World Football Columns
Arsene Wenger
Neymar: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow?
Santos president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro may have shot himself in the foot in his joy over re-signing his young star, Neymar. Continue reading
Life Sucks When You Realise Mike Ashley May Be Right
Is this one of those cases when three hundred thousand people are wrong? Continue reading
Sir Alex Ferguson: Dynastic Is An Understatement
Harry Sherlock pays tribute to the only Manchester United manager he’s ever known. Continue reading
Culture Schlock: Soccer Men, By Simon Kuper
Andrew Beasley was impressed by Simon Kuper’s new book, Soccer Men: Profiles of the Rogues, Geniuses, and Neurotics Who Dominate the World’s Most Popular Sport. Continue reading
WFC’s Silly Season In Review, Part Two: The Top Five Reasons Not To Spend Big Money In The Transfer Window
A look at the more cautious investors in this transfer window. Continue reading
Elementary, My Dear Stretford: United Makes Wenger Pay The Butcher’s Bill
On Sunday, Arsene Wenger saw fifteen years of success counterbalanced in one afternoon. Continue reading
The Monday Morning Drip: Because The Premiership Is Only A Two Team League
A jolt of footy caffeine to get your week started. Continue reading
The Scouser Report: Liverpool Spank The Arsenal
The Reds are quite happy that it’s another top team’s turn to struggle. Continue reading
The Sunday Morning Hangover: Arsenal & Wenger Under The Gun, Blackburn Under Everyone
What the heck happened in the Prem, yesterday? Continue reading
The Scouser Report: Liverpool Will Never Find A Better Time To Catch The Gunners At Home
Daniel Doran thinks that the Gunners are low on ammo. Continue reading
Elementary My Dear Stretford: Who Are Man United’s Key Challengers In 2011-12?
harry Sherlock investigates which clubs will provide the stiffest competition for Man United’s title defence. Continue reading
The Sunday Morning Hangover: Arsenal & Newcastle Slapstick
What the heck happened in the Premier League, yesterday? Continue reading
20/20 Vision: The WFC 2011-12 Premier League Preview
To save a few comments from disgruntled supporters, this is how much I don’t know about the Premier League. Continue reading
Manchester City Need To Stop Treating The Prem Like A Flea Market
Okay, let’s get something straight. I work with Jude Ellery on Man & Ball and occasionally we guest on each other’s patch. That’s the extent of it, though. He is neither a woman nor pretty (no matter what he may believe). Therefore, why he’s trying to clean up after me as though he were the missus is a complete mystery but read his post anyway. Continue reading
On Arsenal & Recidivism
Arsene Wenger brings back fond memories of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, in signing two more players from the Barcelona Academy, nine years after landing Cesc Fabregas. Let’s do the time warp, again! Continue reading
Ligue 1 Channel Surfing: Merson Maligns Arsenal & Wenger, Coupe de France, Ligue 1 Round Up
Paul Merson seems to be loading up on a more pungent substance these days, as he accuses Arsene Wenger and the Gunners of doping. Continue reading
Should Arsenal Go All Out To Sign The Ultimate Mercenary?
Think of this as matchmaking. Arsenal haven’t won anything in years and this fellow hasn’t lost. As crazy as it sounds why not put them together and see what happens? Continue reading
Arsenal & Arsene Fall Short Again
John Carrigy debuts on WFC with a brief but damning assessment of Arsene Wenger’s Gunners. Continue reading
The Scouser Report: Liverpool Pay A Heavy Price For Draw With Arsenal
Liverpool still have a shot at European play next season but, with the injury bug running rampant throughout the squad, it may be all they can do to hang on to sixth place. Jamie Carragher, Andy Carroll and Fabio Aurelio all came off with various complaints – actually Carra had no complaints as he was out cold – in the 101 minute match which ended with two penalties at the death. Continue reading
CONCACAF Champions League Semi-Final Wrap
The CONCACAF Champions League final is set and for the first time in over a decade, an MLS side, Real Salt Lake, is there. As well, Cruz Azul’s very Arsenal-like run of futility continues, sending Monterrey to its first ever regional final. Continue reading
Are Sir Alex Ferguson & Arsene Wenger Right To Speak Out Against Poor Officiating?
Sir Alex Ferguson will now sit out five matches for publicly criticising referee Martin Atkinson and Arsene Wenger one for accosting the referee after the second leg of the Gunners’ Champions League tie with Barcelona. Soccer’s governing bodies have a near zero tolerance when it comes to criticising match officials but shouldn’t there be some accountability when referees inevitably make questionable match changing decisions? Continue reading
Ligue 1 Channel Surfing: Arsenal’s Fortnight To Forget Compounded By William Gallas’ Week To Remember
Tapesh Patel takes the Chunnel back into London to run the rule over Arsene Wenger’s faltering Gunners. Continue reading
Manchester United Introduces 7-Up: The Un-Offence
Who knows how the human brain functions? One thing is certain, though. The train of thought does not run on a fixed timetable or follow a set route. I never know where my thoughts will take me but I was still rather surprised that Sir Alex Ferguson’s opposite-of-what-they-seem tactics in Saturday’s FA Cup clash between Manchester United and Arsenal brought to mind a soft-drink commercial from my youth. Continue reading
Kolo Toure Asks, “Does The Man City Kit Make Me Look Fat?”
In the author’s opinion, if Kolo Toure getting busted for taking his wife’s diet pills is the top football story, it was a slow news day. Continue reading
Arsenal Feel The Corleone Effect
Just when it seemed that their time had come, Arsenal lost their way and have fallen back into a morass of insecurity and injury. Continue reading
Sticking Up For FIFA?
Jude Ellery pinches himself after finding that something Sepp Blatter has said makes sense. Continue reading
Ligue 1 Channel Surfing: Lille’s Hazard is keeping Eden, Briand outdoes Rooney & Berba
Tapesh Patel wonders at the new-found patience of French clubs and starlets, far more reluctant to part ways with each other than in the recent past. Continue reading
Click, Click… Boom! Have The Gunners Finally Found Their Range?
At the moment, Manchester United hold what most would consider a comfortable four point lead in the Premier League table. Coming out of the holiday fixtures it seemed anything but. Manchester City was harrying their metropolitan rivals, Sheikh Mansour’s money looking well spent, and holders Chelsea seemed ready to shake off the post-Ray Wilkins doldrums. … Continue reading
The Low Country: Feyenoord Pin Their Hopes On A Rising Star & A Double Dutch Goal-Fest Across Europe
Red Son Rising Just when Feyenoord needed it the most, a new star has risen from the east, to restore hope to their withering season. Step forward Ryo Miyaichi. On loan from Arsenal, Miyaichi left a lasting impression in his début for the Rotterdam giants. In what was yet another must win game, Miyaichi produced … Continue reading
Tales Of The Almost Beatables: Man United Ride The Berba
Manchester United are traditionally not at their best at the outset of a season, but, as Sir Alex Ferguson, who is fond of a good vintage, will tell you, his club tends to age like a fine wine, improving with time. Those less enamoured of the Red Devils might substitute the sweet-smelling vino for a … Continue reading
Man United: Tales Of The Almost Beatables
It’s the second half of the season and Man United has yet to be beaten. Already, there has been some talk of whether they can match Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles. They consensus is that they are not as talented as that side, although that may be debatable. If anything, they certainly seem more resolute than that … Continue reading
The Weekend Catch, 8-9 January 2011: FA Cup 3rd Round Leads The Way, La Liga and Serie A Finish A Great Slate Of Matches
Written by Martin Palazzotto, Eliot Rothwell, Tapesh Patel, Andrew Gibney, Fab Presilli & Tom Pollock. It’s a cup weekend in England, Scotland and France. Fans in all three countries will be holding their betting tickets and hoping a lowly club can play David and slay a Goliath. There are any number of matches which offer … Continue reading
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