I think it's fair to say that the constitution of the spine of the football team has changed in the last two decades. The libero, the regista, the enganche, even the traditional goal-hanging centre-forward - these are no longer tactical positions as profitable to teams today as they once were. Of the last three there are still fine examples ( Read more... )

If Sepp Blatter had his way I'd be working in a German restaurant.Like everyone else with a sense of humor and the ability to read, I love Moritz Volz's columns and wish they were more regular. What I found interesting about this one, though, was his statement that he'd be working at a restaurant in Germany rather than playing for a club in Germany ( Read more... )

Long time no see. :) I promised colourreporter I'd post this a long time ago, but Real Life intervened:

Lion or Zion?
Anglo-Jewish football fans face a tough choice - should they cheer on England or Israel when they clash in a European Championship game on Saturday? As the teams face each other for the first time in a competitive match, Seth Freedman discovers ( Read more... )

From New York Times: Refugees Find Hostility and Hope on Soccer Field in Clarkston, GA. You'll need to register to read it, or bypass with Bug Me Not, but the article's worth the hassle. I may have teared up a little.

(P.S.: There'll be a movie. Here's hoping the Hollywood machinery won't fuck it up.)

To distract myself from a soul-crushing evening yes this where I come out as a Chelski fan here're a few random articles I dug up for general edification. Some are quite a bit older, but nothing past 2005.

General: Players

If you thought trainspotters were weird ... try footballers.

The 10 worst examples of footballers behaving badly.
Chelsea: ( Read more... )