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3 UP FRONT: Studs Up’s Chris Toy, Rooney’s United future and England post-mortem

Soccerlens — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 08:00:06 +0000

3 UP FRONT: Studs Up’s Chris Toy, Rooney’s United future and England post-mortem - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

The Three Up Front podcast is back for another belting half hour of football chat so make sure you tune in…

First up the boys take a look at the state of Fabio Capello’s England side (should they change their tactics? really?) before embarking on a jam-packed show that includes;

Fact or Fiction: The Serbians will likely avoid major UEFA sanctions.

The Big Interview: Studs Up creator Chris Toy talks about the Premier League characters that inspire his comic strips and gives his view on the likely new owners of Liverpool FC.

The X-aggerated Factor: Wayne Rooney’s days at Old Trafford are numbered.

The Shoot-Out: The cult quiz show goes from the sublime to the ridiculous as Sepp Blatter, Jose’s best buddy and the Chilean miners all get a mention.

Make sure you don’t miss it – download 3 Up Front at the earliest opportunity!
Download link (mp3, 35mb, 37 mins)

Subscribe to the 3 Up Front Podcast

You can subscribe via iTunes or directly to the podcast feed. You can also follow 3 Up Front on Twitter and Facebook.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Putting the billions of Manchester City & Chelsea into proper context

Soccerlens — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:04:25 +0000

Putting the billions of Manchester City & Chelsea into proper context - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

There’s been plenty of chatter about the fiscal power of Chelsea FC and Manchester City in recent years, especially in the context of their recent clashes. The head-to-head record for the last three Premier League games points to 3 wins out of 3 for Manchester City, a considerable achievement and since all three have come under Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, I’m sure he’ll be itching to rectify this statistic come the return leg at Stamford Bridge.

Are Man City better than Chelsea? Head to head records aren’t everything – despite spending almost twice as much as Chelsea on wages for some players, Manchester City haven’t always found the performances necessary to propel them into a genuine title challenge. This was especially true last season as they missed the opportunity to fill the gap left by Liverpool’s tailspin of a season. They’ll have their shot again this season with Liverpool already out of the title race (according to some pundits) and Tottenham still facing their familiar troubles of failing to beat the smaller sides.

It has to be said – money spent doesn’t determine the quality of the player, team or manager. Ultimately they are all judged by their success on the pitch, and in that respect Manchester City are not much better than, say, Arsenal, and that must be grating to the owners despite their seemingly limit-less funds.

One thing is for sure though – just as Chelsea’s billions couldn’t stop Manchester United from winning three league titles in a row, Manchester City’s billions won’t win them the title. The players will, and for that to happen they have to keep winning week in week out and not just against Chelsea twice a year.

Studs Up – by Chris Toy.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Exclusive photos from Robin Van Persie’s placenta treatment

Soccerlens — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:37:33 +0000

Exclusive photos from Robin Van Persie’s placenta treatment - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Make sure you listen to this week’s Soccerlens Podcast that discusses horse placenta treatment, Henry’s handball and a lot more.

Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie headed to Serbia earlier this week to get ‘special’ treatment for the torn ligaments in his ankle.

We didn’t actually follow RVP all the way over, but our Eastern European correspondent (Croatian if you must ask) insists that this is exactly how Serbian ~~witch~~doctors administer placenta treatments to patients. What’s more, RVP insists that he is getting this treatment with Arsene Wenger’s blessing, and the Professor’s never wrong, is he?

Studs Up by Chris Toy

If it works for Robin…

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Liverpool fans turn into Tottenham fans

Soccerlens — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:40:44 +0000

Liverpool fans turn into Tottenham fans - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

In fact, you can’t really tell them apart anymore:

Studs Up, by Chris Toy

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Adebayor isn’t done with Arsenal players yet

Soccerlens — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:36:41 +0000

Adebayor isn’t done with Arsenal players yet - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

For more web comics on football, check out Studs Up by Chris Toy.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Chelsea have been caught tapping up several times in the last few years

Soccerlens — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:04:12 +0000

Chelsea have been caught tapping up several times in the last few years - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

…so for FIFA to get tough on them, especially in wake of recent UEFA efforts to make a public display of intent to stamp out diving by banning Eduardo (which, incidentally, sets a nice precedent for post-match video reviews), is understandable, if not always ‘fair’.

Studs Up by Chris Toy

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Has Rafa Benitez Quit Liverpool?

Ahmed Bilal — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:38:47 +0000

Has Rafa Benitez Quit Liverpool? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

No he hasn’t. Of course he hasn’t. My apologies for leading you to think that he had.

However, it does help me draw attention to this accurate depiction (comic below) of what ‘football blogging’ can be like when you get people chasing the almightly dollar / pound with scant regard for quality, principles or even long-term sustainability and success.

We have some really talented bloggers here on Soccerlens and elsewhere in the community. A lot of what we do (as a football blogging community) is fascinating work – football is a uniting force across many disciplines and you’ll see art and literary genius in football blogs and podcasts all around you.

After 3 years, I’ve stopped complaining about ‘bloggers writing only to make money’ or journalists ‘painting’ stories a certain way just to get more attention to an article with no point to it (the irony isn’t lost on me here). I’ve stopped admiring and loathing journalists from afar, and I’ve pretty much made my peace with the Sun and the rest.

There are times though, when journalists and bloggers go too far – both in making up stories and in reporting them. If you’re concocting something from nothing and misleading people, you’re scum. But if you’re reporting unverified news in a rush to be ‘first’ without doing the most basic of fact-checks – you’re a moron.

Studs Up by Chris Toy

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Manchester City are buying up all the real men

Soccerlens — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:21:51 +0000

Manchester City are buying up all the real men - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Because you know, it’s not about the money but the ambition of playing for the richest owners in the game.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The penalty given at Old Trafford, the penalty not given at the Reebok and offside goals for Arsenal and Blackburn

Soccerlens — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:38:05 +0000

The penalty given at Old Trafford, the penalty not given at the Reebok and offside goals for Arsenal and Blackburn - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

The highlight of the Right Result weekend, so to speak, was referee Howard Webb’s decision that is perceived to have changed the flow of the Manchester United versus Tottenham Hotspur game and, with it, the course of the destiny of the Premier League title.

With Spurs 2-0 up after nearly an hour at Old Trafford, United’s title aspirations were back in the balance. But Mr Webb’s decision to award the Reds a penalty, despite keeper Heurelho Gomes playing the ball before colliding with Michael Carrick, triggered an amazing revival that saw United storm to an emphatic 5-2 win (Editor’s note: it’s worth reading Scott’s viewpoint on the decision).

Aston Villa’s hopes of breaking into the top four are long gone and their demise should have been heightened at Bolton Wanderers. With the score at 1-1 at the Reebok Stadium, the home team should have been awarded a penalty when Villa captain Gareth Barry forcibly pushed Tamir Cohen in the area.

Sunday became interfering with an opponent day when the rarely enforced offside criteria should have ruled out two goals. Arsenal were worthy winners against relegation-haunted Middlesbrough at the Emirates. However their first goal should not have stood as, from an offside position, Gunner Nicklas Bendtner clearly distracted Boro keeper Brad Jones.

The same rule applies to Blackburn Rovers’ second goal in their hard-fought win against Wigan Athletic. Skipper Ryan Nelsen should have been denied his first goal in almost five years at Ewood Park with Christopher Samba being the guilty offside offender.

See the full Right Result table here and previous Right Result archives here. To learn more about Right Result and to follow it every week, click here.

If you think the officials got a decision wrong on the weekend, something that would have resulted in a goal or prevented one, let us know in the comments below.

Bitter Much?

Studs Up – Chris Toy

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Proof that Riley will be 100% unbiased during Everton-United game

Soccerlens — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:46:20 +0000

Proof that Riley will be 100% unbiased during Everton-United game - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Riley is a good referee. He’s an honest referee. He’s not a Manchester United fan – he was, but like all true United fans he’s moved on to supporting FC United of Manchester in protest at the American scum taking over his beloved club.

If anything, he’s more fond of Everton than he is of Manchester United.

There’s only one problem…

From Soccerlens.com - Football News