By Grant James

Sometimes in football, situations can get heated. Whether it’s a dangerous tackle, a bit of stick from another player or a player retaliating, managers, coaches and players collide. It probably happens more often than we realise, as training sessions are predominantly behind closes doors the general public don’t really get to see what happens on the training pitch. This week, former Manchester United midfielder Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira punched 21-year-old defender William de Asevedo Furtado in the face during training in Brazil. Players from all over the pitch sprinted to intervene as William was sent flying to the ground. This prompted a look at some of the most explosive and high-profile training ground bust ups.

Mario Balotelli versus. Roberto Mancini

Roberto Mancini and Mario Balotelli had a love-hate relationship every neutral enjoyed watching erupt now and then. The pair didn’t always see eye to eye often argued during matches, such as when Mancini substituted Balotelli after thirty minutes when he failed to score a back heel goal during a pre season friendly versus LA Galaxy. Mancini fumed he didn’t pass the ball to Edin Dzeko, who was in a much better position to score a goal, and most importantly, probably would have rolled it into the net. In this training ground bust up, the Italian couple got physical after Balotelli flew into a challenge with French left back Gael Clichy. Mancini saw red and grabbed him by the collar, before having to be separated by staff.

Andy Carroll versus Steven Taylor

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In March 2010 Andy Carroll broke defender Steven Taylor’s jaw in a feisty training ground scrap, a confrontation which resulted in both players requiring surgery. Carroll attacked Taylor before training had even started after finding out that the central defender had been receiving text messages from his ex-girlfriend.

Joey Barton versus Ousmane Dabo

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In May 2007 one of the most graphic training ground bust ups of all time ended with Joey Barton in prison and Ousmane Dabo looking in his own words, like “The Elephant Man.” The pair clashed after Barton confronted Dabo about his lack of effort in training. There was a Manchester derby coming up and Barton felt as if Dabo wasn’t pulling his weight in training and was just there to collect his wages. The pair then exchanged words with Dabo swearing at Barton in French and Barton replying “you are s*** at football,” before tackles started to fly in on each other during drills. Whilst having a pop at each other, Dabo lost his cool and sprinted towards Barton with his fist in the air. Barton punched him twice in the face knocking the French international to the ground, where he was rushed to hospital with head injuries and a suspected detached retina . Barton was suspended by the club as Dabo left to return to Lazio a year later.

John Hartson versus Eyal Berkovic

The world was shocked when John Hartson booted Eyal Berkovic in the face after the Israeli lashed out at him whilst on the ground during a training ground incident caught on camera in 1998. Berkovic hit Hartson because the Welshman tried to pick him up off the floor after a late tackle and was clearly angry at Hartson’s assumption he was not seriously hurt. The pair however made up and were snapped together in training a month later with grins on their faces.

Miquel Nelom versus Tonny Vilhena

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Team-mates Miquel Nelom and Tonny Vilhena had to be separated on the training pitch in January 2016 as they came to blows during the Dutch club’s winter training camp in Portugal. Several players as well as manager Giovanni Van Bronckhorst attempt to race in and keep the pair apart as they are seen landing kicks on each other. It is reported that the bust-up broke out after Vilhena reacted angrily to a dangerous tackle by Nelom.

By Grant James

Italy and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon notched his 167th international appearance in a friendly versus Germany last week, equalling the European record set by Spaniard Iker Casillas. In modern football, where the continuous factory of players produces younger, faster and sharper stars through the ranks, it is an incredible achievement from the 38-year-old veteran to have kept his number 1 jersey for nearly 20 years. In this article, I will be looking at players with the most international caps for their country, and there’s a surprise inclusion at number 1…

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5) Hossam Hassan

The fifth highest player on the list, but not even the most capped Egyptian, Hossan Hassan was an Egyptian striker who played 169 times for his country, where he is the all time top goal scorer netting 69 goals. He won three African Cup of Nations in three different decades during an industrious career spanning over 20 years, where he was also fortunate enough to play with his twin brother on over 100 occasions.

4) Claudio Suarez

With 178 caps for Mexico, the central defender is known as “The Emperor” in his home nation. During his 14 years as a Mexico player, Suarez captained the team, played in 3 World Cups and scored 6 times.

3) Mohamed Al-Deayea

Goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Deayea represented Saudi Arabia 178 times, playing in 4 World Cup’s and spending his entire career in the country, winning everything possible with Al-Hilal. Before the 2002 World Cup, there were strong rumours the Saudi Arabian was set to replace Fabien Barthez at Manchester United, however, after conceding 12 goals in the group stage, it seemed the deal was called off. Al-Deayea was voted Asia’s Goalkeeper of the Century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics in 1999.

2) Ahmed Hassan

Ahmed Hassan is the all time most capped international male footballer in history with 184 appearances for Egypt. He won the Africa Cup of Nations 4 times (1998, 2006, 2008, 2010), being named Player of the Tournament in 2006 where he captained the side and scored 4 goals in 6 matches. Hassan broke Hossam Hassan’s (no relation) appearance record in January 2010, making

his 170th appearance for his country. In an eventful game for the midfielder, he scored an own goal, equalized with a long range screamer, and then claimed the last goal in a 3-1 win, despite replays showing the ball did not cross the line.

1) Kristine Lilly

Kristine Lilly is the most capped international player in the history of the game, featuring a staggering 354 times for the United States women’s national team. During her 23-year career, she netted 130 times, and is 1 of 10 women to break the 200 appearance barrier. Lilly made her international debut in 1987 whilst still studying at high school, surpassing the previous record of 151 caps held by Norway’s Heidi Store in May 1987. The 2-time World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist is fondly remembered for her role in the 1999 World Cup final versus China. With the golden goal rule in effect, Lilly cleared a certain goal off the line during extra time, then scored the penalty which gave the USA the lead in the shootout, which they consequently went on to win. In 2007, she became the first women to appear in 5 World Cup Final’s. Legend.

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By Grant James

Transfer windows are football fans’ favourite time of the year, where they anticipate their club can pull off the deal of a life time. Football is a game that can throw-up the occasional mouthwatering transfer story no one could predict in a million years and sometimes, these bizarre deals become a reality. Such as when relegation threatened West Ham signed 2 of Argentina’s most highly rated prospects in Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano back in 2006 and German giants Bayern Munich signed Tranmere Rovers winger Dale Jennings in 2011. Unfortunately, many ambitious bids are unsuccessful, so in this article, we look back at six outrageous transfers that, sadly for football, never happened.

6) Rivaldo to Bolton Wanderers

In 2001, Bolton manager Sam Allardyce offered Brazillian legend Rivaldo £1million a year in wages to join the Premier League club. However, representatives at Bolton became frustrated at Rivaldo’s indecisiveness and his reluctance to give the club a final answer. The World Cup and Ballon d’Or winner ended up signing for Olympiakos, with chairman Phil Gartside stating he was focusing on the ‘money side of the game, not football.’

5) Robert Lewandowski to Blackburn Rovers

Sam Allardyce almost pulled off another shock transfer, after a £4.2million bid for the Lech Poznan striker was accepted back in 2008. Unfortunately for the Lancashire club, the Icelandic ash cloud scuppered his flight to England and the Pole went on to sign for Borussia Dortmund.

4) Zinedine Zidane to Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers

Agent Barry Silkman revealed Newcastle rejected the opportunity to sign Zidane from Bordeux for a measly £1.2million in 2001. The Frenchman signed for Juventus for the same price, before moving to Real Madrid for £48million just 2 years later. Blackburn were also in the hunt, but Rovers owner Jack Walker decided against the move, saying “Why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?”

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3) Steven Gerrard to Chelsea

During Euro 2004, Gerrard had decided to move to Chelsea and even texted manager Jose Mourinho to announce his decision. A bid in the region of £32million was reported to have been lined-up, but after an ear-bashing from his father and death threats sent to his family home, Gerrard turned his back on Chelsea and an extra £15million in wages to stay on Merseyside.

2) Neymar to West Ham United

In 2010, West Ham bid £16million for Santos wonder kid Neymar, which was followed by a £20million bid from Chelsea. Both bids were rejected by the Brazilian club, who sold him to Barcelona 2 years later for reportedly £71.5million. Imagine if West Ham had pulled that one off!

1) Ronaldinho to St. Mirren

In probably the most bizarre story of all time, Ronaldinho came extremely close to signing for Scottish club St. Mirren in 2001. Unfortunately, due to a fake passport scandal in Brazil and sluggishness on part of the Brazilian FA, the deal fell through in the last minute. What a story that would have been.

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By Grant James

As we all watched England throw away a comfortable 2-0 lead with 2 last minute goals in a meaningless friendly at a sold out Wembley against Spain, I sat there for a second and thought to myself… what’s the point? Liverpool reject Iago Aspas scored arguably the best goal of his career literally out of nowhere, with Real Madrid benchwarmer Isco nutmegging Burnley’s number 1 in the 96th minute of the game to salvage a draw, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the absolute stereotypical England performance of recent years I had just witnessed. Despite 4 goals, the game was as cliché as international fixtures come – slow, boring and painful to watch. Here’s why we all hate the international break.

1) No Premier League football

As players are scattered all over the world, Premier League football is put on hold for a fortnight. It is the longest, most agonising 2 weeks as a football fan, as we’re forced to watch Newport versus Colchester in League 2 to satisfy our footballing addiction. Then, when Premier League football returns, our teams perform like it’s the first time they’ve ever played together, losing all the momentum built up in the previous weeks and are back to square one.

2) Terrible fixtures

Just as the domestic football season gets back underway, it’s halted 3 weekends later because of glamour fixtures such as Luxembourg vs. Ukraine, Montenegro vs. Faroe Islands, Lithuania vs. Macedonia that we all can’t wait to sit down and spend an hour and a half of our lives watching. How many times is it we’ve watched England sweep aside San Marino part-timers now?

3) Injuries

There can’t be a worse feeling in football than watching your teams star player clutching the back of his thigh on some horrifically dodgy pitch in West Africa as they’ve just pulled their hamstring lunging into a tackle, giving that extra 10% for their country just not to be slated in the national papers the next morning. Managers and fans hold their breath during international breaks, as club physio’s deal with the aftermath of dangerous surfaces and clumsy 6ft 7 part-time defenders when their stars return from all corners of the globe.

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4) Supporting players you hate

What was worse than England being pummeled out of Euro 2016 by a nation of just 300,000 people, was that we’d spent the past year painfully cheering on a team majorly dominated by Tottenham and Liverpool players; arguably 2 of the most disliked clubs in the country. Most fans couldn’t stand half of the players Hodgson had selected, yet we swallowed our pride because of our love for England, and this is how they repay us? Joke’s on us fans then really, as it was all an embarrassing waste of time and effort…

5) Fixture pile up

We all know the qualifying fixtures have to be played, but there is absolutely no need for friendlies mid-season. They clog up the fixture list and are nothing more than glorified training session. To combat fixture congestion, FIFA could open a window twice a year for nations to conduct the friendlies and qualifying matches which would not only spare clubs from risking their players, but would also enable national team managers to make their team gel in a relatively longer period than of a week they presently do. It would also reduce the unnecessary piling up of matches, and at the same time, keep players and fans excited for a run of international matches.

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By GRANT JAMES

“Fracasados.” That’s what the media in Argentina refer the current national football team as. It means “failures,” but with a much nastier, harsher edge to it… as you can imagine. To the neutral, it could seem rather unfair to label a country who have reached 3 major finals in 2 years’ failures, but with the quality of players the country has at its disposal, and arguably the best player ever to play the game in his prime, the frustration is somewhat understandable. Think of it this way, if they’re failures, what are England?!

The confrontation between the media and the players began following accusations that Ezequial Lavezzi had been smoking cannabis whilst on national team duty. Argentina’s entire 23-man squad, led by captain Lionel Messi, turned up for the press conference after the 3-0 win over Columbia to demand respect, and revealed no players would be answering questions, insisting a line had been crossed. In this article, we will be looking back at 5 of the most heated press conferences in football history.

5)

– Nigel Pearson

Nigel Pearson produced one of the greatest and most bizarre rants of all time after this feisty confrontation with journalist Ian Baker. Following a gutsy 3-1 loss to Chelsea, Pearson was fed up with the amount of ‘criticism and negativity’ his players had to endure over the course of the season, and when asked to specify the criticism, he lost it, famously referring to Baker as ‘an ostrich.’

4)

– Ian Holloway

In 2010, then Blackpool manager Ian Holloway fumed at the footballing authorities for ‘allowing Wayne Rooney to manufacture his exit from Manchester United.’ With Rooney reaching the age of 25 and the 1995 Bosman rule allowing players who are over the age of 24 to leave their current club at the end of their contract for free, Holloway believed it punished clubs unfairly.

3)

– Rafa Benitez

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez famously produced a piece of paper with incidents involving Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson during this tense press conference in 2009. Liverpool were top of the league at the time, but Benitez criticized Ferguson about a

number of things, insisting United were nervous about the title race and that Ferguson was the only manager who could ‘talk about referees, and nothing happens.’

2)

– Alberto Malesani

Furious Italian Alberto Malesani was managing Panathinaikos when he unleashed an outburst of anger towards the clubs’ fans and journalists. He pleaded with the fans for time and to trust the young squad he had assembled, but I’m not sure he went about it the right way. Malesani was unsurprisingly sacked at the end of the season.

1)

– Giovanni Trappatoni

At number 1 is former Bayern Munich and Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trappatoni, who lost his temper at a press conference after 3 consecutive defeats and having all but conceded the Bundesliga title to Kaiserslautern. Trappatoni emphasised his fury at some players who had publicly criticised him, notoriously referring to them as ‘weak like an empty bottle.’

By Tom Slatcher

The English Football League cancelled plans of the proposed shake up of 100 teams across five leagues last week. The news came after the EFL claimed they wanted ’an extra division and have 20 teams in each of the five leagues by 2019’ back in May.

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The Football Association deemed the proposal was no longer “viable”. The new set up would have involved FA cup fixtures being played midweek and had been claimed to be able to ‘tackle fixture congestion’ by members of the English Football League. The FA dismissed the proposed changes completely with the new broadcasting deal in mind for the FA cup. The deal is worth a reported £820m, meaning FA cup fixtures have to be played on the weekends. “With the weekend slots not being available, there is no way we can meet the financial conditions,” explained EFL chief Shaun Harvey. The chief executive then seemed to take a swipe at the FA’s decision to end talks about the changes, claiming it was done so “without fully understanding the financial outcomes the new model could bring”.

So what does this mean for the future of English football? Well, similar to the previous idea of having Premier League ‘B’ teams introduced to the football league, this idea seems very much dead in the water. So what now? The real question is, does English football really need a revamp? If its not broke, why fix it? Right? This is an attitude that is very much mirrored by fans across the country, with change being something not likely to be taken well. In reality, not only would any proposed change reshape the structure of English football, but the tradition of English football. We as fans enjoy waking up on Boxing Day morning and going out to watch the football, lets be honest, it’s what makes English football so special.

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Could we see festive fixtures coming to an end soon?

Football has become nothing but a money ball, especially since the introduction of the Premier League in 1992. Change would also see clubs have a reduction in revenue, with one of the main modifications being the opportunity to expand the divisions, reducing leagues of 24 teams to 20 from the Championship all the way down to the conference leagues. Money some clubs simply cannot afford to be missing out on, especially in the lower leagues. Exeter City chairman Julian Tagg expressed his concern saying, “As you go down the football pyramid, clubs rely heavily on gate receipts, unless you have an owner who can just throw money at the football club, which many don’t”.

In terms of what’s next for the EFL’s plans in revamping English football, maybe no change is required after all, and if there is, it’s very much a minor one required. This is now the second lot of proposed change set out by the Football League, and both have received a negative response from clubs and fans alike. The question the English Football League should be answering now isn’t ‘what idea is next?’ but ‘is there need for change at all?’ Have the English governing bodies become so obsessed with the concept of changing the foundation of English football, they’ve convinced themselves there’s a need for change which in reality, isn’t there.

By Dan Pointer

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What you are reading here today is a rarity, a wrestling article on a sports website and I can guarantee that this isn’t how you get your regular news updates on all things pro wrestling.

You cannot go to a sports website to read over the events on Monday Night Raw or look in a national newspaper to see a former wrestler’s weekly column. It is very rare that any positive news about wrestling is ever written in the mainstream media.

The last coverage I saw of professional wrestling in a national newspaper was when Hulk Hogan was fired by WWE for racism. Before that, I would have to go all the way back to the horrific incident of former world champion Chris Beniot massacring his own family in 2007 to find anything at all.

Are you starting to notice a pattern here?

So why is a sport so beloved by millions of men, women and children across the world almost completely ignored by those in the media? Well, I can’t answer that. However what I do know is that when you mention WWE, or even wrestling in general, to someone they will almost instantly start to patronise you, calling it fake or stupid. It’s simply not recognised as a legitimate sport by anyone except for us fans. I’m sure the wrestlers themselves would have something to say about that with the countless bruises, scars and more serious injuries they receive on a weekly basis.

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The issue is wrestling is still considered as something for kids, even though a large portion of live crowds and angry bloggers on the internet are adults. I would love to see a day in the future when I can browse a sports website or app and see a category called professional wrestling, full with articles, results and reviews.

I feel wrestling really is starting to become more mainstream!

Every single time I see an RKO vine or John Cena ‘meme’ I hope that it might turn someone to the world of sports entertainment and they may become as obsessed and passionate as I am, one day. Then maybe, just maybe we’ll talk about pro wrestling in the same way we do other combat sports.

By Samantha Habgood

Football was not my main focus when Crystal Palace played Manchester City on Saturday 19th November.

Crystal Palace fans paid tribute to the seven victims of the Croydon tram derailment.

Being from Croydon, and a life long Crystal Palace fan, hearing about what happened that Wednesday morning came as a complete shock.

I couldn’t help but feel the emotion the community.

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The seven victims of the Croydon tram derailment accident were remembered before the game during a minute silence by both clubs, fans, management and staff. An extra remembrance was paid to the two victims who were Palace fans, Dane Chinnery and Phil Sears during the game. This was done by a minute applause, which was heard around Selhurst Park in both the 19^th and 57^th minute to represent their ages.

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Crystal Palace made a statement a day after the incident saying “this was a terrible event in the heart of Croydon and we stand with the community at this difficult time”. The Crystal Palace match programme cover was dedicated to the Croydon tram derailment disaster. Crystal Palace FC have also promoted a JustGiving page which is to help raise money in an effort to support the families and community affected by the incident. Manchester City have also shown their support to the page to help those affected, so far 877 supporters have raised £23,500.

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As pressure builds on Crystal Palace due to their poor form in the Premier League, some football fans could be forgiven for only focusing on that. But that was not the case for Palace fans, who know the strength comes from community. If anything should be taken from this incident it is that anything can happen at any time. The importance of football during this time provided support and a sense of community in such a difficult and emotional period for the community of Croydon.

By Kerry Fothergill

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The NFL roller coaster in London is over for another year with all three games captivating spectators with plenty of drama with each play.

As we settle back down to stay up late, and watch the games from afar again, we can look forward to next year’s brief visit.

New Orleans Saints are set to return after nine years to play the Miami Dolphins, with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams set to be the home sides for the other games but where will they play? And what if London had a franchise?

Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium is not due to be completed until the start of the 2018/19 season, so the likely choice is Wembley Stadium or, after a reasonably successful first game, at Twickenham.

Spurs have designed a retractable pitch to be able to host NFL in the future but with a packed schedule is that really realistic?

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An NFL side has eight home games with the possibility of two further home games if the team makes the playoffs and there are four preseason games, running from August until January.

If London does get a franchise, having a regular home stadium is unrealistic as there isn’t one in London to cater an NFL team’s needs. More importantly all the extra aspects that go alongside the games require more room and detail than a football team.

Spurs are likely to have the same problems Twickenham had and the social media responses from the fans who attended the Giants v Rams on the 23rd October.

One of the biggest questions over Spurs hosting is whether the local transport system can cope with around 58,000 people needing to travel back to different parts of the country.

Also, when the attendance at Wembley and Twickenham has been in the 80,000s and 70,000s respectively, would a NFL team want to go to a smaller stadium when the popularity of the NFL is so high?

Another question is whether the area around the Spurs Stadium is able to host the tailgate parties that the NFL put on, Twickenham just managed it but not on the scale the fans had become accustomed – hence the social media response.

This is all immaterial. The main problem is not the location of the games when they are here, but if a team would ever want to be based in London.

The away games are not just a quick car trip but in fact a long haul plane journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

Of course, it is ultimately down to the owner of the team to decide whether a franchise comes to London or not.

With Fulham owner Shahid Khan already the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and with interest growing for NFL here in the UK, it may not be long until we have a London franchise!

By Ellis Lander

Talk has returned discussing the potential ‘European Super League’ that would see the top clubs from Europe’s smaller top flight leagues compete in an alternative to the Champions League. The idea goes back 16 years but has recently caught fire again due to the proposed new revamp for the Champions League that would see clubs outside Europe’s top leagues struggle for Champions League qualification. The fear from the clubs involved in the proposed new league is that if no action is taken in light of a new Champions League format, it will result in an even bigger financial gulf between Europe’s biggest clubs and the rest.

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In mid-October, F.C. København director Anders Hørsholt confirmed that talks are currently ongoing, with Hørsholt telling Danish newspaper BT, “If we do not act now, we will see the biggest clubs grow larger and stronger while it will be increasingly difficult for clubs like us.” He added, “It is still too early to talk about specific models, but the discussion of leagues across European borders is a theme that we look at and actively participate in.”

The new Champions League format, set for implementation in for the 2018-19 season would see the top four clubs from Europe’s top four leagues automatically gain a place in the competition, therefore making qualification harder for everyone else. Whilst this of course would benefit the bigger clubs in Europe, it stands as an issue for the smaller clubs who rely so heavily on the financial rewards gained from being in Europe’s top competition.

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As well as the financial aspect of the proposal, the new league would provide some much needed competition for many of the clubs involved, as they frequently win their domestic leagues. This is particularly true for the Scandinavian leagues that see a lack of interest due to the league winners nearly always being the same (FC København, Rosenborg BK and Malmö FF). Despite this, it would mean that these clubs are denied the financial rewards that come with participation in Europe’s elite competition. To put it into perspective, the money FC København have earned from their results in this seasons Champions League so far, is nearly double what they received for winning the Danish Superliga back in October. Also, the change would deny smaller clubs their moment in the spotlight. Leicester City’s Premier League results this season have left them in a potential relegation battle, yet they have already secured their place in the Champions League knockout stages with some fantastic performances. Whilst the previously mentioned FC København will progress if they win and FC Porto do not get a result in the final gameweek.

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Celtic are another club believed to be involved in the potential setup, with the club frequently winning the Scottish Premiership but falling way behind the bigger clubs financially. Despite this, SPFL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster is very much against any changes and believes it would significantly damage Europe’s mid-level domestic leagues. “The threat is very real, very significant.” revealed Doncaster. “We are only talking about the cycle of 2018-21 but the direction of travel that UEFA have embarked upon is a very dangerous route. It threatens the very future of very top-level football and it is vital that a line is drawn in the sand now and the EPFL (European Professional Football Leagues) take the firm stand that is required and start the pulling back of the very damning proposals. It is important to be a domestic club champion; it is about access to the top-tier of European competitive football with the other champions of European football. Remove that and you fundamentally remove what is important about being a champion in a domestic contest.”

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