Adrian Clarke and Iain Spragg are in fine form on Episode 29 of the world famous Soccerlens Podcast.Â

There's a host of juicy topics to get stuck into this week and the duo's heated debate centres on Thierry Henry's lack of sportsmanship, the miracle powers of horse placenta and the prospects for manager-less Scotland.

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Thierry Henry. A contentious and topical subject if ever there was one.
Whilst the footballing world today recoils in disgust at the actions of the France captain, there are plenty of misguided Arsenal fans who will be lightning quick to shout you down if you dare as to utter a derogatory comment. Click to continue reading...

Morning, morning.

Well can I just say:

FUCK YOU INTERLULL. I HOPE YOU GET KNOCKED DOWN BY A BUS. THEN RAPED BY A BEAR. IN THE FACE.

Leaving aside the fact we've had no Arsenal for two weeks the hysteria over last night's handball by Thierry Henry has been ludicrous. The ire of Ireland fans I can fully understand but the vitriol levelled at Henry from some quarters has been way over the top.

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Sent by a soccer mom:

Subject: Change to End of Game Ceremony

To the players, parents, and volunteers of AYSO Region 17,

One of the most basic and vital components to the AYSO sportsmanship program is the end of game hand-shake/high five line for the opposing teams and the referees.

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Soccer can be a tough game and it's especially so in the Mountain West Conference. Footage of the conference semifinal game in Provo, Utah where BYU beat New Mexico 1-0 has been making the rounds and not for the right reasons.

Why is it that the only times women's sports make the nightly news is when they cross the line?

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Soccer can be a tough game and it appears that's especially true in the Mountain West Conference. Footage of the conference semifinal game in Provo, Utah – where BYU beat New Mexico 1-0 – has been making the rounds and not for any of the right reasons.

Why is it that the only time women's sports make the nightly news is when the players cross the line?

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Of course I want my players to do well in soccer and go as far in the game as they want. But most importantly I want my players to succeed in life first and soccer second. I think many lessons taught on the soccer field can be directly translated into real life. One such important lesson is sportsmanship!

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Well, I'm at home for reasons that would bore the hell out of you, might as well fake liveblog it.
Preceding program - Who Killed the USFL? Fascinating. Probably not what an MLS fan wants to see.
Wow, a sellout! I mean, David Beckham. Not attendance. I talk a lot about how illegitimate Chivas USA is, how bad they are for MLS, how bad they are for soccer, and what a great day it will be when they finally dry up and blow away. Click to continue reading...

Please join us on Saturday, October 24th at 5:00 pm for final home game of the regular season. The Irish are hosting the Nixa Eagles for the soccer match. Prior to the game, Catholic Seniors, David Bailey, Justin Bowenschulte and Ricky Delong will be recognized.

Peoples Banks is sponsoring a barbeque by providing complimentary hot dogs and hamburgers which will be served throughout the game.

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Springfield Catholic, Nick Kofron (2012)

Springfield Catholic 4
Nixa Eagles 1
On Senior night, the Irish got the game winner midway through the first half when Nick Kofron, playing in the central midfield, ripped a shot from the left just outside that box that caught everyone in the park flat-footed with it's pace and sudden result. Click to continue reading...

After the shirt exchange that followed the 2-2 draw with Ajax on October 4, Roda's Pa-Modou Kah found himself wearing Ajax winger Luis Suarez's top. A fine and good show of post-match sportsmanship until a bit of horseplay in front of the Roda end with teammate Anouar Hadouir spurred Kah to whip off his opponent's shirt and shove it down the back of his shorts.

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The day after Eric Cantona's astonishing Kung-fu kick at Selhurst Park in January 1995 I had to attend an all day BBC senior management seminar on 'The Digital Revolution'. Roy, the deputy head of Children's TV, a Manc and life-long United supporter came up in a state of agitation about it all and it was the main topic of conversation off and on all day, especially when it became known that I'd 'been there' last night.

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L to R: Bryce Aaron Collier, Ben Ballhorn, Preston Bates, Justin Rogers, Trevor Pedigo

The St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame is sponsoring 3 Soccer games on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at Midwest Soccer Academy. The College Women (Tyler Jr. College from Tyler, Texas plays Forest Park Community College) game starts at 11:00 am. Click to continue reading...

For those of you who pay attention to these details, you know that I maintain several calendars for my use and yours. I collect, and input, all of the high school and college team schedules from the area and publish them under a high school or a college calendar. There's also a general calendar where I've posted Men's National team games, KC Wizards and general MLS games as well as Champion's League games (when they were on basic cable and ESPN/ESPN2).

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While Emmanuel Adebayor's infamous lack of sportsmanship this past weekend has overshadowed Manchester City's emphatic 4-2 victory over his former club Arsenal, it is impossible to overlook the strong impact he has made at the Eastlands already.

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That might be a bastardized headline for the story, but whatever.
Apparently the Swedish FA is deciding to do its part to curb swine flu, by recommending players not shake hands after the games.

"It's not a ban, but a recommendation," said Per Renstrom, the SFA physician.

"It's up to the players, but during a shorter period we think that handshakes should be avoided.

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Tomorrow (Thursday) is moving day for me. After 5 1/2 years downtown I'm headed for Commercial Street.

Posting will be light or non-existant until Friday. Enjoy this quiet period before the game takes over our lives with the 1st high school games on Friday. Watch the Twitter feed in the center column or sign up to follow me SGFsoccer on Twitter.

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Tomorrow (Thursday) is moving day for me. After 5 1/2 years downtown I'm headed for Commercial Street.

Posting will be light or non-existant until Friday. Enjoy this quiet period before the game takes over our lives with the 1st high school games on Friday. Watch the Twitter feed in the center column or sign up to follow me SGFsoccer on Twitter.

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Wenger: I am very happy with the team's attitude

Dear Supporter,

We were applauded off the pitch by Everton's fans on Saturday. Firstly, that shows great sportsmanship from Everton Football Club, but it also shows that we put in a very good team performance.

Although the result was a very good one and gave us a great start to the Premier League season, I feel overall there is still room for improvement, not on the scoreline but in what we did in the game.

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At the Minnesota State High School Soccer Coaches Association meeting on Friday, August 14, 2009, President Elect Bill Vance announced that Sarah Groven will be inducted into the MSHSSCA Hall of Fame at the state banquet which is held the weekend before the state tournament. The honor will make Groven the first women to enter into the organizations Hall of Fame.

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At the Minnesota State High School Soccer Coaches Association meeting on Friday, August 14, 2009, President Elect Bill Vance announced that Sarah Groven will be inducted into the MSHSSCA Hall of Fame at the state banquet which is held the weekend before the state tournament. The honor will make Groven the first women to enter into the organizations Hall of Fame.

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Barca coach Pep Guardiola has been invited along with a select few to the Elite Managers Forum organized by UEFA, over two days in Switzerland in the beginning of September - we imagine our treble-winning phenomenon was the first one called; no coach ever had a more amazing first year.
We could sit here and gush over Pep from now till next Tuesday, but let's get back on topic: The attending managers will discuss potential changes needed to favor the sport and preserve sportsmanship as well as to discuss the previous season (which can be summed up by everyone just paying tribute to Barca). Click to continue reading...

Another sign that the regular season is just around the corner was Wednesday night's alumni game for the Parkview Vikings. The friendly match between the alumni and the current boys team players that are in town prior to the start of the season was held at the YMCA facilities on Republic Road.

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Another sign that the regular season is just around the corner was Wednesday night's alumni game for the Parkview Vikings. The friendly match between the alumni and the current boys team players that are in town prior to the start of the season was held at the YMCA facilities on Republic Road.

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Come out and enjoy a Cardinal's game the week before classes start again in the Springfield area. You'll also be supporting local filmmakers by joining the Missouri Film Alliance of Springfield (MFAS) for an evening at Hammon's Field on Wednesday August 19th. The Cardinal's are hosting the San Antonio Mission's AND it's Star Wars Night at the ball park.

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Come out and enjoy a Cardinal's game the week before classes start again in the Springfield area. You'll also be supporting local filmmakers by joining the Missouri Film Alliance of Springfield (MFAS) for an evening at Hammon's Field on Wednesday August 19th. The Cardinal's are hosting the San Antonio Mission's AND it's Star Wars Night at the ball park.

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Diving is the scourge of soccer. The ugly pimple on the otherwise beautiful face of football. Mostly because it's cheap. In a game that offer so much in terms of honour and sportsmanship, too many players too often look to fool the ref and gain an advantage. Just as bad, it's also the stick that the soccer [. Click to continue reading...

Folks, this request comes to you from Ann Cook, the assistant coach at Penn State University and the finest soccer player Springfield has produced (she's a Glendale graduate and former national champion with JB Marine) I reproduce it here in the hopes that some of you will be interested in assisting her and the organization in their efforts which are outlined below.

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Congratulations to the Ozark Tigers and all of the teams that participated in their 2nd Annual Summer Sizzler 3v3 Tournament. The event featured over 65 teams which is capacity, and funds raised will go towards the Boys team as well as their non-profict partner this year, the Ozark Breast Cancer organization.

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Congratulations to the Ozark Tigers and all of the teams that participated in their 2nd Annual Summer Sizzler 3v3 Tournament. The event featured over 65 teams which is capacity, and funds raised will go towards the Boys team as well as their non-profit partner this year, the Ozark Breast Cancer organization.

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OK folks, if you want to see the US vs Mexico match on August 12th, it's going to take some work. From TVweek.com

NBC Universal is now going to offer all cable and satellite operators free access to Telemundo-owned cable network mun2 on August 12, so that all soccer fans around the country will get to see the English-language telecast of the World Cup qualifying match between the United States and Mexico.

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OK folks, if you want to see the US vs Mexico match on August 12th, it's going to take some work. From TVweek.com

NBC Universal is now going to offer all cable and satellite operators free access to Telemundo-owned cable network mun2 on August 12, so that all soccer fans around the country will get to see the English-language telecast of the World Cup qualifying match between the United States and Mexico.

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From the Evansville Courier Press, July 26, 2009
Youth sports suffered a great loss this past week when long-time little league baseball coach Larry Collins lost his battle with cancer. Larry was a great mentor of young children, and used sport to teach valuable life lessons to those who were fortunate enough to know him and play for him. Click to continue reading...

I remember it like it was yesterday. A Sunday night in April 1986, Dad picks me up from work. I had barely slammed the door on the Riviera shut when Dad spoke.

"Well, it was a good day for the old guys."

"What happened?"

"Jack won the Masters!"

Golf was the perfect game for Dad because it was more mental than physical.

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UEFA announced that they have reduced the European bans handed to Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and defender Jose Bosingwa for their conduct in the wake of Chelsea's Champions League semi-final elimination by Barcelona in May.

European football's governing body has reduced both players' suspension by one game on appeal.

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