Icy Saturdays are meant to be enjoyed in nice warm houses with pints of lovely beer abd the telly on. Waterloo's home game was cancelled so that left us free to do just that. There are few more beautiful trophies in world sport than the Calcutta Cup, it was great to see a young, inexperienced side lift it although really Scotland were the better side.

I caught up with a buddy yesterday. Good dude. Hadn't seen him in a while. So we hit a local pub and swapped talk over a couple of pints, abetted by "Jules," a wickedly effective siren at the art of suggestive selling.

We started a little early. And when you do that, there might just be trouble ahead.

Welcome to "The Gents" with Stan Bentley - The Yorkies' regular advice column for our valued readers. Bring your modern day problems and have them answered by the most valued voice - a 1950's journeyman footballer. "Back of the net!"
Hi Stan,
I'm trying to organize an epic New Year's Eve party.

The Belgrade Derby: A World Phenomenon
Crvena Zvezda 0-2 Partizan Belgrade (26:11:11)
The taxi ground to a halt with the floodlights of the Marakana rising in the distance, writes Andy Hudson. A single policeman tried to control the traffic from six different directions; the angles of his hands lost amidst the steam billowing from his mouth.

The Belgrade Derby: A World Phenomenon
Crvena Zvezda 0-2 Partizan Belgrade (26:11:11)
The taxi ground to a halt with the floodlights of the Marakana rising in the distance, writes Andy Hudson. A single policeman tried to control the traffic from six different directions; the angles of his hands lost amidst the steam billowing from his mouth.

As I'm sure you're aware the launch of the Arseblog book 'So Paddy got up an Arsenal anthology' takes place tomorrow evening.

Here's what the book looks like, except it's even nicer in real life.

Here's the info you need in easily digestable form.

WHEN? - Wednesday, December 7th 7pm

WHERE?

While I usually need no excuse to head into NYC and down a few pints, this past Satuday I had best excuse of the year. That's right! If it's December, it means it's time to celebrate the great You Suck Corrales' birthday. A few of us got together at The Dublin House, on Manhattan's upper west side, to drink up in honor of the greatest Red Bulls fan ever.

Welcome to another TGIF, which because of my work commitments is now written between Friday evening and Saturday morning. I still feel that this feature is worth producing. It gives me a chance to round up the issues of the week and comment about anything which is exercising Gooners over their pints of beer.

La Liga Lovers, please excuse us today... but you absolutely need to dedicate one of your pints or (at least) a tortilla flip to Señor Robin van Persie today. The amount of composure he showed for Arsenal in yesterday's 5-3 win over Chelsea was absolutely fantastic!

Video highlights and reaction

Last night, due to work and other commitments, I was unable to give this match my full attention. I missed the first 20 minutes or so, and when I did get to see it I was standing in a bar, watching a TV with no sound.

I have to say, it does give you a different perspective on things.

For absolutely no reason a post marking John Clark's 47th birthday.
Actually not no reason: That today is his birthday was the first tweet I read this morning. Then someone else mentioned him in a reply to a tweet of mine about Gordon Rae (children, ask your fathers). And a week or so ago I was speaking to his cousin after a funeral in Port Seton.

We've all been there: the hubris and cockiness borne of conviction and enthusiasm coming back to bite us firmly in the backside. And so it was on Saturday for the Bury fans - rejoicing at being back in League 1 and fortified by pre-match pints in the metal box of a social club adjacent to Gigg Lane (£1 in for non-members; distinct odour of hot dogs, cooking lager and sweat) - who lustily

Last night the Portland Timbers played an away match for the first time since I joined the Stumptown Footy team, an occasion that I've been looking forward to for a while and which presented me with the opportunity to try out our new bar review feature: The Boozehound Report (now accepting title suggestions).

*boilk*

Morning to you, last night I was out celebrating the Mugsmasher's birthday even though his birthday was last Sunday and we already went out and had some pints for it. What can I tell you? He loves a good celebration and lord knows the football has barely provided him with anything in the last few years.

How Everton fan Michael Kelly is leading the fight for Justice for the 96 and his brother

Michael Kelly was a quiet man. He loved the lyricism of Lennon, the urban poetry of Dylan and Dalglish. Liverpool Football Club was his only hobby, his ­abiding passion. He worked nights in ­Bristol, as a warehouseman, and watched every game, home and away.

Ooooh... you fat bar steward League One side Wycombe Wanderers have handed a one-year contract to a barman at their stadium. Jason Mooney, aged 22, was pulling pints at the club's Adams Park ground before joining the playing staff on non-contract terms at the start of the summer. After impressing in pre-season he has now [.

Another week, another set of worries, pugnaciously poured out of every sweaty orifice of the interweb. The forums are alive with the sound of unamused-niks. On Sunday, some of that discordance made its way pitch side to the ears of the manager. This last weekend of course saw Arsenal tragically, horrifically toss away the Emirates Cup in a result that history will surely mark as the nadir of our 125 years.

Quite recently, over one or seven pints, a very salient point was made by my father who is also a Tottenham fan and it's one that a large proportion of Spurs supporters have been doing a good job of ignoring (I include myself in that group for the record).

I've had to paraphrase as the old man is a bit more definitive/sweary in his opinions, but it goes a little something like this provided Spurs achieve a respectable league finish, say 7th or above, Harry Redknapp looks very likely to be the next England manager after Euro 2012.

Darren Clarke celebrated his British Open Win yesterday with a few pints and explains he still hasn't got to sleep yet.

Fantasy football has moved on a lot since my mate Andy and I were invited to join a league by the landlord of our local about 15 years ago. In those days, a group of us used to gather in the upstairs meeting room at about 7:30pm a week or so before the season started. We weren't allowed out until we'd finished the auction, which normally didn't happen until after closing time and also lead to some very debatable decisions.

Toppling the Murdoch Empire: Could a Pub Landlady from Portsmouth help seal BSkyB's fate? is a post from: Just Football

While the News Corporation / News International phone hacking storm continues to rumble with menace, Theo Fan reports on another threat facing Rupert Murdoch, and how the fate of the televised game and BSkyB could rely on a pub landlady from Portsmouth:

Who will have the biggest impact on domestic football in the next 10 years?

I have this vision of reporters sitting around sports desks in the UK, drawing straws for who has to go cover the Febregas to Barcelona story. Sympathetic colleagues offer the unlucky reporter promises of after-work pints, and the editor reminds everyone there that if you get this beat for one day, you won't have to cover it again for at least a month.

Last night I dreamt I was drinking all night in a strange old hotel. Pints of Armagnac and other things and when the alarm went off this morning I braced myself for inevitable and no doubt painful *boilk*.

Which never came! That's awesome. It's like when you wake up and go 'Oh, it's Thursday' and then you realise it's actually Saturday.

Editor's Note: We LOVE to hear about your Free Beer Movement in action. Whenever and wherever you're buying beers to bring the beautiful game to soccer newbies we want to here it. Send your stories to us at freebeermovement(at)gmail.com. We'll even send you one of our FBM stickers for your troubles!

It's on folks! Today!
If you're in the Twin Cities area, like soccer, and like free beer then you should stop by the SOB Cup. Watch some quality amateur soccer, take down a beer or two, and help "Pints for Prostrates" while you're at it.
For more information, check out Stegman's Old Boys website.

Bloody 'ell, my brain's pounding inside my skull like I took an anvil to it last night. And my stomach, still churning and squirming with all the ale and bits of fried things I shoved down my gullet at the pub. Gawh, I know United won, but I don't even remember who scored the winner was it Chicharito or Rooney?

This weekend our amateur soccer club friends, the Stegman's Old Boys, are hosting their first annual SOB Cup in Minneapolis, Minnesota. One reason we like these guys? They love their beer.
The SOBs have a hilariously serious "club site" where they have a profile series drinking beer with their players and, best of all, they're sponsored by a local homebrew company, Northern Brewer.

::: FistedAway today welcomes a guest post from Elliott, editor of the rather lovely Futfanatico :::

Sir Alex has a long-held reputation for suffering no fools and making his voice heard. However, this time his tongue has gotten him into serious trouble, invoking a lifetime "no-touch-line" ban for all gentlemen clubs forming part of the Foxy-entertainment Association (FA).

Aura and Grrrr

Written by mickydidit89

I think we, The Arsenal, need a new Aura.

Now, we are not Chavs, so we will not simply pop out to Harrods and buy the most expensive one available. No, because remember we have Class, and while that is something quite tricky to define, we all know that we have the stuff in abundance.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome back into another Happy Hour. It may be Friday, but it certainly feels much more like a Sunday after last night's St. Patrick's Day/Welcome to March Madness debauchery. Endless pints of green beer, shots of Irish Whiskeys, and a bevy of beautiful women in green dresses makes for a very interesting [.

The world would be a much poorer place without coffee, you know. And football. Thankfully we have plenty of both.

Barcelona arrive in London today. They've turned down the chance to train at the Grove tonight, choosing to have a session (training, not pints) in Barcelona this morning before arriving as late as UEFA rules allow.

This is a guest piece by frequent contributor John Nyen

My weekend home...

At 6:30 in the morning on a Sunday you should be asleep. Sleep is a very serious matter that is not interrupted without the requisite jolts and pangs of natural disasters, political strife or burst water pipes.

The Seagulls That Kicked The Hornets' Nest
Watford 0-1 Brighton (29:01:11)
It was so nice of Southern Rail to get in on the act. They chose to celebrate the Seagulls progression into the 4th round of the FA Cup proper by laying on a fleet of (Gus) buses to ferry 3,649 Brighton fans to Vicarage Road.

What a match. We were suddenly back to the United of old: the careless start then attacking flair and literal bloody mindedness to win at any cost. There would always be blood, sweat and tears at Bloomfield Road, just as there was at Burnley last year. I feared that before the match and especially when we went a goal down early on.

The last time I wrote an article I was fuming. I had just returned from my trip to the USA and what happened before my eyes was shocking: first we somehow ended up celebrating a last-gasp equaliser against Leeds United at the Emirates, and then we were once again stunned by a 1-0 defeat by Ipswich Town.

I was off at Kicking & Screening with Greg Lalas 'til quite late. Impromptu foosball throwdowns make the clock go by. Nevertheless, I have risen from my slumber (NOT hangover... pregnant K&S co-found Rachel Markus and I seemed the only ones not tilting pints) in order to bring forth Edson Buddle's "Howdy" goal from Ingolstadt 1-1 home draw with David Yelldell's Duisburg last night.

Inglostadt x 1860 Munich - Audi Arena - I didn't know it at the half-way point of my trip, but this would be my final match. Since I was in Munich on a Sunday, the odds of a lower divison side having a nearby match were good. I'm extremely lucky that Inglostadt, a city one hour North of Munich, was hosting TSV 1860 Munich.

Inglostadt x 1860 Munich - Audi Arena - I didn't know it at the half-way point of my trip, but this would be my final match. Since I was in Munich on a Sunday, the odds of a lower divison side having a nearby match were good. I'm extremely lucky that Inglostadt, a city one hour North of Munich, was hosting TSV 1860 Munich.