Watson for England By the age of 25, it's normally time to settle down in a job, accept that Phil Collins does indeed have a few catchy numbers and limber up for a begrudging jog towards reproduction and sensible haircuts. Certainly, the fantasy of becoming a respected figure on the global footballing stage is over.

#AupaMirandes (Come on Mirandés!)

Miracle is the word that comes to mind as Mirandes go to Bilbao in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. Marcelo Bielsa's Athletic Bilbao won 2-1 at Mirandes' Estadio Anduva last week, and the odds are overwhelming leaning towards them to reach the final, where they'll play Barcelona or Valencia.

Two goals from Fernando Llorente has given Athletic Bilbao a 2-1 first-leg advantage in their Copa del Rey semi-final against giant-killers Mirandes, and seriously dented the Cinderella dreams of the third division team.

Llorente scored twice in the first half to seemingly put Athletic firmly in control of this tie.

The time has finally come to play out the reverse fixture of the 8-2 defeat that Arsenal suffered at the hands of Manchester United on that horrific August evening at Old Trafford. The memories of that mauling are fresh on the minds of not only the Gunners fans but also European bookies like Champions League betting, which is why Arsenal have been priced as the underdogs even though this Sunday's match is taking place in the North Londoners' own backyard.

1. Poor old Olympic cycling champion Chris Hoy probably had another busy Sunday explaining that he's not a referee to irate Manchester City fans. 2. Great to see Paolo Di Canio at the centre of the biggest shock of the weekend as Swindon saw off Wigan. He might be left disappointed by his hopes to [.

In a day of very few shocks, two Premier League sides Bolton and Wigan were surprised by lower league opponents in the 3rd round of the FA Cup.

Wigan's troubled season took another turn for the worse as they crashed out 2-1 too League Two side Swindon Town. Calum McManaman had put Wigan 1-0 up but Swindon, managed by Italian Paolo Di Canio, struck back to claim a famous win with goals coming from Alan Connell and Paul Benson.

If this is the apocalypse, gimme some It's been almost five months since I've posted something fresh to my blog. That's downright apocalyptic, which is apropos given it's after all 2012. Kinda sad for footie fans if the Mayans are right. After all, we're stuck with 2010 as the last World Cup--aside from Spain establishing itself as the best national team in a generation, the Mundial didn't give us much more.

When the draw for the group stages of the Champions League was done a couple of months ago everybody expected Group D to be a clear path to the next stage for Manchester United and Benfica. The tables however turned last night when minnows Basel clinched the last qualification spot in Group C.

By Alan Duffy

Ranked joint-bottom of FIFA's world rankings (204th), with a score of zero points to their name, American Samoa went in to a World Cup Qualifying clash against Tonga (ranked 202nd) as underdogs. However, defensive player Johnny 'Jayieh' Saelua, making his debut, would help make history for the most minnowy of all minnows for two reasons.

By Alan Duffy

Ranked joint-bottom of FIFA's world rankings (204th), with a score of zero points to their name, American Samoa went in to a World Cup Qualifying clash against Tonga (ranked 202nd) as underdogs. However, defensive player Johnny 'Jayieh' Saelua, making his debut, would help make history for the most minnowy of all minnows for two reasons.

Conor O'Brien will hope to be on the field for SonderjyskE in their Cup game against minnows Naesby BK while Michael Parkhurst and Nordsjaelland face a tough test against league leaders Copenhagen.

Croatia, or formerly known as Yugoslavia, have been quite a force in the history of the World Cup and the European Cup respectively. Although they have never quite made it to a final, they still remain to be a team of which other national sides fear. In the qualification group stages Croatia – nicknamed The Blazers – finished 2nd in Group F narrowly missing out on 1st position by a mere 2 points.

Hey, remember that? Yeah, I was a little slack in updating our pickem game results after the final. It's possible that I only just recovered from celebrating Osvaldo Alonso's cherry-on-top goal. But there's no time like the offseason. . wait, what's that? The season still isn't over yet? Whatever.

By Chris Wright

Barcelona narrowly beat third-tier minnows L'Hospitalet 1-0 in the first-leg of their Copa del Rey (the second-leg isn't until December 21st!) thanks to a rather splendid 25ish-yard plum from Andres Iniesta...

However, in a bit of a mirror for Barca's performance, Cesc Fabregas had what's known in the business as an 'off night' starting with a couple of botched first-touches before culminating in the complete shanking of an open-goal during the second-half.

This week - it's not all good for ACL finalists, Al Sadd: and, minnows on the brink and Leeds humbled at home.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. | Subscribe: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

In this week's review section, minnows on the brink, how to reach a final and not make friends, and Leeds humbled at home. You can listen to these and other stories on our weekly podcast and can find explanations of key vocabulary in bold below, or highlighted in blue.

Premier League Weekend Review: Easy games for Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd & Liverpool - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

The big clubs of England play the minnows this weekend with odds largely in favor of the giants formerly known as the 'top 4′. Here's a look at the betting situation heading into the Matchday 11 of the English Premier League.

Belarussian minnows BATE Borisov grabbed their second Champions League point with a deserved 1-1 draw with Italian giants AC Milan with both keepers at their best, BATE keeper Alyaksandr Gutor was the hero in the first half, while his opposite number in the Milan goal Christian Abbiati was equally heroic in the second period in this highly entertaining Champions League tie.

Norwich City Manager Paul Lambert has praised Kenny Dalglish for his ongoing positive impact at Liverpool, but he's adamant that his Norwich team has nothing to fear at Anfield tomorrow.
On the eve of tomorrow's game at Anfield, Lambert said:
"You are talking about a club with the same history and tradition as Man United.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it. | Subscribe: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

In this week's review section, we look back at stories from the African Natios Cup qualifying groups as well as at England striker Wane Rooney. You can listen to these and other stories on our weekly podcast and can find explanations of key vocabulary in bold below, or highlighted in blue.

By Alan Duffy

Sir Alex Ferguson reacts to the news that Vidic has retired from international football

In one of the shocks of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, plucky little Estonia made it out of Group C, a group which contained Italy, Serbia and Slovenia, all sides well above them in the FIFA rankings, along with Northern Ireland and the mighty Faroe Islands.

Crazy keeper The turncoat! After Montenegro dramatically snatched a point against 10-man England the story was all about how the minnows' had secured a Euro 2012 play-off spot. Cue jubilant scenes among the Montenegro fans, which spilled over into a pitch invasion. The broadcaster was focusing on the joyous celebrations when who should appear in [.

Three Key Matches In Final Round Of Euro 2012 Qualifying - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

After more than a year of matches, the group stage of UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying is down to its final two matchdays. Co-hosts Poland and Ukraine, reigning European and world champions Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands are all set for next summer's tournament, but by Tuesday evening, we'll know who the other six automatic qualifiers are, along with the eight sides who'll duke it out in two-legged playoffs in November for the final four spots.

It looked like a massive Europa League could have been on the cards last night when Irish minnows Shamrock Rovers miraculously took the lead against Tottenham at White Hart Lane. The away side took an unexpected lead when Stephen Rice got a touch to a long-range effort from Gary Twigg. Cue pandemonium among the Rovers [.

History was made in Serie-B this weekend. Juve Stabia, the minnows from Castellammare di Stabia hadn't won in the division since beating Reggiani 2-1 at home on the 20th April 1952. That was one of only three wins in the second half of the season as they tumbled into ignominy for the best part of six decades.

This was arguably our easiest game of the CL group, so of course, everyone was just waiting for us to slip up so they can go back to "Arsenal in crisis" mode. Yep, despite the fact that Man City collapsed to a great Munich side, Man U had to labor to rescue a 3-3 draw in Arsenalesque fashion against Basel, and Chelsea gave up a stupid equalizer against Valencia, all eyes were on us to falter so the bloodhounds press hacks could get their self-righteous column templates up.

Northern Irish minnows Limavady United have offered a quick solution to the spat between Carlos Tevez and Roberto Mancini by offering to take the Argentine striker on loan. The club's vice-chairman David Brewster sent an official fax to Manchester City this afternoon outlining his proposal. Brewster stepped in with the chance for Tevez to maintain [.

Some Manchester City fans are still intent on pushing the "Manchester is blue" myth to anyone who will listen, despite compelling evidence to the contrary. United have had higher attendances than City every single season since the 1940s, regardless of which club was the most successful at the times.

Rubin Kazan downed a gallant Shamrock Rovers 3-0 tonight in the Tallaght Stadium. The Irish minnows got off to the worst possible start in their first appearance in European football proper with former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins getting the opener on 3 minutes.

With tickets being sold at just £25 for adults and £5 for kids, Manchester City failed to sell out their first ever Champions League game last night.

The opposition were no minnows either, with Napoli finishing 3rd in Serie A last season and boasting the talent of Edinson Cavani, who was last season's 2nd highest scorer.

With tickets being sold at just £25 for adults and £5 for kids, Manchester City failed to sell out their first ever Champions League game last night.

The opposition were no minnows either, with Napoli finishing 3rd in Serie A last season and boasting the talent of Edinson Cavani, who was last season's 2nd highest scorer.

The phrase used to describe Goran Pandev's chance on goal late in Napoli's opening night win against the mighty minnows of Cesena.

It's perhaps not the most incredible sitter miss in history, but there's every chance it'll remain top of the Serie A charts from week one to thirty-eight.

Meet The Minnows: A statistical analysis of Europe's Whipping Boys is a post from: Just Football

Okay so they're bad, but just how bad? Making his debut for Just Football here's Jake Miller with a statistical analysis of UEFA's minnows.

During the last round of qualifiers for next summer's European Championships in Poland and Ukraine, the world's number one ranked team, Holland stuffed perennial losers San Marino 11-0.

Yes, the transfer rumor treadmill reached an obnoxious pitch right before international friendlies & European qualifiers pitting sharks against minnows. Yawwwwwwn. But don't worry the first few weeks of the European season have breathed life into some of my favorite blogs. And these links should put a smile on your face.

I didn't get one of these out between the quarterfinals and the semifinals. Sorry about that. But here are the results after this week's semifinal matchups. Even though there's only one match remaining, the contest hasn't yet been decided.

Despite being the favorite through much of the tournament thanks to his canny picks of lower division teams, bmvaughn is now tied for the lead with our own writer Dizzo who (like many of the contestants) picked the Sounders and profited from Seattle's tremendous home advantage in the tournament.

By Chris Wright

Hearty congrats go out to Shamrock Rovers, who became the first Irish side ever in the history of ever to reach the group stages of any European tournament by beating Partizan Belgrade 2-1 AET in Serbia last night thus booking themselves a place in the Europa League group stage.

Rovers rock on Irish minnows Shamrock Rovers have qualified for the group stages of the Europa League after an incredible extra time win over Partizan Belgrade. The result means the Dublin-based side are officially better than all of Scottish football combined. Partizan, playing at home, took the lead before Rovers' Patrick Sullivan equalised with a [.

Champions League draw reaction: Fergie's over the moon but all four Prem sides should progress

Sir Alex Ferguson was texting in delight as Manchester United were handed the closest thing to a walkover into the knock-out stages with a Group C draw that looks a formality.

TSG welcomes back Women's World Cup stalwart Maura Gladys with a report on the Barclay's minnows at the direction of Neil Blackmon.

Big Impact: The Norwich City Canary

They're full of spirit, courage and pluck. They're punching above their weight, a trio of little fish in a big pond.

After drawing 2-2 in the first leg in Palermo, the Rosanero made the trip to Switzerland knowing that they would need a win against FC Thun in order to guarantee a spot in the next round of the Europa League. The club was hoping to avoid another repeat of the Mladá Boleslav debacle from a few years earlier when Palermo crashed out very early in the UEFA Cup against the minnows from the Czech.