One of the all time worst seasons in Arsenal history is over. We’ve seen the good, the bad, and the fugly! Sophie & Amanda give quick fire thoughts on the entire enchilada, including Unai Emery, Jack leaving and a bit of World Cup!
Times a changing at Highbury & Heels so stay tuned for info about next season!
Football legends don’t get much tastier than this! The Highbury & Heels squad was honoured to welcome former Leicester, Everton, Tottenham, Barcelona and England striker, Gary Lineker.
From the despair of Diego Maradona’s Hand of God to seeing his beloved Foxes win the Premier League, we discussed it all with the man who fulfilled the bet of all bets… presenting Match of the Day… in his boxers! Get stuck in.
Love these women. Last time I interviewed them at training camp they won Olympic Gold! I’m hoping this time I see them my visit spawns an American victory at the Women’s World Cup this summer! #fbf #blackpudding
La Liga Lounge returns with a Brazilian blend, dedicating the entire show to one man…Neymar!
The most talked about transfer in football over the last two seasons is finally done. Neymar joins Barcelona from Santos and we look at how this deal could work out.
Will Neymar complement Messi or will he try to compete with him? Can these two superstars co-exist? Or are there too many cooks in the Camp Nou kitchen?
Neymar is also slight and doesn’t carry too much weight. Can he bulk up and also change his style of football to adapt playing in Europe? Will he be a huge success like Ronaldinho or will he end up a high-profile flop? Remember Keirrison?
We dissect this subject like a frog and are also joined by Brazil legend and 1970’s World Cup winner and captain Carlos Alberto. The scorer of the greatest goal ever seen in the World Cup doesn’t hold back when talking about Brazil’s current football starlet.
Sit back. Relax. Grab a chair in the lounge. It’s happy hour. It’s a special. It’s “The One with Neymar to Barcelona.”
There are some moments in life when you feel exceptionally lucky. You want to freeze time in a bottle. You never want the moment to end. Talking to Brazil, Santos and New York Cosmos legend Carlos Alberto Torres was exactly that moment for me.
The 1970 World Cup Final goal he scored versus Italy is undoubtedly the greatest we’ve ever seen. It was a stunning team effort that showcased why we’ve all loved watching Brazil in the World Cup. The goal also solidified Carlos Alberto’s name in football’s history books and is a moment he admits changed his life forever.
A true gentlemen of the game, Carlos is proud to have returned to his beloved New York Cosmos as an Ambassador. Together with other legends of the game like his best friend Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia, they set the Big Apple on fire, put the sport on the map in the United States and galvanized a nation to fall in love with football.
Talking to him about that historical final, the 1982 Brazil World Cup team, Pele, Maradona, Messi, Neymar and more felt like all the Christmas mornings I’ve ever had rolled-up into one. He unwrapped his thoughts and provided honest opinions like a gift that kept on giving.
I hope you enjoy listening to one of football’s legends as much as I enjoyed talking to him.
http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/extra-time/130425/carlos-alberto-brazils-world-cup-chances-their-premier-league-stars-and-196344
Football. Soccer. Call it what you want. It’s just like being down the pub with your mates.
Lob us @soccerdiva.
Phil Schoen and Ray Hudson have thrilled U.S. audiences with their La Liga commentary for many years. As a team, they have been prolific in their art and undoubtedly have become the voices of La Liga Stateside. Whether you are being dazzled by the brilliance of Barcelona or wooed by the tenacity and strength of Real Madrid, Phil and Ray paint a picture so beautiful, you wished every single game lasted longer than 90 minutes plus injury time!
In A Conversation With Phil Schoen, we talk about the current financial state of La Liga and also discuss the emergence of Jordi Alba, the talent of the Spanish national team, Ronaldo, Messi, Tito Vilanova and we even manage to squeeze in a little Guti and Ibracadabra. Phil also comes with some exciting news about where his voice will be heard next season! Grab a sangria and enjoy the conversation.
How are you enjoying the 2010 World Cup from South Africa? Has it lived up to your expectations? Is your country performing as you believed it would? What is the biggest story for you so far? How do you feel about the vuvuzela?
I can personally remember far more exciting group stages at the World Cup. There were definitely some thrilling finishes towards the end, but overall, that edge-of-your-seat type action was lacking tremendously for me. And I also have a problem with the weather and how cold it always looks. Seeing Casillas wearing a scarf during the World Cup is just wrong. I can respect the tournament being held in South Africa, but ultimately, the World Cup always smacks of summer and unfortunately, I’m not feeling the sizzle at all this time around.
The other problem with the tournament is the lack of attendance in the group stages. Most of the stadiums were not full and if it wasn’t for the vuvuzela, would there have been an atmosphere in some of the early games at all? Sure everyone has complained about the vuvuzela, but if you ask me, I think it saved the blushes of FIFA by filling the seats with sound as opposed to their ability to sell the tickets and fill the seats with warm bodies.
I’m also a little bored with Brazil and Argentina being so dominant again. Sure they are playing beautiful football and I would prefer to see Argentina win it all over Brazil. I know that is probably weird coming from a Brit and deep down I’m still hoping this is the year someone unpredictable wins the whole enchilada. But if we’re running with a favourite, I hope it’s Argentina who makes it to the final and I have this silly optimism they will meet England and we will payback Maradona for the Hand of God once and for all!
The truth is anything can happen. Who would have predicted France’s public implosion? And what about Italy’s collapse? It was a total embarrassment as they tried to defend their title. I feel bad for their supporters. We feel your pain. And speaking of pain, some of the refereeing has been hellacious. Some refs have made terrible decisions that would inspire any government in any country across our universe! Fans get ripped enough at it is in life and they certainly don’t want some amateur ref from Mali screwing them over at the World Cup! Come on referees! Sort it out FIFA.
There have been some good goals and perhaps a couple of great goals. We’ve seen very few sexy free-kicks converted and I’m not sure if there is a new star that has emerged just yet for us all to be salivating over. And the already established stars like Ronaldo, Rooney and Messi haven’t really lit it up yet have they? Messi’s had some pretty play overall, but we’ve seen no individual magic just yet and I think that’s what this World Cup is lacking.
Hopefully the last 16 will make me eat all of my above mentioned words. Hopefully the stars will come out and shine bright because the story so far is…Slovakia and Uruguay?
The life of an England fan is tough. Prior to every major football competition, we always believe our team can win it all. And going into this World Cup, the confidence of every England fan was exceptionally high. Fabio Capello has everything to do with that confidence. But did the Xen Master make mistakes with his team selection against the United States?
Sure Robert Green screwed up beyond belief. Sure he made one of the biggest mistakes by a goalkeeper in World Cup history. It was embarrassing and it shouldn’t happen at this level of football. But despite Green’s calamity, Capello should have been more assertive about his choice for England goalkeeper. He hesitated in making a decision and this didn’t instill any confidence in Green or the rest of the team.
It wasn’t just the goalkeeping position that posed problems for England. They looked unsure in various areas of the pitch. And Capello is lucky in some regards because Green’s awful error took the spotlight off some of his first-team choices. Ledley King shouldn’t have started in defense with John Terry. He should have played Jamie Carragher or Matthew Upson from the start. James Milner had no place in the team after being sick all week. This was Capello’s biggest mistake. If Gareth Barry was fit then Milner wouldn’t have started at all. But with that in mind, surely Joe Cole or Shaun Wright Phillips would have been a better choice? Emile Heskey did well, but we didn’t look dangerous or threatening up front at all. I still believe Peter Crouch is more dangerous and can give more if he starts the game.
The other major question is can Aaron Lennon actually cross the ball and get it past the first defender? I’ve been critical of Lennon’s quality in terms of what he does after the run even in his role for Tottenham. He can pass players and scare the living daylights out of them but his final ball is so poor. I couldn’t help but think of Theo Walcott during the game last night. In hindsight, should he have been in the squad, especially as he has proved he can perform at that level for England?
I know it’s only the first game. But this isn’t the Premier League people. There are not 30 odd games ahead of us here. There are only two games left and I think Capello has some big decisions to make that will shape England’s success or failure in this tournament.
Are you ready for the British Soccer Diva World Cup competition?
Last time around Fabio Cannavaro had the honour of lifting the World Cup for his beloved Italy. Fast forward four years and we excitedly find ourselves closer to another mouth-watering tournament.
The passion, the glory, the unpredictability and despair make-up some of the greatest sporting memories of our lifetime. Villains and heroes are waiting to be crowned. Are you ready? I can’t take the wait much longer.
Can England really do it? Will Brazil stand in everyone’s way again? How about the Italians and their incredible ability to do well in big tournaments? Is this Holland’s time? What about the reliable Germans? Are the U.S.A. ready to cause a huge upset? Will an Asian country rise and take it all? Can an African nation win the World Cup? Is it possible that we could see a Messi vs Ronaldo final, or will Rooney get his revenge on the winker? I can’t stand it.
This is a competition that unites the world and the world could sure use a month off this summer! We can’t wait until the economy, the politics and the daily grind of life comes to an incredible halt. We are ready for what is undoubtedly the most anticipated sporting event in the universe. How many times have we all played out scoring the winning goal for our country in the World Cup? Even girls do that boys!
When you post your comments to this story, please also include the 2 teams you think will qualify from each group to the knockout stages. Make it clear who you think will finish 1st and 2nd. You get 2 points for the top team and 1 point for the group runner-up. We’d also like for you to pick a “dark horse” team. You only get one choice so make it a good one. If your “dark horse” team makes it, you get a bonus 3 points. And finally, to make this puppy even more fun, we’d like you to pick the two teams you think will make it to the final. You will get 5 points for each team. Once we move to the knockout phase, we will then introduce another round of picks to the competition.
The world waits. Fans of football live in hope. Boyhood dreams are waiting to be fulfilled. Who is your money on..?
Our crystal ball spoke to us clearly and concisely when the excitement and anticipation of the 2009/10 season kicked-off. We made our predictions. We chose the chosen ones and it was off to the races.
As the best of the best galloped into the eyes of victory and defeat, we raved, we ranted, we posted and we polled about the beautiful game. And as the race to be crowned champion nears its end, we can’t help but wonder, who will cross the finish line first?
For so long Chelsea have been the favourites to scoop the Premier League title. If I remember correctly, we warned the Stamford Bridge outfit not to celebrate too soon. At Christmas, the Chelsea players and faithful believed they had it in the bag. There was an evident cockiness to them which has become synonymous with Chelsea. But a loss to Everton and a whipping by Manchester City in their own park soon made the Blues players and fans realize the fight to the finish will not be so easy. Did they under estimate their opponents? Did the John Terry scandal hurt them? What would they do without Drogba? Will the iron Chelski curtain find its strength again as they head towards the finish?
With Wayne Rooney turning on the style and making a case to be European Footballer of the Year, Manchester United are once again finding their strength and form at the right time. Determined to create history and make it four Premier League titles in a row, the Red Devils are as hungry as ever for silver ware. They’ve already bagged the Carling Cup, they have one eye on a Champions League quarter final spot and they are two points clear at the Premier League summit. Granted they haven’t been as exciting to watch as a team this term, but Rooney has given us every reason to be up for watching Manchester United play. Do you think they’d be flying if Ferdinand and Vidic were fit all season? Do you think Rooney deserves to be Player of the Year? Has Valencia been a success? Will Berbatov be the man United fans want him to be?
And what of Arsenal? After losses to Manchester United and Chelsea, everyone had written off their title chances for good. How could the Gunners win the league if they couldn’t beat the two best teams in the country? Somehow, some way, Arsenal have hung in there. Even though they lost to the big two, they picked up some good results in games we’ve easily seen them lose over the last few seasons. Beating the likes of Stoke and Hull has helped. Losing Ramsey to such a horrific injury has not. But unlike the Eduardo injury experience which saw Arsenal implode that season, it appears this time around the team are galvanized to win it for Ramsey. They seem to have a purpose we may not have seen in recent times. Can Arsenal finish strong without Fabregas? Would they be clear of United and Chelsea on points at this stage if Van Persie hadn’t been injured? Was Vermaelen the best buy of the season? How good could Arsenal actually be if they bought three more world class players?
The rest of the league are fighting for a fourth Champions League spot, a Europa League place or just plain old fashioned survival. How do your predictions match up to what you thought at the beginning of the season? Who do you see wining it all? Chelsea? Manchester United? Or Arsenal? Can Tottenham really steal a Champions League birth? Will Manchester City or Aston Villa ruin their coming out party? Will we see another famous old club like West Ham go down? Has Hull City’s luck finally run out? When Portsmouth go down, how much further will they sink over the next few years? Remember Leeds?
There is still much to play for. It’s sad that the season is almost ending but fear not fellow footie fans! The silver lining is that we are in a World Cup year so the wait for some quality football won’t feel like eternity. Could this be the year Wayne Rooney shines on the world stage? Is it his time to be crowned a world football superstar? The race to the finish line is almost over. The only question is, who will win?