Stan Kroenke Moves to Take Over Arsenal. Bright Future for the Gunners?

American businessman Stan Kroenke has increased his shareholding in Arsenal to more than 62 percent and has now agreed to make an offer for the rest of the club and to Alisher Usmanov who owns just over 26 percent of the club.

A full takeover of the club was triggered after Kroenke Sports Enterprises acquired the stakes of Danny Fiszman (16.1%) and Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith (15.9%) forcing him over the 30 percent threshold which forced a complete buyout of the club...

Jose Mourinho's Unbeaten Home Record Ends as Sporting Gijon Beat Real Madrid

Jose Mourinho's nine year, 150 games unbeaten home record stretching all the way back to March 16 2002 came to an end on April 2 2011 after Sporting Gijon beat his Real Madrid team 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.


The record, which started all the way back in 2002 when Mourinho was manager of FC Porto in Portugal was one of the longest running records in football. The last team to beat a Mourinho coached side was Beira-Mar way back in February 2002.

Hristo Stoichkov: The Bulgarian Messiah

"There are only two Christ’s; one plays for Barcelona, the other is in heaven," so said Hristo Stoichkov before collecting his award for European Footballer of the Year in 1994.

With Hristo directly translating as Christ, you could be forgiven for thinking he was joking and that it was a play on words...but you'd be wrong. Stoichkov had three massive elements to his person, a God-given skill, a God-sized ego, and a Devil of a temperament.

History Of The World Cup Football 1930 to 2010

Football has changed greatly from the first World Cup in 1930. Players are fitter than ever before, football gear has changed from baggy shorts to tight fitting jerseys,  rules have changed to suit the attacking team, and believe it or not the roundness of the simple football has become something of a science all in itself.

The balls that were used in the 1930s are very much different from what we are used to now, literally made from a pig's bladder, they are now put together with the science and preciseness of space age technology.

Here is a brief history of the development of the one device that the game cannot exist without.

Spineless Arsene Wenger Is Turning Arsenal into a Version of Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal's tilt at the title has ended yet again, although the Gunners did hang in for longer than most predicted. But the same old questions now need to be answered, the most prominent being: Why does Arsene Wenger not see what everyone else does?

As with any problem, there are a number of places to start—Is it Arsene's tactics, the players, the board, the lack of money?

Lionel Messi vs. Diego Maradona (Video of Identical Goals)

You would almost think that Messi's goal was created on photoshop it's that similar to Diego's famous effort against England.

Barcelona, Bunyodkor, Uzbekistan, and UNICEF

Amidst little fanfare in 2008, Barcelona announced a cooperative link up with an obscure team in Uzbekistan, Kuruvchi FC. It is a deal that has definitely benefited both clubs, but the commercial partnership has raised questions. Not least because the Uzbeki government has one of the worst records in the world for human rights violations, and that Barcelona are sponsored by UNICEF.

Arsenio Erico Finally Comes Home To Paraguay, 32 Years After His Death

Thirty-two years after he was laid to rest in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Arsenio Erico finally returned home to Paraguay. Thousands of fans showed up to pay tribute to the "greatest striker in Argentinian league history" as they celebrated his repatriation.

Born in Ascuncion, Paraguay, in 1915, Erico made his name playing for Independiente in Argentina. He was spotted by Los Diablos Rojos after he traveled to Argentina with a Paraguayan Red Cross representative team in an effort to raise money for the country in the Chaco War.

Harry Redknapp: His Transfer History 1984 to 2010, The Best Record In Football?

Harry Redknapp is recognised as being the best English manager in the game today. He has always had a reputation as being a wheeler dealer. However, does he have the best transfer record in English football?

Was Aaron Ramsey's Injury A Result Of Declining Coaching Standards?

Recriminations and questions have been flying since Aaron Ramsey picked up an horrific leg break following Ryan Shawcross' tackle. Perhaps the most pertinent being, was the tackle a result of a fall in coaching standards at both clubs?

Stoke City's Glen Whelan, The Only Player On The Pitch To Keep His Head Following Aaron Ramsey's Horror Injury

Ryan Shawcross clattered into Aaron Ramsey, his leg shattered and the promising youth lay screaming on the ground. His Arsenal team mates screamed, vomited, and held their heads, leaving Stoke's Glen Whelan as the only man cool enough to read the situation properly and comfort the stricken youth.

I Hate...A Rant By An Angry QPR Fan

This rant appeared on a forum for QPR.


Classic...

Liverpool vs. Arsenal 2009 Vintage; Not The 1989 Classic

On the 26th of May, 1989, Liverpool and Arsenal played in the final game of the most nail-biting league finish of all time. On Sunday, they meet in a match that is sadly just another in the calender year...

Ars Bandeet and Other Funny Names From The Wonderful World of Football

Never heard of Ars Bandeet? How about Einar Aas? No? Well everyone's heard of Segar Bastard, haven't they? For every Diego and Pele, there has been an Ars or an Aas. Here are a couple of the greatest names ever to grace a football pitch...

The Fast and the Furious: The Fastest Goals in Football

There have been many column inches dedicated to Cristiano Ronaldo's wonder goal against Porto in the UEFA Champions League. A goal of such breathtaking beauty that it left even the most experienced of journalists scrambling for words to describe the strike.

At 65mph, the ball left Ronaldo's foot like an exocet missile and shook the back of the net while the 'keeper just looked on like a spectator. Everyone was in agreement that it was a special goal, especially Ronaldo.

But was it one of the fastest goals ever scored?

Profiles of the Great and Good: Hristo Stoichkov: "There Are Only Two Christs...The Other Is in Heaven"

"There are only two Christs; one plays for Barcelona, the other is in heaven," so said Hristo Stoichkov before collecting his award for European Footballer of the Year in 1994.

With Hristo directly translating as Christ, you could be forgiven for thinking he was joking and that it was a play on words...but you'd be wrong. Stoichkov had three massive elements to his person, a God-given skill, a God-sized ego, and a Devil of a temperament...

After 22 Years, Shamrock Rovers Finally Have a Place to Call Home

This night took 22 years to make. The most storied, celebrated, and successful team in Irish soccer have finally come home.

Just over two decades ago, Shamrock Rovers had Glenmalure Park sold from under them, in the intervening time frame they have travelled the length and breadth of the country to play their home matches...

Football's Hard Men: A Who's Who of the Hardest Men in Soccer

The beautiful game...Over the years football has had its fair share of memorable characters. Great players, great managers, legends...One can remember moments that seem to stick in the recesses of the mind.

Diego Maradona dribbling from the half way line against England. Marco Tardelli wheeling away with tears in his eyes after he scored in the World Cup final. Pele and Moore swapping jerseys. There are many moments in the sport we love.

But one thing that is as remembered as a great goal is a great tackle, and sometimes a bad tackle.

Here is a celebration of some of the hardest, dirtiest, and toughest players ever to play the game.

First up is Terry Butcher as pictured above...

Harry Gregg, the Safest Hands in Soccer: Hero of the Munich Air Disaster

Harry Gregg is relatively unknown for the heroics that he performed on a dark winter night on the sixth of February 1958, a date that has become etched in the minds of football fans all over the world, no matter what club they support.

And over his 35 year career as a player and a manager, Harry Gregg achieved more than most. He was a part of the famous "Busby Babes" for almost 10 years, was voted the best 'keeper in the world after his heroics for Northern Ireland in the World Cup in 1958, and for a time he was the most expensive goalkeeper in the world.

The date of February 6th 1958 was the night of "The Munich Air Disaster." And on that night F-609 crashed to claim the lives of 23 people, including eight members of Matt Busby's Manchester United team.


But to tell the story of Gregg's heroics on that night, I will start with his tale of how he ended up at Old Trafford under the maestro that was Matt Busby.

Profiles of the Great and Good: The Killie Pie, Once Tasted, Never Forgotten

Kilmarnock came from behind to defeat derby rivals Ayr United 3-1, despite being reduced to 10 men in their Scottish Cup match last night. And while almost 12,000 fans packed into Rugby Park, the big winners of the tie were Brownings Bakers.

You see, Brownings make the world famous "Killie Pie." And it's not just any pie, the halftime delicacy is so good that even away fans can't come to Rugby Park without tasting one of its delights. On an average Saturday, Brownings can expect to sell some 7,000 to 8,000 pies. Considering the average crowd hits around 10,000, these sales figure are massive.

But what's so special about the Killie Pie? Well, for a start it tastes incredible, and that's not just my opinion. You see the Killie Pie is a steak pie, and it's actually made of steak, and not the usual offal that you find in pies around the grounds of football stadiums up and down Britain...