Arsene Wenger is faced with an interesting problem. Last week he watched his youngsters and reserves destroy a decent Championship outfit in Sheffield United, 6-0 in the Carling Cup. On Saturday, he watched his much lauded first team go down 2-1 at home to newly promoted Hull. The question is, how much better than the reserves are the first team? Click to continue reading...

Under the heated spotlight of the Premier League it's difficult to keep your head when all about you are losing theirs. It takes the stubborn resolve, perhaps even the arrogance, of a manager sure of his principals with unbreakable trust in his players.

Arsene Wenger spent little this summer, and has never had the financial power of Chelsea or Manchester United, yet is charged with the task of competing with such clubs for domestic and European honours every season. Click to continue reading...

  The indispensable American Soccer News had a good story on Don Garber's plans for MLS 2.0, which will be discussed later this year with the league's board. While Commissioner Garber deserves lots of credit for steering MLS away from the troubled waters that threatened its existence a few years back, the arrogance and hubris of [. Click to continue reading...

What a remarkable show the Arsenal youngsters put on against Sheffield United in the Carling Cup last night. A team with an average age of nineteen saw off the pretty decent Championship outfit 6-0. Arsenal's youngsters handed Sheffield United a football lesson as they eased into the fourth round. Click to continue reading...

The line between confidence and arrogance can be a fine one. Cristiano Ronaldo can seem it cross it as often as he centres a football from the flanks, but his sense of self-importance can be justified. 'When I play the fans will love me again,' he had said. He was right.

Respect For Ronaldo On United Return Click to continue reading...

Soccer fans are, in general, a fickle breed. One minute they can be singing the name of their favorite player as if they were praising the Almighty, the next they can be spewing venom at the same player for an act of treachery. The most punishable of acts is, of course, deserting the cause to join another team. Click to continue reading...

Video with Luxembourg Goals It took me some time to finally settle in front of the screen and painstakingly type the words that come to my mind after yesterday's nightmarish game. Following the 2-2 draw to Israel, hopes were high to claim the three points - without any shade of arrogance, Click to continue reading...

Group A: Chelsea, Roma, Bordeaux, CFR Cluj

I lol at everybody writing off Bordeaux. Fear Laurent Blanc, people. Fear him. This isn't as straight-forward as it looks.

Group B: Inter, Werder, Panathinaikos, Anorthosis

This I think is as straight-forward as it looks. Click to continue reading...

Marco Etcheverry is the type of creative player MLS lacks today/MLSNET.com

The CONCACAF Champions league was built up as Major League Soccer's opportunity to show how well it sides perform while in season. The complaint about the now retired Champions Cup was that it was played during the MLS preseason.

Click to continue reading...

I previously wrote about how much I hated the Olympics and what they do to football, but after signing Keane, I'm suddenly not as worried. Keane can easily slip into a wing position and we can cover Mascherano's position with the current roster. If Barry were to sign on soon, it would be even easier.

Click to continue reading...

Ah, the link farm post. But there's stuff out there worth reading, so I'll get back to my world in a bit, but first let's poke the head above the covers and see what we see.

BEN OLSEN - OUT AGAIN: Paul Tenorio writes up the sad situation, but there is something to feel good about here. First, we got to see Ben on the field again, and that was a tremendous moment.

Click to continue reading...

In an audio interview with a Crew blog, Columbus GM Mark McCullers claimed among other things that:

* Toronto forced the league to take action that resulted in the Columbus enforcement of a ban against throwing streamers on the pitch in Columbus.

* He and DC United's front office gave birth to the Screaming Eagles (an organization which pre-dates United) and La Barra Brava. Click to continue reading...

Martin Rogers: ...Spain's win doesn't mean England's time is coming. England doesn't deserve success just because it's England. That time may never come again unless the arrogance and superstition and nonsense is swept away and replaced by a dose of realism. Click to continue reading...

All eyes seem to be on Spain for tomorrow's Euro 2008 final.
Neutral fans are mostly dreaming of a beautiful team who play the Beautiful Game slaying a 34-year old jinx in a red and yellow climax. But if big-match history counts for anything, the winners' enclosure will be black and white instead. Click to continue reading...

Why is it that Liverpool and Gareth Barry are demanding Villa "Get real" over them digging their heals in over their £20m valuation of their England international whilst it's okay for his potential new employers to sit back and demand £15m and £18m for two players who aren't even getting near the team. Click to continue reading...

A good many wingers would be perfectly happy leaving Euro 2008 with a goal and an assist. But we expected a bit more of Cristiano Ronaldo.

He came into this tournament as (some say) the best player in the world. In every game, he was the man defences feared. But he didn't really deliver.

Yes, he beat up on Czech Republic.

Click to continue reading...

"I would like to play for Real Madrid.."
And with that, CR7 begins his long trek to Spain. Let me be the first to say, buh-bye.

Click to continue reading...

My own creation, thanks to the 3-2 beating at the hands of Werder Bremen, this picture has some meaning this week. Phew! It was good to get that off of my chest! Now only if Sevilla can win domestically, I will finally be able to sleep at night. Click to continue reading...