By Greg Evans

Ayew do you do guvnor?

After the entertaining, exciting, exuberant and down-right enthralling set of matches that the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations laid on for us in the group stages, surely it could only get better for the last 8?

On the train going to the match. Things might actually be looking up for the blues with new blood coming in to freshen up a squad in danger of going stale.
Odd to have games on transfer deadline day but hopefully all our business is done with a midfielder, a striker and a defender all signed up and possibly a big earner off the books (although I can't see Saha going to Spurs).

There should be quite a few transfers in the Premier League over the next week, and Liverpool fans will be hoping to see some new blood at Anfield, especially up front. Things are quiet at the moment, but last week, Bruce Grobbelaar revealed that Liverpool were tracking a Holland-based Uruguayan striker.

By Chris Wright

Oh dear, oh dear. That really didn't go to plan did it? 'Twas a quiet evening in Manchester last night as it conspired that both of the city's sides will be playing knock-down, B-stock, factory damaged Europa League football in the new year after being sent sprawling from the Champions League in acrimonious fashion United especially, at the very least City actually won on the night.

The Jurgen Klinsmann Era is still fresh and new. He's earned his first win, but the soccer fans in the United States want to see more than a win against a CONCACAF middle team and a draw against the best from our region. Tuesday night's game against Ecuador provides a fairly strong test (21st by SPI).

The U.S. men's national team will field as close to a full strength squad as it has had since Jurgen Klinsmann took over, leaving what should be some easy decisions when it comes time for him to pick a lineup for Saturday's match vs. Honduras.

Landon Donovan is the lone regular starter not to make the trip to South Florida, and now Klinsmann will have some good options as he tries to put together a team to deliver his first win as U.

Do not believe that the Rapids lost to the suddenly resurgent Toronto FC on Saturday night.

No, Colorado managed only a scoreless tie at home against the worst team in the league at home earlier this season. The 2-1 loss in Toronto was merely the latest stanza in a the mediocre medley of 2011.

By ADAM SERRANO

Chivas USA head coach Robin Fraser has been eager to add some new blood to a team on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs.

On Thursday, Chivas USA added veteran French midfielder Laurent Courtois, a veteran of top leagues in France and England.

Will it be West Ham or Leicester for Championship Glory?

The waiting is almost over as the Championship kicks back in to action on Friday night as Hull face Blackpool at the KC Stadium. For lower league fans all across the country the time is now upon you as reality kicks in. Will your pre season optimism turn to a nightmare?

A swap deal may well be Spurs' best chance of getting new blood into the squad for the start of the season, but can there really be any value in exchanging Peter Crouch for Bobby Zamora?

This story started quietly on Saturday morning and gathered predictable momentum as the weekend went on.

Coyle looks pleased with himself

Sorry this is so late, I'm in the process of moving to France right now and have had to go to a McDonald's to get any internet. Anyway we've been waiting all summer for signings and suddenly it appears we've had 3. We've snapped up Nigel Reo-Coker from Aston Villa on a free, which is quite a good bit of business.

The Union raised a lot of eyebrows by taking Maryland goalie Zac MacMath fifth overall, passing on big-time defensive prospects like AJ Soares and Kofi Sarkodie, and turning a blind eye to strikers CJ Sapong and Will Bruin.

The Union see MacMath as their future: A future US international number one who can take over games and save shots that even very-good-goalies can only dream of stopping.

Written by Carlito11

Feeling gloomy about the Cesc/ Nasri tabloid furore and our end of season capitulation? Worried we may not sign a "big name" or even the experienced leader we need? Feel like slitting your wrists that we could end up playing Bayern Munich in the Champions League Qualifiers?

Written by Carlito11

Feeling gloomy about the Cesc/ Nasri tabloid furore and our end of season capitulation? Worried we may not sign a "big name" or even the experienced leader we need? Feel like slitting your wrists that we could end up playing Bayern Munich in the Champions League Qualifiers?

Bill Kenwright has been Everton chairman since 2004

Pre-season is usually a time when football fans begin to feel optimistic about their team's chances ahead of the new season. With new signings to be unveiled as financed by the ever-growing amounts of money pumped into the game it is also a time when fans look forward to seeing some new blood in the squad which can help the team improve from last season's performance, and maybe even win a trophy.

With the exception of the best club football team in recent history, which of course is FC Barcelona, the UEFA Champions League has largely been a competition dominated by English clubs since Liverpool lifted the trophy in 2005.

Okay, only the Reds and Manchester United have ever lifted ‘big ears', but the North-West rivals both have two finals apiece to their name, while Chelsea and Arsenal have consistently reached the latter stages of the tournament in recent seasons.

Extending your contract is obviously the cool thing to do at Bolton Wanderers these days. Following in the footsteps of Jussi and Gardner just 3 days ago, today striker Tope Obadeyi sign a one year extension on his contract. We haven't seen much of Obadeyi, he's only made 3 appearances for Bolton in total and has spent the last two years out on loan, first to Swindon Town, then Rochdale, then Shrewbury Town.

There is no time for Sir Alex Ferguson to dwell on the glory of Manchester United's record-breaking 19th championship. Resting on laurels is not one of the United manager's traits, but this summer is one of his more important rebuilding windows. He needs to be active in the transfer market as the task of building the next Old Trafford dynasty becomes more pressing.

With no-one volunteering to write a match report following yesterday's last game of the season at Craven Cottage it seems the disinterest in the final moments of our season have been cemented in silence. To finish fourth after being second for most of the season is hard to swallow.

The 2010/2011 season is over, we can file it away as another trophy less one and hopefully move on to the next with hope in our hearts.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. One-hundred and eighty-seven minutes without a goal. For the New England Revolution, it's becoming an all too familiar story this season. The Revs (2-3-4, 10 points) enter Saturday's showdown with the Vancouver Whitecaps (1-4-5, 8 points) on the back of being shutout in two consecutive matches and four of their last five MLS games.

Pittodrie. A cold (I suspect it was cold, it usually is) October afternoon in 1998. Scotland are enduring one of their periodic clashes with the Faroe Islands.
A 2-0 lead, the goals from Craig Burley and Billy Dodds, had lasted from the cusp of half time until the 79th minute.
At that stage Craig Brown chose to introduce our latest forgotten Scotland player.

I suspect few of you get the reference to old Wendy's commercial from the '80s about how their new burger was unlike the drab competition. Unfortunately, our USMNT seems unlikely to be much like Wendy's in this respect.

Players are in the camp now for upcoming friendlies against Argentina this weekend and Paraguay shortly thereafter.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

For the first time in a decade, Sepp Blatter has a challenger.

Mohammad bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation, ended months of speculation today when he confirmed that he would stand for president of FIFA in this year's election.

Recently the owner of One Match Ban emailed and asked a few quick questions about what I'd predict for the upcoming MLS season. I decided to write them down and make a post of it right here.

1. Tip for the MLS Cup?
Los Angeles Galaxy.

Recently the owner of One Match Ban emailed and asked a few quick questions about what I'd predict for the upcoming MLS season. I decided to write them down and make a post of it right here.

1. Tip for the MLS Cup?
Los Angeles Galaxy.

While the New England Revolution added intra-squad scrimmages to their preseason training last week, the true test of where the team is really at begins this week. For the rookies, however, week two of preseason marked their first chance to impress against their new teammates.

Ilija Stolica has been offering encouragement and advice to the Revs' rookies.

Chelsea dropped 2 more points yesterday. Looks like it's coming down to either us, City or Arsenal. I didn't get to watch the encounter against Fulham, but the consensus was that Torres looked a bit out of sorts again. Luiz on the other hand, looks to be a very solid signing and could be a permanent fixture in their backline for years to come.

Manchester United haven't made any signing in the January transfer window as Sir Alex Ferguson believed that their current squad is already good enough, however in the summer the veteran manager revealed that in the summer they will make at least one signing.

Speaking in an interview, Ferguson stated that there's a player that they are already interested in getting in January, unfortunately the deal wasn't possible at the time so it's being postponed until the new season start.

-Jason Davis
Bob Bradley injected new blood into the USMNT talent stream in Saturday night's 1-1 draw with Chile, but as seems to be his habit, missed a chance to do more with his opportunity. The first half was mostly bad, while the second picked up and significantly so with the substitutions of Juan Agudelo and Teal Bunbury.