You may remember that back in May I reviewed a football for this blog. You probably don't, but such is life.
If you do, you would remember that Soccerpro asked me to give an "honest, unbiased opinion" on the blog and in return, I could keep the product they sent me. To me, it seemed a fair offer, so that was exactly what I did: I wrote an honest review - that it was a good football, and in return I had a lovely football to play with until I kicked it on the neighbour's roof, never to be seen again. Click to continue reading...

KV crosses the reader-contributor divide to give us his take on the subtleties of Arsenal's 4-3-3 system.
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From time immemorial variation has led to the survival of species. Slight variations have caused species to evolve through the years, making them more adept to the environment.

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Given - Could have done better with the goal but redeemed himself with a fantastic block late on. 6.5
Zabaleta - First yellow was soft but the type of rash challenge we have seen before from him earned him red. 5.5
Bridge - Solid enough but perhaps hadn't fully recovered from the midweek injury. Click to continue reading...

Nicklas Bendtner causes unnecessary confusion!

Watch Ukraine Vs England Live Online!

"Originally I wanted the number 9 shirt, because number 9 has always and will always be my number. I've always played in it and this is the number that suits me and the one I want.

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So we're a month or so in to 2009/10, and it's been pretty hectic, to say the least. Lots of flashpoints, talking points and most importantly, lots of football. So what have been the characteristics of this opening month that have captured the imagination?

1.   There has been an awful lot of football played.

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Fashion Week in Milan always proves to be a footballer fiesta of fashion and well-cut suits. This season is no difference.

The Giorgio Armani S/S 2010 show had a bevvy of high profile guests like Janet Jackson and Roger Federer, plus a few footballers you may know:

Samuel Eto'o (Inter), Mathieu Flamini (Milan) and retired (and seriously fine) Hidetoshi Nakata.

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Fashion Week in Milan always proves to be a footballer fiesta of fashion and well-cut suits. This season is no difference.

The Giorgio Armani S/S 2010 show had a bevvy of high profile guests like Janet Jackson and Roger Federer, plus a few footballers you may know:

Samuel Eto'o (Inter), Mathieu Flamini (Milan) and retired (and seriously fine) Hidetoshi Nakata.

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Improving midfielder makes unwise comparison.

"I'm in my third season now and I'm playing more games," Lucas told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"Steven, ten years ago, started like me," he continued. "But when you are focused and you work hard you can get a chance [to show what you can do].

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Harry should make Charlton an offer they can't refuse!

17 year old Jonjo Shelvey may well have signed a new deal at Charlton but If I were Harry Redknapp I would work out a deal that suits all parties to secure the future of the hugely impressive teenager.

In much the same way that the Tottenham boss purchased Kyle Walker from Sheffield United and then loaned him straight back to Bramall Lane, Redknapp should attempt to orchestrate a similar deal for the Addicks man.

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Barney Ronay will be a future guest on the EPL Talk Podcast.

Best known to readers as a writer for The Guardian as well as a regular guest on The Guardian's Football Weekly Podcast, Ronay has written a new book entitled "The Manager." The book takes the reader beyond the well-worn anecdotes, deeper into the stories of football's top men and the world they inhabit.

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Thanks to one of our readers for pointing out this little bit of information (click here for the original and all the details at the Courthouse News Service)...
"They (two men) claim that after they got the client, MacFarlane Chang DC Soccer, which owns and operates the team, went behind their backs and cut them out of their 22 to 25 percent commission. Click to continue reading...

Is it just me or does anyone else suspect that Jason The Producer is secretly that one smooth guy from Color Me Bad who wore the blue suits? I mean we hadn't seen him in quite a while so who knows what he's doing now. It's not out of the realm of possibility. Click to continue reading...

"It's not job done, it's job to do"

Arsene Wenger on tonight's game against Celtic in the Champions League qualifying round. Given the 2-0 lead, the start to the season we've made and the fact we're playing at home many think tonight is just a formality.

Now, I would be quite confident indeed that we can go through tonight, nevertheless I think we ought to be a little cautious.

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Some good news for the Toon Army faithful!

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SOL CAMPBELL will take a 50 per cent pay cut to join Newcastle.
Free-agent Campbell, 34, is so keen to keep his career going after quitting Portsmouth that he will agree to Toon's wage offer of £15,000 a week.

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Its the battle of 17th versus 18th in the Blue Square Premier tomorrow night. Boro are still unbeaten, but have struggled so far this term, while opponents Ebbsfleet are still finding their feet after a traumatic summer which saw just 3 players remain from last season's squad. Even their official website is having problems at the minute!

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It started in nhl and I started wandering would this be same with soccer? The question came about because the NBA, beginning next season, will let teams sell ads on their practice jerseys and is exploring allowing them on game jerseys.
I understand the economy stinks and leagues are looking for any way to give teams a financial boost. Click to continue reading...

Brede Hangeland is refusing to be distracted by mounting speculation regarding his future.
The Fulham defender continues to be the topic of much debate this summer, with a number of clubs reported to be tracking his progress.
The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been mentioned, although no formal approach has been made. Click to continue reading...

So this is the best season ever? Well how come Fox Sports presented a show designed from 1967.
Get six talking heads,
all men, in black suits and no tie and get them to talk and talk and talk. Missed it? Well just imagine the staring at the picture above for 90 minutes.
In a world where we can't do anything for more than 15 seconds Fox produced that! Click to continue reading...

...So therefore it is probably fiction! Rafa offered a pick and mix selection at Real Madrid!

A lot of stories in the Sunday media surrounding Liverpool have been about Xabi Alonso and an apparent offer of cash plus players for the want away Liverpool midfielder.

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It makes me laugh it really does. Almost every bastard out there has written us off before the season has even begun and I can't wait till those wankers are made to eat their words.
There is no doubt about it. We go into the campaign as complete underdogs and I reckon that suits Arsenal just fine. Click to continue reading...

Not between the players or coaches, mind you, but the suits in the front office.
You can say it started in Seattle, when Sounders FC general manager Adrian Hanauer had some strong words of regret ("frustrated" and "skeptical" being a couple) that we didn't get to host the U.S. Open Cup final up here. Click to continue reading...

Somewhere deep in Old Trafford's vitals. A trio of smart-suited suits wait in an office. A desk sitting near-dormant precedes a chair sitting well-vacant, all preceding a season now sitting all-too tenuous.
The office door opens. The ass to whom the chair's groove belongs enters. Cue: The Tipping Point. Click to continue reading...

Hey Mark Hughes, own up or shut the f*** up.

If you've spoken to England's Brave John Terry  currently employed by Chelsea by the way or his representatives, tell us. If not, then keep the man's name out of your mouth.

What is this man on about?

Today, after revealing Carlos Tevez to the media, the Manchester City manager spoke on Terry.

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After losing the race for Filipe Melo to Juventus, Arsenal turned their attention to Blaise Matuidi, or as the French call him, ‘next Makelele'.

The 22-year-old player came to prominence thanks to impressive displays for Saint Etienne and considering that he rejected the offer to extend his contract, which runs out in 2011, Matuidi is likely to join Arsenal very soon.

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The fluid 4-4-2 has been so synonymous from Arsenal under Arsene Wenger but there are greater subtleties beneath than the mere physical arrangement of players.
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Season 2008/09 was a one-off. Yes, the Gunners have under-performed in recent years but the fluid 4-4-2 so synonymous with Arsenal under Wenger was replaced by a functional 4-2-3-1 system (although the 4-5-1 has been commonly used in Europe).

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This is Adriano Galliani's world, we're just living in it. Whilst discussing Milan's transfer rumor, Uncle Fester accidentally (on purpose) broke the news of a deal all the way up in Germany. Do you get the feeling Stuttgart's suits were popping champagne all over one another when this rude little nugget dropped? Click to continue reading...

The official site has posted photos of the club's first day of pre-season training at the training ground. A couple thoughts after looking at the full gallery of photos:

1. Manuel Almunia apparently forgot to put on his pants, probably because he's been spending too much time in the offseason around Bendtner.

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Morning to you. The sun is cheeping, the birds are shining and I may possibly have ze tiny leetle *boilk* after too much wine last night. But it's summer. Who's complaining?

We'll start this morning with Arsene Wenger and he's been talking about next season, our formation and the squad of players he'll have at his disposal.

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Yeah, it's a bit nicer than BMO Field, innit?
Real Madrid are coming to Toronto, now with 100% more Kaka. Before checking my email yesterday, I stupidly had it in my naive little head that MLSE's 'loyalty discount' for season ticket holders would be substantial. Although fifteen, twenty bucks off is nice, I'm not sure it makes sense when the ticket in question is going for $130. Click to continue reading...

Following reports from Sky Sports this morning suggesting Chelsea had lodged a world-record £73.5 million bid for AC Milan playmaker Kaka, the club has decided to release an official statement regarding the matter.

Kaka??? No thanks.

From the official Web site.

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For the second time in as many months, a Brazilian celebration went all kinds of wrong - and this time it resulted in serious injuries. Last month Corinthians won the Sao Paulo state championship and, upon receiving their trophy and hoisting it along with a player and two suits in the club into the air in [. Click to continue reading...

After helping Rangers win the SPL championship, it was great to see some American pride from our boys over there. Here's a video:

Beasley and Edu

What were the groundsmen holding them back for? Perhaps they didn't want to get those nice suits to get soaked with beer? Well done boys!

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Suits you, Sir (Alex) It's a grey suit, get over it....

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As you well know, Everton will play Chelsea in this year's FA Cup final. A chance for thousands of Everton fans to make their way to Wembley....at 90,000 capacity, there should be plenty of tickets available right? Ermm....no.

Everton have been given 25,000 tickets for their supporters, Chelsea the same.

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I'm glad that Philippe Senderos has said he wants to stay at AC Milan. For his sake, and for Arsenal's.
I've always felt that he would flourish in Italian football. The slower pace suits his game.
His best performances for Arsenal were in European football where the game isn't as quick as the Premiership, where at times, he looked out of his depth. Click to continue reading...