Twice a year, Phil Gartside lays bare his most inner fears. Bolton Wanderers may some day be relegated from the Premier League, and Phil doesn't like the idea of that. He is scared that they will relegated and that they won't be prepared for life back in the Footbal League. He's right to be.

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This morning, EPLTalk writes about "How American Soccer Fans Are Smarter Than Average Americans."
I don't know how soccer fans stack up compared to "average Americans," but I do think that following soccer can make you smarter. It's not that you have to be smart in order to follow soccer, it's that through the act(s) of being a soccer fan, you learn a lot especially as it relates to geography and foreign culture. Click to continue reading...

Interesting article from Graham Spiers on the Times website following the Old Firm match on Sunday. Spiersy is wrestling with a dilemma: Should he report the sectarian abuse he heard from a Rangers fan at Ibrox on Sunday?He's in two minds:"But journalists getting involved? It is one thing for someone in my position to report it and comment on it, but quite another to wade in and become an active Click to continue reading...

Everyone's doing it, so why not us. No, not being a footie hoolie, but writing about the scenes at Upton Park last night. This is our attempt. Click to continue reading...

Links to click while you wonder: Should Rafa really be in charge of Liverpool's transfer policy? (via ONTD) USA win "Best Upset" at the ESPYs (Original Winger) But good luck trying to watch them play Mexico next month (USA WCB) Japanese football = yawn, apparently (Reuters) Backflips + motorcycle stunts = Peter Beagrie (ThreeMatchBan) Too much socialism in America, too much [. Click to continue reading...

His house was petrol-bombed, his father was attacked, and he was called the "Salmon Rushdie of football". It was twenty years ago this week that former Celtic star Mo Johnston became the first well-known Roman Catholic to sign for Rangers, and Glasgow erupted. One enraged Rangers fan said that, "My blood is boiling.

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During my trip to Holland a few weeks ago I noted with interest, if not surprise, that almost every decision by the referee or linesman was greeted with a barrage of missiles (coins, lighters etc) thrown by the home support.Now the mighty ADO Den Haag have a reputation for being a bit crazy but speaking to people in Holland and watching a bit of football there and here it seems to me that this is Click to continue reading...

During my trip to Holland a few weeks ago I noted with interest, if not surprise, that almost every decision by the referee or linesman was greeted with a barrage of missiles (coins, lighters etc) thrown by the home support.Now the mighty ADO Den Haag have a reputation for being a bit crazy but speaking to people in Holland and watching a bit of football there and here it seems to me that this is Click to continue reading...

An entirely different Dr John The room is no longer smoke filled. The older man's colleagues in the wee Parliament had seen to that. But the lingering smell of Havana suggested that, after hours, this place was a smoke easy. The younger man, dressed in an expensive suit, nurses a brandy. He stares wistfully into the glass. Click to continue reading...

Celtic fans are not falling over themselves to congratulate on their sterling efforts to improve Scotland's co-efficient. At least not if Che Timavara over at ETims online is to believed. His thesis on Rangers season reads like an insight into one man's clinical depression. At one point I feared this was turning into a suicide note but Che pulls back from being that drastic and promises to Click to continue reading...