Rafa Benitez revealed he has held talks with Liverpool CEO Christian Purslow about the consequences of failure in the Champions League this season, about which Benitez said: "The first thing though is that we have confidence we can still reach the last 16 this season".
That is going to need already qualified Lyon to Beat Fiorentina away, not going to happen. Click to continue reading...

I might be a bit premature in saying this, but with our Champion's League hopes hanging by a thread, I was looking at the B competition, The Europa League.
In it you have some of the powerhouses of European football such as Stum Graz, FC Sheriff, Fc Twente, Bate, Dinamo Zagreb, Austria Vienna and other Luminaries of the game! Click to continue reading...

Columbus center back Chad Marshall has trophy-cased his second straight MLS Defender of the Year prize.Seeing as how he suits up in a few hours to decide the Crew's first round playoff tie, the award celebration will be either delayed and heightened or subdued.- Greg Seltzer Click to continue reading...

Make that two straight Defender of the Year awards for Columbus' Chad Marshall. The league announced today Marshall won the award for best defender.

Marshall helped lead the Columbus defense that only allowed 31 goals during the regular season, a record low for the Crew. What's more impressive is that he only played in 18 games for the Crew this season as he missed a few games with the US National team and a few others to injury.

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Most would agree that the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards are the two biggest individual honours a footballer can win. Bigger even than my Netherton Colts East U-14 Manager's Player of the Year Runner-Up trophy (pictured?). But which award is really the one to win? The Ballon d'Or has the [. Click to continue reading...

There seems to be a lot of confusion over how much Liverpool paid/will eventually pay Roma for the services of Alberto Aquilani. Figures such as £20m, £17m and £5m (!) have been bandied about, but the truth is the total outlay could (potentially) turn out to be much more.
On the 8th August 2009, Roma released official details of Aquilani's transfer fee. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool legend Dietmar Hamann has come to Rafa Benitez's aid by saying "People calling for Rafa's head are very premature, he has been there five years and has improved them every season.
Rafa has got everything a top-class manager needs, he will be turn it around. The team is good enough to pull through, they were pretty unlucky against Fulham. Click to continue reading...

The top of the league collectively dropped points, allowing Hoffenheim to close the gap but not much more. The bottom of the league collectively dropped points, allowing Hertha to keep dreaming about Bundesliga survival but not much more.

Rookie Coach of the Year. Also known as the Markus Babbel Trophy.

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With the Carling Cup sending us back to Manchester Shitty for a rematch sooner than any of us imagined, VP has given the boss the perfect excuse to add more experienced first teamers to a Carling Cup squad, which, we have to admit, would struggle against Shitty's first team if we sent just kids. He has made it very clear that he wants to play this one, and you just know he wants revenge for what the ex-25 did. Click to continue reading...

Just when you thought the Italian tactician and master of success couldn't get any more focused; England manager Fabio Capello has banned a fans' and players' favorite: the World Cup song.

Not content with prohibiting WAGs from attending the England base next summer, Capello is again trying to take the Englishness out of English football by restricting the players' voices.

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"I don't have to win a trophy."

Maybe a bit sensationalist to leave that excerpt as the lead-in, but the overall thrust of an article from the Times(among other sources) is that Rafa Benitez feels that progress alone is an acceptable indicator of success. Since there's plenty of ammo here, I figured it's best digested quote-by-quote:

"I don't agree with people when they say you have to win trophies.

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Its got to be Liverpool's worst run in years.Five defeats in the League already, beaten twice in the Champion's League and we will be going out unless we win our last three group matches, plus out of the Carling Cup alreadyIt is Rafa Benitez's poorest spell in charge of Liverpool since he joined us five years ago. Click to continue reading...

The Thai Port blog is reporting Thai Port, who recently ended a trophy drought of 16 years, are interested in signing PEA defender Rangsan Vivatchaichok. Which is interesting because I understand Indonesian side Persib may also be resurrecting their interest in the Thai international.
Persib will have to pull their finger out though as the final registration for players is tonight! Click to continue reading...

I've written that Garber keeps his ideological cards close to his chest, but in fining DCU Prez Kevin Payne $5000 today for calling a spade a spade—that the onfield product in MLS is not good enough and won't draw in more fans until it is—means that the guy isn't hearing what needs to be heard.
This is really not good, especially in light of the fact Payne didn't even mention bringing better players with more money, everyone's favourite MLS bugbear. Click to continue reading...

Our hunt for another trophy will continue for yet another competition after we were valiantly knocked out against a vibrant Arsenal side at the Emirates in a 1-2 defeat. At times in domestic cup competitions, we have looked toothless and our reserves have looked lost and out of sorts. Today, this was not so much [. Click to continue reading...

Please take a moment to give Spike Jones the slow clamp this morning for doing something we've all wanted to do: slap someone who's too busy on the Blackberry to pay attention to you/slap Kanye West. Dude basically did the double here and that deserves some sort of trophy for that, if not two. Click to continue reading...

Kyle McCarthy runs the rule over the eight MLS Cup contenders and assesses which teams are in the best spot to lift the trophy at Qwest Field. Click to continue reading...

Its Carling Cup time! The trophy that no big club wants to win, but if they win it they'll be happy to gloat about it anyway. Visions of Mourinho celebrating back� in� 2007 when they beat us in the final� still make me sick.

Rafa's red revolution received a massive boost when they humiliated Utd on Sunday.

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Liverpool legend Ian Rush, who maintained a healthy 1:2 strike rate for the Reds during a trophy-laden career, has talked-up the talent of the 20-year-old goalscorer who finished off Manchester United on Sunday, David Ngog.
Ngog arrived at Anfield from Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain. While his domestic ability was unspectacular, he was highly prolific on a number of levels on the international scene. Click to continue reading...

So where does everyone stand on the Carling Cup ahead of tomorrows game? Is it a trophy worth winning or a waste of time? Should it be a first team job, a side full of reserves or a mixture of youth and experience? I have to admit I generally write it off and look forward to [...]
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Eight teams, one trophy. Who will lift the MLS Cup in Seattle next month?

Will it be reigning champions Columbus? How about the Los Angeles Galaxy? Think Seattle can pull off the dream scenario of winning a title in its home stadium?

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

Eight teams, one trophy. Who will lift the MLS Cup in Seattle next month?

Will it be reigning champions Columbus? How about the Los Angeles Galaxy? Think Seattle can pull off the dream scenario of winning a title in its home stadium?

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Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman finished the season in style, ranking 2nd in MLS in saves on the year with 105. His acrobatic recovery to deny a rebound effort from Ben Olsen Saturday has him up for the MLS Save of the Week honor once again. He won the award in Week 11, but has 't captured the "trophy" since. Click to continue reading...

The Goal That Saved Fergie's Career
Uploaded by RepublikOfMancunia.

The legend goes that had Mark Robins not scored to put United through to the 1990 FA Cup final, which we went on to win, Sir Alex Ferguson would have been given the sack. This is a story that the manager denies but after almost four years in charge and not a trophy in sight it stands to reason that time might have been running out for the manager.

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What will that victory do for confidence at Anfield?
Liverpool desperately needed that win yesterday. They had gone into the game on the back of four successive defeats, which is almost unheard of at Anfield. You had to go back to 1987 for the last time that had happened and go back to 1953 for the last time they had lost five games on the spin. Click to continue reading...

Recently Arsenal FC Blog sat down with Arsenal captain and future Barcelona star (let's admit it, it's easier that way) Cesc Fabregas to talk about the pressure of playing several years without any trophies, Manchester City and on Arsenal chances in the Premier League and Europe this season.

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Liverpool fear another season of failure could spark Fernando Torres' departure from Anfield.
Nobody doubts the brilliant Spaniard's commitment to the Anfield cause. But since arriving from Atletico Madrid in a £20 million move 28 months ago even Torres' goal-scoring brilliance has not inspired the Reds to lift a trophy. Click to continue reading...

It was his birthday and the AGM was conducted in a very different atmosphere from the last meeting. So of course, in the warm bask of accolades and affection, one tends to become magnanimous.

But I saw the AZ Alkmaar match and if we are to win a major trophy, we need to do much much better.

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Arsene Wenger believes the criticism levelled at under-fire Liverpool FC boss Rafa Benitez is undeserved and "excessive".
Liverpool FC are in their worst run of form for 22 years, with four defeats in the Premier League already, and face a crunch clash at leaders Manchester United on Sunday lunchtime. Click to continue reading...

Toronto FC needs another win to get into the playoffs for the first time. (Getty Images)

It all comes down to one final weekend in Major League Soccer. I don't believe the league front office could have even dreamed up this kind of weekend that puts a lot of meaning on the regular season as a whole.

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American billionaire Stan Kroenke faces a grilling at today's Arsenal AGM.
The Times says the American has increased his stake substantially in recent months to a level that is a little short of that which would trigger a mandatory takeover bid, but he has never spoken about the reasons for investing about £160 million in the stock. Click to continue reading...

The stakes for the season-ending rivalry tilt between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids get bigger every season, and this year will be no exception.

RSL and the Rapids face off on Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium, and each team will be gunning for all three points, as both are among seven teams fighting for the final three playoff spots.

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Wenger says Arsenal are ready this year to compete for titles. Well, technically, he said the following:

I know that we haven't won a trophy for four years, but we have been very close and I believe that this year the team will do it. When I say that, it is not to please you, it is because I am really convinced of it.

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by CARL ELDRIDGE Arsene Wenger chose his 60th birthday to declare that the rip-roaring Gunners will win a trophy this season, claims the Daily Mail.

Playing catch-up with our own Vic Crescit's brilliant report from yesterday's AGM, this morning's paper says Wenger retains the total faith of the board and fans for his glittering achievements during more than 13 years as the club's longest-serving manager and the way his teams play despite it being four years since Arsenal won any silverware.

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Sacha Kljestan and Chivas head to Chicago to face the Fire. (Getty Images)

It is simple for each club, keep winning and good things happen. All the Chicago Fire needs to do tonight is win (or even draw) and they are in the playoffs. As for Chivas a win tonight and a win over the weekend could turn into a Supporter's Shield trophy.

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