Ahmed Bilal

Roman Abramovich has sacked André Villas-Boas after a string of poor results that has left Chelsea fifth in the league table. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion left Chelsea three points behind Arsenal with 11 games to go. Villas-Boas’s …

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The ‘vanishing spray’ is used by the referee to mark 10 yards between the ball and the wall at free-kicks. This line is a clear indicator of where the opposition teams should be standing before the free-kick is taken and …

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The extraordinary delays in a resolution to the Terry-Ferdinand affair have already resulted in the wholly unnecessary cop-out by the FA and the Premier League in asking Chelsea and QPR to forego handshakes in their recent league clash. The pointlessness …

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We may be going into 2012 but with PR agencies it still feels like 2006 at times. I started Soccerlens.com way back in April 2006 – and one of the lasting memories of the last five and a half years …

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Earlier this week I came across the ‘Global Game‘ initiative launched by Nick Harris (Mail on Sunday, Sporting Intelligence). It’s a great idea, hopefully it catches on and more and more people from different parts of the world who follow …

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All of Messi’s 202 goals scored for Barcelona (2005-2011), in a simple, no-frills video. After the constant adulation, it is still ridiculous how good is really is. Of course, when you’re playing with the likes of Ronaldinho, Eto’o, Henry and …

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Football wages are a ridiculously easy target – whether it’s the high wages paid by Chelsea and then Manchester City, the astronomical wage bills of Barcelona and Real Madrid fueled by unequal TV deals or the retirement homes that front …

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The first impression you get while playing Football Manager 2012 is how it’s improved as an imitation of the real thing – a genuine simulation of what it means to be a football manager, inasmuch as you can simulate the …

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Earlier this month Roker Report (Sunderland blog) editor Simon Walsh asked us if we’d like to do a Q&A on Sunderland – and here it is. We talk about Sunderland’s transfer policy, footballing identity (or lack thereof) as well as …

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Football Manager will be released on 21 October 20112 – here’s a look at how Miles Jacobson and co. can make the game even better for the millions of football fans who religiously play the game every year. So we …

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Imagine that you’re appointed manager of Manchester United tomorrow morning. The world is at your feet. You have (statistically speaking) the best team in the world alongside Barcelona in club football and you have a phenomenally talented young squad that …

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The season hasn’t started yet, but Arsenal are already contemplating a tough month ahead with matches against Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle and Udinese to start their season with, plus trouble in the transfer market with Fabregas and Nasri pushing for …

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