To say this was a bad day at the office, will be a lie and letting the players off lightly.  This was a disaster with too many players under performing and Wenger making a couple of mistakes. Wenger resorted to Adebayor and van Persie up front, that was a mistake, neither was on the ball all [...] Click to continue reading...

Newcastle dropped their marquee Zora for this match (all the way out). Then lost Adam and Joel Griffiths to hamstring injuries, Joel's looks bad. I don't see why Joel isn't the lone striker. Anyway it is academic as he looks like he'll be out for 4 or so weeks. Disappointing foreign purchase Hakansson was the last subbed - coach looked cheezed. Click to continue reading...

I attempt to read all emails, even though I can't reply to them all. After poor results I get a mixture of messages: those from people who appreciate my attempts to find light in the dark (and who, such as this weekend, request a dose of positivity served in a glass half full), and those from people who offer a suggestion as to what I can go do with myself, sometimes with precise details as to the how and where. Click to continue reading...

Marc Burch wasn't as down as I expected him to be after the match. He was talking as if he'd just suffered a tough loss - a usual tough loss in which his team lost due to a mistake or three or a lack of effort.

Saturday's loss was an unusual tough loss because of a horrid red card that Burch was unfortunate to have received. Click to continue reading...

Rafa Benitez was left cursing a 'massive' refereeing error which denied Liverpool a crucial opener in Saturday's stalemate with newly-promoted Stoke.

Steven Gerrard appeared to have opened the scoring after just three minutes only for the linesman to flag for no valid reason.

"Nobody knows why it was disallowed," Benitez told reporters after the final whistle at Anfield. Click to continue reading...

There are a number of elephants but three are obvious.

Elephant 1. The ref was not up to it. Here are two incidents:

- on 59 minutes Matt McKay and Elrich end up in a tangle on the Newcastle penalty box. Elrich gets up and grabs McKay by the throat. Ref doesn't see this. Then they push each other. Click to continue reading...

This post is moan.

The referee in the Dynamo Kiev - Arsenal match called a penalty on Bacary Sagna when the actual incident was a foul by the Dynamo Kiev foward; one worthy of a yellow card.

The call was a mistake. Mistakes happen, and it was a clever bit of cheating by the forward, reaching behind his back, grabbing Sagna's jersey, falling, and bringing Sagna down with him. Click to continue reading...

"I understand Hackett told ref Mark Halsey to rescind the card and he wouldn't. So now he Is refereeing in League Two this weekend."

"I do not understand how this has happened. If it had been a Manchester United player, Hackett would not have done this."

"This is going to have to happen all the time if a referee is considered to have made a mistake. Click to continue reading...

RFK stadium and the flag-waving Barra Brava versus the Hoops.

Kickoff!

1 - Sully thinks DC's high pressure to deny service will be key to the game.
3 - Quavas Kirk with a shot after DC had a nice run of play. It's Q's first start this season.
5 - Andre Rocha is down and now on the sideline with an injury. Click to continue reading...

Missouri State Bears - 1
Kansas Jayhawks - 4
If you're paying attention at home, you're probably confused right about now. The headline points to a Bears loss, but the photo shows the home team in white celebrating a goal. What gives?

I can be a harsh critic, and it's especially difficult to restrain myself when I feel like a lone voice in the wilderness when it comes to covering the college game in the region.

Click to continue reading...

Missouri State Bears - 1
Kansas Jayhawks - 4
If you're paying attention at home, you're probably confused right about now. The headline points to a Bears loss, but the photo shows the home team in white celebrating a goal. What gives?

I can be a harsh critic, and it's especially difficult to restrain myself when I feel like a lone voice in the wilderness when it comes to covering the college game in the region.

Click to continue reading...

Two years on from Sven-Goran Eriksson's quick gamble on Theo Walcott, and the flutter has finally paid off for England. The then 17-year-old's selection for the 2006 World Cup was a surprise at the time and a mistake in retrospect. Eriksson found the youngster was not quite the player he expected and felt unable to [. Click to continue reading...

Theo Walcott might have scored a hat-trick for England, but their victory over Croatia was all about Wayne Rooney. After Rio Ferdinand brought the ball forward, it was Rooney's pass that lead to the Croatian mistake from which Walcott scored his first. The second goal saw Rooney at his best, passing the ball around the box [. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has pointed out that the UEFA rule stating that at least eight home-grown players are mandatory in the squad for the Champions League, was the reason why he had to leave Sami Hyypia out of the group stages. The Spanish tactician, however, questioned the rule for Europe's premier club competition. Click to continue reading...

Stuff to read while you get knocked out by a fish out of water........... WAG is now in the dictionary. Apocalypse and all that. (Telegraph) New club dawning: Liverchester City (SoccerLens) Emmanuel Petit talks about his Barca mistake. (The Spoiler) All you need for a CD Juarez kit is a grocery bag. Click to continue reading...

It was supposed to be some historic match, but it was just a 1-0 win.

Which is great. Three points on the road. Whoo.

Qualifying is all that matters right? Brian Ching knocks down a mistake by the Cuban defense to Deuce, who buried a 12-yard shot.

That's all you need to know. Click to continue reading...

Kickapoo Chiefs - 5
Nixa Eagles - 0
From the Eagles website: The game was back and forth for the first 10 minutes but Kickapoo found the net first off of a defensive mistake. The Chiefs would tally 3 more goals in the first half the last one coming on a questionable penalty kick call.

Click to continue reading...

This is what happens when you disperse some flem.

Chelsea starlet Slobodan Rajkovic has been banned by FIFA for 12 months after hawking a loogie at a referee during the Olympics. The Serbian defender, currently on loan at FC Twente, chunked on Abdullah Al Hilali after being sent off against Argentina in Beijing.

Click to continue reading...

Husky-voiced Josh Wicks, the self-described Barry White of goalkeepers, who played just two halves in Hawaii, and another half in Shanghai in preseason before coming on after 45 minutes last weekend for injured starting goalkeeper Steve Cronin, talked to the assembled media today (well, OK, all two of us) about his expected start Saturday:

Q: How did coming in at half time in the New England team help before your first MLS start Saturday against Real Salt Lake?

Click to continue reading...

Did Manchester City really sign Robinho? I still don't believe that it happened. Weren't Chelsea supposed to sign him? Did Roman Abramovich really get out bid... by Manchester City? It has to go down as one of the most amazing days in English Football history. First, Man City trumped Man U as they signed Dimitar Berbatov, but then they didn't so they go and trump Chelsea to sign Robinho, who Real Madrid had refused to part with. Click to continue reading...

It's taken 3 years, but Shaun Wright-Phillips has finally admitted that it was a mistake for him to move to Chelsea. It doesn't matter that he's the last person to do so - by returning to Manchester City SWP has made a commitment to play regular football over the next few years in a bid [...] Click to continue reading...

TamU had a bizarre night in Lahti last Friday, with an odd refereeing performance, a crucial goalkeeping mistake, three goals in the last minute and a questionable red card, but nobody said anything about match fixing.  You can see the highlights of their 2-2 draw here. On saturday I went to valkeakoski to see FC Haka [. Click to continue reading...

Its seems that my wish has come true. The other day I wrote that I couldn't see the logic in sending out Johan Djourou on loan and that maybe Big Phil should be sent out instead.

Milan have stepped in and taken Philippe Senderos on loan for a year. This move is great for Arsenal and Big Phil. Click to continue reading...

(get the chasing after Freddy metaphor...?)

That's the rumor.

According to this rumor site.

I give it a 5% chance of happening. But it's cool to imagine the Americans taking over a team not named Fulham.

Though everyone at work thinks this guy's a skateboarder or some other X-Games dude. Click to continue reading...

The fallout from the Fulham game has not been pretty. Condemnation of the performance and the wafer thin squad has been widespread, and rightly so.

I've already said plenty about what we need to do about it so it is somewhat depressing to hear the manager say we're not close to signing anyone.

Click to continue reading...

Arsenal lost 1-0 away to Fulham on Saturday afternoon's late kick-off. Arsenal were pretty dire. AW said after the game:   "When you want to play at the top you must start the game with the right attitude and personality. Thats what we didn't do and thats a good lesson. It was the kind of game where you could not afford a mistake at the back or at a set piece. Click to continue reading...

Reaction to yesterday's 1-0 defeat by Fulham has been universally critical of the team and the manager and it's very difficult to try and find anything positive to say at all.

It was as poor a performance as I can remember, not even the 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage a couple of seasons ago was that bad.

Click to continue reading...

Andriy Shevchenko will finally end his Chelsea nightmare by returning to AC Milan.The Ukrainian striker thought his move back to Italy had fallen through during the week when the two clubs failed to agree a fee.But a breakthrough has been reached and the Blues will offload the player they paid £30million for two years ago subject to a medical. Click to continue reading...

Saffc is one step closer to the Singapore Cup final after beating Tampines Rovers 2-0.Ahmad Laitff put Saffc the lead in the 45th min when Hassan Sunny made a mistake.Murakami shot then took a slight deflection and went into the back of the net. The second leg will be played on Monday and the match will [. Click to continue reading...

This is not rational evaluation, but in my bones I feel that TFC has made a mistake in obtaining Carlos Ruiz from LA. There is still a sour image in my mind from his antics in last year's Gold Cup and while playing with FC Dallas. Even if he is a TFC goal a game marvel, I will be waiting for the inevitable crap behaviour to surface. Click to continue reading...

Celtic face competition from two other clubs if they are to sign Shaun Maloney, according to the player's agent.And agent John Halliwell warned Gordon Strachan that he has to make an official offer soon if he wants to get things moving before the September 1 deadline.(The Daily record)

"Aston Villa haven't accepted a bid from anyone so unless that happens I will do nothing," Halliwell told The Daily Record. Click to continue reading...

After every England friendly I berate myself for wasting two hours of my life.  I can generally always justify watching football whatever the standard but internationals, supposedly the epitome of the football in this country, just leave me cold and uninspired. Tonight we are playing the Czech Republic at Wembley and I have corrected my mistake [. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has high hopes of retaining the Olympic gold that he won with Argentina four years ago in Athens.

The Albiceleste have been in fine form in this year's Olympic Games in Beijing, and will face their biggest rivals Brazil in the semi-finals on Tuesday. Click to continue reading...

Javier Mascherano is confident Argentina can gain revenge for their Copa America heartache when they face Brazil in the semi-finals of the Olympics on Tuesday.

The Reds midfielder will come face-to-face with clubmate Lucas Leiva in the last four meeting between South America's big two and is hoping his side will banish the memories of the 3-0 defeat to the Brazilians in 2007 and give themselves a chance to play for gold. Click to continue reading...

The injury list for Chivas USA grows longer as Jesse Marsch was ruled out 6-8 weeks with a fractured jaw.

Others such as Claudio Suarez and Jonathan Bornstein may be ready by next week's match against San Jose, but Marsch won't be one of them. In fact, the 6-8 week range puts him as possibly returning by late September, best-case scenario. Click to continue reading...