Liverpool stalwart Jamie Carragher will join Sky Sports from the start of next season. The veteran defender had previously announced that he would retire at the end of the current campaign, although the rumour mill had suggested he was thinking of performing a U-turn and staying on for one more season.
Latest sport news networks have quoted Santi Cazorla as believing he can help his new club
Arsenal finally win some silverware again after becoming the club's latest high-profile summer
signing.
The Spaniard is certainly the calibre of player Arsene Wenger needed to add to his squad but
does he now have enough quality and strength in depth to challenge the Manchester clubs and Chelsea
for the Premier League title in 2012-13?
Along with Spain and Germany, the Dutch were pre-tournament favourites, but they went home with
three losses out of three games and exit Euro 2012 along with the Irish as the only teams to have
gained zero points for their efforts in Poland & Ukraine.
Now that Euro 2012 is over, many of us in the United States will miss ESPN's excellent coverage of
the tournament. Other than the opinions of the pundits who often polarize viewers (and so they
should, since they have strong ...
This is a content summary. Visit http://www.epltalk.com to read the entire article
Back in Euro 2008, the style of play Spain engineered attracted awe and acclaim from pundits and
fans all over the world. Their form of free-flowing passes was beautiful to watch as they broke
down overwhelmed opponents. As Spain won ...
This is a content summary. Visit http://www.epltalk.
The world of Yank sport (according to Martin Keown)...
If you're sat there wondering what the hell is going on, it's a reference to this little
humdinger a pure nugget of gilded Keown co-commentary from the Portugal-Czech Republic game t'other
night.
In the aftermath of England's 1-0 win against Ukraine at Euro 2012, Match of the Day's
back-slapping, in-joking gaggle of pundits were analysing the Three Lions' lucky win when all of a
sudden, Alan Shearer butts in when Lee Dixon is still speaking. Cue a rather pissed off response
from the former Arsenal man (around 35 seconds).
Pundits appear to agree that Wigan Athletic had a good season. Indeed, they had such a good
season that Latics chief Roberto Martinez has become a pundit himself, sitting on sofas alongside
Patrik Vieira and Roy Keane on ITV's Euro 2012 coverage.
The below word cloud was generated using all of Wigan Athletic's match reports from the BBC
website from the 2011/2012 season.
Seven out of eight is a pretty good run. Winning seven of eight games in any game, any league.
Seven of eight rolls at the craps table. Seven of eight PKs scored. Seven hits in eight at-bats
(that's baseball, folks). All in all, a pretty good run.
Though there have been significant problems with violence and racism at Euro 2012 (mostly from
the now eliminated Russian and Croatian fans), there hasn't exactly been the executions in the
streets of Ukraine and Poland and that some foreign commentators seemed so afraid of. Former
England defender Sol Campbell was one of those pundits warning against the worst case scenario in
the days before the tournament, telling England fans to "stay at home, watch it on TV.
One week in, and not much has been said about the football used at this summer's European
Championships. While the Jabulani ball of the 2010 World Cup caused controversy for its
balloon-like unpredictability, Euro 2012's Tango has been subtly performing to perfection in
Ukraine and Poland.
Stunning strikes from Roman Pavlyuchenko, Samir Nasri, and Jakub Blaszczykowski have helped
light up this summer's tournament, and, while the stars that hit them have drawn the headlines,
credit must also be given to the ball.
He went to the 2006 World Cup as a teenager but came back without getting on the pitch. Let's
just forget Euro 2008. They didn't take him to the 2010 World Cup. So it's now, in 2012, over six
years after his debut for the senior side that Theo Walcott is finally seeing some action in the
major tournaments for his country.
Vicente Del Bosque has undoubtedly tasted plenty of success with defending European champions
Spain but the coach remains humble ahead of today's match against the Republic of Ireland, warning
that the Irish will create many concerns.
Spain were held to a 1-1 draw against a gritty Italian side in their tournament opener on Sunday
but judging by Ireland's disappointing 3-1 defeat against Croatia the same day, pundits have
positioned Del Bosque's men as strong favorites.
As we all know, the Premier League is the greatest league in the world. The evidence for this has been repeatedly put forward by a host of pundits who don't watch any other leagues by way of comparison. But OTP would like to add a little snippet to the pile of evidence. In which other [...]
Andre Villas-Boas Is Getting The Support He Needs At Tottenham - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
Thomas Jefferson once said "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who
reads nothing but newspapers". There must have been times where Andre Villas-Boas during his spell
at Chelsea and now his time managing Tottenham was in danger of breaking his neck, so vehemently
was he nodding to that quote.
Frank Lampard scored two while Steven Gerrard was on the pitch on Friday night. According to most
pundits, this was a physical impossibility a couple of years ago. No wonder he looks confused.
Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe. How did you celebrate the international break? Jumpy
claps? Piggy back racing?
Wayne Rooney has revealed how he battles against his weight to keep himself in shape for football.
The England and Manchester United striker says he always puts on weight when he's not staying.
Several pundits had suggested that Rooney didn't look fit in the opening matches of this season and
was carrying a few extra [.
Summer signing Oliver Giroud has had a bit of a rough time in the English Premier League so far, by
both the fans and the pundits. His performances have deserved some criticism as he hasn't performed
to his maximum, but every player takes time to adapt, its different for individual players. There's
no doubt that [.
The captain's armband at Arsenal is fast turning into the golden ticket to a move away from the
Emirates Stadium.
A year after Cesc Fabregas stuck a dagger into all Gunners hearts, Robin Van Persie has now
decided to jump ship and join fierce rivals Manchester United for £24 Million pounds.
As Arsenal finally secured the signing of Santi Cazorla from Malaga yesterday, many pundits have
been predicting that Wenger's next target is Nuri Sahin from Real Madrid or the Celtic
defender/midfielder Victor Wanyama, but today it has been revealed by the Daily Mail that the Chief
Arsenal scout Steve Rowley is recommending that Wenger moves [.
We've been here before, haven't we? Too many times. Star player...club captain...one-man
team...selling club. The words have lost all meaning.
Though I have been toughened up by so many recent experiences (or perhaps simly grown numb to
the modern running of Arsenal FC) I have to, as ever, express my disappointment at Arsene Wenger
and the board for allowing this to happen; to keep happening.
It's the question STILL on every Arsenal fan's lips as the summer drags on: Will Robin Van
Persie stay with the Gunners? I have always thought he will commit to a new deal at the Emirates
and I feel slightly more confident in that belief having perused Arsene Wenger's latest assessment
of the Dutchman and his contribution to Holland's failed Euro2012 challenge.
The Rennes defensive midfielder Yann M'Vila has been the subject of many Arsenal rumours this
summer, with many pundits certain that M'Vila will be Arsenal's third signing of the transfer
window after Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud. But up until now the French international has
refused to discuss the fact that he could be on [.
In the beginning, MLS was a little league that merited little notice internationally. Â On occasion
an all star went overseas and their previous career was noted by pundits, but MLS itself was paid
little heed by the Sky Sports of ...
Visit http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com for the rest of the story.
Football Federation Australia today finds itself dealing with an altogether different headlines and
an inquiry into an ugly brawl between Newcastle Jets and Wellington Phoenix at Weston, while new
A-League chief Damien de Bohun might have hoped for a gentler introduction to life in his new
role.
There can be no condoning the nasty exchange that cleared both benches in front of 2,000 fans but a
slap on the wrist is all that is required here.
Season previews always seem so half empty. Not because the writers are lazy (okay, some are) but
because there's always that spectre of "well, shit can get real around the transfer deadline, so,
here's some vague material that should be read skeptically. Enjoy!"
Season previews always seem so half empty. Not because the writers are lazy (okay, some are) but
because there's always that spectre of "well, shit can get real around the transfer deadline, so,
here's some vague material that should be read skeptically. Enjoy!"
Know your Rival: What Team USA should take away from their win over Mexico - originally posted
on Soccerlens.com
Despite the pleasant moniker bestowed upon these contests by FIFA, international "friendlies"
between the United States and Mexico are usually about as chummy as a night out with Drake and
Chris Brown at a New York City night club.
Despite the pleasant moniker bestowed upon these contests by FIFA, international "friendlies"
between the United States and Mexico are usually about as chummy as a night out with Drake and
Chris Brown at a New York City night club... meaning you're pretty much guaranteed to see more than
the necessary share of testy exchanges and hostile attitudes.
During a fine European Championship finals tournament which had its shocks, the revelation that
BBC co-commentator Martin Keown once captained England was possibly the most disturbing shock of
all. Keown had as bad a tournament as Ashley Young, a player labelled an "international natural"
last month by.
So it was all about Cristiano Ronaldo doing nothing. And I pilloried BBC commentators for
fawning over him even while he was doing nothing, when they'd actually spotted the defining moment
of Portugal's tournament. "Look at Ronaldo, just waiting for his opportunity" said Steve Wilson,
midway through the stultifying second half against Spain.
Tasked with getting a pitch invader off the field of play during a match between Maccabi Haifa and Beitar Jerusalem, this Israeli policeman might have opted for his truncheon, CS spray or any other number of options to detain the intruder. But he decided 'when in Rome...' and opted for the trusty two-footed tackle instead.
A fine footballer he surely was, but Alan Shearer remains one of the dullest pundits out there. Still entrenched in the game's old school, the former England man has come under fire from forward-thinking Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers over his criticism of Welsh midfielder Joe Allen.
After what happenedin the summerallthe punditspredictedthat this was going to be afailedseasonfor Milan. SilvioBerlusconi andAdriano Galliani may have been talking up the team's chances, but, they were just repeating the samebroken record by suggesting that the Rossoneristill hadthe qualitiesto win titles.
The SPL is back. Games have been played, points have been won. Hibs fans have been depressed all
over again.
Robbie Devine takes a look at the weekend:
Saturday August 4 2012 saw the start of a new experiment in world football, the kick off for a top
tier championship in which the race for the runner-up spot is the main aim for the majority of
sides rather than the mounting of a championship challenge.
The phrase 'Last Great White Hope' comes from boxing, first a play and then a movie.
It has been used repeatedly over the last few decades as a metaphor for white up and coming boxers
who have the potential to pull off an upset and unseat the string of heavyweight black
champions.
The Klitschko brothers from Ukraine have basically quieted many of these 'White Hope' references
(though, some sports pundits are still waiting for the American white hope to win the heavyweight
boxing crown).
Pretty much nobody from the national media has mentioned the Seattle Sounders over the last few
weeks.
This may be typical over an arbitrary few weeks worth of time, but as the OKC Thunder story has
blossomed and pundits are now predicting a dynasty for them, the only mention of Seattle is on how
much the city blew it when they lost their Supersonics.
