FOOTY FAIR

8 Clubs With the Most Footballers Participating in the 2016 Euros

2016-06-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

With all of the Euro 2016 squads having been confirmed on the 31st of May, it's time to take a look at the clubs that will feature the most footballers in the international tournament; all of which are unsurprisingly from the European continent. The likes of Real Madrid, AS Roma and Arsenal have just missed the cut, coming just short of the minimum 9 players it takes to get on this list. So which clubs will be represented by the most players in this summer's Euros?

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) - 9 Players

Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk will have 9 of their footballers featured in this summer's tournament. Eight of the nine Shakhtar players at the Euros are Ukrainian, with first-choice goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov and the majority of the defensive line playing for the club, while the other is Croatian and club captain Darijo Srna.

Bayern Munich (Germany) - 9 Players

5 of Bayern's 9 players in the Euros will play for the German squad, most notably goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, forward Thomas Müller, defender Jérôme Boateng and midfielder Mario Götze. Otherwise, the German club will be represented in the Polish squad by Robert Lewandowski, Spain's side with Thiago, David Alaba for Austria and 19 year old Kingsley Coman for France.

Barcelona (Spain) - 9 Players

Usually, the Spanish national team is split with the majority of players coming in either from Barcelona or Real Madrid. But unlike Madrid's total of two, Barca will have five of their footballer's in Spain's squad this summer. Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba, Marc Bartra, Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets will all play for La Furia Roja, while Arda Turan will captain the Turkish side, Ivan Rakitić will dress for Croatia, Thomas Vermaelen for Belgium and Marc-André ter Stegen will play back-up in the German goalkeeper position.

Fenerbahçe (Turkey) - 9 Players

Six of Fenerbahçe's nine players at the 2016 Euros will play for the home nation Turkey, with 3 of Turkey's most capped defenders coming in from the Istanbul club and a 21 year old midfielder Ozan Tufan who had been capped over 20 times in his still very young age. Other than their own national side the Turkish club will be represented by Michal Kadlec for the Czech Republic and Portuguese duo Bruno Alves and Nani.

Manchester United (England) - 10 Players

The Red Devils are sending a total of 10 players to the Euros. United have three featuring for the English national team in Chris Smalling, captain Wayne Rooney and 18 year-old sensation Marcus Rashford. Anthony Martial and Morgan Schneiderlin were both called up for France, while Bastian Schweinsteiger will play for the Germans, Paddy McNair for Northern Ireland, David de Gea in goal for Spain and Belgium and Italy will benefit from United's Marouane Fellaini and Matteo Darmian respectively.

Tottenham Hotspur (England) - 11 Players

With Tottenham's young and successful squad, it is not surprising at all that the English team will be featuring 5 footballers from the Spurs. In the English defense we will see Danny Rose and Kyle Walker, Dele Alli and Eric Dier will represent the club in the English midfield, while Harry Kane will feature for The Three Lions upfront. Otherwise, the Spurs will see their own footballers represent four other nations with France, Austria, Wales and three Spurs footballers playing for Belgium. Tottenham's keeper Hugo Lloris will captain hosts France, while Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembélé will all be crucial to the success of the Belgian squad.

Juventus (Italy) - 12 Players

Italian champions Juventus will have 12 of their players representing their national sides this summer, half of which will be dressing for the home nation, Italy. Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Simone Zaza, Stefano Sturaro, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci are all a part of the contingency of Juve players to be called up by the Azzurri. The other 6 footballers travelling from Turin to the 2016 Euro are France's Patrice Evra and Paul Pogba, Swiss Captain Stephan Lichtsteiner, Germany's Sami Khedira, Spain's Álvaro Morata and Crotia's prolific striker Mario Mandžukić.

Liverpool (England) - 12 Players

With the same total of players going to the 2016 Euros as Juventus, Liverpool's contribution to their own national team is just a tad smaller than that of The Old Lady to the Italian squad, with 5 LFC footballers set to feature for The Three Lions.James Milner, Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge are all hoping to contribute to England's cause this summer. Still within the United Kingdom Joe Allen and keeper Danny Ward will dress for Wales. The Belgian squad will feature a total of 3 Liverpool players with keeper Simon Mignolet, striker Christian Benteke and youngster Divock Origi. The other two making up a total of twelve Liverpool players at the 2016 UEFA Euros in France this summer are of course Germany's Emre Can and Slovakian captain Martin Škrtel.

Former Liverpool Keeper: "I Don't Do Porn Films, Just Insurance!"

2016-03-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Since retiring from football in 2005, a rumour had been going around that former Leicester City and Liverpool keeper Pegguy Arphexad had reinvented himself as a star in the world of adult entertainment.

After a miserable three seasons at Liverpool, the Frenchman was said to have become a porn star nicknamed "The Stopper" according to various internet sources.
Before I descend into outrageously filthy innuendos about Arphexad keeping it tight at the back or getting a good fist to it, the man in question this week said the following to the Leicester Mercury:

"Look, this is a bad rumour. It’s been going round a long time.
One English guy wrote on the internet years and years ago that I was doing this and now people say to me: ‘Hey, are you making porn films?’
I haven’t made any porn films, okay. I don’t do that. I work for a sports insurance company. That’s what I do.

Put it in your paper – I don’t do porn films, just insurance, okay?"

And that right there might be a contender for line of the year.

El-Hadj Diouf Doesn't Rate Liverpool's Legends

2016-02-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

To say that El-Hadj Diouf had a difficult time at Liverpool following his glittering performances for Senegal at the 2002 World Cup is a huge understatement.

The temperamental forward, who landed himself in hot water for spitting at opposition fans and opponents several times throughout his career, underperformed badly at Anfield during his brief stint on Merseyside.

But that hasn't caused him to hold back on his criticism of two of the club's legends.

After Jamie Carragher wrote in his recent biography that Diouf is the worst player he played with at Liverpool, he responded with the following spectacular barbs against not only Carragher, but also the saintly Steven Gerrard during an interview late last year and then an explosive follow up this week.

Sit back and enjoy.

"Steven Gerrard is a great club player but an egotist. He didn’t care about Liverpool winning – all that mattered for him was getting on the scoresheet.
The person I would least want to spend Christmas with is Jamie Carragher. I hate him.
He was the biggest turkey I’ve seen on a pitch. I found him useless."

"The difference between Jamie [Carragher] and me is that I am a world-class player and he is shit. The type of shit that writes a book and mentions me all the time. Me, in my book, he does not warrant one phrase: he's a fucking loser.”

"I carried the national team for many years, 14 million fans on my shoulders. When we won, it was thanks to me, when we lost, it was my fault. What I represented for Senegal, he [Gerrard] never managed 100th of that for England. He has never done anything in the World Cup or the Euros.

When I arrived at Liverpool, seeing as I just did what I wanted, he thought that I did not respect the club. But he downright killed his team by slipping against Chelsea. If Liverpool has never won the Premier League, it's no accident. What goes around, comes around.”

Tell us how you really feel, El-Hadj.

The Case for Walking Out as a Form of Protest

2016-02-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

When Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the American owners of Liverpool FC announced their revamped pricing structure for next season's match tickets they probably expected a bit of grumbling, but likely weren't expecting such a robust backlash from the club's supporters.

More than 10,000 Liverpool fans walked out of the stadium in the 77th minute of the 2-2 draw with Sunderland on Saturday, in a clear nod towards the £77 price tag attached to the most expensive seats in the new Main Stand next season.

Feeling ripped off and deciding that it was time to draw a line in the sand, supporters groups Spion Kop 1906 and the Spirit of Shankly had organized the walk out beforehand and are reportedly planning their next move.

In the meantime, FSG will have some thinking to about whether or not their proposed pricing increases should go ahead now that they know the level of the supporters frustrations.

Following the match debate raged on social media and football phone-in shows over whether or not this was the best way to take action against the club's owners. While there are those that are supportive of Liverpool's supporters who walked out, a sizeable number of people feel that this sort of collective action is detrimental to the players and that it would be more effective to hit the owners in the pocket book by not buying anything at the ground.

In 2009, the Toronto FC supporters group I belonged to staged a walkout after a laughable performance by the club away to Vancouver. That loss in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship was only the tipping point as we felt aggrieved at the second straight season of ticket price increases. On top of that we were annoyed by the horribly cynical moves by the club's owners MLSE, like forcing half season ticket holders to purchase Toronto Marlies minor league hockey tickets as well as their football tickets.

The fact that the hated, and clueless, Mo Johnston was still the club's general manager at that point didn't help matters either.

Initially all of the club's major supporters groups agreed to stage an organized walkout, but for a variety of reasons we were the only ones that went through with it. Because we didn't have a large number of people participating, the impact of our protest was lessened. Yet in spite of that, and the resulting backlash we got from some of our own fans, if I had to do it again I would without hesitation.

I've never been comfortable with the attitude of "just support the boys on the pitch", as I feel that sometimes ownership needs to be held accountable. Supporters being unified and organized against unfair treatment is the only weapon we have.

They may view us as customers, and I suppose technically we are, but we are really we are fans and football without fans is nothing.

If you're going to trumpet the atmosphere in the stands when marketing the club, have a thought for who creates that atmosphere.

If you were a season ticket holder at a club that was raising prices to unacceptable levels would you participate in a walkout?

Jurgen Klopp and Crappy Merchandise

2016-01-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

For the latest example of football merchandise gone mad, Liverpool aren't letting the uneven start to manager Jurgen Klopp stint at Anfield get in the way of making a bit of cash.

With "Kloppmania" all the rage on Merseyside, the club have put in an application to trademark his phrase "The Normal One" across Europe.

The goal is to slap it on t-shirts, scarves, hats, duvets and possibly condoms.

Alright I made up the last one, but who wouldn't want a wild eyed, crazy bearded German, yelling out his now famous catchphrase in a comic speech bubble on the side of their shaft?

Klopp came out with the phrase, when introduced to the British media, as a way of differentiating himself from Jose Mourinho.

The club have already started selling t-shirts with The Normal One emblazoned on them for £15.99 in their club shop.

Wonderful stuff, unless he gets sacked by Christmas.

Football Fans Tell FootyFair Which Matches They Wish They Had Been At

2015-12-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Imagine that you had immeasurable wealth and you could jump into a time machine, most likely a DeLorean because as Doc Brown once said "(this) car's stainless steel body improves the flux dispersal generated by the flux capacitor", and you could transport yourself to any football match in history.

What match would you turn up to?

Would you zip off to Montevideo to see the 1930 World Cup Final between Uruguay and Argentina, or would you turn up at Edgar Street in 1997 to witness the Third Division crunch match between Hereford United and Brighton & Hove Albion?

We asked a few football fans what matches they would have loved to have witnessed live and the following are their varied responses:

Parmar

Supports: Chelsea and Brazil (Or maybe Argentina?)

Matches:

Argentina v West Germany, Azteca, 1986 World Cup Final.

Why? Did you watch the match? Most of you here probably didn't watch it live, I did. Maradona was fucking double teamed all match and even triple teamed at some points in the match. He still found ways to send his strikers through on goal or his wingers down the flanks for runs. What he was able to do in that match might have been greater than his entire body of work in that tournament as a whole.

By the final the world had figured out Maradona was the greatest football player in that time and of that generation. Nothing the Germans did could stop the man.

I might as well throw in there another match I'd have love to have been at, the Champions League Final of 2012 at the Allianz. I'd be a fucking wreck all the way through but knowing what I know now LMFAO I'd want to be there so I could hold up a sign for a couple of people saying "I told you mother fuckers, anything can happen!"

Iain

Supports: Manchester United and England

Matches:
Germany v England, WC Qualifier, Munich, 2001. After years of disappointment and ineptitude, which saw Germany and most of the other big European sides surpass England, we finally looked to have a good generation of players coming through in the early 2000's. This night in Munich, which ended 5-1 to England was stupendous. Like watching decades of frustration stripped away. We humiliated the Germans on their home ground (apologies lads) and it was incredible. I watched this in the Peel Pub in Montreal and got absolutely shit faced that night.

I'd have rather have been in Germany though.

As a United supporter I would have of course liked to have been in Moscow in 2008 or in Barcelona in 1999 for the Champions League Finals, but I think my nerves would have been shot to bits. Rotterdam in 1991 for the Cup Winners' Cup Final would have been a wonderful night, but one United match in particular I'd have like to have been at was the Manchester Derby at Maine Road in 1993-1994. City led 2-0 at HT, then Cantona scores two after the break to equalize and sets up Keano for the winner. Fucking awesome. I taped Soccer Saturday the week they had extended highlights of that one and must have re-watched that match 20 times. That United side was so quick at transitioning from defending to attacking and had great width with a young Giggsy and Andrei Kanchelskis. They were pretty much the opposite of the current team.

Bramble

Supports: Manchester United and England

Matches:
If I had to pick one from modern history it'd have to be United's 7-1 demolishing of AS Roma. That match was probably the pinnacle of English football in the Champions league while it was the absolute lowest point for Italian football. Especially since the first leg was a really hard fought 1-1 draw. We came home and just destroyed them in every part of the field. Geez remembering that makes me feel sad after yesterday's freaking performance against AFC Bournemouth.

I'd also have to say I'd have liked to have been at the USA 94 match between Brasil vs Netherlands. There were five goals in that game and Brasil took a two nil lead, gave it up and then got it back. I watched it on TV but man that would have been amazing to go to live. On that note it shouldve been played in a different location as the fan atmosphere was nowhere near what it should've been, because it was in America and the newborn US Soccer fans didn't know how to get "Footy crazy" yet.

Luka

Supports: Hajduk Split and Croatia

Match:
If I could attend any match in history before my birth it would undoubtedly be Hajduk Split v Crvena Zvezda (aka Red Star Belgrade) fixture that took place on October 29, 1950. It was the second last match of the season and despite being undefeated with 8 wins and 8 ties, Hajduk needed to win the last two matches of the season against Crvena Zvezda and bottom dwellers Budućnost to ensure the league title. Now, there are several reasons why this is such an iconic match in Hajduk’s history.

1. This was before European competition, so for the club, the league title was the ultimate prize.

2. Hajduk had not yet won the league since it was reformed after WWII where the club fought hard to keep its identity and away from the control of the Communist Party (then Partizan army) which wanted to move the club to Belgrade and rename it Partizan.

3. Hajduk had a remarkable squad. The keeper, Vladimir Beara was one of the greatest of his generation with even Lev Yashin insisting that he was a greater keeper than himself. The left winger, Bernard Vukas is recognized as the greatest Croatian footballer of the 20th century by the Croatian FA and is a 2x Olympic Silver medalist (back when it meant something). Frane Matošić, Hajduk’s greatest goalscorer and greatest ever captain. Many attribute the fact that Hajduk is still a club to Matošić’s leadership and defiance in WWII. And Slavko Luštica, who like the others would go on to win a silver medal for Yugoslavia at the 1952 Olympics.

4. The oldest supporters group in Europe was formed the day before the match to give the club extra support to win the match. Torcida Split, was formed by a group of students (just as the club was 40 years earlier) inspired by the Torcidas in Brazil that they had heard about during the World Cup that past summer. This was a pivotal moment and would change the Football culture in Europe forever. The support seen on that day had never been seen before in Europe and caused backlash from the government in Belgrade who tried to ban Torcida and sanction Hajduk.

5. The game is reportedly a classic, a packed stadium of around 40k, fervent support and many of the best players in Yugoslavia on display. The game ended 2-1 for Hajduk with the winner scored in the 86th minute by Božo Broketa. Hajduk went on to win the league after defeating Budućnost 2-0 two weeks later.

Juan

Supports: Liverpool and Spain

Match:
I think the 2005 CL final would have been wild to have seen. A roller coaster of emotions for me.

Kon

Supports: Newcastle and Ukraine

Match:
October 20, 1996 St. James' Park. Newcastle 5-0 Manchester United. Would give my left ball to have been there!

Throwback Thursdays: The 2005 FIFA Club World Cup

2015-12-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

After a series of false starts, and despite a lot of cynicism in some quarters, the FIFA Club World Cup kicked off in it's current form ten years ago this week in Japan.

The tournament that year was made up of six teams, one from each of the FIFA confederations that hold champions cup tournaments. The participants included the champions of Africa (Egypt's Al-Ahly), Asia (Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad), North, Central America and the Caribbean (Costa Rica's Saprissa), Oceania (Sydney FC), Europe (Liverpool), and South America (Brazil's São Paulo).

With the previous incarnation of the tournament, that took place in Brazil in 2000, being a bit of a convoluted mess that was stretched out over a group stage and knockout rounds, the feeling was that FIFA simply had to get it right this time around.

The tournament in 2000, which featured two teams from Europe (Real Madrid and Manchester United) and two South American teams (Corinthians and Vasco da Gama) to go along with qualifiers from the other confederations, necessitated an excessive number of matches packed into an already busy football calendar and this had the European sides in particular balking at future events like this.

Manchester United, in particular, were unhappy with the conditions of the tournament as they felt railroaded into it by an English Football Association that was trying desperately to land the 2006 World Cup.

United, rather controversially, dropped out of the English FA Cup as a result of their participation in FIFA's event.
It was the first time in the history of the famous old event that a cup holder failed to enter into the tournament to defend their trophy.

To avoid these issues, FIFA organized the revamped Club World Cup so that the four "weaker" federations would enter the tournament in the Quarter-Final Stage with the winners moving on and the losers playing in a fifth place decider.

The Quarter-Final winners would then play the champions of Europe and South America in the Semi-Finals, with the winners moving on and the losers playing in a third place match.

So while club's from the smaller federations could potentially play three tournament matches, the giants of Europe and South America would only ever have to play twice.

Al-Ittihad won the first match of the tournament 1-0 over Egypt's Al-Ahly to earn themselves a Semi-Final match up with São Paulo, while Saprissa edged out Sydney FC by a score of 1-0 as well.

Sydney went home with a consolation 2-1 win over Al-Ahly in the fifth place match.

In the Semi-Finals, as expected, Liverpool romped past Saprissa 3-0, but São Paulo were taken to the wire by a determined Al-Ittihad side and only prevailed 3-2 to make it to the final.

The final, between Champions League holder's Liverpool FC and São Paulo finished 1-0 to the Brazilians, with the only goal scored by defensive midfielder Mineiro.

Throwback Thursdays: 20 Years Ago Jean-Marc Bosman Changed Football Forever

2015-12-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Twenty years ago this month a court ruling involving an unknown Belgian midfielder changed football as we know it.

Jean-Marc Bosman, a player for RC Liège, had seen his proposed transfer to French second-division side US Dunkerque in 1990 fall apart after the Belgian club had demanded a fee for the out of contract midfielder.

Although his deal with Liège had expired, the club still owned his playing rights and refused the transfer unless Dunkerque paid them a transfer fee of 1,200,000 Belgian francs. At the time there seemed nothing out of the ordinary with Liège's demands, but Bosman wasn't about to accept his fate.

After the French side refused to pay the transfer fee, Bosman initiated legal proceedings.

The concept of footballers being tied to a club even without a deal in place had long been a point of contention for players and their unions around the world. While these footballers cast an envious eye towards American sports leagues who had allowed Free Agency for out of contract players for several decades, they continued to have their own movement restricted.

Club owners on the other hand saw a situation where players could hold them to ransom for massive salaries, and there was a genuine fear that some clubs could go to the wall as a result of losing players without a transfer fee. Particularly for smaller sides, selling players on was how they stayed in business.

On 15 December 1995, the European Court of Justice issued its ruling that Liège's actions had constituted an illegal restraint of trade prohibited by Article 39(1) of the EC Treaty.

After five long years, Bosman had won his case as the ruling essentially meant that players who were out of contract could move between clubs in Europe without a transfer fee being paid out.

Within a year of the historic decision players began taking advantage of what became known as the "Bosman Ruling" and movement of players from club to club without a transfer fee involved became a reality.

The most significant move in the first few years after Bosman had gotten the go ahead from the courts, was that of Edgar Davids from Ajax to AC Milan in 1996. A year previous to that, Davids had been a major part of Louis van Gaal's Champions League winners and Ajax would have normally expected a sizeable fee for the ferocious midfielder.

A move involving Steve McManaman from Liverpool to Real Madrid in 1999 was another player moving clubs "on a Bosman" that had a major impact. It effectively ended the Anfield clubs "Spice Boy" era, for better or worse, and provided Madrid with a player who would help them win the Champions League in 2000 without having to pay a transfer fee for the shaggy haired midfielder.

In the years that followed it's arguable whether the Bosman ruling has directly contributed to the spiralling wages in professional football, but certainly the gap between Europe's elite clubs and everyone else increased as a result of the ruling.

One of the biggest impacts is that club's predictably wait now for players contracts to run down before making moves, either getting them at knockdown prices with only a year to run on their deals or landing them for free once they're out of contract.

As for Bosman himself, the ruling that has come to bare his name had little impact on him as he never got his career back on track again after the court battle. While millions of Pounds and Euros exchanged hands benefitting players thanks to his efforts, Bosman himself has suffered through financial hardships and legal troubles after retiring, spending a year in prison in 2013 for assaulting his girlfriend. A sad footnote for a man who changed the game.

Random Rambling Rants on a Sunday: English Football Started Before 1992

2015-11-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Jamie Vardy's goal against Manchester United yesterday, his eleventh straight match where he found the net, sent him soaring past Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of scoring in ten straight Premier League matches and he has been rightly lauded for his accomplishments.

But one thing that bothers me about the whole hoopla about Premier League records such as this, is that they reinforce the notion that English football started in 1992 with the dawn of the EPL.

Prior to the top clubs in the land breaking away from the Football League, in search of higher profits by virtue of better television deals, there was over a hundred years of top division football played out across England.

The achievements of great players, managers and clubs in the years prior to the Premier League shouldn't be wiped away just because of some fancy rebranding.

So as great as his scoring run has been, Vardy still has one match to score in before he equals the real record.

It's trendy to forget history and just become wrapped up in the present, but English football isn't 23 years old, despite what Sky Sports and the like tell you.

Overall top division records should be what people strive to surpass and there shouldn't actually be such a thing as "Premier League records".

Manchester United fans who sung about winning their twentieth title a few seasons back were counting the thirteen they've won in the Premier League era and the seven old First Division titles they captured. They made no distinction between the two and nor should they have.

But I suppose if you're going with the notion of English football being irrelevant prior to 1992, their hated rivals Liverpool have never won the league and all of their success in the 1970's and 1980's was absolutely meaningless. I'm sure a few United supporters could live with that.

5 Fun Ways to Stop Daniel Sturridge From Getting Injured Again

2015-11-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

With news coming out of Anfield on Thursday that Daniel Sturridge has succumbed to injury yet again, Liverpool are left wondering what they can do to keep their balsa wood striker from breaking down.

Here are a few helpful suggestions:

1.) Wrap him in cotton wool

Not hypothetically, but hire one of those off kilter French fashion designers to come up with a giant cotton wool bodysuit that Sturridge could wear at all times. Or if not cotton wool, perhaps a giant plastic bubble encasing his entire body will do the trick?

2.) Stop tackling during Liverpool training sessions

Manchester United have had an issue with crazy faced Phil Jones smashing his own teammates out of action for the past few years, so there's obviously some dopey prick like him plying his trade for the Merseysiders that's left a little too much of an impression on Sturridge's shins. Now how a lack of tackling in training will affect their match day performances is another matter entirely.

3.) Re-sign Luis Suarez

Sturridge's injury problems only seemed to start once the cannibalistic Uruguayan bolted for Barcelona. Perhaps he can't play without him and is somehow crippled with a "pee your pants" fear of having to be the main striker? If Suarez won't come back to Anfield, perhaps a shrink will help?

4.) Get more iron in his diet

Perhaps he's eating too many bags of Monster Munch and Yorkie bars (oh fuck me could I go for a fruit and nut Yorkie bar about now) and he isn't taking in enough iron. Get him on a steady diet of iron rich foods like whole grains and salmon cooked in a cast iron skillet by a finalist from Season 5 of the Iron Chef.

5.) Ban his goal celebration dance

I will hold my hands up and admit to doing a drunken imitation of the Sturridge Dance after he equalized for England against Italy in the 2014 World Cup. But perhaps his dance is the problem. When you have joints made of Ritz crackers your body can't take that kind of movement. The simple truth is we can't all be James Brown.

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.

Is Martin Tyler Really Biased?

2015-09-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

"Oh yesssssss!" he screamed as Anthony Martial glided through a beleaguered back line and scored a wonderful debut goal.

And with those two words on Saturday commentator Martin Tyler found himself drawing the ire of Liverpool fans across social media.

Yes, Mr Tyler has been accused of getting too excited over a goal and has thus been labelled a Manchester United fan.

Which is funny because in previous years I've heard United supporters raging on about Tyler's Liverpool allegiances, after his often orgasmic screams following goals by Steven Gerrard.

Many a Red has never forgiven his "Aguerrrooooo!" yell following Sergio Aguero's last gasp title winning goal for Manchester City in 2012.

But is he, or are any commentators for that matter, really biased?

When it comes to international matches I think a strong case could be made for commentators getting behind their home side, it's only natural despite their best efforts, but for clubs sides I'm not so sure.

What I do find is that commentators get sucked into the emotion of the moment or caught up with the atmosphere of the crowd they're broadcasting above of.

For Aguero's last goal in 2012, there's never been a Premier League season that has ended on a last minute title winning goal, and as much as it still rankles with Reds, it was a momentous occasion. So Tyler's excitement is understandable. If he were to simply have muttered, "It's a goal, there's your league winner. Well done Sergio", it wouldn't have been suitable for the moment.

Martial's goal on Saturday was nowhere near as significant of course, but there were several factors at play. The goal was scored in one of the biggest fixtures of the season between England's two greatest rivals, the match was at a packed Old Trafford, it sealed the win and it was brilliant finish by an exciting young player on his debut.

So, long story short give old Martin a break.

5 Key Matches Involving Liverpool and Manchester United

2015-09-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

English football is filled with great rivalries, but surely none matches the intensity of Liverpool and Manchester United.

These two storied clubs have won a incredible 38 league titles between them and besides their battle for supremacy in England on the pitch over the years, the two sets of supporters simply despise each other.

So needless to say, the atmosphere will be electric today when these two sides meet up at Old Trafford. With the two rivals off to a slow start in the league this season, both will be hoping to kick-start their campaigns with a win.

The following are five key matches the clubs have played against each other in the past few decades:

Manchester United 2 Liverpool 1

FA Cup final, 21 May 1977

In 1999, as every United fan knows, the Red Devils won a historic League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League (aka European Cup) treble. They are still the only English side to accomplish this feat. Twenty-two years earlier Liverpool were on the verge of a treble themselves, as they romped to the league title and would eventually vanquish Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 in the European Cup Final. But four days before that European triumph in Rome, Manchester United stunned Bob Paisley's side with a 2-1 win at Wembley in the FA Cup Final. Goals from Stuart Pearson and Jimmy Greenhoff, scored either side of a goal by Liverpool's Jimmy Case, saw United climb the old stadium's 39 famous steps to collect the cup.

Liverpool 2 Manchester United 0

First Division, 26 Apr 1992

For much of the 1991-1992 season, Manchester United looked on course to finally win the league title after a 25 year wait. But after faltering down the home stretch, they were caught by a surging Leeds United side and it was none other than their old enemies Liverpool who put the final nails in their coffin. Goals from Ian Rush and Mark Walters at Anfield ended United's title dreams and sent the league trophy to Elland Road.

Manchester United 1 Liverpool 0

FA Cup Final, 11 May 1996

The 1996 FA Cup Final is perhaps the perfect example of what can happen when expectations are so high for both teams before a match that they end up cancelling each other out. After 85 dull minutes the match seemed to be staggering towards extra time, but as he had done for much of the season Eric Cantona conjured up a bit of magic. The mercurial Frenchman volleyed home a sublime late winner to leave the Merseysiders crestfallen. The team that a certain former Liverpool captain had said "Couldn't win anything with kids" had won a domestic League and Cup double.

Liverpool 2 Manchester United 2

Premier League, 5 May 1999

With Manchester United battling a terrific Arsenal side for the title heading into the last month of the 1998-1999 season they couldn't afford to drop any points at Anfield in this late season showdown with their old rivals. After going up 2-0 with goals through Dwight Yorke and a Denis Irwin penalty United seemed well on their way to an important away win. But then referee David Elleray awarded Liverpool a very questionable penalty that was converted by Jamie Redknapp and in the 75th minute Irwin was sent off for booting the ball away just after a whistle by Elleray, a second bookable offence, and Liverpool were in the ascendancy. Former United player Paul Ince, who had been labelled "a big time Charlie" by Red Devils boss Alex Ferguson, scored what appeared to be a title killing equalizer in the 88th minute. Despite being handed an advantage in the title race, Arsenal would lose their second last match of the campaign to Leeds United and Ferguson's side would not falter again on their way to winning the first part of their treble.

Manchester United 0 Liverpool 3

Premier League 16 March 2014

Led by an inspired Luis Suarez, Liverpool seemed on the verge of ending their 24 year wait for the title for much of the 2013-2014 season. United on the other hand were suffering through a disastrous post-Ferguson campaign under new boss David Moyes. Brendan Rodgers side were dominant at Old Trafford in March of that season as they tore apart a bedraggled home side. Steven Gerrard scored two penalties and missed one, while that man Suarez added a late third. After several poor displays over the course of his troubled season at United, this might have been the nadir for Moyes and it was only a matter of time before the former Everton man was sacked after this humiliating performance. Liverpool for their part continued their rich vein of form for another month before Gerrard's costly slip up against Chelsea and an implosion against Crystal Palace saw them pipped to the title by Manchester City.

West Ham Fan Gets Ink to Commemorate Hammers Win at Anfield

2015-08-31T08:00:00.000-04:00

Back in September of 1963, John F. Kennedy was still the President of the United States of America, the Cold War was at its height, a band from Liverpool topped the charts with a song called "She Loves You" and West Ham United won at Anfield.

It would be another fifty two years before the Hammers would be able to return to the red half of Merseyside and come away with maximum points, but this past Saturday goals from Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble and Diafra Sakho saw the London side stroll off with a 3-0 win.

It was a wonderful attacking display from Slaven Bilic's men and one Hammers fan decided to commemorate the win in ink as he had promised to do the day before.

52 long years since the famous Irons won at Anfield. If we do it tommorow i shall get a tattoo to commemorate the famous occasion! 😁⚽
— Jon High (@HighJon) August 28, 2015

Done! Come on you Irons ⚽ pic.twitter.com/O8zMlHPEdo
— Jon High (@HighJon) August 29, 2015

As fans of both ink and displaying passion for our respective clubs, HighJon we salute you!

Mario Balotelli's Code of Conduct

2015-08-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

After Italian striker Mario Balotelli's disastrous first season for Liverpool, it was always likely that he would be on the move again this summer.

For his part, Balotelli defended his time at Anfield: “I must accept my faults but the formation chosen by (Brendan) Rodgers was not suited to my characteristics,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

“At the beginning I missed several easy chances, then I had fewer chances to score, a bit of bad luck, injuries. A mess of things.”

Regardless, quite a few eyebrows were raised when it turned out that his next destination was none other than his old stomping grounds at the San Siro for his former club AC Milan.

Milan know what they're getting themselves into with Mario and understandably they're trying to put some measures in place to keep him in line.

First off the club have hired a personal "minder" to keep an eye on him and hopefully keep him out of trouble.

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan have also sought to cover themselves by imposing a strict ‘code of conduct’ on their returning wild child, which was inspired by the regulations in place for the Italian Air Force.

Drawn up by Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani and head coach Sinisia Mihajlovic, the code of conduct states that:

Ensuring Balotelli will not damage the image of the club and his Twitter, Facebook and Instagram posts will be closely monitored.
Toning down his ‘extravagant hairstyles’
Wearing clothes ‘in keeping with the style of a club like Milan’
Cutting out his smoking habit
Always showing up on time and banned from visiting nightclubs

I give it three months before it all goes spectacularly wrong.

The Transfer Window is Like Dating

2015-08-24T14:00:00.000-04:00

On the evening of August 31 the summer transfer window will thankfully draw to a close, and the speculation on who our clubs probably won't sign will die down until the whole shitty merry-go-round starts up again in January.

During the window you learn some harsh truths about life in the 21st Century.

First of all you quickly realize that there are a lot of filthy liars on Twitter and a lot of dimwits that follow their every tweet like its a mystical truth you could only find in a fortune cookie.

You also learn about crushing disappointment. One night you'll go to bed thinking your club have a new signing locked up and then you'll awake to find that they've signed for flipping Chelsea.

You wonder how the hell it happened, and sure part of it is the money the West London club threw at the player but much of it is the glamour of living in the capital rather than a grim Northern town where it rains all the time.

The biting reality is that the player is a ten and your club may only be a seven now, so the attraction just isn't there. It's like dating really, there are just some people that are out of your league and even something drastic like joining CrossFit and telling everyone who'll listen about your goddamn W.O.D. (*Workout of the Day) won't change that.

You can fool yourself into thinking you've got a chance to take the hottest guy or gal to the prom, but you just know that the rich guy douchebag jock Real Madrid will be taking them.

Then there's the club's that fall back on past history, like a former star on the pitch and the dance floor, who landed some hot dates years ago but now has let themselves go and hasn't had a date on a Friday night in years. Let's call this person Liverpool for arguments sake. They're not getting "the ten", so they need to stop fooling themselves.

There's also the guy who should have it all, they have a pile of friends, lots of potential and are the only one in town with a car, but this fella who goes by the name of Newcastle United has insane legal guardians who fuck everything up for him, including any half decent relationship he's ever had.

Another character is the ridiculous buffoon who has won the lottery and takes on a trophy wife, PSG let's say, the Swedish wife he has on his arm doesn't really love him, it's all about the money and everyone knows it.

But alas it's almost over, we just need to get through the last week which is like last call at the bar when the drunks have lowered their standards considerably and are falling over each other to take anyone at all home.

They'll wake up hating themselves, bank on it.

Four Epic Football Kit Blunders

2015-08-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

Major League Soccer club Orlando City and its goalkeeper Tallman Hall turned some heads this weekend after the shot stopper was spotted wearing a keeper shirt with the words "Team Crest Here" in place of where the club's badge was supposed to be on the shirt.

Hall and Orlando City however, were not the first player or team to have an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction in the world of football so today I give you my 4 all-time favorite football kit blunders.

#4 - That's not how you spell my name

Manchester United's Brazilian midfielder is just one of many footballers that have had their last names misspelled on the back of their shirts, so this will be the only player name spelling error on the list. "Andesron" wore this misspelled jersey in United's season opener back in 2012.

#3 - There's only one H in palace

If you think misspelling a player's last name on the back of the shirt is bad, Crystal Palace's spelling error was much worse. In 2004 the club had their own name misspelled on the team badge by adding an "h" to "Crystal" for an unknown reason. The blunder was so funny that it inspired a chant from the Palace supporters: "There's only one h in Palace!"

#2 - Upside down

When Wolverhampton fan Richard Gough ordered his favorite club's shirt for a low price he was quite happy with his purchase. But when the jersey came with the club badge sewn-on upside-down Richard was understandably upset and took on social media to vent his frustration. The club did respond to Mr. Gough with an appropriately humorous upside-down apology letter and they also treated him with some awesome gifts.

In case you can't read the letter attached, here is what it says:

Dear Richard,

I'm very sorry to hear you've received a shirt with an upside down badge on it.
Although we've been riding on the crest of a wave recently, in terms of results, we pride ourselves on the quality of our shirts and we certainly don't get a badge of honour on this occasion.

That said, the world can sometimes look better upside down — last year's league table being just one example.

Please accept our apologies, along with a ticket (printed the right way up) to our home game versus Shrewsbury on the 15th March. We'll also take you into the Dressing Room to meet the players before the match, where you can get both shirts signed.

Thanks, as always, for your support.

Best regards,

Matt Grayson
Wolves

#1 - Liverpool El-Mahalla

By far my favorite kit blunder of all time was when Egyptian side Ghazl El-Mahalla’s kit-man forgot to bring his goalkeeper's shirt to a match against Al Ahly. With the appropriate kit nowhere around, the man in charge of providing his players with the gear opted for the only option at the time, picking up a replica Liverpool goalkeeper jersey from the local sports shop. The club's shirt sponsor McDonalds was even plastered over Liverpool's partner Standard Chartered.

Throwback Thursdays: You Can't Win Anything With Kids (1995/1996)

2015-08-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

Former Liverpool and Scotland defender Alan Hansen was generally considered to be one of the best football analysts on British television in the summer of 1995.

Particular harsh on slack defending, Hansen brought to the broadcast studio the eye of a player who had won everything with his club side over his illustrious career and he was never hesitant in pointing out flaws in sides where he saw them.

The Liverpool team he played for from the late 1970's up until the early 1990's had been renown for playing attractive passing football, with squads led by seasoned professionals and only a sprinkling of youngsters, as the club preferred to ease youthful players into the first team rather than throw them in at the deep end at Anfield.

So with this background it's hardly surprising, ignoring for a moment the benefit of hindsight, that Hansen made the most famous mistake of his broadcasting career twenty years ago this week when assessing Manchester United's chances for success in the 1995/1996 season.

United manager Alex Ferguson had let veterans Paul Ince, Mark Hughes, and Andrei Kanchelskis depart in the summer of 1995, and while the media and supporters alike expected Ferguson to sign replacements he instead looked to his youth side.

For a club that had narrowly missed out on the 1994/1995 league title and was expected to challenge again, it was a bold move. That summer there was widespread talk that Ferguson had lost it and that the club was in trouble.

With United's boss bringing in unknown kids like David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Phil Neville, Gary Neville, and Nicky Butt while rivals Liverpool and Newcastle United had splashed the cash that summer, alarm bells were ringing.

Another significant issue for Ferguson was that his talismanic captain Eric Cantona wouldn't be back from suspension until October, this left some pessimists even fearing that United could slip into mid table obscurity.

When the Red Devils were thumped 3-1 at Villa Park on the opening day of the season the naysayers concerns seemed to be confirmed, with many more now questioning the manager's logic of relying so heavily on a number of players that were 20 years old or younger.

On BBC's Match of Day following the debacle against Aston Villa, Hanson gave a stern assessment of United's apparent problems:

"The trick to winning the championship is having strength and depth, and they just haven't got it."

The key line though, and one that would go down in football folklore was Hansen's matter of fact remark: "You can't win anything with kids."

Perhaps Hansen's logic at the time was sound, as what other team in England can you name that brought in so many youth players at once and then went on to win a title?

But what the Scot, and many others, hadn't realized was the outstanding quality of these kids and how the returning Eric Cantona, with help from veterans like Roy Keane and Peter Schmeichel, would lead them to an incredible League and FA Cup double by season's end. United overtook Kevin Keegan's high flying Newcastle United side in March and would go on to win the league on the last day of the season. As for the FA Cup, it was Hansen's old Liverpool side that United saw off 1-0 in the final at Wembley.

It was a truly remarkable achievement, and as a result Hansen's comments on 18 August 1995 will always be linked to it.

Five Random Things I Hope to See During the 2015/2016 EPL Season

2015-08-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

Batten down the hatches the Premier League starts again this weekend.

As most of our pre-season predictions and hopes get torn to shreds over the next ten months there are a few random things I really hope to see this season.

In no particular order, here's hoping the following five things go down:

An Inflatable Object Ruins Another Liverpool Result

Let's face it, when a stray beach ball on the pitch caused Liverpool to drop three points against Sunderland a few years back everyone outside of the red half of Merseyside pissed themselves laughing. I'm hoping that it happens again this season when they come up against one of the promoted clubs, let's say Watford as I think they're going to be hapless, and this time the inflatable object is a blow up sex doll with exaggerated open orifices.

Harry Redknapp Returns

This transfer window hasn't been the same without Harry Redknapp being interviewed through his car window about potential transfers and then losing his damn mind if anyone accuses him of being a "wheeler dealer". I hope Harry returns, preferably to one of the worst sides in the league so he can provide us with brilliant quotes about how his dear old mum could have hit the target with more accuracy than his hopeless number nine and how his dog should be on better money than his right back.

One of the Promoted Sides is Worse Than Derby County

There are bad sides and then there was the likes of the 2007/2008 Derby County side who finished with a preposterous 11 points and won only one match out of 38 all season. They were on the wrong end of several drubbings, hell even Aston Villa skunked them 6-0, and are the only team in the history of the Premier League to have been relegated by March. We need a new Derby County, a side that is so hapless the neutrals can enjoy watching them get pulverized each week. Although many of us will say that we feel bad for their fans, we really won't as all we care about is seeing our side's goal difference improve as soon as we step on the pitch against these no-hopers. It'll be even funnier if one of your sides strikers, who normally can't hit a cows arse with a banjo, plunders five goals against this side. Football fans like us are all rotten human beings when it comes down to it I'm afraid.

Bournemouth Beat Arsenal at the Emirates

There are few things more enjoyable in English football than listening to a Arsene Wenger list excuses as to why his Arsenal side were hard done by. If tiny Bournemouth roll up in North London, kick seven shades of shit out of Arsenal like a throwback Stoke City or Bolton side under Big Sam, and then stroll off with three points Wenger will lose his mind. He'll rail on about the unfairness of it all and how teams that employ bully boy tactics are ruining football, but will of course never admit any of his teams own failings. Arsenal, on their day, can play some thrilling football but it's always fun to see how they react when a smaller side kicks lumps out of them.

PSG Meet Manchester United in the Champions League

Not Premier League related, technically, but the prospect of that good for nothing snake Angel Di Maria and his oil rich PSG side rolling up at Old Trafford is something I have to see this season. Di Maria is like a classic WWE villain that needs to be smashed over the head with a chair or at least kicked up the ass by Wayne Rooney. It's just a pity United can't bring back Roy Keane for an encounter like this.

Who the Heck is Steven Gerrard?

2015-07-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

When Liverpool legend and former England captain Steven Gerrard signed off at Anfield back in May of this year for a new adventure with MLS side LA Galaxy he surely knew his life was about to change.

From being one of the most recognized players in England, and arguably in Europe, to an unknown in his new home city might not be something he had banked on though.

As the video below, shot on the streets of Los Angeles by Sky Sports, shows though despite the growing popularity of soccer in the United States there are still very few footballers that garner any recognition by the typical American public.

David Beckham seems to still be one of the only players the average Jim-Bob and Mary-Sue on the street have heard of, and he retired two years ago.

Meanwhile poor "Stevie G" draws a lot of blanks when his name is mentioned or hilariously one fellow even asked if Gerrard had played for Manchester United.

Even a Samuel L. Jackson lookalike was clueless as to who the 2005 Champions League winner was when asked by Sky Sports News HQ reporter Vinny O'Connor.

Check it out:

What Now for Mario?

2015-07-03T12:00:00.001-04:00

Three summers ago Mario Balotelli helped Manchester City win their first league title in forty-four years and he followed that up a month later with two goals in the Euro 2012 Semi-Final against the favoured Germans which led Italy into the Final.

But a lot can change in football in three years. After an ill fated stint at AC Milan, Balotelli returned to England last season with Liverpool and his career appears to have hit a new low.

The 24 year old player, who once appeared to be on the cusp of being spoken of as one of the best strikers in the world, scored a measly one goal after his £16m move from AC Milan.

Liverpool are now reportedly listening to offers for Mario, but manager Brendan Rodgers will be under no illusion that he can recoup the fee they paid for him last summer.

One place he won't be going apparently is Newcastle United, with the Daily Star reporting this morning that new boss Steve McClaren is "not keen" on the Italian striker.

So what now for Balotelli? Although he still bears the reputation of someone who is difficult to manage, and his goal return certainly doesn't offset any off the pitch issues he has, the player is still young enough to get his career back on track and could just need the right place, with the right manager to do so.

Raheem Sterling and the Power of Player Agents

2015-05-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of the more troubling aspects of modern football is the power wielded by player agents and the subsequent advice they give out to impressionable young players.

Take the storm clouds gathering around Liverpool's Raheem Sterling this week.
After a great 2013/2014 season for the Anfield club and being one of the only bright spots for England last summer in Brazil, Sterling was expected to kick on this season and help make up for the departure of a certain Luis Suarez.

But Sterling has struggled with form and fitness this season, and amidst the club trying to get him to agree to a new contract he's gone even more off the boil.

With Liverpool failing to achieve Champions League qualification for next season, Sterling through his agent are trying to force a move.

It appears that the player is dead set on joining one of the top clubs in Europe, with rumours abounding that he would prefer to stay in England, and command a high wage packet.

The fact that the player is only 20 and still has a lot of room to develop has not been lost on many observers.

The popular perception is that Sterling has got delusions of grandeur and an agent that's feeding him a steady diet of terrible advice.

It would appear that after one decent season he suddenly thinks he's good enough to force a move to a massive club.

It seems ridiculous that a player who still has some way to prove himself is forcing the hand of one of England's bigger clubs.

His agent, Aidy Ward hasn't so much as fanned the flames of the situation, but rather taken a blow torch to them.

Speaking to the Evening Standard this week, Ward had the following to say:

"I don’t care about the PR of the club and the club situation. I don’t care. He is definitely not signing. He’s not signing for £700, £800, £900 thousand a week. He is not signing."

He also branded club legend Jamie Carragher, who had advised Sterling to keep his mouth shut, a knob.

It smacks of the entitled behaviour of a lot of young footballers in the Premier League, who get built up by the media and whispered sweet nothings by agents who are only really concerned with lining their own pockets when picking up a percentage of a signing fee.

Sterling is by no means the first player to pull a stunt like this and will be by no means the last. Clubs are continually being dragged over the coals by players and their agents now.

With the disrespect shown by Sterling and his representatives to the club, is it any wonder some Liverpool fans are hoping that he goes to Manchester City, for example, and rots on the bench like Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair?

It appears that Raheem has as much sense as his ridiculous haircuts suggest he does.

5 of the Worst Misses in Football History

2015-04-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

Football is about glory. It's about great goals, brilliant saves and seeing your side lift trophies.
But let's face it, like a good film there's also a bit of comedy thrown in on occasion and among the funnier things that happen in football are the glaring misses some players experience when it looks far easier to score. Well, that is if the player doesn't play for your side of course.

The following are five of the most hilarious misses of all time:

Ronnie Rosenthal (Liverpool)

In the inaugural season of the English Premier League, Liverpool's Ronnie Rosenthal contrived to miss a chance so spectacularly it's still talked about to this day. After rounding Aston Villa's keeper, Rosenthal just had to pass the ball into the open net but instead blasted it off the cross bar.

Ilija Sivonjic (Dinamo Zagreb)

Needing only to tap in a ball virtually on the goal line, Dinamo Zagreb's Ilija Sivonjic somehow backheels the ball out. That takes skill.

Fahad Khalfan (Qatar)

The one man example of why you should learn to kick with both feet, Fahad Khalfan missed this epic chance against Uzbekistan, when he beat the keeper, cut across goal and instead of tapping in with his right he tried to pop it in with the outside of his left boot and badly miscued.

Diana Ross (Motown)

When the United States of America was granted the right to host the 1994 World Cup you knew that at least the opening ceremony was going to be big, bold and loud. The Americans didn't disappoint as they rolled out the stars for the opening gala event, including Ms. Diana Ross who was supposed to put the ball into the net and then run through as it exploded. It didn't go to plan at all though as Ross smashed it way wide.

Chris Iwelumo (Scotland)

Capped only four times for Scotland, poor Chris Iwelumo is mostly remembered for a ludicrous miss against Norway in a Qualifier for World Cup 2010. Faced with an open goal, he completely scuffed his chance when the ball hit a slight bobble and came off his planted foot. Iwelumo is said to still be tortured by the memories of this epic miss.

10 Hilarious Random Football Jokes

2015-04-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

Let's get the weekend off to a good start. 10 Random football jokes should do it.

Arsenal houswives

Why do so many housewives love Arsenal?
Because, they stay on top for ages and then come second.

Scotland job

I was playing Football Manager on my PC when I was offered the Scotland job.
I knew it was a shit squad with no future, so I declined the offer.
I then put the phone down and got back to Football Manager.

England Team in an orphanage

The England team visited an orphanage in Brazil today. 'It's heartbreaking to see their sad little faces with no hope,"' said Jose, age 6

If Valencia played for Valencia

Wouldn't it be funny if Antonio Valencia played for Valencia, David Villa played for Aston Villa and Danny Shittu played for Spurs?

Live forever

I met a fairy today who granted me one wish. "I want to live forever," I said.
"Sorry," said the fairy, "I'm not allowed to grant wishes like that."
"Fine," I said, "I want to die when West Brom win the premier league."
"You crafty c**t!" said the fairy.

The QPR dog

A QPR fan walks into a pub with his dog just as the football scores come on the TV. The announcer says that QPR have lost 3-0 and the dog immediately rolls over on its back, sticks its paws in the air and plays dead. "That's amazing," says the barman, "what does he do when they win?" The QPR fan scratches his head for a couple of minutes and finally replies, "I dunno... I've only had the dog for eight months."

Messi vs. Scotland

Argentina are due to play Scotland away, in a friendly. Messi walks into the changing room and sees everyone looking pretty unhappy.

Messi: "Hey guys what's up?"
Mascherano: "Scotland is so depressing, we just can't find the motivation to play"
Messi: "You know what guys, I reckon I can beat Scotland by myself, you guys head down to the pub and i'll see you after the match".

The players are reluctant to let Messi play by himself but end up going to the pub. The match kicks off just as they've got the first round in, one of the players gets the barman to turn onto the scores. They see Scotland - 0 Argentina 1 (Messi, 11 minutes).

They go mad, "he's beating a whole team by himself!" They proceed to get the drinks in quickly and soon forget about the match.

Later on they remember and get the barman to turn on the scores again to see: Scotland - 1 (Brown, 89 minutes) Argentina - 1 (Messi, 11 minutes.)

Once again they go mad and rush back to the stadium, there they see Messi with his head in his hands looking sad. "Hey Lionel, why are you so sad, you got a draw against a whole team!"

Messi: "Sorry lads, I let you down"
Mascherano: "How this is incredible!"
Messi: "I got sent off after 12 minutes"

Alex Ferguson Road

Alex Ferguson has been honored by having a road named after him outside Old Trafford.
Away fans are advised when driving down Alex Ferguson Road, not to forget to add 9 minutes to their journey.

Rangers Coin

A pound coin was thrown onto the pitch at Ibrox. Police are trying to determine whether it was a missile or a takeover bid.

Liverpool in "Europe"

Liverpool's European fixtures for next season have just been released:
Swansea away.