FOOTY FAIR

5 Odd Summer Transfers (2016)

2016-09-01T11:15:00.000-04:00

With the transfer window closed as of yesterday, I take a look at some transfers that I found to be a bit odd (for various reasons).

David Luiz (PSG to Chelsea)

With nine winner medals from his two seasons with French club Paris Saint-Germain, Brazilian defender David Luiz is back with Chelsea. Sure, we have seen similar situations on many occasions in the past, after-all, there is nothing wrong with a footballer going back to a club he had played for previously. But was this a smart decision on Chelsea’s part? As the news of Luiz coming back to Stamford Bridge made the rounds many fans were happy with Sideshow Bob’s doppelganger's return, while many felt it was a bit of bad business and a desperation last minute signing from Antonio Conte.

Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle to Tottenham)

After a Harry Houdini like disappearing act in the past couple years while wearing the Newcastle United uniform, Moussa Sissoko got his wish to leave the relegated club for "greener pastures". The entire saga leading up to the French midfielder’s departure was more of a circus show than magic however. After Everton seemed to have reached an agreement with Sissoko, the unhappy footballer decided to leave the club hanging at the last minute when Spurs matched the offer, despite claiming to be an Arsenal fan earlier in the year when rumors about interest from the Gunners were circulating. But the real reason this transfer made our list is the whopping £30 million both the Toffees and Spurs were willing to pay for Sissoko who was one of the star players Newcastle needed to perform in order to stay in the Premier League; a player who disappointed in the majority of match-days with the Magpies in the last couple of years.

Joe Hart (Manchester City to Torino - Loan)

Once (and quite recently) hailed as one of the world’s best goalkeepers, Joe Hart fell out of favor with new Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola pretty quickly. With his first spot in the England squad hanging in the balance Hart decided to go where playing minutes would be plenty. Why Torino though? The club has not enjoyed any kind of real success in the Italy’s Serie A for quite some time and although Hart is very likely to get the playing minutes desired, a lack of defensive skill at the club may very well expose the weaknesses that prove to new England manager Sam Allardyce that Hart may afteral not be the greatest first choice for the Three Lions.

Joleon Lescott (Aston Villa to AEK Athens)

Once a big part of England’s back-line, Joleon Lescott is pretty far from his best days at Everton and Manchester City. After a disastrous campaign with Aston Villa in which Lescott’s say it like it is approach got him in hot waters with the club’s fans, the former England international has earned a transfer at last. AEK Athens however, is quite an odd destination for the defender. The club had recently been playing in Greece’s lower leagues after a voluntary relegation due to financial instability and although a 3rd place finish in last season’s table handed the Greek club a Europa League spot, the club was eliminated in the third round of play which makes the signing of the Englishman seem weird.

Mario Balotelli (Liverpool to Nice)

I genuinely once thought that young Mario Balotelli will once become one of the greatest footballers of my generation. Some years later and the ever controversial striker is no longer a part of the Italian national squad and is now changing the shirts of the likes of Milan, Liverpool and Inter Milan for the kit of small club OGC Nice in the south of France. Perhaps less attention could be good for the now 26 year old striker, although it seems that the spotlight has not been on Balotelli for quite a while now, as even his biggest fans have given up on the player to reach his full potential.

5 Celebrities That Could Have Become Professional Footballers

2016-07-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

All Professional footballers, even the ones that you consider to be crap, have a high level of technical and physical ability that elevate them beyond most of us mere mortals.

When a young player doesn't make it into the professional game it's usually a result of them not quite having these essential attributes or perhaps a case of them sustaining a serious injury.

If a former trialist or youth team player doesn't make it into the big time, most of them often go back to school in search of another career or perhaps go into coaching. Their dreams of playing under bright lights and driving home to their big houses in exotic cars are seemingly out the window.

The crushing disappointment of not making into the professional game hasn't meant the end of a life in the spotlight for these five former football trialists and youth team stars though:

1.) Gordan Ramsay - Glasgow Rangers

As a boy, the hot tempered celebrity chef Gordan Ramsay had trials in 1984 with his beloved local club Rangers before a serious knee injury cut his football career short. He would later say that the pain of not making professionally at Ibrox is what spurred him on to become a Michelin Star winning chef.

2.) Gavin Rossdale - Chelsea

Lead singer of mid-90s grunge wannabes Bush, Gavin Rossdale had trials at Chelsea but didn't quite make the grade. He would later star as England international Stanley Mortensen in the film The Game of Their Lives which recounted the tale of the United States 1-0 upset of the Three Lions at the 1950 World Cup.

3.) Antonio Banderas - Malaga

The Spanish actor Antonio Banderas was a gifted striker in Malaga's youth side in the mid-1970's before a foot injury ended his dreams of making it as a professional footballer.

4.) David Frost - Nottingham Forest

Best known for his incendiary interview with disgraced former United States President Richard Nixon in 1977, the late journalist David Frost was both a talented cricket player and footballer in his youth. He turned down an offer to sign for Nottingham Forest at age 17 to instead enroll at Cambridge University.

5.) Sean Connery - Manchester United

Already 23 years old, Sean Connery was on tour with the production South Pacific in 1953 and playing football part-time when he caught the eye of Manchester United's legendary boss Matt Busby. Connery was offered a £25 a week contract at Old Trafford, but chose to turn it down as he preferred to continue on in the path that would later lead him to becoming one of the most famous actors in the world.

Antonio Conte…Not Long for Chelsea’s World?

2016-06-29T10:57:00.001-04:00

From FootyFair Guest Contributor Jason Bramble:

This is my first blog-like entry, so please forgive me if it seems in anyway disjointed or rambling. I’ve been meaning to write for this site for a long time, however my low esteem to share written word left me unable to numerous times. This time however I feel compelled to share with you, dear FootyFair readers an opinion piece. So, let’s get started.

Antonio Conte… the man with the Midas touch apparently in this Euro competition. He took a rag tag Italian set-up, and turned them into at least for me one of the stories of the tourney thus far. Not expected to do anything, the Italian’s find themselves in a quarter-final match up against what looks to be the most structurally perfect German side that I’ve seen in a long, long time. Quite the change from two years ago in Brasil, I’d say, where they unceremoniously crashed out along with England in the group stage.

Conte’s genius is being praised not just because of that. But also because of his resurgence of the Old Lady of Italian football, Juventus. However, since their scandal had been little more than toothless kittens on the European stage and had to claw back from relegation as well. Just before tasting glory of a Champions League Final he resigned his post, and began his Italian National team career.

When Ceasare Prandelli resigned after what has to be called a disgusting World Cup campaign by the Azzuri, Conte took the job building up for the Euro qualifiers. As he did at Juve he took the best of what he could get, and seemingly made them into what we’ve seen at this Euro. Although some call it dumbed down or whatever, It has certainly been no cake walk for the Azzuri and they’ve been put to the test and have shown with style and passion that they are serious. Also that his management in my opinion is real.

After this Euro though he will begin a new chapter. Chelsea Football Club on April 4th 2016 confirmed that he would be joining the club after José Mourinho was sacked from the club mid-season amidst a variable poop storm of bad results and “unfortunate” headlines featuring one Eva Caneiro. This is where I want to offer my opinion on the future of Conte at Chelsea.

Will he be able to survive the “Player Power” ego movement among the C.F.C. stars? Not even the much revered José Mourinho was able to withstand the pressure from the top as time, time and time again Chelsea produced bad results. Seemingly led by the “Player Power” movement that has resulted in the C.F.C. revolving door for staff. He has quite a few cancers to deal with in the locker room.

Eden Hazard, if his performance at the Euros has proved anything, is that he SERIOUSLY under-performed for Mourinho, likely on purpose. I suspect if Conte puts a foot wrong against this Belgian Diva he will do the same again.

Diego Costa; I don’t actually have any proof he under-preformed or if he just sucks/sucked, but I'm leaning towards the former though. Also a player that began to believe his own hype.

(Viva) John Terry; at the core of the Chelsea locker room issues I always secretly suspected was JT. Again no proof but more speculation. The old racist captain of C.F.C seems like a big time sh*t disturber. Can’t say in good conscious he under preforms though. He is just old and past it at that level. However his “Mr Chelsea” ways may not mesh well with the new manager.

Thibaut Courtois; Belgian team mate of the aforementioned Eden Hazard, I can imagine he and Eden Hazard conspiring to get José Mourinho out at the bridge. I’ve heard reports from certain friends of mine who are Chelsea blue that he is becoming a real problem. I believe it as he seems like a right douchetap.

That’s all I really have for now. I should be forthcoming at this point. I am actually a United supporter, and I am well aware we have our own woes to deal with, with regards to cancers and “should he be a starter” team selections (Looking at you Wazza), but I leave that up to someone else to outline. With that said if those players start acting up or someone I haven’t mentioned and Conte doesn’t get immediate results he’ll be out the door faster than a dine and dasher at cheque time. Ah well I’d wish you all the best Conte, but I can’t soooooo I’ll just say hope you don’t get fired.

How Brexit Might Affect the Premier League

2016-06-24T11:25:00.001-04:00

The world woke up today to a very different political landscape in Europe as the citizens of the United Kingdom voted in favour yesterday of leaving the European Union by a 51.9 to 48.1 percent margin.

This in turn led to UK Prime Minister David Cameron announcing that he will resign by October.

While the pound and the markets predictably took a hit, Premier League chiefs were scrambling to assure followers of the English game that either the league wouldn't suffer any ill effects or that it was simply too early to tell.

But what are the possible ramifications of a Premier League outside of the EU?

Last season saw 432 European players registered in the top tier of English football and although those players will not necessarily have to leave their status of being able to live and work in the UK may be in question over the next two years.

Under the EU's free movement of labour laws, players can move between countries that are part of the Union, including the United Kingdom, without a work permit but with "Brexit" these players will now essentially have the same status as players from non-EU countries.

Currently, non-EU players hoping to sign for Premier League clubs have to have played in at least 30 percent of their countries international matches in the two years prior to applying for a work permit. The FIFA rankings of the countries these players are coming from can also determine whether or not their permit will be approved.

The other impact will be felt in the recruitment of young players from abroad. FIFA currently has a restriction in place that forbids players under the age of 18 from being transferred across borders.

The exception to that is that within the EU, where the age is reduced to 16. This has been beneficial to clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal who have stocked up their youth and reserve sides with 16 to 18 year olds from across Europe for often cut-rate fees.

This may very much be at an end.

Three Managers That Jose Mourinho is About to Renew Hostilities With

2016-05-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

With Sky Sports reporting on Thursday that Jose Mourinho had signed a contract to become the next manager of Manchester United, Reds and fans of their rivals alike were lighting up social media with differing views on the man himself.

Love him or hate him, Mourinho has certainly collected his share of trophies over his career and he has the type of personality that won't be overwhelmed by the size of the job he's taking on at Old Trafford.

While rebuilding United, Mourinho will also renew hostilities with a few of his old sparring partners, including the following:

Arsene Wenger

When Mourinho first came into English football with Chelsea in 2004, Arsenal were the reigning champions and the self-styled 'Special One' didn't waste much time in getting under the skin of their manager Arsene Wenger. With the Frenchman constantly complaining about Mourinho's conduct incessently in the press, Mourinho famously said: "I think he is one of these people who is a voyeur. He likes to watch other people. There are some guys who, when they are at home, have a big telescope to see what happens in other families. He speaks, speaks, speaks about Chelsea. He should be worried about [Arsenal]. He's worried about us, he's always talking about us. It's Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea."

On his return to Chelsea in 2013-2014 he labelled Wenger "a specialist in failure" after gleefully making note of Arsenal going eight years without a trophy. The lead up to first meeting between the Gunners and United in the coming season should be interesting.

Pep Guardiola

After masterminding Inter's unlikely victory over Pep Guardiola's all conquering Barcelona side in the 2010 Champions League Semi-Final, Mourinho made the move to the Catalan club's greatest rivals, Real Madrid, to face off against the former Spanish international on a more regular basis.

During Mourinho's three seasons in Madrid, the rivalry between the two sides was arguably cranked up another notch as Mourinho tried, largely, in vain to get under the skin of the Barca boss.

Despite Barcelona being largely in the ascendance, Mourinho's Madrid did manage to win the 2011-2012 La Liga title, the only league crown Madrid has captured in the past eight years.

Guardiola left Barcelona following that season, and yet despite the two men no longer facing off against one another Mourinho couldn't help but take another dig at him in September 2014 when he cracked:

"When you enjoy what you do, you don't lose your hair, and Guardiola is bald. He doesn't enjoy football."

The two will resume their rivalry in Manchester next season, with Guardiola heading over to City.

Claudio Ranieri

Even kindly current Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri fell afoul of Mourinho, with the two having run-ins during the Portuguese bosses time at Inter.

Ranieri dared to suggest that Mourinho was showing Italian football a lack of respect by not showing up for news conferences early on in his time in Milan. Not being the type of person who enjoys being talked about in other than glowing terms, the new United boss retorted:

"I studied Italian five hours a day for many months to ensure I could communicate with the players, media and fans. Ranieri had been in England for five years and still struggled to say 'Good morning' and 'Good afternoon.' Who is he to tell me what to do?"

As the manager of the current English champions, I think it's safe to assume that Ranieri will be hearing more from Jose in the coming season.

Debating Football on Social Media is Bad For Your Health

2015-12-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Football discussions used to centre around a few guys or girls getting together down the pub after a match to down a pint or two while arguing the merits of their club's new left back.

Sure things could sometimes get heated, because every group has an idiot usually named Kevin or Sandra, and most gatherings of friends at a drinking establishment will include a belligerent drunk named Peter or Allison, but on the whole things were pretty civil and informed discussions were had.

While these sorts of discussions still occur, the majority of football talk between fans now is on social media and online message boards, and the tone of things has changed drastically.

Without the benefit of looking across the table at a real person there's no longer any accountability for one's words. People can sound off against a person with a different opinion, and not only disagree with them but be outright insulting.

Over the last few years I've seen some outrageous attacks on folks by so-called fellow supporters and this kills the spirit of why we are interested in football in the first place, and that's fun. Football is supposed to be about enjoyment, and what's so enjoyable about slating your team after a bad result on Facebook and then ripping another supporter to shreds for daring to have an alternate view?

When a big team like Manchester United or Chelsea are struggling through difficult seasons it becomes even more venomous between supporters, as people take out their frustrations on each other.

Contentious issues like whether or not a struggling manager should be sacked, and the inevitable section of fans who consider themselves to be better fans because of their loyalty and longevity can even lead to the destruction of supporters groups.

I saw this even with my local team Toronto FC as well, with fans really tearing into each other on message boards over the club's struggles. Interestingly enough, when people met up in person everything was fine and dandy. Funny how that happens.

A good rule of thumb before you rip into a fellow supporter is to ask yourself, "would I say this to them in person?" If the answer is no, keep it to yourself.

In Conversation With An Angry Chelsea Fan

2015-12-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

After the worset start to a season by a defending champion in Premier League history, Chelsea parted company with Jose Mourinho on Thursday splitting opinion among their supporters.

On one hand the results have been truly dreadful, and something had to be done to arrest the slide, but on the other hand a case could be made that the board didn't back Mourinho in the transfer window last summer and shouldn't have responded like this to the apparent discord in the dressing room. It appears that the club backed the under-performing players, rather than their manager.

Instead of penning yet another think piece on the goings on at Stamford Bridge, a club I don't have any allegiance to, I thought it best to talk to a friend of mine named Sonny Parmar who is a massive Chelsea supporter and get his take on the situation in SW6.

Warning - This interview contains strong language, so reader discretion is advised.

Should Mourinho have been fired?

No and (Club Technical Director, Michael) Emenalo has admitted to backing the players on Chelsea TV.

Motherfuckers admitted that the transfer policy the club had in the summer was flawed and we should have picked up players, players Mourinho said we needed. Now they backtrack and admit they are backing the players. The cunt should be packing up his office yet his doing TV spots, asshole.

What's next for Chelsea?

What's next? Same old bullshit, that's what! When they hired Mourinho this time around it was for the long term, longevity, stability. They further backed that by extending him for another 4 years. First sign of trouble and they revert to their old ways. Back to the revolving door leading in and out of the office of the Chelsea FC Manager.

It's all speculation, but do you think some of the players willfully didn't give 100% to sabotage Mourinho?

Absolutely, I think Diego Costa, Eden Hazard for sure didn't give 100%. Motherfuckers played like their usual selves in the Euro Qualifiers but then come back to the club and play like shit? Cesc Fabregas I thought could have been one of those, but the last match when he came off the bench he showed shades of last year. The consensus was that he may no longer be suited as a starter.

By sheer body language, Costa and Hazard led the charge (against Mourinho), I have no doubts about that.

Now Hazard's brother and father are doing interviews saying, "Oh no, he loves the manager." Fuck off.

Who will the club bring in to replace Mourinho?

Guus Hiddink as interim is the word I'm hearing. Long term? No clue. Keeping the usual suspects of Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone. Pep won't touch our clubs with a ten foot pole. And the last time I checked, Simeone still has a job at a place he loves; unless he is willing to leave on his own to come to our shirt show of club board how can he even be considered? Fuck, would you go to Chelsea right now to manage? I sure as fuck wouldn't.

How long will it take to fix the problems at the club?

Players have to be sent packing and new players will have to be brought in hopefully with some of our youth mixed in. We'll be shit for a couple of years, I think, no doubt. But "the mess" at the club will always be there as long as our board have their heads up their asses and the players never get held accountable.

I still think Roman Abramovich had to be persuaded by the board to pull the trigger now on Mourinho. The old Abramovich would have done this long ago. There will never be stability in the manager's role or any sort of "dynasty" at the Bridge.

Thanks for your time, Sonny!

Jose Mourinho Sounds Off on His Slacker Players

2015-12-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

With Chelsea crashing to another defeat on Monday night to Leicester last year's champions now sit only one point above the relegation zone.
Although it's unusual to see a side falter this dramatically only a year after bringing home the title, the normal order of business when a big club falls down the table so dramatically is that the manager is quickly sacked, but so far Jose Mourinho is staying put on the Stamford Bridge touchline.

Whether or not you agree with the club's stance on the matter is one thing, but Mourinho for his part hasn't taken the club's slide lying down and after yesterday's setback he tore into his under-performing players with gusto:

“I know one of my best qualities is to read the game for my players, is to read the opponent, is to identify every detail about the opponent. And these two goals ... are two goals very difficult to accept, a big frustration to accept. Because it’s like, I feel that my work was betrayed, if that’s the right word.”

“It’s difficult for us to score goals when you have some players that are not in their best level and it’s obvious and everybody knows that. And when you have some players, especially in some crucial positions, that they don’t go to the normal level is difficult.”

"Day by day in training I have no complaints with [players]. But is it frustrating to see what they are doing in training and what they do in matches."

"We can't finish top four, but we can still finish top six because so many teams are dropping points. At the moment we are in a zone."

Interesting times at the Bridge, as the club and a lot of the supporters are still behind the manager despite the results. In the end though something will have to give.

Watch this space.

5 Top Stories of the Weekend

2015-11-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jose Mourinho saw his side come back to winning ways, Real Madrid were smashed by Barcelona and Jamie Vardy scored in his tenth straight match. Just a few of the stories of the weekend.

Chelsea Ground Out a Result

It's been a tumultuous season for Jose Mourinho's side in these first few months of their Premier League title defence, but Diego Costa's 64th minute strike was enough to guide Chelsea to victory over Norwich.

The club are still in 15th spot, and 12 points behind the final Champions League qualifying place, but this win would have brought a bit of relief and renewed at least a small measure of hope from their supporters that they can turn this season around.

Real Madrid Smashed By Barcelona

While the biggest news in the sporting world last weekend was Holly Holm's destruction of Ronda Rousey, this Saturday saw a similarly ruthless annihilation in the form of Barcelona's 4-0 thumping of Real Madrid. An unusually quiet Cristiano Ronaldo, and a questionable team selection by Rafa Benitez, contributed to Sergi Roberto, Luis Suarez and Neymar ripping Madrid to pieces. After this humiliation, which leaves Madrid six points back of league leading Barca, Benitez might be on very thin ice.

Liverpool Blow the Title Race Wide Open

With Manchester United blowing hot and cold, Chelsea floundering and Arsenal being well... Arsenal, it looked like this season's title could be only be won by Manchester City. But after Manuel Pellegrini for some reason left Nicolas Otamendi and Fernandinho out against Liverpool, which was compounded by the absence of Vincent Kompany, the Anfield club tore City apart and the Premier League title race suddenly looks very open again.

Jamie Vardy Hits Ten Straight

He still has two matches to go before he equals the record for a top division player for scoring consecutive matches, set over 80 years ago by Jimmy Dunne, but this past weekend Leicester's Jamie Vardy equaled Ruud Van Nistelrooy's Premier League record and for a player who was toiling in non-league football only three years ago, Vardy's accomplishments have been inspiring.

Columbus Keeps On Rolling

The Columbus Crew took a massive step towards the MLS Cup Final after a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls in the MLS Eastern Conference finals first leg Sunday. Their first goal, scored by Iraqi international Justin Meram, came just nine second in and has been confirmed as the fastest goal in MLS Playoff history.

The Trouble With Post Match Fan Interviews

2015-11-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

Following Liverpool's 3-1 win over a struggling Chelsea side last month, an irate Blue, who was later identified as Clive O’Connell launched into a furious rant, about the Merseyside club's supporters.

When asked by fan website Neek Sports about his views on manager Jose Mourinho, O'Connell responded: "Why do you think the Scouse scum are singing ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ when we sang to Benitez ‘we want you to stay’ when he was managing Liverpool.

Even those nasty, horrible people know that Mourinho is the best manager in the world - they’re scared.”

It was later revealed that O'Connell was a partner of international law firm Goldberg Segalla and has since been sacked for his outburst.

The firm has said that O'Connell, who was named best lawyer for insurance law in the 2014 ‘Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom’ guide, had views that were "inconsistent with their ethos" in explaining his dismissal.

Apparently O'Connell made matters worse by continuing his anti-Liverpool assault on Twitter and on his blog prior to his termination.

The furious on camera outburst, and the resulting consequences, called to mind an incident here in Toronto last summer when an allegedly well refreshed TFC fan named Shawn Simoes, bizarrely wearing an Arsenal kit to an MLS match, was fired from his job for defending the right to say "F*cked her in the P*ssy" to female TV reporters.

Whether or not you agree with the outbursts of the two men, and I'm certainly not saying that I do, it seems harsh that their careers are ruined because of some verbal stupidity at a football ground.

Here's a news flash, people get emotional at football matches and I've even heard that people say stupid shit when they're drunk. If you combine these two things you're not going to often get a suitable for family television interview.

Rather than siding with or going against what the Chelsea or Toronto fans said, here's a bit of advice for football supporters: when you see a camera, walk the hell away from it. Your five minutes of fame could become a lifetime of notoriety.

Carlo Ancelotti: Chelsea or Star Trek?!?

2015-10-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

With Chelsea tumbling to another defeat on Saturday, this time a 2-1 away reverse to West Ham, rumours of manager Jose Mourinho's possible demise began to do the rounds again.

While many Chelsea supporters are still firmly behind the man who led them to the title last season, there is growing disquiet among some of the club's support as they currently sit 15th in the table.

But if the axe were to swing on the self styled "Special One" who exactly would be in line to replace him?

All of the big name managers in football are currently employed and it would be unlikely if they were to drop out of their contracts to join Chelsea mid-season, so the club would likely have to look to someone either looking to move up to a bigger club or someone out of work.

One familiar name to the Stamford Bridge faithful that did pop up in conversation across the always reliable realm of social media yesterday was the man with the magic eyebrows, Carlo Ancelotti.

After leading the club to a league and cup double in 2009-2010, Ancelotti was unceremoniously dumped at the end of the next campaign when the club finished the season without a trophy.

Ancelotti, for his part, has said that he would like to manage in the Premier League again, but it would still come as a shock if the currently unemployed Italian manager reemerged at Chelsea.

In the meantime though the job is still Mourinho's for the time being and Ancelotti has another project on the works.

Far removed from the world of football, Ancelotti is set to appear in a cameo role in the next Star Trek film.

Thanks to his friendship with actress Zoe Saldana, the Champions League winning boss has reportedly already filmed a scene in Vancouver for Star Trek Beyond.

Whether or not his quizzical eyebrow will be a key plot point remains to be seen.

Star Trek Beyond is due for release in the summer of 2016.

The Harsh Realities of 2015-16 Champions League - Week 2

2015-10-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

This time on The Harsh Realities of the Champions League we take a look at four clubs which did not impress us in this week's action. Two of the sides hail from the Premier League, while the other two are from Turkey and Italy.

Galatasaray

Having to compete in a group which includes Portuguese champions SL Benfica and Spanish side Atlético Madrid, Turkish club Galatasaray were expected to pick up all 6 points from their two meetings with Kazakh minnows FC Astana if they were to have any chance of challenging for the first two spots in group C. This was not the case however when "Cim-Bom" traveled to Astana this week. Going ahead twice in a country that has never seen a domestic club secure a single point in a Champions League competition, Galatasaray conceded via the own-goal each time and settled for a split of the points. For Astana it's a club record as they became the first club from Kazakhstan to not lose a match in the UEFA Champions League, but for the Turks this means just 1 point from their first two matches of the group stages after 2-0 home loss to Atlético in week one of action.

To pile on the misery, things don't seem to get much easier for Galatasaray as their next UCL match is against group leaders SL Benfica. If they don't start collecting points soon, the club from Turkey are looking at a very early exit from the competition.

AS Roma

Any time you can secure a draw against Spanish giants Barcelona it's a pretty good day. Roma managed that feat in the first week of play with a 1-1 tie at the Stadio Olimpico and the club felt confident going into Belarus to face the local side BATE Borisov in week 2. Things got ugly early for the Italians however, and thanks in part to sloppy defense, skillful passing from the hosts and a little to the terrible positioning of AS Roma keeper Wojciech Szczesny BATE was 3-0 up after just 30 minutes of play. The shocked visitors found ways to respond in the second half but Gervinho's 66th minute and Torosidis' 82nd minute goals would not be enough as the home side came out 3-2 victorious.

Now, AS Roma is in last place in group E and will face Barcelona and tough German opponents Bayer Leverkusen twice in their next three matches.

Arsenal

Being drawn in a group with German powerhouse Bayern Munich, it was pretty well understood that Arsenal's chances of finishing first were pretty slim. The bright side of the draw was the fact that the other two opponents came in the form of Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb and Greek club Olympiacos.

Now, after two matches played the Gunners have 0 points, and they haven't faced Bayern yet!

After a shock loss in Zagreb in week 1, it was time for Arsene Wenger's side to bounce back on home soil against Olympiacos. But the Greeks had other ideas and lead the match on three separate occasions for the eventual 3-2 away win. Arsenal will now face group leaders and one of the tournament's favorites FC Bayern in a stretch that could potentially see the Gunners sitting with no points at the bottom of the group after four matches played.

Chelsea

Travelling to Estádio do Dragão where he once was a popular figure, Jose Mourinho was hoping his side could show in the European competition a bit better than their recent domestic performances. But his former club Porto was not going to give in to their former manager and have jumped out in front twice to win the match 2-1.

Perhaps Chelsea's struggle on the road in Porto would not even make this list if it wasn't for the side's dreadful start to the EPL season. Nonetheless, the club looks out of sync and will have to put their best foot forward against Ukrainian opponents Dynamo Kyiv which had managed to split the points against the Portuguese side in week 1.

Mourinho + Wenger Love Relationship - The Best Video You'll Watch Today

2015-09-16T18:36:00.001-04:00

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and Arsenal bench-boss Arsene Wenger have had their differences on the sidelines, but the new video edited by the people at Sun Dream Team brings a new perspective to the heated relationship in this hilarious edited video of the two managers "talking about their explicit relationship".

Three Seasons and Out for Mourinho?

2015-08-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Needless to say the English champions Chelsea are not off to a good start this season.

Taking only four points from their first four matches, the champions are reeling. Following today's disappointing 2-1 loss to an excellent Crystal Palace side, manager Jose Mourinho tore into his players.

“I cannot say I had 11 players at the same time performing,” Mourinho said. “Two or three of them, their individual performance were far from good. I blame myself for not changing one of them. I kept him in the game for 90 minutes and when I made the third change I realised I needed a fourth.

“I’m not happy because for me a performance is a collective performance, of 11 players at the same time. At this level, when opponents are good and well organised with nothing to lose, when you have this type of matches at this level you need people to perform.”

“If a player is not performing there are two ways to look at it. The first one is I trust so much the player that I will wait for the improvement. You wait, wait and wait and maybe it comes or doesn't come. Or even while you are trusting the players arrives a moment when you think I have to change. And I can go both ways.”

While ruling out any further transfer business things continue to take an ominous tone at Stamford Bridge, even though it is still very early in this young season.

With Mourinho though the magic number seems to be three seasons and then he appears to either peak, tail off or fall out with the powers that be at a club.

After leaving Porto in 2004, after two and a half seasons of unprecedented success domestically and in Europe, he led Chelsea to their first league championship in fifty years and followed it off with an even more dominant performance from his side the following season as they repeated as champions.

But in 2006/2007 things went awry at Chelsea as rumours of a rift between Mourinho and owner Roman Abramovich, and a power struggle with sporting director Frank Arnesen, emerged. The signing of Andriy Shevchenko was not made by Mourinho, but rather than owner himself and pressure that was put on the Portuguese boss to include the misfiring Ukrainian in the squad worsened things.

Manchester United would win the title that season and by the opening month of the following term, Mourinho was gone.

At his next posting in Italy with Inter Milan he fell out with the Italian media and feuded with seemingly half the opposition managers in the league.

Despite a rocky time in Serie A he led the club to two league titles and in 2009/2010 romped home with a treble of a league championship, Coppa Italia, and a UEFA Champions League crown.

This attracted the attention of Spanish giants Real Madrid who paid Inter to get Mourinho out of his contract with the club and bring him to the Spanish capital.

What followed were three rocky seasons that saw Mourinho battle the media, the Spanish football authorities, his own players and Real Madrid's hierarchy. He did manage to win a league title in his second season in Spain, but was never truly able to dethrone Barcelona as the top side in La Liga and, crucially, wasn't able to win the Champions League for Madrid.

Sacked in 2013 he returned to Chelsea after seemingly being snubbed for the Manchester United job that he had coveted and after a third place finish in his first year he led the club to another title last season.

But after only four matches he's already exiled the Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro for the sin of coming onto the pitch under the referee's orders to attend to Eden Hazard, blasted Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger again, just for something to do, and had more than a few choice words for his struggling players.

It all seems to be setting up for another exit from Mourinho.

5 Times That Jose Mourinho Has Acted Like a Jackass

2015-08-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has hit the headlines for all of the wrong reasons again this week after his classless treatment of club doctor Eva Carneiro after she rushed on the pitch, with physiotherapist Jon Fearn to tend to an injuries Eden Hazard in the closing stages of the Blues draw with Swansea.

Carneiro had seemingly been summoned onto the pitch by the referee Michael Oliver, was blasted by Mourinho for reducing his side to nine men and has been told she will no longer have a place on the bench for future Chelsea matches.

It seemed, for the outside looking in, to be a bout of childish anger by the Special One. With Mourinho, you are almost certainly guaranteed results but another thing you can count on with the Portuguese boss is a few bust ups along the way.

The following are a few examples of when he's acted liked an utter jackass:

The Anders Frisk Incident

During an explosive first leg encounter at Camp Nou between Chelsea and Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 in 2005, referee Anders Frisk sent off striker Didier Drogba after two book able offences. The home side dispatched Chelsea 2-1 and afterwards Jose Mourinho claimed that referee Anders Frisk had met with then Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard at halftime to decide the outcome. It was a baseless accusation, but Frisk received a number of death threats from irate Blues fans and decided to end his career in officiating as a result. Mourinho was later branded an "enemy of football" by UEFA referee chief Volker Roth.

Gouging Tito's Eyes

During the 2011 Spanish Super Cup with Barcelona a bust up on the sidelines culminated in Mourinho gouging Barca assistant Tito Vilanova's eyes. He later claimed to not know who Vilanova even was.

Arsene Wenger vs The Special One

Besides his long running feud with Barcelona, Mourinho's career has been marked with his many run ins with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Besides a pushing match earlier this year and then snubbing each other after the season opening Community Shield, Mourinho has called Wenger "a voyeur who likes to watch other people", he's also labelled him "an expert in failure", and he was famously fined for an illegal approach to Arsenal's then left back Ashley Cole back in 2006.

Jose Still Hates Pep

While Mourinho was in charge of Real Madrid the rivalry between his side and Barcelona was perhaps nastier than any other time in recent history. Much of that was fuelled by Mourinho casting an envious eye at Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola's all conquering side. Unlike his battles with Wenger though, the Portuguese manager was never able to really get under Pep's skin. Despite them not having managed against each other in several seasons, with Pep eventually moving on to Bayern Munich, Mourinho couldn't help but be a dick when he said:

"When you enjoy what you do, you don't lose your hair, and Guardiola is bald," Mourinho said in September 2014. "He doesn't enjoy football."

Mourinho Giving Rafa Benitez's Wife Some Advice

"Real Madrid are the third of Jose Mourinho's old teams Rafa has coached," Montserrat Seara Benitez reportedly said in an interview earlier this summer, before adding: "We tidy up his messes."

In fairness she was probably out of line with that comment in the first place, but the Chelsea boss could have been professional and brushed this off, but this is Mourinho after all.

He blasted in response: "The only club where her husband replaced me was at Inter Milan, where in six months he destroyed the best team in Europe at the time," Mourinho said. "For her also to think about me and to speak about me, I think she needs to occupy her time, and if she takes care of her husband's diet she will have less time to speak about me."

Is PSG a Big Club or Just a Rich One?

2015-08-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva had some Manchester United fans waving their fists this weekend when he claimed that Angel Di Maria is ‘stepping up to a big club’ by leaving United to join him in Paris.

But are PSG a big club really?

When most fans think of 'big clubs', names like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and, indeed, Manchester United are what immediately come to mind.

Big clubs typically have a rich history of success, wealthy owners, a massive fan base, and are still successful in the current day.

There is a second category of 'big clubs' like Liverpool, Roma or Marseilles who certainly have history, a large number of supporters and have even achieved some sporadic success in recent years but aren't considered to be favourites to win their respective leagues title anytime soon, largely due to not being awash with the cash that's needed these days to scale that peak.

Speaking of cash, a third category of 'big clubs' is the likes of Manchester City or Chelsea that hadn't won a league title in decades before a rich owner swept in and turned them into his successful play thing. Clubs like this had large numbers of supporters prior to these lucrative cash injections, but 'shockingly' their ranks of supporters have swelled since then. I say that with just the slightest amount of sarcasm by the way.

As for Silva's PSG, they were only formed in 1970 and prior to their current owners taking over in 2012 they hadn't won a domestic title in 18 years. In fact they had only won two league championships in total until they were purchased by the Qatari Royal Family and were given the funds needed to subsequently win the last three Ligue 1 crowns.

In contrast, United coach Ryan Giggs, who retired as a player in 2014, won 13 league titles with the Red Devils. That's not mentioning his two UEFA Champions League winners medals to PSG's none.

So in short, PSG are likely in the 'big club' category of Manchester City and Chelsea, although both of those clubs could argue they are bigger than the French side on the account of their history and by virtue of playing in a more competitive domestic league. But to say that PSG is a step up from Manchester United is absolutely laughable.

Is Signing Drogba a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?

2015-07-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

With the news on Monday that Chelsea legend Didier Drogba had signed a deal with MLS club Montreal Impact the reaction from fans was decidedly split.

On one hand admirers of the player himself are excited to see the Ivorian striker in the league and shared the opinion of Impact president Joey Saputo who said the signing made it "one of the biggest days in club history".

He added: "It's an honour to welcome Didier Drogba to the Impact."

After a terrific career in Europe, where he captured four league titles and a Champions League crown across two stints at Stamford Bridge, the 37 year old comes into a Montreal side that finished in the basement last season and will hope to fire then back up the table.

On the negative side are skeptics who bemoan another big name star in his twilight years dropping into the league to collect a massive pay cheque with limited return other than shirt sales.

Although it's exciting to see players like Drogba in the flesh, their best years are certainly behind them once they hit their mid-30s. Despite that the league will likely treat them with special preference, as we saw this year when Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, also deep into their 30s, joined the league and made the All Star game despite not having kicked a ball in league play yet.

Are these really the types of signings that will drive the league forward, rather than simply one that repeats some of the mistakes of the old NASL?

5 Premier League Oldtimers That Are Still Doing the Business

2015-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Football is a young man's game many would have you believe, but this past English Premier League season proved that there is still life in the legs of a few over 30's.

The following are five players who continue to be important to their sides despite their advancing years:

5.) Peter Crouch, Stoke City (34)

The famously gangly Peter Crouch was once asked what he would be if he wasn't a footballer and simply replied "Single". The man who doesn't have the traditional look of a footballer though is still going strong for Stoke City and this season managed to equal Alan Shearer's career record for headed goals in the Premier League with 46.

4.) Julian Speroni, Crystal Palace (36)

The Crystal Palace club legend Julian Speroni completed his tenth season at Selhurst Park in 2014/2015 and his impressive form played a big part in Palace's unexpected 10th place finish. During his time in England, the Argentine has won the club's Player of the Season award four times and this season broke John Jackson's 42 year old total appearances record for the club by a goalkeeper by making his 347th appearance.

3.) Esteban Cambiasso, Leicester City (34)

After being released by Inter Milan following the 2013/2014 season, the Foxes capture of Esteban Cambiasso seemed like an odd one doomed to failure. Aging stars who have never played in the Premier League before coming to England in their 30's have a decidedly spotty history, but the man nicknamed "Cuchu" (Old Man) was a big reason why Leicester stayed in the top flight. In particular, his play in the final nine matches of the season, which saw the club win seven and draw one while climbing to a 14th place finish, secured his position as the club's Player of the Season as voted on by the fans.

2.) Michael Carrick, Manchester United (33)

The often underappreciated Michael Carrick in a way proves how vital he is to his side when you witness their performances without him. With Carrick in the lineup, United have a level head in the centre of the park who doesn't often surrender possession cheaply and sets the tempo. When the Geordie is out of the squad through injury United struggle to fill the vacuum like hole in the middle.

1.) John Terry, Chelsea (34)

Love him or hate him, and let's face it if you don't support Chelsea you probably hate him, but John Terry continues to set the standard for central defenders in England. The Chelsea captain would run over his grandmother to win a tackle and is a big part of why Jose Mourinho's side won the title this past season.

Didier Drogba's 5 Greatest Chelsea Moments

2015-05-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Chelsea's 3-1 win over Sunderland on Sunday marked the final appearance of Didier Drogba's second coming for the Stamford Bridge club.

Already well established as a legend in West London the Ivorian striker signed off with another league title medal to add to his bursting trophy cabinet.

The following are Drogba's five greatest moments for Chelsea:

5 - Wins His First League Premier League Title

Chelsea had not won a top division league title in fifty years, but with the considerable help of Roman Abramovich the club were financially able to compete against the likes of Manchester United and bolstered by a number of signings, including the explosive Drogba, the club captured the 2004/2005 league championship at a canter. Although Drogba struggling to initially find form after his move to the club from Marseilles, he still managed 16 goals and also scored in extra time during the club's 3-2 win over Liverpool in the League Cup Final.

4 - Wins the FA Cup and Scores the First FA Cup Final Goal at the New Wembley

Always a man for the big occasion, Drogba had an incredible record when it came to finals and the 2007 FA Cup Final between his Chelsea side and Manchester United at the brand new Wembley Stadium was no different. With the sides locked at 0-0 in extra time and the match heading to penalty kicks, Drogba struck and denied United a league and cup double.

3 - Hits a Hattrick and Wins Another League Title

Needing a victory over Wigan on the last day of the 2009/2010 season to secure the league title, Drogba fired in a blistering hat trick to help Chelsea to an emphatic 8-0 victory to wrap up another championship.

2 - Drogba Scores His 150th Goal for Chelsea

One of the most dominant strikers to have ever played in the Premier League, Drogba celebrated New Years 2011 by putting away his 150th goal for Chelsea.

1 - Chelsea Win the 2012 Champions League Final

Was there any doubt about number one on this list? Cementing his reputation as a big match player, Drogba dragged Chelsea back to level terms with Bayern Munich, after falling behind to a late goal by Thomas Muller, and then stepped up to score the decisive Champions League winning goal in the shootout in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final in Munich. It was Chelsea's first win in the greatest club competition in Europe.

The Round Table: Is Manchester City's Poor Season Pellegrini's Fault?

2015-04-11T16:00:00.000-04:00

Every weekend we go beyond the headlines and talk to real football fans about current topics or issues in the football world.

Today the group discussed Manuel Pellegrini's uncertain future after Manchester City's poor form in recent months.

On the round table today we were joined by:

Bramble
Parmar
Juanito
Adrian
Wes
Luka
Iain (me)

Manchester City are currently 9 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea, who have a game in hand, crashed out of the FA Cup and the Champions League early, and have lost seven of 14 matches since January 10. Is Manuel Pellegrini to blame?

Juanito:
I don't think so. I'm not sure how much control he has over transfers, but this club buys talent for the sake of buying talent. Their core is starting to age and the core of Kompany and Toure is starting to show it's age.

He's also a nice guy, like a fun grandpa, and he's not English, which means he gets crucified by the press.

Parmar:
(Laughing out loud) Straight away, who cares they suck ass and I want it to stay that way!

Now on a serious note. Yes. It's his fault. He's the manager and he's the one that buys and sells players. He's let his squad get old without injecting enough youth or younger players into the team. They don't develop any of their own players through their joke youth system. So ya. It's his fault.

Juanito:
Again, who controls transfers at City? It may be a case that he's a good manager, but a poor scout. He had no control over transfers at Villareal, Real Madrid, or Málaga.

Wes:
I agree with Parmar. The manager is definitely responsible. I'll admit the players have a hand in it too, but the Managers job is to get the best out of those lads.

Sonny:

Well if he has no buying input why the fuck would he take the job? You think Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson or Pep Guardiola would ever take a job that would limit their control over the club? I mean Jose has to go to the board with his plan, and who and what he wants to spend, but he's never been told no.

Luka:

It's never one person's fault but Pellegrini has to be the one held accountable rightly or wrongly, that's just the way it is.

Juanito:

You're so English, Parmar.

Parmar:

Fuck off. (Laughs)

Juanito:

Footie on the continent is different. The manager usually has to answer to a Director of Football who has ultimate control of transfers.

Parmar:

There is a Director of Football at Chelsea too. At the end of the day he's the manager, the man charged with getting the best out of the squad he has at his disposal. He hasn't and he should and will pay the price.

Bramble:

I don't think it's his fault. The players are all mercenaries with no love for the club. They REALLY wouldn't even be there if there was a rich team with more prestige behind its name that came along. This is a classic case of players screwing the manager. Like the Chelsea players did to like EVERYONE. They were so determined to get Mourinho back that even winning the CL wasn't enough to gain their respect.

Parmar:

(Laughs) They ran Rafa Benitez out of town. Di Matteo, Big Phil and Carlo Ancelotti were all victims of the Russian.

Bramble:

Di Matteo did what the Russian wanted most though, and that was he won the Champions League.

Parmar:

But then they had a slow start the next season and Robbie got the gas pipe.

Bramble:

Then Rafa came and won the Europa League but it wasn't good enough.

Parmar:

Don't forget, when Rafa made those comments about Chelsea and the supporters, John Terry and Frank Lampard were on the team. They have/had a lot of influence on the squad and players listened to them. So you know the fat fuck waiter was doomed from the get go.

Adrian:

I don't watch a lot of English football, but oddly enough Manchester City is the team I have seen the most of considering we've played them in the group stage of the Champions League 3 of the past 4 years. They've beaten us 3 of the 6 matches but on each of those occasions a) Bayern dominated the matches for long periods of time and b) we'd already qualified for the knockout round. I guess I am always underwhelmed whenever I see City play. Is that the fault of the manager? Hard to tell...however I do think the players on the squad are hugely overrated.

Iain:

City built a club completely full of Mercs and it is an issue. Where Chelsea differed is that you had a good core of pre-Abramovich money players there like Frank Lampard and John Terry who formed the core of that team. From then on they simply made smarter buys than City. City seem like a team without an identity, whereas Chelsea are shaped in Mourinho's mould, even in the years he wasn't there. I really think Pellegrini could have bought better last summer, you always need to strengthen after winning the league and not rest on your laurels. The fact that he didn't adequately strengthen in key areas is his fault.

In Conclusion:

The majority of The Round Table agrees that Pellegrini has made some costly errors this season, and although the players have underperformed, a lot of City's problems fall on his doorstep. It's difficult to see him at Manchester City next season. Then we segwayed into a discussion on Chelsea, for which I blame Parmar for.

Thanks for checking out this week's Round Table.

10 Things you Won’t Hear at Chelsea’s Team Meeting

2015-04-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

We would all love to be a fly on the wall during a Chelsea’s team meeting, so we can hear what Mourinho or the players have to say to eachother.

Since we don’t have that ability, I thought I would go the opposite direction and come up with the “10 Things You Won’t Hear at Chelsea’s Team Meeting”. There are better odds at me getting this right than ever being able to get to be a part of the discussions and conversations that happen inside that locker room.

“John, can you take my wife shopping? She needs underwear and I just have no time to take her to the mall.”

“If only our club had money to buy some quality players, we could really contend for the title.”

“Mourinho is such a humble guy.”

“Alright boys, tonight we are going to try something different and play with 3 strikers and no holding mid.”

“I heard that Abramovich took a loan to buy a car, and he is not able to make the payments anymore.”

“Will the guy who took Willian’s Head & Shoulders please stand up?”

“What this team needs is more foreigners.”

“On gameday Stamford Bridge reminds me of ‘La Bombonera’”

“The goal this year is to avoid relegation.”

“Ivanovic, how do you feel about us signing Suarez next summer?”

Is the English Premier League in Decline?

2015-03-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

In 2009 three of the four Semi-Finalists in the UEFA Champions League were teams from the English Premier League.

Although Barcelona went on to win the 'Cup with the big ears' that season, English football seemed to be on a firm ascendency. However things appeared to have dramatically changed in the six years following this, as not a single English side has progressed beyond the last sixteen this season.

With a Liverpool side rocked by the departure of Luis Suarez bowing out in the group stage, and then Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea all meeting their end in the last sixteen, the Quarter Finals are an English free zone for the second time in three seasons.

So what's happened to the EPL exactly?

With Manchester City coming into large piles of cash in the last five years, another title front runner has been added to the mix in England, but the blue half of Manchester haven't looked anywhere convincing in their forays into Europe. They seem very much what they are: an unbalanced side made up of talented individuals, but not a consistently good team.

Chelsea, unlikely Champions League winners in 2012, have aged in key positions and haven't quite hit the heights under Jose Mourinho that they did under his previous reign as manager. That said, they looked to be the strongest contender from England this season and their last sixteen exit will be seen as a massive disappointment.

Arsenal on the other hand have now crashed out at the last sixteen stage in five straight seasons. The club, domestically and in Europe, have stagnated under manager Arsene Wenger and don't look anywhere near capable of winning this competition in the near future.

The side that didn't even make it as far as the knockout rounds, Liverpool, enjoyed a terrific season in 2013/2014 and it was only a late slip up, no pun intended, that cost them the Premier League title. However, despite the aforementioned departure of Suarez and an injury to Daniel Sturridge, the Merseysiders would have certainly hoped to escape a group that contained Real Madrid, Ludogorets, and FC Basel. But the clubs dire early season form in England followed them into Europe and they weren't able to progress. This season they face a tall order to qualify for the Champions League again.

One big club not in Europe this season at all, was Manchester United, who have suffered a dramatic dip in stature since the retirement of manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. Despite a massive transfer outlay last summer, would appear that it'll still take some time before the Old Trafford outfit can return to the summit.

By and large the problem in England appears to be teams want immediate success, but yet aren't able to match the pull of Real Madrid for example, and aren't willing to bring a side made up of key players from their youth side and supplemented by smart transfer acquisitions like Barcelona or Bayern Munich. Unless we see a philosophy change in this regard in England in the next few seasons, it's hard to see the EPL asserting themselves like they did at the tail end of the last decade.

5 Most Incredible Derby Performances

2015-03-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

There is nothing better in football than derby day, not only for the fans of both teams but for anybody that enjoys the game of football and a high octane match.

These matches tend to always bring a certain level of anger, despair and emotions to the table and by most part are well played affairs with a low scoring result. That seems to be the norm and also the expected outcome when you have two bitter rivals facing each other in a game that has more on the line than just three points.

While most derby games have the low scoring as the norm, there are always those matches that break all rules and boundaries and become epic matches that will be remembered forever. These games tend to take a life of their own in the team’s folklore and for the losing side, time will not ever allow for that wound to heel.

To me, these are the five most incredible derby performances.

Inter Milan 0-6 AC Milan (2001)

This is a very special derby with both teams playing there home games at the San Siro. During this match, Inter Milan was the home side, but it didn’t mean much as far as the result is concerned. The game went into the history books as the biggest margin of victory in the Milan derby.

Before the match both teams had the same points in the standings, but AC Milan came in determined to break apart from their rivals and put an exclamation mark on their season. AC Milan dominated the match and completely destroyed Inter Milan, in a result that we will perhaps never see again.

Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal (2014)

The feud between Mourinho and Wenger is not new, and during this incredible derby Mourinho was able to spoil Wenger’s party in a way that nobody will ever forget.

Wenger was celebrating 1000th game in charge of Arsenal, and what went down on the field couldn’t have been a worst present.

After only seven minutes of play, Chelsea already had a two goal lead and they never looked back. Kieran Gibbs saw a red card for a foul that Chamberlain had committed in what will be one of the most bizarre moments in Premier League history.

Mourinho’s Chelsea had defeated Wenger in his 500th game in charge and 500 games more they would do it again. In 12 games that Mourinho has coached against Wenger he has never lost. This is an interesting stat to add to the developments that surrounded this great derby.

Arsenal 5-2 Spurs (2012)

More than the goals was the way in which Tottenham lost this game. The game started well for the Tottenham side that was looking at defeating their arch rivals in back-to-back league games.

Two early goals from Saha and Adebayor gave Spurs the early lead and everything look set for a confortable win away from home against their hated rivals, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Arsenal never quit and before halftime whistle the game was leveled at two’s. Rosicky gave Arsenal the lead and a quick brace from Theo Walcott put the game completely out of reach for Tottenham.

A Scott Parker sent off did very little to help a complete distort Tottenham side, and what seemed to be at their reach at the start of the game was nothing more than a memory. Arsenal had control of the game and nothing was holding them back.

The result could have been even more embarrassing for Tottenham, and that fact that it wasn’t is perhaps the only positive Tottenham fans will take from this match.

Liverpool 4-0 Everton (2014)

No other derby match in Premier League history has seen more red cards than the Merseyside Derby.

On the 21st minute of the match, Gerrard put his team ahead with a header. In a single play, Everton seems themselves go down one goal, and lose Lukaku due to injury. He collided with team mate Gareth Barry and had to be substituted.

Sturridge scored two goals and Suarez added a fourth to put the game to rest. The result could have been larger, but Sturridge missed the opportunity to expand the lead and get his hat trick when he missed from the penalty spot.

This was a game full of goals and emotion, what more to ask for from a derby.

Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City (2011)

Of all the derby matches I have seen, this is perhaps the one that will always be etched in my mind as one of the greatest of all time. Perhaps it was because of the incredible lop sided scoreline, or maybe the Balotelli t-shirt, whatever it was I am not sure, but the dramatics, the goals and all that went on during that game made for one of the most if not the most derby match in Premier League history.

I will never forget the scoreline, but the “Why Always Me” t-shirt will hold a special place in my mind when it comes to everything that the game symbolized to the viewers at home or at the stadium.

Balotelli, is who he is today, in large part for what he did on that day, and I don’t think any single player’s career has ever been so impacted by one derby match as Balotelli’s has.

This was United’s worst home defeat since 1955 when they also lost to City. This was also the first time United conceded six goals in a game since 1930 matches against Huddersfield and Newcastle United.

Not Arrogant, Just Better

2015-02-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

There's a popular slogan you see on the flags of some Manchester United supporters that says the club is "Not Arrogant, Just Better".

This wonderful, tongue planted firmly in cheek, phrase came to mind this week as Southampton boss Ronald Koeman essentially called United manager, and bitter rival, Louis van Gaal arrogant during an interview with the Daily Mirror.

According to Koeman, "When you bring Van Gaal in the house, you bring in quality, but you also bring in someone who thinks he knows everything and that will cause clashes."

There was in fact a bit of controversy this week after Van Gaal was outright labelled an "Arrogant bastard" by Swansea director John van Zweden after his side defeated United 2-1.

But is Van Gaal arrogant or just extremely confident? And is this a bad thing to have if you're a manager at a top club?

Certainly, Van Gaal's predecessor David Moyes could have benefitted from having a dash of arrogance as he led a slumping side to seventh in the league last season, while offering up Lilly Livered doozies like "We aspire to be like Manchester City."

While Van Gaal's tactics and transfer policy during his brief stint at Old Trafford could already be questioned, there's no fear that he'll bow down, publicly or otherwise, to one of United's rivals.

Outside of United, another manager who has often been described as arrogant is Chelsea's Jose Mourinho. But after league title and domestic cup wins in four countries, and not to mention the small matter of two UEFA Champions League wins, doesn't he have the right to be a little sure of himself?

With Mourinho you feel that although part of it is indeed arrogance, a good deal of what he comes out with is for the purpose of messing with the opposition, referees or the English FA.

Like another former United boss in Sir Alex Ferguson, Mourinho is a master manipulator who plays the media as well as anyone.

Another comparison could be made with legendary Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough, who led the relatively small provincial side to a League title and back-to-back European Cup's in the late 1970's, despite his perceived arrogance Mourinho is able to get the best out of his players, by winning their loyalty in part by fostering an "us against the world" mentality. Like Clough, Mourinho's arrogance takes pressure off of his players. Although I'm sure Cloughie would have loved some of the transfer budgets Mourinho has enjoyed since leaving Porto in 2004.

The arrogant approach, if you will, is often celebrated by an English media hungry for quotes, particularly if the manager in question is successful, but this attitude is often misunderstood or disliked in other leagues. Mourinho seemingly fell out with most of the Real Madrid dressing room towards the end of his time in Spain, simply by being himself. The media also never warmed to him as, unlike in England where the juicy quote or sound bite is king, they were looking for tactical analysis or discussions on his team selections.

If a perceived arrogant manager fails, like Luiz Felipe Scolari at this summer's World Cup, or struggles to a degree as Van Gaal is after a summer outlay of £150 million, people are always going to be ready to jump on them.

The key isn't rocket science really. Just win, and win in style, and then you can act however you want. But lose and everyone will question if your attitude is negatively affecting the team.

Winning solves everything, doesn't it?

Memes - The Best of David Luiz

2015-02-18T12:00:00.001-05:00

When you're a world renown footballer and look like sideshow Bob from The Simpsons, the internet is bound to give you the meme treatment in all its glory. But when you also act bizarre on many instances on and off the pitch (like moving the foam spray for your buddy Zlatan), the lovely inter web people will just rip you apart.

From comparisons to a cartoon charachter, to the cries after a 7-1 loss to Germany during this past summer's World Cup, we give you the best of David Luiz from around the internet.