"Not good enough."

Three words used often by football fans to describe aspects of the club they support. They're used in relation to certain players, performances, the manager, the board, the price of a pint and a pie, how their club handles various communications, pretty much anything they've got the hump with for one reason or another.

Last night the US Soccer's "Camp Cupcake" Team followed up Saturday night's 1-0 win over Venezuela with a 1-0 win over Panama. I admit that the "Camp Cupcake" moniker is not my favorite for the annual US Soccer winter camp that primarily gives numerous MLS players and some European journeymen an extended audition for the US National Team, but I think it's important to use this moniker in light of the apparent "every match is a live or die match" attitude that seems to dominate the most vocal of the US Soccer fan base.

Pepe Reina feels Liverpool are three years away from challenging for the title, with the keeper claiming they are paying the price for a lack of invention.
The Reds have spent huge sums in the past 12 months in a bid to make up ground on the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

It was, in short, a poor afternoon. Let's just say our trip to Spain couldn't have come at a better time. More, after the jump:

Begging for Mercy

I'm a hazy mess. Well, not a mess per se. But, disappointed by what was without a doubt a toothless display of our ineffective style that sums up our season.

The African Cup of Nations' effect on Arsenal sums up the slightly oddball line-up for this year's tournament. That Alexandre Song could line out against Swansea was a huge boost (at least until his somewhat floundering performance on the day). That Marouane Chamakh could not was... well... a huge boost too.

Goal: Mock the Weekend: Paul Scholes returning & Wayne Rooney's badge-kissing sums up the madness of Manchester United

The veteran's return was just one bizarre and brilliant moment of a mad derby game, during which his controversial team-mate locked lips around the club's badge without shame

View the full story here: Goal

A news article on 2012-01-09 08:40:00 from: Goal

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish called on his team to be more clinical after they were defeated 3-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The visitors enjoyed a large share of possession but again failed to make it count, which has been their Achilles heel for most of the season.
It was Liverpool's first game without Luis Suarez after the club decided against appealing his eight-game ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra.

On the pitch, Kettering Town have picked up a little of late. Two consecutive draws have lifted them just out of the relegation places in the Blue Square Bet Premier and, even though the club's transfer embargo remains in place, they even managed a full substitutes bench their match against on Tuesday night.

There has been some bad news today, not only is Andre Santos out for around three months as he requires surgery for his ankle injury, but it has been announced that the fat blind walrus who also goes by the name of Phil Dowd is to officiate our game away to Manchester City this weekend.The above video sums up how many of us felt as Dowd threw our game away to Newcastle last season.

How does one go from a miracle to synthetic grass? This sums up the problem faced by the Lyon squad just a few days after an heroic and historical game that took everyone by surprise.

For that's the big question mark tonight : in what condition will the heroes of Zagreb be in Lorient : back down to earth (or rather to the synthetic pitch with artificial grass of le Moustoir stadium), or still floating somewhere with their minds still in Zagreb, with a heavy hangover after days of partying night and day?

Why Arsenal should unveil a statue of Tony Adams and Bendtner sums up size of challenge for O'Neill

Arsenal are set to unveil three statues of club heroes outside the Emirates on Friday. I hope one of them is of Tony Adams. Not because he was once an alcoholic, a braggart and a drink driver but because he had the courage and the will to conquer his problems.

One touch too many, a phrase that sums up Spurs' performance last night. A radically altered team seldom captured the flowing passing style that's been a feature of our season and we couldn't score against 10 men despite having all the possession and territory in the second half.

This was like a trip back in time, all the way back to, oh, last spring at least.

Commemorative Newcastle bitter tastes sweet to rivals

Sunderland fans are loving this name of a new beer, intended to commemorate Mike Ashley's ridiculous rebranding of Newcastle's ground. They say 'St James' Park Bitter' sums up their local rivals perfectly – and also point out that a Kevin Keegan brew would soon lose its head, an Alan Shearer pint would slip down easily and a pint of Ashley ale would sell out within minutes.

A ticketless Republic of Ireland fan has revealed how he not only blagged his way into the stadium for their Euro 2012 playoff first-leg in Estonia, but ended up sitting next to the home team's coach! Conor Cunningham was outside the stadium in Tallinn when he noticed an open door. Unwilling to pay the sums [.

THFC1882 present Gareth Johnson's reflections on Spurs draw at Newcastle:

They say time is a healer, hence me writing this review having had a small period of reflection. We nearly had them. It was nearly the perfect victory. It nearly made me smug. It just about devastated me.

How frustrated can it be again?
Despite all the hindrances facing the National Under-23 squad in their preparation for the upcoming SEA Games, the local game authority boldly set a "final" target for the Cubs.
Nothing wrong for being ambitious, as it departs from the usual modest target to settle for a "semi-final" in the biennial games even if we had our best squad in the past capable for the elusive gold.

The return of the preview podcast. It brings a whole host of interesting issues with it! Kartik Krishnaiyer and Joseph Weathered join Laurence McKenna to talk about the break, TV and local rivalry. The pod sums up some of the ...
This is a content summary. Visit http://www.epltalk.com to read the entire article

Throughout the summer, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been busy defending his transfer policy and denying a deliberate effort to avoid spending major sums on transfers.

In one of his most recent interviews at the club's official website, though, Wenger took the discussion on this topic to a whole new level by insisting that he is more than willing to spend big on the transfer fee and wages of players such as the Gunners' five deadline day signings, as long as the expenditure is justified.

A couple of fellas from the Azzurri Gianluigi Buffon, the legend, a consummate professional and seemingly gentleman, and Mario Balotelli....not went to visit a local prison before today's deciding fixture with Slovenia. Because risking a shanking elicits appropriate levels of adrenaline, one would assume.

Liverpool owner John W Henry is baffled by criticism of the club's summer spending spree and believes critics have been hypocritical.
Since taking over the club in October 2010, Henry has sanctioned big-money signings such as Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing for a combined figure in the region of £71million.

The opening weekend of Serie A has been postponed due to a players strike in Italy. This is devastating news for fans of Serie A especially with a brand new season ready to kick off.

In addition to La Liga going on strike last week which caused the postponement of their opening weekend, both Italy and Spain should be embarrassed by the poor organization of these leagues.

There is, perhaps, no other non-league club that sums up the cycle of perpetual crisis in which so many smaller football clubs find themselves than Northwich Victoria, and there can seldom be a day that goes by during which supporters of the seemingly perpetually beleagured Northern Premier League club don't curse the decision to leave their historic home, The Drill Field, for The Victoria Stadium.

A picture of a hot, victorious goalkeeper holding a small child would normally be a shoo-in for the lead in a results post. We see no reason to deviate from this policy just because Hope Solo happens to be a woman. Image: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images/Daylife.

Please make your way through the results post with caution.

The summer season is one really I don't appreciate in football. Agents are calling journalists left and right to distribute bs about how much club x wants to pay his player a sum of y which my sons would have a hard time believing in. How many of these players are really worth the sums that are being talked about?

Today my Europa League ticket arrived. I wasn't expecting this assumed they'd be loaded onto S/T as usual but the early start must have some impact on how these things are implemented. How exciting anyway, the new season underway and I'll be there.

I'll also be at the Olympics, but only just.

I've sort of kept my peace about FIFA and their madness as of late. Same goes for the drama with CONCACAF yesterday. Honestly I've been busy with work and other soccer ventures that I just didn't have the time or energy to comment.

Well this photo just about sums up all the energy I have to talk about it.

Thank you, LA Galaxy.

It's hard to type those words, since I am not a Galaxy fan. Far from it, actually.

I am a New England Revolution fan. Well, to be honest, I am an MLS and US Soccer fan who supports my local New England Revolution. I've not (if I'm totally honest) proclaimed "New England 'til I die" like some of those I most commiserate with.

Today we wrap up the polls with a fantastic guest post by nate of Oh You Beauty.

After a week of this nonsense, I reckon yet another introduction's unnecessary. Don't worry, there's only one more week left. On Monday, we'll start revealing the results, starting with Young Player of the Season on Oh You Beauty.

It took two defenders to get our goals today, and two set pieces to become undone again. Disappointment.

A really, truly lackluster performance for the fans considering it was the last home match of the season. Torres still looks lost. Benayoun was anonymous. The play was slow and unexciting.

It was a familiar story for Arsenal in their defeat to Bolton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon. The nature of Bolton's winning goal – from a set piece, in the final moments – rather sums up Arsenal's frailties this season. No other side have conceded a higher percentage of their goals, 56%, from set pieces in 2010-11.

That image pretty much sums up the Quakes' night. Lots of flailing around with nothing to show for it except being soaked. New York outplayed the Quakes in every positive aspect of the game. Their passing, possession, shooting and marking were all better. Forfeiting the match would have been a better outcome because then we wouldn't have to have watched the team's poor play.

Not exactly the boost my fragile state needed ahead of Tuesday.

Together again

Meh.

I'd say that just about sums up Saturday afternoon at the Bridge. It was another labored performance, salvaged somewhat by the industry of Didier Drogba, the return of both Alex and Yossi and Flo's first goal for two-plus months.

Football League 2 - Sunday 27th March
The clocks have gone forward, the end of the season is in sight, everyone seemed to have had a nice lunch and despite the chill we were all set for a quiet game of Sunday football. A goalless draw would have been very acceptable. Nothing too taxing or likely to raise the blood pressure and put us off our teas.

Liverpool will announce they will be renovating Anfield rather than move to a new ground in the next few days.
Sportingo reports the club owners Fenway Sports Group will increase capacity at the famous ground to 60,000 with room to expand up to 10,000 more.
Currently the stadium holds 45,000 but Liverpool claim they could attract nearly double that if they had the room.

The so-called business end of the season in the English Premier League can be full of excitment and stress, but this tweet sums from @ManUnitedYouth sums it up best:
"This time of year is just horrible and brilliant and nerve-wracking and thrilling and sickening and incredible.

Highlights of yesterday's draw with West Brom, as well as player ratings for that match, after the jump.

West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal by jordanip

Now onto the ratings:

Almunia 4 I'll try to keep this rating short, because I don't really feel like looking up "awful" in the thesaurus.

Make no mistake about it, there is a civil war amongst Gooners these days. Its almost as bad as America in 1861.
I would love for this conflict to end, I really would.
The split between Gooners amazes and saddens me at the same time. There appears to be no middle ground although that is where I firmly sit.

Goodbye Walter, Hello Ally... is a post from: Just Football

Rangers are still alive in Europe, but change is a'coming. William Heaney reports:

No matter how the SPL title race turns out, this season will be Walter Smith's last in charge of Rangers.

By Chris Wright

'Gross' just about sums it up really

UEFA have charged Gennaro Gattuso with 'gross unsporting conduct' after the gobby AC Milan midfielder throttled then head-butted Tottenham assistant Joe Jordan on Tuesday night.

The European association have also confirmed that Gattuso will face the charge at a disciplinary hearing on February 21st, i.

[101gg]

Not content with allowing a mere Serie A league game upstage the matchup of Europe's two most aesthetically pleasing big teams in the world's greatest club tournament, Andrei Arshavin matched his goal-plus-personality combo if we factor in the competition, dramatic timing (late winner and such), and the celebration sums up his child-like personality oh so well.