduced Sir Alex Ferguson as United manager and boy o boy was it the best signing United ever made though it wasn't all plain sailing. Here's a look at some of Fergie's now famous rants and mind games:

1. 'I can't understand the Leeds players.

November: Trees are barren, early morning frosts, gloves and scarves, rain, the smell of gunpowder and Arsenal angst as we stutter not my favourite month. Last season lived up to expectation with 4 losses from the 8 November games our record is not good 2009 Pl 6 L2, 2008 Pl 8 L3 D 1.

Granada vs FC Barcelona

Today's away match at the Los Carmenes stadium is a perfect opportunity for Lionel Messi to get his first away goal in La Liga since the start of the season. The Argentinean scored in away games in the Champions League and the Spanish Supercopa, so a goal versus newly promoted Granada would do him justice in La Liga.

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has stoked up the flames ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby by telling United fans that they cannot wind him up. Let the mind games begin! Sunday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford is perhaps the biggest yet with both clubs separated by just two points at the top of the table.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has a fully fit squad to choose from for the big game against Manchester United on Saturday. It was a fruitful affair last time for Liverpool as Dirk Kuyt put a hat trick past the Red Devils at Anfield.
This game requires no build up, win, lose or draw it is always an exciting clash and Alex Ferguson has been quoted this week saying "I have always considered it to be the game of the season in English football.

United, Bring It On!

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has a fully fit squad to choose from for the big game against Manchester United on Saturday. It was a fruitful affair last time for Liverpool as Dirk Kuyt put a hat trick past the Red Devils at Anfield. This game requires no build up, win, lose or draw it is always an exciting clash and Alex Ferguson has been quoted this week saying "I have always considered it to be the game of the season in English football.

Rafael Benitez the former Liverpool and Inter Milan coach believes that Manchester United have been successful under Sir Alex Ferguson's reign due to the club's massive wealth.

It isn't uncommon to hear such statement especially from rivals who cannot accept the success of their competitors.

It's been a fun week to follow Liverpool, with the crushing boredom of another international break coming along just as the things were starting to pick up followed by the kind of ridiculous insanity in the press that seems to come along before every United match. And by fun I of course mean absolutely hideously unbearable.

'Sir Alex Ferguson's success with Manchester United due to money, not mind games' former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez

The Spaniard has hit out at his old foe's psychological approach, claiming the most successful manager in British football couldn't have done it without enjoying the club's wealth

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-10-13 18:33:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

'Sir Alex Ferguson's success with Manchester United due to money, not mind games' former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez

The Spaniard has hit out at his old foe's psychological approach, claiming the most successful manager in British football couldn't have done it without enjoying the club's wealth

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-10-13 18:33:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

'Sir Alex Ferguson's success with Manchester United due to money, not mind games' former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez

The Spaniard has hit out at his old foe's psychological approach, claiming the most successful manager in British football couldn't have done it without enjoying the club's wealth

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-10-13 18:33:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

'Sir Alex Ferguson's success with Manchester United due to money, not mind games' former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez

The Spaniard has hit out at his old foe's psychological approach, claiming the most successful manager in British football couldn't have done it without enjoying the club's wealth

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-10-13 18:33:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

'Sir Alex Ferguson's success with Manchester United due to money, not mind games' former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez

The Spaniard has hit out at his old foe's psychological approach, claiming the most successful manager in British football couldn't have done it without enjoying the club's wealth

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-10-13 18:33:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

'Sir Alex Ferguson's success with Manchester United due to money, not mind games' former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez

The Spaniard has hit out at his old foe's psychological approach, claiming the most successful manager in British football couldn't have done it without enjoying the club's wealth

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-10-13 18:33:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

'Sir Alex Ferguson's success with Manchester United due to money, not mind games' former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez

The Spaniard has hit out at his old foe's psychological approach, claiming the most successful manager in British football couldn't have done it without enjoying the club's wealth

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2011-10-13 18:33:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

It wouldn't be United week if the press wasn't full of stories about how Liverpool was in some kind of turmoil. In the past it might have been players leaving and managers losing the plot, but this time around it's been a little more low key—just a bit of talk about how Liverpool's out to kill football dead because they're evil, greedy, and not very nice.

During his time at Anfield, former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez was regularly involved in niggling spats with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, with the most infamous example being his ill-advised 'rant' (as it became known) in January 2009. In a recent radio interview, Benitez revealed more about the mind games between him and Ferguson, and downplayed the impact of Ferguson on Man

EXCLUSIVE: FIFA 12 review: The even more beautiful game

FIFA 12 (3+)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360RRP: £54.99Out: September 30Rating: 5/5 Perhaps recognising that recent FIFA installments often felt more like expansion packs than full games, EA Sports promised revolution not evolution with this season's update.

Alexi Lalas blog: How the Seattle Sounders are bringing Fergie-style mind-games to the MLS

Welcome to MirrorFootball's new MLS blog, brought to you in conjunction with ESPN. Every week USA legend Alexi Lalas will be on hand to bring you the latest news from the States, and you'll also be able to watch the week's best goals and highlights.

Denmark was victorious in the "Nordic Derby" this evening, there was much anticipation leading up to this game with some mind games going on. Featured player, Nicklas Bendtner played 87 mins and had a great game to be honest, he lead the line really well and showed what he was all about dropping deep for the ball and driving at the heart of the Norwegian defence and putting in Rommedahl and Krohn-Dehli on a couple of occasions, along with that he scored two goals the latter was a great fizzing low drive from about 25 yards.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson insists he "wouldn't have allowed" the club to go six years without a trophy, as he prepares to take on silverware shy Arsenal.
The Gunners have failed to win a trophy under Arsene Wenger since their 2005 FA Cup final victory over United and, although Ferguson has been vocal in his support of his French rival in recent years, the Red Devils' boss appears to have stepped up the mind games again ahead of Sunday's clash sat Old Trafford.

Tottenham belatedly kick off their Premier League campaign tonight with a visit to champions Man United. The record books imply that this will be three points in the bag for United, and Spurs have been on the receiving end of some shocking decisions at Old Trafford in recent times.

Roy Carroll must still be wondering how that linesman didn't allow the Pedro Mendes goal to stand, and the farcical goal Nani scored last season did appear a little harsh on Gomes, even though the unpredictable Brazilian did play his part.

Mourinho out of time in Madrid? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Jose Mourinho has many gifts. For organisation, for having team buy into a philosophy, for quick quips and irritation. It's perhaps fitting that a master of hyperbole has been pilloried by the more rampant sensationalists in the British media concerning his antics during and after the Spanish Supercup.

As Bashar Al Assad looks on Mourinho scoops dirt out of Tito Vilanova's eye

There has been much talk of a Jose Mourinho return to the Premiership after his Real Madrid spell. It has been fueled partially by conjecture but mostly by the man himself who has talked of the emotional pull of his days at Chelsea.

The question of the summer is where will Wesley Sneijder be once the transfer window closes? The Dutch international has been in pretty sensational form for Inter Milan since his move from Real Madrid two seasons ago, leaving many teams interested in his signature. One of those teams is Manchester United, since their midfield maestro Paul Scholes has just retired.

As the final whistle blew at Toyota Park last night, there were no boos but also no cheers. Tweed put it best when I talked to him after the match, describing the result as "soccer purgatory." It many ways the performance mimicked many games this season where the Fire dominated possession and had the best chances but failed to score more than one goal.

You want mind games ahead of this evening's World Cup Qualifier between Singapore and Malaysia then I'll give you mind games.
Wrapped in cotton wool by an over protectitive government and left shaking in fear of their neighbouring countries by an unquestioning media, many Singaporeans sit secure in the knowledge that their country is safer than anywhere else.

Ah, the bitchface. Letting the official know who's in charge at an early stage is a vital part of a player's modus operandi. Note the referee's soothing body language. He knows this is going to be a rough game. Images: Getty Images/Zimbio.

Generally we tend to skip over the boring bits in match reports in favour of skin exposure, so our knowledge of the pressure that match officials are under during elite games is limited.

Retrospective is a nostalgic series set up to celebrate Manchester United's great past but with a twist; looking at the smaller things that cumulatively add (or negate) to the club's illustrious history. Gradually, over the coming weeks and months, these pieces will appear on the blog – but we cannot do it without you.