Man City's official YouTube channel has provided a lot of unexpected entertainment over its relatively short existence and has already become a model for other clubs to follow. It does, however, go off the rails from time to time (City kitman Les Chapman's "nature watch" segment where he tracks down a ginger kid in his underpants).

By ADAM SERRANO

CARSON, Calif. -- For months, people have awaited Brian Ching's first match against the Houston Dynamo.

After being left unprotected by Houston in the expansion draft, Ching threatened retirement before eventually being selected by the Montreal Impact.

Outside of Harry's court case, the issues surrounding John Terry and the England captaincy have been firmly in the media spotlight this week and while the attention is currently on manager Fabio Capello, two of Tottenham's England internationals could be set to profit from the affair.

Scott Parker emerged last season to command a regular place in the England side and since his move to White Hart Lane, our outstanding midfielder must surely be one of the first names on Capello's team sheet.

Sevilla have fired coach Marcelino García Toral after the 46-year-old failed to halt a run of disappointing results.

Marcelino, who took charge last summer following the departure of Gregorio Manzano, leaves with Sevilla 11th in the standings and just four points above the relegation zone.

Dickie V is legendary. Any college basketball fan from over the last 30 years recognizes the face and the voice. He is ubiquitous. He has crisscrossed the country hundreds, maybe thousands of times.
This commercial probably won't air on regular TV. The spot is only found on the Bridgestone Tire website.

Following consecutive league defeats (both games in which we took the lead) I think we can all agree the need for savage and violent revolution is obvious. A blood thirsty, shrieking gallop to the hills followed by a good fortnight of medieval combat ought to sort it. Because nothing quite says "ambitious football club" like flapping through a wooded area wearing Arsene Wenger's skin as a dress and Peter Hill Wood's nuts for earrings.

Swansea

Position 12th, 5-8-7 (23 points, -3 goal differential)

Home Record: 4-5-1, + 8 goal differential

Recent Form: DLDDW

Last Meeting: Arsenal 1 Swansea 0 (September 10, 2011)

Back in action tomorrow in a "European" tie as we travel all the way to Wales to take on Swansea.

The Seattle Sounders continued their active offseason on Wednesday, officially announcing the signing of 23-year-old fullback/midfielder Christian Sivebaek. The move has been rumored since late December, and the player himself had even confirmed the deal.

"Christian is a player that we have been following for quite some time," Sounders technical director Chris Henderson said in a team release.

After Platini, Messi is the only other player to win the Ballon d'Or 3 times in a row. This is fully deserved because:

• Messi is both a fuoriclasse dribbler and plays for his teammates.
• Messi is decisive in the games that count.
• A unique style made of robustness, speed, technique.

QPR have sacked manager Neil Warnock and his backroom staff have also left the club. Malaysian owner Tony Fernandes released this statement:
"This decision has been made in the best interests of the Club and I can assure everyone that this is not a decision that was made lightly."

"Sadly, our recent run of poor form has seen us slip alarmingly down the table and the Board felt it was the right time to make a change.

Neil Warnock has been fired by Queens Park Rangers, after less than two years in charge. Rangers currently sit 17th in the Premier League table with only 17 points from their first 20 matches.

A statement on the club website said:

"This decision has been made in the best interests of the Club and I can assure everyone that this is not a decision that was made lightly," said QPR's owner Tony Fernandes.

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- Throughout the day, the QPR Report Messageboard has news updates, comments and perspectives - even links to other board comments of interest re QPR matters (on and off the field) along with football (and ONLY football) topics in general....Also Follow: QPR REPORT ON TWITTER
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Fans may debate whether this decision was necessary or not.

THFC1882 returns from it's Christmas and New Year break. Whilst we were off, Tottenham Hotspur collected 7 points from Norwich, Swansea and West Brom, happy days. Today, the FA Cup 3rd round was the focus and we have a special guest reporter for you. Here's Danny Carrier from the Camden New Journal with his report:

This was the chance for Harry Redknapp's fringe players to step up to the plate and show what they could do as well as give Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon some much needed game time to get their match fitness back.

Anxiety is mounting among Chelsea fans as to whether the club will offer their icon Didier Drogba a new deal that would keep him at the bridge longer. Drogba's contract is set to run out this summer and according to coach Andres Villas-Boas he is hopeful that Drogba will sign a new contract with the club.

Javier Aguirre has been fired by Real Zaragoza terminated, the La Liga club confirmed on Friday morning. Zaragoza are bottom of La Liga, having lost eight of their last nine league games.

A statement on the club's official website www.realzaragoza.com read:

"Late last night on Thursday, December 29, Real Zaragoza reached an agreement with Javier Aguirre for the termination of his contract as first-team coach.

Season's greetings Arse addicts. It's been an unusual kind of week with two away games yielding mixed results. Yet we've probably found more praise for our performance in defeat at Eastlands than we did for our somewhat serendipitous victory at Villa Park. Football is a funny old, blah, blah, blah etc.

Kuyt hails Suarez focus

Dirk Kuyt today saluted the focus and professionalism of Luis Suarez following the striker's match-winning display against QPR.

View the full story here: Liverpool FC

A news article on 2011-12-12 09:43:24 from: Liverpool FC

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

Rise and Shine is the story of Jay Demerit and his rise to professionalism. I've both reviewed the film and interviewed Jay and still I'm inspired by the story. There is so much to offer fans in watching the film. I wanted to make a personal plea for you the readers to look into it and support the cause.

Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka and defender Alex have both been linked with a move to Liverpool after handing in transfer requests and telling manager Andre Villas-Boas that they want to leave the club.
The Portuguese boss has told the unhappy pair that they can no longer train with the first team and that the players can leave as soon as the January transfer window opens.

Women's Pro Soccer may not be failing, but it is in danger. Their sanction is in doubt as there are only five teams in the league for 2012. There is a lawsuit against WPS from a former team owner. While attendance was significantly up after the Women's World Cup there is an issue about revenue not being greater than costs.

Match report (with goal clips)

I think that's what you'd call back on track. A solid, unspectacular performance, not aided and abetted by a ridiculous, bought sending off early in the game, and a display that showed lessons have been learned from away days at Wigan before.

The team was as expected and although the home began very brightly – and probably should have scored but for the magic heel of Santos – it didn't take long for us to assert ourselves and boss the game.

The Sun reported Saturday that Nicolas Anelka and Alex have been banished from first-team training by Andre Villas-Boas and are now training with the Chelsea reserves. Anelka fell out of favour with AVB after missing a couple of great chances in the loss to QPR while Alex has been on the fringes of the Chelsea squad all season.

Breaking news today on Official Chelsea. Nicolas Anelka and Alex have handed in transfer requests to the club and these have both been accepted!
To be honest it comes as no surprise as both players have been the subject of rumour and speculation lately.
Alex has been talking of moving to Italy since back in the summer and hasn't featured a great deal this season so far.

Catching up on all the tidbits you might have missed during the week that was. More, after the jump:

Back in action

First, Jack wrote a brilliant piece on the return of one Sam Hutchinson this morning which deserves recognition. So, before going any further, read here.

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has signed a new contract to stay in the role, meaning that he will coach the team throughout the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign. Those over at casinos online .com note how Ireland secured their place in Euro 2012 with an excellent play-off victory over Estonia earlier this month of course and the Italian signing a new deal is a testament to the job he has done.

The FAI has agreed a new two-year contract with Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni and his assistant Marco Tardelli.
The new deal was announced in a statement today. It will begin in July 2012 and continue for the duration of the World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign. Fitness trainer Fausto Rossi will also continue in his role.

(Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz)

Editor's note: At the end of the 2010 season, we posted a series of "Raves" about our favorite Philadelphia players. They need not be the team's best players, but they're guys and gals we like. Over the next two weeks, we continue the series again with some of the PSP writers' and contributors' favorite players of 2011.

Liverpool will welcome two young Asian players to Merseyside as part of the Chinese Football Association's 'Future Star' program in January.
Long Cheng [16], and Chen Xiaomao [14], will link up with the Reds Youth Academy following a successful week-long trial at Melwood last month.
Frank McParland, director of the Liverpool academy revealed how the club had been extremely impressed with the youngsters during their first visit, praising their commitment and professionalism.

Liverpool first-team coach Steve Clarke has hailed the professionalism of Chelsea goalscoring hero Maxi Rodriguez.
The Argentine midfielder had made just one fleeting Premier League substitute appearance this season before being thrust into Kenny Dalglish's starting XI for Sunday's important clash at Stamford Bridge.

Clarke hails Maxi impact

Liverpool first-team coach Steve Clarke has hailed the professionalism of Chelsea goalscoring hero Maxi Rodriguez.

View the full story here: Sky Sports

A news article on 2011-11-23 15:23:41 from: Sky Sports

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

'No surprise at Maxi impact'

Steve Clarke believes Maxi Rodriguez's impressive Chelsea display was just rewards for the Argentinean's professionalism in training.

View the full story here: Liverpool FC

A news article on 2011-11-23 08:13:45 from: Liverpool FC

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

On-loan AC Milan midfielder Alberto Aquilani believes that it is highly unlikely that he will return to parent club Liverpool, given the simplicity involved in his release clause.

Italian champions Milan secured a loan deal for Aquilani this summer after Juventus, who had loaned him from the Reds last season, could not reach an agreement regarding the permanent signing of the player.

For Jack Taylor, the referee for the 1974 World Cup final, handling players was much like handling the clientele at the Wolverhampton butcher shop he worked at throughout his career.

"I think my experience behind the counter at the butcher's shop helped because it made me fairly good at chatting people up," he wrote in his 1976 autobiography, Jack Taylor: World Soccer Referee.

Watch Carroll, Adam and Reina get their bake on and a Greek defender lose his shorts

Presenting quality football videos from the interweb, daily at 3pm. Here's today's collection: 1) Frankly we were sorely tempted just to republish yesterday's peerless Emile Heskey video and go down the pub but our, er, innate professionalism, means we've tracked down another hat-trick of quality football videos.

Huge Strides Taken in the Pursuit of Justice

Huge strides were taken in the pursuit of justice for the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster as the topic was debated in Parliament on Monday evening. A campaign spearheaded by Steve Rotheram, Liverpool Walton MP, saw the subject publicly discussed in levels of unprecedented detail, heaping further pressure on the government to release private documents relating to the incident that would finally allow the victims' story to be told as it actually unfolded.

One of the most prevalent myths to arise from the Rafa Benitez era is the improbable notion that former Liverpool Chief Executive Rick Parry signed Robbie Keane. I have argued repeatedly that this was not the case but many fans refuse to accept the truth. Well, finally, we have irrefutable proof that it was, as a matter of fact, Benitez who wanted Keane and signed Keane.

There are many ironies surrounding the comments of the Liverpool Managing Director, Ian Ayre, concerning the future of overseas television rights and how they should be distributed amongst the clubs. Those of an ideological indisposition to Liverpool and preferences amongst football clubs have, in recent years, come to take on the appearance of being somewhere between the followers of a cult and a lifestyle choice may have taken some degree of amusement from a club which couldn't even qualify for European football last season make such exapnsive claims regarding its grandeur.

By ADAM SERRANO

One of the more decorated American defenders of all-time is hanging up his boots.

Los Angeles Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter announced his retirement on Wednesday, effective after the end of the 2011 season. Over the course of his 18-year professional career, Berhalter appeared in two World Cups for the United States while playing in professional leagues in England, Germany, Holland and the United States.

"I think this is a team game and unfortunately there isn't an equal level between my teammates and I." -Rafa Marquez

I'm not an athlete, I've never been one so my understanding on the locker room dynamic is limited. However, as a human who has engaged in a variety of relationships in the last 31 years (I'm dating myself) I think I understand the importance of not selling out people you work with.

Dirk Kuyt has been a steady and dependable player for Liverpool over the last 5 years but unfortunately for him, the club has not won any trophies during his time at Anfield. This is clearly frustrating for Kuyt, as his latest comments on the issue show.
In comparison to other high-profile Dutch players, Kuyt is a pauper when it comes to winning trophies, with his only winner's medal coming from a KNVB Cup victory with Feyenoord in 2003.