As I pondered the smoking ruins of England's match against the Czech Republic last week, my mind turned back to Matthew Le Tissier. Matthew (and it seems somewhat wrong to reduce his first name to the monosyllable of merely "Matt") was the great lost English talent of the last thirty years in some respects, but [. Click to continue reading...

Four years ago it was Carlos Tevez, on Saturday Benfica's Angel Di María secured his place in Argentine football history by becoming the second man to score a gold medal-winning goal for his country in the Olympic Football Tournament. In a final played in scorching heat in the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing, Argentina rode [. Click to continue reading...

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Based purely on statistics. Obviously these stats are somewhat "skewed" because among the lengthy list of clubs are quite a few that QPR would surely (hopefully!) defeat in any head-to-head contest - or finish above if in the same league.

Goal.com "Juventus 95th Best Team In World! Click to continue reading...

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics have released their club world rankings. Here are their top 15 club teams in the world: 1. Manchester United (England)2. Glasgow Rangers (Scotland)3. Chelsea FC (England)4. Bayern Munich (Germany)5. Barcelona (Spain)6. AS Roma (Italy)7. Liverpool (England)8. Click to continue reading...

On the eve of the new season, the hope and optimism are, in their own way, very entertaining to watch. There was, however, sad and sobering news this week in the form of an interview this week with Sir Bobby Robson, in which he confirmed that the lung cancer that he has been fighting is [...] Click to continue reading...

£6m...That's Ljungberg's reward for being a Premier League flop as Hammers show him the door

Freddie Ljungberg's disastrous spell at Upton Park is over after only 12 months as West Ham agreed to pay a staggering £6million to get him off their spiralling wage billl.

As the full extent of Ljungberg's incredible salary details emerged - he is paid £85,000 a week and had an option for another year if he made just 15 appearances this season - West Ham are still suffering from the aftershock of one of the most expensive mistakes in British football history. Click to continue reading...

Of the many things that young people no longer do that I did in my youth, buying second-hand books is one that I am fairly confident never happens any more - at least not annuals from market stalls. On Saturday lunchtimes, as a boy I would go to the old band-stand in the centre of [...] Click to continue reading...

League football might just be the greatest export of Victorian Britain. It seems scarcely credible that it was a little short of one hundred and twenty years ago that The Football League kicked off for the first time, so now feels like an appropriate time to celebrate the anniversary of a venerable institution which has [. Click to continue reading...

Reading lists of of football attendances records can make for dispiriting reading. After reaching highs in the late 1940s and late 1960s, crowds at English football went into a tailspin that nearly killed the club game for good. During the 1982/83 season, Tony Gubba reported for "Football Focus" upon the malaise that was sweeping the [. Click to continue reading...

For the many things that British football has exported across the world - naked greed, hooliganism, you know the sort of thing - but some of them, just some of them, have been worthwhile. The league system is an British invention, as is international football. One of the less celebrated exports, however comes in the [. Click to continue reading...

Continuing the history series which began with a nostalgic look at the 1978 World Cup win, I wanted to write something for the second installment which looked at a player forgotten by many today. Those who read my recent article looking back on the 1991 Apertura in UK magazine When Saturday Comes will recognise the [. Click to continue reading...

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has struck a landmark sponsorship deal with Citycell worth Tk 16.5 crore for three years, the biggest ever trade in the country's football history.

Although it was reported that Citycell, one of the leading cellular phone operators, will give the governing body of football Tk 15 crore, BFF president Kazi Salahuddin yesterday confirmed that the deal was worth more. Click to continue reading...

If there's one compliment Foppe de Haan deserves it's praise on his ability to gel teams together. He was responsible for winning two European championships in a row with Young Oranje, a unique feat in Dutch football history. De Haan spent some time in Switzerland to watch the Dutch seniors try Click to continue reading...

Today marks the fifth anniversary of Roman Abramovich's takeover of Chelsea. It was the biggest in British football history at the time £140 million and, I must say, it has worked out quite well for the club thus far.

Two Prem titles, two Carling Cups, one Community Shield, an FA Cup and a Champions League final later, Chelsea is now moving into phase 2 of the revolution, with Uncle Phil & Co.

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Last week saw the draws made for the very first round of next season's FA Trophy. The FA Trophy has regained some of the sheen that it lost at the turn of this century when the old Wembley stadium was demolished and the venue for the final was moved to Villa Park, but it will [...] Click to continue reading...

Last week saw the draws made for the very first round of next season's FA Trophy. The FA Trophy has regained some of the sheen that it lost at the turn of this century when the old Wembley stadium was demolished and the venue for the final was moved to Villa Park, but it will [...] Click to continue reading...

With the regular editorial having made way a little while ago for my regular Pitch Invasion column, I've decided to put the page on HEGS to a slightly different use from now on. Periodically (hopefully approximately every two weeks) I'll be posting a piece looking back on a segment of Argentina's long and rich footballing [. Click to continue reading...

Marco's last ride in the Oranje bus The www.Ad.nl had this article today: San Marco's era in a nutshell: Best game June 9 2008 will be a historical day in Dutch football history. Better, more beautiful and fresher than ever under Marco van Basten's reign. The matches against France (this EC) and the Ivory Click to continue reading...

Monday marked the fourtieth anniversary of a dark day in the history of football in Argentina and, indeed, across South America. On the 23rd June 1968, as Boca Juniors fans left the Estadio Monumental at the end of a mid-season superclásico, a gate was left less than fully opened under circumstances that remain mysterious to [. Click to continue reading...

A young Socceroos side lost 1-0 at home to China tonight at the ANZ stadium in Sydney in front of 70,000 fans.

And the performance showed, what most have always said about Australia, that we lack depth, real depth, beyond the first squad.

This is not a new situation.

Australia has never been able to put out a "second eleven" in it's football history and beat sides the quality of China. Click to continue reading...

For those of you who are already tired of international football, well, first of all, shame on you because Euro 2008 has been a great tournament (refereeing aside). But, second, we do have some news that will cheer you up. The Premier League, the most arrogantly named league in football history, has announced [. Click to continue reading...

The last group in Euro 2008 kicks off in this live online and radio commentary Euro 2008 group match between Spain and Russia live as Spain manager Aragones tries to lead his country to glory in his last competition in charge of the national team. After so many years without any silverware to show for it, this live online streaming match would represent the beginning of the end for the Spanish coach who is known for his eccentricity and at times brilliance as a soccer tactician. Click to continue reading...

EURO reunion for Group A rivals: When Czech Republic and Portugal meet at the Stade de Genève on 11 June, many football fans will remember Euro 1996, at the finals in England, when the two countries met for the first and only time in the football history.  A spectacular goal by Karel Poborský proved the difference between the teams. Click to continue reading...

Mornings gooners thought i'd repost an old entry now that i'm on goonernews to get it a little more of a read and perhaps some discussion. I'l post a fresh and fragrant new post today or tomorrow. Cheers for those of you who have checked out my new rookie blog and thanks must go to the various other Arsenal blogs who have given me much advice and support on this new venture and people say media is a competitive dog eat dog world ey! Click to continue reading...

Alexander Hleb a key player this season who undeniably has put in some truly wonderful performances. Come the end of another trophyless season and various quotes that Hleb wants to leave Arsenal because he doesn't like living in a big city lead to him being linked to various clubs around Europe themselves situated in big cities. Click to continue reading...