Booing is an issue which divides supporters of the same club let alone within the same country, and one that came into focus over the weekend. Some fans say ‘You make your choice, you pay your money, you can do what you like’, but when booing works against your side and consistently costs them points,
After playing the role of the understated member of Liverpool’s back four for what seems like an eternity, it was typical of Jamie Carragher that announcement of his retirement came via a short statement issued on his club’s official website that spoke of his wish to exempt the culmination of Liverpool’s season from doubts about
The £8 million spent by Steve Kean on a player who had never played higher that the third division raised plenty of eyebrows, but the Scot has proved he can be one of the great British strikers of his generation It is often said that, in the enticing world of the football league,a player always
Manchester United could not have asked for a much tougher draw in the quarter-finals of the Champions League – but that does not mean they cannot go on and win it. The Red Devils will face Real Madrid in the last eight of this season’s competition, and past history would suggest that they are on
Anzhi may have been causing many a stir around Europe for the past year or so now, but beating clubs such as Chelsea is something new. A victory albeit off the pitch rather than on it, but with beating the European Champions to signing Shakhtar’s Brazilian magician Willian, they really have struck gold. The Russians
This past week saw Napoli confirm the signing of versatile defender Pablo Armero from Udinese on a loan deal until the end of this current season, with the option to buy half of his contract at the end of that period. Earlier in the week Udinese president Giampaulo Pozzo was quoted saying, ‘As a provincial
Every year, we hear and read about clubs splashing out exorbitant amounts of money on players and wage payments. We regularly read articles bashing players and their lifestyles, demonizing them, and, in the process, generate hate and somewhat unfair generalizations of their character and lifestyle through a few words from a gossip newspaper or an
The last decade hasn’t been the smoothest of rides for the fans of Lazio who have had to endure the gradual disintegration of their 2000 double-winning side as a result of financial problems concerning Sergio Cragnotti, the club’s owner since 1992 who was forced to leave ten years later. There have been a total of
He was the great discovery of the 2010 pre-season. The then 18-year-old South Korean Son Heung-Min scored eight times in five friendlies for Bundesliga club Hamburger SV. Then, on 4th August 2010, a friendly against Chelsea FC was on the agenda. Son came off the bench after 82 minutes. Five minutes later Ricardo Carvalho, at
I‘ve written before about my optimism towards Icelandic football. I‘m Icelandic, I’m optimistic in general, so I guess that‘s normal, right? I feel that with improved facilities, such as numerous indoor pitches with artificial grass, we’re always developing more and more good players, more technically gifted players. Our strength always used to be the battle
If you are looking for something to do at the weekend, a ticket to a local football game could well be top of your list. However, if you are looking for sporting excitement that you can enjoy during the week without having to take time off work or travel to a packed stadium, you may
Last week, I wrote that Yanga-Mbiwa would be the coup of the January transfer window. Although it is early days, I may just have been proven wrong by his fellow countryman, Moussa Sissoko. Sissoko is a man mountain using his power, strength and pace to get the better of his opposition. The Frenchman’s contract with
Going into this 2012/13 season’s UEFA Champions League, I doubt AFC Ajax were given much of a chance to do well by most Football fans, if any at all. To be frank, my humble self didn’t give them much of a chance either. With hindsight, looking back at Ajax’s results and performance in Group D,
Tuesday night and a chorus of boos ring around the Stadium of Light. The boo’s are directed towards Swansea’s Danny Graham, as he comes on as a substitute. Two days later and he has signed for the Black Cats for £5million. Welcome to Sunderland, Danny. So why was Graham booed by some fans, knowing that
This guy is right under the definition of tank, the former Wigan man stands at 1.84m and weighs around 80kg! Mohamed, commonly known as Mo is as strong as an ox, but he can also pick a pass and his stamina is there for all to see. Mo has played a vital role in West Hams
This week saw loving figure Mario Balotelli depart the Premier League for Milan in the January Transfer Window, but the controversial figure certainly wasn’t missed this weekend! Top three games this weekend: Manchester City 2 Liverpool 2 If the reverse fixture way back in August was anything to go by, this was certainly
With Chelsea’s 3-2 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday, pressure increased on the interim manager Rafa Benitez. The calls for his head were growing even as he held up the shirt on his first day in the post after replacing Roberto Di Matteo, so it was no surprise that on Wednesday night, after Chelsea’s disappointing
Since his arrival at Merseyside in the summer of 2007, Leighton Baines has been serving as the crucial icon in Everton’s campaign every season. Free-kicks, long range shooting, aerial prowess and putting in valuable crosses are the notable peculiar features of the English international. Baines has started his senior career with Wigan Athletic in 2002
Mario Balotelli can be described as the ‘Marmite’ of football. You either love him or you hate him. It’s incredible to think that he is still only 22 years old. In a short period of time he has won the Premier league title with Manchester City and was part of Jose Mourinho’s treble winning Inter
Manchester United have been buoyed by the return to training of Jonny Evans, but are still without Ashley Young whose knee hasn’t healed up yet. Otherwise, SAF has a healthy squad to pick from. The 2-1 win over Southampton three days ago extended their lead at the top of the pile to 7 points and
After a romantic weekend away in the FA Cup, the bread and luxury butter that is the Premier League is a back with a full weekend programme and the first port of call for a viewing perspective is Loftus Road when Norwich City rock up for the lunchtime fixture at QPR, presumably checking before they
Various words springs to mind when I think of Chelsea’s season so far: chaotic, wild, unpredictable, inconsistent. The latter perhaps best summarises the way in which Chelsea’s results have gone. The season started well with wins over Wigan, Newcastle and Reading, but a 4-1 demolition spearheaded by Radamel Falcao in the UEFA Super Cup against
The January transfer window passed off as quietly as expected at Manchester United as Alex Ferguson resisted the urge of distorting his already supremely talented squad with a panic buy. Wilfried Zaha did come in for a fee of £15 million from Crystal Palace, but at the age of 20 with a fledgling career that
After days of speculation, on Wednesday the 30th of January Liverpool have finally completed a deal for Inter Milan’s young Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho. The youngster joined the Reds on a 5½-year contract and took the vacant number 10 shirt previously worn by Joe Cole. In his first interview for the club’s website the youngster
It was around 5:30 yesterday evening when news started filtering through that the 26 year old Malaga left back, Nacho Monreal, was travelling to London for a medical with Arsenal. The deal, it has since been revealed, was initially scheduled to take place in the summer, as Arsene Wenger clearly recognised the need to replace