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A contrarian take on France – Ireland
By: Dan |
5 Comments
Sometimes, I just can’t help myself. Against all of my better judgment, I read as much of the self righteous indignation that erupted after the France – Ireland World Cup playoff as I could physically stand. I have to admit to being less than moved by the whole affair.
From a sporting [...]
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I Don’t Love the 90s: The North Atlantic league is still a terrible idea.
By: Dan | No Comments
As long as the North Atlantic league proposal is back on the table, let me just preemptively mention a few other things from the late 90s that I emphatically hope do not enjoy the same sort of revived popularity. These things are as follows: the phrase ‘is that your final answer,’ Limp Bizkit, [...]
The Joy of Shameful Joy
By: Dan | 1 Comment
In club land, the international breaks are something like an enforced naptime. But, in anticipation of the Uruguay – Argentina match that might send the Argentines crashing out of the 2010 World Cup, I have been thinking a lot about Schadenfreude. If Argentina did fail to qualify, I would have a good laugh, [...]
Murder in Serbia
By: Dan | 2 Comments
Grim news from Belgrade this morning, where a Toulouse fan who was assaulted prior to the French club’s group stage match with Partizan Belgrade died in the hospital. Unfortunately, in the world of Serbian football, this murder is another bullet point on a long list of violence that actually includes previous deaths.
I’m wondering if [...]
Crime committed, celebrities not involved.
By: Dan | 1 Comment
In case you hadn’t already heard, UEFA is investigating a rather significant number of European qualifying round matches from recent seasons for evidence of match fixing. There really isn’t a whole lot to say about match fixing that doesn’t invite a response of ‘duh, really?’. That altering the results of sporting contests for [...]
Hey everybody, let’s deconstruct the taboo around diving.
By: Dan | 6 Comments
Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Francesco Totti, Hernan Crespo, Arjen Robben: all talented, renowned international footballers, yet the sight of their names is no doubt making some readers percolate with rage. These men are some of the more prominent players that have been branded with the label of ‘diver.’ Their talents will be forced [...]
The Pesants Revolt
By: Dan | 1 Comment
Sometimes, the rule breaking by the rich and powerful is so blatant that even the proper authorities cannot ignore it, and are compelled to actually enforce the laws on the books. I suspect this is how we arrived at Chelsea’s transfer ban, and the investigations into the dealings of Manchester City and Manchester United. [...]
Serious Crowd Trouble Should Result in On Field Punishment
By: Dan | No Comments
More words have probably been wasted on football hooliganism than any other subject having to do with the game. While some of these studies have been interesting work, the majority of writing on this subject, particularly the gleeful first hand accounts and the equally gleeful ‘field studies’ of many a thrill seeking sociologist, has [...]
Random Club Affiliation: Part 1, Aesthetics
By: Dan | 4 Comments
A behavior that most, if not all, fans engage in is the development of an affinity or an aversion to clubs that have little or nothing to do with their ‘regular’ club based on seemingly random reasons. The world of football is far too vast to follow impassively. I actually began an abortive [...]
Know Your Minnows: FC Zestaponi
By: Dan | No Comments
An 11-1 aggregate score is bound to attract attention, even when it takes place in early Europa League qualifying rounds between two teams that even the most dedicated observers are unfamiliar with. FC Zestaponi, the club that administered this beating to Northern Ireland’s Lisburn Distillery, definitely fits this description.
The amount of background [...]
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