http://www.lancs.ac.uk/ug/jamesm2/image1.jpg Attention fans who are thinking of going to the Liverpool/Arsenal Carling Cup match tonight. The quarter-final tie is in doubt due to Anfield being shrouded in dense, thick, pea-soupy fog and a pitch inspection due at 18.15 pm…

For me, the greatest left winger who ever lived was Rivelino. I’ll admit there is probably better, but he’s the one I like the best. Why? Well, he could hit a ball so very hard and true and, well, he seems a bit mental. His celebrations during Brazil‘s World Cup win in 1970 are the [...]

http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/images/wembley_10.jpg The German Football Association (DFB) have said that their national team will be England’s first opponents in the new Wembley Stadium on 22 August, in 2007. Who else thinks that seems a bit optimistic? Anyway, Germany coach Joachim Low revealed last week that the game was due to go ahead even though the Football Association had not made any announcement of the fixture. Whoops!

Players from Ecuadorian sides Barcelona and Liga Deportiva Universitaria have been warned they face one-year bans and possible jail sentences after a brawl followed their match on Sunday. Former Southampton and Ecuador striker Agustin Delgado was at the centre of the controversy, claiming he reacted to being kicked throughout the game. Barcelona’s Leondardo Soledispa suffered [...]

Rapper The Game supports Blackburn Rovers and is apparently planning to watch his team play next year. The Los Angeles-born artist, famous as much for his feud with 50 Cent as for his Grammy-nominated album, has revealed he has a soft spot for the Lancashire side. I’m not sure why exactly he supports Rovers, but [...]

In the USA, sports fans are treated to cheerleading displays by good-looking ladies in skimpy outfits while they wait for a match to kick-off. In Britain, we have grown men dressed as 8ft animals locked in a battle of cheekiness and one-upmanship instead. In this video, the Boston United mascot, Pilgrim the Panther, tricks the [...]

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061024/061024_beckham_Vmed_5p.widec.jpg You’ve got to admire the gall of Sam Allardyce. He’s attracted players normally thought to be out of reach for a club like Bolton Wanderers and the latest rumour is one of the biggest and best. With David Beckham unsettled at Real Madrid, it’s got Sam sniffing around…

Plymouth boss Ian Holloway was back on top-form on Saturday with a trademark nutty post-match interview. An angry Holloway was not pleased with a 3-0 defeat against Preston, prompting him to coin the gem: "I didn’t recognise the Green Army. You can’t be an untethered horse." This is not the first appearance of a horse [...]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41312000/jpg/_41312422_wembleybo.jpg With Price Harry and Wills announcing a concert for their mum, Princess Diana (deceased) at Wembley stadium, you can’t help but imagine Sir Elton John taking to the stage surrounded by men in hard hats still putting the roof on or something. Well, funny I should mention that, because the hold up has resulted in a bit of legal action.
The Australian developer of Wembley Stadium, Multiplex, is getting…

Romário de Souza Faria more commonly known as Romário, has the psychique of a lunchtime boozer. He’s rotund, lethargic and a pip-squeak (in fact, his nickname is Baixinho which essentially means short-arse). He’s still playing now, well into his forties and has scored nearly 1000 official goals, which has only (officially) been obtained only by [...]

What better to keep you warm during those long hours spent sitting on the bench than a David Beckham hoody? This Adidas top features the David Beckham Icon logo (didn’t realise he had one, but there it is on the right) and also a lion logo. At £45 you should be able to buy this [...]

With the gap between Manchester United and Chelsea down to just two points, it look like the title race could go down to the wire this season. But who do you want to win the league (assuming its a two-horse race)? I’m finding myself in the unusual position of rooting for the Red Devils if [...]

Good weekendChelsea Closed the gap on leaders Manchester United to just two points with victory over Everton.Alan Curbishley Led West Ham to a 1-0 win over United in his first game in charge.Sheffield United A priceless 1-0 win at Wigan lifts them up to 14th. Bad weekend Sir Alex Ferguson Saw his lead over Jose [...]

What happens when a funny (and fat) Dundalk fan invades the FAI offices in Dublin? Why, he douses the place in petrol (as well has getting it all over himself) and demands a meeting with FAI Chief Executive John Delay! It’s all about Dundalk’s exclusion from the new Eircom League Premiership. It would have looked [...]

John Motson is probably the most-imitated commentator ever. Most do it badly and Harry Enfield is no exception. Still, good to see Paul Whitehouse being a funny bugger with his Julio Geordio skit. Howay.

Tottenham have been drawn against Feyenoord in the last 32 of the Uefa Cup – a repeat of the 1974 final that the Dutch side won 4-2 on aggregate, but may not be able attend the away match. The Uefa Cup game could be held behind closed doors because of possible disciplinary action against the [...]

The five British sides through to this season’s Champions League knockout stages have found out who they will play in the next round. To celebrate, here is the dramatic conclusion to Manchester United‘s classic smash-and-grab win over Bayern Munich from 1999.

The draw for the first knockout stage of the Champions League has been made. I intended to tell you what the tie of the round is, but they all look so lip-smackingly delicious I can’t decide! The draw in full is: Porto v CHELSEA – Mourinho heads back to the club he won the title [...]

Here are some extra special News Balls dedicated to Les Reed and Alan Curbishley: the men everyone is talking about, apparently! Les warns Alan Curbishley off Darren Bent Why Steven Gerrard hates Les Curbs wants to sign Nigel Reo-Coker And Curbs faces challenge to win over Paul Konchesky [Rob Parker]

Doing my best to translate some Spanish (which I don’t speak at all), this clip seems to be involving a player from Cameroon who goes by the name of Kalusha Bwalya. Well, in this incident, the player majestically runs the full length of the pitch with a gaping goal and… well… makes a right balls [...]

Marco Tardelli. Falcao. Lua Lua. They’ve all got something in common. They are as well known for their goal celebrations as they are their prowess on the pitch. Perhaps we should add another name to that. Robbie Fowler. Fowler’s ‘touch-line…

http://www.mccallsmokejumpers.org/history/eagle%20parachute%201944.jpg The Premier League bigwigs have ruled out the chance to use foreign referees to officiate in high profile top-flight matches. Didn’t know this could happen? Well, recently German referee Michael Weiner took charge of a Bulgarian league game between Litex Lovech and Levski Sofia.

Over the years the Liverpool fancy dress party has become as much a part of the festive season as the Queen’s speech or hearing the same songs incessantly no matter which shop you go in. While the Reds’ Spice Boys of the mid-1990s did it in style, the class of ’06 proved they are no [...]

The FA is set to lobby Fifa for the introduction of video replays to identify and punish players guilty of diving. Football’s world governing body is set to meet in March and the FA hopes to raise the issue then. “We’ve already asked Fifa to allow retrospective…

http://soccernet-att.espn.go.com/design05/images/domr/AlanCurbishley205_pc_g.jpg Well, with alarming predictability, Alan Curbishley has been unveiled as the new manager of West Ham United. Chairman Egg’ Magnusson moved sharply to appoint the former Charlton gaffer after sacking Alan Pardew on Monday. “I’m deeply delighted,” said Curbishley. “It’s a privilege to be here and I’m looking forward to lifting us out of the position we’re in.” Curbishley will take charge of his new squad for the first time against Manchester United on Sunday. Welcome to the deep end Alan…