The Favela Project

Dixieland Footie has found causes left and right that it supports wholeheartedly. From shipping balls to Iraqi children in the memory of Nick Madras, to the Homeless World Cup.

I believe that football is one of the more significant driving forces in the world today.

It is the most popular sport by far and it draws players from every corner of the globe.

We have seen, in the case of Pele, of how it can lift people out of oppression. There are stories of how it has brought civil wars to a halt because the country's national team qualified for their first cup in years. It is truly one of the few equalizers left in the modern world.

Dixieland Footie would like to announce a new group who are striving to bring the game and all its beautifulness to children in poor towns.

The Favela Project is a non-profit that is working towards providing poor children with the equipment they need to play the game and truly succeed and change their stars.

Go support them or your team will never win the league.. ever again.

The Friday Edition

So, I am going to start a new thing here at Dixieland. Friday's will be a omni-post of things that
have crossed my mind for the the last week. It's kind of something kick off the weekend with.

And I know what you are saying, "Bela, it's Thursday, mate. Have a lil something extra in your cuppa tea this morning, yeah?"

No, I'm not drunk. However, I do not have class on Friday, so once I get out of military history on Thursday's, my weekend begins. I suppose I could change this to The Thursday Edition but that would require me to move my mouse up to the title bar and delete Friday and write in Thursday.

-I have seen some recent pictures on facebook, myspace, and another message board that I post to that have solidified my belief that you should have to have a license to operate a digital camera recreationally.

The simple fact that you went out and bought one does not come with the right to subject your friends, or personal associates with pictures of you taken at rather inopertune times.

-After sitting through my military history lecture today, I have came up with the perfect anology to describe the oft times heated relationship between the different intelligence agencies.

The inteilligence community, or IC as we gov. acronymn soup people like to call it, is like the SEC. No, no. Not the security and exchange comission but the south eastern conference in college football.

Anyone who has ever went to an SEC school will understand me when I say that the conference is back to back rivalry games. You hate any other team that isn't your own. That's pretty much how the IC is and why we expereince intelligence failures on such a broad scale.

Islamaphobia: Not Just For the US Anymore.

I realize that the title of this article may seem a bit "racy" but it seems that the general fear of peoples of the Islamic faith is spreading outside the boarder of the US.

The event that sparked this article occurred at matched between Middlesbrough and Newcastle on the weekend. An Egyptian player, Ahmed Mido, was warming up on the pitch when the two fans started to chant at him.

The FA has agreed to look into the matter but Mido has stated that the insults went beyond him and struck at his faith.

While the two individuals were removed from the ground and will have to face a judge, it is likely that the worst penalty they will receive will be a lifetime ban from Newcastle games. This gives them the freedom to go to another Middlesbrough match and taunt Mido again, or any other Islamic player for that matter.

You would think that with as much racism that has went on in English football for the past quater of a century, that the FA would have done more than just an annual campagin and match bans to quel the improprerly motivated attacks on player, both physical and verbal.

I suppose the FA has more to worry about such as building the grassroots programs and paying off Wembley.

Body by Soccer.

While I was home for Thanksgiving break, I had a chance to catch up on some cable shows. We don't have cable here at the house, you can imagine what I'm like on match days with no ESPN.

I ended up laying on the couch and watching a marathon of True Life on MTV. There was an episode about these two individuals that could not control their eating habits, so they both experimented with dieting.

The gentleman cut himself off from his family and friends and ate a meal of 800 calories once a day.

One meal for the entire day.

He went from roughly 340 pounds down to 214 in around a years time. He was pushing himself to loose the weight so much that he went out and ran steps on the night before he reached his goal weight. He was exhausted to the point of near sleep from doing so because he was not taking in the food his body needed.

The young lady experimented with crash dieting. Apparently the experiment never worked, because she continued to do it over and over again. She participated in very little physical exercise during her diets but she would loose the weight. However, she would gain most, and oft times more, of it back once she went off the diet.

I think that it is sad that people cannot bring themselves to find an activity and participate in it instead of locking themselves in an apartment for a year, or crash dieting.

I started playing soccer casually at first, simply because I had never touched a ball outside of a school gym. But then it became more than that to me. It became a pursuit. A need. My balls, my cleats, and my gloves are all my friends.

My weight has fluctuated a lot since I started playing. I attribute most of it to breaking my leg last summer. I have never given up though. When my heart races from bounding down the wing with the ball and delivering a beautiful cross, it makes me want to be in better shape so the ball goes further when I swing my leg at it.

I suppose it takes getting to that point. If you have the fortitude to eat 800 calories a day, then I am sure you have the fortitude to do ball work for forty five minutes a day.

My daily routine, when it is not too cold to venture out, consists of general stops of the ball. Simple passes against a wall coupled with trapping exercises. Throw in some cuts, crossovers, turns and pullbacks. After all that is done, I juggle. I always do 100 touches a foot.

By the end I am sweating and I feel better than when I started.

Some people have told me that it is impossible to loose my weight.

Impossible is nothing.

Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll!

It is now officially Thanksgiving. No, I haven't done some weird family right of passage or anything, it's 1 in the morning. I am putting a few finishing touches on a post I made to Bleacher Report and I am about to head off to bed. I have a battle with 12 pound bird when I wake up and I will need all the sleep I can muster.

I figured I would write a bit about what I am thankful for over this past year. I am thankful that Chelsea has done so well. Thankful that the head coaching job at Tennessee will get a breath of new life. But seriously, I am thankful for the time that I was able to spend with my wonderful friends this summer. And I am thankful that they let me be a part of their big day. I am thankful that my friend Country has not blown himself up yet. Thankful that I have gotten through four out of six terms of graduate school. I am thankful that I was able to make it home for the holidays and, God willing, I will make it back home for Christmas. Most importantly, I am thankful, not only now but every day of the year, that I am live in the greatest country in the world.

...also, Josh, if you read this, I did not cry at the Bordeaux goal. I cried when I realized that Man U is STILL 8 points off of both Chelsea and Liverpool.

Sunday Ruminations

I went and picked up a couple of books at Barnes & Noble last night. Empires of Trust by Thomas F. Madden details how the US is similar to Rome but not in the sense that we think. He argues that the US and Rome both had empires of trust, that the nations in which they were overseeing could trust them to do the right thing if needed.

I also grabbed Hidden Codes & Grand Designs by Pierre Berloquin. I shouldn't have to explain what that one is about. The new issue of 4-4-2 is out, so I grabbed that as well. You know with all the books I have to read for school, I can't believe that I go out and spend money on even more of them.

It looks like the good ol' boys at Bleacher Report have started to notice the fluff articles that are being turned out at a breakneck pace by this beautiful young girl. She basically writes lists. Top ten this, top ten that, and she's averaging at least twenty comments per article. There was an article about how the world football community on Bleacher has gone to the dogs.

I agree and disagree with that. Yeah, some of the authors are cranking out three and four articles a day and all it is is a couple of lines and a random joke. I usually write one article a day or one every few days simply because I don't know what I want to say most of the time and I rather take my time and produce something that might not be rubbish.

Mmmm shrimp

There is nothing I like better than footie and all you can eat shrimp. The Blues won today and took the top of the table after Arsenal lost to Hull, and me and one of the roommates went out to Red Lobster for all you can eat shrimp. Now all I need is to sit around and read the rest of the league recaps from todays games and I can sleep a happy man this evening.

I think this could be the year for Chelsea to come back and really show Europe, and England, that they can survive without Mourinho. Granted, I would like to still have the special one here, but Scolari isn't doing too bad of a job.

Bilbo Baggins Had A Birthday

So said my Intel and the Constitution professor yesterday. How the freaks that threw him a party figured this out is beyond me.

So I might be loosing my mind.

I am going to attempt to keep up a two front approach to writing. I will be publishing articles on Bleacher Report and articles here. Bleacher will of course be more formal and here will be random fluff.

Random Soccer Pictures Are The Best.

I am trying to pimp my profile out on another site that I post to and I wanted to find a cool footy image for the background and I happened to come across this picture when I was looking. I think it's absolutely hilarious.

On another note, I leave at 0-dark thirty tomorrow for my last session of the summer. I am having to set my alarm tonight before I head out to go to the bar. It will be interesting to see me hungover at 5:30 AM but the way I figure, I will not have another chance to do this for a while, so I might as well live it up while I can. I will be returning to Fado for the fourth time since I got here. I am upset though that there is nothing on really. No soccer. No nothing. And to make things worse, they have a DJ on Friday, so it defeats the point of it being an Irish bar. I did get a chance to see a band last night when I went, The Forty Thieves. Dixieland Footie supports these guys because unlike the big name Irish acts, such as Flogging Molly or The Pogues, these guys are not that well known but they are willing to take the music that I love and putting their own spin on it. So go check them out and Happy Footy all.

So, I Got To See The Fireworks.

As a part of the second session here at Lead America, we got a chance to see the national fireworks show from the Jefferson Memorial. It was extremely amazing and I highly recommend it in the future. It went surprisingly well considering that we had nine hundred students with us for the trip. Speaking of second session, it's going rather well. The kids have almost successfully ended the world, so things are going great. I am excited that I only have one more session left before I leave here to head to San Diego. I looked at the weather for the region last night and it looks like it will be amazing for the next week, so hopefully it holds while I am there. Also, I just checked the calender on my laptop and in exactly two weeks and four days I will be touching down in Nashville. I am excited to get back to town and start on my footwork and my kicking again. After about a month off it will be interesting to see how I play.

Apart from that, the main purpose of the post is to give a review and a product bump. First of all, the review. Back during staff training me and the other INS staffers got together and went over to Dupont Circle for tea and bree with fruit. It was a rather yummy experience. When we got done, we went to Kramers books. While we were walking around and I was giving customers my opinion the books that they were picking up (since it seemed like I had read them all or at least attempted to) I came across How Soccer Explains The World by Franklin Foer. The book attempts to describe globalization from the soccer standpoint but it does a fairly poor job. None of the topics relate to the common notion of globalization. There is no talk about how boarder and barriers are coming down and the world is getting more and more chummy with itself. It is no more than a book of essays about topics that exist in the soccer community, such as hooliganism. I enjoyed the essays, don't get me wrong there, but I do not believe that it lives up to its title really. So, if international relations and soccer both peak your interest and you think that this is good book that will link the two, then you are a tad bit mistaken. However, if you are looking for a simple and fun read about aspects of soccer culture, then by all means, grab this one.

Secondly, I came across a site called Philosophy Football.com. It is a t-shirt company that takes quotes about the game from philosophers and puts them on shirts. I really want the shirt with the equation of how a ball flies but it is only in kids sizes so far. So, dixieland footie is bumping Philosophy Football just like we bumped Who Are Ya' Designs. Happy footy all.

Terminal A, Then B And C

The bulk of my day was spent at Reagan National Airport picking up students for the conference. It was a fairly easy day considering that we have twice the number of students than in first session and two more programs are here, as well. After getting done with my time in terminal A, which no one seems to fly into, I strolled over to terminal B/C to hang out with the other TL's. I ended up going upstairs for coffee and on my way, I came across a Boarders.

Dixieland Footie is a huge supporter of bookshops in airports by the way. Their simple presence can make even the most mundane layover enjoyable if you know which book to pick. I tend to listen to the artsy looking kids, they usually can offer a suggestion that will keep you going for a while. I decided to peruse the magazines and I was so excited to find a copy of 4-4-2. I absolutely endorse this magazine, even though it's about eight dollars an issue. It is full of so much insightful information about the game that it is not even funny. I also got an Euro 08 preview guide, it came with the magazine. It is interesting to see what the writers thought would happen at the tournament compared to what actually did. It just proves that the game is always changing and is rarely predicted correctly.

I Didn't Forget That I had A Blog

I just got busy teaching. First session ended a few days ago and second session begins tomorrow. Since I have been here at Catholic University. I have had a chance to watch a couple of the Euro 08 matches. Sadly, I had to miss the final today because of work but I did get a chance to watch a rather top notch DC United walk all over Becks and Landycakes at Fado. I also made my way out to a very sketchy part of DC where RFK stadium is to buy myself United jersey. I do not really support the MLS because it refuses to eat its Wheaties and become a real league, but I figured I might as well have a team in it, so I picked DC.

The matches that I got to see were rather stunning. What really surprised the hell out of me were the Netherlands. This is a team that I had never really put much stock in but by God when the time came, they got down to business. The goals were simply top class and the form was spot on. It is a shame that they had to go out when they did. I also got to see Germany play Turkey and I must say, watching the game next to a Germany fan made the world of difference. Our office coordinator is from Germany and he was absolutely awesome to have around. However, he was not all that happy this afternoon after Germany lost.

As for the United game, I got to the pub at about 12:30 today and had boxty and beer for breakfast. I have no clue what was going on with the Galaxy or United for that matter but it was truly amazing to see United walk all over Landycakes and Becks. The touches were spot on as were the shots. This will probably be my last post for a while, a new group of students get here tomorrow, so happy 4th of July (albeit a bit early) and happy footy all.

Can Scolari Make The Blues Better?

Chelsea has announced the successor to Avram Grant and the chosen one is, (insert cheesy drum roll here) Luiz Felipe Scolari. The current coach of the Portuguese national team, who by the way are doing rather well at Euro 08, excels at coaching at the league and national level and will certainly bring his own flair to the Bridge.

Good luck Luiz and good luck Blues.

Staff Training Continues. ... Oh Yeah, There's This Footy Tournament Going On Too.

So, staff training has been going really well so far. It isn't anything that I haven't already read or heard before. Don't do anything dumb and make sure the kids don't do anything dumb. And make sure that you count, count, count. I don't mind the repetition but the walks back and forth between lunch and the places we are having our sessions is a bit much. I will say one thing, I will definitely get a workout this summer.


Even though it seems like I have blinked maybe twice since I have been here, the past three days have seen the start of Euro 08 and let me tell you, I am pissed that I am missing these matches. I just saw the match highlights for The Netherlands v. Italy and watched the Italians walk around like puppies without masters. I don't know the record but I doubt that any Italian team in the last ten years has never been beaten that bad in a competition. Truly amazing. There is still hope for the Italians yet if they play strong in their remaining fixtures. They might have a chance to face France in the final this year but that's still weeks away so we will have to see.

Token Euro 08 Post.

I have to agree with The Offside Rules that there is nothing to really be excited for when it comes down to this years European Championship. I will personally be rushing back her each night after staff training to catch the highlights of the days matches. I have decided to pull for Portugal (and it isn't because of the flashy video that I have at the top of the blog... or the one that The Offside Rules has either).

Lead America Staff Training Day 1

The beautiful Georgetown University! Pretty sweet eh? Well I am currently in one of their dorms getting ready to start my Lead America staff training experience. The flight into DC was uneventful really except for the fact that my head was really hurting when I was sitting in the terminal in Nashville. I will not have a McDonalds chicken biscuit ever again. I got here and stood around for about twenty minutes with all the other kids waiting on the shuttle to get us here. Got here, unloaded the buses, stood in line for fifteen minutes to get photoed, and bombarded with so much stuff it isn't even funny. I have polo shirts, a huge binder, my garment bag, and my laptop case passing back and forth between my arms as I am trying to sign forms and get my picture taken.

I finally got all of that squared away and got to my room and let me tell you, the dorms are ten times better than UT. They are completely carpeted, and the shelf and desk space is amazing. But the big surprise is the view. My curtains were up and I look out the window and there is the Georgetown lacrosse and footy field right below. It is indeed a beautiful sight and kinda reminds me of the way Leyton Orient have their field set up with the apartments in the corner of the pitch. I just wish that one of the teams were in season so that I could have a watch.

All in all, staff training seems like it's going to be ok. Are schedules are jam packed for the rest of the next five days and then I make a short trip over to Catholic University to start the first of three sessions as a Lead America Team Leader.

So, I Leave For DC Today

I will be hoping on a plane in about ten hours to head to our nations capital to teach for Lead America. I will be teaching an intelligence and national security program which is pretty much my bread and butter these days. I am looking forward to the experience because I would love to teach at some point in the future and if I can teach high school kids, I think I will do fine with angsty college kids.

I also look forward to NOT being able to watch any of Euro 2008. I suppose I will catch the highlights at 11:30 every night and hopefully the sites we are at will have internet because I will exercise the hell out of soccernet and bbc. So, how will live without footy for a month and a half? I am still trying to figure that one out. I am taking my hacky sack with me in hopes that I can at least get in a few minutes a day with it. I will be having footy withdrawls when I get home at the end of July that's for sure.

So, I Need To Play More

I found that out the hard way on Monday. I went down to the field that kick around at and ran into three guys playing. They were taking turns in net and they let me kick around with them. Well, I always bring three balls with me and that allowed us all to have something to rocket at the net. And rocket these kids did. They had incredible shot speed on them. It was nothing too fancy, no dipping, curving, or diving balls, but they were able to put some mustard on their shots.

After I was there for about half an hour when I got stupid and decided that I would try my hand in net. The first shot rang off the post hard. The next shots went really well. I got hands to them and either caught them or poked it away. But then they started going for all this top corner stuff and I was winded and simply couldn't get to the shots. I ended up on my backside and shoulders more than I would have liked to but I kept my form when I did save. It just shows what not playing consistently for a year will do to your game.

"HEY LEHMANN, QUIT YOUR WHINING!"

I doubt that that is what Oliver Kahn is screaming but it very well could be. The German international keeper who retired from Bayern Munich this past year has spoke out against claims by the former Arsenal keeper, Jens Lehmann's claims that the new Adidas ball for Euro 2008 deviates while in air.

The Gunner, who saw very little play time this past season, has stated that he has had trouble adjusting to the new ball and he apparently needs more time with the ball. Well, I hate to tell you Jens, time is up. Euro 2008 begins next week and I would love to try and stop the new ball. It has minute bumps on the surface that help the keeper with his grip. I think the problem is that Lehmann who rode the pine pony for most of the season is out of form and is scared that he will not make the grade when it counts. Simply put, Lehmann should stop his sniveling. If one of the best keepers to ever play the game says the ball is fine, then there is 99% chance that it is.

Cancun Day 3 And 4

Apart from the clouds trying to screw up my tanning, day three was rather exciting. We ate dinner at the Italian restaurant again and it was delicious. After dinner, we went to the rooftop bar for drinks. I walk out the door and say hello to Jose, the best bartender in the world, and I look to my left and see a guy wearing one of the new Chelsea jerseys. I jumped at the chance to go have a word with a fellow who seems to support the best team in the world. Now I had an instinct to not walk over to him and strike up a conversation. I really should start to listen to that little voice.

This guy and his fiance had been drinking since 10 that morning and you could tell. Me and the guy, who I never told my name (thank God for that), started to talk about footy and we discussed our starting 11's and all that jazz. Unfortunately the footy talk did not last for long. He and his fiance began to argue with one another and it got ugly quick. Jose ended up calling security and they started to follow the couple around. It was quite interesting to say the least.

Today (day 4) has been rather uneventful. We woke up to no air conditioning in the room. Apparently the power went out at some time during the evening. I ended up laying around for most of the day watching Angela's Ashes, rather good movie. And once again the clouds have laid subterfuge to my tanning. We have to be up at 3:45am to check out and head to the airport, so this will be my last post from Cancun.

Cancun Day 2 And The US Got Beat By England...Big Shocker

So I woke up yesterday and went to this meeting where they tried to sell me and mom a place in a vacation club. Sadly, we did not have the $55,000 they wanted for the top level of the club or the $32,000 for the lower level.

We went out and walked around for a bit and came across an open air mall where we were approached by two gentlemen who also tried to sell us membership in vacation clubs with their hotels. At one point I just wanted to tell them, "thunder's loud, guys." I came across a footy shop that had a very nice selection of kits and boots and balls. I could have easily spent $1,000 in there.

After dinner last night, we went up to the bar on the roof where I had a very interesting conversation about footy with the bartender, Jose. We talked mostly about the Mexican teams and Portugal and Argentina. I had a bit to drink and began to amaze one of the gentlemen who showed up with his drunk friends. We were talking about the program and the stuff that we did for our first project at the Hurst. All in all, it was a good evening.

In other news, the US lost to England. What else is new? John Terry scored the opening goal at 36'. His header was stunning and it scooted just past Tim Howard. Steven Gerrard netted the second goal of the evening. He punched the back of the net with a ground ball past Howard to send the Lions past the US in what I am sure will not be the last time the US will loose over the next year or so leading up to the 2010 World Cup.

"So,... Avram.. we'd um.. like you to come back"

And Avram Grant, the former skipper of the Mighty Blues, declined the offer to take over his prior position as director of football at the club. It makes me wonder what is going on at the Bridge. Is the club finally coming apart internally because of Abramovich's poor management of the clubs resources? While there have not been widespread disputes over how the coaching staff has operated it remains to be seen if the recent activity will cause the club to fall out of its second spot in the top four by the end of the next season. Chances are greater than sixty-five percent that this could happen. The situation at Liverpool this past season is a perfect example of how poor communication between staff and the ownership and it is likely that these conditions will translate into a rough season for Chelsea next year.

On a more positive note. I am in Cancun and if I would not have turned the waiter at the restaurant away, I would be plastered right now. I will have to keep everyone updated as the week goes forward.

Well It Seems We Were Wrong....

My intelligence communications class final project this past term was to put together a list of events that would effect US national security over the next twenty-four to thirty-six months. We mentioned the Olympics and the election in Iran. We also mentioned the 2010 World Cup. Against the discretion of my professor to look for smaller events, I focused on the Cup. I can not help it, it's the fan in me. My estimation was that the Cup would fail for infrastructure reasons. The builders of the stadiums walking out over the past six months surely brought to my mind Heysle. The last thing that FIFA needs is for a stadium to collapse because it was put together at the last moment.

Well... it seems like my analysis was a bit off. Violence against foreigners has erupted in South Africa and for the time being it doesn't look like it's going to stop. To my knowledge FIFA has never moved the site of the Cup but this could happen if the violence continues for another few months without any decrease in it. But, Bela, the Cup isn't for another two years. True. However, do you really think that FIFA will allow a country to host the tournament where the nations of the world come together. If the situation does not get better within the month, look for FIFA to begin to discuss the possibility of moving the games. Truly sad.

Will D.C. Ever Be United?

Not if they hire Bruce Arena. Now, I know what you are thinking, "United have a coach.. he's not the greatest.. I mean.. they have a 2-7 record right now." The Offside Rules have been talking about the situation with United coach Tom Soehn and I agree, the death watch is on.

But in an article on Soccernet, Ives Galarcep has written about the possibility that former US National team coach, Bruce Arena, may be in position to take over for Soehn in short order. United take on Toronto at the weekend and it is highly likely that Soehn will be sacked if United loose. Toronto thrashed United earlier this week and there is no doubt that they will do so again this weekend.

But is Arena the right coach to come in and save United? Not likely. Despite his success with the Red Bulls, Arena failed to produce a team that could score goals against the elite of the world during the 2006 World Cup. He was promptly fired and I would normally say rightly so, but I do not think Arena should have been hired in the first place. He seems fit to coach at the semi-pro level. However, if United do not pick Arena up, it is likely that he will coach one of the two expansion teams that are due to come into the league in the next two years. I think that United should look elsewhere for a new manager and not at former national team coaches.

PFC Nick Madaras

I am sitting here downloading footy videos off of youtube with my dial up connection and I am watching ESPN MLS Primetime. Sounds like a rather boring evening right? Well it was until during half time ESPN ran a rather touching story. With Memorial Day coming up this Monday, most of us will be doing the all American thing of bar-b-q'ing or watching Fireworks. Most of us would never associate soccer with America but ESPN showed me that our troops have a deep love for the beautiful game.

PFC Nick Madaras was born in Wilton, CT. and played sports for most of his life. After running through the range of sports available to play, he found his home in the back left corner of the pitch. He played left back for his high school. He helped his brother out with his game. He also attended summer camps to help kids work on their skills. After high school, Nick signed up for the Army and after his basic training he was deployed to Iraq. After some time in country, he noticed the Iraqi children kicking around bags of rocks and he had an idea. When he was home on leave in 2006 he rounded up as many balls as he could to take back to the children. I agree with Nick that if soccer could end the civil war in the Ivory Coast, we could sure give it a try in Iraq.

Nick wouldn't see his dream come to fruition though. He was killed by an IED on September 3 2006. After his death, his family started the Kick For Nick program. The goal of the program is to put soccer balls in the hands of Iraqi children. Dixieland Footie urges you to send what you can to honor the memory of Nick. I know most of you who read this have a ball or two laying around that can be sent in. I will personally be sending in all but one of my balls and I will probably be writing them a check as well. Dig deep people, this is for a good cause. Football is a beautiful game and I can not think of a more beautiful way to support it.

City Have Turned Into My High School Band Program

I know what you are thinking. "What the hell is Bela thinking?" Well, looking at the recent results from the clubs tour of Asia, it seems that they are using a tactic that we used to use when everyone in the band got angry over a decision from the director. We would essentially suck. We got knocked out of preliminary competition from time to time because of something that had happened either at the football game the night before or the morning of at practice. And Manchester City seem to be doing the same thing.

The club have lost their last two games in their Asian tour, including a loss against a Thai All Star team this past Saturday. Why are they loosing? It is likely that it has to deal with the departure of coach Sven-Goran Erkisson. City owner, Thasking Shinawatra, has all but kicked the former English gaffer out the door over his performance at the club this year. So, in retaliation, the club is playing down. Sounds a lot like what my band did in high school, right? But there is one small difference between us and them. We did this for free and there was never a fear that we would get kicked out of the program for not doing our part. This is not the case for City who ended up ninth in the league this year and who received a spot in the UEFA Cup for next season. There is also speculation that Thaskin will sell the entire first team squad this year. Of course Thaskin has denied these rumors but it is likely that he will sell the club by this time next year if they do not do well in the league.

So what? Ericksson gets canned. He will not be the first manager to be fired after a season. Thaskin will sell the club. This is certainly will not be the first time this has happened. The problem here is that you have more foreign owners in the Premier League these days and most of them do not really understand how to manage the clubs and how much slack to give the gaffer. A clear example of this is the situation earlier this year with Liverpool. The American owners wanted to sack Benitiez. Then when the club did not do that well, one of the owners wanted to sell his part of the club off. This leaves these clubs in upheaval year after year and the clubs will fall further down the rungs of the league ladder. Granted, you will never see anything like the situation at Man City occur at Chelsea or Manchester United or Arsenal for that matter. But for the smaller clubs, a mere mention of relegation and the owner starts to fire off about how things will change and people will be sacked and conversely, the team will start to play down due to their faith to their gaffer. It is a rather ugly cycle that makes the beautiful game far less beautiful.

You Don't Need To CGI My Kicks To Get them To The Bar

I have went down to the field for a second day and for a second day I hit the crossbar on the goal about six times on my free kicks. Now, I did punch the back of the net more times than I punched the bar but it is still a bit discouraging unless I want to be a stand in for Ronaldnhio in the next Nike commercial.

So why did I go down to the field for therapy? Chelsea lost to Man U in Moscow earlier today. Now mind you, I thought they would beat Chelsea but it was seriously touch and go for a moment. When it came down to penalties I started to pace around the living room and my mother looked at me like I had lost my mind and my friend Shibley just laughed at me.

I am not going to make excuses for Chelsea but I think the poor pitch conditions combined with the rain was the eventual downfall of the Blues. I think that UEFA really should have dealt with this problem well before the game instead of having to relay the pitch so soon to the match time.

Regardless of the pitch, United have won their third Champions League final and did it in amazing fashion. I do think that United started to back off in the second half and Chelsea had a few descent chances that could have ended it before the need for either extra time or penalties.

How does this effect the teams? Manchester is probably still partying at this hour even though it's close 4 AM on the other side of the pond. United are looking to dip their fingers into the transfer pool that will be opening soon and very well could increase the strength of their team even if Ronaldo decides to move.

As for Chelsea, I really think this will be a strong catalyst for them when next season rolls around. With or without Avram Grant at the helm, this will be a highly motivated team that will certainly be ready to take on the any of the worlds champions.

Congrats Red Devils. We will get you next year.

Sunny Spring Days in Moscow

Europe's premier club competition comes to an end tomorrow in the capital city of Russia and as a Chelsea fan, I can not wait for it to start. I have some bratwurst thawing in the fridge and I plan to toss on my Chelsea jersey and tuck in for the match. I will probably skip training tomorrow because I will either be too happy or too sad to really want to. But that is beside the point. The point of this blog is to discuss the match itself and who I think will hoist the trophy that hardly ever graces England.

For starters, this is the first all English final and I could not think of two teams that are more deserving than Chelsea and Man U. I do not know what made Didier Drogba wake up at the end of the the second tie between Chelsea and Liverpool, but the docile tones of the Ivorian were reversed when he banged home a splendid shot in extra time to help carry the Blues to their first ever Champions League final. This will truly be one of the most splendid finals in Champions League history.

Moving on for a look at the teams and you see that there is no lack of talent on either bench. The question is, who will be sitting on the reserve list and who will be in the starting eleven. The team sheets are not out yet but it is worth speculation. The Blues will more than likely field the side that they have in the past few games and I do not know if playing Drogba up front alone will really do any good. I hope that Grant has used his time off to work the Drogba, Anelka combo. A 4-3-3 with the addition of Lampard could prove trouble for the Red Devils back four. With Ballack and Essien in the midfield feeding crosses in, it is likely that United will have something to deal with.

United have a completely fit side to square off with and there is no doubt that it is the most talented side in Europe right now. They will likely field a stunning eleven that will clamp down on Chelsea early on. The one thing to consider with United is that they lost earlier in the season to Chelsea during the run down of the Premiership.

Despite the loss, I really do not see an easy going for either team. Both teams are hungry for the win and their motivations are more than enough to add up to a shocking final that will really astound the fans of both teams. So, who do I think will lift the trophy? As much as I hate to say it, I think United will win on penalties.

What does this mean for the two teams? Avram Grant is possibly looking at packing his bags and leaving the Bridge after the end of the season due to his rough and tumble performance the past eight months. Out of the potentials, it is likely that Roberto Mancini from Milan fame will be making a residence in west London in the fall. Hopefully he will speak better English than Mr. Cappello.

As for Fergie, he is probably the safest manager in the Premiership these days. If anything, this is practice for next year when United may very well win the Treble next year. Reports out of the camp have said that they are looking to snag up talent over the summer that could truly make them the best team in the world. I would not be surprised if Fergie was elevated to the gaffer of the English national team at some point in the future.


If there is one thing that is for certain when the Champions League anthem is played over the PA system at the dilapidated Luzhniki Stadium, truer lyrics will never be sung about the two teams that are on that pitch. Go Blues!!

I Got A List Of Deamands!

I demand that Nike stop making their adds so damn addictive. I saw this add the other day when I was watching softball and I got onto youtube and snatched the video up as well as the video for the actual song. Which is properly titled, List of Demands.

This motivated me to go back down to the high school field that I spent working on my game at last summer. The teams left the nets in the goals as opposed to last year and there is nothing like watching your shot smack against the back of the ol' onion bag. And there is nothing like looking back on the past year and the simple fact that in about a weeks time it will be the one year anniversary of me breaking my leg because I decided to be dumb and go play in the middle of the night.

I would almost say that this past year has been the roughest of my life. It doesn't even compare to the year that we got kicked out of our house or the year that followed my grandmothers death. It feels like something was robbed from me over the past twelve months. Yeah, sure I was walking again in ten weeks but all that work was destroyed. All the shuttle runs. All the nights playing in front of Humanities in the freezing cold with the wind. All the work I did to develop my juggle and my touch. All the plyometric work to develop my jump. It all got pissed away almost a year ago. I remember leaving the hospital after they released me before my surgery and I started crying as the nurse waited with me for my mom to pull the car around. She asked me why I was crying and I told her, "it's seventy degrees, good breeze, and no humidity... my feet should be on a ball getting to know it even better than it already does." She looked at me kinda awkwardly for a moment then it sunk in.

It's been rough but I've got back to it. I played at school on a basketball court but to be back on the grass today was liberating. The entire time I was down there I had the song from the add in my head. I've got my list of demands. I will increase the power in my shot by next year. I will run at least five days a week. I will get fast. I will develop touch. My better will be better than your better. It's simple. These are not goals, they are demands that I am making to myself and I will hold myself hostage until the demands are met. What are your demands? Find some and you will probably cease to be sitting around here reading my blog. Happy footie all.

Is Ronaldo Heading For Retirement?

The United winger said earlier in the week that he may consider a move to Real Madrid after next weeks Champions League final. Retirement you may ask? Why, he's the best footballer in the world. I agree with you. He is one of best, if not the best, player in the world right now. But in recent years it seems like Madrid have picked up United players who are well on their way out the door, Beckham and van Nistelrooy for example.

But will he leave? Will United let him leave? United's chief executive, David Gill, said in January that they would not sell their Portuguese international. He also hinted last week that Red Devils are gearing up for another high dollar signing season and that they hope to improve the team even more. I am not sure that they possibly could improve the team even more. This is by far one of the best United teams to ever be kitted out in a season and if the entire first team can be fit and fielded for next weeks match against Chelsea then it is highly likely that I will be dodging renditions of "Glory Glory Man United" both on facebook and at my friend Josh's wedding next week.

Will he leave? Not for another year. If the squad gets better next year, it is likely that they will win the Treble again. Ronaldo would not pass up a chance like that to play for the La Liga winners. He wants to win. He wants trophies to his credit. He said so at the Football Writers Association gala. I think he is starting to talk about the transfer prospect now so that when it comes down to actually transferring, he will have his pick of clubs that will be after him. So, is he heading for retirement? Nah, No one heading for the retirement home would be able to dance around defenses or his intentions quite the way Mr. Ronaldo does.

Will Barca be less messy with Messi back?

With the Champions League Final around a month away, the competition is truly heating up and as we head into the semi-finals that start tomorrow, the players themselves are starting to speak out about the key factors that they see will effect the upcoming matches.

One individual speaking out is Carlos Tevez. The Manchester striker told the BBC that he thinks that the return of Lionel Messi will be the make or break for Barcelona in their upcoming Champs League tie.

Does Tevez's claim have any weight to it? You can look at it from two angles. From an individual players perspective, Messi is an amazing player. I zoomed over to soccernet and had a look at his stats for the Champions League and he outscores everyone on the team. You could also argue that from the individual level, he could be a rallying point for his side and could lead them on to win against United.

The other major view would be that from the team level. This gets subdivided into the two teams. Barcelona have had a rough end to their La Liga campaign this year and with Real Madrid to be the sure winners of the title, there is no way that the Catalan's can mount a return for the season. There are also grumblings in the club itself of the bigger stars leaving after this season. Ronaldinho, who will finish the season on the bench do to a leg injury, is hinted to be going to both Milans and possibly Manchester City over the break. Samuel Eto'o is discussing leaving after next season if the Nou Camp fails to gain silverware for another season. And lastly, everyone pretty much knows that Henry has become a cry baby but that he is trying to be mainly about it. Does this hurt the team that will played on Wednesday? Sure it does. If your major first team players are not really in the game to win, then sure it hurts you. This is just a ninety minute kick about for them and it is a situation that United will exploit.

Speaking of Manchester United, how does this match look for them? Anyone who knows me, know that I hate Manchester United more than I hate the fact that my alma matter is starting to charge students for the football tickets this coming season, but I think despite Tevez's reassurance that this will be a different game with Messi in, I doubt it will be. United are the best team in the world right now with the best players in the world. They are the Yankees of world football (yet another team that I despise). The striker core for the team and their midfield will do 95% of the work against Barcelona over the next two legs and I think this will be a huge victory for the Fergie's lads, Messi or not.

But, it is hard to say who will win the match. Football is more fickle than a group of teenage girls trying to pick a dress for prom. There are simply too many factors to calculate for these ties and if you only look at the factors that rest on top (like I just did) you are going to get a somewhat accurate picture but odds are no greater than 60% that your outcome will happen. Happy footy, all.

6+5=0

No, my math is not off on this one. This 6+5 rule is something that FIFA's president Sepp Blatter is trying to impose on the world football community. What is the 6+5 rule you might ask? It is a rule that would halt a team from fielding more than five non-national players in a teams starting eleven. Has anyone took a look at the Premiership lately? How many of the starting elevens of the the top four teams in the league have six English players in them? The answer is probably what you expected: none.

It is not that these teams do not have English players, oh they do. And lets be honest, some of them are quite good. Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrad, and Theo Walcott are all amazing players, but it is the backbone of international players that hold these teams up. As you go down further into the Premiership, the situation evens itself out a bit more when it comes to the number of national players but I doubt the top four teams would be where they are today if it were not for their international players.

Looking around at the various other league, even in Spain, some of the better players that get noted are from Brazil and other non-national countries. This is true even in German football, although, not to the same extent. The only country out of the major world leagues that would not be greatly effected would be Seria A. The Italians, for the most part, believe in an "in house" system. I personally believe that mentality is why they field such a strong national team.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons that Blatter wants to do this. It would help foster younger nationals coming up through the academies. But he needs to take a step back and look at the bigger picture of who is really scoring goals in these league. If you took someone out of the Manchester United finishing school and put them up against some the Premierships best defenses, chances are that they would not have a chance, even if they had played for years on end.

Do I think it is the right move? Absolutely not, and both the EU and UEFA agree with me. Mark this date down in history because for once the whole footballing world might actually agree with me on something. The use of amazing international players has a two fold effect. First, for the internationals themselves, it gives them a chance to compete against some of the best players in the world and to get out of the squalor of their home countries (if they come from a squalorish country). Secondly, at the domestic level, it gives the nationals a chance to compete against some of the best players in the world. Me playing against the kids from college for four years will only stifle my playing, but if I can play against a new crop of talent from all over the globe every few years or so it will only increase the number of tools in my box that I can bring to me national squad.

Will Blatter get his way on this one? It is unlikely and it is honestly for the best that he does not. If some of the top flight teams in the Premiership were forced to play at least six English players every game, their teams would be worn out and the fans would loose interest. They pay to see big names, not Dave from Stoke or Paul from Blackpool. Happy footy all.

Global Politics and Soccer?

You bet your sweet ass they go together! I've met a lot of footy players over the years and most have been rather chill individuals, like sub-arctic... well, until you score on them. Anyways, most of them couldn't tell you the five members of the UN Security Council (UNSC), but they should really get acquainted with them if they have hopes of seeing Tibet in the World Cup ever.

We live in an amazingly connected world these days. I mean come on, there are three hundred page books and thesis work on the extent of globalization and rather or not it exists. From the footy fans perspective, I doubt the world is really all that flat because some countries simply can not seems to be able to get onto the moving ball. If you are still reading this and wondering why I brought up the UNSC in regards to this topic, here's why. FIFA, our beloved governing body, will only admit national teams that are recognized as a country/nation and the UNSC makes that decision.

This is truly sad. Football is the most popular team sport on the face of this flat earth of ours. No other sport can even begin to say that it has the fan base that the beautiful game does. But, when you start to ban teams from competition because five stuck up diplomats sitting in a building in New York fail to recognize you as a nation, how beautiful is the game?

I think it is pretty damn ugly. It is a disgraceful practice and one that you would think FIFA would not go along with. What do they loose if they allow Tibet to play? China? The Chinese can not even play decently, except their womens team and who really watches the Womens World Cup? And what about Greenland? What does FIFA really have to loose by not admitting a team from a damn country that most high school seniors in America can not find on a map?

What are the consequences here? Maybe the five security council member nations will pull their teams from the cup. Do it! That's one less grouping of teams to have to go through. And seriously, the US and the UK will not miss much by not going to the World Cup. Hell, maybe then they could devote money to building a better youth program (at least here in America). Russia has only attempted to go to four World Cups and they did not qualify for two of them. See the above paragraph for my opinion on China. Lastly, the only team that would really be hurt if their nation left FIFA would be France.

When it comes down to it, at the end of the day, the situation is rubbish! So, there is a snippet of how politics can influence something as beautiful as international football. Happy footy all. And as of this moment, I am officially boycotting the 2010 cup until FIFA can get its head out of its ass, wipe the shit from their face, and make football beautiful once again.

Roughneck Rooney to Captain the Lions?

I was browsing through Soccernet today and I came across a rather interesting article on their front page about England manager Fabio Capello's statement that he can see Wayne Rooney as wearing the armband for England in the future. Capello, who is currently rotating things more than Rafa when it comes to the armband, feels that Rooney is good at everything. If by everything, Capello means that he can run up and down the pitch and score, then sure, Rooney is good at everything. I do not think Rooney is captain material. He is hyper-focused on his role as a striker and I do not think he had leadership potential. I think when picking a captain for a squad you need someone who can think in every position on the pitch. Apart from the manager, the captain is the main motivational force for most players and I do not think Rooney will have the ability to motivate England (in all honesty, I do not think God could motivate them at this point) into winning any kind of competition in the next ten years or so. Rooney is a striker, hands down. He belongs in the six yard box and not in the center of the team huddle before the walk out of the tunnel. Sorry, Wayne.

I felt so European this weekend.

e


I got in from D.C. about five hours ago and I had to quickly put together a project for class, had I not had to do that I would have got this up here sooner. I spent the entire weekend and most of last week walking through our nations capital. I ate some pretty good food. I recommend Zaytinya, especially on Sundays. The omelet and the lamb that I had were both amazing. The food was a bit pricey but me and Josh made out pretty well considering he got two Turkish coffee's. The table service was absolutely amazing. As soon as one basket of bread was gone, we quickly had another. And once you were done with your dish it was whisked away if by magic. Great place if you are in the area down around the Virizon Center. Also in that area is the International Spy Museum. I dragged my friend Shibley down there on Friday because I really wanted to walk through and see the stuff they had. Admission was $18, which I thought was a little steep but it is D.C. and the exhibits were really interesting. I would recommend that WWII buffs stay away from the museum. Most of their exhibits deal with efforts to crack the German code and general intelligence during the era. They also devote a large portion of the tour to the Cold War. Once again if you are really well read about these time periods, you won't fell like you got your moneys worth.

I did get a chance to visit the National Portrait Gallery, the National Art Museum, the Native-American History Museum, and the the Museum of Natural History. I recommend them all, especially the food at the Native-American museum. It is a bit pricey but it is worth it, especially the blue cornbread. The museums offer something for everyone really. I saw a lot of interesting landscape paintings that were simply amazing. I do not think they get the credit they deserve though due to the twenty-seven rooms of Renaissance art that focused mainly on the two stages of Christs' life that we know very much about; his birth and his death. In the National Portrait Gallery, I recommend the second floor. I would take extra time and look at the exhibit from Lincoln's inaugural ball and the Presidential Portrait Gallery. Moving on to the other museum I visited, the Museum of Natural History, I got to see the hope diamond but the really great exhibit is the dinosaur one. Yes, I sound like a kid but it was really fun to get to see the recreations of the skeletons.

I also learned how to use the Metro while I was in D.C. I come from Nashville, ya'll. All we have in the way of public transportation is the city bus. And if I was not feeling European already, this greatly added to the experience. We went to see the Washington Nationals play on Thursday and Saturday night and we took the Metro from Foggy Bottom to Navy Yard and to be squished into the train with tons of supporters and standing in the queue to ride the escalator up to get to the park was awesome. If that was not amazing enough, you get to the top of the escalators, go through the turnstiles to the Metro and when you exit the station, there to your left is this image. The gates to Nationals Park. The team lost both nights but it was amazing to get the experience of following your team in the European way with the metro stations built right next to the parks and grounds.

All in all, it was an amazing weekend despite the stubbed toe, scared knee, and sunburn I got. I'm not sure if I would ever want to live in D.C. but I would surely want to visit again and I plan on doing so as soon as possible.

Lehmann's Lament

So, now that the young Gunners are effectively out of all competitions for the year, dissension is starting to form among the ranks. This is mainly coming out of the bench hugging goal keeper, Jens Lehmann. Lehmann, who until this year had been Wengers number one, has recently found himself playing second fiddle to the Spanish keeper, Manuel Almunia.

Lehmann is thirty-eight years old compared to Almunia's thirty. Now this is not a major point of contention except that before coming to Arsenal, Almunia did not really see that much playing time with the three clubs he was loaned out to. Wenger is just trying to build a squad to compliment his young Gunners. That is another point to take to heart, the Gunners themselves are a young team. With time and experience the team will get better and there is nothing that a goalkeeper can really do to help the offense, in my opinion.

So Lehmann should give Drogba a call and see what he is doing this summer, maybe they can rub each others back and braid each others hair like the whiny girls they are.

Footie Across America.

So I just got into D.C. and I've seen a couple of interesting things so far. I saw a lot of Washington on the drive in and it looks really pretty at night. I am going sightseeing tomorrow with Shibly, so I will have tons of pictures by next week.

Secondly, I saw signs that soccer is not dead in this country. David Beckham is not the life breath behind this either. I saw three or four pitches from the air on my flight in. When I was at the airport in Detroit, I passed a girls soccer team on their way to a tournament it appeared.

So, no, footie isn't dead in America and it is more than likely growing.

But Who Will Stop Wigan?

That's the question at the Bridge after both Carlo Cudicini and Petr Chech were injured in the past two weeks. Chech had to get an astounding 50 stitches after a misplaced hit on the traing pitch. Cudicini, who filled in for a better part of last season after Chech was injured, injured his hamstring in last nights Champions Leage win against Fenerbache.

So in comes Hilario. This kid isn't half bad in goal and he will step up to the task at hand. I don't know why the BBC consider this to be a setback. The keepers for Chelsea have proven themselves time after time as some of the best in the world. Sure, it's not a a goalkeepin core built of Chech's but they are all trained by the same coach and while Chech is a better keeper overall, there is no reason to be moaning about the third keeper coming into play. Chelsea have been in far worse situations and have come out smelling like a rose. But, only time will tell if the Blues will continue to climb the Premiership ladder and hop over United to take the league this year.

D.C. Will No Longer Be United!

I really wish I could say that but since United will not be in town this weekend I will have to settle for two good friends of mine, Josh and Shibley. I am heading down to our nations captial for the weekend to hang out with two of my good buddies. Now I haven't seen these guys in almost a year so I think there will be probably ten minutes of catching up and that will be pretty much it. By the time the eleventh minute comes I expect us to be tossing verbal assaults at each others teams. Me and Josh will probably swap slurs more than all of us. I support Chelsea and he supports some pansy boys from some northern city in England. Man Chest United or something to that extent. Sounds like Josh should be telling he fianc something important. Lol.

When the hell did Jackie Chan join FIFA?

Jose is gonna cut people

(Queens Journal)


The Special One has threatened death to Chelsea if he faces them in the Champions League next year. He also said that he still talks to members of staff at the Bridge such as Peter Kenyon and Roman Abromavich.

So, Jose wants to kill his former team if he plays them. This is interesting for the fact that Jose is not currently coaching anywhere and he would need to manage a team that has a chance at getting into the Champions League. There is talk that Jose could be going all over the place but after Tuesday, it is likely that he will not be off to Milan in the next few months. He will more than likely make a move to Barcelona. This would be great for him. Someone with the skill that Mourinho has and the level of talent at the club will certainly be a force to reckon with in both domestic and international competitions.

What's wrong with English footie?

(AP)




Besides the fact that they can't qualify a national team these days? Nothing really. That is why when I waddled over to SI.com today and was scouring the news section, I was kind of put off to see that one of their writers has come up with. He claims that American players need to move beyond the "English model" of play. His argument centers around three clubs currently in relegation worries; Reading, Fulham, and Darby. He wonders why these "American Teams" do so poorly. I think he lacked his research when it comes down to who plays for these teams and how long they have played for them.

Lets make one point painfully clear right up front: we do not play English style football in America. We play a slow, sloppy game. There is nothing about how Americans play the game that would even relate to how the English play the game.

Now, for the clubs mentioned. I started my search with Derby County. They got promoted this year to the Premiership. Their ticket in? They were third place in the Championship last season. Not exactly a high quality team. There are two Americans on Derby and looking at their stats, they just are not productive. Eddie Lewis has been playing the English game since 2000 and the only time and he has only seen major playing time at two clubs, and at both of them, he has scored goals. But if you only play someone sixteen times in three seasons, then they are never going to get their proper boots. Another factor to take into account with Lewis is that he is 33 years old. It is damn near time for him to go off to the retirement pitch for a kick about with Becks. The other player on Derby is Benny Feilhaber. He is young, I will give him that but he has only being playing in England since 2007. He has not had time to get use to the English game.

Next up we have Reading. This is another club with only two American players. Convey, who has been with Reading since 2004, has had a shallow fifteen goals in his entire career. This is an example of someone who can run with the ball, but can not put it into the back of the net. The other player for the team, Marcus Hahnemann, has been the teams primary goalkeeper since 2002. The key issue with Reading, much like Derby, is that they have never played in the top flight of English football. They simply can not compete as a team against squads that boast players that could score six times on you before you have a chance to get set again. In all fairness, I could probably play goalie for some of the teams that Reading and Derby have faced in the past and walk away with a clean sheet.

The last team, Fulham, reads like the US national teams roster. You have Kasey Kellar, Brian McBride, Eddie Johnson, Clint Dempsey, and Carlos Bocanegra. It is more of the same here that it is with the other clubs. Brian McBride is in his mid-thirties and he has scored goals, just not many. His first four years in England were spent on loan with not so descent teams and he started with Fulham in 2004. I don't even know where to begin with Kasey Keller. I've seen him play countless times and he is just rubbish. I think him and Paul Robinson have tea together or something. Eddie Johnson and Clint Dempsey are on the other end of this seesaw. They are both young but they have just started their careers in English ball and it is going to take time for them to come into the fold. The last player on the team is kind of in the middle. Carlos Bocanegra is in his late twenties and has played for Fulham since 2004. He is not that old but he has the experience. The best bet for the team though, would be to loan Johnson out if they are relegated to get him some true competition.

So, there is nothing wrong with the English model. You have a mix of old players and ones who have played in the MLS for the past few seasons. When you combine that with teams that have such limited budgets, the teams will get relegated. It is not the English problem or the American problem. It comes down to financial capabilities. Who can buy the best team? That's my two cents and remember.. be champions.

I might be missing Euro 08

I get home from class this afternoon and check my email. I got offered a position to teach kids about national security and intelligence. It was a thing that I had fancied doing all of three weeks ago but when I realized that I have to work on my thesis and watch Euro 08 I started to have second thoughts. So now I have my thesis class tomorrow and I need to pick out a topic and figure out how doable it is while I have to teach and babysit a group of high schoolers. Hopefully the dorms that I would be staying in will have some sort of t.v. room with cable. If I can catch the highlights, I would be happy.

On another note, I recommend that you guys all go over to www.worldsoccerdailyshop.com to get all of your Euro 2008 gear. I got my personalized Germany jersey from them and it looks rather spiffing if I do say so myself. Wow, look at that, two plugs in one day. I gotta be sick or something.

Dixieland supports Who Are Ya?

That is right. For those of you that thought that I may be a pompous, overbearing, only support my club and no one else, jackass, you were wrong. Well, to an extent. I would like to take the time to clue those of you who read this in about a wonderful company that I heard about through World Soccer Daily.
www.whoareyadesigns.com is a t-shirt company for those of us on the American side of the pond that produces footie related shirts. If you are a Reds fan or even a fan of that wonderful magic spray that helps your favorite player back into the game, this is the company for you.

I ordered the "Bollocks" shirt and got it within three business days (the post office kicked it around a bit at the distribution center before finally letting it go). It was the right size and looked exactly like the image from the website. They have already expanded by a few more designs and are about to launch three more shirts. I am greatly excited for the Jose shirt and will be sure to put my pre-order in within the next few days. Be sure to check the site. I also think there is the possibility of contacting them and getting a custom order done, though that will cost a bit more.

But do it! Go to the site. Get your shirt to support your favorite team as the final leg of this Premiership season starts to wind down. And be champions.

Grant Grumbles like a Grade Schooler

(Courtesy BBC)


Chelsea gaffer Avram Grant spoke out earlier in the week about the bad press that he has been receiving after his side missed out on their first chance to snag silverware for this season.

Grant, who took slack at the start of his coaching career with the club, is in the fire again but he is not taking it lightly this time. He has went on record saying that the allegations being made do not only hurt the team, but the club as well. Some of the allegations being thrown at Grant include a notion that the chief scout for the club wants Barca manager Frank Rijkaard at the helm for next season. Other allegations include accounts that club owner Roman Abramovich has been hand picking squads for matches. Grant flat denies this, however, there were strong rumors back when Grant took over in September that would give a large dose of credibility to these rumors. Lastly, the media is picking at the gaffer for a practice pitch dispute between team skipper John Terry and first team coach Henk ten Cate. Both parties have worked out their differences.

What does this mean? It means that Grant has earned his top-flight gaffer wings. His, "don't attack the team attitude" even though his actions are clearly under attack, are SOP for managers in the Premiership. The problem with this is that he is taking it in the wrong context. Instead of lashing out at the press, he should remind them that his team is still involved in three trophy races. And after the stomping that the Blues dealt to West Ham on the weekend, it is clear that his team has what it takes if they can hold out and knock off Man U and the Gunners, whom they both play at the Bridge before the season ends.

So Avi, the people are not insulting your friends literarly, they are doing it to see if you call them names and run off to Roman and they are getting their wish. Stop the grumbling, mate. Drogba does enough of that for the team.

Book Roundup (Yes, footie fans write books and I'll be damned if we don't read as well)

(Provided by Wikipedia and Penguin Books)



So, I am not a huge Arsenal fan but I passed this book in Boarders one day and I decided to give it a go. I think it is unfair to put it in the sports section of the story. Sure, it deals with the authors devotion to the Gunners, but it is more of a life story and therefore deserves a spot in the biography isle.

The book is a wonderful collection of events in the authors life. It covers the time period between 1968 and 1992 and highlights what was a very bleak Arsenal squad in the good ol' days. The author takes each match and compares it to an event in his own life.

Perhaps the most interesting quality of the book is how the author abandons Arsenal over and over again but somehow always makes it back to Highbury. The fan base for an English team is more intense than anything an American football team will ever experience. And to see a fan leave the game on more than one occasion is an amazing thing to read. This couples well with the authors description of his level of ritual before and during a match. Hornsby allows the reader into the mind of someone who abandons what he loves.

A second interesting factor that is brought out in the book is the presentation of the life that the author leads. When you look at the fan who commits such a large portion of their life to a team, one would expect them to have no life, no love, no nothing. Hornsby shows the reader something entirely different. He discusses his school life and proceeds to his college life. Then he shows the black and white world of office work and how football can make a boring day at work interesting. He then moves on to being a teacher. This takes the mask off the average American picture of a European soccer fan.

The third and final point that the author strives to drive home is that all English fans are not hooligans. To look at a work like "Among The Thugs" that stresses that violence is key to the football experience and then look at "Fever Pitch," it is a complete 180.

If you want to see how a true fan lived during twenty plus season of football, read "Fever Pitch." It is extremely well written and is a quick read that any true fan of the game would enjoy.

Memories

(courtesy BBC)


This is a photo of the Croatian international for Arsenal, Eduardo, on the weekend after a challenge gone bad. The bad tackle shattered the strikers left fibula and left an open dislocation of his ankle. Reading this instantly brought back memories of my injury over the summer. I think I suffered almost the same injury as Eduardo and let me tell you, it really is the suck. He has it a bit better though, he won't be doing most of his crutch work in the middle of a Southern Summer like I did. All reports though say that Eduardo will be out for about nine months, which will bring him back around the Christmas window of the 2008/09 season. What impact will this have on the leaders of the Premiership though?

It could have been worse for them, that's for sure. However, from the numbers alone, it could hurt them in European competitions. He trails Fabregas by two goals in that category. All around though, he is the only striker for the Gunners with goals in all competitions. Where he will be missed the most will not be with the north London side but with his national team. Eduardo, a Brazilian native but a Croatian national, has been on fire for his team throughout the qualifiers for Euro 08. In twenty two appearances, he has stretched the back of the net thirteen times. And with an expected return in nine months, he will miss the European Championships this summer.

There is another side to this incident though that should not be downplayed. The role that Martin Taylor played in this. Taylor challenged Eduardo three minutes in and caught the striker with the spikes of his boot on his ankle. Taylor was red carded straight away but it does not stop there. Birmingham's skipper, Alex McLeish, agreed with the decision to card Taylor but has tried to downplay the severity of the action by leaning on the emotional state of his player. Arsene Wenger has called for Taylor to be banned from football, he thinks the attack was intended to take out the Gunner. This, coupled with the personal grief that Taylor must be feeling and the harrasment from fans will compound for some time. It could certainly be worse. Eduardo is expected to make a full recovery and will more than likely go on to play another seven or so years (rough guess). There have been players that have went down and never got up again. That would be a far more traumatic experience for Taylor.

At the end of the day, should Taylor be punished? Sure. Should he be dismissed forever? No. It was a rough challenge but with a strong chance of Eduardo coming back, there is really no need to dismiss Taylor from football forever. Wenger's reaction that everyone is "targeting" Arsenal is rubbish. Birmingham is seventeenth in the league right now with a negative GD. The only team that could catch them right now would be Man U. But that would take two by the Red Devils and at least a loss and a draw by the Gunners. It could happen but it's unlikely. But it is likely that Taylor and Eduardo will continue to play for years to come and that Wenger, like every other Premiership gaffer, will be paranoid when they are at the top.

You Win Some. You Draw Some

That seems to be the story of the start of the round of sixteen for the UEFA Champions League. The best clubs that Europe can offer took to their respective pitches on Tuesday and Wednesday evening and gave their fans something to talk about for the next fortnight.

I dug into the previous posts and found that I called some of the groups right but others I called wonderfully wrong. Valencia did not make it through. And I certainly do not remember picking Olympiacos to make it this round. But if I remember correctly, they are not teaching me to predict the future, here in grad school, they are only teaching me how to make educated guesses off the available information.

The match action itself over the last two nights was descent. I will focus on the two games that I got a chance to watch, since I do not have Deportes. Liverpool and Inter from Anfeild. If you can not play at the San Siro, then by God Anfeild is just as good. The fans were getting their Merseyside pride on for the better part of the match. However, I'm not too sure what they really had to cheer for, apart from the two late goals right before the whistle. Inter went down to ten men at the 30 minute mark off a rather poor call by the ref. Materazzi was cautioned early in the game for a foul against Torres and then he was carded a second time for "fouling" Torres yet again. This would get him sent off and saw Inter go down to ten men.

It is interesting that it would take the Anfeild boys almost an hour to poke a hole through the ten men that were out there. Inter responded well to the hasty send off and really displayed what a minimum amount of effort was needed to hold off a Liverpool squad that has been knocked out of any hope of a domestic cup this season.

The goals in this one came almost at the full time whistle and the first goal by Kuyt, should have been handled better Cesar. The second goal by Stevie G was just poor pick up by the Brazil national teams keeper. All in all, this was a game that Liverpool should have won by a larger amount but the lack of cohesiveness within the squad played a large role in this, I think. Needless to say, it will be an interesting home leg for Milan at the San Siro in three weeks. With a full squad and fresh hit of steam, it is not unlikely that they could pull a three-nil victory and send Liverpool and Rotating Rafa back to England.

Arsenal and AC Milan. I have been excited to see this fixture since the round of sixteen draw was announced. You have a wonderful marriage of Premiership talent mixed with the technical and aged play of AC Milan. Early on, I don't think that AC were expecting Arsenal to come out and play at Premiership speed, but the Gunner surprised the current club champs. On the contrary, I do not think Arene Wengers side expected AC to be able to shut down their offense. Inter did an amazing job of shutting down Eboue, Fabregas, and Adebayor. Even after the start of the second half, when the Gunners seemed to find their boots, the back four of AC turned away attempt after attempt, making it look like child's play.

The chances in this match clearly favored Arsenal. Kalac, in goal for the injured Dida who hurt his back while sitting on a bench at the weekend against Palma, faced an amazing six shots on goal and performed with little strain even though there were concerns over his injured finger. With all these chances and four minutes of stoppage time, one would consider that the Gunners could get at least one goal out of this one and they almost did. However, Adebayor's header would ring off the crossbar and get sent out into touch, effectively ending any hope for a score in this one.

So, who do I favor for the return leg? I would have to put my money on AC. For starters they are playing at home. The San Siro is one of the most intimidating stadia to play at in all of European football. Secondly, Pato. The "Duck" had his first taste of European competition against the Gunners and had he calmed down just a tad, he would have had a goal and gave his team an away advantage. Lastly, it's AC. One of the most successful European club sides ever. It should be renamed the AC Milan League. Yeah, I know that is pushing things but hey, it's my blog. You don't like it, go read 90 Minutes magazine.

Shut up and leave already!

(courtesy of BBC)



It seems that there is more than one cry baby at Stamford Bridge these days. Apart from Roman Abromavich, you now have Didier Drogba.

Drogba, who is currently on national team duty in the African Cup of Nations, has said consistently that he wants to leave the London club during the summer transfer window.

What makes him a cry baby about it though? He won't shut up about it! I understand that the posh lifestyle that he leads in London is too much on him and that the pressure he feels at the club is immense. Had he kept his mouth shut in the wake of Jose's departure, his name might not be in so much mud at present. But no, he did what most athelets do when faced with something that they don't like, they run straight to the press.

How many times does he have to see his name in the paper before he does something about it though? Good God man, you should have asked for an out during the winter break. A striker like Drogba though never would have done that because he would have been cup tied for the Champions League and how dare he not get to score goals for another team.

I don't think he will have a hard time leaving in the Summer. Chelsea's signing of Anelka will hopefully combine well with the existing squad. While I don't think the mighty Blues will finish first or second this year, I think a top four finish is in store with them and hopefully, they will return to the top of the table next year. So, Avram, the board of directors, let Drogba out of his contract when summer gets here, he's rubbish and there has been enough garbage around the Bridge in the last few years, time to start cleaning it up.