July 2011
2 posts
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Plenty to Enjoy at the Women's World Cup
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London.
In the words of my unimpressed girlfriend as she caught me hunched in front of the computer screen in my darkened front room: “Bloody hell. You must be desperate!”
And in a sense, I was. My girlfriend was disappointed, but I was starting to get football withdrawal symptoms. In a fallow summer devoid of any meaningful action for an avid England fan, I...
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June 2011
1 post
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Ashley Young at United – Slippery Snip or...
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London
Ashley Young’s arrival at Old Trafford has been met with mixed reaction amongst Manchester United fans. At around £15m some say he’s good value English talent when compared to the £20m Liverpool paid to bring in Jordan Henderson from Sunderland, but could he end up being a £15m bench warmer?
The major bone of contention seems to be the conundrum of where he...
May 2011
2 posts
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Alas, Poor Ollie
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London
“If we can go to Man Utd and get something and that keeps us up, I think that will be the best story that I’ve ever read or seen unfold - never mind anything that William Shakespeare’s ever written.” – Ian Holloway
Fifty-seven minutes of Blackpool’s do-or-die last game of the season again Manchester United had elapsed. Vaughan whips a delicious cross into the...
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To Survive, or not to Survive - Holloway's...
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London
Finally the fateful day has arrived - Survival Sunday. Come this evening we’ll all know who will be joining poor old Scott Parker’s West Ham in The Championship and who will be staying up to enjoy another season of fun and frolics in the Premier League. One man no-one will want to see go down, though, is Blackpool’s fantastically entertaining manager Ian...
February 2011
2 posts
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A Shandy-Manc* on the Sandy Banks of Marseille
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London.
*Shandy-Manc noun - A Manchester United supporter with highly dubious or non-existent ties to either the city of Manchester or Manchester United football club itself, esp. from South of England. See also: ‘plastic Manc’, ‘glory hunter’, ‘Oliver Sparrow’.
Last week A Football Report was given an exclusive opportunity to go behind the scenes at the...
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A Football Report: Newcastle In Best Comeback Ever →
afootballreport:
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London What a fantastic game of football - I think I’ve just about managed to recover my breath. The beautiful game doesn’t get much better than this. I can’t recall having watched a better match than this in any league, cup competition or major final.
In a…
December 2010
3 posts
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AFR Podcast - Capturing the Game with Ryu Voelkel
Subscribe to the AFR Podcast on iTunes or listen on Soundcloud
Growing up in Japan, Ryu usually only had the photos in the newspaper to assist his imagination in developing the scenery and atmosphere surrounding some of the biggest matches in football. And his imagination has yet to let him down…
Oliver Sparrow, Ulysse Pasquier, and Eric & Jordan Beard of the AFR Team were lucky...
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Hughton Relegated, Pardew Promoted?
[Alan Pardew is the next lucky man to be taken for a ride on the managerial merry-go-round by Mike Ashley…]
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London
As discussed in our most recent AFR podcast, Newcastle United have this week parted company with their manager Chris Hughton after only sixteen games of the Premier League season after guiding them back to the top flight this year. News today has...
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The AFR Team has its say on the curious cases of...
The AFR team is sharing its diverse perspectives on the drama that unfolded yesterday in Switzerland in a series of posts throughout the next day or so. The series features perspectives from our writers who call places like Montreal, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, London, Manilla, Boston, and Lisbon home. We continue with the thoughts of Oliver Sparrow, a deflated England fan writing from...
November 2010
5 posts
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Tumblr, is it the perfect time to sponsor a...
By Eric Beard (Boston). Photos By Oliver Sparrow (London).
As most of our readers know, here at A Football Report we use the Tumblr platform for the site. Tumblr has been expanding at a nearly exponential rate and is quickly becoming one of the most popular websites in the world. Period. It’s not too farfetched to say that Tumblr is becoming the envy of the internet. But despite its immense...
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A Football Report: Brace Yourselves for Wembley... →
By Oliver Sparrow and Ulysse Pasquier, writing from London and Montreal Join Oli & Ulysse as they foretell of a Wellington versus Napoleon-esque encounter between the two old foes of England & France at Wembley tomorrow evening (8pm GMT)
“Friends, football fans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Blanc.
I address you at a time of great peril for our nation, for our Gallic...
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A Football Report: Nominate A Football Report as... →
This is the football website that I write for and I would be most grateful if you could take a second to nominate us for some awards. Thanks!
The year is slowly but surely coming to a close and nominations for the annual awards for sites focused on football are now being accepted! It seems like it’s been ages, but AFR has only been around for a little over a year which is why we would...
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A Football Report: AFR's 3rd Podcast - Chateau De... →
AFR’s third podcast - hosted by yours truly, Oli Sparrow. Enjoy!
Listen to the Podcast on iTunes!
Download or Share on Soundcloud!
The AFR team remembers Paul the Octopus, gets nostalgic about post-football careers in reference to Zidane’s recent role in the “Zidane Position” with Real Madrid, talks about the Premier…
October 2010
8 posts
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Cheeky Chip: Paul the Octopus R.I.P. →
Paul the octopus, the eight-armed Nostradamus of the deep, has died at his aquarium in Germany.
The clairvoyant cephalopod enthralled the whole planet during this summer’s World Cup in South Africa by predicting the outcome of all of Germany’s seven matches, as well as predicting…
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The Second AFR Podcast - Ugly Rooney
Download the Podcast on iTunes.
The AFR Team convened once again to talk the footy. This week we were lucky enough to be joined by Brentford FC’s David Hunt as we preview his club’s midweek Carling Cup match against Birmingham City. We also talked about Wayne Rooney, the week that was in the Premier League and the Champions League, Barcelona’s recent membership changes, and the recent dark...
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Little Pea Saves The Day For Struggling United
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London United stuttered to their first away win of the season after they scraped a 2-1 victory over a battling Stoke side at the Britannia stadium.
It was a match that United had to win, starting off the day an already massive eight points behind Chelsea. The first ten minutes were probably the brightest in the whole game for United, and they dominated play from...
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A Football Report: Listen to the first ever AFR... →
The First Ever AFR Podcast
Oliver Sparrow (London), Eric Beard (Atlanta), Ulysse Pasquier (Montreal), Darshan Joshi (Sydney), and Nick Lichtenberg (New York City) of the A Football Report team talk about everything in the world of football ranging from the 2018/2022 World…
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Mirko's Pants-Party Comes to Town
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London Tonight at Wembley a resurgent England face a Montenegro side who have perhaps unexpectedly won their first three qualifying games. The side from former Yugoslavia lie top of the table with 9 points after consecutive 1-0 victories over Wales, Bulgaria and Switzerland. Their most recent win has left manager of the Swiss team Ottmar Hitzfeld in a precarious...
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M.O.T.D. R.I.P.?
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London Stan Collymore unleashed a scathing attack on BBC’s ‘Match of the Day’ via Twitter last week, calling it ‘stale, clichéd and smug pap’.
Usually I don’t agree with Mr. Collymore, whose outspoken and brusque views are often ill-considered and unsupported by valid evidence, but on this occasion I can see where he’s coming from. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge...
September 2010
6 posts
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The Anchoring Trap, the Joy of Meaninglessness,...
By Eric Beard, who finally turned 21 today
A friend of mine said to me Wednesday morning, “How many goals do you think Chelsea will win by? No way they put six in again, right? I think Newcastle will put up a good fight, so Liverpool will probably outscore Chelsea for once.” The Anchoring Trap is, simply, over-relying on your first thoughts. So if I asked (an ill-informed) you, “How many...
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Houllier wants Michael Owen
Words by Dominic Vieira, picture by Moi
Aston Villa’s newly appointed manager Gerard Houllier will be busy strengthening the squad during the January transfer window but with restricted funds. The Birmingham based club have 3 strikers at their disposal but none possess the characteristics of a poacher or a goalscoring number 9. The manager has pinpointed Michael Owen as the prime target and...
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Wayne Rooney to be the next Galactico?
Words by Dominic Vieira, picture by Moi
The Red half of Manchester has gone silent. It’s been the transfer rumour of the week, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney could be joining Real Madrid at the end of the season for a fee worth €70m- €100m (£58m - £83m). The England striker is reported to be unahppy with life in England and after the recent infidelity tabloid stories were published, a move...
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Gerrard the Jam in Capello's Swiss-Roll
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By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London As I turned up on a dreary night to a dreary pub and sat down in front of the TV with my flat, dreary pint of lager, I was fully expecting to be slowly numbed into a subdued state of lethargy by a dreary stalemate played out in the pouring rain of Basle. Having followed Switzerland as my second team over a number of years, I fully knew what to expect....
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Defensive Worries for New-Look England
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London England go into their first Euro 2012 qualification game against Bulgaria at Wembley tomorrow night with a very different squad from that of the World Cup in South Africa.
David James and Ledley King have both been left out by Capello. James’ omission is most likely to be due to Capello giving the younger ‘keepers a chance with one eye on James’ advancing...
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Mikel Arteta For England?
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London Mikel Arteta and his potential eligibility to play for England is one of the hottest topics buzzing around the English media at the moment.
Arteta has now resided in England for five years, after joining the Toffees in 2005, meaning he is now eligible to apply for British citizenship. He has never represented his native Spain at full international level,...
August 2010
6 posts
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Joey Barton's Moustache
Does anyone else think that Joey Barton is looking increasingly similar to Ian Rush as his ‘tache grows ever thicker? They really could be ‘brothers from another mother’. I have an intense dislike for Joey Barton - I often wonder how he’s not in jail. However, I admire his crusade to bring back ‘taches to the Premier League, along with his other Newcastle compatriots. The world is definitely a...
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Javier Hernandez - little 'pee'
On a night out in Manchester, Javier’s new team-mates finally realise where his nick-name originated from…
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England 2-1 Hungary: Match Review
By Oliver Sparrow, who was watching the game at Wembley
This was not a good England team performance by any stretch of the imagination. England only won courtesy of two fantastic Steven Gerrard goals, which on most days wouldn’t have gone in. England must also remember that they managed to go one-nil down to a very average international team with no world-class players. A better team would have...
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Premier League Shirts 2010-11 - what's in Vogue?
Ladies rejoice, it’s that wonderful time of year again. It’s almost Fall and time to hit the shops for your new Premier League blouse! We review each club and let you know which beautiful blouse you should be donning this season.
Arsenal
Home – A classic design. Arsenal fans will be slipping into this little number like it’s their favourite little black dress. The ruby red will really help bring...
What are your Premier League Predictions?
cheekychip:
By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London
With only eight days to go until the kick-ff of the new Premier League season, what are your predictions?
Alright, so Blackpool winning the title is about as likely as Alex Ferguson leaving United to become England manager, or Sepp Blatter embracing the use of video technology, but what do AFR’s readers really think will happen this year?
...
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Javier Hernandez: Manchester's Little Pea
In April, when Manchester United announced the £7m signing of Javier Hernandez from Mexican side Chivas de Guadalajara, few people batted an eyelid. In fact, the more cynical side of me thought it might have been another of United’s not-so-subtle ploys to garner some more international ‘fans’ (shirt-buyers). Does anyone remember Dong-Fangzhuo, the Chinese striker who made the United first XI on...
July 2010
4 posts
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Barca and Fabregas - A Stunt Too Far?
As the Spain team partied in front of 200,000 ecstatic fans in Madrid, it was impossible not to feel happy for the lucky guys. In fact, a giant smile spread across my face as I watched videos on the news of the team travelling through endless red swathes of party people. As an England fan, I can only imagine what that sense of widespread, shared elation must feel like. However, the heady mix of...
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Luis Suarez: Hero or Villain?
One the eve of The Netherlands’ semi-final against Uruguay, one man in particular will be notorious by his absence. Luis Suarez’s dramatic volleyball-style clearance off the line in the last minute of extra time of Uruguay’s quarter-final match against Ghana has divided the opinions of football fans across the world. Whilst Uruguayans are calling his actions ‘the hand of god’ and ‘hand of an...
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June 2010
16 posts
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Should FIFA Introduce Goal-line Technology?
In honour of the embarrassing goal-denying gaffe in the England v. Germany round of 16 match. Come on Sepp, give us a good reason for not bringing in goal line technology. Any answer will do - just stop hiding you stubborn old Swiss git.
Can anyone else think of a good reason to not bring it in?
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England v. Germany - the magic of '66 and all...
As the England v. Slovenia game drew to a close after ninety minutes of painful tension there was a brief explosion of delirium and relief – for about five seconds. Then the news came through of Landon Donovan’s dramatic late winner against Algeria and the slow realisation set in that England were going to have to play their self-imposed old foes and enemies, Germany.
If Rooney or Defoe had put...
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Yah-BOO-sucks: Disquiet on the terraces
Wayne Rooney’s outburst at booing England fans at the end of the 0-0 draw with Algeria prompted a tidal wave of online debate. Lots of England fans felt the striker should be dropped after his post-match antics, but a rather lame apology on his behalf was released by the English FA and that seems to have calmed the situation somewhat. More interesting than Rooney’s actions, though, were the...
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Reality Football: Welcome to the Game
Reality Football is a photographic project by Alan Powdrill. It focuses on portraits of the unsung heroes of Sunday Leagues, Pub teams and local parks from all over the UK – and their genuine love for the game. The timing of the exhibition allows a stark juxtaposition to the overpaid, world-famous stars of this summer’s World Cup. The comparison was brought into even sharper focus by having the...
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England's Problems
Like every cloud, Rob Green’s horrible mistake against the USA had a silver lining, and that was to hide the multitude of other problems that England will have to address and overcome if they are to win the world cup. Obviously though, Fabio Capello will have to decide whether he wants to keep Green as his number one. Does he risk him making another awful mistake, or does he think he is mentally...
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World Cup Match Day 2
England 1 – 1 USA
This was the real blockbuster game of Match Day 2. The excitement and tension in England was almost too much to bear at times. The American starting line-up was much as expected, but it was the England starting XI that was to draw the most media attention. Robert Green was to start in goal, keeping out the more experienced David James and the in-form Joe Hart. The much talked...
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A Truly Dedicated England World Cup Fan →
This guy has had a genius idea - and the dedication to make it happen. I love that it’s in his Mum’s front room! Hilarious.
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World Cup kick-off - not long now!
One more sleep ‘til it’s finally here, Flags will wave and crowds will cheer, England will gorge on barbeques and beer, It’s the wonder of the great World Cup.
A few small hours ‘til the party starts, There’ll be grown men roaring with all their hearts, Wives and girlfriends and trophy tarts, Supporting their boys at the great World Cup.
A matter of minutes ‘til the posturing stops, Fabio can...