The Australian A-League — Coming Home (the local Marquee players)
Over the past three seasons, Australia’s marquee player system has quickly settled into two clear classes — the overseas marquee players and local players (usually, but not necessarily, returning from…
Why are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter, Celtic, Bayern and PSV so desperate NOT to win their leagues?
I write a lot about the English Championship and in that league the top four, Stoke City, Bristol City, Watford and West Brom, are all doing their level best not…
Hard Times For Halifax
As the non-league season gears up for its climax so, inevitably, do the lawyers, as the annual courtroom battles begin that could have a significant say on the relegation places…
Who will be the Next Soccer Star?
While some of us are just big dreamers, there are a few who actually do have the talent to sign that dream contract with one of the world’s top clubs….
The Australian A-League: Has the overseas Marquee experiment worked?
As I have written previously, the Australian A-League introduced the marquee player system as a way of attracting quality players while preventing expensive bidding wars that risked placing clubs in…
Every Ince a Premiership Manager
“See I was supposed to be a footballer but they kept pickin’ the other kid who was a foot taller I got lazy and less enthusiastic I stopped trainin’ and…
Interview with Bryan James, founder of Sons of Ben
Formerly the fans without a team, it’s been a long time coming for The SOBs. The Sons of Ben are a group of soccer fans from Philadelphia whose outspoken support…
FC Dallas 2008 Season Preview
2007 review Owners of 2007’s last Western Conference playoff spot, FC Dallas made great strides with a very young team. They ended the regular season with thirteen wins, five draws,…
La Liga Week 28: Barcelona fail to take advantage of Real Madrid’s slip
It seems as if neither of Spain’s big two really want to win La Liga this season. Real Madrid’s defeat at Deportivo was their eighth defeat in 2008 and thet…
Race for the Premiership – Do Stoke, Bristol City, Watford or West Brom want to go up?
It’s a fact. Nobody wants to go up. Stoke are failing to seriously threaten teams who are reduced to ten men, Bristol City are losing at home, Watford are missing…
The Australian A-League – an introduction to the Marquee player system
Australia’s A-League was born out of the ashes of the old National Soccer League (NSL). The NSL was plagued by poor management, ethnic rivalries and a low profile compared to…
US Soccer News Roundup: Defecting Cubans, SuperLiga 08 schedule and Sueño MLS
It’s been a rather exciting week for American soccer fans. For the benefit of those overseas (and all those in the US that are living under a rock), I have…
Watford to beat Stoke City, Bristol to draw, West Brom to beat Leicester and more
So near yet so far away! If Big Darius Henderson had converted from the spot at Ashton Gate I would have been writing this article in a much more optimistic…
2007-2008 Champions League & UEFA Cup Quarter-Finals & Semi-Finals Draw – LIVEBLOG
With now only 8 teams remaining in each respective tournament, UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon (Switzerland) will host the draws on Friday afternoon for the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals of the 2007/08…
Sunderland face an uphill struggle – Roy Keane, success or failure?
Sunderland have led something of a yo-yo existance over the past few years. Promotion to the Premier League with a record points total in 1999 was followed by two successful…
