August 2010 Archives

If taking your shirt off for a goal celebration gets a player a yellow card then surely going to "The human toilet" for a goal celebration should merit more than a cursory glance from the ref.....................!

and throwing hand grenades should be worth at least a two game ban.....

A glimpse of magic..Ronaldinho for AC Milan v/s Lecce over the weekend

Something to look at because the other Ronaldo is out for three weeks at least with an ankle injury.

The physical transformation of Ronaldo Nazário de Lima from iG Internet Group on Vimeo.

A very relieved looking Torres after he scores a goal at long last.Liverpool beat West Brom by the same margin.

Liverpool 1-0 West Brom

Ricardo | MySpace Video

Elsewhere Tevez managed to produce the miss of the week when he sent the ball over the post with no goalkeeper in sight.Roberto Mancini spent 130 million pounds of Sheikh Mansour's riches but Man City went on to lose 1 - 0 to Sunderland anyway.

Chelsea will be a bit embarrassed by the scoreline.A mere 2 - 0 win ,Not even close to the 6 - 0 benchmark they have set this season.The goals came from the regulars - the new deadly improved Drogba and Malouda

West Ham were on the receiving end of this bit of brilliance from Dimitar.Best goal of the saturday. Rooney got his name on the scoring sheet for the first time this season - nothing very spectacular - just a penalty. Nani scored the third and West Ham didn't have anything to say in reply.

Goals by former Arsenal winger Jose Antonio Reyes and Maradona's son in law Kun Aguero seal a memorable victory for Los Colchoneros. To top it all, Diego Milito misses a penalty to rain on Rafa Benitez's parade.

..or maybe that should be Pokemons .

Sunderland v Aston Villa match in 1895. Painting by Thomas Hemy

Paul Hayward writes about a painting that could influence England's World Cup bid. It evokes the the nostalgia that football holds in the English psyche and in no uncertain terms renders the birthplace of the modern game. In contrast, the other countries will have to trot out their shiny new objects.

Wikipedia has the details about the classic 1982 World Cup semifinal game that has gone down in legend and song...
"In the game between France and West Germany, the Germans opened the scoring through a Pierre Littbarski strike in the 17th minute, and the French equalised nine minutes later with a Michel Platini penalty. In the second half a long through ball sent French defender Patrick Battiston racing clear towards the German goal. With both Battiston and the lone German defender trying to be the first to reach the ball, Battiston flicked it past German keeper Harald Schumacher from the edge of the German penalty area and Schumacher reacted by jumping up to block. Schumacher completely missed the ball, however, and clattered straight into the oncoming Battiston - which left the French player unconscious and knocked two of his teeth out. Schumacher's action has been described as "one of history's most shocking fouls". The ball went just wide of the post and Dutch referee Charles Corver deemed Schumacher's tackle on Battiston not to be a foul and awarded a goal kick. Play was interrupted for several minutes while Battiston, still unconscious and with a broken jaw, was carried off the field on a stretcher. After French defender Manuel Amoros had sent a 25-metre drive crashing onto the West German crossbar in the final minute, the match went into extra time. On 92 minutes, France's sweeper Marius Trésor fired a swerving volley under Schumacher's crossbar from ten metres out to make it 2-1. Six minutes later, an unmarked Alain Giresse drove in a 18-metre shot off the inside of the right post to finish off a counter-attack and put France up 3-1. But West Germany would not give up. In the 102nd minute a counter-attack culminated in a cross that recent substitute Karl-Heinz Rummenigge turned in at the near post from a difficult angle with the outside of his foot, reducing France's lead to 3-2. Then in the 108th minute Germany took a short corner and after France failed to clear, the ball was played by Germany to Littbarski whose cross to Horst Hrubesch was headed back to the centre to Klaus Fischer, who was unmarked thanks to Hrubesch winning his header over two defenders. Fischer in turn volleyed the ball past French keeper Jean-Luc Ettori with a bicycle kick, levelling the scores at 3-3 and sending the match to penalties. This goal was voted the greatest goal in the history of German football by German supporters. Because the scores were level after extra time, France and West Germany participated in the first ever penalty shootout at a World Cup finals. Giresse, Manfred Kaltz, Manuel Amoros, Paul Breitner and Dominique Rocheteau all converted penalties until Uli Stielike was stopped by Ettori, giving France the advantage. But then Schumacher stepped forward, lifted the tearful Stielike from the ground, and saved Didier Six's shot. With Germany handed the lifeline they needed Littbarski converted his penalty, followed by Platini for France, and then Rummenigge for Germany as the tension mounted. France defender Maxime Bossis then had his kick parried by Schumacher who anticipated it, and Hrubesch stepped up to score and send Germany to the World Cup final yet again with a victory on penalties."

..And now ..a remake of the last 15 minutes..
The game area has been shited into the urban environment. Each sequence takes place in one or several locations and then the city temporarily becomes the lab for unsual experiments. The soundtrack is made up of the original commentaries mixed with interviews of the audience recorded during the shooting.

Refait from Pied La Biche on Vimeo.

Bob Bradley met with Sunil Gulati yesterday to discuss his future as national coach but reportedly nothing was resolved. His coaching contract runs out in December and in between there are friendlies against Poland and Colombia. USSF is probably going to come to a decision in the next few weeks.

There are no viable candidates to replace him other than rumoured links to the likes of Juergen Klinsmann and Jose Pekerman. On Bradley's part he has played it down both sides- saying that he would be honoured to continue to coach the US national team but also would welcome the challenge of coaching overseas preferably in the Premiership. In this regard he was linked to Fulham and now more strongly with Aston Villa.

As per Landon Donovan, he feels that Bradley will not continue and Sunil Gulati made it clear that he considered the loss against Ghana unsatisfactory.

There is also the question of Bradley's level of motivation. This in partly topographical - the USA has put so much distance between itself and the rest of the CONCACAF challengers that World Cup qualification is almost always assured. There are few challenges to regional supremacy other than Mexico.

Before the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1991, the USA had just made it to the finals just once in the previous version- the CONCACAF Championships. The Gold Cup now held every two years has seen a Mexico vs USA final four times. In total, the US has made it to 7 finals winning 4 of those. It's a two horse race in the CONCACAF.

Mexico is the occasional motivating factor - no US coach would like to slip up against their most serious rivals. But we have moved on from that milestone which in itself is not enough to base a decision to continue or to give an extension on the contract. In the absence of any real benchmarks this World Cup performance assumed paramount significance and that really remains the reason for this coaching limbo. In short, Bradley may have run out of challenges.

The Spanish media outlets are saying that a deal is in the works that will bring Ibra to AC Milan for €40m which will be payable in three instalments. The player has asked for a day more to think things through before coming to a decision. (as per AS.com)

He has also agreed to lower his wages to €8m per annum. All sort of other rumours like Barca being offered Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Mathieu Flamini, and a few well oiled midgets with mohawks as sweeteners are swirling around.

If this deal goes through Adriano Galliani will have pulled off a coup. But Ibra will have to live up to the hype.

Javier Mascherano's misery maybe about to end because Barca will then have the money to pay more for his transfer from Liverpool.

A clean sweep - the first time since the awards were instituted in 1998.

Diego Milito won the footballer of the year and also won the forward of the year.

UEFA Club Forward of the Year: Diego Milito (Inter). Also nominated Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).

UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year: Wesley Sneijder (Inter). Also nominated Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich) and Xavi Hernández (Barcelona).

UEFA Club Defender of the Year: Maicon (Inter). Also nominated Lúcio (Inter) and Gerard Piqué (Barcelona).

UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year: Júlio César (Inter). Also nominated Hugo Lloris (Lyon) and Víctor Valdés (Barcelona).

I was hoping Manuel Almunia or Lukasz Fabianski would be there too as goalies of the year but the UEFA nominating committee probably missed out on their greatness.

For more past winners >>

Kevin McDonald's boost as interim coach took another turn for the worse as Villa came unglued at home against Rapid Wien. It was a bright start by Villa as Ashley Young in a trademark tear down the right crossed beautifully to Agbanlahor who finished in a nice bit of hustle.

Villa's defending so shambolic against Newcastle once again proved its undoing as Habib Beye lost the ball to Veli Kavlak who then danced around him before unleashing a fine cross which Atdhe Nuhiu headed home after fronting Carlos Cuellar.

The Clarets missed a golden chance to go ahead when Stilian Petrov's spot kick in response to a foul on Emile Heskey by Marco Sonnleitner was saved by goalie Raimund Heidl but Heskey following up made a mess of the rebound booting it high over the crossbar. He made amends a short while later deflecting a Beye shot into goal to give Villa a short lived lead.

Brad Guzan's sloppy goalkeeping gifted Wien's next two goals. Sonnleitner was able to get his head on the ball and nod it past a group of Villa defenders to Guzan who was unable to hold onto it and the ball drifted into goal. Three minutes later, Wien were celebrating the winner as they caught Villa on the counterattack which left Guzan stranded as Christopher Trimmell crossed for Gartner to tap home past the sprawled Villa goalie.

Villa were sent packing by Wien two seasons in a row. The loss puts more pressure for Randy Lerner to find a replacement for Martin O'Neill sooner than later. Bob Bradley might be getting a few feelers depending on his talks with Sunil Gulati about his future with the USMNT that were set for today.

It all looked a bit grim for Liverpool as Teofilo Gutierrez's 4th minute goal stood for 80 more minutes before Glen Johnson's foray down the right resulted in an own goal by Remzi Giray Kacar.

In the 88th minute, Dani Pacheco in a cameo showing signs he maybe the face of the future, took a nicely timed swing which Trabzon's goalie Onur Kivrak was unable to hold onto and newly committed Dirk Kuyt was at hand to win it for Liverpool. Before the match began the Liverpool striker had earned kudos for spurning Inter's overtures and pledging his future at Anfield.

Liverpool looked much better in the second half as Joe Cole came alive with some nice deliveries to isolate David Ngog who had two very good looks.

Roy Hodgson was a much relieved man. He has legions of skeptics who deride him as Sir Woy and a loss would have put him on very thin ice.

Former Arsenal striker Eduardo will go up against his old club

The Champions League draw took place in Monaco and this is what it looks like:

Group A: Inter, Werder Bremen, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Twente
Group B: Lyon, Benfica, Schalke, Hapoel Tel Aviv
Group C: Manchester United , Valencia, Rangers, Bursaspor
Group D: Barcelona, Panathinaikos, Copenhagen, FC Rubin Kazan
Group E: Bayern Munich, Roma, FC Basel, CFR Cluj
Group F: Chelsea, Marseille, Spartak Moscow, MSK Zilina
Group G: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax, Auxerre
Group H: Arsenal, Shakhtar Donetsk, SC Braga, FK Partizan

The Group of Death is definitely Group G which pits AC Milan in a rematch with Real with Dutch runners up Ajax and French Ligue third placed Auxerre providing non-dismissible competition. Ronaldinho's return to the Bernabeu resulted in a triumphant win last season so Milan is capable of overshadowing the most titled CL club. Jose Mourinho must be relishing the prospect of going up against his long time Serie rival.

Barcelona and Bayern on the other hand should see smooth sailing.

Lyon might be in a dogfight with Benfica and Schalke. French playmaker Yoann Gourcuff has ditched Bordeaux for their league rivals and Benfica has lost Angel Di Maria but it still retains its creative nucleus of Pablo Aimar, Javier Saviola, and Javi Garcia. Big scoring Oscar Cardozo is still there and arguably the best left back thrown up in the World Cup in Fábio Coentrão. Schalke will feature Jermaine Jones who turned down the chance to play for the USMNT to focus on the Bundesliga. They also have the best goalkeeper in Manuel Neuer and Real Madrid legend Raul.

Man Utd have a pretty easy draw- they meet a weakened Valencia without David Villa and David Silva. No long trips - the furthest they have to travel is Turkey. The club that may give them the most headaches off the pitch maybe Rangers with a history of bad blood between the two clubs.

Chelsea also should get through easily. Their only competition will be Marseille which has not got off to the best start in the Ligue with lead striker Mamadou Niang having departed for Fenerbahçe. They were given a further scare when Loic Remy was diagnosed with a previously undetected heart defect. Subsequent medical testing cleared the former Nice striker to resume his playing career.

Spurs are in a tough group - they meet defending champions Inter who might have lost Mario Balotelli but gained more equanimity without the temperamental striker.They still have Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder and that stellar back line. Rafa Benitez will still be smarting from the Spurs loss that set the tone for their fading season. No doubt he will fancy himself against Harry Redknapp this time. Werder without Mesut Oezil might lack a playmaker but they are still a tough team proving their mettle against a good Sampdoria side. FC Twente are the Dutch champions with very good defensive instincts.

Arsenal's toughest opponents will be Eduardo's new club Shakhtar Donetsk. This will be an emotional reunion for the former Arsenal striker and his old club - he won a number of fans with his commendable return after that horrific injury. Alas, he was never quite the same. But the Brazilian born Eduardo seems to have comeback to his old goalscoring form with two goals in three appearances for Shakhtar.

Eduardo's new team mates include fellow Brazilians Luis Adriano and Jadson who scored against Werder Bremen in the 2009 UEFA Cup final. Douglas Costa, the highly rated prospect from Gremio who was courted by Man Utd keeps the Ukrainian side humming. Recent Barca inductee Dmytro Chygrynskiy is back to anchor the back line.

The Gunners face Shakhtar on 19th October in a tricky period in the Premiership. On 16th they play a physical Birmingham side at home who they proved a thorn in recent encounters. After their CL first leg they lock horns with favourites Man City on the 24th in the Eastlands.

The away second leg on 3rd November is sandwiched between West Ham and Newcastle which may make for less impressive opposition but with a long journey there could be an element of heavy legs.

Arsenal's brush with Brazilians continues against Braga who shocked Sevilla with Rodrigo Lima scoring a hattrick. Seven of their starters are Brazilian. The Portugese club also managed to vanquish Celtic in the playoff stages - so they are no pushovers.

In the tricky fixture list - the return leg away to Braga is on the 23rd November and it is between fixtures against Spurs at the Emirates on the 21st and then against Villa away on the 27th. Which will make for one physically and mentally intense week.

The Samba flavoured theme continues against FC Partizan who felled favoured Anderlecht through their in form Brazilian striker, Cleo who scored twice to force penalties which the Serbian team won, 3-2 to enter their first CL group stage in seven years.

The traditional pre season friendly was made even friendlier by Ronaldinho's return to Barcelona.Made special by the fact that David Villa scored his first goal for Barca.
AC Milan came back with a fantastic volley from Pippo Inzaghi.They lost the game on penalties eventually.

Javier Mascherano did not travel with the team to Turkey in Liverpool's second leg fixture. He is evidently trying to sulk his way out to any club that will have him.

Leo Messi is the latest to advocate for a move to Barca. The Catalan club now face competition for Mascherano's services from Inter which should drive up his price. Apparently Rafa has decided not to keep his promise which in the world of football is as commonplace as a Didier Drogba goal against Arsenal.

"Javier won't play for the club again, I can assure you of that, and I think the Liverpool coach knows that now.

"Javier's family are unhappy and the pressure of seeing that is making him depressed. Liverpool must act humanely and let him go."

It's not been a bright start to Liverpool's season and with Masch absent from the midfield, the clean up duties were left to Steven Gerrard and Lucas who played out of position against Man City. There was a noticeable drop off in attacking intensity.

They were able to overcome Trabzonspor on a solitary David Ngog goal with the Turkish side looking threatening on numerous occasions. To top it all, Hodgson is without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres - so this away game is going to be a real test.

Evidence that Squillaci comes from the Uri Geller school

Squillaci signs a three year contract with Arsenal which is unusual for a player over 30 years. He won't be immediately available for the Rovers game this weekend but is eligible to play for the Champions League.

"He is a real defender and is good in the one against one, good in the air, and can score goals on set-pieces as well," Wenger added. "I believe he will be suited to the English game."

Looks like a good fit. But the goalkeeper situation is not looking promising. Wenger seems to be satisfied with what he has at the present moment:

"We are where we are - we have four great 'keepers and it is important we give confidence to them for the next game. I do not rule it out, but at the moment I say I am not in a position to sign anybody. At the moment, it is all dead."

I hope he is proved right for our sake and his because on the evidence so far we have not seen anything to inspire such confidence. And its not just the chattering masses- there are some heavyweights who have spoken about addressing this problem.

Adriano Galliani is in Barcelona to thrash out a transfer deal for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He will meet with Sandro Rosell tomorrow. But he warns Milan fans it will prove complex and costly.

Meanwhile, Mino Raiola, Ibra's agent has gone after Pep Guardiola saying the Barca manager "has his own problems and is not as perfect as people are led to believe."

Ibra for his part said that Guardiola was avoiding him and had only spoken with him twice in the last six months. He did not know what the problem was.

Wayne Rooney and James Milner have all come out with statements saying that they would love to have Paul Scholes back in the national side. It's not a tepid endorsement - the two genuinely believe that Scholes could make the difference.

Zinedine Zidane has stated that he intensely regretted never having played alongside the 'most complete footballer'. High praise because Zidane defined 'complete footballer' himself.

Scholes has been in magnificent form for Man Utd in this early season and he shows no signs of slowing down. Before the World Cup there were signs that Scholes could have been persuaded to come back from retirement if Capello had personally called him- in the end the outreach was done by his Franco Baldini, his assistant. For that Capello was roundly criticized.

A missed opportunity because Scholes would have improved the midfield a hundred fold. Getting out of the group stage on top might have changed their World Cup fortunes. But could Scholes be tempted back? He might be - with so many footballers advocating his return. Can you imagine this happening before the World Cup? Surely, Joe Cole included in the Algeria game after players lobbied for his return changed the dynamic between them and the hitherto inflexible Capello.

It's almost as if the players are trying to force the England manager to atone for not doing the right thing. Call him up they seem to say- get him back because his passes are going to find Rooney, Zamora, Bent or whomever you want to play. Capello might be forced to do it if England fail to impress in their Euro qualifiers while Scholes continues his Man Utd exploits this season.

The not so Special One

Jose Mourinho is feeling a wee bit omnipotent nowadays and it really makes no difference if he coaches in the Liga or not - he seems to think he owns the Serie, the Premiership, and the England national team.

Arsene Wenger was a favourite peeve of his in the Premiership because Mourinho's pret a porter policy allowed no development of young talent. His teams were dourly defensive, one dimensional, and terribly efficient. Just the opposite of Arsenal.

Roman Abramovich's philosophy moved more favourably towards the Arsenal model by the start of the third season but he realized that the former Porto coach had no aptitude or patience for developing talent. It was one of the reasons he was let go - Mourinho was a financial black hole gobbling expensive players.

So here he is on Wenger:

"Year after year it looks like, but no, it looks like, but no. Always the same type of comment 'It's a young team', 'It will be next season, it will be next season'.

The criticism is justified but the one thing Wenger will always be known for is changing Arsenal forever. He fundamentally changed the way they played, trained, ate, exercised, and disciplined themselves. No one in the club's history has been as influential as Wenger save for Herbert Chapman.

Mourinho will never be known for enriching the game in the same way. For the purists, he is a ham. For the bandwagon jumpers, he is heaven.

At Inter it is well known that the only young player Mourinho championed was Rene Krhin, the 20 year old Slovenian midfielder now at Bologna. There is no sign that will change in Real. The players all have price tags.

Mourinho will never stay in a club for more than a few years - he has no love for history or tradition in his single minded pursuit of trophies and titles. The only time he goes rooting around history is when it serves the purpose of playing mind games.

On Fabio Capello:

"Ask anyone here at Real Madrid. He can't change. You cannot go around just shouting at players. They need to feel special."

There is no doubt that Capello has huge issues - England should have never extended his contract after the World Cup but you have to marvel at Mourinho taking time to dig up dirt on him. The man is consumed by his own petty vindictiveness - he has to erase his predecessor's legacy.

While preserving his own by casting doubt on Rafa Benitez, his successor at Inter.

"Benitez goes there and has a team, a club, the players and three cups to win. So his job is not a difficult job - it is a dream job."

Jose Mourinho. Successful manager? Yes. Great manager? No.

Spurs swept aside Young Boys at the Lane, 4-0 to progress on aggregate (6-3) to the CL first round. Gareth Bale continues to burnish his credentials as one of the most exciting players to come out of Britain in recent years.

He had a hand in each of the goals today. Peter Crouch was on the receiving end of Bale's crosses and a PK courtesy when the Welshman was brought down by Lulic to score his hattrick.

The other goal was scored by Jermain Defoe who got away with a handball. He fires his shot into goal and then slyly looks around to see if it would be called back. Video clearly showing his handball. A mysterious figure with a sinister looking instrument (a cattle prod?) in hand on the sideline was the subject of much conjecture.

Spurs were helped to a large extent by some inept defending by Young Boys who lived up to their name by their naive and nervy display. But a raucous home crowd will surely celebrate a most famous victory that sees them enter their first CL competition since its modern inception.

Defoe himself will be out with surgery for a groin problem which will take two months to heal - so this game will occupy a special place in his heart.

The Guardian reports that the Glazer family business, First Allied Corporation is facing financial difficulties which raise questions of repayment of Man Utd's massive debt obligations much more difficult.

First Allied Corporation's business is suffering, a consequence of the general malaise afflicting the weak retail and real estate market. The grim picture is encapsulated by the unprecedented 27% drop in house sales reported a day ago. At the current rate it would take a year to exhaust the inventory of houses on the market.

All over the USA, we see the phenomenon of shopping malls with vacant stores and thinning crowds.

In this unfavourable climate it is not hard to imagine the Glazers defaulting on their mortgages on some of the shopping malls that they own or some going out of business.

Does that equate with a real danger of them not able to pay off their debt? The bank debt of £500m has been refinanced The most pressing issue is the "payment in kind' debt owed to the hedge funds which at current levels is estimated at £236m. The interest rates on this borrowed money have risen from 14.25% to 16.25%. This means that the accumulated amount will rise to £274m by next year. With their real estate investments ailing, do the Glazers turn to the club's income to pay off the debt?

The BBC Panorama story that broke in June put the debt picture in catastrophic terms. But here is part of the statement issued by the Glazers in response:

"While First Allied represents only a small portion of their asset portfolio, it continues to generate significant profits, enjoys over 90 percent occupancy, and has long term non-recourse financing."

Non-recourse financing is debt secured against collateral, in this case, the Glazers real estate properties. "If the borrower defaults, the lender can look only to the sale of the property. The borrower does not have personal liability for the loan."

The levels of debt only become a problem if the Glazers cannot service that debt. So far they have honoured their repayments.

The company's re-financed their loans at cheaper interest rates was a prophetic move before the real estate meltdown. Man Utd's recent bond issue was significantly oversubsribed and raised £130m in funds. Long term bank loans of £500m were re-financed in January without any problems at an 8.5% interest rate. In July, Forbes reaffirmed Man Utd's position as the most valuable sporting franchise in the world with a £1.15b market valuation, eclipsing America's team the Dallas Cowboys and the most decorated franchise, the New York Yankees.

There is also no evidence that income generated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is being shifted to paying off Man Utd debt. The NFL club has one of the lowest ratio of debt to value, 13 percent. It also posted the third best profit figures of £44.9m last season in the league. The Bucs were 12th on the most valued global sporting franchises. The statistics point to a well run club which is highly respected for their accomplishments and responsible ownership.

These fears are amplified by an uncertain financial climate. Starbucks Coffee shut down a number of their stores but the ones that remained in business are booming. A retrenchment takes place in such lean periods. Ditto for shopping malls. But this is hardly a Liverpool like cause for alarm where a takeover with ownership that has real money is seen as a pre-requisite for survival. Those who play up Man Utd's debt obligations have their own agendas in furthering the notion of a club in financial peril.

Angel Di Maria's fantastic solo effort for Real Madrid against Penarol

and then this awesome volley from Pazzini for Sampdoria against Werder Bremen.Marius Stankevicius took the free kick and even Cristiano Ronaldo would be impressed by the way Pazzini helped the ball goalwards..

This match lived up to its billing as Giampaolo Pazzini lit up the pitch with a very impressive opening brace. Antonio Cassano crossed the ball perfectly for Pazzini to bury his header into goal for Samp to go up.

Pazzini's second goal was almost as majestic as Gareth Bale's against Stoke this weekend. It was Cassano's turn to score with a cheeky back heel to make it 3-0. The fans at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris were going berserk as their club were up 4-3 in aggregate with just about 6 minutes left.

Just when it appeared Thomas Schaaf's club was destined to contemplate more misery, Markus Rosenberg's acutely angled grounder in the 92nd minute from 25 yards out took Gianluca Curci completely by surprise. Werder were off the hook and with the aggregate at 4-4, the match headed into extra time.

In the 99th minute Marko Marin pulled of a sequence of dazzling moves to go past three Sampdoria players before laying a pass to Claudio Pizzaro. The Peruvian striker took one step and belted an earth kissing scorcher from a similar distance to again catch Curci out of position.

Brilliant comeback by Werder but heartbreak for Sapmdoria - cruel, she is, the game of football.

Matheus gets the party started after Andres Palop who had a nightmare in goal spills the ball and the Brazilian is on hand to blast it home. Braga goes two up through fellow Brazilian, Rodrigo Lima. Sevilla answer through Luis Fabiano and Jesus Navas to draw level.

Undaunted, Braga forge ahead as Lima scores two more to complete his hat trick. Veteran Frederic Kanoute scores Sevilla's third goal in the dying minutes but it is all too little too late.

Sevilla fail to become the fourth Spanish side to enter the Champions Legue while Braga records a historic entry into the competition. Their fans will remember this night at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.

Anything remotely ruthless from an Arsenal player needs to be celebrated - so it will be great to see Sebastien Squillaci carry over the attitude that forced Sevilla to sell him onto the pitch.

He will have to compete for a center back position with Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, and Johan Djourou already on the roster.

This is a very good signing - we have someone who is famously combative, good at tackling and positional ability, and is no slouch when it comes to scoring on set pieces. Plus he brings a lot of experience at the age of 30.

In this move, I see a return to the days of defensive mettle that characterized Wenger's squads pre 2005.

Chelsea tries to lure the highly rated Santos prospect who shone in Brazil's victory over the USA in a recent friendly. But he commits himself to his club- a decision that is being celebrated as an act of patriotism but as Tim Vickery reveals is based more on common sense.

Corinthians right-winger Jorge Henrique took the linesman down in an attempt to get at a pass that was a bit out of reach.

The Reds midfielder was pulled from yesterday's game as his head and heart it appears belong to Barcelona. But Liverpool are determined that the Catalan club meet their valuation of £25m which is almost twice the figure reportedly on offer.

One of the reasons for holding the World Cup was South Africa's desire to showcase its vibrant democracy - a refutation of apartheid's legacy which left it ostracized for several decades from the rest of the world.

It appears that Jacob Zuma is subverting that process. The feel good factor left from the World Cup is drying up quickly with the new and draconian media laws being put it into place which threaten press freedom.

The ANC is clamping down on journalism that questions and criticizes governmental integrity. Much of SA's press devotes itself to exposing corruption within the governmental ranks - a story of how one of Zuma's son enriched himself in a business deal with steel giants Arcelor Mittal seems to have sparked the ANC's ire.

The recent arrests of journalists under the sinister moniker of "national interest" has evoked the feeling of censorship that existed in the apartheid era. Nadine Gordimer, SA's Nobel Prize winning writer and a prominent anti apartheid activist voiced her concerns.

"This is the threat of a return to the censorship under apartheid," said Ms. Gordimer, three of whose novels were banned in that era.

The new laws have sparked fears that the government is going the same route as Zimbabwe by repressing dissenting voices. A bit of irony there.

Liverpool had to be very, very good to beat City.

But all the signs on the pitch pointed to just the opposite- Fernando Torres except for a moment of genius was slow and drab. David Ngog and Milan Jovanovic were physically manhandled off the ball at all times by Micah Richards, Yaya Toure, and Nigel De Jong. To cap it all, Javier Mascherano was not in the starting XI because rumours are that he refused to play - his heart is now in Barca.

One had to just a cast eye at the City bench to get an overwhelming sense of the talent at Roberto Mancini's disposal - new signing Mario Balotelli looking on, Emmanuel Adebayor, Shay Given, and David Silva on the bench. Jerome Boateng, Aleksandr Kolarov, and Wayne Bridge with injuries. Shaun Wright Phillips, Roque Santa Cruz, and Patrick Vieira? Where do they go?

However the three best players were a pair of old Premiership hands in captain Carlos Tevez, former Villa winger James Milner, and Middlesbrough's football academy alumni Adam Johnson. City were able to go expand and collapse their game at will - going outside to the hardworking Milner and the slippery Johnson.

In the center, Tevez was a mercurial presence - keeping stingy possession off the ball, constantly changing direction, looking ahead to pass.

Johnson made the first goal happen with a clever pass between Jovanovic and Agger to find the arriving Milner who overran Steven Gerrard. The former Villa man cut back to find the other former Villa man Barry who found the net with a neatly placed left footer. (see above video) The first half ended with City on the one goal lead but with all the highlights.

City made it 2- 0 in the second half when Micah Richards headed the ball off a corner and Tevez was able get the faintest whisper of contact to claim the goal. (video)

That woke up Liverpool and in one of the few sustained periods of pressure Joe Hart again showed why he is England's no 1 keeper falling down to save David Ngog's shot and then recovering rapidly to block Torres piledriver off the rebound. Moments earlier, Gerrard had his shot saved by the upright.

Meanwhile Adam Johnson continued to wreak havoc down the right with Martin Skrtel his victim this time as the Slovakian central defender brought him down in the box. Matthew Dowd pointed to the spot but spared Skrtel. Tevez was at hand to score his second goal. 3-0. (video)

City looked sharp on the ball and what appeared different in their display as opposed to Spurs was that every player played their position -it gave a balanced look to each area/ facet of the game. The owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan was at hand to see his team and the young monarch exulted after every goal.

Nick Clegg waxes lyrical about England's 2018 World Cup chances.

"You could technically hold the World Cup here tomorrow."

No you can't. Fix that Wembley pitch for god sakes before it breaks the legs of the players. Listen to what Sir Alex, Arsene Wenger, and Harry Redknapp have to say about the divots and the boggy state of the pitch that cause so many players to slip. Michael Owen injured his hamstring in the 2009 -10 Carling Cup final.

Wembley will most likely be the venue for a number of World Cup matches and definitely the finals.

The new Desso semi-artificial turf installed for the Community Shield match between Chelsea and Liverpool is the 12th time that the pitch has had to be re-laid since 2007.

It was an improvement over the 2010 FA Cup final - that pitch according to John Terry ruined the match. At heart is the massively overrun cost of constructing the stadium which is being recouped by the number of concerts that are crammed into the event schedule. The hundreds of thousands of standees attending these concerts destroy the pitch which needs to be relaid at the cost of £125,000 every four months.

Other technicalities- the London transit in its present shape and form will not be able to handle the influx of hundred and thousands of fans. The tube closes at 12PM and then there is sketchy night bus service for the revelers. Unless one wants to pay an arm and leg for cabs. Heathrow and Gatwick are not even adequate to handle air traffic and passenger flow in its present state. The former is a nightmare with its air traffic congestion.

Stansted and Luton are far away and do not have enough shuttle services into and from the city.

So Mr Clegg, "technically" you will not be able to hold the World Cup tomorrow.

Hungarian ref Alvaro Garcia Miguel gave Gábor Nagy of Haladás a red card and then gets it snatched out of his hand by an irate Balazs Molnar who then naturally also got his marching orders.

And then the fastest red in the history of the Bundesliga .Youssef Mohamad of Cologne managing to collect one in the 83rd second of the game.The previous record was 188 seconds

His agent Mino Raiola, who is also employed by Mario Balotelli says that 99.9% Zlatan Ibrahimovic is going to remain at Barca.

The over rated striker was not used by Pep Guardiola for even a single minute of the recent Spanish Super Cup between Barca and Sevilla. With Guardiola employing Messi, Bojan, and Pedro his minutes were curtailed last season. With David Villa's arrival there will be a further drop off.

Ibra does not fit the Barca mould at all - he is just not part of that intricate short passing system which values the collective, not the individual. One wonders why Guardiola even brought him to Barca in the first place.

In fact, the best place for Ibra would be Man City where he would be reunited with Roberto Mancini, the manager under whom he had the most impact. But Ibra wants CL action which City cannot provide at the present moment.

He is now being linked to cash strapped Milan which might be relying on some of that Kaka transfer money left over to pull off a last day heist. Even Berlusconi has not discounted out the possibility. But can a club like Milan afford to pay Ibra's annual wages of €12m plus a huge transfer fee as Barca try and recoup his costs? Not happening unless he takes a big salary cut. And then there is for whatever reason, Guardiola's insistence that Ibra belongs in Barca.

Ibra got paid €12m for 36 matches last year which amounts to €333,334 per match or €3703 per minute played. That is a tidy sum of money for doing very little. Why should he ever leave?

The transfer deadline looms. Every other goalkeeping option is conjecture.

What is real is that Mark Schwarzer wants an out from Fulham. Mark Hughes is proving to be an impediment but maybe willing to back down with more money on the table. Basically, he is having a hissy fit because the transfer is to a club and manager he does not like.

Schwarzer's understudy David Stockdale turned in a fine performance against Man Utd which might convince Sparky if Schwarzer does go, it will not result in a goalkeeping crisis.

According to Sevilla, Sebastien Squillaci will be traveling to London on Monday for a medical in preparation for a permanent transfer to Arsenal.

A statement on their website read: "A transfer deal has been agreed, subject to the player passing a medical."

An offer of £6.5m has been accepted by Sevilla. That is the amount that the Spanish club paid Lyon for his services when he arrived in 2008.

Nothing on the Arsenal website about the recent developments. But there is an Saturday entry which states that "Wenger is far from close to signing Squillaci". Arsenal is famously tight lipped when it comes to transfers - Wikileaks would have a tough time with our club.

Squillaci will be welcome cover to the center back corps which has looked dangerously thin with just Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny as fully match fit. Johan Djourou is on the cusp but has not played a match in over a year.

The post Mesut Oezil period did not begin well for Thomas Schaaf's Werder Bremen as the club was taken to the cleaners by FC Hoffenheim.

Things began brightly enough for Werder in their Bundesliga opener as Torsten Frings converted his spot kick after Hoffenheim defender Luis Gustavo handled the ball.

The rest of the match the former German international and the rest of the Werder defense were helpless against the creative forces of Sejad Salihovic and Demba Ba who roamed the Werder half at will. Goals came from Ba, Peniel Mlapa, Vedad Ibisevic, and a well struck Salihovic free kick which gave goalie Tim Weise no chance.

Fring's personal humiliation came from a move which began deep in Hoffenheim territory as Luis Gustavo picked his pocket to race ahead and then finding Vedad Ibisevic free on the left, released a perfect pass for the US raised striker to execute a perfect finish.

Bob Bradley going public with his interest in coaching Aston Villa could not have been better timed as the Villans were thrashed by Newcastle in an absolute embarrassment.

There has been a distinct lack of pressure trying to find an adequate replacement for Martin O'Neill. And it is not certain whether Randy Lerner has a short list - but this result could change it all.

For Bradley, this announcement puts his future with the USMNT into further doubt.

An absolutely gripping encounter at Craven Cottage replete with "Where is Mark Schwarzer?"

Rumours are that he was kept out because of a back injury but others suggest that Hughes kept out the wantaway goalie who might have compromised a meeting with his old nemesis, Sir Alex Ferguson.

For United, Wayne Rooney nursing a stomach bug did not travel with the team. His place was taken by Mexican wunderkid Chicharito Hernandez.

Whatever the reasons, his replacement David Stockdale did nothing to diminish himself coming up with some spectacular saves to deny before Paul Scholes put United through with this rocking blast which Stockdale could do nothing about. (see above video)

Fabio Capello was at hand to see the evergreen Man Utd man riding a purple patch- the thought that he will ditch his "young uns" policy to get the former international on board is too tempting. Hugh Grant was at his side - maybe pitching for Zamora?

United were ascendant for the first 20 minutes as Fulham struggled for midfield coherence. Dimitar Berbatov was a threat with his clever flicks and heads up service, one which isolated Scholes for his scoring blast.

But slowly the Cottagers led by Danny Murphy and Simon Davies got back into the game with clever link up play between Clint Dempsey and Bobby Zamora. The former West Ham striker was a handful constantly besting Jonny Evans with his physicality and ability to play with his back to goal. The last 15 minutes produced a 60% to 40% imbalance in possession. Van Der Sar's quality goalkeeping kept out two very close attempts by Dickson Etuhu to preserve their first half lead.

The second half saw Fulham exert even more control and in the 57th minute Duff got past Evra on the right sideline and fed it to the racing Zamora who blew past Evans and then cut the ball back to the middle to find Davies. A swing of the leg and the ball was past Van Der Sar whose reflexes were not quite enough. Fulham were level. (video)

Man Utd brought in Nani whose presence made an instant difference as his pace pushed the Fulham midfield into defensive duties. Utd were knocking on Fulham's door. A series of corners taken by the Portugese international saw a fascinating tussle between Vidic and Hangeland, won by the Man Utd center back with only the direction on his headers missing.

The citadel finally fell as Hangeland was drawn into making inadvertent contact with the ball after a Nani corner leading to an own goal. (video)

Man Utd should have put away the game after Duff unintentionally handballed a pass in the Fulham box. Referee Andre Marriner saw it fit to award a spot kick. Nani was the penalty taker, an unusual choice with Scholes and Owen ahead of him. And it showed as he hit the ball with force but without direction and Stockdale diving to his right was able to save it.

Nani's miss came back to haunt them as Fulham forced a corner in the last minutes of the game and Hangeland besting Vidic's effort was able to elevate himself to meet Duff's floater to nod the ball at an angle. Again Van Der Sar was able to get a hand but it was not enough. (see above video)

Great game which kept you glued. Absolute first class fare between the two sides. Fulham have shown that they will be tough to beat at home.

Marquez put together this 30 yard screamer that tore a hole in the ozone. Great strike. The Mexican talisman opens his scoring ahead of far more vaunted Thierry Henry who has functioned more as an assist man.

NY went onto decimate Toronto, 4-1 through Marquez, Angel, Robinson, and an own goals by Nane. Toronto got an consolation by Dwayne De Rosario. Rest of the highlights here >>

Highlights with an irritating techno track. Turn volume down.

Watch Newcastle take apart Villa at St James Park.

Jon Carew misses a penalty in the first 10 minutes when Villa were dominant but once bad boy Joey Barton, sporting a mustache launched a blistering open field shot from 25 yards out that beat Brad Friedel all ends up, it all crumbled quickly for the Clarets.

Joey Barton, Andy Caroll, and Kevin Nolan quickly overcame the Stephen Ireland led Villa midfield.

Luis Enrique's bombing crosses from the left channel paid dividends as Caroll elevated himself to head the ball down into the path of Nolan whose attempted header was bolcked by Friedel but he followed up nicely off the rebound to score and send the home side up two.

It was Andy Caroll, another footballer with a hirsute pursuit to then takeover the goal scoaring proceedings. Barton's cross led to a muffed clearance by Richard Dunne and Caroll was at hand to send it home. Caroll finished off another chance after Wayne Routledge miscued his shot.

Villa's disarray was complete after another set piece (a corner) was headed across by Mike Williamson for Nolan to score the fifth. Caroll put the exclamation mark as he picked up a pass from Xisco and ran past the ragged Villa defense to score his hattrick.

Chris Houghton celebrated in his low key style and Alan Shearer was at hand to see a happy group of Newcastle players (there seems to be a camaraderie that was missing in the previous Premiership seasons) score this memorable win.

Super stuff from Messi in the Spanish Super Cup.Barcelona beat Sevilla 3 -2 on aggregate to win the cup for a record 9th time.They beat them 4 - 0 in the second leg- three goals courtesy one Lionel Messi.

Wigan are still in the nightmare.After the 4 - 0 hammering from Blackpool last week,it was a 6 - 0 hammering from Chelsea this week - goals from Malouda,Anelka (2),Kalou (2) and Benayoun.
Chelsea take a bow with their second 6 - 0 win of the season.Two 6 nil wins on the trot surely must be some kind of premier league record.

Gareth Bale scores a brace. The first one was sheer luck but the second off a delectable cross by Aaron Lennon shoulder high, Bale perfectly balanced lashes a left footed volley with breathtaking power and precision. He is an amazing talent.

Stoke fought back through Ricardo Fuller to narrow the gap. Then came the controversial chain of events which left Stoke aggrieved.

In the dying minutes Stoke forces a corner. The ball comes to Danny Collins whose header is just tipped out by Gomes falling back as Robert Huth PUSHES him. The ball comes loose to Jon Walters who nods the ball home. On replay - you can see Peter Crouch is WELL INSIDE the goal line when he blocks the ball with his HAND. Not exactly in Luis Suarez territory but the letter of the law would have applied.

1. Robert Huth clearly pushes Gomes when he goes for the ball (Stoke foul)
2. The ball crossed the goal line (a goal should have been given).
3. Crouch's handball blocking the shot (a spot kick for Stoke)

The match referee, Chris Foy and his officiating crew's inadvertence clearly cancel out the foul and the subsequent goal. It's almost as if the joke was on them - a world of consequences which they had no clue about. The cries of video replay technology are once again renewed. Once again they will fall on deaf ears.

The 4 - 0 dream start against Wigan last week may have led them to believe that they would do well against Arsenal.But a 6 - 0 hammering is what they got. Theo Walcott gets a hattrick, Marouane Chamakh opens his league account after squandering an eternity of chances including one just yards out with the goal at his mercy. Arshavin gets on board and so does Diaby.

Arsenal meet Blackpool at the Emirates: 10:00 AM (EST) ESPN2

Ian Holloway may or may not treat us to some new throwaway line but his side, Blackpool is coming to the Emirates riding the momentum of a 4-0 spanking of Wigan. It has been a roller coaster off the pitch though, with their chairman Karl Oyston resigning and facing bankruptcy charges.

Past statistics favour the Gunners overwhelmingly but it should not be used as a prop by some players not to show up.

Marouane Chamakh has to demonstrate more alacrity and RVP, a surer touch. Then there is Arshavin - capable of so much destruction but right now in a terrible funk, whether it is mental or a lingering effect of his injuries. The enduring mystery of Carlos Vela continues - what are Wenger's plans for him?

Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky should be the preferred starters over Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Eboue.

Fabregas will return with Samir Nasri out for a month. Laurent Koscielny suspended for one match could be replaced by either Johan Djourou or Song (the former might still not be fully fit). The question of a center back signing still hovers as Arsenal have to negotiate for Sebastian Squillaci on better terms if they want him from Sevilla.

Manuel Almunia is back in goal as the goalie conundrum continues. One day it is Schwarzer, the next; Stekelenburg - the flip flop is a given. If it pans out it will be on August 31st at 11:59 PM.

For Arsenal the dangermen are obviously Marlon Harewood, familiar from his Villa days, Gareth Taylor-Fletcher who scored two goals against Wigan, and Scottish international Charlie Adam.

Speaking of Holloway, he is a big Wenger fan or is he talking it up so Arsenal are primed for a pratfall? The Gunners have a record of dropping points to promoted clubs.

"The bloke is a genius. His players all know their jobs and he has moulded that club the way he wants it. He's even got his name in their name - Arsene, Arsenal - and maybe I should change my name to Black or something."

Here is why Holloway is a media darling:

He added: "I had rottweilers and now I have a toy poodle, which shows how you can change. I miss him."

How bad is Roberto Mancini? The only creative midfielder in your midst and he is sidelined. Sure, he is a bit surly and not given to the warm fuzzies but no one can deny Ireland is a talent that needs to be nurtured.

Mancini is even worse than Hughes. He will buy all this attacking talent but his mindset is all about preventing goals which means that the three man holding midfielder set - Nigel De Jong, Yaya Toure, and Gareth Barry is his centerpiece. Slow, slower, and slowest.

On the day of his trade to Aston Villa, Ireland unloads on the Italian and it does not make for a pretty sight. He has undoubted baggage but if you ever saw Ireland play under Hughes you were treated to some sublime stuff (see above video).

Hopefully at Villa he gets his opportunity to shine - nothing would be sweeter if Villa takes out City and Ireland scores the winning goal or sets it up. He is capable of both. In multiples.

Kenny Huang and QSL Sports end their bid, frustrated at Liverpool's foot dragging. Maybe it is George Gillett and Tom Hicks holding out for more.

It is advisable for Liverpool to go slow, to examine other bids, find out how genuine the funds are - so Huang walking away is akin to a tantrum. However, they have a finite amount of time because the threat of administration becomes a real possibility each day they do not find a buyer.

Jan Lecjaks scored a brilliant own goal for Anderlecht in their Champion's league match against FK Partizan. The goalkeeper did a reasonably good John Cleese distress impersonation...!
Here's the goalie...

and here's John Cleese.

England tightened its tentacles on the 2018 World Cup as Octopus Paul was announced as ambassador to their bid.

Paul of course gained notoriety in the recently concluded World Cup for predicting all of Germany's matches correctly including the win against England. In the final he picked Spain over Netherlands which conferred upon him honorary citizenship of that country.

The Oracle of Oberhausen has now switched his allegiance to the country of his birth. Weymouth born and raised (although there are murmurs he could be a pasta loving Italian), the switch is seen as natural.

"Paul has spent the last two years of his life in Germany, but he is definitely a proud Englishman," Weymouth Sea Life Center manager Nicola Hamilton said. "We have had a number of football approaches from around the world, but Paul was only ever going to choose his homeland."

The hiring of the most famous cephalopod in history as England's public face can only be good publicity.

"Paul the Octopus is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in football," former England winger John Barnes said. "Huge numbers of people will follow Paul's lead and back the bid."

Now which country is going to hire Mani the Parakeet, Lorenzo the parrot or even Dirty Harry, the saltwater crocodile?

As humans we have failed to bring peace to the ME. Lets give a host of animal ambassadors a chance. They can do no worse.

Rumours are that Carlos Quieroz who surprised everyone by surviving the axe after Portugal's dismal World Cup is most likely to be fired.

He has already been banned for a month by insulting anti-doping officials and is further in hot water by alleging a conspiracy by FPF vice president Amandio de Carvalho to oust him. Quieroz now faces disciplinary hearings.

The outburst against the anti-doping officials occurred in May before the Portugese team departed for the World Cup. The one month ban means that he will miss Portugal's 2012 Euro qualifiers on September 3 and 7.

Good riddance if Quieroz goes. He was on my list of five worst World Cup coaches.

1. Raymond Domenech: Maladroit. Made Inspector Clouseau look good.
2. Marcelo Lippi: The easiest group, the worst of results.
3. Fabio Capello: Overrated. Bereft of ideas. Poor communicator.
4. Carlos Quieroz: 7 goals all against N.Korea.
5. Diego Maradona: A mascot. Too much bronca.

Clubs with some money can look to getting any of these players for the Real summer special. Jorge Valdano is looking to trim the squad.

On the block one playmaker and three holding midfielders.

Rafael Van Der Vaart is now surplus with Mesut Oezil joining up this summer and the emergence of Sergio Canales. With Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso as the two holding midfielders, Lassana Diarra and his back up Mahamadou Diarra are not going to get too many minutes either. Fernando Gago has also drifted in and out of the squad and is looking for some sustained playing time.

They will all come cheaper than what Real paid for them which of course makes the Merengues the absolute worst when it comes to a business model. The club paid €80m for these four players - they will be lucky if they make half of that.

Maybe Wenger is right- all he has to do is wait outside the Bernabeu every summer and mug some players. Van Der Vaart has been linked to Man Utd and Stoke on a short term loan.

Liverpool's convoluted takeover saga got a bit more wrinkled with Peter Kenyon now heading the negotiations for the Kenneth Huang consortium bid. The perennial gadabout - Kenyon is a former Chelsea and Man Utd CEO now employed with Michael Ovitz's Creative Artists Agency, an industry behemoth representing several A list Hollywood and sports stars including football's David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Huang's previous frontman Mark Ganis was dropped after making clear that their bid would not offer any concessions to George Gillett and Tom Hicks, the present owners of Liverpool: "What is not one of our goals is the enrichment of the existing owners."

This I suspect has been a sticking point in all the bids as the two have made it clear that they are looking to making a profit. They favoured the Yahya Kirdi led ME bid because the Syrian businessman had offered the most money.

The Huang bid is getting the most traction but the other bids are still on the table as the board go through the complicated process of sifting and sorting who actually has the money. Which needless to say is the bottomline.

Nothing wrong with the first two goals which were genuine. The third goal was a spectacular one scored by Jan Lecjaks off a precise left footed shot. The problem - it was an own goal.

However before we label him as a buffoon, Lecjaks provided a lovely cross for Guillaume Gillet to head the ball for Anderlecht's first goal. And in another example of Lecjaks influence on the game, he allowed Cleo to sneak past him for Partizan's equalizer. So in balance, he created one goal and gave up two.

Anderlecht were down 1-2 but were bailed out two minutes later by the goalkeeping shenanigans of Radiša Ilić who left his line and the goal exposed - to go after a poor clearance following a free kick. Undortunately for him, Kanu got to it first and flicked it beautifully for Roland Juhász to direct towards an open goal. Honours all even and now it is onward to Belgium for the second leg of the Champions League playoffs.

Romelu Lukaku, Anderlecht's giant 6'5" striker, the Belgian league's wunderkid at 17 years of age, was on display but did not do much. He is being pursued by Chelsea, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Barca, and the rest of the world.

After winning the first leg, 2-1 in Mexico, the Brazilian club was favoured to win the second leg at home with ease. The Copa does not work on away goal advantage, so even a draw by Chivas would have forced penalties. And Chivas made a very bold statement with Marco Fabian executing a nicely done half scissor kick to give them the lead.

However, Rafael Sobis restored parity in the second half after Kleber centered the ball. Damiao Leandro subbing for Sobis made it two up as he stole the ball almost at the halfline and raced towards goal with Luis Michel unable to stop his shot. Chivas self destructed as Omar Arellano brought down D'Alessandro and was red carded.

Guiliano made it three as he niftily worked his way past a couple of defenders and toe poked it over the sprawled Luis Michel. Chivas in the dying minute made it closer with Omar Bravo pouncing on the rebound after Adolfo Bautista's free kick clanged off the upright.

Things got testy after Marco Fabian spat on an Internacional player and a melee broke out with players of both clubs engaging in some fisticuffs.

Emmanuel Frimpong whose Arsenal trajectory was just taking off suffered an ACL injury during training that will keep him out for the next six to nine months. At the time Frimpong was in Dublin training with the reserves to play friendlies against Man Utd's reserves and Shamrock Rovers.

Arsenal fans who had hopes that the highly rated holding midfielder would see first squad action will be disappointed. Wenger admitted it was a big blow. Frimpong had been in impressive form in the pre-season especially the Emirates Cup.

"I rate him highly and I still have a lot of faith in him but we will miss him for six to nine months."

Samir Nasri yesterday and now Frimpong. The season is barely a week old and we already have key casualties. What's with the training regime anyway? Are they using the rack to stretch the ligaments? The injury happened with the reserves but even in the senior squad, its the same. Somehow since Gary Lewin left, a number of players keep getting injured for e.g., Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky off the pitch. A training session is a place where you are likely to pick up a niggling knock or two, not have a season ending injury. Shouldn't Wenger be a wee bit concerned?

Arsenal does not improve on its earlier bid. Predictably, Fulham feels insulted and turns them down.

Schwarzer may not be going anywhere as Mark Hughes is quite adamant that he still has two more years on his contract to fulfill. If he goes, it will be for much more money which Arsenal might not want to pay for someone they think is just there to plug a gap.

The more promising news is that Maarten Stekelenburg might be back on the table. However the Ajax goalkeeper is not going to come cheap and so far Arsenal have been just that. Sevilla just rejected the bid for Sebastien Squillaci having said the "offer was insufficient".

Here we are towards the end of the transfer period - every club now knows that we are interested in bolstering our defense and acquiring an experienced goalkeeper. Our options are getting narrower and with fewer sales this season, every club wants to cash in on the ones that happen.

Maybe Gallas can do some more of this while at Spurs

Another classy act by the former Arsenal captain- whose inflated wage demands are being met by Spurs. Good luck to them.

He always seems to be the nimblest when it comes to changing clubs. On the field not so much. At least not nowadays. He will join Spurs on a one year contract with Harry Redknapp desperate to provide cover for injury prone Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate. But Gallas himself was injury riddled for long stretches the last two seasons. Redknapp is taking quite the gamble.

He was also quite a failure as a captain - mostly known as a sulk and losing whatever little composure he had. The bizarre sit in against Birmingham ranks up there and this summer he lost the plot when Patrice Evra was selected over him as leader of Les Bleus. Not that it mattered in the end. Evra was just as bad.

Spurs come visiting the Emirates on November 21st so Gallas should get quite a reception.

Joe Cole a split personality? He slips a sublime pass to Ryan Babel who scores the only goal in Liverpool's only noteworthy moment in the first half. In the second half, Serkan Balci fouled Lucas in the box. Joe Cole steps up for the spot kick and sends it tamely to Onur Kivrak. He must be wondering, fans must be wondering - what is next?

Liverpool looked good after the resumption of play and for fans, the most heartening sight would be Fernando Torres looking a bit like his former self. El Nino had some good looks at goal.

The Reds dodged a bullet when Umut Bulut managed to slip the offside cordon but with ample time to spare shot it straight at Reina who stuck his hand out to deflect it to safety. Now they travel to Turkey to put the result away.

The Premiership's most exciting talent scores on debut for City as they manage to overcome FC Timisoara, 1-0 on the road. Credit due to Adebayor who set it up. £23million Mario Balotelli also picked up a yellow card and a knee injury.

Man City starts its Europa Cup venture against Romanian club FC Timişoara which is not exactly the original city club- that club moved to Bucharest and its owner has tied up the club that moved in its place in legal challenges. This is a rare example of its kind in football. It gets you thinking about the various causes of the partisanship phenomenon.

In the USA, clubs move a lot in part seeking out better city financing or development of stadiums. Case in point, the Oakland Raiders in the NFL moved to LA in 1982 and then moved back in 1995 due to owner Al Davis's proposal building luxury boxes in the Oakland Coliseum which was rejected.

No club has changed more addresses than the St Louis Rams who have relocated three times - from Cleveland, LA, Orange County CA, and finally to their present location. Or they completely reinvent themselves as the Houston Oilers morphed to the Tennessee Titans.

These moves which are driven mainly by economic interests represent a less explored factor in the comparative lack of partisanship seen in the US. With some notable exceptions, clubs here have less roots with the communities they are located in. Even the most celebrated rivalry had to do with a curse.

In football, clubs form themselves on the basis of cultural, sectarian, social and class differences, or the degree of regional autonomy of the places that they inhabit. Apart from the celebrated derbies for e.g., Celtics vs Rangers, Boca Juniors vs River Plate, Spurs vs Arsenal, we have fierce rivalries between more remote locations, as in Barca and Real Madrid purely as a reaction to the autonomous state of Spanish principalities.

Many of these schisms are channeled through these clubs and have to do with an atavistic urge to redress old grievances. Football leads to an acceptable mitigation of these desires which occasionally spills into violence and bloodshed. Over the years, the differences have leavened but the intensity remains just as fierce. A relocation of Celtics or Boca Juniors would be unthinkable.

In Big Fan, Patton Oswalt plays a NY Giants fan consumed by his passion for the game and his hatred for the Eagles. His faith severely tested, he redeems himself in the end by spraying his target, an Iggles radio jock with a paintball gun in a mock execution. But this is stuff of movies.

In football, this is real. There are a dime a dozen stories of such personal hatreds. Betrayed partisans continue to stalk Sol Campbell years after he switched to Arsenal making life on the pitch and beyond a hellish experience. He will not hear the end of it when the Toons visit White Hart. And he is just one of them - in the world of football partisans who see things in black and white terms buttressed by years of schisms, of history that are unimagined in the American sports landscape.

Coming soon to Ewood Park

Liverpool's takeover bid is being undermined by interested parties with notional money. Those with real money are not buying. And the China government backed Kenneth Huang is losing heart over Liverpool's footdragging.

It's all fog and shadows so far as the board is taking time coming to an ownership decision. In the backdrop is George Gillet and Tom Hicks desire to make a profit on the club which has scuppered other bids.

Meanwhile Blackburn's prospective Indian owner, Ahsan Ali Syed opens up about his future plans for the club. They are ambitious to say the least. However, he seems to be serious and most importantly the money appears real and transparent.

Part of it could reflect a subconscious desire to inflict reverse colonialism by capturing a quintessential symbol of the English heartland. Coming soon to Ewood Park, dosa stands and Kingfisher beer.

Arsenal's search for a center back to pair up with Thomas Vermaelen has led them to French international and present Sevilla defender Sebastien Squillaci. The Spanish club confirmed that they had been approached by Arsenal but their present valuation of £8million were not met.

All sorts of speculation was set in motion as the player failed to show against Braga in the Europa Cup but the club website set the record right:

"The player asked not to play because of the offer from such a big team but, for the moment, we believe the offer is insufficient and Squillaci is still a Sevilla player," said Sevilla sporting director Ramon Rodriguez.

Wenger is keen to replenish his side before the transfer period ends so a re-bid maybe in the works. Squillaci is in his final year of a three year contract signed in 2008 with Sevilla.

At 30 years, he is a bit long in the tooth but again this move is essentially a hold so that Laurent Koscielny and Havard Nordtviet can develop further.

Squillaci spent most of his early career in Monaco so it is safe to say that Wenger has been tracking him for sometime. At Monaco he formed a notable partnership with Gael Givet and in 2004, the club reached the UEFA Champions League final beating Real Madrid and Chelsea.

He was also part of the successful Lyon sides from 2006 to 2008 establishing himself at the back with Brazilian centerback Cris. From some of the scouting reports- his team mates describe him as "combative" which from an Arsenal standpoint is an excellent quality, demonstrates astute positioning ability (can he stop Didier Drogba?), and is a threat on set pieces through his headers (Arsenal look toothless in this department).

He also brings enough international experience with 20 caps for Les Bleus and made the trip to South Africa where he played 90 minutes against SA. Squillaci also comes away untainted from the Moliere like farce that enveloped the French team.

Mesut Özil is presented at the Bernabeu as he completes his move to Real on a 6 year contract.

It happened very quickly as his former team Werder Bremen took to the field against Sampdoria with conjecture surrounding his appearance. Apparently, the transfer negotiations all fell into place on Tuesday.

Özil is determined to win the Liga and the Champions League with Real. So ambition is not a problem. He also explained that although he is an observant Muslim he does not adhere to the strict rules of fasting during this period of Ramadan which should come as a relief to Jose Mourinho who's had his run ins with religious practices.

His arrival reunites him with German team mate, Sami Khedira. Real boasted two Germans in Gunter Netzer and Paul Breitner 35 years ago which proved to be a good omen because they won the Liga and the Copa Del Rey that year (1974-75). Real are hoping that this proves to be true this year.

Watch Clemens Fritz's absolute blast that beats Gianluca Curci. Then Torsten Frings converts a spot kick after defender Stefano Lucchini earned a yellow for bringing down Sebastian Prödl. Lucchini had to leave subsequently because it was his second yellow. Claudio Pizzaro completes the Werder tally.

However, Giampaolo Pazzini, a livewire in Sampdoria's attack managed to peg one back with his header. He had one goal disallowed for being barely offside and had two more opportunities as his header flashed just wide and then his sweetly struck shot found the upright as Werder escaped with fewer damages.

The Germans now travel to Genoa and the Pazzini goal could prove decisive.

Nicholas Anelka was banned for 18 months by the French Football Federation. Today he blasted back in typical fashion.

Actually he makes sense. What he did was a disgrace but what Patrice Evra, Jean Abidal, and Franck Ribery did was equally disgraceful and they too should be penalized. The FFF have found themselves a convenient scapegoat for their ineptitude in continuing with Raymond Domenech, who should be banned from coaching. For 18 months.

Arsene Wenger is an outspoken critic of the Premiership's new thrust towards domestic development of players which stipulates that a maximum of 17 non- homegrown players will be included in a 25 man squad.

He has said that the rule will 'force down' the quality of the Premier League and 'paralyse' the transfer market.

The EPL states "The definition of home grown is trained for three years under the age of 21 by somebody in the English and Welsh professional system."

The rule was brought into effect because it would give an opportunity for England to develop and expand their talent pool thus strengthening their national squads.

Already there are distinct rumblings that the rule is forcing players who are now on the fringes of their squads, for e.g., Craig Bellamy and Stephen Ireland to look elsewhere for first team action. It could also lead to court cases where FIFA's rule 15 allows players to terminate their contract:

* Section 15 of the Fifa 'Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players - 2010' states:

"An established professional who has, in the course of the season, appeared in fewer than ten per cent of the official matches in which his club has been involved may terminate his contract prematurely on the ground of sporting just cause. Due consideration shall be given to the player's circumstances in the appraisal of such cases. The existence of a sporting just cause shall be established on a case-by-case basis. In such a case, sporting sanctions shall not be imposed, though compensation may be payable. A professional may only terminate his contract on this basis in the 15 days following the last official match of the season of the club with which he is registered."

Wenger asks:

"I would like to know, when they voted for that in the Premier League, if they knew this rule. If you have not played more than ten per cent of games, you can get in front of a FIFA committee that then decides how much money you have to pay to buy out your contract. That is a rule."

It again makes us question what is England's priority? The further development of the world's best football league or the fortunes of the national squad? My observation is that the homegrown rule makes the English Premier League's association with the national squad an artificial one. It just says any under 21 year player irrespective of nationality can train under the domestic system for three years to achieve eligibility under the homegrown rule.

That means you still can't guarantee an Englishman will find representation in the club's senior squad. The only reason why one looks forward to the Premiership is because it is a mecca for overseas players and after England's disastrous World Cup, the fans can still look forward to some top notch club competition. Imagine having a disastrous World cup and then trying to find solace in substandard domestic fare. Unfair.

The French midfielder picked up a meniscal injury in the Liverpool game and will undergo a minor surgery which will keep him out for four weeks.

Arsenal's statement:

"Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri will today [Wednesday] undergo minor surgery on his knee following a meniscal injury sustained during the match against Liverpool on Sunday," read a club statement. "Nasri, who has been in impressive form, will be out of action for a month."

Nasri was one of the few Gunners who looked bright in that match and his deft touch kept the midfield humming. There was always a chance the moribund attack would get going with him in the midst. Arsenal fans had big expectations of Nasri this season and even coach Laurent Blanc is rebuilding Les Bleus with him in mind.

An injury so early to a key player is not good for team morale. It exposes Arsenal's fragility once again. His absence now puts more pressure to Cesc Fabregas who will have to regain his match fitness and mental composure quickly to put Arsenal back on firm footing.

On the other hand, it gives Tomas Rosicky and Andrei Arshavin an opportunity to step up their game, especially the Russian who looks sluggish and unfocused.

The lucky part is that Arsenal's upcoming fixtures are against relatively weaker teams and Nasri should be back on the pitch to face Chelsea in early October.

Young Boys raced to a 3-0 lead in the first half with goals from Senad Lulic (video), Henri Bienvenu (video), and Xavier Hochstrasser (video shown above) as they laid waste a woeful Spurs defense. The Premiership club's CL debut was turning out to be an embarrassment.

The central defense led by Dawson and Bassong were caught out against the faster and more perceptive Swiss.

The Premiership team rallied through Sebastien Bassong (video) and Roman Pavlyuchenko's stunning strike (video shown above) to narrow a gap in goal difference to one. Setting up what should be a fascinating encounter at White Hart in the second leg.

Having lain low in his lair for a while Blatter emerged recently to declare that he was going to eliminate draws from the World Cup to make it more interesting.Meanwhile soccerblog has managed to unearth this rare photograph of Blatter about to remove his mask....

......thereby revealing his true identity..............!

Indian businessman Ahsan Ali Syed is in talks with the Jack Walker estate which manages Blackburn for a potential takeover.

Ali Syed heads the wealth management company Western Gulf Advisories headquartered in Bahrain and his personal wealth has been estimated at £7bn. He has promised funds up to £100m which is loads of money in this cash strapped economy.

Some nuggets on the man behind the takeover:

He was born in Hyderabad to a family that made its fortune in cotton, an association that should sit well with Blackburn, once known as the cotton capital of the UK.

Ali Syed was educated at the LSE- so there are some past connections to England. His company has acquired a reputation turning distressed assets into performing assets. The company has focused on investing in real estate and property developments with successful ventures in New South Wales and Queensland. They have also bought into Irish real estate developers McCabe Group in a cash for equity partnership.

The website carrying his picture is a gif that changes into a white horse (Shadowfax?) charging down and not a unicorn, which Blackburn fans will be thankful for. More dubious is his claim that he does not want to buy the club for its business potential but to fuel his "passion" for football. Now that sounds like malarkey. He's never been to Blackburn and when pressed declined to name a single player.

He is a huge cricket fan and his "true passion" is buying thoroughbreds for his Western Gulf stables. Ali Syed looks like he is more in tune with buying the next big team in the IPL.

Why Blackburn? This takeover even if taken in the narrowest investment terms represents very little potential for profitability as Blackburn's base is one of the smallest in the Premiership. Roman Abramovich has suffered losses in his Chelsea investment and converted it into equity in a club with more name recognition even pre takeover days. There maybe some chances of Blackburn tapping into the huge Indian interest in the Premiership given Ali Syed's connections but there again, the big clubs are in far more advantageous position.

"We have a 15-year investment fund for the club, split into three five-year segments," he added."In the first we will strengthen and retain our Premier League status, invest in the academy for the production of young players, invest in the stadium, and focus on marketing in the Middle East, the Far East and the Indian subcontinent to increase Blackburn Rovers as a brand."

A 15 year plan is not exactly a timeframe that companies in the business of turning around distressed or non- performing assets into profitability have in mind. This really sounds like an outlier project. Still, Ali Syed sounds like he has real money (of his own) and is not a frontman for shadowy economic interests presently dogging the Liverpool effort. If he is sincere about the long haul then his vision for Blackburn as a global brand could bear fruit.

Giovani Dos Santos: Part of the Mexican revolution in the Premiership

Play-offs, First leg - 20:45CET (20:45 local time) - Stade de Suisse - Berne

Spurs make their first entry into Champions League since the modern format began although they made the European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals in 1960-61. Young Boys go back even further as semi-finalists in 1958-59.

Ledley King, the injury prone Spurs captain will not be making the trip to Stade de Suisse which has artificial surface. Jermaine Jenas, David Bentley, Jonathan Woodgate, and Jamie O'Hara have also been sidelined due to injuries.

Scott Sutter, Young Boys central defender was born in the Enfield section of London and grew up a Spurs fan.

"It was amazing for me when I was watching the draw with my dad and the first two names out were us and Tottenham," Sutter said. "I jumped up and punched the air."

He might have to wait till the second leg listed as doubtful to start with an injury.

Spurs squad: Probable starters (4-4-2)

Heurelho Gomes, Benoit Assou- Ekotto, Sebastian Bassong, Michael Dawson, Vedran Corluka, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Tom Huddlestone, Aaron Lennon, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe

A slight touch on the head from Daniel Alves sent him crashing to the ground in mortal agony which only lasted as long as it took the ref to give Alves a yellow card.Diving ? - surely not..Sevila beat Barca 3 -1 in the first leg game of Spanish super cup.

Werder Bremen is now asking for €30m euros.

However, Real Madrid believes that Klaus Allofs is overplaying his hand because they have a deal agreed with the player to join them next year when his contract runs out on June 30th. Which means that Real will get him for free. An unappetizing situation for Werder.

Meanwhile Turkish paper Hurriyet is reporting that Ozil and his father Mustafa met with Florentino Perez and have reached an agreement to a Real future either this season or next.

A higher paying Inter bid was rejected because Ozil fancies the Merengues. All manner of skullduggery and rumour mongering going on.

Ozil will suit up for Werder against Sampdoria no matter what happens.

Argentina produces such wonderfully talented footballers but they live in the past and that past is heavily weighed down by self absorption in Diego Maradona's legacy - a millstone providing a constant drag to moving forward.

The latest to weigh on the Maradona controversy is Martin "El Loco" Palermo, a Maradona acolyte. In an interview with Ole, he said that the two months spent with Messi in South Africa convinced him that the Barca maestro was not Maradona.

"He does not have the mentality of Maradona. He is not ready to shoulder the responsibility of the national team. He is not going to assume the role of the playmaker because he is too used to the system at Barcelona. He has been raised in a different manner, has lived other experiences - we all know what Diego had to go through."

This outburst was prompted after Messi had gone on record saying after the Ireland victory that he emphatically trusted interim coach Sergio Batista who made him feel just as comfortable as he did at Barcelona. To Palermo it amounted to an act of betrayal.

"Diego had a special relationship with Messi. I think this hurts him more as a human than that of a footballer. He treated Messi like his son."

Which makes Messi his third son - he's been a father to Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez. No wonder they carry so much baggage with these paternal obligations and inevitable comparisons. Maradona's world is driven in purely personal terms and narcissm, by black and white emotions - betrayal and trust, love and hate, and a constant looking into the mirror. Where does one leave room for football tactics and objectivity when Maradona's coaching instinct is if he gets the warm fuzzies from this player being the next Maradona?

Look at Brazil. They have moved beyond Dunga in a clean break. Pele has an outsize legacy, just one of the many Brazilians with one, but he has gone beyond the business of ordainment and navel gazing.

David Jones volleys home after a clever bit of invention and Wolves go onto beat Stoke, 2-1.

Watch Alvaro Negredo do the same against Real Valladolid in 2007 (video) and for Matt Le Tissier fans there is this >>

Meanwhile one is left to ponder as a commentator points out rightly how Emile Heskey managed 58 caps for England whereas Le Tissier, a far more prodigious talent was overlooked in his international career finishing with just 8 appearances.

The LA Galaxy won bragging rights as they beat the NY Red Bulls, 1-0.

Edson Buddle was put through by a nice pass by Juninho and the Galaxy striker made no mistake. Juan Pablo Angel came close to restoring parity on a couple of different occasions. His free kick missed by a whisker and then his header from a swerving free kick by Rafa Marquez clanged off the crossbar.

Thierry Henry showed some nice foot skills and a quick eye for a pass but his finishing let him down- he looks a few knots slower than his Barca days. His big moment came when he raced after the ball with Donovan Ricketts also come charging out from goal - the French striker tried going to the right but Ricketts with a sliding challenge was able to cut him off.

The Red Bulls came close again with Ricketts saving Angel's header off Lindpere's cross and off the rebound Tim Ream smashes it but it deflected off Berhalter for a corner. Buddle came close again in the final minutes with Bouna Condoul stretched out to make a finger tips save off his stinging grounder.

Arsenal are set to offer an improved bid worth £3m for Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer this week.

Schwarzer has made it plain that does not see a future in Fulham and has been vocal about joining Arsenal.

If the negotiations go as planned - it seems as if Fulham are ready to give up on him and pursue Shay Given. With Schwarzer's contract set for two years, there will be enough time to develop the 20 year old Wojciech Szczesny or inject a shot of confidence in fellow Polishman Lukasz Fabianski.

The developments have got Manuel Almunia all nervous and wondering about his future.

"To be honest, it is so difficult to concentrate because Arsenal is a big club and speculation is always in the news and everywhere," Almunia told the London Evening Standard.

"The only thing I can do is keep working because I have a contract here and I have to do what the manager wants from me. I have not spoken to him. If somebody comes in, I will have to talk about my future at Arsenal. That is it."

Schwarzer will be an improvement over Almunia - he was very good in his long career at Middlesbrough and was a very important part of a Fulham team that achieved 7th position in Roy Hodgson's first year. Last year his performances in the Europa League helped Fulham reach the final. He has been the goalkeeper for the Socceroos for 16 years and his international experience includes their 2006 and 2010 World Cup.

With the goalkeeper conundrum solved, Wenger can turn his attention towards signing a quality center back- Phil Jagielka or Gary Cahill are being considered possibilities.

Man Utd took apart Newcastle in their opener, 3-0 as Paul Scholes proved why Fabio Capello might jettison his newly found "young blood " mantra to persuade the former England international to come back from retirement.

Scholes picked out Ryan Giggs with a perfect pass and the career Manchester Utd man finished perfectly for United's third goal.

Scholes also provided Dimitar Barbatov with an assist for the first goal (video) and then a very gracious Rooney gave up to Darren Fletcher to score the second after Evra had crossed the ball to the England striker (video).

Rooney was taken off in the 63rd minute and was at hand to watch Giggs score. It's been a tough last few months for him but the encouraging signs are that Dimitar Berbatov and Chicharito Hernandez look quite capable of taking up the scoring slack. Especially the Bulgarian whose talent has never been doubt but his endeavour has been frequently found wanting.

Similar to newly promoted West Brom facing Chelsea, this too was quite the initiation for Newcastle. The third club fared better as Blackpool overcame Wigan in an impressive 4-0 win.

" I am number one- take that Lukasz"

A late equalizer gifted off a blunder by Pepe Reina kept Arsenal from going down at Anfield. That is the headline in most news outlets. The subtext should read a less impressive Arsenal effort.

New signing Laurent Koscielny had a solid performance and was a physical presence in the middle but there were times when he was beaten to the ball - the pace of the English game is such. His debut ended with a sending off through a handball in the dying minutes.

Marouane Chamakh had a quiet game, for a striker who scores a lot of goals through set pieces, he was practically non-threatening. He also showed a distinct lack of anticipation to some of service into the box.

Having said that Arsenal's set pieces left much to be desired - the free kicks and corners rarely penetrated the first defender save for a Thomas Vermaelen left footed screamer that Reina was able to parry away and Theo Walcott's superbly bending effort was again seen off by Reina.

Jack Wilshere included in the starting XI had a nondescript first half. He was scrappy going after the ball but one can't say he contributed much to the passing game. Emmanuel Eboue coming in place of Walcott gave the customary flying through the middle displays but ran out of ideas and partners - a heavy first touch prevented him from a goalscoring opportunity and Reina was able to collect.

Arsenal was dominant in the first half, linking up better and creating quite a few problems for the Liverpool back four even as they never really came close to scoring. Samir Nasri showed a deft touch on the ball.

The biggest heart in the mouth moment came when Koscielny's ankle got twisted up in Joe Cole's tackle (an excessive red card) and he had to be stretchered off. Instantly, in that moment, the frailties of the Arsenal defense were exposed. Who would we turn to - our our back up options include a clearly unfit Johan Djourou struggling with months of injuries and an even less experienced Harvard Nordtviet? Luckily for us, Kosecielny came back on. Wenger will have to fill that position right away.

There were a few nerve wracking moments with Manuel Almunia dealing with set pieces, once missing a corner altogether which luckily led to no further damage but he gets credit for making a fingertip save off a cracking shot by Glen Johnson.

With the encouraging first half display in mind and Liverpool down to ten men, one would have thought the conditions were ripe for an Arsenal breakthrough in the second half.

Instead we saw yet another example of shooting oneself in the foot- with Liverpool pressing the Gunners failed to clear the ball (Tony Adams must have looked aghast) and indulged in some pretty passing which went awry as it struck Wilshere on the heel. The ball came to Mascherano - the little enforcer fed the ball to David Ngog and the French striker taking advantage of a slowly reacting Almunia lashed the ball over the goalkeeper. While virtually everyone writes off Ngog, the French striker proves he thrives in these exact same situations.

The wheels came off the Gunners for the next 10-15 minutes as we struggled to maintain coherence. Its happened before, where we lose shape and become vulnerable - it comes down to a lack of leadership. Arshavin continued his career in decline whether it is through injuries or a funk- you can see the Russian is clearly not having fun. Clichy was overmatched throughout with Glen Johnson and Dirk Kuyt having their way. Abou Diaby can only be considered a holding midfielder in an alternate reality. He is too lightweight on the ball.

Ngog came close again narrowly missing with a header and in another set piece occasion Clichy made a goalmouth clearance.

Almunia actually kept us from going further behind when he saved a goal from a dipping Steven Gerrard free kick.

Arsenal got back into some form of scoring urgency when Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott were introduced. Rosicky almost had the equalizer with a beautifully struck ball from open field but Reina brought off a spectacular save.

Still one saw Arsenal refusing to commit numbers up front - a moment illustrated when Sagna's cross saw a goal mouth scramble resulting in Walcott being the only Gunner around to try and poke the ball into goal. There was no Van Persie, Chamakh, or Arshavin to provide additional bodies. We could not take advantage of a Daniel Agger left groggy with a fiercely struck shot to his face which in effect reduced Liverpool further.

The goal came from a Reina blunder as Rosicky's pass was deflected by Chamakh onto the upright and from the rebound the Liverpool goalie bundled the ball over in an own goal.

Arsenal managed to salvage a draw at Anfield. One would call that creditable but there is an uneasy feeling we missed out - Liverpool is a wounded club. The three points were there for the taking but again, a lapse in concentration gifted them a goal. Deja vu to last season when we relied on a series of late comebacks. There are tremendous mental and physical costs to be paid when doing that repeatedly. We again carried a number of passengers in this match - players distinctly out of step or lethargic or a funk.

Wenger needs to sign a center and try and solve the goalkeeping conundrum- as amply provided City vs Spurs and this match, a good goalkeeper can make all the difference.

The first match maybe a bit premature to base future results on. But on the strength of this display we will have no chance overcoming Chelsea, Man Utd, and even Spurs. We will have to go after the smaller clubs and hopefully win those games.

Liverpool - Arsenal GOALS 15.08.10
Uploaded by kehl3. - Check out more sports and extreme sports videos.

Joe Cole earned the first red of the season for a tackle on Laurent Koscielny that maybe should've been given a yellow only.

Jack Wilshere could see some face time at Anfield

Arsene Wenger completed one very important order of business signing a three year contract that sees him continue as Arsenal coach till 2014.

He also believes that his coaching philosophy- catch them young, watch them grow has reached its limit with the present group of Gunners. This is the year they step up and deliver. Boys to men.

Just an hour away from the Liverpool game and here we are:

Arsenal is bare on defensive cover, especially at center. Thomas Vermaelen's partner is Laurent Koscielny, a greenhorn who is to be blooded in a trial by fire against Liverpool. His preferred partner, Johan Djourou with more experience of the Premiership has been out with a series of injuries for a year.

The goalkeeping conundrum that Arsenal was left with last season has not been resolved.

In fact, it is far worse because there appears to be a distinct perception that Wenger is playing a sort of holding game for the next few seasons allowing Wojciech Sczescny to mature further - we could see the same juggling act with Almunia, Fabianski and even Mannone.

Wenger could go in for a late signing which could be Mark Schwarzer who is desperate to leave Fulham. But the transfer fees are a sticking point.

We also have Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie short of match fitness, so the midfield and the attack could be shorn of its two most potent players.

However having said that it will be tough to see Fabregas sit this one out completely. A 4-3-3 with Marouane Chamakh in the center flanked by Andrei Arshvin and Theo Walcott.

Samir Nasri playing attacking midfield could be flanked by Tomas Rosicky with Abou Diaby in the nominal holding role.

At the back it is Gael Clichy- Thomas Vermaelen- Laurent Koscielny- Bakary Sagna. Almunia will be in -punctuating the rock and a hard place analogies.

We could also see substantial minutes from Jack Wilshere and Jay Emmanuel Thomas.

So come on Gunners! Hopefully Arshavin who has made Anfield a happy hunting ground can rediscover his attacking prowess against a familiar foe.

Truth stranger than fiction.Marlon Harewood of Blackpool was briefly the leading scorer of the new season (before Dider Drogba got into the act for Chelsea).He scored the first brace of the season and Blackpool were most unimaginably leading Wigan 3 -0 at half time.

The underdogs went on to further prove that their bite was worse than their bark.A fourth goal was to follow.Alex Baptiste took a shot that was meant to be a cross but it wound up at the back of the Wigan net.

Chelsea inflicted the heaviest defeat of any opening day in the Premiership as they swept aside newly promoted West Brom, 6-0. The defending champions could not have asked for a more emphatic statement of intent.

It was a horrible day for Scott Carson who looked like Lukasz Fabianski with hands of butter and constantly caught out of position. His defense did not help with the wall crumbling in the wake of Drogba's free kick and Gabriel Tamas's head helping deflect Drogbas shot past his hands into the net.

Leading the way was Didier Drogba, the new and improved version since his groin surgery. He scored a hat trick and if this is the way he and Chelsea continue then this season may well be over in a short while. He was matched in his cool and clinical finishing by Florent Malouda who scored a brace. Frank Lampard rounded off the tally.

For Roberto Di Matteo, a former Chelsea man himself the saving grace is that he does not have to go to Stamford Bridge every weekend. The Baggies were pretty good when they had the ball and for long spells controlled the game, but when it comes to ruthless scoring efficiency, there is no one better than Chelsea.

Aston Villa shrugged off the trauma of Martin O'Neill walking out five days before the start of the Premiership to spank West Ham, 3-0.

Goals from Stewart Downing, Stilian Petrov, and James Milner doomed Avram Grant's side. Not a very auspicious debut for the former Pompey boss. But for caretaker coach Kevin MacDonald this is exactly what Villa needed.

This could well be Milner's last game as he is due to leave for City if they can take care of Steven Ireland's sticking point of 2m pounds.

Robert Green was also thrust back into the limelight after his disastrous World Cup and he had his nervy moments setting up the first goal with a weak parry but overall he handled the pressure well despite the constant barracking of the Villa fans. It was West Ham's terrible defense that proved their undoing.

Villa have a bright talent in Marc Albrighton who proved to be a handful and was heavily involved in the Milner goal. Watch out for him.

Mame Biram Diouf headed the ball in the general direction of Everton's Tim Howard.
Everton's goalie made the first goalie blooper of the season by allowing the ball to pop out of his hands into the path of Nikola Kalinic who then gratefully scored Blackburn's first goal for the season.

Joe Hart was a blur - diving, parrying, punching, tipping and in general, frustrating the heck out of Spurs. Outstanding stuff from the City goalie. I wish we could have him at Arsenal but that will never happen now.

A few impressions: The first half saw a crackling display by Spurs as that overactive left channel with Gareth Bale and Benoit Assou Ekotto pounded City. Aaron Lennon kept pace on the right. And Jermain Defoe looked sharp. Tom Huddlestone anchored the midfield sending in some dead on drops into the box with Luka Modric pushing the ball out to the flanks. It was Spurs all over City and the wonder is that they did not score.

City looked imbalanced with three holding midfielders and the lone striker in Tevez pushed deep into midfield to get the ball. New signing David Silva was lively but mysterious drifiting repeatedly from his natural position on the left infringing on Shaun Wright Phillips territory. Aleksandar Kolarov on the left was pacy but short on ideas. Yaya Toure also contributed little of note. Heurelho Gomes in the Spurs goal had little to do.

The second half was a more evenly balanced affair but there were few scoring opportunities. Bale should have scored with just Hart to beat but the ball came onto his weaker right foot and he sliced that golden chance embarassingly wide to the right. Adebayor came on in the last 10 minutes but could do little.

City have a welter of attacking talent but somehow Roberto Mancini seems to be saddled with a defensive mindset. The positive note will be that City stopped the success Spurs have had over them. But the more disquieting scenario for City is that this match could be a precursor to a series of dreary draws fans were subjected to last season. Plus, who is the creative engine in the middle? I saw none.

Spurs all over City like a fast growing fungus. How did they not score?

A clinic in superb goalkeeping by Joe Hart keeps City alive against Spurs. Jermain Defoe Gareth Bale, Tom Huddlestone, and Benoit Assou Ekotto were turned away by some spectacular saves. Then the upright and Vincent Kompany saved two more attempts.

Bale was brought down by Micah Richards for a legitimate penalty shout but Andre Marriner waived it away.

I have never seen Carlos Tevez play so deep. He looks like the creative midfielder that City lack. But the Argentinian is also playing with no other striker as Shaun Wright Philips and David Silva occupy the outside positions.

Will Spurs regret not converting their almost half a dozen chances? The second half unfolds.

All the internet chatter (including Soccerblog) about Bob Bradley resigning is just that: chatter. For now.

USSF spokesman Neil Buethe said, "The reports that Bob Bradley has resigned are not true."

USSF president Sunil Gulati and secretary general Dan Flynn might meet with Bradley next week to discuss his future.

However, the tea leaves all say he leaves, whether he quits or is simply fired or runs out the clock in December when his contract expires.

The latest addition to England's collection of goals that may or may not have crossed the line and linesmen that may or may not have been Russian.The goal that Hungary scored against them in the friendly the other day doesn't really look like it got over the line.

As per a number of media outlets including ESPN, there are emerging reports that Bob Bradley has handed in his resignation and could be unveiled as Aston Villa's new manager next week.

All sorts of conjecture really with few hard facts to back it up. The resignation part is perfectly believable - Bradley has been quite vocal in his desire for a new challenge preferably overseas. He has run the clock out on his national tenure.

However, Villa's owner Randy Lerner has been advised to go slow in his search for Martin O Neill's replacement. But with the Premiership season a day from opening, the pressure surely is there to make the gamble on the first American to coach a Premiership side. There is a possibility that Michael Bradley might join too. Villamerica, anyone?

Tom Cruise denies that Beckham has a part in the upcoming Mission Impossible: The Mothership Returns (snark). However, his close friend is preoccupied with his own mission impossible, at the age of 35 and with a host of injuries a sinew away from a permanent end - can Beckham force himself back to national consideration?

A return depends on a few factors.

A move to a bigger stage (European).

Capello will be forced to monitor him closely if Beckham moves to the Premiership or to the Serie. West Ham seems to be ogling him. Now, that will be a wise move because he can make an instant impact on a lower rung club. He can conserve his energy and efficiency cutting down on the trans Atlantic travel that he has had to undertake in the past with the LA Galaxy.

A midfield lacuna.

Theo Walcott is far, far from the finished product. Aaron Lennon is far, far from the finished product. Shaun Wright- Phillips is far, far from the finished product. Now, Beckham may not be able to play but 15 -20 minutes tops but he can sure cross and bend a free kick better than these boys. So if the young uns do not step up, then the former England captain could be back on the menu.

The sympathy vote.

Capello's move to call an end to Beckham's international career on TV has backfired miserably. He is coming off the worst as players, media, and fans have piled on making the former England captain an object of sympathy. Steven Gerrard has not ruled out his return. David Cameron has expressed shock at his ouster. At this point if Capello decides to resign there will be few sympathizers. After 115 national appearances, Beckham should be given the honour of deciding when he gets to hang up his boots.

The Beckham imbroglio serves as an example of how shallow the talent pool is in England - the short shrift given to developing players in the youth academies and the false linking of the success of the Premiership with that of the national squad. But there you have it. Capello's blunt and insensitive comments have actually helped buttress Beckham's waning credentials.

Balotelli wearing his bio-hazard hairdo

Super Mario flew in with his agent Mino Raiola to the Eastlands today for a medical. Roberto Mancini said that the deal would be complete between today and tomorrow. The terms: €28 million for a five year contract plus additional bonuses related to performance benchmarks.

Looks like Mancini has not just assembled an impressive array of talent but also a lot of potential prima donnas. Lets see whether he is up to the task of assuaging them to enable City to finally win their first Premiership. Otherwise he is gone.

Ole is reporting that Barca has reached an agreement with Liverpool over the sale of Javier Mascherano for €15 million. In addition, they will also get Alyaksandr Hleb, as a sweetener which according to reports helped break the impasse.

If this is true, then Mascherano will take Yaya Toure's place in the Barca midfield and unite with fellow Argentine Leo Messi. For Arsenal fans, we'll get to see Hleb back in the Premiership - this time in opposition. The highly skilled midfielder with the dazzling ball skills never really lived up to his promise as a Gunner.

La Brujita broke his month long silence after the World Cup and has come out strong in his criticism of El Diego.

Juan Sebastian Veron in a radio interview:

On his role which left him puzzled:

"One moment he wanted me to be the team's Xavi. Next you are sitting outside being told you cannot provide him with what he wants. I don't know what happened. Obviously these things hurt."

Messi's position with three strikers:

"I will tell you a thousand times, Messi is not Maradona. He is not accustomed to going to midfield to get the ball. And then run 50 meters with the ball at his feet with all those opposing players in front of him. He is not used to playing in this manner. Everyone who knows him knows he needs a lot of support and sometimes he got it, sometimes he did not. Against Germany he tried doing what he could but it did not come out as planned."

Javier Mascherano was left by himself to defend:

"The tactical decision to play Angel (Angel Di Maria) and Maxi (Maxi Rodriguez) in a three man midfield left us with a numerical disadvantage. Angel and Maxi are used to playing outside leaving Javier outnumbered in the middle against Germany having to defend against three of them. From a tactical point of view playing Angel and Maxi also meant that both Heinze and Otamendi were forced to defend one on one. After Germany scored, we fought on level terms with desire and individual talent in that half but it was not enough."

Veron is clear that the next coach has to be picked on coaching merit and not on past accomplishments like being part of the 1978 or 1986 World Cup team.

"The AFA has to be open minded and evaluate people working with the team. It has to be someone top notch."

Looks like Veron is plumbing for his own Estudiantes coach, Alejandro Sabella to take over the national job. And Maradona loses another influential voice in his corner.

I have never been a big fan of David Beckham but its even harder to be behind Fabio Capello.

This was no way to "end" the international career - on TV of someone so central to the sport not just in his country but the world over. It is shocking in its disrespect of the former England captain. Say what you will, Beckham has always tried representing his country to the best of his abilities even though his international legacy is decidedly mixed.

A phone call to tell him that he would no longer be part of the future would have been more in order. Capello comes from a country that venerates its past footballers- there is a tradition of respect. Surely, he should have realized this would set off a firestorm.

Capello's rejection has already set off a reaction amongst players with Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, and Theo Walcott who have come out in support of Beckham. It's a bit strange but apparently Capello's moves have engendered oppositional defiant disorder - Paul Robinson and Wes Brown announced their international retirements after being picked for the squad. And Beckham is not hanging up his boots either.

Which does not bode well for the LA Galaxy - it could be a series of loan moves or an outright switch to the Premiership. West Ham beckons. Beckham primary focus seems built around continuing his international career.

And who is on board when I say that the FA made a huge mistake by prolonging Capello's England tenure? This is not the last of his insensitive gaffes. He is a bit like Jack Nicholson's character in As Good as It Gets.

Serious football chops from both players.

Rafa Nadal was a football player before he turned to tennis and his uncle Miguel Ángel Nadal nicknamed The Beast played for both Real Mallorca and Barca. He also represented Spain earning 62 caps. So there is a lineage of football behind tennis's numero uno.

From what one sees, Nadal would have been a ball hog - an Arjen Robben. Whereas Novak Djokovic would have been a ball distributor like Dejan Stankovic.

Mexico had Spain on the backfoot by being a goal ahead for most of the game.Then David Silva came up with this. ( Great pass from Xavi)

What is with the English air?

Paul Robinson hangs up his boots after being named to the England squad, Wes Brown follows suit. Martin O'Neill walks out on Aston Villa, five days before the season opener and now it is Steve Coppell at Bristol City mere days into the new season announcing his resignation.

It was not a very auspicious start for Bristol City as they went down to Milwall, 0-3. David James had a pretty horrific debut. They also lost to second division, Southend in the Carling Cup, 2-3. Coppell was barely into his fifth month as Bristol's manager.

Keith Millen, assistant manager takes over on a three year contract.

Juve holding midfielder Christian Poulsen's new home will be Anfield as Roy Hodgson adds insurance against a Javier Mascherano departure. He comes on a £4.5m transfer which could increase by another £1m if certain performance benchmarks are met.

Poulsen is an aggressive enforcer known for his retaliatory tactics. It won't be a picnic meeting him. Javier Mascherano maybe a player known for his nippy tackles but there is nothing nippy or subtle about Poulsen.

During a Schalke vs AC MIlan Champions League match, Carlo Ancelotti called him a "coward" after he was spotted kicking Kaka when the officials had their backs turned.

The most infamous incident took place in the 2008 Euro qualifying match between Sweden and Denmark when Poulsen in the 88th minute with the match tied 3-3 punched Markus Rosenberg in the stomach. The Swedish striker went down in agony. The referee, Herbert Fandel after consulting with the linesman gave Poulsen a red card.

A Danish hooligan immediately invaded the field to go after the referee and had to be restrained by Danish players. The upshot: Denmark had to in effect forfeit the match with the final score reading, 3-0 in favour of Sweden. A stirring comeback was negated by Poulsen's insanity. (The drama unfolds in the 7+ minutes video above).

Yesterday a distinctly unmotivated and haphazard US team lost to a youthful Brazilian side, 2-0. Were they channeling Bradley's present coaching distraction with stories linking him to Aston Villa?

He is still the front runner according to the betmasters at 7/2 odds. He is followed by Sven Goran Eriksson at 13/2. Alan Curbishley and Martin Jol are 7/1 contenders. Bradley himself has made it clear that he will welcome a new challenge preferably in Europe.

Lets make this clear. It seems Bradley whether the Villa job works out or not sees a different future than continuing on in the US job. Four years is an eternity in national coaching circles. He has carried the team as far as possible.

There have been some extremely notable moments. Under him the USA entered the their first ever final in a FIFA organized tournament. This World Cup saw the US topping their group giving renewed hope for an unprecedented showing before their deflating loss against Ghana.

Under him, Michael Bradley made it on his own merit and Landon Donovan is less of an enigma. Bradley's biggest legacy was to successfully repair the negative and bitter taste left by his predecessor Bruce Arena after the 2006 World Cup shambles.

There have been other less salubrious choices - his insistence on using Jonathan Bornstein, the misplaced faith in Robbie Findleyand Jonathan Spector. Tactically, the USA has been turned into a counterattacking machine devoid of actual ball control and possession. Bradley has shown little appetite to redress the situation. Likewise, he failed to mend those maddeningly early goals which finally doomed the USA's World Cup exertions.

So stories that his contract is not to be renewed or that he will tender his resignation are quite plausible. Even as the USSF issued a denial.

England won on the strength of two Gerrard goals which were quite sublime, especially the second one. Bobby Zamora was also distinctly unlucky not to get on the board. The national side had to come back after a dubious own goal awarded to Phil Jagielka.

Again Wayne Rooney, Gareth Barry, and Frank Lampard were missing for most of the match. Once Lampard left the pace picked up. Rooney left to jeers. It's quite stunning, isn't it? Not too long ago, Rooney could do no wrong and now he has a bulls eye painted on his back. His scoring drought continues stretches back to September 2009.

Ashley Young was pacy and threatening down the left while Walcott had his moments in the first half. Walcott was not the only Arsenal man in the ranks as Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere also saw debuts. A long time since the Gunners had that much representation in the England squad.

Capello has to stop this inane pairing of Gerrard with Lampard. Of the two, Gerrard is the more natural goalscorer and can play in the slot.

El Chicharito Hernandez is on a tear - latching onto Andres Guardado's pass, he raced towards goal and bent the ball past Casillas in a clinical finish. He's struck a purple patch - a goal in every match since his big time Man Utd transfer.

It was left to David Silva, newly of Man City set up by none another than Xavi to restore parity for the World Cup late in the game for the World Cup champions. Spain as expected dominated possession and came close to pulling off a win despite their players looking short of match fitness after their vacation time.

You many not see this again

In June just before the World Cup, Fabio Capello brought David Beckham into the team as a team mascot after the midfielder had torn his achilles tendon ruling him out of the World Cup.

To that obligation was tacked on the additional responsibility of improving communication between Capello and the players. Becks was to play translator and make sure everyone was on the same page tactically. And something about improving Aaron Lennon's crossing ability.

The world saw a dandified Beckham on the sideline sharing space with the England manager. They looked like a fine pair sharing the same sense of doom as the team sank into oblivion.

Well, today Capello needed no translation as he clearly if cruelly told Beckham to hang up his international boots. Maybe Beckham taught him too well.

The cruel part. It was not a personal call but on the public airwaves that Capello called Beckham's time.

"I won't pick him for any more competitive games. I change it. We need players for the future with Fabio Capello and the managers after me. I have to look for new players. He was a fantastic player but age is important for all people, not only David."

Clear and cruel. Terse and tactless. Critics will look it as a misstep in the lines of the outmoded 4-4-2 or his ill conceived Capello Index. And it is true, there are far fewer Capello fans left in England right now for him to indulge in too many episodes of hubris. He could have called up Beckham rather than taking this more publicly humiliating route.

But it needed to be done. How can Capello be taken seriously rebuilding the England team with an eye on the future with the Beckham albatross hanging on? Dead ball artist? In the absence of any self realization on the Galaxy man's part would the game have to invent a special teams squad to move in and out of the pitch to accommodate him. The latter was never going to happen.

Just in case Beckham lost something in translation - his farewell is already planned.

" I think, I hope, that when David is OK he can play here in a friendly at Wembley to say 'goodbye' and 'thank you very much'."

Capello has already revealed that he is not the steady hand once thought but in fact quite capricious. It is left to conjecture whether Paul Scholes meets the new age requirements. A few months ago it was revealed that the England manager had tried to coax him out of international retirement. Scholes himself said that he was tempted to throw in his hand after the World Cup. He is still central to Man Utd's future which will prove tempting to Capello.

Beckham's reaction to Capello's pronouncement will be interesting. A few things come to mind. His rehabilitation is going well in advance and now he is slated for a September return. Does he commit to a LA Galaxy future unhindered by any national team ambition? Or does he look for another club in the big European leagues suspecting perhaps that Capello's epitaph is driven by his disdain for his MLS venture? I suspect the latter. Brand Beckham will roll on till the wheels come off.

This man might be Liverpool's new owner. Or rather the front man for a cash rich Sharjah family. Then again it seems all of the bids are turning out to be smoke and mirrors.

With each passing day the threat of Liverpool heading towards financial administration grows.

The Villa board is unhappy and so are the players and fans. Martin O' Neill's move to walk out of his job days before the start of the season will be an infamous moment in his career. And fans have long memories - this will not be easy to live down.

An ex Marine general, Charles C Krulak, serving as Randy Lerner's right hand man on the board criticized O' Neill as putting himself above the club.

"No one person is bigger than our club. Not Randy, not Paul Faulkner, not Martin and not me," Krulak said. "What is interesting is that, apparently, only three of those named understand that fact."

A bit of the Marine comes out in the general.

"He knew full well about the need to bring wages in line with revenue, the same as every Premier League club. He was absolutely supported by the owner during his time. All one needs to do is look at the money spent. The reality is that the wage-to-revenue issue was not addressed and Martin apparently was unwilling to help address it. He quit."

Curtis Davies, Villa's central defender on the coach's departure:

"It is not an ideal situation four days before the season, not to have a manager," he said.

A sampling of fan comments show that this decision is not sitting well with them either: Below is a typical reaction.

" I'm just angry O'Neill has quit five days before first day of the season. Thanks a lot. I appreciate what he has done in his four years as manager but I believe it was time for him to go."

Goal line technology is going to be on the agenda.

The scoreline flatters to deceive as Brazil put on a clinic against the USA. The capacity crowd of 77,723 at the Meadowlands was treated to a young Brazilian squad who played with poise, tenacity, and some talent to match. Their domination was so complete that the US could probably count on their fingers the times they had the ball.

The USA had one big shining moment in the 2nd minute after Landon Donovan cut in to take over Buddle's pass and was a shot away from putting the ball into the net but the Brazilian defense was able to get back in time to shepherd the ball away. Donovan was definitely pushed from behind by Thiago Silva but his appeal for a spot kick was denied.

On the other end, the very impressive Neymar and Pato were dangerous every time they penetrated the defense. The former especially showed he is the face of the future with his skills on and off the ball. The duo were given acres to operate with the US defense showing no desire to put any pressure on them.

Brazil opened their scoring through Neymar nodding Andre Santos's cross past Howard after breaking free from Jonathan Bornstein. They could have gone two up but Pato's goal was disallowed as the AC Milan striker ran over Howard. However minutes later, there was no mistake as Pato latched onto Ramires's heads up pass which split the porous US defense and the Milan man danced around Howard to put Brazil two up.

With Neymar and Robinho skipping, bobbing, and weaving past the US defense - it was a matter of when Brazil would be on the boards again. And it would have happened but the upright denied them twice.

The US had a goal turned down after Bradley was found offside with his header. They had their best chance of the second half when sub Herculez Gomes headed Jonathan Spector's whipping cross towards goal but Victor, the Brazilian goalie was able to deflect it out.

Omar Gonzalez had a solid game - he was able to get in some timely tackles. Brad Guzan subbing for Howard also caught the eye saving a shot from Neymar and in stoppage time denying Andre Santos.

Landon Donovan exited to resounding applause from an appreciative audience but they were groans when his sub Robbie Findley entered the field. He showed his trademark speed but his touch was as usual, familiarly heavy. Buddle went off to Altidore who had a decent game with his physical presence posing some problems but again there was no finish.

Amongst the Brazilians, David Luiz, Benfica's central defender played the role of a holding midfielder. Much of the midfield build up went through him. A player to watch for the future.

All in all, Mano Menezes should be quite pleased with his new look Brazil squad. For the US, there were few Confederation Cup moments. Actually, they looked a bit slow and ponderous - not the usual quick counterattacking one associates US soccer with.

Neymar scored on debut and Pato made it 2 - 0 before half time.

Didier Drogba reveals that he has been playing in pain for the last six years.

"The problem was a hernia. I first had it six years ago and, for the last six years, I have been struggling with it. I couldn't really work: it was difficult sometimes for me to play some games."

Never would have suspected that - the way he's gone about massacring the opposition. Arsenal especially suffered in his hands.

Now, he's had a groin surgery which he says makes him "more free in his movements". Mikel Silvestre, a free agent will be very relieved to know he is no longer needed at Arsenal to be humiliated by Drogba version 2.0. By now Lukasz Fabianski must be in a state of panic.

A few days ago, Sir Alex was spotted at the Fulham vs Werder Bremen warm up match which is highly unusual because he rarely scouts himself nowadays, preferring to send Man Utd's trusted corps of senior scouts to do that job. It was surmised he was checking out Oezil.

So is it going to be Man Utd as per The Guardian? Or Barca which according to Spanish newspapers have aleady tabled an offer of €12 to 15 million. In fact, Ozil supposedly met up with club representatives in Palma de Mallorca and agreed in principle to a transfer deal. Any approach by Barca has been denied strenuously by Oezil and Werder Bremen.

Pep Guardiola has maintained that his complement of younger players are more than ready to step in and he sees no urgency to enter the transfer market again.

Now, it is Chelsea as per The Times that seems to have entered the fray in a serious way. The club just finalized the transfer deal of Deco to Fluminese and is looking for a playmaker. The Chelsea deal is being brokered by Vlado Lemic, a Serbian agent who has very good contacts with the Werder Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs. A offer of €15.6 million is being prepared.

It is in Werder's interest to sell Oezil this season because they can make a profit on the skyrocketing interest in him after his World Cup performance. Next year, his contract runs out making him available on a free transfer.

Nike "Play like an American from The Final Third on Vimeo.

Tomorrow's match against Brazil and Martin O'Neill's departure could have a significant import on the future of Bob Bradley.

A good performance and US Soccer could be tempted into offering a contract extension set to expire this December. So far, the organization have held back and left Bradley's career in limbo because the World Cup performance although exhilarating in many ways ended in an unsatisfactory loss to Ghana in the group of 16.

The vacany created by Martin O' Neill's unexpected departure has created another option. Bradley himself has mentioned that he is excited by the challenge of coaching in Europe should such an opportunity arise. British bookies are already promoting him as the leading contender for the Villa job. He is listed at 4:1 odds.

Bradley was mentioned as one of the possible candidates for the Fulham job before Mark Hughes was brought on board. Martin Jol, the favoured candidate recommitted to Ajax but has not been counted out of the Villa job (4:1).

The other possibilities are Sven Goran Eriksson (11:2) and Alan Curbishley (11:2). The Swede is not exactly the type who lets moss gather which maybe quite unappealing to Lerner's sense of stability and Curbishley has not looked desirous of landing another job since his West Ham spell ended in 2008. Both of course boast far more European experience than Bradley but there are a few factors in the US coach's favour:

Randy Lerner might like having a fellow American at the helm. Bradley's low key, no frills persona, and personal terms could find favour in these financially strapped times. Plus, the arrival of the first US coach to head a club in a major European league could create a whole host of new followers over here. That could if parlayed correctly, translate into tangible financial gain. US goalie Brad Guzan is already looking forward to Bradley arriving at Villa Park.

Ashley Young to go? O'Neill resigns after Lerner calls shots on transfers

Shocking news for Villa fans. Martin O'Neill resigns as coach five days before the season begins. Really poor timing and calculated to hurt too.

It seems Randy Lerner's decision to sell to buy policy could have sparked the decision making the availability of transfer funds dependent on the James Milner sale to City. Ashley Young was also rumoured to be on the transfer pipeline. Leaving O'Neill in the untenable position off selling of his best players to attract cheaper talent. There also appears to be the possibility that O'Neill was suspicious that all the sale money would not be available for buying players.

Last season, they lost Gareth Barry to the same club. A loss they were never able to adequately replace.

O'Neill believed that an investment of about £30m each summer was needed just to keep the club in its present state but Lerner and the Villa board believed that they had paid out enough in transfer fees and wages for players who had not quite panned out as planned. These include Curtis Davies (£8m), Nigel Reo-Coker (£7m), Steven Sidwell (£5m), Nicky Shorey (£3.5m), Emile Heskey (£3.5m) and Habib Beye (£2.5m).

The wrangling between Lerner and O'Neill almost led to the former Celtics manager handing in his resignation this summer.

A few other factors: Villa had improved tremendously under O'Neill but they always were a small squad leaving them vulnerable to injuries.

A pattern of fast starts and momentum building victories especially against bigger clubs would lead to belief Villa would crack the top four but then would come an inevitable second half swoon and the season would fizzle out to leave them in a more disappointing position than envisaged.

There were also rumbles from Lerner that for all the money invested in the players the club did not show the commensurate improvement as expected. O'Neill also seemed frustrated at times with the club's performances especially towards the end.

Kevin McDonald, the assistant coach will take over in the interim. This is what O'Neill had to say:

"I would like to pay tribute to the Villa players, my coaching staff and the Villa supporters for all the support and encouragement they have given both the club and me personally during my time as manager."

He will leave with immediate effect.

"I wish them all the best for the future. I will obviously be assisting the club in the immediate short-term with regard to the handover of my duties."

An uncertain financial climate is driving owners of smaller clubs to tighten their belts and become transfer activists. Gianfranco Zola's position within West Ham was similarly undermined when David Sullivan and David Gold put all the players up for sale except Scott Parker. So expect more of these tensions as coaches are handed instructions to balance checkbooks while producing results.

If Cesc Fabregas delayed the inevitable of moving to Barca for a year, he did so persuaded by the man who could see a move himself elsewhere after this season.

Wenger is approaching his 61st birthday and he has given himself for more years before his self imposed retirement. If he has to seek out a new challenge then he will have to do so in very short time because in his view it takes about 3-4 years to make an impact. Having said that, his preference would be to finish his career at Arsenal.

In a wide ranging interview with the Guardian, made immensely readable because of Wenger's astute and passionate insights into the game, one particularly thorny area crops up which occupied a lot of space in recent years: Has he changed? The perception is that he has become rigid and belligerent. A marked change from the open minded and liberal demeanour that he brought from Monaco.

In Wenger's mind, it is not that he has changed so much, as much as framing it in the context of the simplest explanation - an Occam's razor: Perceptions nowadays are all down to whether or not you win. It is part of a larger malaise.

He defends himself by saying that if Arsenal had been more successful in the last five years, these questions about personal change would not have come up. He gives the example of Wayne Rooney demonized recently for a night on the town, smoking, and relieving himself on the street. The reaction would have been different if England had done well. It is the fallout from the current obsession with results to the detriment of the game itself. "We have created a monster," Wenger says. It of course, explains City's reality bending amounts spent on transfers, France's World Cup rebellion, the spectacle of jeering England supporters.

What is interesting is his connection between Arsenal's lack of success and the labeling of his character as intransigent and willful. Success, and hence the lack of it, can change opinions but how does Wenger arrive at this in his case? It is too simple and reflexive. A defense mechanism for deflecting criticism?

One would have liked a more expansive argument about why his coaching philosophy seems to have changed over the years and frame it in context. Arsenal's defense was its great strength as late as 2004 - Wenger did not completely jettison George Graham's legacy while furthering the development of the brand of attractive, attacking football that is its present trademark.

How did we as notorious enforcers of the game become a club that does not "like it up the arse"? Patrick Vieira and Sol Campbell, currently playing in the Premiership are a reminder of those days. Many former Arsenal players have commented about this phenomenon - Martin Keown and Tony Adams, part of that successful warrior mentality have talked about Wenger's penchant for stocking up on quality attacking midfielders and strikers but giving Arsenal the minimum in defensive backbone.

One area that does not get discussed is Wenger's evolution into an insider into club's politics and finances. In my opinion, this is something that does not get too much press- how has his coaching objectivity been influenced by his connection to the board? He has in the past made public statements about shareholding disputes, boardroom politics, and the transformation into a selling club.

Wenger's proactive stance has been instrumental in the club's emergence as a model of stability and good financial stewardship. Which bodes well for the club in the long term. But has this sensitivity to the realities of today's game become too excessive and come at the cost of a winning edge?

Sir Alex keeps statements about club matters to a minimum. He punted on last season's maelstrom surrounding the Red Knights takeover, the Green and Gold rebellion, and the club debt preferring to talk about personnel issues. Jose Mourinho was the quintessential outsider- blindsided by Avram Grant and John Terry at Chelsea which got him fired. At Inter he shared a cordial relationship with Massimo Moratti but that was the extent of his involvement with the club's executive echelon. He prefers to play his politics on the pitch. Perhaps, these two have maintained a separation between coach and club that allow for less distraction.

I have focused on two areas that Wenger could have been pushed. There is obviously much more in the interview >>

Man Utd won its 18th Community Shield which actually turns out to be a good predictor of who ultimately wins the Premiership. They beat Chelsea, 3-1 for the season's first silverware. Lots of sheep in the losing Chelsea squad.

And yes, once again, Chicharito was on the scoreboard this time bundling in Antonio Valencia's low slung cross with a variety of body parts after the Ecuadorian made Ashley Cole look sheepish. You know you have a clever goalscorer when Chicharito minimizes the danger of a handball getting his arm out of the way as the ball careens of his face.

Man Utd got the ball rolling from Valencia as Rooney makes Terry look sheepish. Getting to be a pattern for the Chelsea captain (video) and a clever finish by Berbatov making Hilario look sheepish too (video). Salomon Kalou pulled one back for Chelsea (video).

Paul Scholes played with intelligence and great awareness - there might be renewed calls for his comeback in the English squad which just looks pathetic in its present lack of creativity. Look at the way he picks out Rooney for United's first goal. Van Der Sar was brilliant. Man Utd's back line looked much sharper than Chelsea's. Sir Alex bestowed everyone with a beaming visage.

Daniel Sturridge was the best player on display for the Pensioners (shows how twisted times are when an Abramovich funded squad is called that). I think most of Chelsea is looking for Ramires whose bombing runs will make him lethal.

This Premiership season will be all about the defending and it is going to be an awful year for them. The team that makes the least mistakes wins.

The harbingers for a better season took a familiarly backward turn. All that bright attacking spark count for little if we continue to leak goals.

We gave up three goals against Legia Warsaw in quick succession. One of those came from a similar sort of set up practised by Blackburn last season. Obviously Legia did its homework, rolling tape on the match.

The second goal:

The tactics of crowding out Lukasz Fabianski - whether you like it or not, is perfectly legal and it provided dividends for the local side. In all too familiar scene, the Polish goalkeeper playing against his former club was unable to break his way through the thicket of players tripping over Vermaelen and an all around useless flailing of arms ensues- the ball finds itself in goal. Blackburn all over again.

There were a few things wrong once again - Fabianski's lack of assertion. Arsenal again made the mistake of protecting him and not the set piece takers. The lack of confidence in the Polish goalie is glaring. But Fabianski reminds one of a armadillo trying to venture out only to be poked back. He manages to make his 6' 2" frame look small with his lack of decisiveness and trepidation.

The other was his reaction to the trajectory of the ball - he does create space but then goes straight into the thicket of players as the ball drifts further away towards the far post. If he had held his ground or made his move more to the middle - he would have been in a better position to deal with the ball.

On a more technical note, Fabianski lacks the necessary leg strength. His goal kicks barely cross the half line. It shows up in set pieces when he rarely gets above ground to gather the ball or punch away even when given a clear path. He is an above average shot stopper - there is a clear comfort zone when dealing with shots closer to his body. But he is not ready and the Premiership is no league to build confidence - send him out on loan. I am sure he will become better with age and experience but at this point the present situation does him and the club no good.

The third goal:

The second goal was the result of a defensive breakdown as the Arsenal defense is caught out of position when the ball is played short ball from corner. A disorganized scramble ensues as the ball is played into the Arsenal box- look at Laurent Koscielny getting caught without marking his player. Vermaelen and Tomas Rosicky are unable to clear the ball. There was little that Fabianski could have done to save that goal.

The fourth goal:

Arsenal's fightback was very impressive but again on cruise control they give a goal away - Koscielny should have realized that Sagna had played the Legia players onside and lost a moment looking at the linesman. Instead there was no one to challenge Artur Jedrzejczyk whose field day continued.

The fifth goal:

On the counter, Legia press forward and the cross comes from the left. There are five Arsenal players in the box and no Legia player. Instead of letting it go through Kieran Gibbs sticks his foot out reflexively converting the cross into an assist for Maciej Iwanski to score the fifth goal.

Except for the first goal, the others were attributable to a host of defensive errors. Arsenal were skillful in attack but they were also lucky that they found a club who played a high line which could be exploited for their errors. What one finds disturbing with all concessions made for the pre-season and player rust is that once again the match resurrected the familiar themes of a lack of concentration and awareness.

Arsenal were down by three goals by the 37th minute.Alejandro Cabral beat Fabianski from 25 yards.Artur Jedrzejczyk put another two goals past Fabianski while he was still trying to figure out how to pronounce his name.Then began the great comeback. Marouane Chamakh headed Arsenal's first goal of the game. Emmanuel Eboue headed in a second and then went on to score another a little later.Kieran Gibbs scored goal number four.
Legia then staged a comeback of their own by drawing level when Artur Jedrzejczy scored his hat-trick goal.
However Arsenal then came back with yet another comeback with two late goals from Jay Emmanuel-Thomasand Samir Nasri .
Maciej Iwanski began another comeback for the Poles by scoring a fifth but then time ran out and Arsenal stayed ahead with scoreboard reading 6 -5.The whooshing sound at the end is Fabianski's sigh of relief.

Panathinaikos were the latest team to be denied a goal because the ref did not see the ball cross the line.The commentator did.The forwards did.But the ref and the linesman had a different opinion.The AC Milan defenders of course suffered a short term memory loss about the whole incident.The video shows that the ball clearly crossed the line.The greek team went on to lose the game on penalties which just makes the matter worse.

Arseblog states the characteristic that makes Cesc so special:

" His desire to win football matches is a big part of what makes him the great player he is, that will not change."

There have been some misgivings voiced about him being captain - when he makes it clear that moving to Barca was on his mind during the summer. How is that perceived by other players when their captain wants to be somewhere else. But lets go back to what I consider is key:

"I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about.

"I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting this speculation behind me."

What he says above amounts to compartmentalizing of emotions. Barca will always be an emotional sway- just like an immigrant's home country but the negotiations were built on chauvinism.

Cesc is no fool - he saw what happens when clubs seriously desire a player, in Barca's case, they went after David Villa even after Valencia turned down their offers. It must have also dawned on him that Barca would be playing him from the bench - same as Vicente Del Bosque's first choice preferences being Xavi and Iniesta.

The situation led to a certain amount of dissatisfaction at the World Cup. These factors created serious doubts. The club was forcing him to go public with his desire to return prior to the tournament - which is probably when he realized that it was more to do with leveraging price and less to do with an abstraction built around bloodlines. Barca's finances were in the spotlight and it did not paint a rosy picture. Wenger was refusing to budge.

Sometimes it takes such circumstances for a re-commitment. And Cesc's statements are definitive in that realization. Captaincy is all about balancing emotion with pragmatism and he has shown both in this summer saga.

Really, there should be no problems- his continuation as captain, in fact, should prove inspirational to the younger players. Having two clubs scrap over a player is a delicious quandary they could do with in the future. Having a World Cup winner lead them can only be good- a reminder that success is not unfeasible in a club that has seen little of it in the last five years.

The man in the eye of the storm opens up and says matter of fact:

"Firstly I would like to apologise to all the Arsenal fans for not speaking sooner about my future but I have not known what I was going to do until this moment. I cannot deny that joining a club like Barcelona was an attractive move for me. This was the club where I learnt my football, it is my home town where my friends and family are and a club where I have always dreamed of playing. There are not many players in the world who would not want to play for Barcelona."

He gets all classy and inspirational at the same time. A gem.

" I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about. I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting this speculation behind me."

Now who else is going to step up to the plate and match Fabregas in his dedication to the club. We need much more of that - not some more of the half hearted, lackadaisical stuff seen on the pitch by some of the Gunners during last season.

Spurs will legitimately believe that they have the easiest of draws with their Champions League play off opponents being Swiss club, Young Boys.

It could have been worse- Ukraine's Dynamo Kiev, French Ligue's Auxerre, or the Serie's Sampdoria.

However, the Swiss runners up showed they cannot be taken lightly as they outplayed a very good Fenerbahçe to advance to this stage. Match fitness could be a factor too as they are well into their season.

Young Boys have their home at the Wankdorf which really makes for um, ah, shall we say, scabrous headlines. "Wank you very much: Spurs spank Young Boys." Or "Who's your nanny?". Nasty.

The rest of the draws:

Sporting Braga (POR) v Sevilla (ESP): Luis Fabiano goes up against Braga's Brazilians.

Werder Bremen (GER) v Sampdoria (ITA): Mesut Özil vs Giampaulo Pazzini if the German stays on.

Zenit St Petersburg (RUS) v Auxerre (FRA): Andrei Arshavin's old club takes on Bacary Sagna's old club.

Dynamo Kiev (UKR) v Ajax (NED): Another one to keep a hand on. Luis Suarez.

Salzburg (AUT) v Hapoel Tel-Aviv (ISR): Vincent Enyeama vs New York's Salzburg connection.

Rosenborg (NOR) v Copenhagen (DEN): All Scandinavian bragging rights. Legendary coach Nils Arne Eggen (the 4-3-3 was his invention) returns to Rosenborg. We will get another look at Ghanian prospect Anthony Annan.

Basel (SUI) v FC Sheriff (MDA): Alexander Frei vs Moldovan outfit. Who shot the Sheriff?

Sparta Prague (CZE) v MSK Zilina (SVK): Libor Sionko starts his 10th club.

Partizan Belgrade (SRB) v Anderlecht (BEL) - Sacha Kljestan gets CL action.

David Ngog continues where he left off from the first leg heading the ball from Gerrard's cross. He then gets fouled in the box and Gerrard steps up for the spot kick to make it 2-0 >>

Liverpool go through to the Europa Cup final round.

Joe Cole was an impressive force in the midfield. He will be a big part of a Liverpool turnaround if they are to mount a serious challenge for a top four finish in the Premiership. But with the transition to a more stable and deep pocketed ownership on the way there is reason for overall optimism.

Mexican invitees, Chivas won overcame U de Chile, 2-0 in their second leg Copa Libertadores semi-final for a winning aggregate of 3-1. Miguel PInto's untidy goalkeeping let in Xavier Baez's shot and then Jonny Magallon put away any hopes volleying a rebound after Pinto had saved his header.

Chivas became only the second Mexican club to enter the finals in Libertadores history. The first was Cruz Azul who entered the 2001 finals but lost to Boca Juniors.

They now await the winners of the Sao Paulo vs Internacional semi-finals, an all Brazilian encounter. The tragic part is that if Chivas wins the finals then they will not be allowed into the Club World Championships as they are CONMEBOL invitees. It will be one of the Brazilian clubs.

Jermaine Jones declined an invitation to play for the US national squad citing his Bundesliga priorities after a protracted injury lay off.

Jones had this to say to those looking forward to his debut:

"I would like to thank Bob Bradley and the U.S. federation greatly for my first official invitation," Jones said in a prepared statement. "It is an honor that I have been working towards for over a year, and while I initially felt like I was ready to make my first appearance, it is also extremely important to me that I am 100 percent fit for my first national team game and that I make a good impression on the manager and my teammates. I hope to receive another invitation and finally fulfill my goal of playing with the U.S. national team in the very near future."

Chad Marshall will also not suit up as the Columbus Crew central defender has a sore knee which he intends to rest after the club heads into a nine day break after today's Philadelphia Union match.

In his place, Omar Gonzalez gets a call up and in a surprise, Jozy Altidore was also included - a striker for a holding midfielder is a bit strange. Plus with Altidore's future unsettled at Villareal, his priority would be to find out the whereabouts of his next destination, rumoured to be the Turkish Super Lig.

Cesc Fabregas recommitting to Arsenal is worth the business of five transfers. And Wenger deservedly can sit back with a glass of nice wine and pat himself on the back for a nice bit of doggedness.

Barca will most definitely be back next season but they will have to do considerably better than the £29m they offered - this time without the insulting spectacle of "tapping up" publicly and the constant charade of Barca's players going on the soap box to demand his return on grounds of chauvinism. They have to lay aside the arrogance and negotiate in good faith.

For now, Cesc is a Gunner. So welcome back, captain! We skipped a few heartbeats in the process but we are ready to do battle this season. Now to get the few other missing links to the squad - a quality central defender and a water tight goalkeeper to give Cesc a shot at what silverware looks like.

24 hours later, the price has gone up almost three fold.

Montpellier has strenuously denied any contact with Arsenal over centre back Emir Spahic, whose stock rose after last season's performance. But the club says that no one is irreplaceable for the correct amount.

Montpellier president Loulou Nicollin.

"He has three years of his contract left," Nicollin told French newspaper L'Equipe. "(But) if he wants to leave, nobody is irreplaceable."

"He is worth three times Koscielny," who Arsenal signed from L'orient for £8.5m in July.

And in a reminder that Arsenal was accusing Barca of doing the same with Fabregas.

"To date we have had absolutely no contact with Arsenal or anyone else."

"I believe Arsenal is a great club which first talks with the people involved before starting anything."

I think we can safely put the lid on this one. Spahic had his two minutes under the sun.

Even if Montpellier is willing to negotiate, the opening price demanded is too high. Spahic maybe good but at 29 years which is the cutoff year for year to year contracts, he represents a huge risk. Really, if we can afford that much money, its best to look for younger players with more experience in the Premiership. A couple of them come to mind. Is that so hard?

Theo was bitter after his England omission.

"Not making the World Cup this year and not playing the last one, even though I didn't deserve to be there, it's one of those things - what can I do to improve myself to be there next time?"

So does bitter make better. We are hoping that Theo can prove his critics wrong. We know he has tons of speed but lets get that "footballing brain" in order, shall we?

Deuce resurfaces in a Roma shirt- nah, it's Jeremy Menez

Laurent Blanc announces a 22 man roster against Norway and a virtually clean slate.

GOALKEEPERS: Nicolas Douchez (Rennes), Stephane Ruffier (Monaco)

DEFENDERS: Aly Cissokho (Lyon), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille), Rod Fanni (Rennes), Philippe Mexes (Roma/ITA), Adil Rami (Lille), Mamadou Sakho (Paris St Germain), Benoit Tremoulinas (Bordeaux)

MIDFIELDERS: Yohan Cabaye (Lille), Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid/ESP), Blaise Matuidi (Saint-Etienne), Yann Mvila (Rennes), Samir Nasri (Arsenal/ENG), Charles Nzogbia (Wigan/ENG), Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse)

STRIKERS: Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ESP), Jimmy Briand (Lyon), Guillaume Hoarau (Paris St Germain), Jeremy Menez (Roma/ITA), Loic Remy (Nice)

Samir Nasri is back in favour. So are Phillipe Mexes, Lassana Diarra, and Karim Benzema.

Seven of the 22 man squad have never been called up for France. Defenders Mathieu Debuchy, Mamadou Sakho, and Benoit Tremoulinas, midfielders Yohan Cabaye, Blaise Matuidi, and Charles Nzogbia and striker Jeremy Menez.

Menez is an excellent choice. He has been outstanding for Roma over the years and it's a wonder he never ever got a call up. Nzogbia has shown he can be brilliant although erratic through his days at Newcastle and now Wigan. This should be a great shot in the arm for Samir Nasri - his selection will be positive for Arsenal as well.

We also get to see Loic Remy, Blaise Matuidi, and Mamadou Sakho who have been linked to the Gunners in the past. I am sure Wenger will be taking notes in the match against Norway next week.

Blanc means business. And with the U19 Euro win for France they have talent loaded for the future.

Bob Bradley names an 18 man squad to face Brazil

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)

DEFENDERS (6): Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Étienne), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht)

FORWARDS (3): Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Pachuca)

German born Jermaine Jones, Schalke's holding midfielder will get a chance to take to the pitch for his US debut. A shin injury kept him out of consideration for the World Cup after opting out of representing Germany last year, so this is big news.

Bradley also named Alejandro Bedoya, Sacha Kljestan, and Chad Marshall to the squad. Players who were omitted because of pre-season commitments included Stuart Holden, Clint Dempsey, Jay DeMerit, and Jozy Altidore

Altidore is in the market for a club. Rumours are that he may land up in the Turkish Super Lig, possibly Besiktas on a loan spell.

Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu have fitness issues.

No real big surprises. Great to see Bedoya and Jones get call ups but the squad does not do much for the talent waiting in the wings.

A good opportunity to blood central defender Omar Gonzalez or Tim Ream already highly touted prospects, give more exposure to Jose Francisco Torres as a playmaker (we really don't have one and the US needs better ball control), and maybe give another chance to Freddy Adu in the wilderness.

Then again Bradley is just being cautious. He has always been risk averse and even more so with his future hanging in limbo - his contract runs out in December and so far there has been no movement from the USSF. They are probably in a wait and watch mode. A good performance against Brazil could see his stock rise.

Real Madrid and CF America were two goals each when he came up with this blazing freekick. His first one for Mourinho

Simon Kuper explains why these two Cold War rivals could end up hosting back to back World Cups.

Simply, England, the emotional favourite lacks friends in FIFA. Plus, the head honchos hate the British tabloids. Russia on the other hand is an untapped FIFA market, has new money, and Vladimir Putin carries more clout than any faceless football administrator.

The USA is the 2022 frontrunner because China is planning to bid for 2026 which would make it the prohibitive favourite. Since FIFA's rule strictly forbids the same continent hosting consecutive World Cup and since USA being the only non- Asian zone country amongst the 2022 bidders - by process of elimination, the USA comes out on top.

Within 90 seconds of his introduction in the second half, Javier "Chicharito" Fernandez was on the boards with a fantastic finish, almost got another, and then was brought down for a spot kick which Nani converted. We are looking at a star. This is no marketing ploy- he has amazingly quick feet and a nose for goal.

Man Utd ran out 7-1 winners over a League of Ireland XI (Airtricity League XI) in a match commemorating the glistening new £340m Aviva Stadium in Dublin. 50,000 fans were at hand to watch Chicharito and his exploits.

Park Ji Sung looked in good nick with his two goals, Antonio Valencia was a handful down the right with his contribution, Michael Owen showed a very deft touch. And Wayne Rooney showed glimpses of his old self although the timing was still way off.

He was more in the news with photographs of him carousing till the wee hours of the morn with his buddies, smoking a cigarette, and emptying his bladder on a wall. Not really exemplary behaviour but not worth the bile the media unleashed on him. They will be all over him but who will be all over them? The very people who put him on a pedestal, fattened him on platitudes, are the ones intent on tearing him down.

Last season was cut short by an adductor strain which was misdiagnosed as pubalgia.

This season looks as if it could start unkindly for Kaka as he cut short his preseason (Real are on their USA tour) flying to Antwerp to consult with Dr Mark Martens, a specialist who has also operated on Cristiano Ronaldo. Depending on his evaluation Kaka could potentially undergo surgery for a suspected torn meniscus of the left knee. Which could force a two month layoff. (As per Marca.com)

Looks like Florentino Perez's gambit of Kaka as a creative force in Real's midfield has once again suffered a setback.

Things/who you will not see in Anfield once the China Investment Corporation takes over Liverpool.

1. Free Tibet T shirts
2. Falun Gong literature
3. Google
4. Christopher Patten
5. Maps with Taiwan

Things/who you will see:

1. Dong Fangzhou
2. Tsingtao beer
3. Baidu
4. Dim sum
5. 13 year old gymnasts

Mmmmm.... will there still be toothbrushes, remotes, and fuel driven airplanes in 2050? Nice ad though and Özil could definitely make a go of it in acting, if he so chooses. The youngest looking 62 year old.

Hint: He's the only one who's not wearing green.Some 50 underprivileged kids got the chance to meet Leo Messi in a special event at the Mayfield Hotel & Resort in Seoul. A group of 50 underprivileged children, aged between 8 and 14, who are supported by ChildFund andSangro kwon as part of the Casa Herbalife programme, had the chance of a lifetime to meet up with a dimunitive argentine superstar.

In December 2008 Diego Maradona had given a football crazy Kolkata reason to think that they were in heaven.Kolkata got a visit from yet another Diego - Diego Forlan no less.He was there to kick off a match between Mohun Bagan XI and Challengers XI.

Emir Spahic, a central defender at French club Montpellier and the present captain of the Bosnian national team has reportedly claimed that an Arsenal move is imminent. Montpellier has denied any such negotiations.

This comes out of the blue as L'Equipe, the publication of note in all French football matters had no information except for a Sky Sports report. Apparently Spahic was quoted in an interview given to a Bosnian media outlet.

The Daily Mail had more on the Spahic rumours with the defender saying:

"The most important thing is that so far the negotiations go as planned and that the transfer could be completed soon."

At 29 years of age, the deal is supposedly worth €8.5m for four years - which itself is laughable. There is no way Wenger will plonk that much money down on a journeyman so late in his career. This is the sort of money one pays Bolton for Gary Cahill, a defender who is 5 years younger and knows the Premiership. Chalk this down to silly season.

According to the player's agent there has been a resolution in the salary negotiations with Real now set to pay the player a smaller amount, down from €7m to 5.5m per year. The agent, Caliendo is presently at the Bernabeu meeting with Real officials.

Now comes convincing Massimo Moratti to part with Maicon for less money. Inter is asking €28 m while Real is ready to pay €24m. Maicon's agent is optimistic that the deal will go through.

"Maicon's decision will be in two or three days, now it is up to Moratti to decide. I'm very optimistic that it will conclude positively."

Inter and Real are both on their US tour and according to AS.com, Mourinho and his former player continue to text each other almost daily. In another curious development Jerzy Dudek who wears the 13 number gave it up for wearing number 25, thus leaving 13 available which is what Maicon wears at Inter. It's all karma as they say.

The Divine Ponytail has been appointed as Italy's chief scouter of football talent after completing his certification course as coach.

With his appointment Italy is making the right moves towards rebuilding their national team, battered and bruised in this World Cup. Baggio well known for his humility and intelligence and a popular icon amongst the youth, is the perfect person to nourish Italy's talent.

"Italian football can return but to get there encouraging talent will be important. We must believe in young people because they are the future, we must give everything we possess to make them thrive."

Sounds like a refreshing antidote to Lippi's prescription of old, tired legs.

Arjen Robben will miss two months after the Bayern medical staff discovered he had a hamstring tear.

The Dutch winger was suspected to have re- aggravated the hamstring injury after being rushed back to the field during the World Cup. He did not seem to show any ill effects and turned out to be instrumental in the Dutch march to the finals.

However, the discovery of a serious muscle injury has left his club angry and crying cover up at the Dutch Football Federation. They are now seeking compensation and will involve FIFA as a mediator.

"Of course, Bayern Munich are very angry," said the chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "Once again we must pay the bill as a club after a player is seriously injured playing for a national team."

I understand the disappointment of the club and as Robben's employer they have every right to seek the fullest compensation but one can also understand the national compulsion that go into fielding the strongest team possible for the world's most sought after title every four years.

So Rummenigge is being a trifle dramatic- he is not talking about a star player in a smaller club being irreplaceable. Didn't Hamit Altintop fill in pretty well for Robben while he was out with his injuries last season?

Looks like Roy Hodgson has to take credit for this with a boost from Kenny Dalglish. The new manager traveled to Spain after the World Cup to tell El Nino what his plans for the club were and how he would fit in with those plans.

So far the post Rafa Benitez exodus has been limited to Yossi Benayoun, Albert Riera, and now possibly, Javier Mascherano.

Liverpool should be able to mount a strong challenge to finish in the top four.

Fernando Torres:

"My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed."

Soccerblog had predicted he would stay- he still has to much to prove for the club and with his injuries that has not been possible. Say what you will, El Nino has shown that he's not a fly by night operator. Good for him. It also helps that no one in the world can afford £70m for a gamble on a frequently injured striker. Not even City is that stupid and that is saying a lot.

Not exactly breaking news but news nevertheless.Nigeria went down fighting.It was the best performance ever by an african team at the women's world cup.

Lukasz Fabianski practising his Blue Steel look that freezes the ball in flight

I am serious- these could be our choices. Actually, it could be Fabianski as first goalkeeper because Arsene Wenger never ever gave up on him.

All through those painful matches, while Arsenal fans groaned through each of his mistakes, the one constant was Wenger's defense of Fabianski's goalkeeping. He kept reiterating he would eventually be one of the best in the world.

Now, here is a hint: Fabianski rates the other players in the recent AC Milan match on Arsenal tv!

"Not only the goal, he [Chamakh] played well collectively. He always wanted to give a good pass, he has great movement as well, so I think he can improve us."

"Koscielny did well, he's a good reader of the game and he's strong and aggressive with his tackles. He has a good understanding with Thomas Vermaelen as well."

Normally, if someone's position is in danger- they would be the last person to turn to get an opinion on other players or the game. Instead, it is Almunia who feels threatened.

The goalkeeper market is tight with much less motility - there are obviously fewer of them, they tend to grow with one club, and there is the element of getting better with age and experience. If a clubs wants to look for one, usually you have to start looking much earlier and with more endeavour than Arsenal have shown so far.

On the goalkeeper issue, he has mentioned performance over the pre-season being key and has rotated them. Having said that a last minute development could bring Mark Schwarzer and Almunia more than Fabianski could be forced to leave. But I think Wenger's priority has moved to getting a central defender with Per Mertesacker being mentioned a lot.

So really, Gooners should not be very surprised to see either one of them in goal when the season starts. And brace yourself it could be Fabianski- Wenger has proved that stubbornness pays off with Fabregas. He'll be encouraged to try and make it two for two.

Looks like Soccerblog might have made a pretty accurate prediction on July 27th.

" Maradona's end is full of loose threads and entanglements. He will be back because it appears likely that the nation and the Argentinian government are desperate for this telenovela to go on. His image needs rehabilitation.

The other reason is that there are simply no suitable candidates to step up. Jorge Luis Borges might have been alluding to this sort of phantasm in his fictional world of "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius".

Now, it appears as if Carlos Bilardo is dangling the olive branch and swiveling his hips invitingly for El Diego to make a comeback.

" The problem is not with Maradona, it is with those around him."

The problem is that there have been no serious candidates forthcoming for the job. Only Checho Batista has been appointed on an interim basis and he will coach his first match on the 11th when the Albiceleste take on Ireland.

Ole.com aptly titles this change of heart as: "We're all mad."

The NY Cosmos cheerleaders - the 70s!

These are heady times for soccer fans especially in the Tri State area. The Copa NYC in its second year attracted 22 teams which was won by Poland. They beat Jamaica, 5-4 on PKs after both teams tied, 3-3. Chris Karcz, a former Red Bulls reserve forward who had already scored during regulation, provided an assist, was responsible for the winning penalty kick.

At halftime, the crowd was treated to the sight of Pele, making a rare appearance to NY along with fellow New York Cosmos team mates Carlos Alberto and Giorgio Chinaglia announcing they were forming the Cosmos Academy in partnership with BW Gottschee soccer club from Queens to provide talented players with free tuition to their well regarded training program.

This would eliminate the pay to play system in place currently in place ensuring that the program attracts the best kids. Pele also announced that the Cosmos were acquiring the Copa NYC to expand the tournament domestically as well as internationally.

However, the biggest buzz was created by the news that a consortium of English businessmen led by former Tottenham Hotspur director Paul Kemsley as Chairman, CEO Carl Johnson and former David Beckham associate Terry Byrne as director of football had purchased the name of the New York Cosmos which was the North American version of the Galacticos back in the days of Studio 54.

The Cosmos was the hottest ticket in town as Gavin Newsham's book "Once In A Lifetime" makes amply clear.

A bright, incandescent jewel in the history of the ill fated NASL. It was bought by Warner Brothers and Steve Ross - and the likes of Mick Jagger, Robert Redford, Barbara Streisand, Ahmet Ertegun, Woody Allen, Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger would grace Giants Stadium where 70,000 + fans would roar on the likes of Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, Giorgio Chinaglia, Johan Neeskens, Werner Roth, Shep Messing, and even Johan Cruyff.

The Cosmos was power personified - Henry Kissinger was drafted to get the signature of Pele. The Cosmos was to soccer what the Hacienda was to the Manchester music scene - including the drugs, sex, and rock n' roll.

The acquisition of the Cosmos name is the first step to a possible return of the club. If it all pans out then New York will have its first MLS club and not a proxy called the New York Red Bulls out in Harrison, NJ.

But and this is the cautionary but - the prohibitive cost of building a stadium in the city means that the consortium has to have seriously deep pockets, possess the werewithal to overcome the myriad and deeply entrenched zoning laws, take on the city, state, and community boards with their political and environmental agendas, which more often than not pits them against each other to the detriment of development.

The Jets were doomed in their NY venture, the Yankees and Mets have priced out their matches to pay for their exorbitant new stadiums, and the Nets are moving into their new Atlantic Yards address amidst stiff public opposition. It is going to be a gargantuan task. There is talk that the Willets Point area where Citifield Stadium is located could potentially be a venue but it might be years and a pretty penny before every case of eminent domain is settled.

Rafa Marquez will not have very good memories of the 2002 World Cup when he was sent off for coming flying in with his studs up catching Cobi Jones in the small of the back and viciously headbutting him with no intention to play the ball whatsoever (at 3:07). The USA beat Mexico, 2-0 to enter the quarter finals.

Speaking of Jones - he was a handful coming on as a sub in the second half and Donovan should have gotten a third goal from a brilliant cross by the LA Galaxy winger.

Marquez might not get much love from the fans who remember this incident well.

New DP, Rafa Marquez looking very GQ speaks to fans about joining the Red Bulls. He is already a legend back home in Mexico and his signing means that the New York club will be a much followed team across the border as well as amongst the Mexican immigrant community here. He joins Barca team mate Thierry Henry and will be deployed in his burgeoning role of holding midfielder.

Marquez is renowned for his set piece prowess using his 6' frame to score some very important goals like the one against South Africa in the recently concluded World Cup. He also has an eye for the quick pass and the carefully placed long ball which should serve Juan Pablo Angel and Thierry Henry very well.

So, welcome Rafa aka El Kaiser de Michoacán to New York. There can be only one Hugo Sanchez but Rafa is up there too. Hopefully he becomes El Kaiser de Nuevo. York.

Rafa Marquez stats >>

Freddie Ljungberg ditched the Seattle Sounders to move to the Fire as their most recent DP. He came on in the 58th minute. By then his new team were in cruise control having scored three goals to Galaxy's one. There was no sighting of the other DP, Nery Castillo, who has yet to join. Ljungberg's Fire debut was uneventful.

The fantastically named Baggio Husidic, Marco Pappa, Collins John cut the LA Galaxy defense into shreds in a repeat of the debacle suffered against the Puerto Rican Islanders a week before. 7 goals given up in two games and the back line of Berhalter, Dunivant, Gonzalez, and Franklin have reasons to worry.

The Galaxy pulled a couple back through two spot kicks taken by Landon Donovan. Both decisions were dubious at best. The first marked a century of MLS goals. The sixth player to do so and the second fastest behind Taylor Twellman. His team mate Edson Buddle is on pace to break that record.

Sean Johnson brought off the save off the season when he denied an equalizing header from Alan Gordon in the waning minutes to preserve the 3-2 lead for the Fire.

After the loss:

"I'm sick of giving up goals and I'm sick of not winning at home," said Galaxy captain Landon Donovan. "Maybe our attitude isn't right and maybe we're focusing on things off the field and not our jobs, but we're going to have to learn and learn quickly."

Mmmmm. Looks like he might be preoccupied with a few things. The Everton transfer might not be happening since the club has said it is just too strapped for cash.

The Fire now look forward to meeting the New York Red Bulls this coming Sunday which should reunite Ljungberg with former Arsenal team mate Thierry Henry. Should be a very good match.

Anderson, the Man Utd midfielder was involved in a car accident in Portugal which left him unconscious.

He was in an Audi sports car driving down a rural road with two other friends after spending the night partying in a Braga night spot till the wee hours of the morning. It was unclear who was driving but at some point the car lost control and slammed into the wall of a farm before bursting into flames.

Luckily for them, the residents of that farming community were at hand to pull them out of the burning car and the farmer who saved Anderson at first thought that he was dead. All three passengers were taken to a hospital where the good news was they were treated for the relatively minor signs and symptoms of concussion, whiplash and shock.

There could be charges of drink driving and excess passengers as the Audi was a two seater. Anderson was also coming off a season ending ACL injury in February which required surgery and long term rehabilitation.

Anderson was a highly touted talent for Sir Alex when he was brought into the club as an attacking midfielder in 2007.

He and Nani were the heirs apparent for Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes but over the years had lost that aspect of the game becoming more of a pitbull in the backfield as he and Michael Carrick took over the job of relaying the ball to the more attacking players in front. It took him two years and 78 appearances to record his first goal for the club - a big drop off from his Gremio and Porto days.

Part of the reason why there appears to be no pressure on Giggs and Scholes to clock out their playing careers is because of the unwanted metamorphosis of Anderson and the work in progress he represents.

There are reports of a strained relationship between Sir Alex over disciplinary and performance issues. Anderson has some good facets to his game- he tracks back well and is a good tackler but he tends to be sloppy giving the ball away on a number of occasions. Not a sign of a good ball carrier and definitely not ready to step into Paul Scholes shoes. Basically, this is the last season where Anderson can make a definitive statement otherwise his future in United appears bleak.

All huangs in the balance. I know terrible pun and all that. But surely this is very good news for those who totally detest the Yanks in charge.

As understood, the two, Tom Hicks and George Gilett stand to make no profit if the club is sold to Chinese billionaire, Kenneth Huang. He has decided to buy out the outstanding club debt but his valuation falls way short of the £600m that the present owners demand.

My feeling is that these two are holding out for more and this could drag on. Investors who have built their reputation on leveraged buyouts always expect their investments to net them a profit- they are not in the market to take a loss.

Having said that, this is a horrible time to sell a club, so this could be the best deal for a long time to come. The choice is between potential financial administration which will be put squarely on the Americans and tight curbs over every aspect of spending for the future. Should be a no brainer.

The Guardian has more >>

Thierry Henry's MLS debut for New York Red Bulls as they took on the Dynamo. Pretty good start for the former Arsenal man as he assisted on both goals by Juan Pablo Angel. Get used to hear these guys names mentioned in tandem a lot.

He had a golden opportunity to get on the board in the 41st minute after Angel's clever flick sent him on a one on one situation with Tally Hall but he pulled the trigger too early and his shot trickled wide. It was an absolute sitter.

Referee Paul Ward had a momentary lapse of reason/judgment in the 44th minute when he sent off Lovel Palmer for tackling Carlos Mendes when there was absolutely no contact made- it was not even close. Just a shocking decision. The Dynamo had to play the next half shorthanded.

Mendes was also involved in the Dynamo's equalizer as Joseph Ngwenya was brought down by the Red Bulls defender after a goalmouth scramble. Brad Davis converted the spot kick. But he was found errant in a redux when Brian Ching was brought down by Tim Ream in the box- blasting the ball over after trying to out think Bouna Coundoul.

It was left to veteran Brian Mullan to deliver the final highlight of the match and it was a memorable one when he headed home in the 90th minute from a Andrew Hainault cross to even the match.

They seemed to have the game wrapped up with goals from Carlos Vela, Bacary Sagna and Samir Nasri. However Celtic then came back strongly with two goals of their own.That was as far as they got however and the score remained at 3 -2 to give Arsenal their first bit of pre season silverware to put in their pre season silverware cupboard.