How did Seven Nation Army take over Italy?

It's probably the most indie sports anthem ever, but if anyone was following the 2006 World Cup then they remember the simple, ever-so-catchy bassline of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army. It ended up dominating the whole world of sports, but it became the beloved song of the Italian fans and players.

Chasing the Big Leagues Deportivo La Coruna (Spain Segunda) is a post from: Just Football

Just Football's Tales from Tier Two series continues now with a look at the promotion chances of Deportivo La Coruña in Spain's Segunda Division:

Deportivo La Coruna

Deportivo have a three point lead on Valladolid and Hercules going into week 22 as the blanquiazules aim to bounce back to La Liga at the first time of asking.

Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann believes winning the Carling Cup would represent a major step forward for the club and put the Reds "back on the map".
Kenny Dalglish's team takes a 1-0 lead into Wednesday's semi-final second leg at Anfield against Manchester City, another of the ex-Germany international's sides.

Fare ye weel, Davie Weir.
The Scottish Football Blog has often been facetious about the Methuselah of Scottish football.
Unfair that. Davie Weir was playing at the highest level in Scotland in his 40s and I'm often too lazy to play dominoes in my 30s.
Perhaps unsurprisingly Weir and Rangers will part company this week.

Chasing the Big Leagues Bastia (and the other Ligue 2 contenders) is a post from: Just Football

Tales from Tier Two is a new series on Just Football in partnership with @tiertwofooty, in which we assess the promotion chances of the clubs in tier two of Europe's major leagues.

The Ajax Experience x Sid Lee Architecture

Aside from my unwillingness to experience an angry pre-match speech from Frank de Boer, the new Ajax Experience museum is one of the freshest things I've seen.

The city is completely related to its club: Amsterdam is Ajax, Ajax is Amsterdam.

What is it about the festive season and Charlie Adam that don't go well? A missed penalty and an own goal blighted this year's celebrations, while 12 months ago his failed transfer attempt to Liverpool got the New Year off to a shaky start. And in January 2009 he was dealt a devastating blow to his career when Rangers let him go.

What is it about the festive season and Charlie Adam that don't go well? A missed penalty and an own goal blighted this year's celebrations, while 12 months ago his failed transfer attempt to Liverpool got the New Year off to a shaky start. And in January 2009 he was dealt a devastating blow to his career when Rangers let him go.

Robin van Persie is the son of a sculptor and a painter and his inherited creative genius shines through on the football pitch. Beginning his career at Excelsior Rotterdam, he moved on to Feyenoord and earned caps for the Dutch u19 and u21 teams.

Robin always dreamed of playing for his hometown club and then moving on to Arsenal or a small club in Catalonia to further his career.

U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is closing in on adding another big piece to the coaching staff, as U.S. Soccer has made contact with former Austrian international Andreas Herzog after receiving permission from the Austrian Federation last week.

Herzog would be bring a wealth of playing and coaching experience, having earned 106 appearances and scoring 24 goals for Austria, making him their most-capped player in history.

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are keeping tabs on Macclesfield Town's emerging young talent George Whiteoak, reports the Daily Mirror.
The 16 year-old centre-half is drawing attention from some of Britain's top clubs having impressed for the League Two side at youth level and is now on the verge of making his senior debut.

Celtic fans send UEFA some Christmas wishes during the EL fixture with Udinese.

The club just might get coal in their stocking. And an invoice.

Porto vs Man City, Ajax vs Man Utd and Stoke vs Valencia in Europa League Round of 32 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Porto vs Man City, Ajax vs Man Utd and Stoke vs Valencia in Europa League Round of 32 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter The three English teams remaining in the UEFA Europa League have been handed interesting draws for their Round of 32 clashes.

Europa League Round of 32 Draw Knockout Stage Result 2011-2012 December 16 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Europa League Round of 32 Draw Knockout Stage Result 2011-2012 December 16 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter The Europa League Round of 32 Draw, which has suddenly been made that little more glamorous by the entry of Manchester United and Manchester City into the competition, will take place [.

Udinese vs Celtic 1-1 Highlights 2011 Video Goals Gary Hooper Antonio Di Natale Europa League is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Udinese vs Celtic 1-1 Highlights 2011 Video Goals Gary Hooper Antonio Di Natale Europa League is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Udinese vs Celtic 2011 ( Udinese Celtic video below) Score and result:- Udinese vs Celtic 1-1 ( Antonio Di Natale/ Gary Hooper) 15 December, 2011- Europa League- Thursday Celtic [.

PAOK vs Rubin Kazan 1-1 Highlights Video 2011 Europa League Vierinha Haedo Valdez is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

PAOK vs Rubin Kazan 1-1 Highlights Video 2011 Europa League Vierinha Haedo Valdez is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter PAOK vs Rubin Kazan 2011 ( PAOK Rubin 2011 video below) Final score and result:- PAOK vs Rubin Kazan 1-1 ( Vierinha/ Haedo Valdez) Stadio Toumbas- 15 December, 2011- Thursday- Europa [.

Shamrock Rovers vs Tottenham 0-4 Highlights Goals Video 2011 Townsend Defoe Kane Pienaar Europa League is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Shamrock Rovers vs Tottenham 0-4 Highlights Goals Video 2011 Townsend Defoe Kane Pienaar Europa League is a post from Soccer Blogger.

Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher are as important to Liverpool FC now as they were when they started out on their sparkling Anfield careers more than a decade ago, according to Gary McAllister.
Injury has restricted Gerrard to just two starts this season, while Carragher has been forced to settle for a place on the subs bench since a calf strain saw him miss two rare games through injury.

Anderlecht vs Lokomotiv Moscow 5-3 Highlights 2011 Europa League Video Goals Kljestan Sychev Wasilewski is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Anderlecht vs Lokomotiv Moscow 5-3 Highlights 2011 Europa League Video Goals Kljestan Sychev Wasilewski is a post from Soccer Blogger.

Fulham vs Odense 2-2 OB Highlights 2011 Video Europa League Goal Fall is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Fulham vs Odense 2-2 OB Highlights 2011 Video Europa League Goal Fall is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Fulham vs Odense 2011 ( Fulham vs OB 2011 video below) Final score and result:- Fulham vs Odense 2-2 ( Dempsey, Frei/ Andreasen, Fall Craven Cottage, London- 14 December, 2011- Europa League [.

Besiktas vs Stoke City 3-1 Europa League Highlights Video 2011 Goals Fuller Fernandes Edu is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Besiktas vs Stoke City 3-1 Europa League Highlights Video 2011 Goals Fuller Fernandes Edu is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Besiktas vs Stoke 2011 ( Besiktas Stoke Video below) Final score and result:- Besiktas vs Stoke 3-1 ( Manuel Fernandes, Mustafa Pektemek, Edu/ Ricardo Fuller) Europa League- 14 December, 2011- [.

Retro Football Kits - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Throughout history, people have been kicking a ball but the earliest scientific evidence suggest that it was an exercise from a military manual in the second and third BC in China it was called Cuju. Modern football took years in the making after the Chinese forgot about cuju.

This probably isn't what UEFA had in mind when they revolutionized the UEFA Cup into the Europa League, hoping to give it a greater sense of legitimacy. Patrice Evra feels dissimilarly.

"I'll be honest with you, the way I fell now it is Champions League or nothing but when we start playing in the Europa League we will try to win it.

This probably isn't what UEFA had in mind when they revolutionized the UEFA Cup into the Europa League, hoping to give it a greater sense of legitimacy. Patrice Evra feels dissimilarly.

"I'll be honest with you, the way I fell now it is Champions League or nothing but when we start playing in the Europa League we will try to win it.

The Commercialisation of the European Cup - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Jumpers for Goalposts: How Football Sold Its Soul
by Rob Smyth and Georgina Turner
Published 1st December, £11.99 paperback original, Elliott & Thompson

Jumpers for Goalposts is a fascinating and funny reflection on why football has changed so much since the inception of the English Premier League in 1992, and why the old descriptions of "the beautiful game" and "the people's game" no longer fit.

Two Left Feet - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

A brand new publication brought to the general public courtesy of Football Friends Media. This is a book full of football tales provided by real life fans who have a love for the game rather than seasoned journalists.

There is a refreshing level of raw talent throughout the publication, names of aspiring writers who will be seen in print a lot more in coming years.

After over 12 months out of the game, Martin O'Neill has returned to Premier League management after signing a three year contract with Sunderland, the team he supported as boy.

For many and certainly for Sunderland fans, it is the perfect appointment, O'Neill has long since been recognised as one of the great football managers of recent times and has always improved the standing of any club he has been in charge of.

Ahead of tomorrow night's crucial Champions League against Basel, Darren Fletcher has insisted that the players are fully prepared because they know what is at stake. In 2005, United failed to qualify from the group and thankfully were saved from having the compete in the UEFA Cup.

"It doesn't get much bigger than this," said Fletcher.

Sunderland may not be in trophy-winning form this season, but their victory in the always-eventful 'sack race' may prove to be a blessing in disguise.

After looking tame and lacking confidence for much of this campaign under Steve Bruce, with a paltry 11 points from 14 matches their return, new club chairman Ellis Short felt the club needed to go in a new direction.

AEK Athens vs Anderlecht 1-2 Highlights Video 2011 Europa League Goals Sialmas Gillet is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

AEK Athens vs Anderlecht 1-2 Highlights Video 2011 Europa League Goals Sialmas Gillet is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter AEK vs Anderlecht 2011 ( AEK Athens Anderlecht Video below) Score and result:- AEK vs Anderlecht 1-2 ( Sialmas/ Gillet*2) Athens, Greece- 1st December, 2011- Europa League Guillaume Gillet scores a [.

Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Besiktas 2-3 Highlights Video 2011 Goals Quaresma is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Besiktas 2-3 Highlights Video 2011 Goals Quaresma is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Besiktas 2011 ( Maccabi Besiktas Video Below) Score and result:- Maccabi vs Besiktas 2-3 ( Yeini, Lugasi/ Quaresma*2, Toraman) Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv- 1 December, 2011- Europa League Portuguese [.

Stoke vs Dynamo Kiev 1-1 Highlights Europa League 2011 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Stoke vs Dynamo Kiev 1-1 Highlights Europa League 2011 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Stoke vs Dynamo Kiev 2011 ( Stoke City Dynamo Kyiv video below) Final score and result:- Stoke vs Dynamo 1-1 ( Kenwyne Jones/ Matt Upson own goal) Britannia Stadium, 1st December, 2011- Europa League Kenwyne [.

Manchester United vs Crystal Palace 1-2 Carling Cup Highlights 2011 Video Goals Ambrose Macheda Murray is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Manchester United vs Crystal Palace 1-2 Carling Cup Highlights 2011 Video Goals Ambrose Macheda Murray is a post from Soccer Blogger.

Celtic v Atletico Madrid Highlights 0-1 Video Europa League Goal 2011 Arda Turan is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Celtic v Atletico Madrid Highlights 0-1 Video Europa League Goal 2011 Arda Turan is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Celtic v Atletico Madrid 2011 ( Celtic Atletico Madrid Europa League Video Below) Score and result:- Celtic v Atletico Madrid 0-1 ( Arda Turan) Parkhead, Glasgow- 30th November 2011-Europa League- 18.

Tottenham vs PAOK 1-2 Europa League Highlights Goals Video Salpingidis Athanasiadis Defoe 2011 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter

Tottenham vs PAOK 1-2 Europa League Highlights Goals Video Salpingidis Athanasiadis Defoe 2011 is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Tottenham vs PAOK 2011 ( Spurs PAOK Salonika video below) Score and result:- Tottenham vs PAOK 1-2 ( Luka Modric/ Salpingidis, Athanasiadis) White Hart Lane, London- 30 November, 2011- Europa League- [.

Russia's getting better. They've got the World Cup, a moderately recent UEFA Cup title, the money and glorious landscape of Dagestan (Samuel Eto'o says hello) and, in general, promise.

The video released of Spartak Gogniev the player assaulted after being sent off in a reserves game is not what one might call "promising".

Kenny taking the League Cup seriously, like Bob did

BOB PAISLEY was Liverpool's manager for nine seasons and in every single one of those seasons he guided the club to a piece of silverware. The only major trophy to elude him was the FA Cup but that wasn't through lack of trying.

German club Allemania Aachen now play in the splendidly modern New Tivoli Stadium, but their home between 1928 and 2009 was the original Tivoli Stadium, which still stands as pictured above in August this year.

Alemannia Aachen enjoyed considerable success in the 1960s, shortly after Tivoli's capacity was increased, Bundesliga runners-up in 1969.

It's post two of 24. Read, enjoy, debate, donate.
Massive thanks to @BarcelonaNil for the suggestion here.
Foreigners have ruined our game coming across here with their wage demands, their dislike of wet Wednesday nights at Central Park, their blatterish ways.
Nonsense.

Steven Gerrard admits he is haunted by the fact he has never been able to win the Premier League.
The 31-year-old has tasted just about every success you can as a player with Liverpool winning the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Cup and Carling Cup.
But the title medal remains nothing more than a dream at this point, and Gerrard admits that troubles him.