With the first quarter of football almost over in most leagues around Europe, now is a good time
to measure the current progress of some of the giant clubs on the continent. Actually, analyzing
the success or failure of clubs in general won't be nearly as exciting as identifying a more
specific object of analysis.
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After what appears to have been a frustrating time in this summer's transfer market, Rafael
Benitez may be forgiven for thinking that his past may be coming back to haunt him.
In August 2004, at the very beginning of his reign at the helm of the Anfield club, Rafa allowed
England's number one striker to leave for Spanish giants Real Madrid.
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The Tottenham faithful often wonder why their team cannot break into the top four in the Premier
League. Before the Martin Jol era, they were told that they needed a great coach. After the arrival
of Jol, it was believed that the squad needed bolstering. Once that was done, things got going -
until blunders became the norm again at White Hart Lane.
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Football is a funny game - this is the sport where anything, and I mean
anything, can happen completely out of the blue. For example, no one ever imagined
that Brazilian star Ronaldinho, who was literally unstoppable not too long ago, would suddenly
become as anonymous as he is nowadays.
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Tuesday May 26th
11am – After failing in my quest to get a good night's rest the night before, I spent the
morning zombified thanks mainly to the hypnotic waffling of Paddy Crerand on MUTV. After a wash and
an egg (though maybe not in that order) I got in the cab and headed for Heathrow Terminal 5.
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With the Premier League over for another season. Here are some of the things I noticed from the
08/09 campaign:
Like a bat out of Hull
Hull City were everyone's favorite to go straight back down this season. They seemed like a
sweet little feel good story, content to have their moment in the big leagues before quickly
sinking back to lower level obscurity where they could be patronized by football and non-football
people alike for sounding like a thoroughly dull and uninspiring place to live.
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With the Champions League quarterfinals a thing of the past, here are eight things I noticed
from the last eight.
The Usual Suspects
So, here we are again. Three English teams and Barcelona square off for the Champions League
semis for the second consecutive year. No doubt Michel Platini will have already dusted off his
Panini stickers and erected a Barcelona shine in his 'salon.
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Nicolas Anelka rejoined Chelsea this week after a three week absence. The question to me is,
does it even matter? Do Chelsea even need him? Not only does it even matter, but has Anelka ever
been worth his transfer fee or salary when all things are considered?
I'll answer the first question right now.
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Over the course of Premier League history, fans have seen some whacky characters. From Eric Cantona
to Jose Mourinho, certain people just stuck out as people who believed in entitlement. Similar to
the American view of manifest destiny, in football we see players and managers feel entitled to
winning things.
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Chelsea FC just hired their new head coach in Guus Hiddink according to the team's website this
morning and this choice baffles my mind. But, then again, a lot of things that have happened at
Chelsea have baffled my mind. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich moved quickly to hire personal friend
Hiddink to take over the squad until the end of the season and he still gets to remain as coach of
the Russian national coach.
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Seven months ago Luiz Felipe Scolari was hired to take the manager position of Chelsea, and on
February 9, 2009, he was fired after a lackluster season thus far. The problem with the firing is
that they got rid of the wrong man. Now there are 11 men on the field and only one manager, so
getting rid of the manager is the easy thing to do since you can rarely eliminate three or four non
performing players.
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With AIG's latest announcement, the footballing world finally got a glimpse of the current world
economic crisis. Up until this point there have been few reminders about the reality of our
non-footballing lives, but David Gill and the rest of the Manchester United executives have been
handed the tough task of finding a company that will part with millions of pounds each year.
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Before you get too excited, Mourinho isn't heading to Old Trafford to take over the Manchester
United reins. Instead, Mourinho is returning to England to watch his first live Premier League game
since he controversially left Chelsea in 2007. Manchester United is set to face off against second
placed Chelsea on Sunday, in what has been marked as a potential title decider.
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Having watched Eusebio score 9 goals during the 1966 World Cup in England, the designers at PUMA
decided that he should be the man to help them develop a signature football boot. The process took
two years to complete and in 1968 the PUMA King was born. The boot over time would become just as
[...]
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Oh, that Roman Abramovich is a sly one! The Russian billionare owner has been lying in the weeds
for the last week, watching as his top summer target inched closer, and closer to a possible move
to Real Madrid or Barcelona. And just when you thought Roman was going to be content watching his
new [...
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It's hard to believe that the loveable Peter Kenyon has any enemies in this world. However, it
appears that one of Chelsea's former employees has a bone to pick with him and Roman Abramovich,
according to the Daily Telegraph. Paul Smith, not to be confused with the fashion designer, has
taken Chelsea to an industrial tribunal, [.
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Speaking to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, ex-FC Barcelona man Deco alleged that he will decide to play for one of two world footballing giants next season.
"At the moment I have just two possibilities - Chelsea and Inter," he said.
"I haven't yet sealed a deal with either of them. I haven't yet decided on [.
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