More than enough has been written about the unfortunate turn-of-events when France advanced to the 2010 World Cup at Ireland's behest.
Though Thierry Henry is the culprit, he should not become a villain, nor have his reputation tarnished by what will surely become the omnipresent fine print in his character bio forever. Click to continue reading...

I thought I should jump in on this issue while the water is still warm and explain an Irish view of Wednesday's larceny. In Ireland we do not do football dramas in small measures, Roy Keane's walkout at the 2002 World Cup practically sparked a civil war and now the 'Hand of Henry' has turned into a diplomatic incident.

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Thierry Henry is the villain of the soccer world today. He will be for a while.
In one of the shadiest moves on the big stage in recent memory, the French legend (after being offside) intentionally handled the ball in setting up the game-winning goal to send his country to the World Cup, and unfairly end Ireland's dreams. Click to continue reading...

Thierry Henry helped France into the World Cup with a handball that won't soon be forgotten in Ireland (or anywhere for that matter).

Here's Henry's Diego Maradona impression:

We'll take part of the blame for jinxing Henry by running the above photo with the Wednesday Commentary post, but in the end, the French star cheated and won't live it down any time soon.

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Thierry Henry helped France into the World Cup with a handball that won't soon be forgotten in Ireland (or anywhere for that matter).

Here's Henry's Diego Maradona impression:

We'll take part of the blame for jinxing Henry by running the above photo with the Wednesday Commentary post, but in the end, the French star cheated and won't live it down any time soon.

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Well, it had to happen, didn't it? The Interlull had been so dull and tedious the only thing that could spark a bit of life into it was an injury to one of our players. It certainly wasn't going to be the football as anyone who sat through the Sunday park football shitstravaganza that was Ireland v France last night will tell you.

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Not all the water in the rough rude sea
Can wash the balm off from an anointed Scot;
The breath of worldly men cannot depose
The manager elected by the Lord:
For every FA official Griffiths hath urg'd
To impose cruel fines against our parka'd self,
God for His Fergie hath in heavenly pay
A glorious angel: then, if angels fight,
Commissioners must fall, for heaven still guards the right.

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Fabio Capello had a quandary this morning when Glen Johnson pulled out of his squad to face the Brazilians. He thought he would give Luke Young a quick phone-call and tell him to go get his kit and boots. Nobody says no to an England call up (unless you are Jamie Boo-Hoo Carragher) However the Villain [. Click to continue reading...

Good Saturday to you all. Here is the news.

It looks like Manuel Almunia is back in pole position. Or, he would be if Arsenal was a Forumula 1 team and he'd just come fastest in qualifying, but you know what I mean. A mixture of a chest infection, family tragedy and just plain old poor form meant his start to the season was a bit all over the shop, but it seems as if the manager is ready to put his faith in him again.

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If there is one thing that really grinds the Yank's gears it is when athletes that commit a stupid act try to defend it weeks later rather then just allowing the situation to pass and admitting their own stupidity.Â

Manchester City player and Wales team captain Craig Bellamy was recently a guilty party of such a crime.

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The transfer window is slowly approaching. It is still months away from when it officially opens for business, but do not be confused...  transfers are already being worked out. How do I know this? Because it is the nature of modern day sport.

Every day of the year is considered a chance to improve your squad in the modern day transfer market.

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Sorry Vishwa. You're the man but still worth a try.

Some say he thinks Alex Ferguson is a swear word. Some say he has a bicycle kick that not even Iker Casillas would have dared to stop. All we know is, he's called THE AQUAMAN.

- No Sir, not Carlton Parlmer

Sendros is quality I tell you.

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I am sleepy this morning. And possibly a bit grumpy. I share no other traits with the rest of the seven dwarves though. No, not even dopey.

Speaking of dopey how about those Birmingham fans? During the game on Saturday they sang 'There's only one Martin Taylor', to laud the man who broke Eduardo's leg.

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Tom Hopper's The Damned United is a fun British sports drama based on David Pearce's novel of the same name. Starring Michael Sheen as Clough, the film opens in select U.S. theaters today (it already ran in the U.K. and Ireland). It tells the story of Brian Clough's tumultuous 44 days in charge of Leeds United in 1974.

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. Cheryl Tweedy via last.fm There's another 8 months to wait before the 2010 World Cup kicks off so WorldCupOdds.eu have compiled a huge list of World Cup Top 10s. You can have your say + vote who you think is the best team, worst villain, hottest wag! Brazil's 1970 World Cup side is generally considered to be [. Click to continue reading...

So he says...

"It's one of the things that you can't do in football," he reasoned in This Is London.
"It's true that if someone did that to me it would annoy and hurt me. I regret it, for sure."

I'm not buying it either. Emmanuel Adebayor has to stay the main EPL villain. Click to continue reading...

First of all apologies for the lack of posts in the last two days. It is not because I've been stuck on topics to write about. There are two reasons. A post this week will explain one reason why I didn't write anything since the end of September.

I did try posting something yesterday, it was going to be mainly images.

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Rafa interested in exciting winger.

Are Liverpool preparing to splash the readies on Aston Villa's Ashley Young?

It couldn't be sure, irritable readers, but the Mill then thought it might have seen a bloke with what looked like an Aston Villa crest on a bruise-coloured jacket passing a letter containing Enochian script that could have given the impression Martin O'Neill and Rafael Benítez are on the verge of doing business pertaining to Ashley Young.

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Apparently the three-game ban Emmanuel Adebayor got for stamping on RVP's face will cover the extra two-game ban from his excessive celebration*.
So he's free to play again*.
Though if a similar issue comes up again, the Manchester City forward will be in trouble*.
I think it's awesome that the EPL has a villain now. Click to continue reading...

Tim Howard played a blinder in his first season at United, so much so, he was named PFA Keeper of the Year. It is important to note he fought off competition from Jens Lehmann who had just enjoyed an unbeaten season with Arsenal and Chelsea's Carlo Cudicini, who both conceded fewer goals than him.

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Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie are likely not the hugging pair anymore. Last weekend Adebayor showed the world that he is in fact a "mindless and malicious" player as his former teammate van Persie pointed out. And Adebayor likely deserves a severe ban for his unprofessional actions.

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Morning Insiders we survived match day one coming back from two goals down to snatch a win last night in Belgium. We have taken the best bits from the papers today. Comments are invited as always below.

The Sun - Kneesy does it
EDUARDO dived in to save Arsenal from a Champions League disaster last night.

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Arsenal striker Eduardo, who has recently been a frequent victim of jeering from rival fans around the nation, has finally been vindicated over a diving accusation that marred his reputation of a sincere and hardworking striker. The Croatia international, who was banned for an attempt to deceive the officials by going down without any contact during Arsenal's Champions League clash against Celtic last month, was exempted from blame on the grounds of a lack of clear evidence.

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Ex-Gunners forward Emmanuel Adebayor was Public Enemy No. 1 last weekend as Manchester City took on Arsenal.
It was a role he reveled in.
I figured he'd have something extra for the fans, should he have scored, but I never would have imagined all the stomping he'd be doing on his ex-teammates. Click to continue reading...

Laurence McKenna and Kartik Krishnaiyer bat around a variety of topics on today's show including:

• Chelsea's Transfer Ban: Are English clubs being unfairly targeted
• England's 5-1 victory over Croatia
• John Toshack's Wales side gives Russia a game
• Argentina's continued failures
• Liverpool back on track
• Emmanuel Adebayor, victim or villain?

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Manchester City 4-2 Arsenal

Bit late in the day to add my tupp'orth about yesterday's match couldn't get anywhere near the pooter till now. Obviously, it's mostly about Adebayor, which is wrong, but there you go.

I only saw the stamp on Match of the Day last night.

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What to make of Emmanuel Adebayor? From hero to villain and back again twice, the Manchester City striker is deceptively difficult to get any kind of handle on.
The scorer of 62 goals in 114 appearances for Arsenal, Adebayor left the Emirates Stadium for Eastlands in the summer as one of Man City's many high-profile signings. Click to continue reading...

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Sep 11, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Time to open up the One Grown Mailbag. Our first letter comes from a J. Wicks in DC. He asks: "Have I become the new villain in MLS?" In Seattle, I suppose and maybe in certain parts around the DMV.People might have thought you were a little nuts after your tussle with Mark Burch at the end of the Chicago game. Click to continue reading...

It is strange to believe that Arsenal have already played 5 games this season. After contemplating over and over, I decided to do a 'player of the month' post. So making its way for the first time this season, its Arsenal HERO and VILLAIN of the month.
HERO: Thomas Vermalen
The first contender for this honour was skipper fantastic Fabregas, but he missed the game at Old Trafford. Click to continue reading...

The Chelsea FanCast boys discuss Drogba's renaissance in the 2-1 win over the Tigers from Hull, and in particular the curios case of the "Cross come Shot"!In a tough day for the boys with no trains and a minging hangover for Chidge, most of the banter focuses on the pantomime villain that is Stephen Hunt. Click to continue reading...

The new Premier League season has not kicked off but already it has spewed forth its first villain: Herr Michael Ballack of Chelsea.
During Sunday's Community Shield, Ballack callously bodychecked Patrice Evra, Manchester United's French left-back. This set off a chain of events that concluded with Frank Lampard sticking the ball into the net; Evra, meanwhile, was still down on the turf, writhing around in pain. Click to continue reading...

Football supporters thrive on animosity. We need to be able to shake our fists in the air and yell all the bad words at our hated teams and players.

When Jose Mourinho left Chelsea, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, a gifted manager of a rival team was out the door. I wouldn't have that same level of dread when Liverpool faced Chelsea.

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Team USA advances to CONCACAF Gold Cup Final, Will Face a Confident Mexico who outlasted the Ticos
CHICAGO, July 24 — Mexico beat Costa Rica on penalties in a tense semi-final yesterday to reach the CONCACAF Gold Cup final where they will play the United States, 2-0 victors over Honduras. Click to continue reading...

There's something sarong about Becks' attitude

I know this isn't US Soccer related, but I find this situation pretty annoying. David Beckham abandoned his team for half a season. Instead of admitting he did in order to achieve his personal goals (pretty understandable), he tried to deflect heat by claiming all other players in his situation would have chosen the same path.

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In keeping with the theme of catching up with belated news, here are the highlights from United's ongoing journey through Asia. United are off to a 2-0 start with five goals in their favor. The fact that they've played the same team twice and allowed a near comeback is nothing to... er... be worried about.

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