Stuff to read while you feel better about every bad decision you've ever made by listening to Wham! Rap...... Jason Bourne hates Tottenham. (Unprofessional Foul) Eight players to keep an eye on at the U-21 Euros next summer. (UEFA) The Guardian has a couple theories as to CR7's sexuality. (Dave's Football Blog) Eva Roob thinks Becks and CR7 [. Click to continue reading...

WHAT constitutes a master tactician? The ability to make changes to the pattern of a match with influential substitutions is clearly one criterion.

And in Rafael Benitez, Liverpool possess the best Anfield has ever seen.

Ryan Babel's goalscoring impact against Manchester United last Saturday was the 50th occasion Benitez has brought on a player who has scored. Click to continue reading...

Sunderland Football: Keano's proving a slippery Black Cat as Tottenham are stunned

So Sunderland football and the FA Premier League do mix! Roy Keano is beginning to show signs of not only being a fierce man motivator, but a real canny mover in the transfer market as well.

His Sunderland football side has been beefed up with proven Premiership players this year, and boy does it show, and with Anton Ferdinand another likely arrival you really can't see Sunderland and Keano boys struggling in the Premiership this year. Click to continue reading...

Another great article from former Republic of Ireland forward Tony Cascarino, where Tony questions the recent signings that Keane has made including Pascal Chimbonda, El Hadji Diouf, and Djibril Cisse. I disagree with Tony on his views though as I think Roy is doing the best he can within his resources to bring in players that can help make Sunderland a respectable team within the Premier League and keep them out of a relegation battle. Click to continue reading...

Roy Keane is a man on a mission and won't rest until he has a squad teeming with rejects from other Premier League clubs. He has bled Tottenham dry this summer, looting Chimbonda, Malbranque and Tainio, snatched Diouf from Bolton, snared Cisse from Marseille and now there's another striker making ... Click to continue reading...

Oh no! Cisse's one of my favourite players.  He's the archetypal lone striker, fast, strong, capable of all sorts of things.  Fun to watch too, which is the icing on the cake.  He and Kenwyne Jones (when he's fit) will be a right handful.    I wish we could have signed him. [...] Click to continue reading...

Evet kocaman bir 'haydaaa'. Tamam Fransa Ligi'nin en fazla kazanan oyuncusu ancak bu sezon forvet arayan Galatasaray ve Fenerbahçe'nin Sunderland kadar hükmü yok mu Avrupa semalarında? Türkiye Ligi'nin cazibesinin Premier Lig kadar olduğunu düşünmek en hafifinden safdillik olur, kabul. Ancak gene de ikna edilebilirdi Cisse. Click to continue reading...

Djibril Cisse is set to spend the season on loan with Sunderland after the Black Cats agreed an "agreement in principle" with Marseille over the transfer of the striker.Cisse has been expected to head for England this season, with Manchester City among the clubs he was linked with, particularly as his wife still lives in the north west. Click to continue reading...

While we lament the loss of the Nigerian Super Falcons in the Women's Olympic football tournament, praise must be heaped on the African men, who all swept into the quarterfinals of the men's Olympic tournament.

One thing we know for sure is that Africa will be represented in the semi-finals, as Nigeria take on Ivory Coast in the last eight. Click to continue reading...

Group A at the Beijing Olympics consists of Argentina, Ivory Coast, Serbia and Australia. Team Played Won Lost Drawn GF GA GD Points Argentina 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 3 Australia 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 Serbia 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 Ivory Coast 1 0 1 0 1 2 -1 0 Australia 1-1 Serbia ( Aug 7-Shanghai) (Ruben Zadkovich/ Slobodan Rajkovic) Argentina 2-1 Ivory Coast ( Aug 7- Shanghai) ( Lionel Messi, Lautaro Acosta/ Sekou Cisse) Group B consists of USA, Netherlands, Nigeria and Japan. Click to continue reading...

The goals from the first match of the men's Olympic Football Tournament between Argentina and Ivory Coast are online now, and you can watch them right here. I offer a metaphorical doff of the cap to anyone who can tell me what on earth Oscar Ustari is doing for Ivory Coast's equaliser... Argentina 2 - 1 [. Click to continue reading...

Lionel Messi talked to Barcelona, Lionel Messi played for Argentina. Lionel Messi set one up and scored one as Argentina beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in the opening match of the men's Olympic Football Tournament to begin the defence of the gold medal won in Athens four years ago. Barcelona having apparently decided to allow the [. Click to continue reading...

The United States-Japan match was not the only one played on Thursday, though it may have seemed like it. In fact, the US wasn't the only CONCACAF nation to kick off their quest for gold either.

But Honduras didn't fare quite as well as the Americans.

Italy routed Honduras 3-0. Click to continue reading...

The men's Olympic football tournament will be one of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the upcoming 2008 Beijing Games.

This year's tournament features three teams from Africa, with Cameroon, Nigeria and the Ivory Coast sending over their young, developing talent in hopes of Olympic glory. Click to continue reading...

Cote d'Ivoire was held to a 0-0 draw by a string of stops by US goalkeeper Brad Guzan in a four-nation warm-up tournament for the Beijing Olympics in Hong Kong. The Ivorians dominated for most of the game, with two shots on goal by Kafoumba Coulibaly and another from Sekou Cisse ... Click to continue reading...

New Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri says his former teammate Djibril Cisse wants a return to the Premier League and it could happen as Manchester City have been rumored to be looking at the Marseille striker. He is my friend but... Click to continue reading...

Djibril Cisse was hit-and-miss for the Reds, although The Guardian reports that Rafael Benitez has taken a punt on another pacy French striker as he continues to build his Liverpool squad ahead of the new season. Will this guy strike up a formidable partnership with Torres or be used sparingly? ... Click to continue reading...

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China are but a few weeks away.

The men's Olympic Football Tournament looks like it will be a hotly contested competition, with countries like Argentina, Holland and the United States seeking Olympic gold.

Africa will be well represented with three formidable squads in the 16-team tournament for the gold medal. Click to continue reading...

I have recently been harping on about Djibril Cisse of Marseille.  Here is my thinking: Brian forwarded me this link from the UEFA technical committee (on which Roy sits).  They have observed that a third of goals in Euro 2008 have come on the counter attack.  This is how the game's going, and how Italy were [. Click to continue reading...

Djibril Cisse would like back in the Premier League. The Marseille striker was linked with Manchester City, Tottenham and Portsmouth back in January with Blackburn and Wigan Athletic being added to the mix now. The 26-year-old, who has made 37...

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I think I'll do a somewhat half-hearted liveblog here, so keep hitting refresh to see major action points -- at the very least scores, cards and substitutions. Starting lineup, from l'Equipe: Le onze de départ : Frey ou Mandanda - Sagnol, Thuram, Escudé, Abidal - L. Diarra, A. Diarra ou Click to continue reading...

Tiny Carquefou knocked Nantes out of the Coupe de France with a shock 2-1 victory. The fifth division part-timers won the match in extra time to progress to the last 16. They will face Marseille in the next round who recorded a 3-1 win over Monaco. Mathieu Valbuena, debutant Elliot Grandin and Djibril Cisse bagged OM's goals. Click to continue reading...

Tiny Carquefou knocked Nantes out of the Coupe de France with a shock 2-1 victory. The fifth division part-timers won the match in extra time to progress to the last 16. They will face Marseille in the next round who recorded a 3-1 win over Monaco. Mathieu Valbuena, debutant Elliot Grandin and Djibril Cisse bagged OM's goals. Click to continue reading...

Tiny Carquefou knocked Nantes out of the Coupe de France with a shock 2-1 victory. The fifth division part-timers won the match in extra time to progress to the last 16. They will face Marseille in the next round who recorded a 3-1 win over Monaco. Mathieu Valbuena, debutant Elliot Grandin and Djibril Cisse bagged OM's goals. Click to continue reading...

Tiny Carquefou knocked Nantes out of the Coupe de France with a shock 2-1 victory. The fifth division part-timers won the match in extra time to progress to the last 16. They will face Marseille in the next round who recorded a 3-1 win over Monaco. Mathieu Valbuena, debutant Elliot Grandin and Djibril Cisse bagged OM's goals. Click to continue reading...

Tiny Carquefou knocked Nantes out of the Coupe de France with a shock 2-1 victory. The fifth division part-timers won the match in extra time to progress to the last 16. They will face Marseille in the next round who recorded a 3-1 win over Monaco. Mathieu Valbuena, debutant Elliot Grandin and Djibril Cisse bagged OM's goals. Click to continue reading...

Tiny Carquefou knocked Nantes out of the Coupe de France with a shock 2-1 victory. The fifth division part-timers won the match in extra time to progress to the last 16. They will face Marseille in the next round who recorded a 3-1 win over Monaco. Mathieu Valbuena, debutant Elliot Grandin and Djibril Cisse bagged OM's goals. Click to continue reading...

Tiny Carquefou knocked Nantes out of the Coupe de France with a shock 2-1 victory. The fifth division part-timers won the match in extra time to progress to the last 16. They will face Marseille in the next round who recorded a 3-1 win over Monaco. Mathieu Valbuena, debutant Elliot Grandin and Djibril Cisse bagged OM's goals. Click to continue reading...

Its that time of year again and there are certainly some interesting rumours filtering through to the papers.

Not surprisingly Michael Owen is being reported as 'unsettled' at Newcastle. Maybe playing for a team that has yet to win a major trophy in 40 years, are showing no signs of recovery under Big Sam and that North East windy weather is making him regret not holding out for that move to Liverpool two years ago. Click to continue reading...

- Apparently Cisse was injured in practice at some point in the last couple of days and may or may not be able to go tonight. I'll be shocked if he isn't at least on the bench. I expect him to start though and I'm not playing this up to mind games, but it wouldn't surprise me.

- Despite the fact that it's been thirty years since we've allowed less goals in league play and that we've yet to concede a goal from open play with Pepe in the net, Rafa still demands improvement on the defense. Click to continue reading...

- If you haven't heard yet, Stevie-G hit a kid while driving his Bentley in Merseyside yesterday afternoon. The 10-year-old is believed to have suffered a broken leg. Gerrard immediately stopped his vehicle and comforted the lad until medics arrived. Eyewitnesses reported that the boy ran out from between two parked cars and into the side of Gerrard's Bentley, leaving our captain with no control over the incident. Click to continue reading...

- According to this article, we're going to make a £10m bid for French superstar Samir Nasri. Bullocks. I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to have him, but first off, he primarily plays central midfield and we're kind of loaded in that department. He is versatile enough to play the wings as well, but unless he's going to be content sharing time there, he won't approve the transfer. Click to continue reading...