Soccerphile Football | Soccer Blog

FC Tokyo aiming to step on the gas

2012-02-02T04:14:00.005Z

What does a club do when it has just won the second division at a canter and has been crowned national Cup champions for the first time in its history? Sign a new coach, if that club is FC Tokyo.

The capital outfit celebrated beating Kyoto Sanga 4-2 in the Emperor's Cup final on New Year's Day by officially announcing Serb tactician Ranko Popovic as its new coach barely a day later. Popovic takes over after leading third-tier neighbours Machida Zelvia into J2, with former FC Tokyo Kiyoshi Okuma coach moving back to an administrative role within the club.

Popovic has some experience at this level. He arrived in Japan as an assistant to compatriot Mihailo Petrovic at Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 2006, before taking over the doomed Oita Trinita after their relegation from J1 had been all but confirmed in 2009. When the Kyushu side couldn't afford to retain his services, Popovic moved to western Tokyo to take charge of the upwardly Machida Zelvia.

Now he's has made the short hop over to Chofu to take on an FC Tokyo squad rippling with talent. Japan international and fan-favourite Yasuyuki Konno may have moved to Gamba Osaka, but 'the Gasmen' still have plenty of strikepower on their books. Goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda, winger Naohiro Ishikawa and towering striker Sota Hirayama are often on the fringes of national team selection, while the gritty Masato Morishige, veteran striker Lucas Severino and youngster Takuji Yonemoto - who is looking to re-establish himself after a couple of injury-riddled campaigns - would force their way into most top-flight squads.

Equally impressive is the fact the Gasmen have strengthened their squad with a couple of impressive signings. Bustling striker Kazuma Watanabe and Iranian-Japanese midfielder Aria Jasuru Hasegawa have both joined from nearby Yokohama F. Marinos after struggling to make an impact at the Tricolore last season. Both offer versatility and will increase the battle for squad places, as does youngster Hiroki Kawano, who joins from stadium co-tenants Tokyo Verdy. Add to that the fact Yohei Otake and Kentaro Shigematsu both enjoyed top-flight football on loan last season and the capital club should prove a formidable force on their return to the top flight.

But while FC Tokyo are looking to build on the performances of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Cerezo Osaka and Kashiwa Reysol before them - who all qualified for the AFC Champions League just a season after promotion, the latter as J1 champions - the Gasmen already have Champions League football to contend with. They've been drawn in Group F of the Champions League alongside A-League champions Brisbane Roar, South Korean side Ulsan Hyundai and Chinese powerhouses Beijing Guoan, courtesy of winning the Emperor's Cup. And with the Champions League group stage once again jammed up against a packed J. League fixture list, rumours have already surfaced Popovic will field a second-string line-up for continental fixtures and play his first team in the league.

Whatever happens over the early rounds of the 2012 J. League season, the phrase "too good to go down" will reappear any time FC Tokyo take to the pitch. The club from the western outskirts of Tokyo city may only have a League Cup and now an Emperor's Cup trophy to show for their efforts, but they remain one of the more popular and better resourced outfits in the division. Yet such sentiment hasn't spared them before. They went down in 2010 despite being tipped as one of the favourites to win J1, and they'll hope history doesn't repeat itself when top-flight football makes a welcome return to Ajinomoto Stadium in March.

Speed inquest sheds light, BBC Fashanu doc

2012-01-30T23:43:00.010Z

The mystery surrounding the death of Wales coach Gary Speed unraveled somewhat today at the official inquest.

While the coroner concluded there was not enough hard evidence to record a deliberate suicide, instead of just a cry for help presumably, we did learn that Speed and his wife had been having problems in their marriage and had rowed on the night he died.

His children were in bed and his wife had driven off following the argument and spent the night sleeping in the car when her husband failed to return her phonecalls. Shortly after 6am she saw his body hanging in the garage.

This news corrected the initial statements issued to the press, which had left everyone bewildered how someone so apparently happy and successful could end it all in a flash.

Now we know there were warning signs, not least in a text he sent the week before when he spoke of a desire to kill himself. Friend Alan Shearer confirmed Speed had mentioned his marriage was in a rocky patch, but added that it was nothing unusual in long-term relationships.

Speed's mother gave perhaps the most touching testimony, describing her son as a "glass half-empty person" and noting sadness in his eyes shortly before his death.

It is still a tragedy with no happy ending, but at least it makes more sense now. Speed's many clubs have given him moving tributes, while Wales' friendly with Costa Rica next month should be a fitting send-off.

Speeds' death came in the same week that 'A Life too Short', the tale of German international goalkeeper Robert Enke's suicide, won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award. Author Ronald Reng had previously penned an entertaining chronicle of another German goalie Lars Leese's year with Barnsley in the Premier League - 'The Keeper of Dreams'.

***

If admitting depression remains somewhat of a taboo in soccer, Stan Collymore aside, coming out as gay still seems hopelessly impossible. Tonight BBC4 screened a documentary optimistically called 'Britain's Gay Footballers', where Amal Fashanu, the 23 year-old niece of the much-traveled Justin Fashanu and daughter of ex-Wimbledon legend John, asked why no gay players had come out since her late uncle more than twenty years ago.

The most poignant moment was when Amal confronted her own father about his famous ostracising of his brother. John Fashanu came close to admitting he was wrong to have done so, but could only confess he could have done more to help and at the time believed Justin had brought shame onto the family by revealing scurrilous details of his sex life to Rupert Murdoch's Sun.

Predictably, her quest for some sign that English football is about to exit the dark ages ended fruitlessly, with one voice after another expressing the mantra that gay men still cannot feel comfortable in soccer. Most players, depressingly, refused to even discuss the issue on camera with Amal, though QPR bad boy and twitterer extreme Joey Barton said he expected to see openly gay players within a decade.

A chat with self-outed Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas and a visit to Sweden where Glenn Hysen's gay son plays fourth division football with no obvious problems, confirmed we have no excuses left in the game's homeland. Homosexuality has been legal in England and Wales for 45 years after all.

The FA, UEFA and FIFA need to take more of a lead however and eradicate homophobia as passionately as they campaign against racial discrimination. The authorities' relative silence on the issue is sending the wrong message to a sport which revels in the full glare of modern publicity but in its social makeup and entrenched attitudes still inhabits a bygone age. Awarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup Finals to homophobic nations certainly did not help, but there is time for everyone to change for the better.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

Euro 2012 football

We're not Racist - Twists of the Scouse-Manc debate

2012-01-29T10:23:00.001Z

"We're not Racist" - Twists of the Scouse-Manc debate

Anyone tiring of the Suarez racism saga? Me too, but I'm breaking radio silence to offer a few thoughts, just as Suarez serves the final week of his ban and in light of yesterday's fiercely fought battle between Liverpool and Manchester United - the second epic Soucse-Manc cup battle at Anfield this week.

You might not agree with some of this - but remember, this is an issue of opinions and loyalties...

I don't understand football as a non-participating spectator sport. But the comments offered in today's press are not about armchair fans, so I'm discounting them. I doubt a decent appreciation of the rivalry between Liverpool and United is possible until you've walked out of the away end of either ground and got the train home - and not as a one off.

The meaning of match-going fandom is intertwined with rivalry, identity and place. It's an issue of localism and tribalism. 'Language' is often employed to deny outsiders access (including fellow 'fans').

I'll let readers figure out your respective stance in that context. If you define identity as semantics only and not syntax, you miss the point. In other words, as an example, part of what it is to be a Liverpudlian is to not be an Evertonian, definitively. That has both negative AND positive consequences.

In a chant that's been building for weeks, yesterday Liverpool fans en masse sang "We're not racist, we only hate Mancs." This is a way of saying that although a minority despise Evra for being black (the now infamous non-Scouse monkey poser for example), a majority despise Evra for being representative of Mancs.

The latest saga (it used to be darts in the eye and tear gas on the team bus when I was a kid) is really a collective demonstration of that philosophy. It's tongue in cheek - we know what racism is. When one of your own puts an axe through a lad's head because he's black (Anthony Walker in 2005), and with our legacy of being the former world slaving capital, and the Toxteth riots in 1981 - and then with the popular demonisation of Scousers over the last four decades - our consciousness is heightened.

Like most of the footballing world, many fans seem to have a very narrow implied definition of race, so how are you supposed to offer valid opinions on racism? (Reading that report (or just claiming to have done) is no qualification).

Race is a subjective categorisation of human beings used in the past by imperial powers to justify subjugation of 'native' peoples and now used by the PC left (to criticise anyone who raises concerns about immigration for example). Political correctness is a disease of disproportion and distraction, and it seems many have been infected. Time to climb off the bandwagon.

Making derogatory comments about Scousers or Mancs is essentially the same as making derogatory comments about blacks and is therefore 'racism'. Through that song Liverpool fans were all being 'racist' today, but of course no one really comments on that - because racism is actually a function and expression of any football rivalry you have heard of anywhere in the world. It's not confined to skin colour.

The point many miss is that Evra is a grass. In some respects it's not about what was said between him and Suarez, or the 'right' to complain and seek 'justice'. It's about being a snitch.

Few Mancs worth their salt will respect Evra for complaining, but they will love him for contributing to Liverpool's horrific season (punctuated by some excellent results). Of course, Scousers and Mancs understand our similarities. That's why I can speak for them, and they for us in this respect. If we were talking about Glen Johnson and Wayne Rooney instead (deliberately selected examples), reactions would be similar.

Oh, and in case you think I'm a racism sympathiser, I'm not. I've travelled the world and have been battered and bruised for my skin colour, accent, race, footballing allegiances and more besides. I just loathe political correctness - and for me, the real issue concerning rivalry and hatred in contemporary 'British' fandom is the manipulation of disasters. This was my Facebook status yesterday morning: "A celebration of another club's tragedy pollutes the respectful remembrance of your own. Rise above it Scousers. Unify your standards."

Dr. Joel Rookwood

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George's Premiership Predictions January 21

2012-01-21T13:22:00.001Z

Last time out George got 6 results right including 1 perfect score. Not bad at all.

Saturday 21 January 2012

Norwich 1 v Chelsea 1
Everton 2 v Blackburn 1
Fulham 1 v Newcastle 1
QPR 2 v Wigan 1
Stoke 2 v West Brom 0
Sunderland 3 v Swansea 1
Wolves 0 v Aston Villa 0
Bolton 0 v Liverpool 2

Sunday 22 January 2012

Manchester City 2 v Tottenham 1
Arsenal 1 v Manchester United 1

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Fifa World Rankings for January 2012

2012-01-19T01:14:00.000Z

Fifa's World Rankings for January 2012 were published yesterday at FIFA HQ in Zurich, Switzerland.

2010 World Cup winners Spain remain on top followed by the Netherlands, Germany and Copa America champs Uruguay. England are in 5th.

Ranking Team
1 Spain
2 Netherlands
3 Germany
4 Uruguay
5 England
6 Brazil
7 Portugal
8 Croatia
9 Italy
10 Argentina
11 Denmark
12 Chile
13 Russia
14 Greece
15 France
16 Switzerland
17 Sweden
18 Côte d'Ivoire
19 Bosnia-Herzegovina
19 Japan

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George's Premiership Predictions 13 January

2012-01-13T09:27:00.000Z

Last time out George got 6 results right including 2 perfect scores the last time out.

Saturday 14 January 2012

Aston Villa 1 Everton 1
Blackburn 2 Fulham 1
Chelsea 2 Sunderland 1
Liverpool 2 Stoke 1
Man Utd 1 Bolton 0
Tottenham 1 Wolves 0
West Brom 1 Norwich 1

Sunday 15 January 2012

Swansea 0 Arsenal 0
Newcastle 2 QPR 0

Monday 16 January 2012

Wigan 0 Man City 2

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Korean Transfer Window Well And Truly Open

2012-01-09T06:57:00.003Z

The turn of the year has seen the transfer market in the K-League gather momentum. Players and coaches have returned from their end of season vacations and teams are starting their winter training camps.

The first week of 2012 saw two big deals involving midfielders who may not be quite automatic starters for the national team but are never too far from the first eleven. That is certainly the case for Kim Jung-woo. The 29 year-old was a feature of the 2010 World Cup when the Taeguk Warriors made the second round in South Africa and has scored his sixth goal for the national team in Korea’s 6-0 win over Lebanon in qualification for the 2014 World Cup in September.

Kim has spent the last two seasons with Gwangju and then Sangju Sangmu, the league’s military team. He was one of the stars of the 2011 season, scoring 15 goals for a team that usually struggles. His return to Seongnam Ilhwa coincided with the end of his contract. Kim was perhaps the most highly sought after Korean player of the close season and was on the wishlist of a number of clubs but ended up with Jeonbuk Motors.

“I am overjoyed to join Jeonbuk, last year’s K-League winners and one of the most distinguished clubs in Asia” he said. “I will do my best to meet expectations and do my best for the image of Jeonbuk,” said the 29-year-old. “I have experience playing with (Jeonbuk’s) Lee Dong-gook and Kim Sang-sik at Seongnam. I think we will able to play well if we adjust together through communication. I have many good memories with the two at Seongnam.”

Seongnam fans will be consoled by the fact that the club has shelled out not far shy of $2 million to add Yoon Bitgaram to their squad. The midfielder is 21 and has already made 13 appearances for the national team. Glasgow Rangers had bid around $1.3 million for Yoon, who captained Korea’s team at the 2007 Under-17 World Cup and then spent a few weeks with Blackburn Rovers in England, but his club Gyeongnam preferred to sell him to Seongnam for a greater fee.

"We have signed Yoon Bitgaram to be part of our challenge to win the K-League and the 2012 AFC Champions League," Seongnam said in a statement. "Naturally, he will strengthen the team and help us increase our fan base."

Suwon Bluewings go through players at an alarming rate and have also been busy in the past weeks. The club said goodbye (again) to talismanic defender Mato Neretljak and replaced the tall Croatian with the even taller Australian in the shape of Eddy Bosnar. Bosnar has spent the last four plus seasons in Japan with JEF United and Shimizu S-Pulse.

Like Neretljak, he takes a mean free-kick but it remains to be seen if he can become as big a favourite with the fans. If he can’t be the new MAto, he’s hoping he can be the new Sasa Ognenovski who fought his way into the Australian national team after impressing in Korea for Seongnam.

"If the move goes ahead I think it gives me a good chance of getting back in the Socceroos picture," said Bosnar. "The facilities at Suwon are better than anything I have seen in Japan and it would give me a chance to play at a higher level."

Pohang Steelers have also been shopping overseas following the departure of Brazilian star Mota but have been doing business in Eastern Europe. Hwang Sun-hong led the team to second in the K-League in 2011 He has picked up former Romanian international Ianis Zicu and ex-Serbian U-21 defender Zoran Rendulic.

Zicu arrives from CSKA Sofia and has experience in Serie A with Parma while the big defender Rendulic has played in Austria and France.

“Zicu doesn’t just have UEFA Champions League and Romanian national team experience, we expect him to become an important part of our attack,” Hwang said. “Rendulic isn’t just a great defender, he can prove useful in attack too.”

“I wanted a new challenge so I decided to come to Pohang,” said Zicu. “I know that Pohang are Asia’s most prestigious team and I want to help the club challenge in the AFC Champions League again.”

2010 champions FC Seoul have been fairly quiet so far but it likely to change over the coming weeks while Ulsan Horangi, who made the final of the championship play-offs are also in the market for new players after losing out jeonbuk in the race for Kim.

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Man City v Liverpool Free Bet Offer

2012-01-03T11:04:00.000Z

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George's Premier League Predictions Boxing Day 2011

2011-12-26T13:37:00.000Z

Last time out George got 4 results right including 2 perfect scores in last weekend's games and will be out to add some cheer to your Christmas and New Year.

Saturday 26th December 2011

Chelsea 2 v Fulham 0
Bolton 0 v Newcastle 0
Liverpool 3 v Blackburn 1
Man Utd 2 v Wigan 0
Sunderland 2 v Everton 2
West Brom 2 v Man City 3
Stoke City 2 v Aston Villa 0

Tuesday 27th December 2011

Arsenal 2 v Wolves 0
Swansea 1 v QPR 0
Norwich 0 v Tottenham 1

Friday 30 December 2011

Liverpool 2 v Newcastle 1

Saturday 31 December 2011

Man Utd 4 v Blackburn 1
Arsenal 2 v QPR 0
Bolton 1 v Wolves 1
Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 1
Norwich 2 v Fulham 2
Stoke City 2 v Wigan 1
Swansea 1 v Tottenham 1
West Brom 2 v Everton 1
Sunderland 0 v Man City 2

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Fifa World Rankings For December 2011

2011-12-21T09:49:00.001Z

Fifa's World Rankings for December 2011 were published today at FIFA HQ in Zurich, Switzerland.

2010 World Cup winners Spain remain on top followed by the Netherlands, Germany and Copa America champs Uruguay. England are in 5th.

Ranking Team
1 Spain
2 Netherlands
3 Germany
4 Uruguay
5 England
6 Brazil
7 Portugal
8 Croatia
9 Italy
10 Argentina
11 Denmark
12 Russia
13 Chile
14 Greece
15 France
16 Côte d'Ivoire
17 Switzerland
18 Sweden
19 Japan
20 Bosnia-Herzegovina

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Barca Win 2011 Club World Cup

2011-12-19T13:42:00.000Z

Barca duly wrapped up the 2011 Club World Cup in Yokohama on Sunday with a one-sided 4-0 win over South American champions Santos in front of a full house of 68,166 fans.

The team from Sao Paulo in Brazil had looked likely to provide stiffer opposition than they eventually offered after their impressive 3-1 win over J-League champions Kashiwa Reysol in the semi-final on Wednesday at Toyota Stadium.

In the final Barcelona quickly imposed their possession and hard-pressing game on their beleaguered opponents and racked up possession statistics of around 75% which is the team's average in La Liga.

The match was basically over by half time as Messi, Xavi and Fabregas all scored in a dominant first 45 minutes. Santos came more into the match in the second period but the individual talents of Neymar, Ganso and Elano were left chasing elusive shadows as the Catalans took the sting out of the game and Messi added a fourth late on to seal Barcelona's second Club World Cup in three years.

In the 3rd/4th place play off Al Sadd made history by beating Kashiwa 5-3 on penalties after the teams had played out a goalless draw.

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George's Premiership Predictions December 17 2011

2011-12-16T12:31:00.001Z

Last time out George got 5 results right and no perfect scores in last weekend's games and will be hoping to fill your Xmas stocking with some great betting predictions for this week's premiership matches.

Saturday 17th December 2011

Blackburn 2 v West Brom 2
Everton 2 v Norwich 1
Fulham 2 v Bolton 0
Newcastle 3 v Swansea 2
Wolverhampton 1 v Stoke 1
Wigan 1 v Chelsea 3

Sunday 18th December 2011

QPR 0 v Man Utd 1
Aston Villa 1 v Liverpool 1
Tottenham 3 v Sunderland 1
Man City 1 v Arsenal 0

The Soccer season is in full swing and the race to win the Premier League and Europe's other top leagues is soon to reach fever pitch. There's no better place to bet on the action throughout the season than bet365 with its market leading dynamic In-Play product. With this comprehensive service you can make every minute of every Soccer game count! bet365's popular Soccer promotions are also running throughout the season, including the Bore Draw Money Back offer. Just have a pre-match Correct Score, Half-Time/Full-Time or Scorecast bet on any Soccer match and if the game finishes 0-0 they will refund your bet. Enjoy every second of the season at bet365!

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Santos v Kashiwa Reysol Images

2011-12-16T12:04:00.001Z

See some photographs of the Kashiwa Reysol v Santos game at the Club World Cup at Toyota Stadium.

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santos football

Neymar Magic Inspires Santos To Win Over Reysol

2011-12-14T16:27:00.001Z

Santos overcame J-League champions Kashiwa Reysol at Toyota Stadium in the first semi-final of the 2011 Club World Cup.

19-year-old superstar-in-waiting Neymar opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a superb looping left foot shot. The genuinely two-footed player was sensational in the opening half, linking well with his team-mates and showing some amazing dribbling skills. Reysol resorted to crude fouling to try and contain the young tyro.

Five minutes later Borges rifled home a great second goal for Santos from just outside the area and it looked as if Kashiwa would be overwhelmed. To their credit, the Japanese side regrouped in the second half and got back in the match with a headed goal by Hiroki Sakai from a corner by Wagner.

Santos' third was another spectacular strike, this time from a free kick by Danilo, that he expertly bent around the wall. Danilo, who can play in defence or midfield will be joining Porto after the tournament and should make a big impression in Europe.

The team in yellow refused to buckle, however, and came close to a reply from Masakatsu Saka, who spurned two great chances created down the left of Santos' defence.

The 30,000 strong crowd, who braved a cold evening in Nagoya, left happily after witnessing a fine match full of attacking play by both sides.

Santos go on to the final in Yokohama on Sunday where they will expect to face European Champions and holders Barcelona.

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Club World Cup football

Exciting Sunday at Club World Cup

2011-12-12T11:23:00.001Z

An exciting pair of matches in the 2011 Club World Cup took place on Sunday at Toyota Stadium, just outside Nagoya.

In the early kick off, Al Sadd from Qatar defeated Esperance Sportive De Tunis 2-1 in a fractious match which saw a shoe thrown on to the pitch and a solitary fan run on to the field as Al Sadd wasted time at the end to hold on to a hard fought win over the African champions.

Very much against the run of play Asian champions Al Sadd took the lead in the first half with a headed goal from Khalfan Al Khalfan and doubled that lead five minutes in to the second half with a goal from Abdulla Koni with the assist provided by much-travelled Korean center-back Lee Jung-Soo.

Esperance pulled a goal back on the hour mark when a free kick from Ousama Darragi evaded everyone and found the net. Al Sadd now advance to a semi-final against mighty Barcelona fresh from their 3-1 win over Real Madrid in the Spanish clasico.

In the later match, J-League champions Kashiwa Reysol advanced to a meeting with Santos on Wednesday after a penalty shoot out win over Monterrey of Mexico. In a see-saw match that witnessed a number of missed chances by both teams, Reysol's Brazilian midfielder Leandro Domingues opened the scoring in the second half but the home team were soon pegged back by a goal from Monterrey's Chilean forward, Humberto Suazo.

Extra time produced no further goals and it was substitute Ryohei Hayashi, who won the match for Reysol 4-3 on penalties, sending the crowd rushing for the last train home.

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George's Premier League Predictions December 10

2011-12-09T14:20:00.001Z

Last time out George got 3 results right and one perfect score in last week's games and will be hoping for an improved performance this week.

Saturday 10th December 2011
Arsenal 2 v Everton 1
Bolton 0 v Aston Villa 1
Liverpool 2 v QPR 1
Man Utd 1 v Wolverhampton 0
Norwich 2 v Newcastle 2
Swansea 0 v Fulham 0
West Brom 3 v Wigan 1

Sunday 11th December 2011

Sunderland 1 v Blackburn 0
Stoke City 1 v Tottenham 1

Monday 12 December 2011

Chelsea 1 v Manchester City 1

Man City make the trip to London to take on Chelsea on Monday and bet365 have got a fantastic free bet offer to add to the excitement. Place a pre-match bet on the game and bet365 will give you a free In-Play bet to the same stake.

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Jeonbuk Motors Win Deserved Title

2011-12-07T00:04:00.008Z

It didn’t come as a surprise. Jeonbuk Motors led the K-league from early in the season and were the best team for most of it. Choi Kang-hee’s men should have won the Asian title too but had to make do with the domestic title to add to the 2009 crown.

The inevitable came to pass on December 4 in the second leg of the Championship play-off final against Ulsan Horangi. Jeonbuk won the away leg 2-1 and then, despite falling a goal behind at home, recovered to take the return match by the same scoreline in front of a big crowd, which took the league past the three million mark for the season.

Even stony-faced Choi Kang-hee managed a smile during the celebrations after which he told reporters that he felt now that Jeonbuk had become a big club. He is right. Until their 2006 Asian title, the Jeonju outfit had never been a serious contender but is now one of the best in Korea and the continent at large.

Striker Lee Dong-guk didn’t get on the score sheet and even missed a penalty (Ulsan conceded five in five play-off matches but only two were scored) but had already done enough to be overwhelmingly voted in as the 2011 K-League MVP almost exactly 48 hours after lifting the trophy.

Jeonbuk are not a team full of internationals, Korean squads come and go with barely a name in it from the champions, but coach Choi knows all about winning in the K-League. He rarely smiles but he often wins. Well-organised, tough but with players who can really play, the champions have been formidable.

Ulsan finished sixth in the regular standings after a fairly mediocre campaign. The team saved their best for the play-offs, deservedly beating FC Seoul in the opening game and then squeezing past Suwon Bluewings and Pohang Steelers to get the shot at Jeonbuk and the title.

Pohang finished second in the league but didn’t get too much reward for a solid first season under Hwang Sun-hong. The team was never really in danger of losing second spot but, for a thrilling 3-2 win over Jeonbuk aside, rarely threatened to occupy the summit.

Big boys FC Seoul and Suwon both had disappointing starts to the season. Seoul lost coach Hwangbo Kwan and while caretaker Choi Yong-soo stepped in to steady the ship, he struggled to produce the goods in the games when it mattered. Montenegrin marksman Dejan Damjanovic had another season to remember however, scoring 22 goals, an impressive tally and six more than the next in the charts – Lee Dong-guk.

Suwon’s season took a turn for the better with the summer signing of Stevica Ristic. The muscular Macedonian scored for fun and sent the Bluewings soaring into the play-offs. He never appeared in the loss against Ulsan however as he had to serve a six-game suspension handed out by the AFC. His part in the mass brawl against Al Sadd in the semi-final of the 2011 Asian Champions League was worst than most but the punishment seemed excessive.

It was an unlucky season for Suwon. A controversial goal knocked the team out of the Asian Champions League, the same happened in the final of the FA Cup and they were eliminated from the play-offs after a penalty shootout.

The surprise package of the season were Busan I’Park. Ahn Ik-soo was in his first season as coach and after an indifferent start led the team into fifth helped by talented attackers such as Park Hee-do and Yang Dong-hyun. Park has already left for Seoul and the problem for Busan over the coming months is going to be keeping hold of their best players when the bigger boys come calling.

Seongnam Ilhwa started the season as Asian champs and ended it by winning the FA Cup to book a place in the 2012 version. Not much in between was good as the team without sold stars such as Mauricio Molina and Jung Sung-ryong struggled but coach Shin Tae-yong is hopeful of a return to form both at home and overseas for Korea’s most successful team.

Gyeongnam FC almost made the play-offs but failed at the end. Their season was disrupted by the sale of star striker Lucio to Ulsan in the summer and the sale of star midfielder Yoon Bitgaram to Seongnam as soon as the season ended, despite interest from Glasgow Rangers suggests that the future may not be so bright.

Chunnam Dragons also just missed out and the day after it all finished, coach Jung Hae-sung handed in his notice but was persuaded to stay on by the club. Also in Jeolla Province, Gwangju FC had a reasonable first season and finished in 11th with Lee Sung-ki impressing in midfield, so much so that he was named Rookie of the Year. Last season’s runners-up Jeju United ended in ninth after a disappointing season.

Then there are the strugglers. Daegu FC, Daejeon Citizen and Sangju Sangmu spent the season in the lower reaches of the standings along usual mid-table team Incheon United. . Gangwon FC failed to score for the first four matches, setting the scene for a pretty dire season.

The season was dominated however not by Jeonbuk or anyone else for that matter but match-fixing. Rumours have abounded for some time but the scale of the practice surprised everyone with around 60 players, some still playing others not, prosecuted and all banned from football from various numbers of years and sometimes life.

It was all a bit depressing but some good could come out of it if the K-league sticks to its guns and launches a more professional version of Asia’s oldest professional league. Relegation is coming in 2012 for the first time though it has yet to be confirmed just how many teams will drop through the trapdoor.

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George's Premiership Predictions December 3

2011-12-03T08:31:00.002Z

Last time out George got 5 results right and no perfect scores in last week's games.

Saturday 3rd December 2011

Newcastle 1 v Chelsea 1
Blackburn 1 v Swansea 1
Man City 2 v Norwich 0
QPR 1 v West Brom 0
Tottenham 3 v Bolton 0
Wigan 1 v Arsenal 2
Aston Villa 2 v Man Utd 2

Sunday 4th December 2011

Everton 2 v Stoke 1
Wolves 2 v Sunderland 2

Monday 5th December 2011

Fulham 1 v Liverpool 2

Mind The Gap! – How Far Will Man City Win By?

Premier League leaders Man City are 9/4 with bet365 to win the title by 7 or more points and the firm are 9/1 about Mancini’s side going the whole season without tasting defeat in the top flight.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth “Man City were given a severe test at Anfield, but they still look worthy favourites for the title.

2011/12 Premier League Special

How Far Will Man City Win The Title By?

By Goal Difference 20/1 1 – 3 Points 5/1
4 – 6 Points 11/2 7+ 9/4
Don’t Win 2011/12 PL 5/4

Man City To Go Unbeaten During 2011/12

Yes 9/1 No 1/16

Last week's Premier League predictions

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Euro 2012 Draw & Groups

2011-12-02T18:19:00.004Z

The draw for the 2012 European Championships was made today at the Palace of Arts in Kiev, Ukraine.

England in Group D will kick off their Euro 2012 campaign against France in Donetsk on 11 June, followed by games against Sweden in Kiev on 15 June, and then face hosts Ukraine again at the 51,504-capacity Donbass Arena in Donetsk on 19 June.

The Republic of Ireland in Group C will face Croatia in Poznan on 10 June, followed by World and European champions Spain in the Baltic port city of Gdansk on 14 June before ending their group games with a match versus Italy in Poznan on 18 June.

The four groups are as follows:

Group A

Poland

Greece

Russia

Czech Republic

Group B

Holland

Denmark

Germany

Portugal

Group C

Spain

Italy

Republic of Ireland

Croatia

Group D

Ukraine

Sweden

France

England

Soccer - Capello expects tough finale

England head coach Fabio Capello thinks that Euro 2012 will be even harder to win than the World Cup in South Africa two years ago. Capello's reign as England boss will end after next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine, with England 10/1 with bet365 to send the Italian off on a winning note. However, Capello believes that his side will face a massive test of their mettle, with the likes of reigning champions Spain (5/2) and Germany (3/1) among the favourites. Capello said: "It will be stronger because if you look at the groups and all the teams - particularly the three European teams who reached the World Cup semi-finals - the technical level is at the top, the organisation of the teams is at the top. "Also some teams who didn't play well at the World Cup will now be back at the top. "Portugal, France and Italy will be better. It will be a really tough tournament."

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Football must learn from Speed's death

2011-11-29T16:31:00.023Z

"All we've done is cried. None of this makes sense. I don't know if we'll ever know." Jonathan Ford, Chief Executive, Football Association of Wales.

For once Sepp Blatter said the right thing in calling Gary Speed, who died unexpectedly on Sunday, "a model professional and a fantastic ambassador for the game".

The Welsh national team manager seemed a flawless sportsman in so many ways, always trim and industrious, never hot-headed or lazy. Speed always made friends, had no enemies and appeared to have a settled life and loving family as he embarked on a new and successful career. His past was bright and so was his future.

He won a title with Leeds United in 1992, an M.B.E. in 2010 for services to football, enjoyed passing on his experience as a coach and was a popular teacher. His effect on a moribund Wales has been immediately extraordinary. After a remarkably long playing career he excelled in his final job, which makes his apparent suicide all the more unfathomable.

The facts just do not seem to fit.

He had planned a family holiday and working trip to the Middle East at Christmas; only hours before he hanged himself, Speed appeared on BBC television, watched a match with Alan Shearer, and joked with Welsh colleague Robbie Savage on the phone before hosting a dinner party.

He spoke in his final hours of organising future friendlies for Wales, of returning to the Football Focus show before Christmas and of meeting a friend this weekend.

Never has a suicide made less sense.

The testimony of TV presenter Dan Walker on Speed's final day is typical:

"He was as bubbly as I've known him," said Walker. "He was talking about his kids, how they were really coming on, and talking about playing golf next week."

Welsh teammate Savage concurred, incredulous,

"I spoke to him yesterday and we were laughing and joking."

"Just cannot believe the news regarding Gary Speed, " tweeted Michael Owen. "We waved at each other two days ago dropping our kids off at school. I'm numb."

Former Leeds teammate Gordon Strachan said that Speed, unlike some players he had come across with mental health issues, had shown no signs of suffering from depression.

"This one is right out of the blue," he commented, while Welsh starlet Gareth Bale, who has shown impressive form under Speed, summed up the ubiquitous sense of dismay:

"Everyone still can't get their head around this."

FAW Chief Exec, Ford added, "He was a model professional, a lovely guy, gregarious person. Players wanted to play for him, fans loved him."

Shearer, who like Speed's former Leeds boss Howard Wilkinson and others has taken the death badly, called Speed "bright" and "fun" and that he "lit up every room he walked into."

And this was the man who felt he could not go on living?

Nobody yet claims to have ever spotted any warning signs. His wife, via his agent, has insisted theirs was a happy marriage and that no row had preceded the tragedy. Speed's suicide remains a baffling mystery to one and all, a completely out-of-character decision, as far as everyone can understand. But the truth must be out there.

The police reported no suspicious circumstances to the coroner, while a full inquest will be held in January. All we know so far is that Speed's wife discovered his body hanging in the garage at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning.

This has set the theory-mongers off, but until we hear otherwise we cannot but play amateur psychologists. We need the world to make sense for our own sanity.

If Paul Gascoigne had taken his own life, no-one would have been surprised. But Gary Speed?

So are skeletons about to jump from the closet to explain his sudden death, or was the placid exterior and professional perfectionism an elaborate mask for a highly troubled soul and his apparent whim of an exit in fact long in the planning? And was this another Robert Enke, a second victim of a high-profile sport's failure to treat mental health as a serious ailment?

In his column for the Daily Telegraph, Liverpool legend Alan Hansen confirmed depression remains a taboo in the dressing-room, and that football is fundamentally a "brutal culture."

"Players know that any admission of a problem or a call for help would see them annihilated by their teammates," he wrote, "so as a result there would be a real air of silence when it came to telling people that you needed help."

Paul Farmer, head of mental health charity MIND, appeared to confirm football itself might have a case to answer.

"The high-pressure environment of top-level sport can cause huge levels of stress," he wrote, "and just because someone appears to be able to carry on their usual daily life, it does not mean that they are not struggling in private...Three quarters of suicides are by men. The macho culture of football means that we have seen very few professionals come forward to talk about mental health problems."

Society at large understands little about depression, and football still has not got a clue. That a man so apparently successful on the outside should feel so cornered by his inner demons that he could not face another day alive is something we all need to sit down and take stock of. We may not understand it at this moment, but we need to try.

We think we know the symptoms of depression well when we seem them in a person on a regular basis, but they can also remain invisible to outsiders as well as to the sufferer.

Stan Collymore remains the only player to have publicly railed against his treatment when suffering depression as a player, making the unarguable case that missing a match with a bout of poor mental health should be as acceptable as missing a game with a pulled hamstring.

Speed's was a death in the football family and perhaps this will be a catalyst for it to wake up to its dereliction of duty to its members. Sue Baker of the 'Time to Change' campaign for acceptance of mental health issues certainly hopes so.

"We want to encourage anyone experiencing similar levels of despair to try and speak to someone, whether friend, family or their doctor," she said. "We hope that everyone feels able to follow Collymore’s advice to seek help if they feel like this."

Encouragingly, Tony Adams' Sporting Chance clinic reports that more than ten players have rung since Sunday revealing serious fears about their states of mind.

Away from match-days, I saw Speed in person once, in a Cardiff nightclub with fellow Welsh internationals about 15 years ago. He was smart, clean-cut, relaxed and had a calm aura about him. In a fascinating moment, he, Ryan Giggs and Dean Saunders stood on a balcony together, the entire dance floor below cheering in worship of the three Welsh demi-gods looking down on them. Speed looked on contentedly, though maybe a little blasé as well.

He was undemonstrative compared to most players and was always in peak physical condition, which suggests he led a life of discipline, perhaps too much so - is this the clue to the mystery? If no-one spotted the signs, then obviously no-one really knew the real Gary Speed. The fame and money probably made it harder for him to come clean about his feelings and certainly distanced us, the public, from the man inside. Better to lose it on and off the pitch like Gazza then, so life-saving help can be forthcoming.

The loss to Welsh football remains immense, yet to his loved ones incalculable. 840 club appearances and 134 goals is a fantastic tally, plus 85 national team caps and six strikes for Cymru completes a remarkable innings.

Whilst he probably considered himself a failure when he took his own life, Speed's final accomplishment in catapulting his little country from 117th to 45th in the FIFA World Rankings with four wins out of five proves he died a shining success.

My abiding memory is of a crowd at Cardiff Arms Park chanting for a substitution to be made during a Wales home game, and a fan turned to ask his friend what was being sung:

"We want Gary Speed, say we want Gary Speed!"

When the tears have dried, our best tribute to Speed will not just be a continuation of the winning Welsh team he forged, but a sea-change in football's attitude to the disease which took his life, so tragically at the age of only 42.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

- Coincidentally, Ronald Reng's book on Robert Enke's suicide, "A Life Too Short," has just won the William Hill Sports book of the year award.

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George's Premiership Predictions November 26

2011-11-25T13:03:00.001Z

Last time out George got 7 results right and 3 perfect scores in last week's games.

Saturday 26th November 2011

Stoke City 1 v Blackburn 0
Bolton 1 v Everton 1
Chelsea 2 v Wolves 1
Man Utd 1 v Newcastle 0
Norwich City 3 v QPR 2
Sunderland 3 v Wigan Athletic 0
WBA 1 v Tottenham 2
Arsenal 2 v Fulham 1

Sunday 27th November 2011

Swansea City 1 v Aston Villa 1
Liverpool 1 v Manchester City 0

Boas Constricted To Just One Season? – Chelsea Boss Odds-On For Short Stay
Andre Villas-Boas is now 8/13 with bet365 not to be in the Stamford Bridge dugout at the start of the 2012/13 Premier League campaign and 11/4 not to be in charge against Wolves on Jan 2nd.
bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth “Villas-Boas has barely got his feet under the table but the shelf life of a manager seems to be getting shorter and shorter.

“Chelsea are already 4/9 to win nothing this season, they could be playing in the Europa League instead of with Europe’s elite in a competition that the owner is very keen to win and we’re just 8/1 about the Blues finishing seventh or lower in the Premier League.
“When you put that spin on it you can see why we’ve gone from 5/6 to 4/6 and then 8/13 in a matter of days.”
Chelsea Specials
Will Andre Villas-Boas Start 2012/13 PL Season As Chelsea Manager
Yes 6/5 No 8/13
Andre Villas-Boas In Charge Against Wolves – Jan 2nd 2012
Yes 1/4 No 11/4
Will Chelsea Win A Major Trophy During 2011/12
Yes 13/8 No 4/9
Where Will Chelsea Finish 2011/12 PL Season
1st 14/1 2nd 11/2
3rd 11/5 4th 3/1
5th 5/1 6th 9/1
7th or Lower 8/1

Last week's Premier League predictions

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George's Premiership Predictions November 18

2011-11-18T09:32:00.003Z

Last time out George got 4 results right and no perfect scores in the games before the international break.

Saturday 19th November 2011

Norwich City 1 v Arsenal 2
Everton 2 v Wolves 1
Manchester City 3 v Newcastle 1
Stoke City 1 v QPR 0
Sunderland 2 v Fulham 2
WBA 2 v Bolton 2
Wigan Athletic 1 v Blackburn 1
Swansea City 2 v Man Utd 3

Sunday 20th November 2011

Chelsea 2 v Liverpool 1

Sunday 21st November 2011

Tottenham Hotspur 3 v Aston Villa 1

Promoted Trio Impressing Bookmakers
bet365 are now 66/1 about the promoted trio of QPR, Norwich and Swansea all returning to the Championship at the end of the season after an impressive start to their Premier League campaigns.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth “We were offering 14/1 about all three going straight back down during pre-season and our 6/4 quote for QPR, Norwich and Swansea to all avoid the drop gives us an indication about how well the new boys have done so far this season.”

Premier League Special

How Many Promoted Teams Will Be Relegated?
None 6/4 One 5/6
Two 13/2 Three 66/1
(QPR, Norwich & Swansea)

Last week's Premier League predictions

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International night, Euro 2012 finalists set

2011-11-16T00:28:00.009Z

The final lineup for next summer's European Championship in Poland & Ukraine is now set after tonight's playoff second legs, with a strong field of sixteen heading for Eastern Europe.

There were no winning fightbacks following the first legs and Portugal, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Ireland and Croatia all advanced to Euro 2012, eliminating respectively Bosnia & Herzogovina, Montenegro, Estonia and Turkey.

The sixteen qualifiers are thus:

Poland, Ukraine, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, France, England, Portugal, Denmark, Croatia, Sweden, Eire, Czech Republic, Greece and Russia.

All the big guns are there, and Croatia, Sweden, Russia and Ireland make the boat having missed out on the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

The Netherlands' Klaas-Jan Huntelaar finished as top scorer in Europe with twelve goals, followed by Germany's Miroslav Klose with nine.

England were the best supported team with an average home crowd of 77,000, followed by France with 65,000.

The draw for the finals takes place in Kiev on the 2nd of December and the tournament itself is from the 8th of June until the 1st of July.

***

* World Champions Spain's lukewarm friendly form continued when they scraped a 2-2 draw in Costa Rica. Trailing 2-0 at the interval, David Silva pulled one back in the 83rd minute and David Villa spared their blushes with a leveller three minutes into injury time. As with Saturday's defeat to England, Spain fielded a full-strength team for the clash in San Jose, Costa Rica.

In other European friendlies, Germany blanked the Netherlands 3-0 in Hamburg, Italy lost 0-1 to Uruguay in Rome, England beat Sweden for the first time since 1968, 1-0 in London, while France drew 0-0 at home to Belgium. The USA won 3-2 in Slovenia while there were home wins for both Euro 2012 hosts: Poland beat Hungary and Ukraine Austria, both by 2-1 scorelines.

* Argentina overturned a half-time deficit to beat Colombia 2-1 in their 2014 World Cup qualifier in Barranquilla, Colombia. Lionel Messi equalised Dorlan Pabon's opener on the hour mark and Sergio Aguero bagged the winner with five minutes to play. In another CONMEBOL qualifier, Ecuador beat Peru 2-0 in Quito.

* Asian giants Japan and South Korea both lost in 2014 qualifying tonight - Nippon lost 1-0 away to North Korea, while the Korean Republic lost 2-1 away to Lebanon. Australia won 1-0 in Thailand, China won 4-0 in Singapore and Iran won 4-1 in Indonesia. There were also qualifiers among the lesser nations of Africa and the CONCACAF region.

* In the pick of tonight's African friendlies, Nigeria beat Zambia 2-0, Ghana beat Gabon 2-1 and Zimbabwe beat neighbours South Africa 2-1.

(c) Sean O'Conor and Soccerphile

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When the Kings came to town

2011-11-13T00:02:00.014Z

England 1:0 Spain
Wembley Stadium, London

Wembley was full, sold on the dream of the king's touch, as the world's No.1 soccer nation Spain dropped by for an evening.

A strange pre-match atmosphere, as the usual patriotic fantasy rang increasingly hollow: No-one expected England to win and most were hoping for a defeat short of embarrassing.

A 90,000 defending army expected its fortress to be breached, and that it would only be a matter of when, not if the Spanish Armada would get revenge for 1588.

They had their full team out: Xavi, Iniesta and David Villa were facing Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott and Danny Welbeck - ouch!

In the first five minutes the red sea washed over Wembley as expected, Spain marinating possession and donning the mantle of the home side as they took their game confidently to their raw hosts. England were second best, pinned back in their own half, unable to string multiple passes together or create moments of danger. This was no ordinary home game.

Spain enjoyed the (three) lions' share of of the ball and out-shot England 21 to 3 overall, but never showed real 'animo' until they chased an equalizer in the final quarter, instead stroking the ball around as gently as crown green bowls. It was a lesson for the land of macho power-play from a visiting maestro. Simple yet brilliant: Play it to feet and flick it quickly when danger nears but never lose possession.

Yet Fabio Capello's team still merited their win for holding firm having stolen the lead against the run of play. Scott Parker's astute anchoring and his last-ditch lunges saved the day more than once, while the lone strike was a goal made in England. James Milner muscled away on the left and won a free-kick. He looped his set piece into the melée and Darren Bent soared highest to nod the ball against the post.

Enter the wily old head of Frank Lampard, increasingly tipped to lose his place as he drew level with Bryan Robson on 90 caps, as the only one following up as an open goal gaped. England wanted it more and were hungry for the scalp of FIFA's No.1-ranked nation. Their defence held firm and withstood the Spanish onslaught; job done.

Yet Spain were clearly a class apart and England fans left buoyant but slightly subdued, knowing a narrow win had probably flattered the hosts. Even the loudest loudmouths at Wembley began hollering at England to pass and keep the ball down after a few minutes of watching la furia roja hold sway with effortless élan.

The fruits of tiki-taka are still ripe, a playing system streets ahead of any other in 2011.

England and other nations play in a linear fashion, hitting front men with crosses or runners in channels or working the ball upfield with diagonal passes or dribbles. Spain eschew the 'droit au but' approach and prefer to keep possession, spinning a spider's web of flicks and passing triangles which send ball-watchers' heads spinning as the play changes direction with every pass.

Only late in the game with the introduction of Fernando Torres to supplement Cesc Fabregas did Spain attack in a more 'vertical' way.

Tiki-taka is maddeningly predictable yet unplayable at the same time, a winning formula that has bagged the European Championship and World Cup in an unprecedented golden age for a hitherto jinxed giant.

Spain are not all-conquering however and have already been beaten five times since 2008 as it happens, twice competitively - the USA beat them 2-0 at 2009's Confederations Cup and Switzerland edged them 1-0 at last year's World Cup. Make that six losses for the champions now. Friendly defeats have come in Italy (2-1) this summer, and in Portugal (4-0) and Argentina (4-1) last year.

It is as if in away friendlies the Spaniards take their feet off the gas and use them for practice and make sure they do not lose when it really matters, while the home teams are eager to beat the World Champions.

The US beat Spain in 2009 through conceding the wings and forming two solid banks of four to frustrate their close-passing through the middle, leaving American speedsters Landon Donovan and Charlie Davies to chase balls over midfield and stop the Spanish full-backs overlapping. Like England at Wembley, Switzerland grabbed a goal and kept a tight ship to frustrate the more talented Spaniards and hold out for a close win. Spain are beatable.

Being reigning European and World champions can become a millstone - everyone wants to say they beat you so they raise their game accordingly. As Spain manager Vicente del Bosque confirms,

"Anything except winning will be seen as a disaster and that doesn't help us at all."

For England, there was little to get excited about, but some green shoots showing promise: Danny Welbeck and Jack Rodwell impressed, Phil Jones fought manfully out of position, while man of the match Scott Parker proved why he should have gone to South Africa.

England remain an underachiever on the competitive stage but had beaten three World Cup holders at Wembley before Saturday: West Germany were dispatched 3-1 in 1954 and 2-0 in 1974, while Argentina with a teenage Diego Maradona succumbed 3-1 under the twin towers in 1978.

Beating the mighty Spain in 2011 in a friendly will not count for much in the long run, though a win is a win is a win.

Euro 2012 will be a whole different ball game.

ENG: Hart, G.Johnson, Lescott, Jagielka, Cole, Walcott (Downing 46'), Jones (Rodwell 56'), Parker (Walker 85'), Milner (A.Johnson 76'), Lampard (Barry 56'), Bent (Wellbeck) 63'.

SPA: Casillas (Reina 46'), Arbeloa, Pique, Ramos (Puyol 74'), Alba, Busquets (Torres 64'), Alonso, Xavi (Fabregas 46'), Iniesta (Cazorla 74'), Silva (Mata 46'), Villa.

Goal: Lampard 49'.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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FIFA back down in poppy row

2011-11-10T11:19:00.007Z

England will be allowed to wear poppies on their shirts against Spain on Saturday after all, albeit as an armband.

An extraordinary row had been stirred up after the Football Association announced the England team would sport the Remembrance Day flower for their friendly against the World Champions. Scotland and Wales plan to do the same for their games against Cyprus and Norway.

FIFA reacted monolithically by refusing to countenance it, citing their regulations against "political, religious or commercial" symbols on national team shirts.

Political leaders and royalty reacted with rage, the London media went into frenzy and two members of the English Defence League, a protest group which draws a number of soccer thugs, scaled the roof of FIFA House in Zurich to protest.

Ignoring the fact that several nations' shirts have Christian crosses or Islamic crescents on them, or that Adidas, FIFA's favourite manufacturer, Nike, Umbro and other brands already have their logos emblazoned on shirts, the accusation that the poppy was a political symbol was well wide of the mark.

Poppies are ubiquitous in England in the week leading up to the 11th of September commemoration of those who served and/or died in conflicts. Military veterans man the entrances and exits to every major railway station, adults and children alike wear them and no TV presenter would be seen dead without the little red flower in their lapel.

Indeed, the pressure to be seen honouring the fallen has led to some complaining of 'poppy fascism'.

But it is definitely not "political". All parties unite to lay wreaths at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, Britain's national war memorial. The poppy, which comes from Canadian John McCrae's 'In Flanders Fields' poem and American campaigner Moina Michael, succeeds in uniting the nation in quiet reflection, pacifists and non-pacifists alike.

On that basis, FIFA should never have interfered with something so close to a nation's heart which was a one-off because it just so happened England had a friendly at home a day after Armistice Day. The interventions of UK Prime Minister David Cameron and future king Prince William were probably due to their unpleasant experiences at the World Cup vote a year ago, where both left fuming at having been lied to by FIFA Ex.Co. members.

At the same time, did England need to wear a poppy? Their alternative plans of having a giant red flower on the pitch and having poppies on England training shirts and tracksuits and a minute's silence before kick-off surely would have made the point that football remembers too.

1,000 servicemen and women are due to attend to as part of the FA's 'Tickets for Troops' giveaway. Indeed, there has been a creeping military feel to England home games in the last few years. Now it is customary for uniformed soldiers to carry the flags around the field, to sometimes line up to be honoured and for the P.A. system to encourage the crowd to applaud, as 'Help for Heroes' collectors raise money for the families of those serving in Afghanistan.

The connection between the national team and the national army is becoming a little blurred in England, and FIFA were right to assume all national shirts should be left alone, but equally the strength of feeling in Britain on the issue was something they should have been aware of before clumsily putting their foot down.

In terms of football politics, England and FIFA look as far apart as ever, with the motherland of the game having given up the dream of ever hosting the World Cup again. Until regime change happens in Zurich, the FA can content themselves with mini-victories like this one.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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England To Base In Krakow For Euro 2012

2011-11-09T01:27:00.002Z

The English FA have announced that the England team at Euro 2012 will be based in the historic city of Krakow in Poland. The team will stay at the city centre Hotel Stary close to Rynek Square in the Old Town district and train at the rather dilapidated Hutnik Municipality Stadium on the city's outskirts.

Krakow is Poland's second largest city after Warsaw, the capital, and is Poland's major cultural and artistic centre. Krakow is not one of Poland's Euro 2012 venue cities and is a five hour train journey (with no beer on sale) to Wroclaw.

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Al Sadd Defy Odds To Take Asian Crown

2011-11-08T04:48:00.006Z

“I think I am not in the best condition to analyse it. At this moment, my feeling is stronger than my reason.”

Those were the words of Jorge Fossati, the coach of newly-crowned Asian Champions Al Sadd, deep in the bowels of Jeonju World Cup Stadium on Saturday evening. The Uruguayan had just watched a fantastic final in which his team overcame favourites and host Jeonbuk Motors thanks to a penalty shootout.

120 minutes ended 2-2 in a game that the Koreans had the chances to win but the Qataris held out and took the shootout 4-2 thanks to two saves from man of the match Mohamed Saqr.

“I am happy for everyone but especially for Saqr,” said Fossati. “When I came back to the club in January, many people told me that he couldn’t play anymore and that he was too old. Today, he was fantastic but that was not the only game in this competition in which he was fantastic. Jeonbuk players did not miss the penalties, he saved them. In the game also, he made two or three very important saves. One in the last minute was extraordinary.”

Al Sadd weren’t even supposed to be in the competition at all and were only placed in the qualifying round to replace a Vietnamese team that had failed to submit the correct documentation. Fossati steered the team to the knockout stage where they managed to make the last four despite losing both legs of the quarter-final to Sepahan. The Iranians had fielded an ineligible player and were punished accordingly.

Onwards went the men from Doha to a tricky semi-final against two-time continental champs Suwon Bluewings. In Korea in the first leg, Al Sadd were surprisingly leading 1-0 when Senegalese striker Mamadou Niang scored his second of the evening. It almost caused a riot. Suwon had allowed the ball to go out of play to give injured players time for treatment and expected to get it ball.

Kader Keita didn’t see it that way. Suwon had attacked for a while before the ball was out for a throw-in and the Ivory Coast international decided that cancelled any rights to sportsmanship and with the entire Suwon team in the Qatari half, he passed the ball forward for an unmarked and almost unseen Niang to score.

A huge fight followed. Fans were on the pitch, noses were broken, kicks came flying in and coaching staff got involved. Eventually the dust settled and although Al Sadd lost the second leg 1-0 in one of the most defensive home displays you will see, the team booked their place in the final.

Jeonbuk should have won. The 2006 champions took an 18th minute lead with an Eninho free-kick but soon after Sim Woo-yeon headed into his own net from a Keita cross. The African produced a moment of real quality on the hour to volley home past Kim Min-sik to put the Qataris ahead.

Jeonbuk had already had chances and put on tournament top scorer Lee Dong-gook who had been struggling to recover from a thigh injury. Eventually the pressure paid off and Lee Hyun-sung headed home a last-minute equaliser.

As the game went into extra-time, again, all expected Jeonbuk to triumph. Al Sadd looked tired and had taken off their two most creative players, Keita and Ibrahim Khalfan. The Koreans had their tails up and 41,805 fans were in full voice. But three times the home team hit the woodwork and just as in normal time, when they were on target, Saqr was on hand to palm the ball away. Whatever Jeonbuk did, they could just not get the all important goal.

“Tonight's defeat came from so many chances from which we failed to score,” said coach Choi Kang-hee. “Conceding the first goal was decisive. Some of our players got too excited during the game...I told the players we would have chances to score in extra-time but we were not able to take them. It is very frustrating to lose in this way but the players did all they could."

They did but it was just not to be and even before the shootout, there was a sense that Sadd would finish triumphant. That was before Kim Dong-chan and Lee Hyun-sung saw Saqr save their spot kicks. In between, Al Sadd’s Korean defender Lee Jung-soo hit the bar to give fans some hope but his team-mates soon extinguished that faint flame to signal the start of a parth thousands of miles to the west.

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George's Premiership Predictions November 5

2011-11-04T00:13:00.001Z

Last week George got 4 results right and no perfect scores, but expect some fireworks this weekend.

Saturday 5th November 2011

Newcastle 1 v Everton 1
Arsenal 2 v WBA 0
Aston Villa 2 v Norwich City 1
Blackburn 1 v Chelsea 2
Liverpool 3 v Swansea City 1
Man Utd 2 v Sunderland 0
QPR 0 v Manchester City 3

Sunday 30th November 2011

Wolves 1 v Wigan Athletic 1
Bolton 2 v Stoke City 2
Fulham 1 v Tottenham 1

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George's Premiership Predictions October 29

2011-10-28T13:31:00.001+01:00

George had a mixed week last week and got 3 results right and 2 perfect scores - Wolves 2 v Swansea City 2 and Blackburn 1 v Tottenham 2.

Saturday 29th October 2011

Everton 2 v Man Utd 2
Chelsea 2 v Arsenal 0
Manchester City 3 v Wolves 0
Norwich City 2 v Blackburn 1
Sunderland 1 v Aston Villa 1
Swansea City 1 v Bolton 0
Wigan Athletic 1 v Fulham 1
WBA 1 v Liverpool 1

Sunday 30th October 2011

Tottenham 2 v QPR 0

Monday 31st October

Stoke City 3 v Newcastle United 1

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Three-way race for the J. League title

2011-10-28T03:53:00.009+01:00

And then there were three. Two familiar contenders, one plucky outsider and four league games are all that stand between Kashiwa Reysol, Gamba Osaka, Nagoya Grampus and the J. League title.

Autumn is especially beautiful across the Kantō Plain, when the deciduous leaves fall and a mellow sunlight light frames the back streets and alleys of one of the world's most populous regions. That's true even in the gritty industrial Chiba town of Kashiwa, where the locals are hoping their promoted upstarts can win back to back championships.

Kashiwa Reysol coasted through J2 last season, holding off the challenge of Ventforet Kofu to win the second division by ten points. At the helm was grizzled Brazilian coach Nelsinho, whose association with Japanese football is so lengthy his first club Verdy was still based in Kawasaki. The much-travelled tactician won the J. League with Verdy and later took over at the club formerly known as Nagoya Grampus Eight, before embarking on a peripatetic waltz around his native Brazil.

He's back in the J. League now and Nelsinho's knowledge of Brazilian has proved especially useful in the realm of player recruitment. In 2010 he signed Leandro Domingues from Bahia club Vitoria and watched contentedly as the playmaker steered the Sun Kings to the second tier title. This year he drafted in veteran Jorge Wagner from Sao Paulo and the versatile attacking talent has produced a stellar campaign. Add to that the goals of strikers Junya Tanaka and Hideaki Kitajima and it's no surprise Kashiwa's sheer attacking strength has propelled them to the top of the table.

Standing in Kashiwa's way are defending champions Nagoya Grampus. The Aichi side broke their long trophy drought by winning the J. League for the first time last season, employing the not-so-novel tactic of simply signing the best players from rival teams. Former Urawa Reds talisman Marcus Tulio Tanaka and ex-Yokohama F. Marinos defender Hayuma Tanaka were joined this season by one-time Shimizu S-Pulse star Jungo Fujimoto and ex-Vissel Kobe speedster Kensuke Nagai - widely regarded as one of the most promising talents in Asian football. It's a tried-and-true tactic and combined with Australian international Josh Kennedy's unquenchable thirst for goals, Nagoya have slowly muscled their way up the standings and are currently breathing down Kashiwa's neck in the race for the championship.

Sandwiched between the pair are Gamba Osaka, who have endured a strange campaign at their Suita city home. The Osakans started slowly and sold prolific striker Adriano to Qatari club Al-Jaish, after he'd scored nine goals in just eight league games. They looked like they'd struggle without him, until the arrival of Rafinha from J2 side Thespa Kusatsu. The Brazilian has made his compatriot look positively sluggish, blasting home 10 goals in 14 league games - including a hat-trick against Kawasaki Frontale - and just as importantly laying on several more for strike partner Lee Keun-Ho, who has suddenly transformed into one of the most dynamic strikers in the league. With Yasuhito Endo pulling the strings in midfield and plenty of big-match experience behind them, it's unlikely Gamba will be the first to blink in a tense three-team tussle for the title.

Nagoya arguably have the easiest run home, while all three teams face tough looking away trips on the final day of the campaign. Grampus are on the road to Big Swan Stadium where they will face Albirex Niigata, while Gamba Osaka face a daunting trip to the parochial Nihondaira Stadium to take on mid-table outfit Shimizu S-Pulse. It's Kashiwa who look set to face the toughest trip of all, as they cross the Kantō Plain to take on a Urawa Reds side battling relegation.

Urawa's wretched campaign is perhaps best summed up by the fact they sacked coach Zeljko Petrovic just a fortnight out from a League Cup final. The final straw was a 1-0 home defeat to Saitama city rivals Omiya Ardija, which prompted Petrovic to claim he'd resign at the end of the season. He wasn't given the chance, and former youth team coach Takafumi Hori is the man charged with the task of ensuring one of Japan's most popular clubs avoids relegation for the second time in their checkered history.

Urawa are locked in a dogged battle with Ventforet Kofu to avoid the final relegation place - Montedio Yamagata and Avispa Fukuoka are already doomed - and Kofu's lanky Japan international Mike Havenaar is on a single-handed mission to prolong Kofu's stay in the top flight. The man known as "Mike" has scored 16 of Kofu's 36 goals so far and with European clubs rumoured to be taking an interest in the 194-centimetre giant, a player who recently scored his first international goals for Japan could be set for a barnstorming finish to the campaign.

There's little doubt another thrilling finale lies in store for one of the world's most entertaining leagues. Will Kashiwa Reysol hold their nerve and become the first team to win back to back J2 and J1 championships? Will Gamba Osaka spoil the party and destroy the dreams of Nagoya Grampus in the process? And can Urawa Reds shake off Ventforet Kofu in the quest to maintain their top-flight status? Time will tell, but as the first of the winter chills rustles the falling leaves on Japan's busy thoroughfares and streets, the J. League is only just starting to heat up.

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City's pyrrhic victory?

2011-10-25T01:47:00.014+01:00

Manchester United 1:6 Manchester City

Scorelines don't come much more amazing than Sunday's Mancunian derby, but was there really much reason to celebrate, however many records tumbled at Old Trafford?

With a few days' recuperation from that shellshock of a final score, can the result be deemed a welcome riposte to or even wholescale power shift from the hegemony of moneybags Chelsea and Manchester United, or another symptom of the obscene, out-of-control spending in the English top division which is upsetting its natural order of competition?

Watching Fergie's nose rubbed into the dirt certainly had its charms for those of us who do not buy into the 'Glory glory Man United' hype machine, as the Scot's lazily applied moniker of 'football genius' suddenly hung by a thread after such a an utter pasting.

And it was not unpleasant to see City's supporters for once get the upper hand on their storied and hitherto more monied rivals. The Blues have played Torino to Juventus, Espanol to Barcelona for so many long and grueling years, that anyone's sense of fairness would not begrudge them a moment in the sun.

For my whole life Man City, who last lifted the Championship in 1968 and whose last taste of glory was the 1970 Cup Winners' Cup before last season's FA Cup win, have seemed cursed to underachieve. Even when they looked like winning the FA Cup in 1981, their goalscorer Tommy Hutchinson then put through his own net to let Tottenham back in to triumph, after a replay.

A sense of injustice turned into angry frustration among some fans, a similar phenomenon one can witness at Cardiff City or Leeds, but after an endless string of disappointments, along came rich men from the East bearing gifts. David could fear Goliath no more and City had arrived.

Yet the underdog tag which won City sympathy is fast evaporating in the face of such a merciless spending spree by the Abu Dhabian owners. Just take a look at the Blues' winning team. Whilst five were Englishmen, only one had come through the City youth system (Micah Richards). United by comparison fielded eight Brits throughout the 90 minutes, two of whom had been developed in-house. But City's foreign legion surely eclipsed United's, whose overseas stars comprised Anderson, David De Gea, Patrice Evra, Javier Hernandez and Nani.

Compare that to the ambrosial cornucopia of Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli, Gael Clichy, Edin Dzeko, Alexsandar Kolarov, Vincent Kompany, Samir Nasri and Yaya Touré, plus the Premier League's top entertainer of the hour, David Silva. United had been outspent off the field and thus outgunned on the pitch.

With the Arab owners pouring money into a new academy complex and showing no signs of acknowledging any recession, City will soon spend their way to the heights of England, Europe and the world.

With no restriction on salaries, money does not just talk in the Premier League, it bellows. The pyrrhic element to this famous win will tell in the signal it has sent to soccer's governing bodies. If the Blues maintain their unerring march to European conquest, UEFA and FIFA will be forced to act and impose control on clubs' spending as the playing field will have become too tilted.

City's devastating victory shows the Premier League is absurdly top-heavy, listing like the Mary Rose into the waters of the Solent. There is no pretence of a 20-team competition and a gulf now exists even amongst the top teams. On any given Sunday, to plagiarise a term from American Football, Man U, the reigning champions, should not lose 6-1 at home to anyone. What made it so shocking was that it seemed no aberration, no one-off.

Does it have to be like this? No. Later that night some miles to the south, the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers fought out a much closer NFL game at Wembley. In America, that well-known communist regime, a salary cap keeps its football field level, and the worse teams get first pick of the best young players.

The more the Premier League continues with no regulation, the more meaningless games like Sunday's will become. Bring on the UEFA Financial Fair Play rules.

Doubtless some new fans in Asia will be sporting blue shirts instead of their elder siblings' red ones, but there was a time when you supported a team for reasons other than it was far richer than the others, who are clearly finding it increasingly impossible to compete.

With this elephant in the room, Sunday's thrashing of United was less proof that the Premier League is unpredictable and competitive, but that its free-market model is in serious need of financial regulation.

For it seemed less a case of one club outplaying another through superior football than one simply outspending another, in an increasingly frightening way.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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The 2014 World Cup trek

2011-10-21T20:12:00.005+01:00

FIFA have released the dates and venues for the matches of the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil, with the patience of traveling supporters set to be tested once again.

Instead of keeping group games within a couple of venues located close to one-another, as used to be the norm, fans will face trips of up to 2,000 miles in order to watch all of their nation's opening clashes.

One unlucky Group A team will begin in Sao Paulo, then trek 1,680 miles (2,700 km) up to Manaus, before an odyssey of 3,538 miles (5,698km) across the Amazon to Recife, a voyage one team from Group D and another from Group G must also endure. Even the hosts are not spared, with the seleçao kicking off in Sao Paulo before flying 1465 miles (2357km) to Fortaleza and then making another journey of 1042 miles (1677km) to Brasilia.

The explanation for clocking-up so many air miles, according to the organising committee, is the varying weather, with the south of Brazil much cooler than the north.

"The climate is so different you do not want to give an advantage to one country over another," said Head of Operations Ricardo Trade.

The semi-finals will take place in Belo Horizonte's Estadio Mineirao (70,000) and Sao Paulo's Novo Estadio do Corinthians (68,000), with the final in Rio's renovated Maracana (85,000) on the 13th of July 2014.

Starting times for matches will be 1700, 1900, 2300 and 0200 GMT.

Brazil will kick-off the whole shebang in Sao Paolo on Thursday the 12th of June 2014.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile
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Morocco to host Club World Cup

2011-10-21T18:17:00.009+01:00

Morocco will host both the 2013 and 2014 FIFA Club World Cups.

Iran, South Africa and the U.A.E. all withdrew their bids, leaving FIFA to bring the competition to Africa for the first time. The hosting is set to be rubber-stamped in Zurich in December.

The North African nation has a strong soccer tradition, and the national team memorably became the first African nation to win a group in the World Cup Finals, topping England, Portugal and Poland at Mexico '86, before losing to a late Lothar Matthaus goal from eventual finalists West Germany in the next round.

Morocco will also host the 2015 African Cup of Nations, whose centerpiece will be the new 80,000-seat Grand Stade de Casablanca. Their current national team boasts QPR's mercurial midfielder Adel Taraabt and Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh.

The 2011 edition of the Club World Cup, featuring Barcelona (Spain), Santos (Brazil), Monterrey (Mexico), Auckland City (New Zealand), a representative from Asia and one from Africa, as well as Japan's A-League champions, takes place in the land of the rising sun between the 8th and 18th of December this year, with the final in Yokohama.

European clubs have won the cup the past four years (Milan, Manchester United, Barcelona and Inter), following three consecutive Brazilian triumphs from 2005 to 2007 (Corinthians, Sao Paolo and Internacional).

Next year's tournament will also take place in Japan.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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George's Premiership Predictions October 22

2011-10-21T11:06:00.000+01:00

George had a great week last week and got 7 results right and 3 perfect scores - Chelsea 3 v Everton 1 and Liverpool 1 v Man Utd 1, Arsenal 2 v Sunderland 1.

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Saturday 22nd October 2011

Wolves 2 v Swansea City 2
Aston Villa 2 v WBA 0
Bolton 2 v Sunderland 1
Newcastle 3 v Wigan Athletic 1
Liverpool 2 v Norwich City 0

Sunday 23rd October 2011

Arsenal 1 v Stoke City 1
Fulham 1 v Everton 1
Manchester Utd 2 v Manchester City 1
Blackburn 1 v Tottenham 2
QPR 1 v Chelsea 2

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Enjoy a free In-Play bet on Man Utd v Man City with bet365

2011-10-20T10:48:00.002+01:00

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bet365 were named Affiliate Programme of the Year in the iGaming Business Affiliate Awards 2011. bet365’s Affiliates Operations Manager received the Best Affiliate Manager award.

Abolishing promotion deserves relegation

2011-10-20T01:37:00.007+01:00

Richard Bevan of England's League Managers Association inadvertently raised the frightening prospect of a breakaway from the Premier League when he mentioned some club owners wanted to do away with promotion to and relegation from the Premier League.

While he did not mention the 'b' word, a rebel division surely remains a potential threat if a majority of the mega-rich (foreign) owners decide they can worry no longer about their investments and thus remove the risk of a season or more outside the top flight.

Bevan cited "American owners...and some of the Asian owners" for raising the unthinkable idea of the top league being cut off from the rest for good. The prospect of no promotion would kill the dreams of millions of supporters, particularly hurting fans of sleeping giants like Cardiff City, Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday.

While the arriviste 'die-hards' of England's big clubs in the emerging markets for the 'EPL' of Asia and North America would probably see no problem, every fan in England appears violently opposed to any deracination of the top division. But we would be fools to ignore the risk.

"If we have four or five more new (owners)," said Bevan ominously, "that could happen."

So who are these quislings in the Premier League?

The American owners harbouring mutinous thoughts remain unnamed but it would be remarkable if they included Arsenal's Stan Kroenke, the Fenway Sports Group at Liverpool and the Glazers at Manchester United, none of whose teams are ever in real risk of relegation.

The Yanks without thanks for tradition could include Randy Lerner at Aston Villa, often touted as a model owner, and quite probably Ellis Short at Sunderland. The "Asians" probably mean Venky's at Blackburn, and possibly Lakshmi Mittal and Tony Fernandes at QPR.

That said though, it is often forgotten that Gary Cook, formerly Chief Executive at Manchester City, and Bolton's Phil Gartside have suggested doing away with the drop zone in the past.

If those calling for a pulling-up of the ladder do represent top-four teams that indeed would reveal an exceptional paranoia or unforgivable ignorance of England's football culture and traditions.

In a sense it would make little difference as the status quo is utterly dominated by big-spending teams for whom the other end of the table makes little difference, but the idea of lopping off the top of the pyramid is anathema to true football supporters.

While the public at large is wedded to the tradition of promotion and relegation and would kick such an idea across the rooftops given half a chance, the fact the unsayable has even been said, barely days after Liverpool FC openly called for a greater share of television money, is confirmation that the big clubs still have itchy feet.

Last season France Football revealed the big European teams were indeed hatching plans for a potential split, which presumably would entail some sort of hegemony without fear of demotion. And it should not be forgotten rebellion is in the clubs' blood: The FA's key involvement in the birth of the Premier League was precisely to stop existing breakaway plans in their tracks.

While the Premier League is not a purely two-horse race like Spain, the entrenched dominance of a few monied clubs has left the top division looking increasingly devalued as an open competition in recent years. Unlike in previous decades, it has become easy to predict who will finish in the top three or four every season.

In the Guardian this week, Jonathan Wilson revisits that oft-made criticism of the Premier League that the title race is not open enough; indeed the days when a Norwich, Southampton or Watford could finish second or Nottingham Forest win the title in their first season since promotion are long-gone. And the lack of a salary/spending cap ensures only a select few can challenge for the title now. The two issues are not necessarily connected: A top division where the money was spread evenly would ensure a competitive title race just with no demotion or new teams arriving. This is the NFL/NHL/NBA model which with American owners are familiar.

The question surely is about the value of the pyramid and whether the age-old 'meritocracy' should be preserved.

As it stands, without a billionaire backer, the best a club can hope for is to avoid relegation, win one of the Cups and sneak into the Europa League.

If the Premier League were cut adrift and promotion & relegation, two sources of endless excitement, abolished, the sale of English football's soul would be complete.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Fifa World Rankings For October 2011

2011-10-19T11:37:00.001+01:00

Fifa's World Rankings for October 2011 were published today at FIFA HQ in Zurich, Switzerland.

2010 World Cup winners Spain are on top followed by the Netherlands, Germany and Copa America champs Uruguay. England are in 7th.

Ranking Team
1 Spain
2 Netherlands
3 Germany
4 Uruguay
5 Brazil
6 Italy
7 England
8 Greece
8 Portugal
10 Argentina
10 Denmark
12 Croatia
13 Russia
14 Sweden
15 France
16 Chile
17 Japan
18 Switzerland
19 Côte d'Ivoire
20 Australia

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Hillsborough truth in sight at last

2011-10-17T22:47:00.009+01:00

The end to an arduous 22-year campaign for truth surrounding the Hillsborough disaster could at last be in sight as the UK government has confirmed it will release all contemporary documents relating to the day in question.

After a 139,000-strong online petition and a moving parliamentary debate led Home Secretary Theresa May to announce up to 300,000 files will be released.

The relatives of the 96 Liverpool fans who died at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final have maintained a relentless campaign for government minutes to be publicised, to prove once and for all that Reds fans were innocent and that South Yorkshire police alone were to blame for the tragedy and lied to cover the fact up.

While the famous Taylor Report, which paved the way for the all-seater stadia of the Premier League we have today, exonerated the supporters and confirmed the police were responsible for the crowd control which turned fatal, the South Yorkshire force's role in spreading misinformation has never been confirmed officially.

What seems clear is that the policeman in charge of opening the gates that April day, David Duckenfield, tried to cover his back by putting out stories to the FA, government and press of drunken and rowdy Liverpool fans barging their way into the Leppings Lane end and crushing their colleagues to death.

This dishonest spin was taken up and amplified by a Rupert Murdoch tabloid and a Conservative government already hostile to football and its fan culture - at the time the impish Sports Minister Colin Moynihan was running an ill-conceived campaign to make English supporters carry I.D. cards to gain entry to stadia.

Margaret Thatcher's bullish press officer Bernard Ingham told the cabinet "tanked-up" fans were to blame, while oafish local Tory MP Irvine Patnick, despite not having been at the match, gleefully supplied the ammo for the Sun's notorious headline 'The Truth', which claimed Reds fans had stolen from, sexually assaulted and urinated upon their fellow supporters as they lay dying. Sun editor Kelvin Mackenzie remains unapologetic for the nadir of British journalism, telling an after-dinner crowd in 2006:

"I wasn't sorry then and I'm not sorry now because we told the truth."

Clearing the final hurdle in the campaign for truth has probably arrived on the back of this summer's phone-hacking scandal, when a nexus of collusion between the Murdoch press, the police and politicians was laid bare for the public to punish.

Those affected by the disaster, from the victims' relatives to the millions who had passed through English turnstiles to stand in caged pens and who empathised fully with the tragic events as they unfolded, may soon be able to relax in the knowledge the whole truth of the darkest day in English soccer has been established.

Football history has recorded Hillsborough not only as a human tragedy but as the death knell for the fortress-like stadia of cages and barbed wire and gritty supporter culture which was the norm throughout the 1970s and '80s. Hooliganism, which seemed out of control at times in the 1980s, lost its sheen after Hillsborough, as the seriousness of fans losing their lives was brought home to one and all in England.

In the aftermath of the disaster, the removal of perimeter fencing for the Liverpool v Everton FA Cup Final heralded the spectator-friendly stadia we know today, and along with England's heroics at Italia '90, beckoned new private investment in the game which would become the behemoth of today's FA Premier League.

Tragically, it took a human disaster for morons to realise violence was stupid, and for the authorities to realise that crowds and revenues would grow if they treated their paying customers with respect.

The 96 dead, whose names were read out in parliament today, ranged in age from 10 to 67 and included the cousin of current Liverpool FC captain Steven Gerrard.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Manchester United Old Trafford Tour

2011-10-15T08:13:00.002+01:00

The Museum & Stadium Tour of Manchester United's Old Trafford ground, the self-styled "Theatre of Dreams" is hugely popular with football fans from all over the world, not just Manchester United supporters.

Participants of our tour included visitors from Hong Kong and Russia as well as Swansea City supporters in Manchester for their team's Monday night game with Manchester City.

The tour begins in the Museum, which has replicas of Manchester United's many trophies, shirts, boots and other memorabilia donated by Manchester United players past and present and video of many of the great matches featuring the club. The interesting displays chart the history of Manchester United, the Busby era and the tragedy at Munich, through to United's first win in the European Cup and its present dominance in English football. The Museum also reveals the hooligan problem that affected the club in the 1970s.

The Stadium part of the tour takes visitors into the ground to get a full appreciation of the size of Old Trafford and your guide will explain the technological features of the stadium, which includes CCTV coverage of every seat. next, you are led into the dressing rooms, which with their brown wooden panels have something of a 1970s area, reinforced by the players' bar with fading photographs of George best, Denis Law and a young David Beckham pinned to the wall.

You are then led out through the tunnel onto the touchline towards the players' and managers' benches. The tour then takes you back to the Museum where you exit through the Megastore.

The Museum & Stadium Tour or just entrance to the Museum can be booked online with ticket prices prices for non-members presently 15 GBP for adults and 10 GBP for children.

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Euro 2012 Play Offs

2011-10-15T04:18:00.000+01:00

The draw for the Euro 2012 qualification play offs were made in the Polish city of Krakow on Thursday.

The full draw is:

Bosnia-Herzegovina v Portugal

Estonia v Ireland

Czech Republic v Montenegro

Turkey v Croatia

First leg matches are scheduled for November 11 or 12 with the second leg to be played on November 15.

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George's Premiership Predictions October 15

2011-10-14T14:26:00.000+01:00

George had a good week last week and got 6 results right and 1 perfect score - Spurs 2 Arsenal 1.

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Saturday 15th October 2011

Liverpool 1 v Man Utd 1
Manchester City 2 v Aston Villa 0
Norwich City 2 v Swansea City 1
QPR 3 v Blackburn 2
Stoke City 2 v Fulham 1
Wigan Athletic 1 v Bolton 1
Chelsea 3 v Everton 1

Sunday 16th October 2011

WBA 2 v Wolves 2
Arsenal 2 v Sunderland 1
Newcastle 1 v Tottenham H. 1

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Euro 2012 field narrows down

2011-10-12T10:58:00.005+01:00

We now know twelve of the sixteen finalists for next summer's European Championship in Poland & Ukraine, with play-offs for the four remaining places taking place in mid-November.

The hosts will be joined by Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Spain and Sweden.

Five of the play-off contenders are East European - Bosnia/Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia and Montenegro, along with Eire, Portugal and Turkey. The draw is on Thursday in Poland.

Some names missing the boat include Norway, whom Portugal pipped on goal difference in Group H, and Switzerland, who had beaten Spain at the 2010 World Cup, lost to fast-improving Wales in their final game, allowing Montenegro to overtake; Belgium, despite the talents of Eden Hazard and others, drew three and lost three in Group A and were beaten to second place by Turkey, while 2010 qualifiers Serbia and Slovenia are on the quayside after Estonia's impressive run to the playoffs from Group C.

2010 World Cup finalists Spain and the Netherlands, along with Germany, still appear the teams to beat next summer, but the other nations would do well to recall the 2004 tournament in Portugal, when unfancied Greece came from nowhere to win it.

-Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Saving Money with Sport

2011-10-06T15:48:00.000+01:00

In these harsh economic times it’s worthwhile considering every possible outlet when it comes to cost cutting and sport can lend a hand. Go for a run instead of going to the gym, playing football in the park rather than paying pitch fees or cycling to work instead of driving.

The latter mentioned is perhaps the most commonly taken option when it comes to cutting costs and through a bit of exercise in there for good measure. Motoring costs are soaring as the price of petrol gets higher and those insurance premiums never seem to drop year after year. However, the price of buying bicycles has dropped and you’ll be able to pick up one for much less than you thought.

The beauty of the internet is that products are available faster and cheaper, this is certainly the case if you buy bicycles online too. Search through thousands of options online that are right for you, you’ll also find plenty of accessories including helmets, footwear and reflective stickers and lights for night travellers.

Depending on which routes you take to work, or whether you want a bicycle for leisure reasons, then you can choose from mountain bikes to tricycles if you wanted when searching online. The main thing is to choose something that suits your requirements as you may not need to spend that extra amount on all the ‘bells and whistles’ if they are going to be of no use.

Of course biking might not be the best alternative to cut costs if you are embarking on a 10 mile journey to work every morning, unless you’re a keen biker, but for city dwellers and those with not too far to travel it could be the ideal solution. Check online today to find all kinds of great offers for bicycles and other equipment that could end up saving you hundreds on travel every year!

Japan's never-ending Nabisco Cup nonsense

2011-10-05T02:23:00.008+01:00

The sight of Gamba Osaka running out at Expo '70 Stadium tonight is unlikely to fill their fans with hope. It's more likely to fill those in attendance with a sense of trepidation as the team currently leading the J. League standings does battle with defending Nabisco Cup champions Jubilo Iwata for a trophy no one genuinely wants to win.

Last weekend, Gamba celebrated twenty years at their Banpaku home with a well deserved 1-0 win over bitter rivals Urawa Reds which kept them top of the league. Tonight, however, Gamba run out at their crumbling home ground to take part in one of the most chaotically organised League Cup competitions in recent history.

March's devastating Tōhoku earthquake not only saw the J. League put on hold, it also prompted the complete reorganisation of the League Cup - known to all and sundry as the Nabisco Cup after its biscuit-producing sponsor. Two rounds of hastily arranged home-and-away fixtures were organised but as in previous seasons, Japan's four AFC Champions League representatives parachuted in at the quarter-final stage.

That means Gamba Osaka, their crosstown rivals Cerezo, defending league champions Nagoya Grampus and 2010 Emperor's Cup champions Kashima Antlers now run out for the first time this season in a competition supposed to represent the best knock-out football Japan has to offer. That is palpably not the case - the JFA-administered Emperor's Cup is a far superior tournament - but so redundant is this year's League Cup, the J. League must finally address the issue.

The first step is to permanently do away with the pointless group stage in favour of a straight knock-out format. The second is to reintroduce J2 teams, giving fans the opportunity to see new teams in action and encouraging both underdogs and favourites to treat the competition seriously. The third step is for the J. League to otherwise accept that some teams may not field full-strength starting elevens, instead offering a run-out to fringe first-team members. If that encourages opponents to go for the jugular against more illustrious rivals, so much the better.

As it stands, the current format offers little prestige to those who lift the trophy. Oita Trinita won it in 2008 and were relegated from the top flight a year later. FC Tokyo ultimately suffered the same fate. Meanwhile, Jubilo came within two minutes of losing last year's final only to beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 5-3 in extra-time. Jubilo's reward was a trophy and a cash prize, but there was no place in the AFC Champions League for Masaaki Yanagishita's men and the Shizuoka outfit ended up finishing eleventh in the league.

Jubilo's win was a welcome one for the recently success-starved club, but it also highlighted the fact most teams only care about the Nabisco Cup once they've reached the final. That's the same case in most countries, but it seems a mediocrity the J. League is willing to endure. They should do so no longer, because tonight's League Cup clashes will inspire enthusiasm from only the most die-hard of supporters, with most neutrals concentrating on the fact Japan are in action later in the week.

And should Gamba or fellow title chasers Nagoya Grampus and Yokohama F. Marinos lose key personnel to injuries tonight, the clamour for a total overhaul of Japan's never-ending Nabisco Cup nonsense will grow louder still.

Nabisco Cup quarter-final schedule:

Wednesday, October 5 (all 7pm kick-offs)

Kashima Antlers vs Yokohama F. Marinos (Kashima Stadium)

Nagoya Grampus vs Albirex Niigata (Mizuho Stadium)

Gamba Osaka vs Jubilo Iwata (Expo '70 Stadium)

Cerezo Osaka vs Urawa Reds (Nagai Stadium)

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George's Premiership Predictions October 1

2011-09-30T13:37:00.001+01:00

George had a good week last week and got six results right but no perfect scores.

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Saturday 1st October 2011

Everton 1 v Liverpool 1
Aston Villa 2 v Wigan Athletic 1
Blackburn 1 v Manchester City 2
Man Utd 3 v Norwich City 1
Sunderland 1 v WBA 1
Wolves 2 v Newcastle 2

Sunday 2nd October 2011

Bolton 1 v Chelsea 3
Fulham 2 v QPR 1
Swansea City 0 v Stoke City 0
Tottenham 2 v Arsenal 1

Last week's Premier League predictions

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Lion King Still Reigns In Korea

2011-09-29T05:20:00.004+01:00

It is true to say that in football, the strikers are the ones who get the goals and get the headlines. Goalkeepers can play fantastically well for a full 89 minutes out of a fantastic match but one mistake and all know what the internet and newspapers will focus on.

Lee Dong-guk is one of the biggest stars in the league. It seems that he has been around for ever but he is still scoring goals and lots of them.

As well as 14 in the regular season so far, the Lion King, so named after his hairstyle at the 1998 World Cup when he burst onto the scene, has been on fire in the Asian Champions League. With the continental competition at the last four stage, Lee is now the leading goalscorer in the tournament with eight goals so far to his name.

Incredibly, six of those goals came in two games against Japanese team Cerezo Osaka. Both teams met in the group stage with both games ending 1-0 to the home side. The quarter-final was a completely different story with goals galore. The first leg in Japan ended 4-3 to Cerezo with Lee scoring twice.

The second leg was expected to be similarly close if not with as many goals. Last Tuesday evening at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, the opposite proved to be the case as there were goals galore as Jeonbuk won 6-1 with Lee getting four.

“It is the first time for me to score four goals in an official match,” said Lee. “We really want to win the Asian title but we also have to focus on the K-League.” it was one of the best nights of the player’s career.

It has been a long career and in European eyes, he will always be remembered for a season and a half in the English Premier League with Middlesbrough FC. It wasn’t a happy time for the player. He arrived at the club in January 2007 and within minutes of appearing in the red shirt for the first time, he had a great opportunity to score only to fire a shot against the post. A few centimetres to the left and perhaps things would have turned out differently.

As it was, while he managed to score in cup competitions, Lee never did it where it really matter – in the most popular league in the world. When his name is mentioned these days by the international media, words such as ‘Middlesbrough flop’ or ‘Premier League failure’ are often not far away. He returned to Korea in 2008 and after a brief and unsuccessful spell at Seongnam, he has settle well in Jeonju.

Not as fast, mobile or strong as he used to be due to injuries, especially a serious knee injury that ruled him out of the 2006 World Cup when he was the national team’s star striker and at the peak of his powers, Lee is still able to find the net when it matters. Eight goals so far in the Asian Champions League, he is on course to win the competition’s golden boot. His goals have helped Jeonbuk to the top of the K-League table.

Inevitably a return to the national team is now being discussed. Lee made the 2010 World Cup squad but never made the pitch. New coach Cho Kwang-rae tends to like younger players but has not ruled a Lee return out.

He hasn’t been summoned in the roster for the 2014 World Cup qualifier against UAE next Tuesday in Seoul and it is unlikely that he will be but if he continues to score the goals that give Jeonbuk a second K-League title and a second Asian Champions League win, then the Lion King’s career could have one final twist in the tail.

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Platini soothes growing pains of Ukraine

2011-09-28T00:02:00.007+01:00

Michel Platini has said he is at last confident Ukraine can host Euro 2012.

After several 'last chance' warnings over the past three years, the UEFA boss can tear a few fewer hairs out now the four stadia do seem to be on track for next summer.

"A year ago, we were deciding whether to leave four or two cities," Platini told reporters on a tour of Kharkiv. "And today we have four cities."

"There are no serious problems in preparing for Euro 2012," he continued, "but there are many minor tasks and problems that need to be solved."

For Platini, a successful Euro 2012 is crucial to his reputation as an organiser of big soccer tournaments as he continues his silent campaign for the FIFA Presidency at some point in the future.

The Frenchman has found the two hosts' lack of infrastructure and slow construction progress compared to western European nations an ongoing headache, and has constantly had to threaten them with being stripped of hosting rights. Spain was the first nation touted as a replacement back in 2008, when World Soccer's Keir Radnedge boldly announced neither Poland nor Ukraine would host Euro 2012.

Then Germany entered the picture, either as sole host or as joint organiser with Poland. Now it is clear UEFA is not turning back and is throwing its cards on the table with the two unknown East European hosts. By rights the tournament should have been Italy's, but the calciopoli scandal and an upsurge in high-profile hooliganism let the duo in through the back door.

It promises to be a unique European Championship, a foretaste perhaps of the 2018 World Cup in neighbouring Russia.

The cheap transport promised to fans facing extraordinarily long journeys between venues (Gdansk to Donetsk is 933 miles/1502km) yet to materialise.

Next month Platini visits Poland to inspect their venues, with the opening date of Warsaw's new arena still up in the air.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

UEFA EURO 2012 8th June -1st July 2012

VENUES

Poland
Warsaw 58,224 (opening game and semi-final)
Gdansk 44,636
Poznan 43,090
Wroclaw 44,416

Ukraine
Kiev 63,195 (semi-final and final)
Donetsk 50,055
Kharkiv 35,721
Lviv 34, 915

Qualifiers
Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Italy and ten others to be decided.

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George's Premiership Predictions September 24

2011-09-23T02:26:00.000+01:00

George had a poor week last week and got only 2 correct results and no perfect scores. He is hoping for a change in fortune this week akin to Owen Hargreaves' amazing debut for Man City in midweek..

G-Owen Hargreaves? Returning Midfielder 9/2 For Poland/Ukraine
Owen Hargreaves is 9/2 to make the 2012 Euro squad, whilst bet365 are also going 5/4 about out-of-favour Andy Carroll being on the same plane. Frank Lampard is now 1/2 (from 2/7) to make the Poland/Ukraine flight.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth “The big winner from Wednesday night’s Carling Cup ties was Owen Hargreaves and we’re basically pricing him on fitness as his ability isn’t in doubt.”

England Euro 2012 Finals Squad – Will They Make It?
Yes No
Owen Hargreaves 9/2 1/8
Andy Carroll 5/4 4/7
Frank Lampard 1/2 6/4

Saturday 24th September 2011

Manchester City 2 v Everton 1
Arsenal 2 v Bolton 1
Chelsea 3 v Swansea City 1
Liverpool 2 v Wolves 0
Newcastle 2 v Blackburn 0
WBA 1 v Fulham 1
Wigan Athletic 1 v Tottenham 1
Stoke City 0 v Man Utd 3

Sunday 25th September 2011

QPR 2 v Aston Villa 1

Monday 26th September 2011

Norwich City 1 v Sunderland 1

Last week's Premier League predictions

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Fifa World Ranking September 2011

2011-09-21T12:44:00.000+01:00

Fifa's World Rankings for September 2011 were published today at FIFA HQ in Zurich, Switzerland.

2010 World Cup winners Spain are back on top followed by the Netherlands, Germany and Copa America champs Uruguay. England drop to 8th.

Nepal are in 134th place!

Ranking Team
1 Spain
2 Netherlands
3 Germany
4 Uruguay
5 Portugal
6 Italy
7 Brazil
8 England
9 Croatia
10 Argentina
11 Greece
12 France
13 Russia
14 Chile
15 Japan
16 Côte d'Ivoire
17 Denmark
18 Switzerland
19 Australia
20 Mexico

Full world rankings

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Manchester United Open Training Session

2011-09-21T01:52:00.001+01:00

Each year before the start of the season, Manchester United hold an open training session at Old Trafford.

The entrance fee to the event is donated to the Manchester United Foundation.

Fans were addressed by manager Sir Alex Ferguson on the eve of the Community Shield match at Wembley against Manchester City.

After the training session, a youth match - Manchester United Premier Cup - took place between Mexican team Pachuca and Orlando Pirates from South Africa.

Manchester United Museum & Stadium Tour

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Wenger's Job Safe At Arsenal

2011-09-20T14:55:00.000+01:00

Arsenal Chief executive (and man City fan) Ivan Gazidis has ruled out sacking manager Arsene Wenger, despite Arsenal's poor start to the new season, which has left them 50/1 with Bet 365 to win the Premier League.

61-year-old Wenger's job security has come under question as the Gunners have won just one of their opening five Premier League games, conceding 14 goals in the process, including four in the 4-3 defeat at Blackburn Rovers last weekend.

However, Gazidis says that making a change is not even an option, with Wenger having been in charge at Arsenal for more than 15 years. Gazidis said at the Sport Industry Breakfast Club in London: "(Sacking him) is a route we are not going to go down. "We will be unmoved in the way we do things and will not be swayed by talk of a crisis. We need to stick together."

Arsenal already trail champions Manchester United by 11 points, with the Red Devils 4/6 to retain their crown after five wins out of five.

Blue skies over Manchester...?

2011-09-19T22:05:00.005+01:00

Manchester City have revealed plans for an 80-acre training centre in the shadow of their Eastlands Stadium.

The Blues, riding high in second place in the Premier League, are looking to consolidate their arrival in soccer's rich list, a new era begun when the Abu Dhabi United investment group purchased them three years ago.

Since then a galaxy of stars have arrived in the blue half of Manchester, including Robinho, Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez, Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero. City ended their 35-year trophy drought by winning the FA Cup last season, and finished third in the league to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time.

With an intriguing all-Manchester tussle for the title brewing, City have a serious chance of becoming English champions for the first time since 1968.

With the imminent UEFA Financial Fair Play Rules, the spending spree cannot go on, so today club submitted a planning application for what it hopes will be a factory of free stars. As well as four pitches for first-team training and up to 400 youngsters will be able to learn their trade at its new facility, which would include a 7,000-seat stadium.

Outside England, United are usually referred to as 'Manchester', but with the sudden surge of the Citizens, all that will have to change.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Weekending

2011-09-19T14:56:00.007+01:00

* Reborn Napoli celebrated returning to the top of Serie A with a 3-1 home win over Milan, with echoes of titanic clashes between the north and south's giants in the era of Diego Maradona. Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani scored a hat-trick.

*The quest for a level playing-field in Spain goes on.

After Valencia finished 21 points behind Barcelona and Real Madrid last season and the big two began their 2011-'12 campaign with big thrashings, Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido decided to speak out and campaign for an equitable distribution of TV rights.

But a meeting of club directors in Madrid last week proved fruitless. Sevilla director general Jose Maria Cruz said the meeting was, “An afternoon tea of pessimists and good for nothings. We only had a praiseworthy defence from Espanyol and Betis. The rest of those that attended have remained silent as if it wasn’t an issue for them.”

With three games gone, Real Betis and Valencia are on 9 points, two ahead of Barcelona, who tanked Osasuna 8-0, and Sevilla. Real Madrid are on six having lost 1-0 at Levante.

*In the Netherlands, FC Twente and AZ Alkmaar top the Eredivisie after six games with 15 points, two ahead of Ajax and Feyenoord. PSV are in fifth with eleven. In Portugal, Porto and Benfica top the Primeira Liga with 13 points from five games.

*Meanwhile in France, Marseille, tipped by some for a title challenge, are at the bottom of Ligue 1 following a 2-0 loss at table-toppers Lyon. Didier Deschamps' OM have drawn three and lost three so far.

*In England, the two Manchesters sit atop the table. United despatched third-place Chelsea 3-1 at Old Trafford, while City squandered a two-goal cushion at Fulham to draw 2-2. Fulham, Bolton and West Brom are in the drop zone with three points; Arsenal, who lost 4-3 at Blackburn, are one ahead on four after five games. Liverpool's title aspirations took a blow in a 0-4 rout at Tottenham.

*Bayern Munich are top of the Bundesliga after six games, two points ahead of Werder Bremen and Borussia Moenchengladbach. Hamburg are bottom with one point.

*In Japan, Gamba Osaka lead the J-League a point ahead of Kashiwa Reysol, while Vasco de Gama lead Sao Paulo by the same amount in Brazil.

*The USA's Major League Soccer has revealed its top ten annual wages packets for 2011:

David Beckham - LA Galaxy $6,500,000
Thierry Henry -New York Red Bulls $5,600,000
Rafa Marques - New York Red Bulls $5,544,000
Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy $2,127,778
Juan Pablo Angel - New York Red Bulls $1,918,000
Nery Castillo - Chicago Fire $1,788,060
Julian De Guzman - Toronto FC $1,717,546
Freddie Ljungberg - Chicago Fire $1,314,000
Mista -Toronto FC $987,337
Branko Boskovic - DC United $516,200

* Eight of the twelve finalists for the 2012 Olympic Games women's football tournament have been decided: Great Britain (England), Japan, North Korea, Brazil, South Africa, Colombia, France and Sweden. Two more will qualify from CONCACAF and one each from CAF (Africa) and Oceania.

- Sean O'Conor

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Man Utd v Chelsea

2011-09-17T08:22:00.000+01:00

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Sunday's opponents Chelsea to once again be one of his team's closest challengers for the Premier League title. United are 6/1 with Bet 365 to win 1-0 at Old Trafford and customers can get a free In-Play bet for the game this weekend. Andre Villas-Boas' side have failed to impress in the league so far this season, although they have taken ten points from their first four matches, and are 11/1 to beat the league leaders 1-0 on Sunday. Ferguson said: "They will be there at the end of the season, there is no doubt about that. At the moment, of course, the two Manchester teams are enjoying the publicity but in the background lurks Chelsea. They don't need the publicity. They will be enjoying being out of the profile at the moment."

Danish keeper Anders Lindegaard is determined to continue to keep the pressure on Manchester United's currently recognised No.1, David de Gea. Despite the Dane's impressive display against Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists De Gea will be back for Sunday's all-important Premier League clash against Chelsea. United are 6/1 with Bet 365 to win 1-0 at Old Trafford and customers can get a free In-Play bet for the game this weekend. However, the Spaniard's shaky start to his United career, coupled with Lindegaard's emergence, could provide Ferguson with an interesting dilemma. Lindegaard says: "I learned a lot from Edwin van der Sar and I have confidence in my own ability. I came to Manchester United for the challenge to be the first-choice goalkeeper."

George's Premiership Predictions September 17

2011-09-16T11:45:00.001+01:00

George got five correct results and no perfect scores.

Place a pre-match bet on the Man Utd v Chelsea game with bet365 and they will give you a free In-Play bet to the same stake on the big match.

To qualify for your free In-Play bet, simply place a bet before kick-off at bet365, then once the game starts place another bet on any In-Play market. If your FIRST In-Play bet loses bet365 will refund this stake, up to the same value as your largest pre-match bet

Saturday 17th September 2011

Blackburn 1 v Arsenal 1
Aston Villa 2 v Newcastle 1
Bolton 1 v Norwich City 1
Everton 2 v Wigan Athletic 1
Swansea City 0 v WBA 0
Wolves 3 v QPR 2

Sunday 18th September 2011

Tottenham 0 v Liverpool 2
Fulham 1 v Manchester City 3
Sunderland 1 v Stoke City 1
Man Utd 2 v Chelsea 1

Last week's Premier League predictions

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Serie A Calcio 2011-2012 Season Preview

2011-09-09T23:28:00.001+01:00

Italian Football

With the threat of industrial action on the part of the playing staff in Italy now averted, Serie A returns with AC Milan v Lazio at Molino Dorino. What's the betting Milan can repeat?

Let's look at the teams one by one.

Atalanta look like they will come out in a 4-4-2 with a strengthened defence. Andrea Masiello has exchanged the sunny climes of Bari for the chilly foothills of the Alps.

Bologna are likely to utilize the Christmas tree with Di Vaio the angel at its peak. But will the formation lead to the lack of width that Milan discovered that they had two seasons ago? While Milan brought in Beckham to solve the problem, in my view it's rather unlikely he will be rushing over from LA to help the Bolognesi.

Cagliari, under Donadoni's watchful eye, may use Nene and newly-acquired El Kabir as two wide front men with Cossu breaking through the centre. With the dangerous David Suazo brought in from Inter they should be able to avoid relegation.

Catania have Montella as coach now, but have strangely unloaded Schelotto to Atalanta. The formation seems unclear – a lop-sided 4-4-2, perhaps. They might be heading even farther south - to the reaches of Serie B.

Cesena will place new boy Mutu in front of goal hoping € 5m Eder can help him in the scoring department.

Chievo have bought Perparim Hetemaj from Brescia hoping the Finn can finish like he did with his controlled volley against Roma. Does Jokic have what it takes on the left of midfield to help Pellissier?

Fiorentina's 12-goal hero Gilardino will be fed by Kharja, 26 year-old Andrea Lazzari (from Cagliari) and Montolivo, who stays in Florence (it's amazing that, despite years of his being often the best player on the park, it's only recently that bigger clubs have been taking serious interest in him).

Genoa have made an effort to improve their "goals against" column by bringing in the experienced Sebastian Frey, 31, from Fiorentina. The addition of Birsa (Auxerre), Pratto and Seymour (U. Catolica) provides evidence that Genoa plan to do more than merely survive this time.

Internazionale di Milano have managed to retain Wesley Schneijder (to Manchester United's detriment). So allenatore Gasperini has kept his defence and midfield intact. Up front, the decision to unload Samuel Eto'o seems odd indeed: the mobility of the attack may well be impaired. How long will it take Ricky Alvarez to adapt to the tiny spaces afforded by Italian defences, compared with the wide grasslands found in Argentina? But then they've now got Diego Forlan .. South American Champion as well as the best player in the 2010 World Cup.

Juventus, the creaky Old Lady, is going to be the most interesting team to watch this season, I predict. The fans (perhaps forgetting that he can land a ball on a one euro coin from fifty metres)
are already moaning about the acquisition of the elderly Pirlo from Milan. But the dangerous Vucinic will probably play in the middle of a front four (yes, you read that right: I understand it's a return to the 1960s with a 4-2-4!!). So expect goals, goals, goals ... at both ends of the field.

Lazio now have great experience in attack with Miroslav Klose (from Bayern Munchen) and Cisse (Panathinaikos) brought in as front men in a probable 4-3-1-2 with Hernanes and Ledesma behind as the spine of the team.

Lecce have brought in on loan Roma's goalkeeper Julio Sergio. Nearly all of their summer transfers are loan deals or frees, and the fact that they have spent only € 1.6m must reflect the state of their finances. One fears for their safety this season.

Milan (and/or the Italian press) have been keeping everyone on tenterhooks this summer by talking about a mysterious possible signing called "Mister X" (commonly presumed to be either Montolivo or Hamsik). In the end, former Liverpool player Acquilani has been brought in to cover for the loss of Pirlo to Juve. How long can Milan continue with the ageing Gattuso and Ambrosini in midfield? Perhaps it doesn't matter when you have such a stellar forward line.

Napoli, drawn in the same fascinating Champions League "group of death" (Group A) as Manchester City, with Villareal and Bayern, will provide serious opposition to any opponent this season. Confidence is high. Gokhan Inler and power-shooter Marco Donadel have been brought into midfield, and the team will continue with Cavani, Lavezzi, and Hamsik up front.

Novara might be favourites for the drop, but they have an all-new front three "attacco M": Morimoto, Mazzarani, and Meggiorini.

Palermo now have Eran Zahavi from Hapoel, who will possibly appear on the right of midfield in front of Cassani to support forwards Hernandez and the excellent Fabrizio Miccoli (what is it about the Italian national team selectors that they don't pick Miccoli automatically?)

Parma will hope Graziano Pelle (bought from AZ Alkmaar for a million) will help Crespo and Giovinco score more goals than the team lets in at the other end.

Roma have spent big this summer, and new coach Luis Enrique has managed to lure the sought after Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg to the Italian capital. Bojan Krkic (Barca) and Lamela (River) could be the wide men at the front of a 4-3-3. As yet we don't know whether this will be a true 4-3-3 or a 4-5-1 (or even a 4-6). Where will Argentinian Pablo Osvaldo (Espanol) fit in? Roma will be interesting to watch.

Siena are expected to employ a traditional 4-4-2 with Zeljko Brkic in goal, D'Agostino in midfield, and Destro brought in from Genoa. Siena have been (on occasion) exciting to watch when at home. Can they survive this time?

Udinese's strengths and weaknesses were plain for all to see in their recent matches against Arsenal. Prior to the match in London the team looked relaxed as they were spotted strolling the gardens of Regents Park and were unlucky to lose to Walcott's solitary goal. In Udine, though, their over-reliance on the brilliant Di Natale was evidenced, despite Pinzi's great range of passing. Coach Francesco Guidolin is going to have to quickly stifle the psychological blow of losing Sanchez to Barcelona if Udinese are to emulate last term's excellent showing.

© Peter Rodd & Soccerphile.com

George's Premiership Predictions September 10

2011-09-09T10:41:00.001+01:00

George is starting his predictions for the new 2011-2012 English Premier League season. Good luck Georgie!

Saturday 10th September 2011

Arsenal 2 v Swansea City 1
Everton 1 v Aston Villa 1
Manchester City 2 v Wigan Athletic 0
Stoke City 2 v Liverpool 2
Sunderland 2 v Chelsea 3
Wolves 2 v Tottenham 1
Bolton 1 v Man Utd 2

Sunday 11th September 2011

Norwich City 1 v WBA 1
Fulham 2 v Blackburn 1

Monday 12th September 2011
QPR 1 v Newcastle United 3

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Is the Spanish league "third-world"?

2011-08-31T15:41:00.008+01:00

*We might be marveling at the brilliance of Barcelona every time the blaugrana grace the field, and shake our heads at the bottomless bank account of Real Madrid, but the Spanish league is as absurdly top-heavy and devalued as the Scottish league.

The two giants won 5-0 and 6-0 respectively on the opening day of the Spanish season, leaving Villareal president Fernando Roig to exclaim in anguish, "It's a third-world league in which two clubs are sapping the TV money...I give it three to four years. Either it changes or we kill Spanish football." In third place in La Liga last season were Valencia, a full 21 points behind Real and this season the gripes are getting louder. Seville's president has blasted Spanish football as "not the biggest mess in Europe but in the world".

Euro 2008 winner Marcos Senna concurred: "The superiority of Real and Barca is brutal."

Three clubs other than Barça or Real have won La Liga in the past 15 years: Deportivo La Coruna in 2000 and Valencia in 2002 and 2004.

The problem is historic, with Real Madrid built up by the Franco regime into a mega-club and Catalonia focusing its cultural and political frustrations onto its soccer team. Two weeks ago I was in the Castile province of northern Spain and watched the Barcelona v Real Madrid Super Cup second leg, which kicked off at 11pm local time.

It was almost like watching Spain in the World Cup with the whole town glued to multiple TV screens in the main square. TV is the problem, as the clubs negotiate individual deals which inevitably favours the two giants. The locals in Ponferrada were largely pro-Real, as is the majority of Spain, but there were plenty of youngsters in Barça shirts too, presumably having grown up on Ronaldinho.

Most of Spain is like this is in my experience. The big two have too big a hold on the nation. That said, at a national team level, this period of Barça/Real saturation has coincided with Spain winning Euro U-19, Euro U-21, the European Championship and the World Cup. This season began with Spanish players going on strike over money. How long before the imbalance in La Liga results in a breakaway?

*Dunga and David Trezeguet are the latest to take the Arab shilling, having agreed to take jobs with club sides in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates respectively.

The 47 year-old Brazilian most recently coached his nation at the World Cup finals and will coach Al Rayyan, while the 33 year-old French striker leaves a storied European career including spells at Hercules, Juventus and Monaco. 'Trez' won the World Cup with France and scored the winning (golden) goal in the Euro 2000 final. He will now play for Baniyas SC.

No doubt he, like Dunga, are heading to the Middle East for the stratospheric salaries and little else, but in footballing terms it still seems a shame to be moving to real soccer backwaters in search of one last big payday.

*Best wishes to Owen Hargreaves as he attempts one last resurrection of his injury-plagued career at Manchester City. The Canada-born midfielder, it is easy to forget, was England's best player at the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany, despite, or perhaps because he had never played in English club football, gaining his soccer education instead first in North America and then at Bayern Munich.

-Sean O'Conor

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Blatter the clown prince of football

2011-08-31T15:16:00.005+01:00

Sepp Blatter's comments to a Brazilian magazine prove once and for all he is not fit to run football.

"We have bad losers in FIFA," the FIFA President told Estado de Sao Paolo. "This animosity comes from England," he went on. "Interesting is the timing of the accusations. It was just around the time when they·failed to win host rights to the 2018 World Cup...All this has been an act of revenge for having lost the FIFA Presidency in 1974 to Joao Havelange. Still, they cannot accept that they no longer control FIFA. Since they cannot regain the Presidency, they decided they would try to destroy it."

The words of a mad conspiracy theorist. The surge in reports of FIFA corruption came it is true around last year's World Cup vote but that was because both 2018 (Russia) and 2022 (Qatar) seemed highly suspicious choices to any fair-minded watcher.

How then to explain the head of the German F.A. and Karl-Heinz Rummenige calling for Blatter's head recently? The fact is England has the most active investigative journalism and endemic FIFA corruption is something Blatter has presided over and allowed to fester.

The Football Association and the British media has no desire other than a trustworthy governing body for the sport it invented. Under Blatter, the FIFA Ex.Co. has looked like an FBI's most wanted list of felons: Warner, Texeira, Leoz, Bin-Hammam, Blazer (pic) and Grondona for starters.

If Blatter really believes in transparency and honest management, let him release the judicial verdict on the ISL collapse which languishes in a courthouse in Zug, Switzerland.

The F.A. however should look themselves in the mirror for shamefully u-turning to back Blatter in his initial bid for the Presidency, betraying the support of the honest Swede Lennart Johansson. How foolish do they appear now that deep anti-English feeling pervades FIFA corridors.

Recent stirrings from Germany suggest that is the country from which a successful anti-Blatter movement should stem.

-Sean O'Conor

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8-2 thrashing leaves Arsenal empty

2011-08-31T13:56:00.006+01:00

'8-2, eight bloody two' as Michael Palin almost said in Ripping Yarns (8-1).

The morning after Arsenal's worst defeat since 1896 was a sobering one.

The 8-2 capitulation at Old Trafford was slow-motion carnage or schadenfreude at its sweetest, depending on your opinon of the Gunners and Mr Wenger. It was humiliation indeed although even Tottenham supporters had to choke their chuckles as they sit bottom of the division, having been smashed 5-1 at home by Manchester City, fast becoming the first club since Blackburn to so obviously buy their way to the title.

The chasm in power which divides Wenger from Alex Ferguson is vast, despite the Frenchman's historic transformation of London's biggest team. While United have a new breed of youngsters battle-ready for Premier League action, Arsenal are blooding untried rookies with increasingly calamitous results.

Arsenal's acute demise is being blamed on the power struggle between Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov and Wenger's ideological adherence to youth policy and non-English players. Whilst Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott are two young Anglos who have made it through the ranks, the Frenchman's apparent reluctance to buy hard-working English defenders and midfielders when available appears a flaw in his thinking which has come back to bite him. Indeed it is hard to imagine him recruiting the excellent Dixon, Bould/Keown, Adams and Winterburn back four he inherited from Bruce Rioch.

His adherence to statistics means if a player seems overpriced he shies away and passion, leadership and other English footballing virtues do not register on his Pro-Zone printouts. Fielding eleven multi-functional mobile dribblers is admirable in the age of tiki-taka but how Arsenal could do with another Petit and Vieira in the middle to stop opposition attacks dead.

Wenger's French revolution gave Arsenal an edge for a few years until other clubs aped his off-field science-based training. In addition, the game moves on every few years and no historic system, whether W-M, total football or 4-4-2, can hope to prevail forever. Wenger's excessive self-belief is costing Arsenal points.

Alex Ferguson has cited his 1990 F.A. Cup win as the break he needed to take complete control over Manchester United F.C. and launch his imperial project. A giant of a club had been asleep so long it was almost comatose, so Martin Edwards gladly handed the Scot carte blanche to run the club like a true 'manager' once they felt sure he could bring them a full trophy cabinet.

An impressive Cup Winners' Cup final win over Barcelona the following season, in English clubs' first foray into Europe for five years, convinced the board they had got their man, and a first title in 26 years arrived in 1993.

Ferguson has been effectively unsackable since then, and the Glazers are said to be in awe of him. His rise from under-fire hiring with 90 minutes to save his job (a cup-tie against Nottingham Forest) to great dictator and universal football legend is in sharp contrast to the prevailing trend of managers becoming first-team coaches with directors of football, board members and presidents pulling the real strings high above them. Modern coaches enjoy the lifespan of mayflies in comparison to Ferguson. Moneybags Chelsea have used seven managers in the past five years, while Fergie has ruled the roost at Old Trafford since 1986.

"I know dictators are out of fashion but I would love to be the perfect dictator," said Brian Clough famously. Indeed he was for years at Forest, until he did what almost all dictators do and stay on too long before being ousted by backers who vowed never to repeat the same mistake.

But Wenger has had a relatively free hand at Arsenal, not least in his persuading the capital's most storied team to leave its ancient, sacred home for a new house nearby and make him overseer of the entire youth set-up.

Football is politics again. So often desperate electorates happily hand power to a charismatic leader when hope and tradition run out of steam. US Soccer had been understandably reluctant to give Jurgen Klinsmann the keys to their kingdom for the past five years but after the exasperating Gold Cup final they relented and Klinsi is now in control.

If Arsenal want to emerge from their nightmare, they could hand Wenger a blank chequebook and an even freer hand, assuming his reliance on self-made solutions stems from the tight kitty at Ashburton Grove and not a dogmatic desire to build an Ajax-on-Thames.

But time is running out for Wenger and Arsenal. With transfer deadline imminent and 360 degree pressure on the Frenchman, purchases are probable, yet the downside to leaving it so late to recruit is that price tags rise concomitantly and desperation can set in, leading to panic buying with no time to research players properly.

In his final days at Highbury, George Graham made three hasty purchases at least two of which seemed wrong at the time as well as afterwards -John Hartson, Glenn Helder and Chris Kiwomya.

Wenger has boxed himself in and needs nerves of steel and intense focus to sail his way out of this storm.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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FIFA World Rankings August 2011

2011-08-24T11:06:00.000+01:00

Fifa's World Rankings for August 2011 were published today at FIFA HQ in Zurich, Switzerland. The Netherlands leap-frog 2010 World Cup winners Spain followed by Germany and England.

Nepal are in 136th place!

Ranking Team

1 Netherlands
2 Spain
3 Germany
4 England
5 Uruguay
6 Brazil
7 Italy
8 Portugal
9 Argentina
10 Croatia
11 Chile
12 Norway
13 Russia
14 Greece
15 Côte d'Ivoire
15 France
15 Japan
18 Sweden
19 Montenegro
20 Mexico

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Managerial merry go around in Brazil

2011-08-23T19:04:00.000+01:00

There are still three rounds of games to be played in the Campeonato Brasileiro before the half way stage in the competition is reached and eleven of the twenty clubs have already changed their managers since the start of the season.

This staggeringly high rate of hiring and firing will perhaps increase further before the season is out. The most recent appointment was made at Grêmio who after a disappointing start to their campaign have called upon the services of Celso Roth who returns to the club for the fourth time. Naturally the success of these changes is dependent on the club and the abilities of the new manager at the helm along with external factors such as luck but the logic behind some of the decisions is extremely questionable.

As with the rest of the football world clubs are predominately concerned with their immediate future and short termism takes precedence. However managerial merry go round in Brazil is exceptional in the pace that managers come and go. Corinthians who currently lead the table are under the command of Tite. He only took on the role last year and amazingly is now one of the longest serving managers in the top tier of Brazilian football.

Struggling Santos

The slow start Santos made in the league was to be expected. The Libertadores campaign was naturally prioritized which meant the line up their sent out in the first few games was a pale imitation of the first team. The strategy of resting players paid off as they were crowned champions in June. However they have not been able to kick on in the league as predicted and make up ground on the leaders.

They were involved in the match of the season a couple of weeks ago when they lost 5 4 against a Ronaldinho inspired Flamengo side. Had Elano converted a penalty the game would have ended up a freakishly high scoring draw. Perhaps the highlight of the game though was the goal Neymar scored after a skillful dribble that left numerous defenders in his wake.

It is the form of Ganso however that is perhaps the most worrying for Santos supporters. His return to domestic action after a tepid performance in the Copa America for the seleção has been particularly low key. Indeed his coach, Muricy has talked about the player needing to modify his game alittle and make it more difficult for the opposition to mark him. By getting in more advanced positions he will be able to add to the three goals he has scored in 2011.

Santos are four months away from jetting off to Japan to dispute the World club championship where potentially they will take on Barcelona. The need is to put a good run to together and start to make some progress up the table.

They are currently just one place off the relegation but in a league that is unbelievably tight, a couple of consecutive victories can launch a team several places higher in the standings. Corinthians recent inability to convert draws into wins has meant they have not been able to create any distance between themselves and the chasing pack. This group of clubs is made up of Flamengo, São Paulo and Vasco.

However Santos have played two games less than their rivals at the top and if there are able to gain maximum points from these fixtures they will be 13 points behind Corinthians. Winning the league from this position would take a monumental effort and the chances are low. That said, the Libertadores champions will surely perform much better in the second half of the season and aim to finish in the top six.

© Paul Tobitt & Soccerphile.com

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Monday Missive: Brazil U-20 glory, more Messi magic

2011-08-22T23:44:00.006+01:00

*Brazil won the FIFA U-20 World Cup, defeating Portugal 3:2 in the final in Bogota. Mexico beat France 3:1 to clinch third.

The seleçao were top gunners with 18 goals in seven matches but Nigeria were the most prolific, averaging three goals a game. Spain were the most on-target team, shooting on goal 54 times in five games. Five of the 24 entrants failed to find the net - Austria, England (in four games), Mali, North Korea and Panama.

Three youngsters tied for the golden boot but Spain's Alvaro Vasquez took the least time to score five - 219 minutes as opposed to 353 for Alexandre Lacazette of France and 557 for Henrique of Brazil.

*Scourge of FIFA Andrew Jennings continues to build the case against Chuck Blazer. The supersized American of the Ex.Co. might have blown the whistle on his CONCACAF boss Jack Warner but does not appear to be cut from much of a different cloth.

*Hernan Dario Gomez has resigned as coach of Colombia.

*Spain was unusually quiet yesterday as La Liga players went on strike over money. Actually, the nation could have done with a breather as the thermometers hit 35C, young Catholic pilgrims from across the globe succumbed to heat exhaustion on World Youth Day in Madrid and arguments continued over the latest Barça v Real bust-up earlier in the week.

The European champions won an entertaining Spanish Supercup 3:2 at home after a 2:2 draw away courtesy of another wonder goal from Lionel Messi in the Camp Nou, before the closing seconds saw the clash of the titans go back to the playground.

*Still in Spain, Valencia's right-sided attacker Juan Mata, who starred in his country's Euro U21 win in Denmark, is off to Chelsea, while Colombian marksman Falcao, once thought to be Stamford Bridge-bound, has signed for Atletico Madrid as replacement for Sergio Aguero.

*Arsenal's much-trumpeted malaise appears to have begun in earnest with a 0-2 home reverse to rejuvenated Liverpool. With Cesc Fabregas now back in the blaugrana and Samir Nasri moments from Manchester City, Arsene Wenger was a tableau of sodden schadenfreude on the touchline as his dreams of an Ajax-on-Thames dissolved in the London drizzle.

Wenger's ideal of a top-notch youth system supplying all his needs with multi-functional footballers has run out of steam in the face of his rivals' active recruitment of established specialists. Or as Alan 'If in doubt, launch it' Hansen wrote in today's Telegraph, "They need more destruction than creation."

Only some sheepish yet hectic transfer activity can cure the sick patient that is the Gunners, but with the transfer market sure to exploit any panic-buying from Arsenal, January might realistically be the next time they can dam the flood.

*Russia opened one of its stadia for the 2018 World Cup. Yekaterinburg's renovated Central Stadium opened and will be expanded from its current 27,000 capacity to 40,000 for the World Cup.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Return of the Premier League

2011-08-15T11:47:00.006+01:00

England's Premier League kicked off again on Saturday and another long and gruelling season beckons.

Manchester United, the team most likely to win it, have most of their first-choice defence injured already. While other nations take a breather over Christmas and New Year, England keeps its players charging over hard pitches in freezing weather, increasing the likelihood of burnout and injury. The national team should qualify for Euro 2012, but don't expect England's players to be any less sluggish than they were in South Africa in 2010.

United looked slick and composed however, and Ashley Young on his debut played like a regular with assured interplay, creativity and danger. Phil Jones is another shrewd acquisition, more useful than Tom Cleverley and Daniel Welbeck.

At the other end though David De Gea, who won Euro u21 with Spain in the summer, had a nervous exodus in English football, flapping at crosses and allowing a shot to go under his body. Shades of Massimo Taibi perhaps, but beware a bad start in goal. Tim Howard excelled in his opening year at Old Trafford before losing his touch badly before being transferred.

Man U's early promise however should not obscure the fact that England's best team were outclassed in last year's Champions League final by Barcelona. The closing stages of that competition are a long way off, but the grand imperative for Premier League teams must be to learn from the blaugrana masterclass if we are to avoid another sobering evening. There is only so much credit to be gained in winning the Premier League but falling woefully short in Europe.

Many eyes will be trained on Arsenal, and more particularly Arsene Wenger, whose excuses for a lack of trophies are beginning to run out. Having lost Cesc Fabregas ovenight to Barcelona and with Samir Nasri's move to Manchester City imminent, the heat will be on the Gunners to perform. Should they miss out on the Champions League places this year, the board may have to contemplate the unthinkable.

Chelsea are not generally expected to win the league this year, although their ace in the pack is the amazing rejuvenation of Fernando Torres, who looked his old self at Stoke yesterday. If they can bring the creative Daniel Sturridge into the frame too, their goals haul could bring them close to glory.

Andre Villas-Boas' first game yesterday saw a clash of styles as Stoke's controlled aggression thwarted Chelsea's passing ambitions. The Potters' success with this evolved version of the physical styles which held sway in the late 1980s is remarkable, but great passing teams like Barcelona press every bit as keenly.

Barcelona shirts are much in evidence on kids' backs in England this summer, the first time a foreign club team has captured so many young Anglo imaginations. If we can copy their style of play so much the better, though Stoke show another route to success.

Manchester City play tonight and are expected to spend their way if not to the title then at least to a high finish and Champions League progression. But the purists are not yet ready to applaud his team's rather mechanical style.

What else did we learn from the first day? QPR's 0-4 baptism of fire at home does not necessarily mean there is a chasm between the divisions. I watched Reading, runaway winners of the Championship, in their first game in the Premier League and they were two down at home in 20 minutes to Middlesbrough. They finished in the top half.

Wayne Rooney has new hair, Joey Barton got into another scrap and there were more swathes of empty seats at Wigan.

Oh and the grass looked green.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Today in Football

2011-08-11T13:41:00.007+01:00

*Shinji Kagawa hit a brace and Keisuke Honda added another as Japan downed South Korea 3-0 in Sapporo. Players wore black armbands in honour of former Japanese international Naoki Matsuda, who died a week ago, and observed a minute's silence.

*Tottenham's home match with Everton on Saturday has been postponed as the clean-up continues following the riots in London. The north London area was the epicentre of the violence which spread to other English cities and forced an emergency debate today in the House of Commons.

*Cesc Fabregas' move to Barcelona looks set to be finalised by the weekend. Arsenal are also negotiating to transfer Samir Nasri to Manchester City, leaving the Gunners three weeks to replace their best two players before the transfer deadline.

*Jack Warner ally Lisle Austin has been banned from football for a year by FIFA. The CONCACAF official was involved in the crazy in-fighting in May after Chuck Blazer shopped Warner and Mohamed Bin-Hammam for bribery. Austin 'fired' Blazer without authority, leaving CONCACAF to issue a press statement contradicting its acting president, who was subsequently dismissed. When Austin went to the Bahamian court to get his job back, FIFA isolated him.

*The FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia has reached the quarter-final stage. Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Guatemala, Saudi Arabia and South Korea fell by the wayside in the second round.

QF lineup: Brazil v Spain, Mexico v Colombia, France v Nigeria, Portugal v Argentina

*Jurgen Klinsmann's first game in charge of the USA ended in a 1-1 draw with Mexico in front of 30,000 in Philadelphia, World Champions Spain lost 2-1 to Italy in Bari and Germany beat Brazil 3-2 in Stuttgart.

*UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier - Northern Ireland 4:0 Faroe Islands

*International Friendlies (selected results) -

Italy 2:1 Spain
Germany 3:2 Brazil
Japan 3:0 South Korea
USA 1:1 Mexico
France 1:1 Chile
Ivory Coast 4:3 Israel
Norway 3:0 Czech Republic
Portugal 5:0 Luxembourg
Russia 1:0 Serbia
Wales 1:2 Australia
Turkey 3:0 Estonia
Scotland 2:1 Denmark
Austria 1:2 Slovakia
Albania 3:2 Montenegro
Tunisia 4:2 Mali
Belarus 1:0 Bulgaria
Liechtenstein 1:2 Switzerland
Poland 1:0 Georgia
Ukraine 0:1 Sweden
Eire 0:0 Croatia
Honduras 2:0 Venezuela
Costa Rica 0:2 Ecuador
Senegal 0:2 Morocco
South Africa 3:0 Burkina Faso
China 1:0 Jamaica

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Football falls victim to London riots

2011-08-10T01:17:00.005+01:00

The violence which has traumatised London for the past four days has led to the cancellation of several games, including the England v Netherlands international friendly.

With Britain in a daze from the unexpected rioting and looting which has now spread to several cities, the Football Association had no choice but to cancel Wednesday's Wembley match, with all available police urgently needed to regain control of the streets.

The Dutch squad, due to fly out from Amsterdam on Tuesday, were informed the police could not guarantee their or their fans' safety. The KNVB may seek compensation.

A friendly between Ghana and Nigeria in Watford was also axed, along with League Cup ties at Bristol City, Charlton, Crystal Palace and West Ham. Tottenham Hotspur saw its ticket office put out of action following the first outbreak of trouble on Saturday night following the fatal shooting of a man in the neighbourhood by the Metropolitan Police.

Fulham, QPR, Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Millwall, Watford, Leyton Orient, Dagenham & Redbridge and Barnet are all due to play at home in the London area this weekend but those games must be in doubt if the violence flares up again.

With 16,000 police on the streets, the capital city was quiet tonight but there was serious trouble in Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham and above all in Manchester and Salford.

Update Thurs 11th Sep - Tottenham v Everton on Saturday has been postponed as Tottenham High Road is still a crime scene and the police cannot spare resources to cover the match.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Wenger in firing line as Arsenal fail to reinforce

2011-08-08T16:51:00.007+01:00

Jason Cowley, author of that memorable book about Arsenal and the end of the old First Division, 'The Last Game', has penned a pertinent take on the current dilemma for manager Arsene Wenger.

Starved of funds for reinforcements and with his best players Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri wanting to leave, the Frenchman's dream of an Ajax on the Thames looks to have stalled perhaps for good.

With no trophies for six seasons and prospects of a title challenge or Champions League success slim, Gunners supporters are increasingly questioning the status of their semi-iconic coach, who revolutionised English football's approach to management and took Arsenal from their historic Highbury home to a new stadium at Ashburton Grove.

All a far cry from '96 when Wenger left Nagoya Grampus Eight for London full of high-minded dreams of transforming a club and country's soccer culture.

Writing in the Evening Standard, Cowley opines,

"It's obvious, too, that what he once offered when he arrived in London in 1996 and what gave him such a competitive advantage - knowledge of sports science, new ideas about diet and the use of technologies such as Prozone to monitor and improve players' performances, and so on - is now routine.

Wenger the continental sophisticate once seemed like a very progressive and modern figure, part-boffin, part-romantic visionary. Now, more than ever, he is beginning to resemble a man out of time, one who has stayed too long in the same job and who is forced to look on, perplexed and anguished, as the game changes around him, and in ways he does not like and over which he has no control. This new season could test him to the very limit"

Premier League 2011/12 opening fixtures:

Sat 13th Aug - Blackburn v Wolves, Fulham v Aston Villa, Liverpool v Sunderland, QPR v Bolton, Tottenham v Everton, Wigan v Norwich, Newcastle v Arsenal.

Sun 14th Aug - Stoke v Chelsea, West Brom v Man Utd

Mon 15th Aug - Man City v Swansea

-Sean O'Conor

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Monday Missive

2011-08-08T13:40:00.008+01:00

*ITALIAN STADIA LIKE PIZZERIAS? How times change. In Italia '90 we all marveled at Italy's football grounds like Milan's fortress-like San Siro, Turin's caverous Stadio delle Alpi, Bari's space-age San Nicola and Genoa's wonderfully quirky Luigi Ferraris, wishing we could have such soccer cathedrals at home.

Fast forward twenty years and the designs have stagnated and fallen below the quality of those in England, Germany and Spain.

Now with a slew of new grounds in France on the way in the build-up to Euro 2016, Italy is having to question its model of municipally-owned arena (also the norm in the USA), while other nations let their clubs own theirs.

"It's like theatres and restaurants," said AC Milan's vice-president Adriano Galliani told Gazzetta dello Sport. "There are beautiful theatres and ugly ones, there are luxury restaurants and pizzerias. But without stadiums we can't do anything and without a new law we can't construct new stadiums."

* Brazilian legend Zico, who has coached Japan and Kashima Antlers amongst others, is set to ink a deal to coach Iraq.

*Former US coach Bob Bradley is in talks to become the national team coach of Egypt.

*Carlos Tevez is back in Manchester having failed to tie-up a transfer elsewhere and will be training with his supposed replacement and compatriot Sergio Aguero.

*Barcelona B starlet Thiago Alcantara, who shone in this summer's Euro U21 Championship in Denmark, is in Spain's senior squad for their friendly with Italy in Bari on Wednesday.

*"We are not touching now the Qatar World Cup" was Sepp Blatter's enigmatic response to a question about the timing of the 2022 competition. As it stands, it will take place in June in arenas air-conditioned to avoid the 40C heat.

*Tottenham Hotspur's ticket office was trashed in the violence which has engulfed parts of London for the past two nights. The trouble began with a police shooting of an armed man in Tottenham. The club is asking fans to use the internet instead.

The London 2012 Olympic football will be called 'The Albert' after the Cockney rhyming slang for ball - 'Albert Hall'.

*The UEFA Champions League playoff draw has been made: Arsenal v Udinese, Bayern Munich v Zurich, Lyon v Rubin Kazan, Villareal v Odense.

*The FIFA U20 World Cup in Colombia has reached the knockout stage. The last 16 lineup is thus:

Tues 9th Aug:
Argentina v Egypt
Cameroon v Mexico
Colombia v Costa Rica
Portugal v Guatemala

Weds 10th Aug:
Brazil v Saudi Arabia
France v Ecuador
Nigeria v England
Spain v South Korea

- Sean O'Conor

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Japan stunned by the death of Naoki Matsuda

2011-08-04T06:08:00.011+01:00

Former Japan international Naoki Matsuda has died. The 34-year-old collapsed during training with Japan Football League club Matsumoto Yamaga on August 2.

The tenacious defender played more than 360 top-flight games for Yokohama F. Marinos and was one of the most popular players of the J. League era. He joined third-tier side Matsumoto Yamaga after being released by F. Marinos at the end of last season.

Once a mainstay of the Japanese national team, Matsuda started all four of Japan's games on home soil at the 2002 World Cup.

He was rushed to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest before afternoon training with his new club.

Doctors are yet to determine the cause of Matsuda's condition, although Japan has experienced heatwave conditions for much of the summer.

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Yokohama F. Marinos lead the way in the J. League

2011-08-01T07:08:00.004+01:00

Umbrella sellers are no doubt doing a brisk trade in Yokohama as Kanagawa giants Yokohama F. Marinos lead the way in the J. League standings.

F. Marinos fans are known for their colourful support and it's a common sight to see the Tricolore run out against a backdrop of twirling umbrellas at their cavernous Nissan Stadium home.

The port city giants beat regional rivals Omiya Ardija 2-1 at home last weekend to maintain a two-point lead over Chiba side Kashiwa Reysol, who were held to a scoreless draw away at Vegalta Sendai.

Reysol's clash with Vegalta was their second in the space of four days at Yurtec Stadium, after the two sides met in the League Cup in midweek, with Vegalta prevailing 3-1 on aggregate.

Defending champions Nagoya Grampus are looming as an obvious threat in the league, and they've moved into third place in the table after brushing aside bottom club Avispa Fukuoka 3-0 at Hakatanomori on Sunday.

In other Sunday action, more than 28,000 fans turned out for Cerezo Osaka midfielder Takashi Inui's farewell match against Kashima Antlers at Nagai Stadium, but the home fans left disappointed as Kashima came away with a comprehensive 3-1 win.

Avispa Fukuoka are doomed and the future doesn't look much brighter for Montedio Yamagata, while Ventforet Kofu are still four points off safety despite the recent high-profile summer signings of Kim Jin-Kyu and Davi.

In J2, Tokushima Vortis are the surprise league leaders and they hammered Kataller Toyama 3-1 in their most recent clash at Pocarisweat Stadium. FC Tokyo slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat away at Giravanz Kitakyushu, while fellow big guns JEF United were held to a 1-1 draw by Yokohama FC in front of more than 13,000 fans at Fukuda Denshi Arena in Chiba.

Relegated Kansai side Kyoto Sanga have endured a nightmare season in the second tier, with the club from Japan's former imperial capital lying a dismal 17th place in the standings in the 20-team division.

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World Cup draw, new managers for Argentina and USA

2011-07-30T00:00:00.006+01:00

* Saturday night in Rio sees the draw for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers for all except South America (CONMEBOL).

All eyes will be on the European draw where 1998 World Cup winners France have been downgraded to the second pot, meaning they will play one of the top seeds England, Spain, Holland, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Norway or Greece.

A host of Brazilian soccer stars are on hand to pull the balls out of the bags: Cafu and Neymar will draw the African teams, Zico the Asian teams, Bebeto CONCACAF, Mario Zagallo Oceania and Ganso and Ronaldo will do Europe.

*German legend Jurgen Klinsmann was confirmed today as the USA's new coach. 'Klinsi' has lived in America for 12 years and was offered the manager's job back in 2006 but declined because US Soccer was unwilling to accede to his demands to overhaul the whole organisation's coaching set-up.

The former Stuttgart, Inter, Monaco, Tottenham, Sampdoria and Bayern star, who won the European Championship and the World Cup for Germany, went back to setting up a soccer consultancy, most recently with Toronto FC, before the US came calling again following the national team's embarrassing capitulation in the Gold Cup final.

The appointment is still a big risk as Klinsmann has little experience as a manager. He took a hitherto mediocre Germany on home soil to the 2006 World Cup semi-final where they lost to eventual winners Italy, and lasted less than a season as Bayern Munich coach.

He has also had a tendency to fall out with management wherever he has played as he is possessed of strong opinions. This 'my way or the highway' approach was what scared off US Soccer five years ago, but in 2011 with no tournament until the World Cup to worry about, they are prepared to take the risk.

How much Klinsmann will prove to be a first-team coach or a youth system administrator remains to be seen.

* Alex Sabella, who had spells at Leeds and Sheffield United at the end of the 1970s, has been named Argentina manager after Sergio Batista was sacked following the team's quarter-final exit from the recent Copa America they hosted.

Sabella, 56, also had lengthy stays as a player at River Plate and Estudiantes, where he was first-team coach for the past two years.

*England and North Korea kicked off the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia with a 0-0 draw in Medellin. The host nation play France on Saturday in Bogota.

24 teams contest the tournament, which ends on the 20th of August in the capital city.

* 18 Italian clubs and 26 Italian players are due at their football association's disciplinary hearings in Rome next week in connection with match-fixing. Two Serie A clubs are implicated - Atalanta and Chievo, as well as former azzurri internationals Cristiano Doni and Beppe Signori.

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Entering Hong Kong: Asia trophy 2011

2011-07-29T11:28:00.001+01:00

Landing at Hong Kong airport this week, I expected to be greeted by adverts for the next generation of electronics, or maybe banks, or cars. The sight of Stuart Downing in an Aston Villa kit on a bilboard was a little surprising.

As another recent addition to Dalglish's Liverpool squad, Downing was an unfortunate selection by advertisers of the Barclays Asia Trophy. The 2011 version of the biannual four-team event involves his former club 1982 European champions Aston Villa, local up-and-coming champions Kitchee, 'superclub' Chelsea, and (as proof of the pull of the 'EPL', as well as some of it's more prestigious members) Blackburn Rovers.

Although as Rovers fans would be quick to highlight, the Lancashire club have at least won the Barclays Premier League, something Liverpool are yet to achieve (at the time of writing) and Aston Villa could only dream of.

Despite the popularity of the English game, I was able to go directly from airport to hostel to stadium and purchase a £20 ticket. Meeting up with friends local and Liverpudlian, we endured two games at the Hong Kong stadium that typified preseason football.

Aston Villa and Blackburn did their best to maintain a goaless scoreline, before Daren Bent claimed the game's only goal. Playing for the right to play the victors and avoid their conquest in Saturday's final / play off, Kitchee then played host to Chelsea.

Villa-Boas' men strolled to a four-goal victory, with double Didier Drogba strikes sanwiched between goals from Lampard and Sturridge. Substitute Fernando Torres received a warm reception by the majority of the crowd, but failed to find the net.

Aston Villa and Chelsea are likely to face a more useful test of their credentials and fitness on Saturday's tournament decider.

© Dr Joel Rookwood & Soccerphile

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USA shuts the Bradley chapter

2011-07-28T23:35:00.007+01:00

The USA have fired Bob Bradley as their manager.

The New Jersey-born coach was relieved of his duties today after five years at the helm.

Last month's loss to Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final proved his undoing, as the US had led 2-0 in that game before capitulating embarrassingly 4-2 and the defeat also meant they missed out on the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. In the group stage the USA had also lost a game to Panama, 67th in the FIFA World Rankings.

America's unexpected last-eight finish at the 2002 World Cup has set a perhaps unrealistic benchmark for future US elevens and compared to that unforgettable campaign in Korea, the national team has stagnated since.

Having taken over from Bruce Arena following the 2006 World Cup finals, Bradley led the US into the 2010 competition in South Africa, where his team beat Algeria with a dramatic last-gasp strike and drew with England and Slovenia to win the group, before they lost 2-1 to Ghana in the second round.

Under Bradley the US also won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007, which allowed his team its finest hour at the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa. There the Americans beat European Champions Spain 2-0 in the semi-final and led Brazil by the same score in the final, before going down 3-2 to a Kaka-inspired second half comeback.

Last summer Bradley was linked with Aston Villa and Fulham. He previously coached Chicago Fire, Chivas USA and the Metrostars in Major League Soccer. The 53 year-old leaves the US ranked 30th in the world, one place higher than when he took over in 2006. Their highest position under Bradley was 12th in August 2009 following the Confederations Cup.

Jurgen Klinsmann, who has run a soccer consultancy in California for some years now and was offered the job back in 2006, appears to be the favourite once more, although 38 year-old Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis is an outside bet.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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FIFA World Rankings July 2011

2011-07-27T10:46:00.001+01:00

Fifa's World Rankings for July 2011 were published today at FIFA HQ in Zurich, Switzerland. 2010 World Cup winners Spain remain in top spot followed by The Netherlands, Germany and England.

Nepal are in 136th place!

Ranking Team
1 Spain
2 Netherlands
3 Germany
4 Brazil
5 Uruguay
6 England
7 Portugal
8 Italy
9 Croatia
10 Argentina
11 Chile
12 Norway
13 Greece
14 Côte d'Ivoire
15 France
16 Japan
17 Montenegro
18 Russia
19 Sweden
20 Mexico

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2013 Confederations Cup takes shape

2011-07-27T01:22:00.006+01:00

Five of the eight places for the 2013 Confederations Cup have now been decided and already the line-up looks tasty already.

BRAZIL - Hosts
SPAIN - World Cup holders
JAPAN - Asian Cup 2011 winners
MEXICO - Gold Cup 2011 winners
URUGUAY - Copa America 2011 winners

These famous five will be joined by the winners of Euro 2012, the 2013 African Nations Cup and next year's Oceania championship.

The Brazilian World Cup warm-up event will take place between the 16th and 30th of June 2013 in five cities - Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Rio and Salvador.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Another clean day at FIFA House

2011-07-26T23:23:00.007+01:00

Banned Ex.Co. member Mohamed Bin Hammam has slammed Sepp Blatter and Chuck Blazer following his expulsion from football last week.

He compared Blatter to a tyrant wiping out his rivals and called for Blazer to go before the FIFA Ethics Committee for receiving suspicious payments.

Bemoaning his life ban from football, the former Asian Football Confederation chief told Sky News, "This is the act of the dictators and we have witnessed this through history...When they think that a person is prominent to replace him, the first thing they do is execute him."

With reference to his ban for handing out cash for votes, Bin Hammam denied he was guilty, but also admitted that clientelism was an everyday fact of FIFA life. "This is a normal, a normal, normal practice," he confirmed. "This watch is a gift."

The Qatari then went on to have a dig at Chuck Blazer, whose whistleblowing began his impeachment process. "We have, during the investigations, discovered that Chuck Blazer himself has received from the Caribbean (Football) Union $250,000. For what, God knows."

This news was broken by Andrew Jennings and Blazer's defence sounds, well a little odd. Claiming it was Jack Warner repaying him a loan, he added,

"As a precaution, I have set aside these funds and am prepared to return them should it turn out that the CFU was the source of the funds and not Jack Warner as was represented to me."

Jennings also revealed Blazer pocketed 10% of CONCACAF's marketing and TV rights money over the past five years, a total of $9.6m. The 66 year-old New Yorker defended his bonuses as "consistent with industry standards."

* * *

Ricardo Texeira, was it something we said?

The Brazilian soccer chief, FIFA Ex.Co. member and former son-in-law of that great dictator Joao Havelange, has something against the English all right. This is what he told Brazilian magazine Revista Paui at the weekend:

"The islanders (the English) are the pirates of the world, a bunch of pirates....The BBC is a state organisation...It’s all orchestrated...I will make their lives hell...In 2014, I'll be able to get away with anything. The most slippery, unthinkable, Machiavellian things. Denying press credentials, barring access, changing game schedules. While I'm at the CBF, at FIFA, they won't get past the door!
And you know what? Nothing will happen. You know why? Because in 2015 I'm out of here..."

Why do you hate us so much, Ricardo? Are you worried London's smoothly organised Olympics next year will show up your disorganised World Cup two years later or the Rio Olympics in 2018?

Oh I remember - you took at least $12m in bribes from FIFA's now defunct marketing company, ISL, your company laundered the money and our media (Andrew Jennings, the BBC et al.) pointed it out, that's right.

Oh and you have been awarding yourself contracts for 2014 and you were willing to sell your vote for 2018. The truth hurts, Ricardo. And when the Zug prosecutor's report is finally revealed, you'll be history like Jack Warner and the other crooks in Zurich.

Enjoy your time in football while it lasts.

-Sean O'Conor

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Coe no to football after the Olympics

2011-07-25T01:07:00.009+01:00

London 2012 Chief and former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe has said he will focus uniquely on athletics following next summer's games, quashing hopes he may develop his career in football politics instead.

"My focus post-2012 will be track and field, absolutely," Coe told Reuters. "There's no question about that," adding that his desire was to become head of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Coe, winner of four Olympic medals and a former world-record holder at 1500m, first got involved in soccer politics in 2006, when Sepp Blatter appointed him as chairman of FIFA's first Ethics Committee, before he stood down in order to help England's bid for the 2018 World Cup.

Although it could be argued both ventures ended in failure, Coe's reputation in the corridors of the sporting world is still immense.

As revealed exclusively by Soccerphile in 2008, Coe was headhunted to mount a challenge to take over at the Football Association in the wake of England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008, but declined because of his commitments to the 2012 Olympic Games.

Many would have welcomed Coe's leadership qualities and global influence as a way to restore England as a major player on and off the field of international football. English soccer's loss is international athletics' gain for the foreseeable future, but the FA will not lose his number any time soon.

Coe remains a Chelsea F.C. season-ticket holder.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Forlan at the double as Uruguay are South American Champions

2011-07-24T21:22:00.012+01:00

COPA AMERICA 2011 FINAL
Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina

URUGUAY 3 : 0 PARAGUAY
Suarez 12', Forlan 42', 89'

Uruguay won the Copa America by a canter this afternoon to confirm themselves as undisputed champions of South America, a record 15th victory for Las Charruas.

A skillful early strike from Luis Suarez set them on the road to victory and a brace from another sharp marksman Diego Forlan made it sure.

From early on it was clear that the World Cup semi-finalists were the better team. Paraguay, who curiously had reached the final without winning a game, found themselves on the back foot in the 12th minute.

Suarez's quick feet allowed him to nip inside his marker and rifle a shot into the far corner to give Las Charruas the lead. Uruguay doubled their lead four minutes before the break when Forlan finished off a zig-zagging move after stealing the ball in Paraguay's last third.

Two down at the interval, Paraguay had to come out and play and managed to hit the crossbar through Nelson Valdez in the 54th minute, but they could not make inroads. Then the arrival of substitute Edinson Cavani in the Uruguayan attack just after the hour reminded us which team had more talent to call upon.

Paraguay pushed upfield and had plenty of play in Uruguay's last third, but had a wall of sky-blue shirts in front of them. Pablo Zeballos had a decent penalty appeal waved away in the 70th minute, which might have let his team back into the game.

But as the minutes ticked away and Paraguay maintained their siege without penetration, the risk of counter-attacks grew bigger. One such raid a minute from time saw Forlan, that exquisite finisher, find the net again to complete a comprehensive victory.

In winning the Copa America for the first time since 1995, Uruguay also qualify for the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Peru won third place, defeating Venezuela 4-1. Peru's Pablo Guerrero finished top scorer of the tournament with five goals, one more than Suarez.

URU - Muslera, M. Pereira, Lugano, Coates, J. Caceres (Godin 88'), Gonzalez, D.Perez (Eguren 69'), Rios, A. Pereira (Cavani 63'), Forlan, Suarez
PAR - Villar, Piris, Da Silva, Veron, Marecos, Vera (Estigarribia 64'), Ortigoza, V. Caceres (H.Perez 64'), Riveros, Valdez, Zeballos (Barrios 76')

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Copa America final

2011-07-22T11:23:00.006+01:00

URUGUAY v PARAGUAY
Sunday 1600h Buenos Aires, Argentina

Uruguay and Paraguay are getting ready to fight it out for the Copa America on Sunday in Buenos Aires.

It has been a cup of shocks, with Argentina, Brazil and Colombia surprisingly falling by the wayside, but in the end two consistent sides who qualified for the 2010 World Cup have reached the final.

Two rapier strikes from Luis Suarez ended the Peruvian adventure,

while Paraguay needed spot-kicks to kill off the Vinotintos of Venezuela

Interestingly, Paraguay have yet to win a game in normal time but are in the final. They last won the Copa in 1979, Uruguay in 1995. Another win for the Uruguayans would make them the most successful nation in the competition's history, leapfrogging Argentina's 14 trophies.

In their five respective games so far, Paraguay have outpassed Uruguay 1447 to 1060, but the Uruguayans have narrowly outscored them six to five and had 25 shots on target to Paraguay's 22.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Kick Murdoch out of Football too

2011-07-19T00:16:00.011+01:00

A personal view -

One story has been suffocating all other news in Britain this week - the phone hacking furore surrounding Rupert Murdoch's media empire.

Journalists have been arrested, senior policemen have resigned, politicians of both main parties are scrambling to deny their links to News International, Hugh Grant has led the prosecution and tonight comes news of the sudden death of a whistleblower.

Murdoch's minions had been tapping around 4,000 mobile phones, including those of Prince William and the Prime Minister no less. The largest-selling Sunday newspaper, the 168 year-old News of the World (NOTW), was abruptly axed last weekend after advertisers had taken flight while Rupert himself faces the UK parliament tomorrow. It is high drama.

Football has been a useful tool for Murdoch. Realising its popularity, his Sun & NOTW 'newspapers' have been trawling the gutter for years and done their best to make footballers' and managers' private lives and sexual behaviour public property.

Murdoch's TV station Sky's 1993 creation of the Premiership brought an influx of foreign stars and renovated stadia, but also inconvenient kick-off times and vastly inflated ticket prices, while player salaries also soared to obscene levels. Why should football cost £45 a match in England but nearer £10 in Germany? And how can anyone spend £200,000 every week?

Sky's 'whole new ball-game' created a chasm between the top division and the rest which had not existed before, and while plenty of new fans bought into their 'year zero' hype, they priced out many older fans and did little to help the English national team as clubs flooded their ranks with overseas imports.

The nadir was reached in 1989 following the death of 96 Liverpool supporters at the FA Cup semi-final in Hillsborough. Murdoch's Sun splashed a front page "THE TRUTH" claiming Merseyside fans had stolen from and urinated on their dying colleagues. To say public reaction was outraged would be putting it mildly. But although no apology was forthcoming and Murdoch never said sorry, Liverpool sales of his best-selling rag never recovered.

At least in 1998 the Monopolies and Mergers Commission blocked Murdoch's attempts to take over Manchester United, a terrifying prospect, but his influence in football remains strong.

Starving him of money was the only way to fight Murdoch and I have tried to avoid giving his empire a penny. I have never bought a Sky subscription, I don't read his newspapers and I avoid his websites. Murdoch's unelected influence on British life and civility has been toxic for years and his interest in football is purely as an exploiter.

Once a Times writer, who now holds a senior position at the BBC, asked me to share quotes from an interview with a big-name manager, a normal practice amongst journalists. I took his details but did not call him back: I don't deal with Murdoch.

Another time I conducted an interview at a footballer's house and published it as an exclusive. Then the quotes appeared in The Sun, unattributed. The hack in question never replied to my email asking why and threatening legal action if repeated.

I once told another Sun scribe in a Premier League press room to leave Wayne Rooney alone as his rag was harassing England's best player over his private life in the run-up to a World Cup finals. He laughed, thinking I was joking.

For far too long, everybody from politicians to policemen to newspaper readers have indulged and tolerated a now proven criminal organisation that has wielded huge unelected power. Former Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks, who was arrested by police yesterday, intimidated elected members of parliament by threatening exposes of their private lives if they persisted asking her questions.

What were footballing figures doing in bed with News International? Gary Lineker for instance was writing a column for the NOTW up until its demise. Why did so many players take Murdoch's shilling for quotes or ghost-written pieces while complaining at the same time that their privacy was being invaded?

There are no excuses anymore. Public light has at last shone on this vile man and his immoral empire and the allegations of wrongdoing get worse every day. Deleting voicemails of a missing girl who was subsequently found murdered was bad enough, as was hacking the phones of families of terrorism victims, but now we learn Murdoch's organisation was paying the Metropolitan Police to keep schtum.

If football had any shame it would usher Sky out of the Premier League and ban News International from its press boxes, though pigs might fly.

I don't claim any credit for my miniscule acts of resistance, but I would like to think my little snowballs contributed in a small way to the glorious avalanche now enveloping Murdoch's dark empire.

Football could live quite happily without him.

- Sean O'Conor

(This is a personal opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the views of Soccerphile)

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Crazy Copa goes on as Brazil go out

2011-07-18T10:53:00.004+01:00

BRAZIL 0:0 PARAGUAY aet; Paraguay won 2-0 on penalties
CHILE 1:2 VENEZUELA Vizcarrondo 34' (0-1), Suazo 69' (1-1), Cichero 80' (1-2)

After Colombia and hosts Argentina exited on Saturday, Sunday's 2011 Copa America claimed the biggest scalp of all - Brazil. Much fancied Chile also lost, 2-1 to Venezuela, emerging like Peru as the surprise package of the tournament.

The seleçao lost 2-0 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in La Plata. Both sides had a player sent off, Lucas for Brazil, Antolin Alcaraz for Paraguay. But Brazil were undoubtedly on top for the 120 minutes, while Paraguay failed to register a single shot on target. Ganso, Neymar and Alexandre Pato spurned fine chances to score. Brazil amazingly then lost all rhythm in the spot-kicks, missing four through Elano, Thiago Silva, Andre Santos and Fred.

Venezuela reached the last four of the Copa for the first time with strikes from Oswaldo Vizcarrondo and Gabriel Cichero. The Vinotintos are on a roll after their two late goals in their final group game against Paraguay, whom they meet again on Wednesday, this time for a place in the final.

Semi-Finals

Tues: PERU v URUGUAY 21:45 La Plata
Weds: PARAGUAY v VENEZUELA 21:45 Mendoza

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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