FOOTY FAIR

Formula 1 Football Kit Concepts (Gallery)

2016-09-07T11:09:00.001-04:00

With the title race in Formula 1 heating up, we feature this awesome mash-up project by UK based designer Sean Bull who merged the world of football with that of F1 racing.

5 Odd Summer Transfers (2016)

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

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

David Luiz (PSG to Chelsea)

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

Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle to Tottenham)

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

Joe Hart (Manchester City to Torino - Loan)

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

Joleon Lescott (Aston Villa to AEK Athens)

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

Mario Balotelli (Liverpool to Nice)

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

5 British Players Who Have Succeeded Abroad

2016-08-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Premier League is awash with money these days and so the incentive for British players in their prime to try their luck with a club in Europe doesn't really exist.

The exception to that of course is if a giant such as Barcelona, Real Madrid or perhaps Bayern Munich come along with wages matching what a player could get in England, and the promise of competing in the latter stages of the Champions League.

Although there haven't historically been a lot of British players who have gone overseas and made much of an impact, the following are five who enjoyed great success:

1.) John Charles - Juventus

The big Welshman John Charles joined Italy's Juventus in 1957 from Leeds United for a then British record £65,000. He went on to enjoy five brilliant seasons in Turin, scoring 108 goals in 155 matches and impressing all with his fast, powerful and yet sporting style of play. Christened Il Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant) by Juve's adoring fans, his partnership with Omar Sívori and Giampiero Boniperti devastated defenses and led the club to three league championships and two Italian cups.

2.) Kevin Keegan - Hamburger SV

After winning virtually every major prize in club football with Liverpool, England international Kevin Keegan decided he needed a new challenge in 1977 and opted to ask the Merseysiders for a move to West German side Hamburger SV. A fee of £500,000 was agreed between the two clubs a few days before he helped Liverpool to victory in the 1977 European Cup Final. Despite a tough start to his time in Hamburg, he would go on to win back to back European Footballer of the year awards in 1978 and 1979. Keegan also helped the club to a Bundesliga title in 1978-1979 and to a place in the final of the 1980 European Cup where they would be lose to Nottingham Forest. He would leave for Southampton in the summer of 1980.

3.) Gary Lineker - Barcelona

Current BBC Match of the Day host Gary Lineker won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico for England and after a terrific goal scoring record at first Leicester and then Everton he was highly coveted by the biggest clubs across Europe. Eventually joining Barcelona for £2.8 million and he did not disappoint. Lineker bagged 21 goals in his first season in Catalonia, including a brilliant hat-trick against archrivals Real Madrid. Despite a lack of silverware in his first season at the club, he would help Barcelona win the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup Winner's Cup in 1989 before leaving for Tottenham.

4.) Chris Waddle - Olympique de Marseille

The exciting England winger and terrifically mulleted Chris Waddle joined French club Olympique de Marseille from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £4.5 million in 1989. A Marseille legend to this day, Waddle helped the club win three consecutive league titles during his three years in France.

5.) Gareth Bale - Real Madrid

After five seasons at Tottenham, where he had progressively improved to the point where he could arguably be called the most lethal attacking player in the Premier League, Real Madrid scooped up Welsh international Gareth Bale for a world record fee of €100.8 million in the summer of 2013. Despite being plagued by injuries in his first few months in Madrid, Bale helped Real win the Copa del Rey with a sensational winning goal against Barcelona with five minutes to go. A month later he scored in extra time against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Final to put Los Blancos up 2-1 on their way to an eventual 4-1 victory. The following season he scored in yet another final as Madrid went on to beat San Lorenzo 2-0 in the FIFA Club World Cup Final, and then this past season he helped his club to yet another Champions League title.

The UEFA Champions League is Back

2016-08-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

Get ready to take a frosty tall can of Heineken from the fridge, throw some pretzels in a dish, crank up the surround sound, quickly explain to your bored significant other how Ludogorets qualified for Europe and then settle down onto your well worn couch.

That's right ladies and gentlemen, the UEFA Champions League is back.

All eyes were on Monaco on Thursday for the draw and after a lot of backslapping, weak as cat piss jokes, glamorous people looking glamorous and balls coming out of pots, here is how the draw worked out:

Group A: Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, FC Basel, Ludogorets.

Group B: Benfica, Napoli, Dynamo Kiev, Besiktas.

Group C: Barcelona, Manchester City, Borussia Monchengladbach, Celtic.

Group D: Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, Rostov.

Group E: CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham, Monaco.

Group F: Real Madrid, Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon, Legia Warsaw.

Group G: Leicester City, Porto, Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb.

Group H: Juventus, Sevilla, Lyon, Dinamo Zagreb.

At a glance it looks like the four English clubs did fairly well on Thursday with Arsenal and PSG, baring a shock, getting out of Group A. fairy tale domestic champions Leicester are in a pretty even Group G with Porto, Brugge and Dinamo Zagreb, but will fancy their chances after avoiding any of the big dogs.

Manchester City will have their hands full with Barcelona, and will likely have wanted to avoid a "Battle of Britain" with Celtic, but they should emerge from Group C.

Tottenham, in the meantime will be fairly happy with how their Group E has shaped up.

Elsewhere, Group H containing Juventus, Sevilla, Lyon, and Dinamo Zagreb looks like the most competitive group. Behind the Turin giants it'll be a real battle between Sevilla and Lyon for the second spot, but don't overlook Dinamo Zagreb. The Croatia side are decent outfit and aren't usually pushovers at home.

Group F, with 2014 and 2016 Champions League winners Real Madrid coming up against Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon, Legia Warsaw should be another interesting group. Madrid will of course be the favourites to win the group, but behind them it will be fascinating to see if Dortmund under Thomas Tuchel can replicate their impressive domestic results in Europe or if they'll come unglued against Sporting or Legia.

One thing we call all agree on though, unless you support either of these two teams, is that it'll be nice to see someone finally stop Real Madrid and Bayern Munich from reaching the last four.

For the past five seasons, both clubs have made the Semi-Finals every year. Time for a change.

Throwback Thursdays: The FC Schalke 04 Scandal

2016-08-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

FC Schalke 04, one of the more famous names in German football, were involved in a scandal nearly ninety years ago that for a brief moment looked to have put the club's existence in jeopardy.

Prior to the start of the Bundesliga in 1963-1964, German football was comprised of a collection of sub-regional and part-time leagues.

In the late 1920's the regional Western German league saw the emergence of a powerful side from Gelsenkirchen who at that stage called themselves FC Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04.

The club won the title in 1929 and 1930, but on 25 August 1930, the league banned fourteen players of their players for receiving illegal payments.

After an investigation by German football authorities, it turned out that the club had paid the players ten Reichsmarks instead of the maximum five for away matches.

In an era of strict amateurism in German sport, along with economic hardship in the country, this was considered an outrage and the league had no choice but to come down heavy on Schalke.

The players, including star striker Ernst Kuzorra, were banned for the entire 1930-31 season. In addition to this, eight members of the Schalke board were suspended and sadly club treasurer Willie Nier committed suicide by drowning himself in the midst of the scandal.

It was a dark period for the club, but they would return with a vengeance by winning the 1932 and 1933 titles after the ban had run it's course.

Although Schalke have had their ups and downs in the decades since, in terms of membership they are still the second largest club in Germany behind Bayern Munich.

5 Big Name Players Big Sam Brought to Bolton Back in the Day

2016-08-23T09:54:00.001-04:00

While he has often been accused of being a man who favours a robust or long ball approach to the game, new England manager Sam Allardyce actually enjoyed eight good years at Bolton Wanderers in the previous decade, where he was able to combine tough workmanlike players with a surprising collection of skillful internationals.

Big Sam, somehow managed to stretch Bolton's meager budget to convince the following big name players to aid him in his, ultimately successful, quest to keep the Greater Manchester area club in the top flight in the early to mid-2000's:

5.) Bruno N'Gotty

Almost immediately after guiding Bolton into the Premier League in 2001, Big Sam was able to secure a loan deal for Olympique Marseille defender Bruno N'Gotty to help shore up the side's back line. Despite a rocky start to life at the Reebok Stadium, the former French international became a steady fan favourite, who made a permanent switch to the club in 2002 and then went on to five great seasons at the club.

4.) Youri Djorkaeff

In 2002, Allardyce unexpectedly secured the signature of French international Youri Djorkaeff who had played a big role in his country's victory in both the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. The classy forward would grace the Reebok for parts of three seasons before departing for Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2004.

3.) Jay-Jay Okocha

Certainly Big Sam's biggest coup while in charge of Bolton was his landing the then 28-year old Nigerian international Jay-Jay Okocha on a free transfer from Paris St-Germain in 2002. The talented player quickly showed the adoring Wanderers supporters why he had originally gone to France for £14 million only four years before turning up at the Reebok. With his incredible technique winning over the crowds, t-shirts started to turn up in Bolton with the caption "Jay-Jay Okocha: So Good They Named Him Twice".

2.) Ivan Campo

Despite being a key member of the Real Madrid side who captured the UEFA Champions League in 2000, Spanish international defender Ivan Campo had fallen out of favour at the Bernabeu two seasons later and was loaned out to Bolton in 2002. After a solid first season with the club, he was expected to return to Madrid but instead Big Sam persuaded him to sign a permanent deal to remain at the Reebok. Campo became a hero with the fans with his combative style and occasional wonder strikes, such as his 43-yard pile driver against Tottenham in August 2006. After 141 appearances for the club, he departed for Ipswich Town in 2008.

1.) Gary Speed (And Fernando Hierro - OK... That's 6 players)

The late Welsh international Gary Speed was considered over the hill when he joined Bolton from Newcastle United in 2004, but the ultra-fit and inspirational midfielder went on to form a important part of Bolton's underdog heroes. In 2005 he partnered up in the centre of the park with another surprise signing in former Real Madrid captain Fernando Hierro to help Bolton finish sixth and subsequently qualify for the UEFA Cup for the first time in the club's history.

5 Premier League Players Who Need to Find a New Club

2016-08-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

With a couple of weeks left before the transfer window slams shut, the following five Premier League players will be desperate to find another club:

1.) Joe Hart (Manchester City)

After some less than stellar performances last season for Manchester City and a few disasterous mistakes for England at Euro 2016, goalkeeper Joe Hart has lost his first team place under Pep Guardiola and is in need of a change of scenery.

2.) Yaya Toure (Manchester City)

It seems unbelievable that the driving force behind Manchester City's two recent Premier League titles could be heading for the exit, but Yaya Toure is yet another player who doesn't seem to fit into Guardiola's plans. A lucrative move to China seems like a possibility at this point.

3.) Loic Remy (Chelsea)

French forward Loic Remy, a £10.5 million signing from QPR in the summer of 2014 has fallen pretty far down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and would benefit from finding another club. He made only 13 league appearances for the Stamford Bridge outfit last season, hitting the net only once.

4.) Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United)

After an injury plagued first season at Old Trafford, which was compounded by his globe hopping following his wife's tennis career instead of focusing on his recovery, Bastian Schweinsteiger has been told that he is persona non grata at the club under new manager Jose Mourinho and has been encouraged to plan his exit strategy.

5.) Mario Balotelli (Liverpool)

It is easy to forget that Italian bad boy Mario Balotelli is still a Liverpool player. After his failed loan spell at Milan last season, and the fact that Anfield boss Jurgen Klopp has told him he is not in his plans, Balotelli may be in danger of seeing his once promising career fizzle away into obscurity.

5 Facts About the Late Joao Havelange

2016-08-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Controversial former FIFA President Joao Havelange passed away yesterday at the grand old age of 100, leaving behind a decidedly mixed legacy.

Like his protege Sepp Blatter, Havelange time at the helm of world football's governing body was clouded by allegations of corruption and financial misdeeds.

For better or worse though, the Brazilian lawyer was a driving force behind the massive reach of the World Cup and the increased commercial sponsorship money flowing into the game.

Here are five facts about the former head of FIFA:

Havelange was born into an affluent Belgian family in Rio de Janeiro on 8 May 1916. His father was an arms dealer and significant land owner.
The future FIFA supremo competed as a swimmer in the 400m and 1500m freestyle events at the notorious 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He would return to the Olympics in 1952 in Helsinki as a member of the Brazilian water polo team that finished a disappointing 13th.
From 1963 until his resignation due to ill-health in 2011, the Brazilian served as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Havelange defeated Englishman Sir Stanley Rous, the sitting FIFA President, in the 1974 FIFA presidential election in West Germany by appealing to developing nations outside of UEFA and CONMEBOL that felt they were being overlooked by world football. He promised more World Cup spots, which he delivered by eventually increasing the number of nations competing in the finals from 16 to 32. He also achieved better commercial deals in the form of lucrative arrangements with companies such as Adidas and Coca-Coca. And finally, he proposed the formation of a Youth World Cup that more nations could potentially host. While he did undoubtedly expand football's reach, the days of administrators governing the game with the aim of trying to do the best for the sport, was swept aside in place of aggressive businessmen looking to increase the commercialization of football.
While claims of Havelange's reported corruption, particularly over the awarding of marketing rights, during his time with FIFA are well known, in 1992 a Dutch newspaper claimed that Havelange had solicited numerous bribes from cities hoping to host the Olympic Games while he was a member of the IOC.

5 European Champions Relegated The Very Next Season

2016-08-15T11:25:00.001-04:00

With the Premier League now under way and newly promoted side Hull City shocking reigning title holders Leicester City in the season opener, there is a lot of talk about the odds of the already unlikely champions' odds of battling relegation during a year the Foxes are tasked with defending their title. With that in mind we take a look at five European clubs that found themselves in this exact scenario in the past.

#5 - Juventus (Italy)

Not exactly the same as the rest on this list, Italy's 2006 champions were relegated right after winning the Serie A title without even having to play another season. The club was implicated in the Calciopoli scandal for rigging matches and as a result were relegated to the lower tier. Juve managed to get back up despite point reductions.

#4 - Herfolge Boldklub (Denmark)

Danish side Herfolge BK claimed the Danish title for the first time at the end of the 1999-2000 season. While attempting to defend their title, Herfolge lost 6-0 on aggregate in their only round of the 2000-01 UEFA Champions League to Scottish champions Rangers and finished in 11th of 12 places in the Danish domestic league which sent them down to the second tier.

#3 - Manchester City (England)

While all the talk is about current champions Leicester City, it is Manchester City FC that is still the only champions of England that managed to get relegated immediately after winning the title. In 1937 City claimed their first title after finishing 3 points ahead of Charlton Athletic, all while watching bitter rivals United get relegated. The following season however, while United was getting promoted back up, City joined West Brom as the two relegated sides.

#2 - FC Nurnberg (Germany)

After winning their 10th (and so far last) German title in 1968, FC Nurnberg manager Max Merkel decided to rebuild the team with younger players. As a result, Germany's defending champions would finish 17th in the table and would be relegated to the second tier.

#1 - AC Milan (Italy)

Another Italian champion and another one that involves a scandal. After winning their 10th Italian title in 1979, AC Milan would effectively finish in third place the following season. Their involvement in an underground betting ring scandal named Totonero however, cost the club precious points which meant relegation to Serie B.

Throwback Thursdays: Beckham Announces Himself to the World (1996)

2016-08-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

On the 17th of August 1996, Manchester United kicked off the defense of their English Premier League title with a 3-0 away win over Wimbledon at Selhurst Park.

A fairly routine sounding win over a side that would be uprooted to Milton Keynes within a few years may seem to the average reader like a pretty nondescript article for a Throwback Thursday piece, but the third goal in this contest changed the life of one of United's players and catapulted him to stardom few footballers have experienced before or since.

Before that 90th minute strike though, Eric Cantona the mercurial Frenchman who had led United to the league and cup double in 1995-1996 opened the scoring with a well struck effort in the 25th minute.

The always reliable Irish left-back Denis Irwin then doubled the Reds advantage on 58 minutes.

With the points already in the bag, and the match almost at it's conclusion, David Beckham received the ball just inside his own half and spotted Neil Sullivan off his line.

Beckham, at that point had made 42 league appearances for the club and was recognized as a key piece of the young side that had taken the club to such unexpected heights the previous season. He was about to become a superstar though.

Moving up towards the halfway line, Beckham hammered a hard, looping shot towards Sullivan's goal.

Racing back to try and keep it out, the helpless Sullivan could only look on as the ball sailed past him and into the net.

Beckham would then find himself on the cover of all the major British sports pages the next day and the boy from Leytonstone would quickly become a household name.

The United winger would later say of that goal: "It changed my life. The ball seemed to be in the air for hours and it all went quiet. Then the ball went in and it just erupted. I was on cloud nine. I just wanted to shake everybody's hand and be out on the pitch for an hour."

Beckham would go from strength to strength as he helped United defend their league title that season.

Success on the pitch also led to much attention off of it, and when he started dating Spice Girl singer Victoria Adams in 1997 the famous couple came to be dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the British Press.

David Beckham the footballer, almost overnight, became Brand Beckham.

The Players Arsene Wenger Could Have Signed Select XI

2016-08-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

As Paul Pogba completed his massive £89 million move to Manchester United this week, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was probably telling a disinterested Starbucks barista that the French international was yet another of the countless players he could have signed.

Yes, even the tracksuit battling Arsenal boss himself is quick to admit that he's missed out on a few stars over the years.

With that said, the following is an 'Arsene Wenger Could Signed Select XI':

Keeper: Petr Cech

Petr Cech may have made it to Arsenal eventually, but they had a chance to get him at 18 for next to nothing, when he was playing in the Czech Republic for Škoda Plzen. Unable to secure a work permit for the player, Cech slipped through Arsenal fingers. He would later move to Rennes before finding his way to Chelsea at age 21. There he would play a massive part in four Premier League title wins and a slew of other honours.

Defence: Gerard Pique

In the summer of 2003, Wenger pulled off a coup when he managed to pry Cesc Fàbregas away from Barcelona's youth team. He almost managed to bring another La Masia product by the name of Gerard Pique, as well as a certain Argentine we'll get to in a moment, over to North London as well. Wenger opted to sign Philippe Senderos instead of Pique and the rest is history. Not one of his better decisions.

Defence: Vincent Kompany

Looking to replace Sol Campbell in the summer of 2006, Wenger had the chance to sign 20-year old Anderlecht defender Vincent Kompany but passed on him as he believed that the £5 million fee the Belgian side had put on him was too high.

Defence: Raphael Varane

Wenger claims that he spotted Raphael Varane at Lens before his move to Real Madrid in 2011, but didn't put a bid in for the talented defender.

Midfield: Cristiano Ronaldo

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was given a tour of Arsenal's London Colney training base in the summer of 2003 and seemed to be poised for a move to North London before Manchester United swept in.

Midfield: Yaya Toure

Like his brother Kolo, who did play for the Gunners for several seasons, Yaya Toure had been on the club's radar for a few years. Despite playing in a friendly for the club against Barnet in 2003 a work permit didn't materialize and Wenger lost patience, so the move fell apart.

Midfield: Paul Pogba

Manchester United's latest signing almost ended up at the Emirates after first leaving Old Trafford in 2012, according to Wenger. But Juventus moved in to fast and secured his signature.

Midfield: Claude Makele

Presented with a chance to sign a then 23-year-old Claude Makele from Nantes in 1996, Wenger chose to pass on the player who would go on to redefine the holding midfield role.

Forward: Lionel Messi

When scooping up Cesc Fàbregas from La Masia in 2003, besides Gerard Pique, Wenger also had the chance to bring in a 15-year-old named Lionel Messi. Apparently the Gunners offered him a contract, but the Argentine decided to stay at Barcelona.

Forward: Zlatan Ibrahimović

In 2000, a 19-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimović was on the verge of a £3 million move from Malmo, until Wenger asked him to play in a trial match. The Swedish striker responded with: "Zlatan doesn't do auditions", and the move broke down.

Forward: Didier Drogba

Didier Drogba, a man who had a knack for destroying Arsenal while playing for Chelsea, could have saved Wenger a lot of grief if the Gunners boss would have acted on his scout's advice and signed the Ivorian for next to nothing when he was playing for Le Mans.

5 Premier League Players With Something to Prove

2016-08-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

The 2016-2017 English Premier League season kicks off this weekend and the following are five players who have something to prove:

5.) Jamie Vardy

Last season, Jamie Vardy's astonishing 24 goal return helped Leicester City to the most unlikely league title in modern history. But can he, and Leicester, prove that last season wasn't just a one off?

4.) Wayne Rooney

There are few topics as divisive among Manchester United supporters than the current merits of captain Wayne Rooney. He has undoubtedly been a great player for the club, but his form over the past two seasons has been patchy to say the least. With new manager Jose Mourinho preferring to play him back in a forward position, rather than in midfield, it'll be interesting to see if Rooney can recapture his form of past years.

3.) John Stones

With Manchester City completing a £47.5 million deal for the highly rated John Stones, the now former Everton defender will certainly come in for some increased scrutiny this season. Like the rest of his former teammates Stones faded badly in the second half of last season, with many claiming that he tends to attempt risky maneuvers in the box, when a similar option would suffice. It'll be interesting to see how he does under new City boss Pep Guardiola.

2.) Eden Hazard

Chelsea winger Eden Hazard, who had been instrumental in the Blues title winning campaign in 2014-2015, ranged between anonymous and disastrous last season. He'll need to find his form again if he is going to impress new manager Antonio Conte.

1.) Raheem Sterling

It seems staggering now that Manchester City paid £50 million for former Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling a year ago. To say that the England international struggled last season, and again at Euro 2016 with his country, is the football understatement of the decade. Sterling's fee was always much too high, and he'll likely never quite fulfill it, but if he can recapture his Liverpool form he may just become a valuable player once again for club and country.

Join Our EPL Fantasy Football League for 2016-2017

2016-08-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

Well folks, it's time for you to take on each other and the staff here at FootyFair in this year's EPL fantasy football.

We have created a footyfair.com league within the official EPL fantasy site, and we would like our readers to join us to see who can top our league come May.

You are welcome to invite your friends by liking and sharing this post.

(New entries will be closed before match-day 2)

TO JOIN OUR LEAGUE:
https://fantasy.premierleague.com?autojoin-code=1350909-337373

LEAGUE CODE:
1350909-337373

Rio 2016: Who Would Have Been on Team Great Britain?

2016-08-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

Great Britain, after a fielding a side in the London games of 2012, have opted not to send a football team to the Olympic Games this summer in Brazil.

A lack of support from the Home Nations is the reason that Great Britain will not be competing in the men's or women's football tournaments.

The English FA was hoping to send a team to Brazil to provide valuable tournament experience for younger players, however the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish FA all rejected the proposal of a combined squad. FIFA in turn, stated that a British team could only compete in the games if all four federations were in agreement, so with that Britain is on the outside looking in.

If they had sent a side to Rio though, we here at FootyFair wondered who would have been in it?

In attempting to put together a Team GB for the Olympics, we stuck to the rule that you could only have three players in the side who were older than 23 years of age and also opted to include at least one player from each of the British and Northern Irish associations.

The following is the youthful, attacking and somewhat surprising side that we came up with:

(Age listed in parenthesis.)

GK: David Marshall (31) - Scotland

Having an experienced, and quality, keeper is critical for any successful side so I've opted to use one of Team GB's three overage picks on Cardiff City's David Marshall. Included in many pundits Premier League team of the season, two years ago, Marshall's quality is a bit overlooked because of playing for a less fashionable side, but he is a superb shot stopper who would be a safe pair of hands behind what is a very attacking side.

RB: Calum Chambers (21) - England

With a limited number of quality fullbacks to choose from, I've opted to go for the youthful promise of Calum Chambers at right back. The Arsenal youngster has excelled for England's under-21's and would benefit from playing in a big tournament such as this.

CB: John Stones (22) - England

The most sought after defender in the Premier League, Everton's John Stones might be England's most technically adept centre back since Rio Ferdinand was at his peak.

CB: Jonny Evans (28) - Northern Ireland

Although he had his ups and downs with Manchester United, Jonny Evans has had a resurgence at West Brom and showed the sort of form last season that made some question whether or not he had been sent packing from Old Trafford prematurely. A big part of Northern Ireland's run to the Round of 16 at Euro 2016, Evans would be one of my overage players in the squad.

LB: Ben Davies (23) - Wales

He may be the second string left back for Tottenham at the moment, but at Euro 2016 Ben Davies showed that might only be a temporary thing for the promising left back. In helping his country to the Semi-Finals in France he displayed the impressive form he had shown earlier in his career for Swansea.

MF: Eric Dier (22) - England

One of the few players to emerge from England's disastrous showing at the Euros with any credit, Spurs midfielder Eric Dier would hold down the middle of the park for Team GB.

MF: Dele Alli (20) - England

Although he didn't look his best at the Euros, Dele Alli, is another talented young English player for Spurs who would be a key part of Team GB. A skillful attacker, with a flair for the dramatic, the best is surely yet to come from the former Milton Keynes man.

MF: Ross Barkley (22) - England

Another talented attacker, Everton's Ross Barkley would give Team GB yet more attacking impetus from midfield.

FW: Marcus Rashford (18) - England

Manchester United's young breakout star, Marcus Rashford is as comfortable out wide as he is up top, and would play on the right of the forward line.

FW: Harry Kane (23) - England

Although he stuttered to perform at the Euros, mainly due to looking absolutely exhausted after a long season, a rested and revitalized Harry Kane would be a crucial part of Team GB's attack.

Gareth Bale (27) - Wales

What more can you say about the third overage player I've picked in Gareth Bale? He's been terrific for the last five seasons and this side would provide him with the service to cut opposition teams to ribbons.

Fine Football Art by Paine Proffitt (Gallery)

2016-08-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

With his stunning art featured in the programmes of club's such as West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland AFC and Aberdeen FC, artist Paine Proffitt's work might be familiar to some of our readers. But if you haven't seen his artwork before, I'm sure you'll enjoy discovering it as much as we did here at FootyFair.

According to his website, Paine is a self confessed 'workaholic' but his impressive output of football and baseball pieces, in particular, show that although he seems to deliver a lot of quantity, his work is certainly not lacking in quality.

Below is just a small sample of his output, but if you'd like to see more and perhaps purchase one of his stunning prints check out his website at www.paineproffitt.com

And of course, give him a follow on Twitter: @PaineProffitt

Throwback Thursdays: The 1996 Summer Olympic Games - When The Super Eagles Soared

2016-08-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

What do Jay-Jay Okocha, Kanu, Javier Zanetti, Hernan Crespo, Rivaldo and the original Ronaldo all have in common?

The answer is that they all took part in a terrific Olympic football tournament in the United States in 1996, that would see Nigeria walk away with the gold twenty years ago this week.

Football has a long, but somewhat strained, history in the Summer Olympic with early battles over whether or not professionals should be allowed to participate in the games and what in fact defined a footballer as a professional.

The timing of the Olympics also doesn't sit well with clubs in Europe in particular, as it clashes with either their preseason training or the early part of their schedules.

The importance that nations place on the Olympic football tournament also varies from country to country.

But in 1996 a talented group of youngsters from Nigeria, led by Dutch coach Jo Bonfrere, took their place in America as one of the 16 nations vying for a gold medal. They would show the world that football at an Olympic Games can be every bit as exciting as that which is played at other more prestigious tournaments.

Drawn in a opening group containing Hungary, Japan and a star studded Brazilian side, Nigeria saw off the Hungarians with a goal from Ajax star Kanu, and then crucially defeated a Japanese side who had stunned Brazil in their opener with goals from Tijani Babangida and Okocha.

Brazil, with a goal from Ronaldo, stopped Nigeria from obtaining maximum points when they defeated them 1-0 in Miami.

With Brazil, Nigeria and Japan all tied at six points at the end of the group stage, it was goal difference that saw Brazil and Nigeria advance to the Quarter-Finals at the expense of the Asian side.

A fine victory over Mexico, with goals by Okocha and future Chelsea defender Celestine Babayaro, eased the Super Eagles into a return engagement with Brazil in the Semi-Final.

Facing a Brazilian side that contained the likes of Bebeto, Juninho, Dida, Roberto Carlos and Rivaldo, to go along with "The Phenomenon" himself Ronaldo, the odds were definitely stacked against the West Africans.

When Flávio Conceição put Brazil up 1-0 with only a minute played, Nigeria's fans surely feared the worst. But with the Super Eagles playing their way back into it, they forced Roberto Carlos to slice the ball into his own net on 20 minutes to draw level.

Unbowed, Brazil's 1994 World Cup winning striker Bebeto fired the South Americans back in front on 28 minutes before Conceição doubled their advantage ten minutes later. Up 3-1 at half-time, Nigeria's dream of Olympic gold seemed to be over.

As the minutes ticked away in the second half, Brazil confidentially controlled the ball and seemed to be conserving themselves for an eventual final against their old rivals Argentina.

With just over ten minutes to play though, Monaco's Victor Ikpeba found the net from 20 metres to give his team a bit of life and then on 90 minutes the impossible happened. Kanu took advantage of a mad scramble in the box to force an equalizer and send the match into extra-time.

The 78,587 fans in Athens, Georgia had been treated to a wonderful spectacle and they were in for an incredible conclusion. Only three minutes into extra-time that man Kanu picked up the ball outside the box, dribbled around a hapless Brazil defender before dispatching the golden goal winner. It was truly one of the greatest football matches seen at an Olympic Games.

Standing in Nigeria's way in the final though was another glittering side in Argentina that contained players such as Claudio Lopez, Ariel Ortega, Roberto Ayala, Diego Simeone, Hernan Crespo and Jose Chamot in their squad.

Again, Nigeria would find themselves down early as Lopez found the net on three minutes to put the South Americans in front. Celestine Babayaro responded for the Super Eagles on 28 minutes and the sides went in at the half deadlocked at one apiece.

Hernan Crespo, who would later become the most expensive player in the world, fired Argentina ahead again from the spot on 50 minutes.

Taribo West, who would enjoy a fine career at clubs such as Auxerre, Inter and AC Milan, was devastated after allowing himself to get drawn into fouling Ortega in the box.

At that point even the most ardent Nigerian supporter could have been forgiven for thinking that their wonderful run was about to come to a disappointing conclusion.

But proving that their heroics against Brazil weren't a fluke, Nigeria kept going at their illustrious opponents and on 74 minutes Daniel Amokachi looped in an equalizer over the head of Argentine keeper Pablo Cavallero.

Deadlocked at 2-2, Argentina nearly found themselves ahead again soon after Amokachi's equalizer, when Lopez forced a fine save out of Joseph Dosu in the Nigerian goal.

Then with only a minute remaining Emmanuel Amunike beat an terribly botched offside trap by the South Americans to seal an unlikely win for the Super Eagles and an Olympic gold medal.

West Ham's Thames Ironworks Kit

2016-08-02T09:10:00.000-04:00

With the collar of a polo shirt, a charcoal grey colour scheme and a bold Union Jack patch West Ham's new commemorative kit certainly stands out.

With the entire kit costing a cool £90, and the shirt alone £55, it'll leave your wallet a bit lighter and that's considering the fact that the Hammers will only be using the kit for next Sunday's match against Juventus at the Olympic Stadium, and 'possibly' a match in the FA Cup this season.

Inspired by the club's forerunners Thames Ironworks FC, part of me thinks this offering is kind of unique and interesting, while another part of me thinks that this is the football kit equivalent of BREXIT.

Some Historic Facts About Football at the Olympic Games

2016-08-01T10:16:00.000-04:00

With the 2016 Summer Olympics just a few days away we take a look at the history of football at the games.

Every tourney but two

Football has been a part of every Olympics except for two. The game was not played during the inaugural games in Athens, Greece in 1896 and again during the 1932 games hosted in Los Angeles.

Club over country

The first two Olympics in which football was involved consisted of clubs that represented their countries. When Great Britain won the first Olympic football tournament in 1900, it was actually Upton Park FC that came out on top ahead of clubs from France and Belgium.

Women welcome

The women's football tournament was included for the first time in 1996 when the summer games were hosted in Atlanta.

Hungary yet?

Along with Great Britain, Hungary is the most successful nation in the history of Olympic men's football with both nations having won 3 gold medals. While the former has not won a gold medal in the summer games since 1912, Hungary's last gold came at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.

Surprising medalists

Because football at the Olympics is generally comprised of younger players, an unexpected run from nations otherwise unnoticable on football's world stage is more common at the Olympic games. In 1904 for example, Canada were handed the tournament's gold medal when amateur club Galt FC came ahead of two American clubs.

The communist side of Germany (East Germany) have earned three Olympic medals in consecutive years. In 1972 in Munich Eastern Germany shared a bronze with communist friends USSR, while at the following games in Montreal the Eastern Germans reached the pinnacle of their footballing history with a gold medal performance. In 1980 in Moscow they were on the podium once more as a loss to Czechoslovakia in the final handed Eastern Germany a silver.

Another example of unliklu medalists was on display once more as both Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 supplied football fans with back-to-back African gold medalists with Nigeria and Cameroon winning the two tournaments respectively.

No gold or silver for Asia

The Asian continent is the only that has yet to produce a gold medal performance at the men's tournament of the Olympic games. Japan was the first Asian nation to reach football podium at the 1968 games in Mexico City when they eliminated the host nation at the 3rd place match. The last Olympic games in 2012 hosted in London, two Asian teams reached the 3rd place match, as South Korea overcame former bronze medalists Japan to claim their first football medal at the games.

At the womens tournament however, Japan claimed Asia's first Olympic football silver after losing at the final of the 2012 tournament in London to the United States.

USA's success

The United States of America is the most successful footballing nation in the history of the Olympics. That of course is due largely to their dominant performances in the womens tournament, with all 4 of their gold and 5 of their total 7 medals coming via the US Womens National Team.

The nation's two mens football medals at the Olympics (silver & bronze) were both "won" at the 1904 games in a tournament that consisted of just three squads. While a Canadian club claimed the gold, the US were handed silver and bronze for coming in as the last two teams of the three-team tournament.

Goals galore

Hungary's striker Ferenc Bene holds the record of scoring the most Olympic goals in a single tournament with a tally of 12 goals at the 1964 games in Tokyo, Japan. Scoring in every match but one including the match-winning goal at the final, Bene's most impressive performance was Hungary's very first match against Morocco when Bene managed to score every goal in his nation's 6-0 victory.

5 Surprising Facts About the 1966 World Cup

2016-07-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Fifty years ago today, England, the nation that had given the world it's most popular sport, defeated West Germany to claim the Jules Rimet Trophy as winners of the eighth FIFA World Cup.

While every English football fan knows that the final score on that sunny day at Wembley Stadium on 30 July 1966 was 4-2, the following are five facts about the 1966 World Cup that you might not be aware of:

5.) Bobby Moore Was Lucky to be Playing

Unbeknownst to the general public and even his teammates for club and country, England captain Bobby Moore was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1964 and had to have a testicle surgically removed. He missed several months of play with a reported "groin injury", but battled back to lead West Ham to victory over 1860 Munich in the final of the 1965 European Cup Winners Cup a year before his heroics with England.

4.) Greyhound Racing Forced France and Uruguay Out of Wembley

With France due to take on Uruguay in an opening group stage match at Wembley Stadium, on a Friday night, a scheduling conflict arose. Wembley typically hosted greyhound racing on Fridays, so with this being England, obviously the World Cup match had to be moved. The eventual venue was London's White City Stadium, an athletics ground that had been built for the 1908 Summer Olympics.

3.) Helmut Haller Stole the Match Ball

After the final whistle of the 1966 World Cup Final, the match ball should have by rights gone to England's hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst. However, West Germany's Helmut Haller, who had opened the scoring that day, strode off the pitch with the ball under his arm while England were busy celebrating their historic win. Thirty years later a campaign by writers from the Daily Mirror bought the ball home and it now resides in the National Football Museum in Manchester.

2.) Pickles the Dog Found the Trophy

Just months before the finals, the Jules Rimet trophy went on display at a London stamp exhibition. Despite 24-hour surveillance, thieves somehow manged to steal the trophy from it's display case. An embarrassed English FA was sent a ransom note, but nothing came of it and there was a real danger that another trophy would need to be commissioned. Six days after it's disappearance though a man named David Corbett was pulled over towards some bushes in London's Beulah Hill district by his dog Pickles, where they uncovered the World Cup trophy wrapped in newspaper.

1.) North Korea Benefited From an African Boycott

With only sixteen qualifying places up for grabs, FIFA decided to allocate only a single qualifying spot for the winner of a four-way playoff between three African group winners and the Asian zone winner. An incensed African Federation, who were also angered by apartheid South Africa initially being allowed to participate in World Cup qualifying, withdrew from the World Cup. Asian group winners North Korea were then left to face off against OCEANIA's Australia, who they duly hammered 9-2 across two legs. At the finals, the North Koreans would go on to stun Italy 1-0 at Middlesbrough's old Ayresome Park with a goal by Pak Doo-ik to see themselves through to the Quarter-Finals at the Azzurri's expense.

NFL to Soccer Mash-Up by Noah Qehzy

2016-07-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

If you've visited our site in the past you've probably realized that we absolutely love the so-called "mash-up" projects. This one comes to us via Philadelphia-based digital artist Noah Qehzy who decided to design football (or should I say soccer) kits for each of the National Football League teams. With the NFL preseason kicking off in just about a week and many European soccer leagues also set to begin shortly, this just seems like a pretty awesome way to get excited about both sports.

You can cheque Noah out on Twitter @Qehzy

Pokemon GO? Not on Mourinho's Watch

2016-07-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Pokemon Go, the augmented reality game for smart phones that sweeping the planet and causing some chuckleheads to walk onto train tracks has been one of the biggest stories of the summer.

People from all walks of life have bought into the game, even professional footballers and it's easy to see the attraction.

According to sources within Manchester United though, new manager Jose Mourinho isn't a big fan of the game and has warned his players that it's an unnecessary distraction in the build-up to matches.

Therefore the Portuguese boss has told the players that they have to abstain from any Pokemon Go hi-jinks for at least 48 hours before a match. He would prefer that they concentrate on the tactics the squad has been working on.

Mourinho isn't a complete technophobe though, as he regularly updates his own Instagram with updates about his job and life away from the training pitch, but he'd better not find out that Phil Jones has walked straight into a brick wall while trying to catch a Pikachu.

5 Transfers That Changed Everything

2016-07-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

With the Paul Pogba to Manchester United saga continuing to rumble on and a mooted £110 million fee being discussed, it's little wonder that people are questioning whether or not the French midfielder is worth it.

The following are five previous transfers, and their sizable fees at the time, that shook the football world:

5.) Alf Common - £1,000 - Sunderland to Middlesbrough (1905)

Hoping to avoid relegation from the top flight, Middlesbrough signed England international forward Alf Common from Sunderland in February 1905 for a record breaking £1,000. The first four figure transfer was considered a scandal in Britain, with questions even raised in the House of Commons about the deal. Boro were blasted for trying to buy their safety and one paper even likened a transfer of this type to the slave trade. Common though went about his work and scored the goals to keep Boro in the old First Division. He would stay with the club for five years before moving on to Woolwich Arsenal.

4.) David Jack - £10,890 - Bolton Wanderers to Arsenal (1928)

Legendary manager Herbert Chapman acquired the key piece for his all conquering Arsenal side of the 1930's when he brought in Bolton's high scoring inside forward David Jack for £10,890. Despite what was considered an obscene amount of money at the time, Bolton were actually asking £13,000 for Jack. Chapman though, rather craftily got their representatives drunk before getting them to agree to the lessor fee. Jack would score 113 goals in 181 appearances for the Gunners and help the club to three league titles and an FA Cup win.

3.) Luis Suárez Miramontes - £142,000 - Barcelona to Inter Milan (1961)

Considered to be one of Spanish football's greatest ever players, Luis Suárez Miramontes became the subject of football's first ever six figure transfer deal when he moved from Barcelona to Inter Milan for £142,000 in 1961. Inter would see it as money well spent as Suárez was an integral part of the side that won two European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups in the mid-1960's.

2.) Diego Maradona - £5,000,000 - Barcelona to Napoli (1984)

Napoli became the first football club to break the million pound mark when they signed forward Giuseppe Savoldi from Bologna for £1,200,000 in 1975. Although Savoldi did well enough with the club, leading them to a Coppa Italia win in his first season, he didn't help them land their first ever Serie A title. So nine years later, the Naples club shattered the transfer record again when they brought in the Argentine legend Diego Maradona for £5,000,000. Still a hero in the city to this day, Maradona led the club to two league titles, a Coppa Italia, and a UEFA Cup.

1.) Gareth Bale - £83,000,000 - Tottenham to Real Madrid (2013)

Since the summer of 2000, the transfer record has been broken five times by one club: Real Madrid. The Spanish giants latest record breaking move came when they swooped in for Spurs winger Gareth Bale in 2013. In his three seasons at the club, Bale has helped the club to two UEFA Champions League titles.

#BlameItOnTheJelly - How Minnesota United FC Responded to A Terrbiel Own Goal

2016-07-24T08:59:00.001-04:00

If you haven't seen it just yet, an own goal from Minnesota United FC's goalkeeper earlier this week was making its rounds around the internet as a possible contender for one of the worst own-goals in the history of the sport.

The own-goal:

Although the goal, which slipped from keeper Sammy Ndjock's hand and into the back of his own net during a friendly against English side AFC Bournemouth was in fact pretty silly, a true football fan knows that in sport mistakes such as Ndjock's do happen every once in a while and the club used the moment of madness to its advantage by releasing a pretty funny response.

Hashtag "Blame It On The Jelly" (#BlameItOnTheJelly) was used with a video designed to humorously explain just what happened during that match.

The Response:

The Best Serie A Goals from 2015-16 Season (Video)

2016-07-22T10:03:00.003-04:00

With the 2016-17 Serie A season, which will mark Italy's 115th top tier competition, about to kick-off exactly a month from now, we take a look at the league's absolute best goals from the 2015-16 season.

From Eder's impressive footwork, to Paulo Dybala's incredible ability to curve the ball, last season in Serie A provided fans with some incredible net rattling tallies.

Throwback Thursdays: Brazil 1970 - The Greatest World Cup Side of Them All

2016-07-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

On 21 June 1970, the side who are often cited as the greatest team to ever grace a World Cup, Mario Zagallo's Brazil, defeated Italy 4-1 in Mexico City.

The flowing football played by the Brazilians in the final, was encapsulated by Carlos Alberto's wondrous team goal that rounded off the scoring.

With Tostão picking up the ball in his own half with five minutes to play, he casually rolled the ball back to Brito who then moved it on to Clodoaldo who rather brilliantly dribbled past four Italian players. Pele, Gérson and Clodoaldo then played played the ball around in an intricate triangle, toying with their opponents in an embarrassingly easy manner. Clodoaldo then sent the ball wide left to Rivelino who found Jairzinho streaking down the line. Brazil's leading scorer then clipped the ball to Pele who rolled a perfect pass out to Carlos Alberto, who lashed the ball home.

In the forty-six years since this final, it's hard to recall a better team goal. This was Joga Bonito at it's finest.

It was also a crowning achievement for Pele after he had vowed to never play in the World Cup again after being kicked off the pitch by Bulgarian and Portuguese defenders in 1966 and missing most of Brazil's 1962 campaign with injury.

Going back on that decision in 1969, he became the centerpiece for a rebuilt Brazilian side that featured legends such as Rivelino, Jairzinho, Gérson, Carlos Alberto Torres, Tostão and Clodoaldo.

It has been forgotten in the dusty pages of history though that it was not a dead certainty that they would lift the Jules Rimet Trophy for a third time that summer.

Brazil had changed managers before the finals, and many observers felt that there were simply too many artists and not enough workers in their squad. Zagallo, who had won the World Cup twice as a player (1958 and 1962), would go some way in proving any of the doubters wrong.

Paired with England, Romania and Czechoslovakia in the opening group stage, they kicked off their campaign with a thumping 4-1 win over the Czechs.

In perhaps their toughest match of the finals, they saw off the reigning champions from England 1-0 in their second opening group match to effectively secure their place in the Quarter-Finals. They would edge past Romania 3-2 to take the top spot in the group.

In the first knockout round, they would coast past Peru 4-2, with Tostão scoring a couple of terrific goals.

A 3-1 victory over Uruguay in the Semi-Finals saw Brazil through to the final, where they would brush aside a talented Italian squad.

In summarizing the Seleção's triumph, sports writer Jeff Powell commented: "Brazil '70 were a team of superstars dedicated not just to a cause but an ideal, a dream of what football should be."

A fitting tribute to a wonderful side.