When Bad Becomes Worse

Perhaps "You'll Never Payoff Your Loans" is a good suggestion for a new motto for Liverpool. According to ESPN reports, with buyers circling the drain also known as Liverpool, co-owner Hicks is looking to buyout Gillett to take complete control of the club.

That's nice and all, but when you seek to finance your buyout by enlisting Chinese Mutual Fund giant (it really is run by the Chinese government) at exhorbinant rates, you're spelling out disaster for the club.

It is expected that Hicks will take on debt surpassing that of even Man U ($1.5bil) in hopes of staving off a bank takeover for not paying back loans. Somehow, I think Hicks is in even merrier la-la land than previously thought because at these rates, even Vegas bookies would blush and when he fails to find a buyer (which at these rates and with that debt, who would buy Liverpool), Blackstone will take over.

Sad really. Never was a Liverpool fan, but nothing says "We hate America" like ruining a club eight ways from Sunday.

Maybe they should stick with "You'll Never Walk Alone", because the fans will need all the family support they get when they see their club mortgaged and the prices go through the already high ceiling.

Tottenham v Wolves Highlights

Spurs score 3 in 14 minutes and drop Wolves 3-1 at White Hart Lane. RVV nets his first as well.


Tottenham 3-1 Wolves

Simão | MySpace Video

Video: Simão

Blackburn v Fulham Highlights

Not sure how Hageland didn't get carded for the challenge on the edge of the box in the first 10mins of the game, but Dempsey pulls a header back to get on the score sheet with his first goal of the season to give Fulham the point at Blackburn.

szólj hozzá: Liverpool - Bolton 2-0
Video: Banok

Why You Should Always Pressure On Offense

Probably the luckiest/freakiest/unluckiest goals (depending on who you were cheering for, so far this season). Despite that, Sunderland pulled even in the 95th minute off a Darren Bent strike to keep 10 man Arsenal to 1pt in the 1-1 draw.



Cesc got the worse end of it this shot, despite his goal, and came off in the 29th minute with tightness in his knee.

Video: Matchhighlight

Going Back, Way Back, Back Into Time

We predict more vuvuzelas in your future...

Yeah, didn't think you got enough of them, did you you? It's now official, according to USSoccer.com's site, the US will replay South Africa in the Nelson Mandela Challenge on November 17th.

So, what's in it for us? Well, aside from possibly swaying another vote our way for the December vote of the 2022 Bid, not a whole heck of a lot. It is a FIFA date, so players are technically available, BUT, are they really going to want to go to SA mid season? Not bloody likely.

The Beautiful Game (pt9)

Tasiilaq, Greenland

Photo: htmlhelp

Javier Orozco does it again

Here he is, the next Chicharito Hernandez.

Cruz Azul's Javier Orozco is only 22 years old and was already the all-time leading goal scorer in CONCACAF Champions League play with 20 goals before his 3 goal outburst last night (video highlights below). The three goals give Orozco 23 career Champions League goals in only 20 matches. This includes 10 goals in 4 CONCACAF Champions League matches this season.

Brazil 2014 World Cup Stadium Choices

Yesterday, we brought you the Qatari bid stadiums for the 2022 World Cup. Aside from the whole water taxi thing, it left some to be desired.

That said, it got us wondering what we have to look forward to in Brazil...



Some nice ones they got there. What strikes me as interesting though, go back and watch it again. Notice the number of ~40K capacity stadiums? Is it me or are they learning from South Africa's mistake of not being able to fill a stadium? Not that I think they'll have any issue what-so-ever (something about 199,854 reported in attendance at the 1950 Brazil WC at the Maracana has me thinking the fire officials will never let that happen again).

Just remember, if you don't end up scoring tickets for the Brazilian World Cup, just reschedule your flight through Trinidad. I hear they always seem to have tickets for sale for the right price.

Video: Pedrorodrigues03

Adrian Ruelas Goes On Loan to Celtic

Good job over at The Offside Rules to catch this one. Remember your boy Adrian Ruelas?

Looks like the Santos Laguna 19yo reserve teamer is going out on loan to Celtic in the SPL. Guess all that showing off in North Ireland back in July paid off.

BBC is reporting that the loan may be imminent, but is not official. Celtic are also looking at a handful of other players.

Light it up Ruelas.

Photo:USSoccer

Gyau Scores for Hoffenheim

In just his 4th match for the Hoffenheim U19 squad, Gyau went another 90mins (4 full matches now) and notched his first goal with the club, scoring in the 45th minute. The goal was the 3rd of 5 in a 5-2 win for Hoffenheim against Greuther Fürth's U19 academy in league action.

Good job Gyau, keep it up.

Photo: Hoffenheim

Champions League 1st Leg Group Highlights

Highlights from yesterday's action between Barcelona and Panathinaikos, Twente and Inter Milan (we were calling for a good game here and it didn't disappoint) and Tottenham v Werder Bremen. Video highlights below.

Barca v Panathinaikos 5-1


FC Twente v Inter Milan 2-2


Tottenham v Werder Bremen 2-2


Video: EPLMatches

Bahrain Plays Friendly Against Pretend Togo Team

Impressed that Bahrain ran out a 3-0 friendly win against Togo back on September 7th? Yeah, so was Bahrain. So much so that they checked and apparently the squad that took the field wasn't the one requested for the friendly through "correct channels".

Bahrain even went so far as to get the list of players and their passport numbers, yet were given a new list of players just before kickoff that did not match up. They even went through a FIFA approved scheduler, so it begs the question, just what is it FIFA does when countries pay their licensed schedulers?

Togo's sports minister Christophe Chao went on to say, "Nobody has ever been informed of such a game. We will conduct investigations to uncover all those involved in this case." Bahrain even confirmed all the paperwork was received and stamped in the appropriate places by the Togo sports ministry.

From FIFA's own website:

Bahrain claimed their first win under Austrian coach Josef Hickersberger as they overwhelmed Togo 3-0 at Bahrain national stadium.

The Asian nation had returned consecutive draws with China and Qatar in Hickersberger's opening two games in charge.

Bahrain opened the scoring after nine minutes through their striker Jaycee Okwunwanne who followed a neat pass from Abdullah Omar with a close shot into the net. Okwunwanne scored his second goal in the last seconds of the first half when he diverted a cross from Mohamad Hubail.

Bahrain continued their dominance in the second half and they added a third goal from the penalty spot after 67 minutes. Sayed Mohamad Adnan was fouled inside the area and Ismaeil Abdullatif made no mistake.

The Bahrainis will continue their preparations for the forthcoming Gulf Cup in December and the 2011 AFC Asian Cup with a friendly against Kuwait next month.

The funniest part of all of this is that FIFA was smart enough to remove the match from the "recent wins" section of their Associations site, but not the article praising Bahrain on their "win".

Photo: Toronto Sun

How's That Bid Going For You

Fifa made its last stop on a tour of places offering kickbacks and bribes, I mean bidding to give kickbacks and bribes, I mean bidding for WC2022.

Welcome to Qatar's bid:


Aside from seeing a lot of water taxis somehow involved in transportation, I'm kind of worried about the no alcohol problem with Arabic countries, the fact that heat will be extreme outside the stadiums and designated "cooling" facilities and no mention is made of accommodation (you know that's going to be silly expensive).

I'd like to say they won't get the bid, but you know Fifa has to be licking their chops at a new influx of money and saying how they now have hit every major area. Next up, Fifa changing the rules again and saying the Europe gets it every other Cup, with only previous WC winners getting the Cups in between.

PS- Anyone else notice the comments on the one stadium reading "Shirtless Obama"?

Video: Qatar2022bid

Today's Champion's League Action

So what's it going to be for you tomorrow (1:45pm CST)?

Inter Milan v FC Twente (FSC at 1:45pm CST)
Spurs v Werder Bremen
Benfica v Tel Aviv
Lyon v Schalke 04 (FSC at 1am 9/15 CST)
Bursaspor v Valencia
Man U v Rangers (FSC right after the Inter v. Twente game)
Barcelona v Panathinaikos
FC Copenhagen v Rubin Kazan

Personally, the Turkish v La Liga matchup looks a bore. Werder Bremen v. Spurs gets the lesser billing of the two games in Group A (Inter v Twente looks better). Spurs will be sitting Modric, Defoe is out as is Dawson. And on the Bremen side, they are without Pizarro up top and Mertesacker on the back line.

Kazan v Copenhagen might be promising, but watch out for the 2nd leg where Rubin's management has sought to price out home fans, as has the Bundesliga's Schalke 04.

I feel sorry for Panathinaikos as coming off a 2-0 surprise loss in La Liga action, Barca is going to kick their junk in.

So what will you be watching?

Photo: Uefa

Is Your Opponent Parking the Bus?

We've all been there. A team scores an early goal against a better team and then throws everyone behind the ball, simply booting it upfield and waiting out the opposition. It can come in different forms, but it all comes down to boring, frustrating, "anti"football.

My epiphany came while watching a team that had superior speed and passing struggle to put up 2 goals on a team that was completely outclassed. Now the team had been averaging 8 goals a game going in and "Team Bus" had been giving up 5/game and apparently came to the conclusion that it had to minimize goals rather than score.

Now, aside from finding this tactic completely boring,

Blackpool Downs Newcastle Highlights

A pk by Charlie Adam (we told you to watch this guy) and a goal by Campbell off an Adam assist highlight the match which was dedicated to one of the Blackpool coaches. Blackpool now sit 4th in the table after 4 games.



Video: Matchhighlights

Everton Earns Dramatic Draw

This one had a crazy finish. Everton was seemingly down and out with only stoppage time left to play when they came back with goals from Cahill and Arteta pull them level.

1st Half

Bobby Zamora Celebrates 4 yr Contract w/ Broken Ankle

You can't make this stuff up. Fulham re-upped Bobby Zamora's contract for four more years on Friday only to lose him for four months the very next day to a broken ankle. The challenge didn't appear that vicious, but the results are. Especially when the score was so close.

Fulham wins 2-1 over Wolves.

Video: matchhighlights