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Soccer Source Competition.
Rooney, Torres or someone else. Who will score the most goals in the Premiership this year and why? We want your opinions. Leave your comments here and make sure to leave your real email address. Best comment wins a $25 Gap gift certificate. Winner to be chosen on Tuesday November 3rd 2009.

Drew and the Seattle Sounders

Great interview with comedian Drew Carey about his Seattle Sounders and their MLS playoff chances, as well as what makes his team so unique in the world of soccer.

Swine Flu Hits Blackburn Rovers

Swine flu (or H1N1 as it is properly known) has been hitting the headlines on both sides of the Atlantic for a while now. But now it has apparently found its way to Blackburn Rovers, with at least 3 players being ruled out of the English Premiership club’s Carling Cup tie against Petersborough on Tuesday.

Manager Sam Allardyce confirmed the fact to the BBC but would not name the players involved, although on the club website it is stated that a “virus” was to blame for David Dunn and Chris Samba missing the Saturday 5-0 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday.

At the same press conference Big Sam said the team only decided to play at Stamford Bridge at the weekend because Premiership rules held them to the fixture, and according to Allardyce he was told it was too late on Friday to call the game off, even if other players were at risk for contracting the virus.

No so, say the league. A spokesman told BBC Sport "Blackburn made contact with the Premier League on Friday to report the outbreak of swine flu but did not request for the fixture against Chelsea to be postponed. The Premier League does not anticipate at this stage a situation where any game will be postponed as a result of swine flu.”

So it is with whatever team they can field that Rovers will face the challenge on Tuesday night. And given the drubbing they were handed by Lampard and Co and the fact that their opponents next weekend are Manchester United it was probably time for Sam to make some serious lineup changes anyway.

Is a Big Four Shakeup on the Cards in the EPL?

For once the top of the English Premiership is tighter than Cristiano Ronaldo’s short shorts. None of them put in a very convincing performance this week, while other teams on their heels played some beautiful soccer and got great results.

Manchester United have not looked dominant or that impressive at all this season, although Ferguson won’t admit it. No Wayne Rooney against Bolton almost led to their undoing. So what happens if the side is Wayne less for a long period of time?

Chelsea looked no better in their defeat at the hands of a solid Aston Villa who do not seem to be missing Gareth Barry over much. John Terry and Frank Lampard both look well under par and what the hell is Peter Cech wearing on his head?

And then there is Liverpool. Beach ball incident aside, without Gerrard and Torres on the pitch they look very poor indeed.

Although Arsenal are looking ok, they seem to have a problem hanging on to lead, especially at 2-0, and no one player is dominating so far.

And despite all the money Mark Hughes was allowed to splash around this summer it is two other teams (with a much smaller payroll) that seem to be the ones to watch – Aston Villa and Sunderland. Both teams put in the work every game and the graft is paying off.

Speaking of Sunderland, I for one seriously want Fabio Cappello to explain the rationale of leaving out Darren Bent from England’s recent qualifiers, because the man is practically on fire at the moment, even if he did get a bit of a break from a spot of poor referring last weekend.

Beach Ball Ref to be Investigated.

On the same day that Alex Ferguson learned that he will be facing charges for the fact that he suggested that an English Premiership referee was not quite fit to do his job, one of them will be facing scrutiny from the FA himself.

Mike Jones was the official who let Darren Bent’s balloon assisted goal against Liverpool stand on Saturday when the laws of football (which the referee is there to enforce) state clearly that such a goal should have been disallowed, since the game should have been halted as soon as the “outside interference”, in this case a Liverpool themed beach ball apparently thrown onto the pitch by a toddler, occurred.

While his error is investigated Ref Jones is being demoted next weekend to oversee a Champions League game instead of the top flight game he was scheduled for. A number of professionals, including former referees have expressed their shock at the glaring error.

To give credit where its due, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez did not cry in public about the non goal dismissing it as “a very technical question”. He was more concerned about his team putting in another lackluster performance. Alex Ferguson made no comments about the affair either, although he must be having a nice little chuckle in private.

Sir Alex faces the Music over Ref Remarks

With Diego Maradona already facing disciplinary action for the rather off color interview he gave to the press after his Argentinean side qualified for the FIFA World Cup last week , it is Sir Alex Ferguson’s turn to face the music.

The 67 year old Manchester United manager has now officially been charged with improper conduct by the English FA over his remarks about referee Alan Wiley after a match against Sunderland back on October 3^rd.

The game ended in a draw, and in post match interview’s Ferguson questioned the referee’s fitness to adjudicate. "The pace of the game demanded a referee who was fit. He was not fit."

After he drew heavy criticism, especially from the referees’ union, Fergie did apologize for any personal embarrassment he had caused Wiley but did not go as far as retracting his comments claiming the comments were to highlight "what I believe to be a serious and important issue in the game".

For the ref’s union this was not enough and they pressed the FA to sanction Ferguson, who has been banned in the past for his comments about the referees in the Premier League. Alan Leighton, who is the head of the union says he not on a witch hunt against the veteran manager but “ If this had gone unchecked, other managers would have felt able to make similar slurs and that fundamentally brings the game into disrepute."

Sir Alex has until November 3^rd to answer the charges.

Maradona Weeps with Joy as Argentina Secure a World Cup Berth

His fitness as a manager has been questioned, even by the countrymen who worship him for what he did on the soccer pitch as a player. But with his team putting in a performance that could only be described as feisty, and a single goal deciding their fate in the 84^th minute, Diego Maradona and his Argentine team silenced their critics and for now at least, Argentina’s favorite son is just that once again.

In typical Maradona style his reaction to his team’s victory over Uruguay was extremely emotional. Flying to the center of the pitch to hug his players and crying with joy, no one could doubt his passion for what he does now. One has to ask if he knew that by virtue of Chile’s defeat of Ecuador earlier in the day both teams on the pitch would have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup whatever the result. Before that happened the loser would have been hoping for a place off place at very best. If he did, it did nothing to tone his emotional reaction down.

The winning goal was side footed from Mario Bolatti out of the midst of a goal mouth tussle. He had been brought on for Gonzalo Higuain a mere four minutes earlier, making Maradona appear a tactical genius, even though those who have criticized his managerial skills recently have made a point of attacking his selection decisions.

Rio Feels the Wrath of Fabio, but in a Milder Form than Expected

The one thing that the England players who hope to board the plane to Johannesburg to compete for their country in the 2010 FIFA World Cup next year know for sure – that their boss Fabio Capello means business, and has no problem benching even the biggest stars to achieve his ambitions for the team.

The latest star to incur the wrath of Fabio is Manchester United veteran Rio Ferdinand. His error in the game at Dnipropetrovsk led to goalkeeper Robbie Green being sent off leaving the side with ten men, and his overall play was sloppy to say the least. Couple this with the shocking lack of defensive skills he displayed against the Netherlands last August, practically gifting the opposition a 2-2 draw and a shambolic performance in the recent Manchester derby and it may seem to many that Rio’s passage to South Africa is far from guaranteed.

Indeed the Manchester United number 5 was summoned to a private meeting with Capello after Saturday’s loss, and while he retains his spot for the Wednesday clash with Belarus the boss apparently made it clear that things have to change.

Capello spoke with the press on Tuesday about the conversation "I spoke with him on Monday and this morning. I will speak on the day of the game. I asked him about what happened. I spoke with him about the moment, different things. He is a good man, a big man, an important player for England and United. He needs to play [against Belarus]. The experience of Rio will be very important for us. I have big confidence in him." Milder comments than some expected.

In fact the line up for Wednesday will differ considerably from the one that took to the pitch amidst a storm of missiles at the weekend. Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard are both injured (much to the consternation of their club managers Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez) so Peter Crouch and Gabriel Agbonlahor get a start leading the attack.

Another Man U player getting a second chance though is goalkeeper Ben Foster, who has also made some glaring mistakes of late at both the club and international level.

And all these changes fit in with Capello’s tactics. "We won't always play the same style," he said. "We need to play other styles, style A, B, C. It depends on the opposition and the style of the game we need to play. We need to practice other styles. I want to see some players in different formations.".

The Belarus game should be a good example of that with Gareth Barry set to return to the midfield over Michael Carrick and youngster Aaron Lennon covering the left.

All this means while technically the game is only a friendly, as England have already secured qualification, it should be well worth watching to see how Capello’s tweaks and changes work out.

CR9 is Cursed, But Rooney has an Alibi...

Most soccer fans thought it was a bad idea when wonder boy Cristiano Ronaldo was running around New York City this summer with Paris Hilton but according to the crazy stories that are abounding in the Spanish press it was a lot more than that.

The story, which has all the elements of a great tele novella, goes that a week or so ago an “unnamed ” Spanish sorcerer told the press that he had been paid to put a curse on the Real Madrid star. Ha ha very funny, except the very next day CR9 pulled up lame and sat out of the match against Seville, which the team promptly lost , their first defeat of the season.

But wait, it gets better. To keep the story going, the El Mundo newspaper went after more details from the Harry Potter wanna be, who has been revealed as a 57 year old from Malaga called Pepe (no relation, one hopes, to Cristiano’s teammate of the same name)

According to Pepe he was hired by a female who was “deceived” by the Portuguese playboy. Given that he rarely dates the same woman for more than a few weeks, this did little to narrow the suspect pool. However, as Pepe told the paper that his client was “very famous, rich and non European.” the Spanish press have now decided that the culprit has to be the Queen of the Airheads herself, Paris Hilton. (although if it was her, I’m actually very impressed. I didn’t think her pea brain was capable of such deviousness. Sure beats drunk dialing.)

Apparently sorcerery in Spain is a fairly lucrative business, as Pepe says he charged $21,000 to place his first curse, which he achieved, he says, with a handcrafted voodoo doll. And he’s not done yet. For a little extra he has apparently agreed to up the ante, and has now placed a curse that will end CR9’s playing days altogether which says he won’t lift even if “Ronaldo’s crying mother knelt before him.”

But, this is not the first time Real Madrid have encountered Senor Pepe. In 2003 he wrote to the club claiming to have cursed David Beckham Esteban Cambiasso, Fat Ronaldo, and assistant coach Carlos Queiroz, and 2006 he was back again to have a go at Raul, Fabio Cannavaro, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas, so at least poor Crissie can count himself in good company.

Of course, Real fans are not going to let their investment go down like this. Enter Portuguese wizard Fernando Nogueira, who has now cast a counter spell to keep his countryman in top form.

Maradona Threatens to Quit, Whether or Not Argentina Make it to The World Cup

He may be one of the greatest players who ever graced the soccer pitch. He may have scored two of the most famous goals in FIFA World Cup history – one the most controversial and one perhaps the finest – but Diego Mardona’s skills as a soccer manager are seriously under scrutiny, as it seems increasingly likely that his Argentina side will not be making the trip to Johannesburg next year at all.

So in a fit of temper that many have seen him display before, Maradona is now threatening to quit, even if Lionel Messi and the others on his squad can pull off a qualification miracle.

Much of the blame for the team’s failure has been put on Maradona. Soccer pundits and fans alike think he lacks the ability to come up with a cohesive team strategy and that his selection choices are just too inconsistent. But Diego places the blame elsewhere.

According to Argentinean media sources Maradona and the national team’s technical director Carlos Bilardo have had a huge falling out and are barely on speaking terms. Apparently Maradona feels that Bilardo’s interference in the team’s affairs is the cause of all the failings of late, not his own lack of managerial skills.

What that interference has been no one except Maradona really knows, but he told the press that regardless of the outcome of the qualification battle he will only be staying on if his as yet unknown conditions are met by Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona. "Things happened that I didn't like and I will speak about them later.” he said.

I, for one, cannot wait to hear what he has to say.

Internet Only England Match Distresses Fan

The upcoming England match against Ukraine on Saturday is the first of what may eventually become widespread in soccer – for the first time ever the match will only be available to UK soccer fans online, with television coverage being blacked out altogether.

This came about after the collapse of Setana – the cable TV firm that owned the rights to a number of soccer matches – and not everybody is too happy about it.

English soccer fans are more than internet savvy but there are a number of problems facing the die hard soccer fan who wants to watch Rooney and Co. in action this weekend.

First of all is the cost. British TV viewers are used to watching most soccer games for free, and the idea of paying between $10 and $20 to watch a single game really rankles some fans. The other problem is that the webcast will only be accepting the first one million subscribers who sign up, to avoid exceeding bandwith limits. Considering that the average viewing audience in the UK for an England match on TV is 6 million then a lot of people will be missing out.

The decision to air the match on the Internet only was not taken by the English FA, as the game rights belong to the Ukrainians, as the game is being played there. That matters little to disgruntled England fan Mark Perryman "A World Cup qualifier should be available for everybody on free-to-air TV,"he told the BBC "It seems to me there's a very simple solution - Fifa and Uefa should insist as a condition of entry that all nations sell their games to terrestrial stations, whether its the home or away market." It should be pointed out that this is really only a friendly game, as England have already qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

One man who actually thinks the webcast is a good idea is England defender Rio Ferdinand. He told reporters "I read that online advertising has taken over from TV, so that tells you something about where it's going in terms of the digital world,". Internet marketing is something that the Manchester United veteran does know quite a bit about, his digital magazine “#5” is about to launch its third edition and by all accounts its doing very well.

Maybe the Sol will rise after all.

A few weeks ago former Arsenal and England superstar was improbably signed to play for Notts County, a team who although the oldest in professional football play these days in the lowly depths of England’s Division Two. He was recruited by another fallen star, former England manager Sven Goran Erikson, who recently became the clubs Director of Football. But after just one game Sol abruptly left the training ground, never to return, and has yet to publically explain why he did so.

For many that seemed to signal the end of a long and illustrious career, but at 35, some in the game felt Campbell still has what it takes to cut it in the EPL, if as his old Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger remarked ‘he wanted it enough.”

How much he wants it is somewhat of an unknown still, but there is it seems considerable interest from Hull, Aston Villa and Wolves, all EPL clubs, in obtaining his services.

For Hull manager Phil Brown adding the solid power of Campbell to his leaky defense may help silence the ever increasing criticisms he is facing, while adding the experience of a seasoned EPL veteran like Campbell could be a big boost to a young Wolves side that is trying to find its way in the EPL after their promotion to the division after a six year absence.

But before he can speak with anyone, Campbell will have to prove to the English FA that he had a valid reason for walking away from Notts County. He has entered an appeal with the governing body to be allowed to circumvent the rules that sate unless there were exceptional circumstances that necessitated his departure he will not be eligible to sign with any other team until the January 2010 transfer window opens up.

What he may or may not have to say in his defense might shed some light on the dealings at Notts County, which many soccer pundits consider to be rather shady to say the least.

In the meantime the trouble Meadow Lane continues. After the players reported the clubs management to their union last week for failure to pay bonuses that they were promised for winning, the team and Sven Goran Erikson especially suffered another public embarrassment when forward Luke Rodgers was arrested over the weekend after a nightclub brawl.

Which is a big shame, because what is being forgotten amid all the drama behind the scenes, on the pitch the club are off to a very respectable start, having yet to be beaten at Meadow Lane in six games.

Steven Gerrard..Superhero?

Naruto, Goku and now Steven Gerrard? The manga craze hits the world of soccer as Adidas launch a new anime themed campaign that features the Liverpool star, as well as other soccer super heroes including Kaka and Zinedine Zidane.