Odd Soccer

Roy Hodgson: not who England want, but perhaps what they need

Tue, 01 May 2012 14:10:22 +0100

By Oliver Sparrow, writing from London

So, the FA have finally got their man. The man they have been so patiently waiting for. The man everyone loves. The man doing so well in the Premier League. The man so obviously the right choice for the England job – Roy Hodgson.

“What!?” – I hear you cry. That’s right, Roy Hodgson. The FA have refused to be harangued by old ‘Arry’s chums in the media. They’ve even ignored the unbounded tweeting wisdom of Messrs Ferdinand and Rooney. Instead of the knee-jerk appointment of Harry Redknapp which so many expected, and perhaps desired, they have taken a measured approach, thought carefully, and hired the man who they believe fits the bill.

It’s not the big statement, marquee managerial appointment that was widely expected. Then again, where has that got England in the past? Keegan was brought in in 1999 to inject some passion and vibrancy. Misguided passion translated into poor results and bad tactics. Sven was brought in to replace Keegan. A calm Scandinavian head to steady the ship. Eventually the press along with the FA grew tired of poor old Sven, despite fairly decent results, and appointed his English understudy Steve McClaren. This short-sighted appointment resulted in the Wally with the brolly failing to even qualify for Euro 2008. By then it really was time for a change. Bring on Fabio Capello – the man whose mantelpiece isn’t long enough to hold all of his winners’ medals. Surely if he can’t guide England to success, no-one can… Turned out the players didn’t much care for his regimented approach. Not having a firm grasp of the English language probably didn’t help, either.

Using the same reactionary logic, the next manager should be an Englishman who the press and the players get on with – Harry Redknapp. He seemed nailed-on. The man who all the players seem to adore. The man to bring back some passion and enthusiasm to the dressing room. Not the entirely more reserved Hodgson, whose star had dramatically faded after a torrid tenure at the helm of an ailing Liverpool side. Hodgson is the logical choice, though…

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Plenty to Enjoy at the Women's World Cup

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 19:18:25 +0100

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 decided to tune in to the quarter-final of the Women’s World Cup in Germany between England and France – and I’m glad I did.

I’ll be honest – I’ve been more than a little critical of women’s football in general over the years. The women’s FA Cup final has often been on terrestrial TV, and I’ve tried to watch it a few times with little success. It seems like football, and it seems competitive, but just not competitive enough to will my legs to stop wandering into the kitchen to make a cup of tea and read the paper. But before I kick off a raging AFR battle of the sexes argument – this isn’t a sexist thing at all. It’s just that the standard of football in every women’s game I had watched prior to the match last night was a long way from that which I am used to when watching Premier League matches every weekend. Just as I would be loath to watch a Nationwide Conference game as opposed to a Premier League or La Liga clash, I quite frankly couldn’t be bothered to sit down and watch a top-level women’s game when there is a better level of football to be watched elsewhere. The quality on offer just hasn’t been high enough to hold my attention. I know I’m spoilt, but I’m a Manchester United fan living near London – what can you expect? If I was a ‘real’ fan I’d be watching my local team St Albans City battle it out in the Southern Premier League (two leagues below the conference), but you’re probably more likely to find me down the local with a pint, watching the Premier League on Sky Sports. What a sham I am.

afootballreport: The Copa América Contest - The rules are...

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:05:33 +0100

afootballreport:

The Copa América Contest - The rules are simple and stated in the picture above. If you need some new soccer apparel, you’re in luck. Want the new Argentina jersey or the new soccer jersey of your club or country? Then go on and make your predictions!

Ashley Young at United – Slippery Snip or Expensive Bench Warmer?

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:06:53 +0100

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 will fit in at United. In Nani and Valencia, Ferguson already has two of the Premier League’s best wingers and it’s hard to see how Young will go about displacing either of the pair. Young was utilized predominantly on the left wing for Villa, but this is the wing that Nani plays on when Valencia is fit.

The chances of Fergie dropping Valencia in favor of Young are fairly slim. The Ecuadorian winger has been in fine form since returning at the tail-end of last season from a horrific leg break against Rangers. He offers United the perfect out-ball from defence with his searing pace and impressive upper-body strength. He can muscle players of the ball and bustle his way to the byline – a tactic that Young’s sleight frame denies him from employing. His development in the last couple of years has been impressive and his ability to provide an end product on a consistent basis has improved massively.

If Valencia is to keep his place in the starting XI then Young must push out Nani. Had Young signed at this time last season, then most fans would have probably fancied his chances at achieving this. However, Nani has had a brilliant season in which he scored 9 goals and ended as the Premier League’s top provider with 18 assists. When Rooney was struggling for form in the first half of the season, Nani kept United in the hunt for trophies almost single-handedly at times. His form did drop toward the end of the season, culminating in his omission from the Champions League final squad, but his overall performance levels across the season as a whole cannot be overlooked.

Young’s best bet at pushing out Nani is that he is a more accomplished player on the left wing. Even though he is not naturally left-footed, he can still provide crosses with either foot and is more likely to provide a telling cross than his Portuguese counterpart who all-too-often cuts back inside onto his right foot and unleashes a thunderbolt into row Z. Fergie doesn’t often employ two orthodox wingers in his line-up, though. The game-plan is usually to dominate the midfield, and this is hard to do with two players constantly hugging the touchline. One thing Fergie is sure to demand of Young is more tracking back and more desire to win the ball back once possession has been lost.

Word on the grapevine is that Nani might be unhappy at United and is fed up with being left on the bench, or even omitted entirely as in the CL final. Newspaper reports seem to indicate that Juventus have been sniffing around and that they might be weighing up a bid to test the waters at Old Trafford. It would seem foolhardy for Ferguson to let him go, though. He proved how much of an attacking threat he can be last season and his assist record stands for itself. It would be a waste of all those years of development if he were to be cast away just when it looks as if he is coming into full bloom. True, he can be infuriating to watch at times; still too often picking the wrong choice when the ball is at his feet, but he is also capable of that moment of pure magic that can change a game. Not many players have that.

Young can also play as a second striker, but again it seems that this is a position that United have already got ample cover in. Rooney tends to play as a second striker a lot of the time, either supporting Berbatov or Hernandez. There’s no way Young would replace Rooney – that is simply out of the question. He will also never replace out-and-out strikers like Berbatov and Hernandez. Young is a good finisher, just as he proved against Switzerland in England’s recent Euro 2012 qualifier, but his main threat as a forward is his pace, and United already have that in their speedy Gonzalez Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez who looks set to build further his promising striking relationship with Rooney in the coming season.

On all fronts, then, it looks very much as if Young is trumped by the players that United already have. Competition for places is always a healthy thing, but whoever is left out is going to be unhappy, and that is something that Fergie will have to control in the dressing room. Manchester United and England fans alike will be hoping that Ferguson and United can develop Young into the accomplished winger that he has so long promised to be, but as he knocks on the door of his 26^th birthday, there’s not much time left for development. World-class winger or skilled substitute – only time will tell.

Alas, Poor Ollie

Tue, 24 May 2011 11:46:23 +0100

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 box and Taylor-Fletcher produces the unlikeliest of deft finishes to send his Blackpool side 2-1 up and the Seasiders into delirium. Cue commentator’s cliché: ‘You just couldn’t write this’. Holloway’s best story ever was starting to unfold right before our very eyes. But then Shakespeare turned in his grave…

To Survive, or not to Survive - Holloway's Blackpool Dilemma

Tue, 24 May 2011 11:45:11 +0100

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 Holloway.

He is a man who possesses a wonderful way with words and his post-match interviews will be sorely missed should Blackpool be relegated today. However, the fear of the drop will have been hanging over ‘Ollie’s head for the past few weeks now. As he wrestles with the prospect of life in The Championship, I wonder what thoughts might be running through Ian’s mind…

A Shandy-Manc* on the Sandy Banks of Marseille

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:18:48 +0000

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 Marseille versus Manchester United Champions League game in the South of France and was granted the chance to go and watch my beloved Red Devils play away from home by the gracious and generous Eric Beard, who had to stay at home. Read on for a colourful insight on what was a brilliantly interesting trip.

A Football Report: Newcastle In Best Comeback Ever

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 18:39:57 +0000

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…

AFR Podcast - Capturing the Game with Ryu Voelkel

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:46:14 +0000

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 enough to have an enlightening chat with the well-traveled football photographer Ryu Voelkel, originally from Japan but now based in Paris. As Ryu points out in the podcast, photography is subjective, however Ryu’s unique style seems to capture a sense of universal appreciation in the world of football and beyond. Though Ryu is a freelance photographer regularly flying across Europe to every high-profile stadium imaginable, Nike hired him to be a main photographer in South Africa in its promotion of the World Cup. We talked about what the life of a photographer entails, how he got into the field, and some of his best experiences in his line of work. This is Ryu’s first ever media-related appearance, so we hope you enjoy a truly fresh perspective!

Hughton Relegated, Pardew Promoted?

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:04:00 +0000

[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 broken that Alan Pardew is the man who has been chosen to replace him, an appointment which had been widely rumoured in the football media.

To most of us on the outside, Newcastle fans or not, Hughton’s sacking seems like a nonsensical decision. This is a man who took over the reins from Alan Shearer when the club were relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2008/09 season, a time when the club was at its lowest ebb for as long as many can remember. He guided them through a potentially tricky season in England’s second tier and came out on top of the pile. What more could the man have achieved in his first season in charge? Aside from pipe-dreams of winning the FA and/or League cups, it’s hard to see how Hughton could have done any better. One season, one promotion. So far, so good…

Fast forward to this season. At the time of his sacking, Newcastle lay in 11^th place in the Premier League. Pretty impressive stuff for a promoted side. It’s not exactly a flash-in-the-pan spate of early season form, either. We’re sixteen games into the season, and although there’s still a long way to go, it would be very harsh to say that Newcastle are lucky to be where they are. If Newcastle owner Mike Ashley conceived that his side should be higher up the table by this stage of the season, then quite frankly he has delusions of grandeur.

True, Newcastle’s form has been very topsy-turvy of late, but that’s to be expected of a newly promoted team. They are still feeling their feet in the Premier League, and there will be days when they try something new that goes badly wrong. Equally, there will be days when they surpass expectations and pull a great result out of the bag. They will have relished handing out thrashings to Aston Villa and Sunderland, but defeats such as the 1-5 mauling against Bolton are to be expected and should be taken as a lesson in a learning curve rather than an indictment on their Premier League fate. You can’t learn to ride a bike without falling off a few times…

Indeed, Newcastle bounced back from that loss to Bolton with a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Chelsea at St. James’ park, roared on with great vigour by the Toon Army, braving the sub-zero temperatures to aim bare-chested bellows of encouragement to their boys. Howay the lads, indeed. A draw against the champions is not to be sniffed at, and the result was an indicator of how well Hughton was able to rally his troops.

However, a 1-3 loss away to West Brom at the Hawthorns was to be the nail in Hughton’s coffin. Ashley had decided that he had seen enough and sent him packing. Newcastle hadn’t played well, but it was hardly the kind of performance, or indeed run of form, that usually prompts the sacking of a manager. The general consensus was that Hughton had been doing a very good job at Newcastle. They are in a decent position in the Premier League and the future is looking bright for the Geordies - certainly brighter than it was before Hughton took over anyway. He was also well-liked by the fans, and more importantly the players. Members of his team often ran straight for their manager after scoring, perhaps out of pure joy, but more likely as a show of solidarity and friendship. One can’t help but think that Ashley will have upset the balance of the dressing room by removing a manager so revered by his players. It’s a rare thing these days, and is something I fear the portly owner has foolishly overlooked.

The club statement announcing Hughton’s departure stated that the board felt that ‘an individual with more managerial experience is needed to take the club forward’. How much further forward does Ashley realistically think that they can go, for this season anyhow? They are sitting pretty in the league, and it would be a big surprise if they finished much further up than they already are. It also seems a very weak excuse to use for sacking a manager that has been doing so well. He may not have that much experience, but he has shown enough so far to get his team into a good position, and who was to say that his success wouldn’t continue? It would seem more sensible to wait until the end of the season to assess his performance rather than hoisting him out on a whim that he hasn’t got enough experience mid-season. The whole thing stinks. Hughton had done a great job and had fulfilled everything that could have reasonably been asked of him. Add to that his personable character and standing amongst his players and you are left with a decision that seems utterly ridiculous. It is incredibly unfair on Hughton and is a matter which has been dealt with in such a cack-handed manner as to bring shame upon Newcastle football club.

Some fans might have cut Ashley some slack had he had a hot-shot manager to replace the apparently inexperienced Hughton, but instead he has lined up Alan Pardew, a man who had previously been deemed not good enough for West Ham or Southampton, and who left Charlton out of mutual consent. Whilst Pardew does have more Premier League experience than Hughton, he doesn’t necessarily have a great record of success. In fact, when he was brought in at Charlton in Christmas 2006 he failed to keep the Addicks in the Premier League. Worse still, when they dropped into the Championship he failed to even mount a serious playoff challenge and they finished 11^th. The following year was even worse and he left when they were languishing at the foot of the table. Hardly encouraging reading for Newcastle fans hoping that their team will stave off an unwanted relegation battle this season.

The water gets even murkier amidst BBC reports of Ashley meeting Pardew in a London casino – ‘It is believed Pardew became close friends with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and director Derek Llambias when all three were familiar faces at an exclusive London casino where Llambias was managing director.’ Perhaps Ashley is getting Pardew for free in lieu of mounting gambling debts with Mr. Llambias?…

Jokes and speculation aside, though, Pardew doesn’t seem like a brilliant replacement for a man who was already doing pretty well. He’s hardly a superstar manager capable of sensationally catapulting Newcastle towards European qualification places. It is yet another chapter in a lengthy saga of Newcastle’s management history, and one which I wager most Newcastle fans won’t be in a hurry to re-read. I have nothing against Alan Pardew, and I wish him all the best in his new position, but I just feel that his management history doesn’t dazzle enough to warrant replacing a man who was already performing a more than adequate job. Poor old Chris Hughton has been well and truly shafted by the dubious thinking of Mike Ashley, but he can walk away from St. James’ park with his head held high. I hope he finds another job in management soon, he deserves it.

The AFR Team has its say on the curious cases of Qatar & Russia: England 2018 Frozen Out

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 18:44:57 +0000

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 London.

The tears have just about dried up, but the underlying feeling of deflation still persists. I was desperate for England to hold World Cup 2018, and despite the furore about the recent BBC Panorama programme and investigations into FIFA corruption by the British media, I still genuinely felt that England 2018 could have been a reality. How wrong I was.

With a measly two votes, England didn’t even make it past the first voting round. An incredibly polished performance from the likes of David Cameron, Beckham, Prince William and the quite brilliant Eddie Afekafe was widely rumoured to be a favourite of FIFA representatives, but it was not to be. Many expected it to be a straight shootout between Russia and England, but one can only imagine that factors beyond the England 2018 bid team’s control had derailed their campaign before they even started their pitch in Zurich yesterday.

Tumblr, is it the perfect time to sponsor a football club?

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:49:03 +0000

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 popularity in the United States, it hasn’t truly infiltrated the mainstream media internationally. Now naturally Tumblr is self-promoted by the activity of its millions of users, however, I truly believe if Tumblr is to permeate a complex international market it needs to do so through a means of a common passion to reach this entirely new audience. So what is one of the most universal, well-liked activities around the world? For me, football (or soccer) stands with a very small, elite group. Sponsoring a football club may be one of the best ways for Tumblr to promote itself in the international market.

A Football Report: Brace Yourselves for Wembley Waterloo!

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:32:07 +0000

A Football Report: Brace Yourselves for Wembley Waterloo!:

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 foes from across the Channel have signalled an attack on our fine fortress of Wembley, and their arrival is imminent. This is a call to arms, a plea to the great and strong of these lands to make your way to northwest London and help repel these foul assailants.

For those who fear not our French foes after their ill-fated and audacious attempt to plunder the galleon of Rimet on the shores of the South African Cape, take heed. At their helm now is a man whose subjects dare not defy. Rather, they admire and respect him. He is a leader of men, one who was once befit to grace Laird Ferguson’s red army of Manchester.

Amongst his ranks are some of the finest soldiers in all Europe. They say Valbuena’s
presence is equal to forty thousand men in the balance. He is the heart of their army, a man to whom all others aspire. His rapier-like speed and fleet of foot bring destruction wherever he dances. In a young man named LLoris they have one of the finest defenders of the line known to man. With hands like the paws of a bear he has thwarted the attacks of many an enemy. These are not Domenech’s disparate few, they are Blanc’s brutish many.

But the Gauls shall not breach our castle walls, for we are made of sterner stuff. We are made from solid oak and British brawn. We have our own heroes. Sir Hart of the Eastlands is the size of two men, and has the power of three. He could part the tide of the Thames with his oar-like arms. Fie, he could part the oceans!

In Theo Walcott of Highbury we have our very own scything rapier. He will slice through the French lines like a knife through fondant, but he will strike them at the heart with the power of an English broadsword. The Gauls will retreat at the very sight of him, like the skulking weasels that they are.

The French will cower in the shadow of the mighty Carroll of Tyneside. He is a man who shoulders such a heavy burden of anger that he has no time to tend to his own needs. He has to be kept under the strict eye of Nolan of Tyneside, fed and restrained by a tight leash like a rabid bulldog, lest he should escape and wreak havoc upon the streets of Gateshead.

And by God, I have yet to mention the magnificent Sir Ferdinand of Old Trafford! Such majesty and grace have rarely been seen on the battlefields of men. Wingers to the right of him, wing-backs to the right of him, strikers to the front of him – never fear, for he shall merk them all!

And then there is the trusty General Barry of Eastlands. He has the heart of a Lion and the power of an Ox. He will be our lynchpin in the centre of the battlefield, commanding all those around him. His piercing glare and menacing bite will have the French running for the cliffs of Dover. He will vanquish the enemy in a matter of minutes, fear not.

I don’t know what effect these men will have on the enemy, but by God, they terrify me.

So my people, come join the battle of Wembley. Stand side-by-side with your noble brothers and roar us on to victory. The French will be deafened, blinded, battered and bruised, and flee back to their garlic-infested hovels with their tails between their legs.”

————————————-

“Soldiers, I come to you as zis is a grave day in ze history of our great nation.

We stand on ze précipice of a defining battle against our greatest rival. England,
led by zeir foreign general, are foolishly attempting to disrupt our rise into ze major
football power we once were. Mes amis, we have come too far to let zem stop us in our
ascension.

I am asking you, my soldiers, as we stand here, training on ze very grounds of London’s Arsenal, to remember how far we have come.

Just zis summer, following the South African debacle, our country’s football laid in ruins. Ze English do not fear us and are blinded by ze failures and shame ze Traitor, Raymond Domenech, brought upon us. We shall make zem remember why zey should fear us!

Our restructured ranks, now composed of spirited and brave men, have already resurrected France’s campaign for European glory with victories in ze East.

Ze Three Lions are mighty and ze task our young soldiers face is not an easy one,
but remember zat ze word impossible is not French. Ze English have indeed suffered injuries to key actors, Ashley Cole and John Terry, in ze heart of zeir defense, which will help France’s cause.

Reinforcements have also come to support ze Blue Army as Eric Abidal has travelled
from Spain to fight once again among us for ze first time since General Blanc has
taken control of ze French forces. Do not despair from ze absence of Abou Diaby as
Capitaine Alou Diarra, alzough sanctioned for 6 months domestically for his ill-discipline, has been chosen once again to carry our nation’s flag.

Expect to see our bravest soldiers, Karim Benzema, Loïc Remy and Mathieu Valbuena
strike where ze English are at zeir weakest while our young M’Vila breaks zeir futile
hope of counterattacks. Our midfield battalions may be young, zey have shown zey were capable of brilliance and ze Gunner Samir Nasri will lead our offensive maneuvers.

We may be untested, my soldiers, but we are on ze road to greatness. Ze English did not have ze courage to make the bold renovations zat we have undergone zese past months. Zey will pay off and we shall break zeir walls and bring glory to our people!”

So there you have it folks! Who do you see coming out on top in this clash of empires?

A Football Report: Nominate A Football Report as the Best New Football Website!

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:22:56 +0000

A Football Report: Nominate A Football Report as the Best New Football Website!:

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 absolutely love it if you could take a moment to nominate us in the2010 Soccerlens Awards as the “Best New Football Site.”

While we like to think we are one of the best football sites out there, we would really like to be realistic and focus our efforts on this one particular category. We’ll go for a treble next year, but for now all we would like you to do is take two seconds to email nominate@soccerlensawards.com saying A Football Report is the Best New Football Site. When Saturday Comes is also accepting nominations, so if you want to ‘cc’ that email to webwatch@wsc.co.uk that would be fantastic! Now if you have more than two seconds you can also nominate other football sites for other categories.

These categories include: Best Football Website, Most Entertaining Football Website, Best Football Gear Website, Best Football Videos Website, Best Club Fansite, Best Football Podcast, Best Football Blogger, Best Football Journalist, Best Niche Website

We know we can always improve and we’ll undoubtedly be targeting the Best Football Website award in the future. But we’re sticking with modesty as we target the Best New Football Website award. But brace yourself for our own AFR Awards for 2010! It’s time to give recognition where it is due amongst the world of football bloggers. These awards will be announced shortly… Thanks once again for all the support!

“The Book of Tony” by Jon Horner. (Apologies to William...

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:12:05 +0000

“The Book of Tony” by Jon Horner. (Apologies to William Blake…)

There was a man in the land of Stoke, whose name was Pulis; and he eschewed evil. The Lord said unto Satan, there is none like ~~Job~~ Pulis in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that playeth beautiful football…

A Football Report: AFR's 3rd Podcast - Chateau De Ginola

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:58:24 +0000

A Football Report: AFR's 3rd Podcast - Chateau De Ginola:

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…

Cheeky Chip: Paul the Octopus R.I.P.

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:35:21 +0100

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…

The Second AFR Podcast - Ugly Rooney

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 09:38:43 +0100

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 side of football including racism and hooliganism.

Contributors: Oliver Sparrow (London), Ulysse Pasquier (McGill University), Eric Beard (Emory University), Amy Quinn (Dublin), Darshan Joshi (University of South Wales), Nick Lichtenberg (Brooklyn), Dominic Vieira (Lancaster University)

Special Guest: David Hunt of Brentford FC

Be sure to check out David Hunt’s blog and follow him on Twitter.

What are your thoughts or comments? We’d love to hear them.

Little Pea Saves The Day For Struggling United

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 16:14:49 +0100

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 the outset. Fletcher almost put through Berbatov with a lovely through-ball, but he was thwarted by Sorensen who rushed out to clear. Every touch by a United player was being booed by the Stoke faithful and they were making for an exciting and boisterous atmosphere.

Berbatov in particular looked to be fired up for the game, throwing up his hands angrily when things weren’t going the Bulgarian’s way. The brightest player for United, though, was Hernandez who looked alert and mobile, lurking at the back of the last defender at all times, waiting to pounce. Stoke were looking resolute, though, and they had their fair share of possession. United’s play was poor at times, with lots of wayward passing and poor movement.

Evra was deployed on the left wing which highlighted the lack of good attacking wingers at United’s disposal at the moment. Ferguson will have hoped he would put in a Bale-like performance, but the Frenchman looked all at sea and had an awful game throughout. He is suffering from a prolonged spell of poor form and he seems unable to pick out a pass at the moment. He has been quoted in the papers today as following Wayne Rooney’s tune and saying that he will leave if he doesn’t think that United have good enough players to win trophies anymore. Perhaps Patrice and Wayne should look closer to home to find out why United haven’t been doing so well of late…

The United fans were given something to cheer about when Hernandez scored to put them ahead. Nani swung in a cross from the right, and Vidic rose well to head the ball across the area. Hernandez looked to be in an impossible position to head the ball, but miraculously readjusted to send a fine effort towards goal with the back of his head. It was a great goal, and no less than the young striker deserved.

Gary Neville was also given a rare start for United, and he was another who failed to impress. The surprisingly good Etherington, who has blossomed since leaving West Ham, gave the United old man a torrid time, and Neville should have been sent off when he brought down the Stoke winger with a cynical sliding challenge, but the referee somehow deemed it not to be worthy of a second yellow. He knew that he had got away with it, and gave a wry smile to the camera. There was still time in the half for Scholes to make a trademark ill-timed sliding challenge for which he was duly added to the referee’s book. Once vaguely amusing and endearing, Scholes’ challenges are now not so funny. There doesn’t seem a week in which he doesn’t make a reckless dangerous challenge, and it’s a wonder that he doesn’t find himself sent off in most games.

The second half started with an appeal for a United penalty after Evra was shoved over by a back-tracking Rory Delap. It was a cynical push, but Evra didn’t look like making the ball. Stoke were looking more dangerous, taking advantage of more bad passing by United, but they lacked the quality in the final third to make United pay.

United almost wrapped up the points when Berbatov broke down the left to whip a lovely cross in for the advancing Hernandez, but the Mexican’s effort flew wide of the post. Pulis replied by bringing on Tuncay and Gudjohnsen to spice up their attacking play, and it brought rewards. Tuncay, who looks a class above his Stoke teammates in the skill department, took the ball on the left after another poor pass from Scholes gave the ball away, and cut inside the frankly rubbish Evra to curl a delightful finish into the helpless Van der Sar’s top corner. It was a sensational strike, and it put Stoke right back into the game, which is what they probably deserved.

United fans were dejected and it was another case of away-day déjà vu for the Reds. However, it was to be the fans’ favourite ‘little pea’ who would save the day for them. United raised their game and the tempo, which paid immediate dividends. Berbatov clipped a ball into the box from the right, which Scholes managed to flick onto Evra. The Frenchman chested the ball and managed to swivel to strike a shot on goal which Hernandez managed to stab into the net. The little Mexican had once again showed what a threat he is in the box, and looks like he could be a real star for United this season.

Four minutes of extra time were shown and the United fans were beginning to chew their fingernails, but another Stoke comeback was not to be. They saw out the game and hung on for a tight victory. It was yet another unconvincing display by United, but one would suspect it can’t be long before some of their big stars start to hit form and the Reds are once again firing on all cylinders.

“Four Offside and a Penalty” - another great cartoon by my good...

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:21:56 +0100

“Four Offside and a Penalty” - another great cartoon by my good friend, Jon Horner

Just when Wayne thought he had everything figured out, he couldn’t deny is deep-seeded feelings for Fergie.