FOOTY FAIR

5 Greatest FA Cup Third Round Shocks of All Time

2016-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Does it qualify as a shocking FA Cup upset anymore when a Premier League side fields their reserves in the Third Round against a lower division side that subsequently turns them over?

On Friday, plucky Exeter City held Liverpool to a terrific 2-2 draw which forced a replay at Anfield, but the Supporter's Trust owned club was facing a Merseyside outfit bereft of most of their regular starting eleven.

So while it was a great achievement for the League Two club, you can't help but feel that it's tempered by the fact that they didn't come up against a full strength Liverpool side.

Before the emergence of the Champions League, and the all consuming need of the big clubs to finish in the top four, to go along with the obscene TV deals that make Premier League survival critical for smaller sides, the FA Cup really meant something. Club's would never have considered fielding a weakened side in years gone by.

It is the oldest club competition in world football and a big day at Wembley in May is still the dream of many supporters, so old misty eyed romantics like me wish that club's took it as seriously as they once did.

With the big club's entering the competition at the Third Round stage this weekend, and hopefully more than a few of them fielding full strength sides, I thought we'd have a look at five of the greatest all time shocks at that stage of the competition:

5.) Shrewsbury Town 2-1 Everton, Third Round, 2003

David Moyes went on to have a great reign in the hotseat at Goodison Park, as he transformed Everton into a tough to beat outfit that was often threatening the top five of the Premier League. Moyes didn't get off to the best of starts though as his first season at the club saw his side dumped out of the FA Cup by League One Shrewsbury Town at Gay Meadow thanks to two goals from journeyman striker Nigel Jemson.

4.) Bournemouth 2 Manchester United 0, Third Round, 1984

The 1980's were an up and down decade for Manchester United. Sandwiched between their FA Cup winning triumphs of 1983 and 1985 was this shocking defeat to Third Division Bournemouth. Not only did Harry Redknapp's side knock Ron Atkinson's cup holders out of the competition at the first hurdle, but they thoroughly outplayed them and deserved to go through.

3.) Wrexham 2 Arsenal 1, Third Round, 1992

Going into this tie, George Graham's Arsenal side were the reigning First Division champions, with their famous backline anchored by Tony Adams at its pomp and Wrexham were a struggling club in the Fourth Division. After taking the lead through Alan Smith, The Gunners seemed to be comfortably heading into Round Four but then 37 year old Micky Thomas thundered in a brilliant freekick to level the score with only eight minutes to go and then Steve Watkin grabbed the winner two minutes later.

2.) Walsall 2 Arsenal 0, Third Round, 1933

Arsenal, under legendary manager Herbert Chapman, were the best team in England during the 1930's. So their humiliating defeat by Walsall, then plying their trade in the Third Division North, was by some distance the greatest pre-war FA Cup upset. That day at Fellows Park 24,032 witnessed a near miracle as second-half goals from Gilbert Alsop in the 60th minute and Bill Sheppard ten minutes later sent the eventual league champions crashing out. Chapman was so enraged by the defeat that he immediately sold Tom Black, the defender responsible for the goals.

1.) Hereford 2 Newcastle 1, Third Round, 1972

Newcastle were a solid top flight side in the early 1970's, with goalscoring superstar Malcolm "Supermac" Macdonald terrorizing defences around the country. Hereford were a non-league club with a ramshackle ground and seemingly no hope against their illustrious opposition. Unbowed, Hereford took 5,000 away fans to St. James Park to witness their side snatch a terrific 2-2 draw in the Third Round, but the best was yet to come in the replay back at Edgar Street. On a bog of a pitch, 14,000 supporters witnessed Newcastle grab an 82nd goal through Macdonald before Hereford's Ronnie Radford scored one of the most famous goals in the competition's history with a stunning 30 yard blast into the top corner to level the score on 85 minutes. In extra time, second half substitute Ricky George lashed home the winner in the 103rd minute to send Hereford's fans into dreamland.

The Revealing Story of Everton Fan Speedomick

2015-10-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

While Arsenal continued their winning ways on Saturday with a 2-1 victory at home over Everton, the narrative after the match wasn't about the Gunners grabbing a one point lead at the top of the table or Laurent Koscielny's eventual winner.

An Everton fan in a rather interesting outfit was the talk of the fans around him and the media, on account of him rolling up to the Emirates wearing a swimming cap and speedos.

Those of us bashful North Americans who gasp in horror at Europeans strutting around at resorts in the Caribbean with their meat and two veg flopping about for all to see would have at least expected football stadiums to be a sanctuary from budgie smugglers across the Atlantic, but this Everton fan proved that not to be the case.

But before we're too hard on the man who calls himself 'Speedomick', it should be mentioned that he's wearing this Michael Phelp's inspired number for a very worthy cause.

The scantily clan Toffees fan is sporting speedos in an attempt to raise money for cancer treatment and more specially the Woodlands Hospice.

Speedomic, whose real name is Michael Cullen, completing the daunting task of swimming the English Channel to raise money for the Hospice a year ago and continues in his efforts to generate funds for those suffering with cancer.

So all jokes aside, a tip of the swim cap to Michael from all of us here at FootyFair.

Howard Kendall - Everton Legend

2015-10-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

If you were to ask most followers of English football of their abiding memories of the 1980's they may tell you tales of riding battered old football specials around the country, the hooliganism that blighted the sport or the horrific disasters of Hillsborough and Heysel, but they would almost certainly also bring up the dominance of Liverpool FC.

But while the Anfield club were sweeping aside most challengers in that grim period of Thatcher's Britain, some great things were occurring across Stanley Park at fellow Merseyside outfit Everton.

Led by manager Howard Kendall, the Toffees won their first trophy in fourteen years when they defeated Watford 2-0 in the 1984 FA Cup Final, before bettering that with a league championship in 1984-1985.

That glorious campaign was capped with a win over Rapid Vienna in the European Cup Winner's Cup Final.

Denied a place in the 1985-1986 European Cup thanks to the ban of all English clubs from UEFA competitions following the Heysel Disaster, Everton would win another league title in 1986-1987 to cap what is arguably the best period in their history.

For Kendall, who had taken up the managerial reigns at Goodison Park in 1981, it was the second time he had played a significant role in the club's success.

As a player he had signed for Everton for £85,000 from Preston North End in 1967 where he went on to form part of the club's famed midfield "Holy Trinity" comprised of himself, Colin Harvey and Alan Ball.

With Everton playing stylish attacking football they stormed to the league title in 1969-1970.

Although widely recognized for his outstanding ability, in an era where the National side was at its peak, Kendall was never capped for England.

In total he made more than 200 appearances for the club, who described him as "one of the greatest players to pull on the Everton jersey". He also played for Birmingham, Stoke and Blackburn.

On Saturday, October 17 the former Everton captain and manager passed away at age 69. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this time.

The 25 English Clubs That Have Spent the Most Seasons in the Top Division

2015-09-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Supporters of every professional football club in England outside of the top flight, from the Championship all the way down to League Two, dream of one day seeing their sides rub shoulders with the giants of the Premier League.
But with the gap between the wealthy 'haves' and the struggling 'have nots' growing larger each season, it has become even more difficult to obtain a place at the top table for smaller clubs and next to impossible to maintain that place if they do somehow manage to crack into the top flight.

Looking at a list this week of the teams that have spent the most number of seasons in the top division of English football, from the start of the old First Division in 1888 to its restructuring as the Premier League in 1992* and onto today, I saw a few familiar names.

(*Yes, English football did exist prior to 1992, before you ask.)

Some of the usual suspects, like Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United of course graced the top end of the list, but the team that has spent the most number of seasons in the top flight is in fact Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton.

Of the 117 seasons of top division football, Everton have spent a staggering 113 of those seasons in the highest tier.

Looking further down the list were sides that enjoyed several successful decades in the past, but have struggled in recent years. Clubs like Wolverhampton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United not only spent many years in the top division, but were also league champions once upon a time.

Supporters of these clubs will be hoping to one day regularly take on the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea in the league again, but to enjoy some of the glories their clubs experienced in the past it'll almost certainly take some significant investment.

With that said, here are the top 25 clubs in England that have spent the most number of seasons in the top flight, courtesy of myfootballfacts.com:

Everton Are Using Drones

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

According to former England striker Michael Owen, Everton FC are using drone technology to film their training sessions.

In a story that would sound like outlandish science fiction ten short years ago, Owen has said that Toffees boss Roberto Martinez is using state of the art drone technology to get a better view of his team's training sessions at Finch Farm and then later analyzing the recorded footage.

Owen, who has invested in drone technology, said at the Soccerex convention in Manchester this week:

“A good friend of mine introduced me to the drone technology.

“It’s becoming a big thing in football now.

“At Everton’s Finch Farm training ground, Roberto Martinez wants all his tactical sessions filmed from above – you can really see the game from a different perspective.

“Managers always watch games from the sidelines, the dug-out.

“A lot of people wonder why managers go up into the stand during matches on occasions.

“It’s because you can get such a better picture tactically where your men are, and how things are going.

“Well, you go one step further with a drone, a lot of teams now are using this drone technology now to go up and film training sessions so you then can show a player ‘you’re in this position, you should be covering'.”

Owen added: “I would suggest Everton are paying by the hour but I don’t think they’re missing the money too much!

“It’s a great way of watching football, mainly tactically, to envisage where your players should be and where they’re going.

“Down at Dragon Park [the Welsh FA headquarters] where we’ve been doing a lot of stuff with the Welsh FA, people like Thierry Henry have been really using it to go and pass their pro license.”

Welcome to football in 21st Century folks.

Ink: Everton FC

2015-08-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week on Ink we go to Merseyside in England and take a look at some of the best tattoos from the fans of Everton FC.

Why Do So Many People Hate Wayne Rooney?

2015-08-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Wayne Rooney, barring major injury, will almost surpass Sir Bobby Charlton's long held goal scoring records for both Manchester United and England within the next twelve to eighteen months.

While loved by a good portion of United supporters, to many Reds he's a pariah these days.

Besides his goal-scoring exploits, Rooney has played for the club for eleven years, won five league titles and Champions League crown, but some that's not enough.

For starters there are his two transfer requests, with the one in 2010 being particularly grating as he attempted to force a move across Manchester to join up with the nouveau riche City side after questioning United's ambition.

A rich contract saw him re-commit to United, until a falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson over his role in the side in the later part of the 2012/2013 season led to another request to leave, this time for Chelsea.

Again money kept him at Old Trafford and yet again fans were left shaking their heads at his perceived greed or worse yet treachery.

Whether Rooney did in fact want to leave or if he and his agent were just playing games to get more money out of the club is open to question, but regardless it left a sour taste in the mouth for a lot of Reds.

Then there's been his drop in form over the past eighteen months which has seen him struggle to find the back of the net with any kind of consistency.

While his supporters could argue that he's been a victim of his own versatility, playing in midfield and at times out wide rather than upfront, it's not just his goal scoring that's dropped off, but his overall play.

While he still has the vision for the occasional killer pass, his first touch has looked Sunday Pub League standard at times and speaking of pubs his apparent lack of conditioning to start this season is renewing questions about his off pitch professionalism.

A big framed individual to begin with, Rooney's rumoured penchant for the odd cigarette besides indulging in questionable food and drink have many asking if his lifestyle has caught up to him.

The biggest crime Rooney seems to have committed though is that despite his accomplishments he has never fulfilled his early promise.

When he burst on the the scene with Everton in 2002/2003 and then debuted for England in the later part of that remarkable season he looked like an English player for the ages. Indeed when he joined United in fall of 2004, after some standout performances at Euro 2004, he looked like he could be one of the top three or four players in the world.

But a combination of injury, being played out of position, and his own self indulgences have never seen him quite hit the heights many thought he should.

He has been a great player for club and country, no doubt about it, but there will always be the nagging sense that he could have been an all time legend.

Perhaps United fans should try to just appreciate what he's done for the club, try to put the negativity around him to one side this early in the season, and get behind their captain again to see if he can regain at least some of the spark that made him the bane of defenses across Europe.

The Remarkable Story of England's Fara Williams

2015-04-10T16:00:00.000-04:00

To say that England's most capped footballer at senior level for either the men's or women's sides came from the street isn't a hyperbolic comment on her honing her skills as a youth on asphalt, but rather that for seven years she was homeless.
Liverpool and England's Fara Williams story is one of the more remarkable ones heading into this summer's Women's World Cup in Canada.

The 30 year old midfielder, who has been capped a remarkable 130 times for England and 5 times for Great Britain, has not followed a traditional path to the top of the women's game by any means.

After a dispute with her family, she left home at age 17 and was living on the streets of London, just trying to survive. In an interview with the Guardian last year she spoke of learning to act as if she was suffering from mental problems so people wouldn't approach or harm her on the street.

Incredibly while all this was going on, and those around her were succumbing to the temporary escapism provided by drugs and alcohol, she continued to play football at a high level and even made her full debut for England.

Whereas men's football is awash with money, women's football in the UK particularly when Williams was making her breakthrough was largely amatuer, and the budding England international found herself living between social assistance cheques.

Keeping her difficult situation a secret from her teammates, it was only after being away for a under 19 meetup with England that former manager Hope Powell recognized that Williams had difficulties away from the pitch and helped her get into a homeless hostel, so at least she wasn't on the street.

After several years of living between hostels, while also plying her trade for Charlton Athletic Ladies, she made a move to Everton and it was on Merseyside that her life off of the pitch would turn around for the better.

Then Everton boss Mo Marley helped her get a paid position as a skills coach with the English Football Association and, after initially staying with a teammate after joining Everton, Williams was able to get her own place.

Success on the pitch followed as she was a part of the Everton side who captured the 2008 Women's FA Premier League Cup and the 2010 Women's FA Cup.

A midfield general, who is capable of playing in a holding role or in advanced positions, after moving across Stanley Park to rivals Liverpool in 2012, Williams helped the club break Arsenal Ladies domestic dominance by winning back to back FA Women's Super League titles.

This summer in Canada, Williams is expected to provide the lynchpin for the Three Lionesses as they hope to get past the Women's World Cup Quarter-Final stage for the first time.

No matter how her side does this summer though, Fara Williams provides a wonderful example of someone who survived the odds, and through hardwork and determination fulfilled their dreams.

FFN: Leighton Baines will be John Lennon in BBC Series

2015-03-27T16:00:00.000-04:00

BBC has started pre-production of a movie based on the life of John Lennon after he left the Beatles. The surprising part of this story is that they have decided to go with Everton defender, Leighton Baines to play the role of the iconic musician.

The 30 year old England international will have an opportunity to act for the first time in what is expected to be a mini-series composed of five episodes.

BBC has hired Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, who co-wrote Sherlock, to be the writers on this project which is scheduled to air in the fall of 2016. Sam Miller that directed Luther will be the one directing this mini-series that will be filmed in Liverpool.

Baines has so far been the second name linked to this project, actress Kaori Momoi is believed to be on track for the role of Yoko Ono.

Baines hasn’t commented on the reports and neither has BBC, but sources close to both parties have confirmed that the negotiations have been finalized and that a deal was reached with the player and club. Everton is involved in this project in more ways than one. Everton will be part owner of the rights to the series, which is due to the partnership between them and BBC for the production costs of the series.

Production is expected to start this spring, so if you are in Liverpool, keep your eyes out; you might see John Lennon in an Everton kit very soon.

*********
Thank you for reading FootyFair's Friday Fake News. Please note that none of the above is true.

5 less Known Facts About Joseph Yobo

2015-03-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Former Nigerian international and currently looking for a club to represent, Joseph Yobo is a well-known and well-travelled footballer with incredible experience and quality.

A strong centre back, Joseph Yobo has played in some of the best leagues in the world, and it shouldn’t take him long to find a club looking at getting a veteran defender like him.

He is not a popular name in world football but perhaps these five facts about him will help you get to know Joseph Yobo better.

Fact 1

During the 2006-2007 season, Yobo played every minute of every game for Everton. He transferred to Everton in 2003 and quickly earned a place on the team. He would become one of their most consistent defenders and one of only seven players in the league to play every minute of every game during 2006-07 season, along with teammate Joleon Lescott.

Fact 2

He married his wife Adaeze Igwe after knowing eachother for only three months. His wife was a former winner of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant. They met and only three months later they tied the knot.

Fact 3

Yobo has been capped 101 times for the Nigerian national team and has represented his country at three FIFA World Cup’s (2002 to 2014). He became the team captain after the 2010 World Cup following the retirement of Nwankwo Kanu.

Fact 4

Yobo announced his international retirement following a quarter final loss to France at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. France won the game 2-0 and one of the goals was an own goal from Yobo. In an interview with BBC Sport, Yobo said, “This is it. I can look back on my career with great pride. I wanted to leave on a high note for my country. Defeat by France was not the right way to go but I’m happy with all I’ve done for the national team. It’s time to give a chance to other people to come through. Our football has a bright future and I am confident this team can achieve success sooner rather than later.”

Fact 5

Ray Smith, the man who rented a Liverpool flat to Yobo, claims the place was completely trashed and there were burn marks left everywhere. The landlord took pictures and released them to the media but Yobo denied any wrong doing saying that he wasn’t living there at that time. He later offer to pay for all the damaged.

Everton Fans to Feature in the Next Rocky Film

2015-01-20T16:00:00.001-05:00

It's been a difficult second season for Roberto Martinez at Goodison Park.
After guiding Everton to 5th in the league last season, while playing some terrific football, the Spanish boss appears to have been hit with the 'Sophomore Jinx' this time around.

Although it's been suggested that Martinez has no 'Plan B', the reality is that the club's problems stem from a squad that is painfully thin and features a few too many players like Sylvain Distin that are past their sell-buy date. They've also not been helped by the lack of goal return from big money signing Romelu Lukaku, who had flourished at the club while on loan last season.

Everton suffered another disappointing result on Monday, as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home to struggling West Brom. Yesterday's draw even served up a bit of controversy as Kevin Mirallas brushed aside regular penalty taker Leighton Baines and then conspired to miss from the spot in the 44th minute.

Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville, described the incident as “a scandal”. He said: “If he’s gone against team orders or manager’s orders and selfishly taken the ball, it’s one of the most despicable breaches of team spirit you can possibly have. You do not do that at any cost.

“It doesn’t get much worse. You can punch someone, you can go over the top and break someone’s leg, which is unnecessary, in a tackle, but to go against team orders in the dressing room is terrible. It’s one of the worst things you can do.”

In the midst of this night of frustration, the home fans were at least treated to a surprise message by celebrity Toffee fan, Sylvester Stallone, who appeared on the big screen at Goodison and asked fans to stay in their seats at half time to provide some crowd scenes and noise for his upcoming film 'Creed'.

Creed tells the story of Stallone's legendary Rocky character training his old nemesis and then friend Apollo Creed's grandson Adonis Creed for a shot at boxing's heavy weight title.

The idea to use Everton's home ground for scenes in the film was put forward by real life champion boxer and Everton supporter Tony Bellow, who takes on the young Creed in the film.

So while Evertonian's suffered through watching another disappointing performance on the pitch, they at least have the consolation of appearing in a Hollywood Blockbuster.

5 Celebrities With Bizarre Football Club Allegiances

2015-01-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Remember the 1980's, when football outside of the World Cup was unfashionable and grounds were only filled with mostly working class folk?

But then came Italia 90, the advent of satellite football, the Premier League, the Champions League and massive mountains of cash. Somewhere in the middle of all this the hipsters and fashionistas took a hold of the game we love so much, and with them came the celebrities who want to appear cool and hip.

Here are five dubious celebrity fans:

Sylvester Stallone - Everton

Syl once went to an Everton match and held up a scarf for the adoring Goodison park crowd, so he's obviously the biggest fan of the Toffees going. It sounds a little dubious to me, but then again, Stallone does have previous with football when he appeared in the amazing cult classic Escape to Victory.

Tom Hanks - Aston Villa

The star of such films as The Money Pit, claimed to have seen a good match on TV once involving Aston Villa and that was it for him, he became a fan for life. Hanks has been to several of their matches though and has said that, "I like that name and those colours. Anybody can root for Chelsea for God’s sake!"

Prince William - Aston Villa

His Royal Highness, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William to give Wills his full title, has supported Villa for several years himself, allegedly picking the team as they were in the middle of the country. Prince William is also the current figurehead President of the English Football Association.

Jay-Z - Arsenal

The '99 Problems' rap mogul is a big fan of North London's Arsenal and in fact considering investing in the club back in 2010.

Paul Oakenfold - Chelsea and Boca Juniors

The influential DJ actually has a studio in Los Angeles he named after Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, but besides that he is also a big fan of Argentinian giants Boca Juniors.

Justin Bieber is an Everton Fan

2015-01-04T20:00:00.000-05:00

There was bad news Everton supporters this weekend, as it looks like they may be the latest sports team to 'win' the affection of Canadian Pop Scrotum Justin Bieber.

The Stratford, Ontario born nuisance has a long history of jumping on the bandwagon of successful teams and claiming to be a fan. In recent years the 'Purple Drank' guzzling moron has hitched onto the coattails of teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, New England Patriots, LA Lakers and the Miami Heat.

But he also has gained a reputation for jinxing teams as well, with an urban legend being that whenever Bieber comes to watch a team they invariably lose. The Pittsburgh Steelers fell victim to this supposed curse earlier in the NFL season, after Bieber met the team prior to a game that they lost to the lowly New York Jets. He also jinxed both Spain and Brazil in last summer's World Cup.

Although the pasty faced teen heart throb hasn't been spotted at Goodison Park yet, he did turn up to a tournament in Turks and Caicos wearing a Toffees kit, which he tweeted pictures of himself in.

As if things aren't bad enough for Roberto Martinez's side, who are currently stuck in 13th place in the Premier League, they might have to contend with the Bieber curse. Unless of course like his music it's a bunch of nonsense.

5 Interesting Manager Facts - Sir Bobby Robson

2014-12-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

One of the most storied managers in England's history, Sir Bobby Robson has been a symbol of football in the UK and other European countries for over 30 years before his passing in 2009. Here are five interesting random facts associated with the football icon.

Bobby in Canada

At the end of Sir Bobby's playing career the Englishman signed as a player / manager for Canadian NASL side Vancouver Royals on a 3 year deal in 1967. But a year later, when Robson was offered the managerial position at his previous club Fulham, Sir Bobby headed back to England, ending his time in North America.

Against Ipswitch

Bobby Robson has only managed against former side Ipswitch Town on one occasion; a pre-season friendly match when he was the bench-boss for Portuguese side FC Porto.

No, no, no to Everton

In the 1970's Everton FC were very keen to sign Sir Bobby Robson as club manager. But the then Ipswitch manager turned down a contracts to take over at Goodison Park on three different occasions, ending his career having never coached the Toffees.

Only the best

In order to participate in a testimonial match in Sir Bobby Robson's name between Ipswitch Town and an England XI squad, George Best signed a one-match contract with The Tractor Boys in 1979

The epic Carlsberg commercial

In what I believe to be one of the best beer-football commercials ever made, Sir Bobby Robson's acting skills turn out to be quite good.

Disgusting Football Wallpapers (Gallery)

2014-12-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

Everybody is a genius with Photoshop these days, at least a lot of people think they are, and when you combine this tiny bit of knowledge of how to use Adobe's flagship tool and with a love for football the results can be hilariously bad.

The following a few select images from the rather brilliant Rubbish Football Wallpapers site:

5 Facts About Landon Donovan

2014-12-08T20:00:00.000-05:00

As American icon footballer Landon Donovan finishes his career on a high note, winning the MLS Cup Finals with the Los Angeles Galaxy yesterday, we take a look at 5 fun facts about the US international.

Canadian by descent

Hopefully our American readers don't get upset, but this is true. Landon Donovan's father was a semi professional hockey player from Canada. This makes Donovan a Canadian citizen by descent.

6 year contract at the age of 17

Donovan's first ever professional contract was a 6 year commitment with German club Bayer Leverkusen. Although an impressive contract for a youngster, Donovan did not adapt to football in the Bundesliga and eventually made his way to his homeland.

Most MLS Cups

Surely most of you know by now, but last night's MLS Cup Final victory for the LA Galaxy meant that Donovan captured a record 6th MLS Cup title. While four were won with the Los Angeles Galaxy, Donovan won two of them with the San Jose Earthquakes while on loan with the MLS outfit in the early 2000's.

2003, the year of hat-tricks

In 2003 Landon Donovan scored his first ever hat-trick both in Major League Soccer competition, and for his country playing with the USA national team against Cuba.

What could have been

While back in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen after a three year loan spell in San Jose, Landon's services were sought after in England when Portsmouth offered to buy the forward from the German club. A deal was reached with the Los Angeles Galaxy instead, and the rest as they say is history.

David Moyes's Rebirth in Spain Bumped for Madagascar 3

2014-11-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

After a deeply traumatic season at Manchester United, that saw the once highly respected Everton boss handed the sack, David Moyes recently took up the managerial hot seat at Real Sociedad and finally made his debut against Deportivo La Coruna yesterday.

With over 200 Real Sociedad fans following their side to Riazor, Moyes first match coming after twelve days after taking up the position at the club finished in a fairly dull 0-0 draw.

It hadn't been the best preparation for Moyes's side however as bad weather forced their plane to land at an airport more than 70km's away from La Coruña. They were also without the injured Mikel González, Iñigo Martínez and Xabi Prieto.

Real Sociedad played some good football in the first half, but even Moyes admitted his disappointment at their second half as his side struggled to maintain possession and Deportivo had much better chances to score.

But on a night when Lionel Messi shattered the all-time La Liga goalscoring record and with Real Sociedad's match dumped into the dreaded 22:00 timeslot, Spain's national broadcaster Cuatro opted to drop their coverage of the match to a lesser station and instead show Madagascar 3 on the main network.

Undoubtedly there are quite a few United fans that would have opted for the adventures of Alex, Melman, Gloria and Marty than some of the dreck served up at Old Trafford last season.

But that said, Moyes is a good manager as his time at Everton proved and if he's able to turn around Real Sociedad's fortunes it's inevitable that their media coverage will also improve.

Mid-Week Rants: 5 Reasons Why Sociedad is Not the Right Move for Moyes

2014-11-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

Football fans all over England have been speculating about David Moyes' next move since the very day he was let go of his duties as Manchester United manager. And although this is just my personal assumption, Real Sociedad was most likely on nobody's radar as his next employer. A fresh start is of course a great thing for anyone that has recently lost their job, but here are my 5 reasons why a move to the Spanish club is not the right one for Moyes.

Hidden Expectations

There are numerous reports out of Spain that expectations of David Moyes in his first year as coach at Real Sociedad are 'mild'. Avoiding relegation and perhaps finishing in or close to the top half of the table is what the club seems to want our of the Scotsman as far as expectations go, but looking at the club's surprising record over the past two season and the amount of talent they have in their roster this may not be so true. After spending three seasons in the second division between 2007 and 2010, Sociedad finished in 4th place in LaLiga in 2013 and in 7th last season. Currently sitting in 15th place, Moyes will most likely be expected to turn it right around as the club gotten used to European football over the past two seasons.

Running Scared

Sure it may only seem that way, but a move to Spain may look in the British public's eyes as a run and hide move from David Moyes. First he took a break without taking on another job right after being fired and now that he is taking up a managerial role again, he is moving to a different country. This is a great way to lose faith from whatever fans Moyes still has left back in England.

Managers Turnover at Sociedad

It seems that the former Everton bench-boss has forgotten to do his research, because if he did he would see that in the last twenty years his new club have gone through 18 different managers. Out of those, the longest stint was that of Austrian manager Bernd Krauss which lasted 2 years and 3 months, and the shortest was a 10 match (less than two months) stay of Spaniard Periko Alonso. As a matter of fact, in the 105 year history of Real Sociedad there hasn't been a single manager that was able to match Moyes' record of years spent as a manager with one club; even Welshman John Toshack who managed the Spanish club on three different occasions is about 2 years shy of Moyes' stint with Everton.

Welsh footballer and manager John Toshack spent 9 years with Real Sociedad in his 3 stints as club manager

No Hablo Inglés

This is pretty simple. It is very likely that Moyes will hear the exact words of this title on many occasions as it seems that very few of his newly adopted players speak any English. Only one footballer in Moyes' squad does not come from a Spanish speaking background and that is Alfreð Finnbogason of Iceland, which will probably be little to no help for the new manager.

Forgotten in the Kingdom

Of course for the first little while there will be people all over Britain who will follow the "middle-sized" Spanish club just to see how Moyes is doing. But after a while the interest is very likely to subside. Even if his club does well, they are no Barcelona or Real Madrid and will not be televised outside of Spain on many occasions. A long enough stint in Basque Country could not only hurt Moyes' popularity with the average football fan, but also drop his name in the pecking order of future opportunities in the EPL.

The Many Hairstyles of Abel Xavier (Gallery)

2014-10-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

Abel Xavier was perhaps known better for his choice of hairstyle than he was for his football.

The former Portuguese international, changed his hairstyle almost as often as he changed teams.

Benfica 93-95

Bari 95-96

Real Oviedo 96-98

PSV 98-99

Everton 99-02

Liverpool 02-03

Galatasaray 03 (loan)

Portugal Euro 2000

Hannover 96 03-04

Roma 05

Middlesbrough 05-07

LA Galaxy 07-08

5 Things I'm Thankful For in Football

2014-10-13T21:00:00.000-04:00

As most of you may know FootyFair.com is based in Canada and today we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Usually we are all about the rants here at FootyFair, but today in the spirit of the holiday I decided to list the five things I am most thankful for in today's beautiful game of football. Five positives that can be listed in a day and age when negatives are much easier to find.

#5 - Footballer's skill level

As much as football fans love nostalgia, and I must admit I myself am very big on sitting down with the boys reminiscing about some iconic matches and footballing events, the skill level of most footballers has gone through some impressive changes over the decades. I truly believe that putting any current squad against the same club's outfit from the past would almost always produce the same result. The modern day footballers would be victorious on almost all occasions. Today's footballer's quality on the pitch is absolutely remarkable. Both the skill level and managerial strategies are superior, and is something that is probably inevitable in all sports.

#4 - TV coverage in Canada

Moving to Canada from Europe in the late 1990's was a shock to the system for a 14 year old boy who has been living his life around football. Following European football was nearly impossible in the country I now had to call home because of the great lack of football coverage on Canadian television. Today, our country does a great job of providing its football fans with coverage from all the major leagues, international actions and major club competitions from all over the world.

#3 - Internet live score sources

Going back to when I first moved to Canada, looking anything up on the internet involved arguing with your parents just so you can connect to the internet in order to read about football scores from the past few days. Now, I can check on football scores as they happen, from my mobile phone, while camping. How can a football fan not be thankful for something like this?

#2 - Traditional football supporters

With the ever changing football fanatism, and the introduction of the more "family friendly" atmospheres in stadiums worldwide, it's really nice to see that some clubs' supporters stick to their traditional ways. Hull City and Everton are great recent examples, with the Hull fans fighting new owners about the renaming of their beloved club and Everton's fans going to great lengths about the re-branding of their club's badge. Some fans are still fighting against the elimination of the game's identity.

#1 - Quality of football kits

One of the biggest issues I had as a football fan growing up was the quality of jerseys and having to wear my favorite team's shirt, a piece of clothing that while showing off my passion for a club, was cutting my neckline and was perhaps the most awful thing to wear in my entire closet. Today, while perhaps the creative capacity of most kit manufacturers is down to a few templates, the quality of the merchandise is impressive. New football kits are a joy to wear as they are made of materials that don't give you a full-body rash as you put them on.

This (Canadian) Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful for these 5 things in football.

Sunday Trivia - 5 Faceless Players - Toffees Edition

2014-09-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

This week on Trivia Sunday we have one for all the Everton faithful.

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More 8bit Football

2014-09-17T21:00:00.000-04:00

During the World Cup we featured a site called 8bit Football, who reimage the past and current moments in football in the style of an early '90s video game.

The geniuses behind this cool site were back at it this month, with the following great images.

Everton v Chelsea: Diego Costa taunts Seamus Coleman after his own goal.

After a great start Swansea City sit second in the EPL table behind Chelsea.

Defender Cosmin Moti took over in goal and saved two penalties to see Ludogorets through over Steaua Bucharest and into the Champions League group stage.

A pitch invader runs on during Spurs v West Ham and actually hits a great freekick.

Pope Francis shows his support for San Lorenzo as they go on to win the 2014 Copa Libertadores

5 Less Known Facts About Christian Atsu

2014-09-17T09:00:00.001-04:00

Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu is an up and coming player not only in his country but also for his current club Everton. After representing Ghana at the 2014 World Cup, Atsu is looking at building on that and establish himself as a name in the Premier League.

He moved to Everton this season on loan from Chelsea, and is looking at getting playing time to be able to continue to grow and mature as a footballer. For some he might be a bit of an unknown, but here are five facts that will help you get to know him a bit better.

Fact 1

After his first international match with Ghana, he was nicknamed the “Ghanaian Messi”. After he scored in his first ever international match with Ghana, fans and media were quick to compare him to the Argentinian superstar. He was quick to defuse the situation claiming that he can’t even do 1% of what Messi does. He asked everyone to not compare him with anybody but rather judge him by what he does on the field.

Fact 2

Atsu has ten siblings. He was born in Ada Foah, Ghana, and has six brothers and four sisters. One of his siblings is a twin sister. From a young age he had to work to help his parents support the large family.

Fact 3

Growing up his football legend was Abedi Pele. He idolized Abedi Pele growing up and during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil he had a chance to play with one of Abedi’s sons, Jordan.

Fact 4

For his parents school was more important than football. Atsu was spotted at the age of ten while playing football for his school by a Feyenoord scout. His mother made him complete his schooling even when he was already excelling at the Dutch club’s academy. She had always been vocal about how important an education is and never let football get in the way of seeing her son complete his.

Fact 5

Porto loaned him out to Rio Ave of the Portuguese League in 2011. In 27 appearances he scored 6 goals and at the end of the season he was named Rio Ave’s Player of The Season. A great accomplishment that helped him land a spot in the Ghanaian national team.

Dictators and Football

2014-08-30T18:00:00.000-04:00

As reports emerged this week of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un being not only a fan of Manchester United, but also trying to get all of their matches broadcast on state television, he joined the long line of dictators that have latched onto the beautiful game.

Throughout the last century some of the most notorious dictators from around the world have made their club allegiances known, some have been actual fans of the clubs in question, but it's often for political leverage so that they appear as a 'man of the people'.

The following are examples of some of the fans that most football clubs could do without:

General Francisco Franco - Real Madrid:

The fascist dictators use of Real Madrid as a political tool to show the strength of Spain to the world is well known to many students of football's history, but what isn't as well known is that Franco was actually a fan of Atletico Madrid before jumping on Los Blancos bandwagon. Atletico Madrid were the army's squad of choice prior to the Spanish revolution and it was only in the midst of Real's staggering success in the 1950's that the Generalissimo became a fan. He viewed Madrid's success in the European Cup as Spain's success, and the hatred that other clubs in La Liga feel for them, most notably Barcelona, stems from this period and the perception of Madrid receiving preferential treatment over the last half century.

Benito Mussolini - Bologna:

Although a common perception exists that "Il Duce's" club was Lazio, he in fact supported Bologna and after coming to power in Italy in 1922, he basked in the club's glorious run of titles in 1925, 1929, 1936, 1939 and 1941. He proclaimed Bologna's stadium at the time as "a shining example of what can be done with the will and tenacity of Fascism." One of the first modern dictators to recognize the power of sport in galvanizing his people towards a common cause, he managed to secure hosting rights for the 1934 World Cup for Italy and a good Azzurri side benefitted greatly from some highly dubious decisions on their way to victory in that tournament.

Nicolae Ceausescu - Steaua Bucharest:

Whereas the influence of Franco and Mussolini on the success of their respective clubs is still open to question, there is no doubt of the effect the Romanian dictator had on Steaua Bucharest's fortunes. Under his dictatorship the Army Club went a European record 104 matches unbeaten, won six league titles in a row in the 1980's and captured the 1986 European Cup. Ceausescu had a helping in hand in their success though as he forced through the transfer of the top stars like Gheorghe Hagi and Gheorghe Popescu to the side without the agreement of the selling clubs or the players themselves. There were also many examples of blatant refereeing decisions benefitting Steaua greatly during this time.

Muammar Gaddafi - Liverpool and Juventus:

Not as directly influential in the fortunes of either club, the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was found to have a Liverpool mug among his few personal effects when he was found in hiding during the fall of his regime. This confounded some football fans as it had long been rumoured that he supported Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton after their tour of Libya in 1979. The Juventus connection appears through his son Al-Saadi Gaddafi, who fancied himself as a professional footballer. After unsuccessful trials at a few top clubs, he used his father's money to buy himself on the Juventus board.

Weekend Recap - Top 5 Matches (Highlights)

2014-08-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

This week on the weekend recap we bring you highlights from Turkey, Major League Soccer, England and the Netherlands.

#5 - Fenerbahce 0 - 0 Galatasaray (3 - 2 PK) (Turkish Super Cup)

Probably the most entertaining 0-0 draw I have seen in a long time. When these two meet it's always bound to be interesting. Fenerbahce enjoyed more chances in this affair, but with Galatasaray's Uruguayan goalkeeper on his game the match went to penalties. At the kick-spots, Galatasaray players managed to put two balls over the crossbar and although their keeper came to the rescure twice with two incredible saves, it was the blue and yellow who celebrated the first trophy of the season in Turkey.

#4 - Portland Timbers 2 - 4 Seattle Sounders (MLS)

We promised you this Cascadia derby would be interesting and it sure was. Obafemi Martins got on the score-sheet twice to give the visitors Seattle a 4-2 win.

#3 - Ajax 1 - 3 PSV (Eredivisie)

Another fixture from our Friday "5 Matches to Watch This Weekend" and this one did not disappoint as well. Ajax looked the stronger of the two playing in front of their home crowd. But even though they got off to a 1-0 lead, PSV capitalized on numerous defensive mistakes from the hosts in the second-half and concluded an important away affair in Amsterdam with a 3-1 win.

#2 - Everton - Arsenal (EPL)

It looked all but sealed for the Toffees when the led against London's Arsenal FC at home with just seven minuted remaining in regulation. But the Gunners had other ideas as they completed the comeback to tie the game at 2-2.

#1 - Philadelphia Union 4 - 2 San Jose Earthquake (MLS)

An unlikely choice for best match of the weekend, but this one had it all. The main spectacle in this one was the incredible goals (especially the third of the affair by San Jose midfielder Sam Cronin). After enjoying a 2-0 home lead, Philadelphia let San Jose back in the game, conceding twice. But it would be the hosts day to enjoy after all, as the Union managed to score twice more to win by a final score of 4-2.