Expect more than mere German efficiency at the Euros

On the night England limped past another marker on their way to a summer in Poland and Ukraine next year, making hugely troublesome the negotiation of a Wales side ranking 113 places below them in the FIFA hierarchy, two of the teams scheduled to provide England with a preparative test after a now seemingly inevitable assurance of qualification, strolled onto Eastern Europe with minimal fuss.

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The Football Quiz Challenge

What type of quizzer are you? Do you sit drunk and clueless in the corner? Or are you halfway to Nerdsville with a tank top on and a smart-arse smile?

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Trying to avoid the madness of Diouf

As the bustle of transfer deadline day passed in a wave of sporadic, underwhelming business, one piece of news seemed to go unnoticed, sneaking through the backdoor whilst everybody’s interest was hooked to the main transfer attractions. That news was not a signing, but the information that Blackburn had come to an agreement on the mutual termination of El Hadji Diouf’s contract, Steve Kean had lost patience and the striker was free to find another club.

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Return of the Kings?

Liverpool maintained their unbeaten start to the season by earning a deserved victory over Bolton, 3-1 at Anfield which sent them to the top of the Premier League for the first time in two years.

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Pub Quiz – English legend, 70’s Trivia and Rory Delap

What type of quizzer are you? Do you sit drunk and clueless in the corner? Or are you halfway to Nerdsville with a tank top on and a smart-arse smile? Can you admit to watching Eggheads - even if only in a moment of weakness? No matter which category you fall into – try our pub quiz and prove to yourself that the years of watching and talking about footy have not been a complete waste of time. But please try not to cheat, for as my headmaster used to say “You’re only cheating on yourself”, which ironically is not what his wife said to him, when she caught him in congress with his secretary.

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Not the glorious return we wanted, but the return we needed...

Manchester United earn all three points after going down to a dodgy goal. Joey Barton and Alex Song find themselves reigniting an old flame. Arsenal still look wasteful in the final third. And Fernando Torres still looks way off that £50 mark despite his best efforts this weekend.

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Daily Round Up @ Torres is back? Wenger turns to Asian wonderkid, Kean warns Rovers, plus Given, Hodgson and Dos Santos

The Premiership is back and already hitting the headlines…

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Liverpool must improve

The beginning of a new season of expectation. Champions League qualification? Easy, they said. King Kenny is the man. Top four? Champions, they enthused. And so it came to pass. The reds of Liverpool came out, all guns blazing, quick passing, plenty of movement and attacking intent. Certainly in the first half, Liverpool raised the bar. Unfortunately not the cross bar. If they had the score would have been 3-0 at half time. If's and but’s. Small words with big meanings.

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Premiership Review A - C

Another season came and went and the Arsenal trophy cabinet remained unopened. It has been six years now since they last won a major cup and they can’t afford not to win something of note this year.

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Thursday round up: Valencia confirm no Mata bid, big man heading back to the Premiership, City sign new Maradona, Brazilian start rejected United and Sneijder, Cahill, Samba, Ajax ace.

Arsenal have been caught up in another on-going transfer saga, this time its Juan Mata who could be on his way to North London or not. Giant Brum forward is heading back to the Premiership. Cahill, Samba, Brazilian wonderkid and Dutch ace are all staying put and Aguero has a bigger ego than his father-in-law.

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Ambition Needed as Arsenal Face Losing Stars

The winds of change are certainly blowing through the Emirates Stadium this summer as Arsenal face perhaps the most pivotal off-season since Arsene Wenger took over in 1996.

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Pay the Price for Premier League Success

Despite there being two months remaining of the transfer window, this is hotting up to be one of the closest-fought Premier League title races in recent years. The amount of money spent has been more ‘sensible’ compared to recent years, coupled with some interesting deals in the pipeline between the teams who want the crown, and of course, not forgetting January’s action. Who really is in pole position to go all the way, or crumble under the weight of expectation?

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Where the Revie Legacy Began

“HE WAS A strong minded person, who cared for the players and had good man management skills.” Says Peter Lorimer about the late great Don Revie who started his managerial career at Leeds United in March 1961 after the resignation of Jack Taylor.

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Pearce not qualified for senior job after dismal campaign

In the aftermath of England’s defeat to the Czech Republic in the Under 21 European Championship on Sunday night, the FA were quick to state that Stuart Pearce would remain in charge of the team at that level and that the offer of a two year extension, which was offered back in March, would not be withdrawn. Fans have a right to be sceptical over this decision as England were very poor in Denmark, but it is pleasing that this move will have all but ruled Pearce out of the running to be Fabio Capello’s successor when the Italians’ contract expires next summer.

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Big Four, Top Six, Also-Ran Eighty Six

So here it is, the day when any hope of a slightly competitive league structure in England takes a step beyond that of Spain into the realms of predictability. Sure enough the Spanish only have two teams who can feasibly challenge for the league ala Scotland, but at least they can put the blame due to their rather terrifying television money discrepancies. What’s our excuse?

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