There’s only one more month left in 2011, and it looks like the year will go out with a real bang from a football standpoint.

December features several must-see matches, with a few that will have title implications on top of deciding bragging rights between fierce rivals.

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La Liga: Real Madrid v Barcelona

Few matches on the calendar from here to May will match the anticipation and importance of the two Clasicos.

The importance of the first showdown, which kicks off at 9:00 pm BST on the 10th, may have been amped up even further with Barcelona’s weekend defeat at Getafe, which, combined with Real’s 4-1 win over city rivals Atletico Madrid, sees Real Madrid with a six-point lead at the top through 13 rounds.

Due to their participation in the Club World Cup, Barcelona have two league matches before their visit to the Bernabeu, while Real have one, with their game in hand being on the 17th, a home tie against Espanyol. Provided results go as expected in those matches, a win over Barca could position Real to have a nine-point lead when La Liga play resumes in January.

And though there will be more than 20 rounds left in the season, it’s very difficult to see Barca being able to overcome such a deficit.

On the other hand, if Barca are able to continue their recent dominance of Real, they will at worst be three points back if the other results go as expected, and that’s a far less daunting deficit.

At this point, however, you’d have to favor Real to triumph if there’s a winner in next month’s clash. Not only are the Galacticos in blistering form at the moment, Barcelona have struggled away from home this season, with two wins in six away league matches to date.

Saturday, 10th December 8:30pm on Sky Sports 4 and Sky Sports HD4.

English Premier League: Chelsea v Manchester City

All eyes will be on Stamford Bridge for a massive Monday night match-up, and a lot will be at stake when these two sides face off on 12/12, with the action getting underway at 8:00 pm BST.

Chelsea are currently 10 points behind Manchester City in the English Premier League table, but a win could kick-start a push to get back in the thick of the title mix. A draw, while it would not help their own cause, could help Manchester United, who are currently five back, and in-form Tottenham, who are seven back with a game in hand.

Meanwhile, a win for City would beef up their title credentials, even if the three points doesn’t see them put more distance between themselves and their closest challengers.

Monday, 12th December 7:00pm on Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports HD1 and Sky 3D.

English Premier League: Manchester City v Arsenal

This match will be one to watch no matter what happens in the above match, but if Chelsea down the league leaders at home, City’s visit from Arsenal the following Sunday will be made all the more important.

Arsenal missed a chance to make up some ground on City and United this past weekend, as they surprisingly drew at home against Fulham. However, the Gunners had won five Premier League matches in a row prior to that stumble, including a 5-3 win at Chelsea in October, so their chances of getting a result at City can’t dismissed.

If City lose at Chelsea, or even draw, more dropped points against Arsenal could see things tighten quite a bit at the top. However, if City win at Chelsea, following it up with a home win over the Gunners could cement their status as title favorites, especially since they will have United, Spurs, Chelsea, and Liverpool all at home in the second half of the season.

Sunday, 18th December 4:00pm on Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports HD1 and Sky 3D.

English Premier League: Tottenham v Chelsea

In a rare Thursday night tie, the Premier League’s pre-Christmas slate will wrap up on the 22nd when London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea square off at White Hart Lane.

This is a vital match for both sides, as they are both trying to stay in the title conversation heading into the new year. Many still may not be taking Spurs too seriously, but continuing their current hot streak to and through this match could start convincing some of the skeptics that they are more contender than pretender.

For Chelsea, wins over City and Spurs could not only help them as far as the title race is concerned, but it will also take some pressure off of manager Andre Villas-Boas, who’s been under some heat in the first few months of his tenure at the club. At the same time, defeats in both of those matches will only turn up the pressure on AVB and leave Chelsea needing to make a big run in the second half of the season to come close to reaching Roman Abramovich’s minimum expectations.

Thursday, 22nd December 7:30pm on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports HD1.

Scottish Premier League: Celtic v Rangers

As is the case every season, Rangers and Celtic are battling it out for the Scottish Premier League title, and the latest Old Firm derby could see momentum move definitively towards either side heading into the new year.

Only a little over a week ago, Rangers, the three-time defending champions, had a 12-point lead over Celtic. But with Rangers drawing at home against St. Johnstone and losing at Kilmarnock and Celtic scoring wins three wins in that span, at Inverness Caley Thistle and at home against Dunfermline and St. Mirren, the lead has been cut to four in a flash.

Both sides have four matches, two home and two away, before they meet on the 28th, and if the deficit remains the same going into the derby, Celtic could close the gap to one with a win, which could be quite a blow to Rangers’ confidence after having a sizable lead only a short time ago. But if Rangers can win at Hampden, it’d help restore some of the lead that they gave up, and it’d also be huge for their confidence going forward.

Wednesday, 28th December 7:00pm on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports HD1.

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From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With Remembrance Sunday having just occurred a few days ago, we reflect on the men who gave their lives to their countries as well as giving their all on the football pitch. Their bravery on the field of play has been superseded by their courage and character on the field of battle even though some of them had little to no military education.

Here we commemorate and honour football’s top 20 war heroes in this list:

1. Bert Trautmann

The list starts with a goalkeeper as this shot-stopper enjoyed a very interesting career in England, particularly since he was WW II German soldier and he played there immediately after the Second World War. He joined the Luftwaffe in 1941 and he quickly gained promotion, firstly as corporal and then as sergeant of his unit. He earned 5 army badges for his superb work to the Germanic cause. However he was imprisoned by the British for his role against them in the war and he most of his sentence in Cheshire.

On his release, he farmed and played football part-time before eventually turning professional with St. Helens for a season. He then transferred to Manchester City in 1949, where he got a very mixed welcome  due to his role in the war. However 15 years later after leaving the Citizens, he etched his name into their history books as one of their finest ‘keepers ever.

He won both the FA Cup and FWA for Player of the year in 1956 on his way to making more than 500 appearances for the Manchester club. He also enjoyed spells in charge of Stockport County, Liberia and Pakistan before retiring from all footballing activities in 1983.

2. Alexander “Sandy” Turnbull

This Scottish striker etched his name into the hearts of the fans of both Manchester clubs in the early 20th century with his goalscoring skill. Having netted 143 goals in 230 Football League appearances, he had a sensational goal to game ratio.

Having won the FA Cup with Manchester City, he crossed the metropolis to join arch-rivals Manchester United where he enjoyed a golden period of success winning two First Division titles, but notably scoring the winner in the 1909 FA Cup final. However his career was cut short by the First World War as his last game came against Sheffield Wednesday in 1915.

He was also later found guilty of match-fixing and received a life-long football ban before joining the armed forces. Having risen to the ranks of Lance Sergeant in the Eight Battalion of the East Surrey regiment in the British Amry, he was killed on 3rd May 1917 in a battle in Arras, France. He was 32 but as a result of his heroic effort overseas, his ban was rescinded in 1919 after the war ended.

3. Eddie Latheron

Affectionately nicknamed ”Pinkie” on the terraces due his red hair and pale complexion, Latheron is remembered as a legend to Blackburn Rovers and a martyr for his country. The inside forward scored 94 goals in 258 appearances for his hometown club and it was this, coupled with his unselfish play that made him a firm fan favourite among the Lancashire faithful. The one-club man helped the Rovers conquer England twice during the 1911-12 and 1913-14 seasons as those First Division titles are his only silverware.

However the outbreak of the war in 1914 compelled him to enlist and within a week after his final game for Blackburn, he was a gunner on the front for the Royal Field Artillery. At 29 years of age, he was killed on 14th October 1917 at the Battle of Passenchendaele. Such is his legendary status, a group of Belgian Blackburn Rovers fans commemorated the striker on the 90th anniversary of his death at his grave located nears Ypres.

4. Vivian Woodward

Woodward was the Lionel Messi of his day when organised soccer began to gain prominence in Britain. Spells with Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea proved fruitful as he yielded 93 goals in 238 appearances. Having also appeared for the English nation side, it was his participation with the Great Britain team in the 1908 and 1912 which garnered him great fame. He captained the team to the gold medal on each occasion.

Woodward enlisted in the army and missed a huge portion of Chelsea’s 1914-15 season. However he was given special leave to attend his team’s FA Cup final but unfortunately Sheffield United beat the Pensioners 3-0 on the day. Having returned to the front for a second spell, his leg was badly injured by a stray grenade in 1916 and thus had to return home for the final time, with his footballing careers also in tatters. Despite being maimed, Vivian lived on until he was 74 years of age in 1954 and he will always be remembered as one of the pioneers of the beautiful game.

5. Walter Tull

Tull was the inaugural man who broke so much new ground up until his premature death in 1918 at the age of 29. The second ever mixed-heritage football player to ply his trade professionally in the English First Division, after signing with Tottenham Hotspur. However he has a short and unhappy time there as racial abuse seriously affected him and thus he moved to Northampton Town for a ”substantial fee.” In 3 years, he accumulated 110 games with the Cobblers, scoring 9 goals in that time-span.

When war broke out in 1914, he was the first Northampton player to enlist in the armed forces. Despite even more racial problems in the British army, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant, the first mixed-race men to do so. Having heroically fought through the Battle of the Somme, he met his end on 25th March 1918. He was gunned down in the Pas-de-Calais but his body was never recovered from that gruesome scene. Tull was recognised for his outstanding efforts to his country as he was posthumously awarded the military cross for his bravery on the front.

6. Fritz Walter

For anyone who thinks football’s a waste of time, tell them it saved this man’s life. Walter was enjoying a brilliant career with Kaiserslautern in the Bundesliga before having been conscripted to join the Nazi forces in 1942, where the forward was to fight for Germany.

However near the end of the war, he ended up being a POW after being captured by Hungarian soldiers. He wowed the guards with his exceptional skill but the time then came for him to be moved to another camp in the Soviet Union, where life expectancy was just 5 years and the guards would be more brutal.

However a football-loving Hungarian guard intervened at the last second and saved his life by aiding him in getting him out of the transfer to the Union and thus being fortuitously released from prison.

On his return to football, he restarted his career with Kaiserslautern and he retired from them in 1959 having scored a mind-boggling 380 goals in 411 appearances. Walter also won the German championship twice with his hometown club.  He also captained West Germany to their first World Cup victory in 1954, ironically over Hungary, the same nation where the guards came from who let him free.

7. Harry Goslin

A folklore legend for Bolton Wanderers, Goslin was also a sensational patriot to his country when he gave his life to the Allies during the Second World War. On turning professional in 1930, he joined the northern club for just £25 and he enjoyed nine years with the club scoring 23 goals in 306 appearances despite playing as a defender all his life. Before war broke out in 1939, he announced Bolton’s entire team would be joining the army.

When it did, Goslin led his team-mates in the fight against the Germans and their allies.  Within three years, his leadership qualities on the pitch transferred onto the battle field as he became sergeant in 1942. He also played a pivotal role in the withdrawal of troops from Dunkirk in that same year. However while traversing through Italy, he was seriously wounded by a mortar explosion under a tree. He bravely battled to live on four days after suffering the injury but lost his life on 18th December 1943.

8. Fred Griffiths

This Welsh goalkeeper enjoyed a long and varied career having been on the books of 12 clubs as well as earning 2 caps for his country. Having the honour of playing for big London clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, he was renowned for being a reliable man to have between the sticks but unfortunately this never translated into any major trophies.

After his retirement, he spent his time training local teams near his home in Presteigne, Wales. And despite being one year above the conscription age, (41 was the conscription age at the time) he felt compelled to fight for his country’s future when he enlisted with the British army in 1915.

He became sergeant within his rank, the 15th Battalion of Sherwood Foresters, before dying at the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 at the age of 44.

9. Lev Yashin

Widely regarded as the best goalkeeper all-time, Yashin made his name Dynamo Moscow and the old Soviet Union during a trophy-laden 20 year career with each team. At just 12 years of age, in 1941, he began helping the Soviet Union in the only way he could in the war effort. Too young to fight on the front, the teenager went to work in the factories manufacturing arms, vehicle parts and more.

Yashin was finally able to begin his professional footballing career as a 21-year-old with Dynamo Msocow in 1950. With them he won the Soviet Top League 5 times and the Soviet Cup 3 times. He also helped him national team to continental glory by winning the 1964 European Championship with them as well capturing gold at the Olympics.

He made 324 appearances at club level, 78 at international level and was known as the ”Black Spider” around the world due to his amazing ability to save virtually goal-bound shots. His death came prematurely in 1990 when during relatively simple surgery on his knee went wrong and he passed away due to complications.

10. Ferenc Puskas

The Real Madrid and Hungary legend was remembered as a goalscoring phenomenon during his footballing career. However due to Hungarian law, he was conscripted to join their army and although never participating in infantry work, he rose through the ranks to become major. It was a combination of his rank and his footballing prowess while playing in the armed forces that earned him his lifelong nickname ”The Galloping Major.”

Puskas is revered around the world for scoring an incredible 157 goals in just 182 appearances for Los Blancos, where he additionally won 4 Pichichi awards during his Spanish stay. And he also netted 84 strikes in 85 games for the Hungarian national team in a truly remarkable playing career.

Having taken various coaching positions ranging from North America, Asia, Europe and even Australia, he briefly coached his nation during a four game spell. Puskas died on 17th November 2006 at the age of 79.

11. Ted Drake

The diminutive English striker’s playing career began with Southampton but blossomed with Arsenal during his 14 years in football. Scoring a handsome sum of 47 goals in 71 games for the Saints, he captured the eye of the Londoners, who signed the forward in 1934. He scored 124 goals in 167 games while at Highbury, with his finest game coming against Aston Villa. Drake netted 7 times in that single match, which is a record that still stands today in England’s top flight.

As well as winning two First Division titles with the north London side, he added a FA Cup medal to his collection. After periods in management at the helm of Hendon and Reading, he took charge of Chelsea Football club and guided them to their first ever championship in 1956. The end of his time at Arsenal was severely disrupted due to his participation with the Royal Air Force which restricted him to a handful of games during the war years. His playing career was prematurely ended in 1945 due to a spinal injury.

12. Stan Mortenson

Although this particular striker managed to only garner one trophy in his 21 year career, he was the man who led his country during a very difficult post-war era as well as being ridiculously lucky to have been able to play the game once you learn his story. Before he became the prolific striker that he is famous for, he began his wartime efforts in 1939 as a wireless operator.

Mortenson was involved in a disastrous air crash that same year when every single passenger onboard was killed except Stan. However even despite the injuries he sustained, he managed to carve himself a career out of professional football in the post-war era. Stints at Southport, Bath City and Lancaster City followed a golden spell that he enjoyed with Blackpool.

He scored 197 goals in 317 games for the side in a 14 year period (the first four of those being slightly disrupted by war commitments.) He also netted a remarkable 23 goals in 25 appearance for England as he helped put a smile back on his nation’s face after a long, depressing war.

13. Willie Thornton

Considered to be one of the greatest Scottish players of all time, Thornton was a prolific striker for Rangers during his 18 year career at the club, which book-ended his involvement in World War II. Debuting for the Glaswegian giants in 1936 at just 16 years of age, the striker enjoyed adulation from fans for his lethal touch in front of goal.  However his fledgling career was brought to a temporary end in 1939 due to outbreak of the war.

He joined the Scottish Horse regiment and as a result of his “acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire,” he was awarded a Military Medal for helping to defeat Germany on the battlefield. By the time of his retirement in 1954, he was well-known throughout Britain and he finished his career with 138 goals in a mere 219 appearances. He then became a manager of Dundee United and Partick Thistle for 5 and 9 years respectively where he had modest success.

14. Wilf Mannion

”The Golden Boy” as he was known as in his native Middlesbrough due to his streak of blond hair, endured a mixed time on Teeside but nothing negative can be said about his commitment to the British cause during the Second World War.  The inside forward played more than 350 times for Boro, scoring 99 times in his long career there but went on strike and retired in a bid to finally leave the club.

Although the reasons for his discontent are unknown, his dedication while playing was second to none, as he was with England, netting 11 times in his 26 appearances for his nation. He joined the war effort in 1940 and he was a key solider in the Siege of Sicily that occurred in 1943. Shortly after that he was allowed to return home and continue his footballing career. After the war, he joined Hull City and Cambridge United and perhaps his finest moment was being a member of the English squad for the 1950 World Cup in a career particularly special due to it’s amazing 24 year longevity.

15. Frank Buckley

Buckley took a more unusual route as he created a unique career in the game. Having joined the army as a teenager, he left by the time he was 20 in order to forge a football life for himself. He played for Manchester United, Manchester City and Aston Villa before the outbreak of World War I. He was commander of the Football Battalion for a large of the war and thanks to his previous stint in the armed forces, he rose through the ranks rapidly and eventually became a major.

However he was badly injured in the Battle of the Somme and returned to restart his football career. With the war finished, he managed many football clubs including Leeds United where he introduced the legendary Jack Charlton to his first taste of professional action. Overall, he spent nearly 50 years in his long and distinguished life in football.

16. William Angus

The word hero was conjured up exactly for this incredible man. With his footballing career cut short due to the declaration of war in Europe in 1914, Angus wasted no time in signing up and he was immediately mobilised out to the action. Before his war efforts, he played once for Celtic but left them for lack of first team opportunities. He was the captain Wilshaw Thistle when war was announced and within weeks, he had joined the 8th Royal Scots regiment.

His finest hour came a year after joining when he saw a comrade lying in a trench within the range of their enemies. Angus fearlessly went to save his fellow soldier and received 40 wounds for his courageous act, losing his left eye and part of his foot being his most serious injuries. Two months later as he was recovering, he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award possible for a British solider.

17. Bernard Vann

Another man who was equally brave in the face of danger, Vann was also a recipient of the prestigious Victoria Cross for his valiant accomplishments while defending his nation. His football career was all over by 1907 at the tender age of 20 but he made appearances for Burton United and Derby County in his brief time on the football field. He then ordained to become a minister from the famous-named Jesus College but his chaplaincy was cut short due to be called upon for the war effort.

Having become a Lieutenant General, he earned his Victoria Cross by leading his subordinate troops into the face of death as his leadership qualities shone through impeccably. Rushing up to the line of fire, he surprised several German soldiers and disarmed three of them as he led his regiment on a crucial advance on enemy territory. However Vann missed the end of the war by a mere 4 weeks as he was shot by a sniper rifle in France on 3rd October 1918.

18. Billy Gerrish

William ”Billy” Gerrish was yet another tragic story which began on the football field and ended when he was fighting the front. An extremely promising young striker for Aston Villa, he scored on his debut against Arsenal and added to that with an even more impressive achievement by claiming a hat-trick against Chelsea. In his first season with the club, he helped them to win the First Division.

However he failed to live up to his full potential when World War I broke out and he was to join the British army. Having enlisted in the Footballers Battaltion Middlesex regiment, he lasted less than two years abroad. He was killed on 8th August 1916. In all, there were 40 other Aston Villa players who died as a result of their participation in that war, one of the highest of all the clubs in Britain.

19. Charlie Buchan

This beanpole striker was another goalscoring phenomenon who had his magnificent career due to his country’s involvement in keeping the peace abroad. Despite missing a fair chunk of his 14 years on the books at Sunderland, he racked up an impressive 209 goals in 370 appearances with the Black Cats.

He enlisted in the war effort as soon as it began in 1914 and by the time of Britain’s victory in 1918, he had been promoted to second lieutenant in the Sherwood Foresters regiment. He was also a recipient of the Military Medal. On his return to football, he rejoined Sunderland until 1925 when he transferred to Arsenal.

With them, he was equally prolific, scoring 49 times during the 102 games that he donned the famous red shirt. He wrote one of the first football manual’s, was a distinguished journalist and commentated on matches for the BBC for the remainder of his life up until his peaceful death in 1960.

20. Nikita Simonyan

This legendary Russian football man was too young to actively take part in World War II. However when the soldiers rolled into his town, he helped ease the pressure and stress of war life by organising football matches. The military personnel thoroughly enjoyed these breaks from the endless killings and Simonyan then realised football would become a focal point for the remainder of his life.

He has become one of the most successful Russian footballers of all-time by winning the golden boot in the Soviet Top League on three occasions.  He won the Soviet Top League seven times in total as a player and manager of clubs as well as on the victorious side of the Soviet Cup six times. His career reached its pinnacle when he was part of the Soviet Union team which won the 1956 Olympic gold medal in football. And just earlier this year, his efforts of nullifying tension between Russians and Armenians were rewarded by the President of Armenia during a ceremony.

You can contribute to this list in the comments below or by emailing us. If you like this list, you will find more football lists here.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The 1960s just might be football’s golden decade. George Best, Garrincha, Pele in his prime and much much more. Recently on the Total Soccer Show podcast, we picked our starting XI from the 1960s. None of of us were alive back then, but thanks to television, YouTube and brilliant books like Jonathan Wilson’s Inverting the Pyramid, we were able to weigh the various options at each position and argue out the perfect starting XI to represent 10 of the most glorious years in the history of the beautiful game.

Play/Download the show

Listen to the show to hear how we arrived at our unbeatable lineup, or read about the starting XI below:

Goalkeeper: Lev Yashin
Dynamo Moscow and Russia
Who else? Gordon Banks might have won the World Cup, but Yashin is still talked about as probably the greatest goalkeeper of all time. “The Black Spider” wore leather gloves and a cloth cap, but he invented modern goalkeeping by yelling at his defenders to get them organized and coming out of his box to use his feet as the first sweeper-keeper. Still need convincing? Yashin apparently made over 150 penalty saves in his career.

Right back: Djalma Santos
Palmeiras and Brazil
The right back spot was a choice between two Brazilans. Though Carlos Alberto Torres would captain the 1970 World Cup-winning team, Santos was chosen for both the ’62 and ’66 tournaments, and provided the assist for Vava in the 1962 World Cup final by crossing a high ball into the glare of the sun. Not as adventurous as later Brazilian right backs (including Carlos Alberto) but gets the nod for defensive solidity. And a scary photo.

Left back: Giacinto Facchetti
Inter and Italy
The 6′ 3″ Facchetti played left back in the catenaccio-loving La Grande Inter team of the ’60s, which won multiple Italian titles and back-to-back European Cups. But though he could definitely defend, Facchetti was actually the key to Inter’s killer defence to attack transitions. Inter played a sweeper, two marking centre back, and a right back, but Facchetti had the entire left flank to himself and would bomb forward, cut inside and shoot with his right foot, basically inventing the European attacking fullback.

Centre back: Bobby Moore
West Ham and England
As the Total Soccer Show‘s sole Englishman, I thought I’d be the only one selecting England’s 1966 World Cup-winning captain. Turns out I wasn’t. Moore’s composed defending is famous worldwide, because very few have made relieving opponents of the ball look so simple and then strolling up field with it look so easy. Moore had a great run in the mid-’60s, winning the FA Cup in ’64, the European Cup Winners Cup (bring it back!) in ’65 and then the World Cup in ’66. That, plus England have not had a defender who can successfully pass the ball out of the back since.

Centre back: Bill McNeill
Celtic and Scotland
The Lisbon Lions had to be represented here, so Celtics’s 1967 European Cup-winning captain would be the stopper in our lineup. Billy McNeill, or “Cesar” to Celtic fans, was a hard man, a leader and a never let you down defender, meeting every high ball with his head, intercepting every pass and stopping every attacker in his tracks by getting a well timed foot-in. McNeill and Bobby Moore will have to argue over the captain’s armband in this team, but either man will do a fine job.

Box-to-box midfielder: Josef Masopust
Dukla Prague and Czechoslovakia
There isn’t a lot of footage of Masopust, so his selection is based on what we’ve read and the very little YouTube we’ve seen. But from everything we’ve heard and read, Masopust could defend and attack, would happily cover the length of the field several times over, and was instrumental in leading Czechoslovakia all the way the 1962 World Cup final. We also felt that any Team of the ’60s should represent the incredible talent of the Soviet nations in that decade.

Attacking midfielder: Bobby Charlton
Manchester United and England
Imagine Frank Lampard in his prime. Now imagine him about five times better at absolutely everything. Now give him a silly haircut. That’s Bobby Charlton, who could pick up the ball from anywhere, carry it forward at pace by dribbling with either foot, and then unleash an powerful, laser-guided strike into the top corner, again with either foot. And that’s how Bobby Charlton is England’s all-time top scorer despite not actually being a striker.

Right wing: Garrincha
Botafogo and Brazil
“The Joy of the People” was a terrible, terrible professional footballer. Fond of a drink and unable to absorb any tactical information—legend has it he was allowed to play table tennis while the rest of the team talked tactics. But it didn’t matter. Because the bendy-legged winger (bendy-legged due to childhood polio) literally went past fullbacks for fun. So much so, he’d sometimes wait and let them recover, just so he could beat them again. Brazil never lost a game when fielding Pele and Garrincha, so any respectable Team of the ’60s should do the same.

Left wing: George Best
Manchester United and Northern Ireland
We know, Best was mostly a right winger and shouldn’t be pushed out to the left. But we couldn’t have a team of the ’60s without Garrincha and we couldn’t have a team of the ’60s without the magician that was George Best. So we compromised. Best’s career tailed off in the ’70s, but the ’60s were Best’s decade: the fame, the female company and—most importantly for this list—the football. Possibly the best way to describe Best going forward with the ball is “justified arrogance”, which is what gave him license to do things no one else thought of doing, like playing one-twos off opposition defender’s shins.

Support striker: Pele
Santos and Brazil
You may have heard of him. Pele introduced himself to the world as a teenage sensation in 1958 and reached apotheosis at the 1970 World Cup, but “O Rei” actually did all his best work inbetween, in the 1960s. Pele won the Copa Libertadores and Intercontintental Cup with the legendary 1962 Santos team, won the ’62 World Cup with Brazil and was considered so dangerous in the ’66 World Cup that the only solution for Portugal was to kick him, hard, until he left the field injured. Want to hear about Pele the player? They key is not to think of him as just a striker, because he could also drop deep and create. But it’s impossible to pick one attribute because Pele could do it all, and he did it best in the 1960s.

Striker: Eusebio
Benfica and Portugal
Only a little fella’, but 5′ 9″ Eusebio was built like a bulldozer. You could not muscle him off the ball. Add to that a fine touch, a nose for goal and the only shot in the world that could rival Bobby Charlton’s for power and accuracy (would love to see a long distance shootout between those two!) and it’s crystal clear why Eusebio was a European Cup-winner with Benfica in 1962 and the top scorer at the 1966 World Cup with nine goals. His partnership with Pele—supplied by Garrincha and George Best—wouldn’t just be the greatest attacking lineup of the ’60s, it might be the greatest, and most entertaining, of all time.

Find out more about these players, and the players that just missed out: Play/Download MP3.
Like what you hear? Subscribe to the Total Soccer Show podcast via iTunes or subscribe via RSS.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Football has always thrown up rivalries, mostly between two or more side’s that inhabit a city. Liverpool and Everton, Manchester United and City, Glasgow Rangers and Celtic all are at loggerheads with each other and are constantly looking for bragging rights in their individual battles. However there are also rivalries between cities, with the north and south of England seemingly having a divide and pride at stake.

In Scotland there is a friendly competition between Edinburgh and Glasgow, not only in sport but in life – but which is Britain’s most successful football city?

Below are the combined trophy hauls of the clubs from each of the major footballing cities in England and Scotland.

England

London

Number of teams: 14 in football league – five currently in Premier League – QPR, Fulham, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea
Domestic – League Titles – 19, FA Cups – 29, League Cups – 11, Total – 59
European – Champions League – 0, Europa League – 2 , Cup Winners Cup – 4, Total – 6
Combined – 67 trophies

Manchester

Number of teams: 2 in football league – two currently in Premier League – Manchester United and City
League Titles – 21, FA Cups – 16, League Cups – 6, Total – 43
European – Champions League / European Cup – 3, Europa League / UEFA Cup – 1 , Cup Winners Cup – 2, Total – 6
Combined – 49 trophies

Liverpool

Number of teams: 3 in football league, two currently in Premier League – Liverpool and Everton
League Titles: 27, FA Cups – 12, League Cups – 9, Total -48
European – Champions League / European Cup – 5, Europa League / UEFA Cup – 3 , Cup Winners Cup – 1, Total – 9
Combined – 57 trophies

The tallies show that London is England’s most successful city by number of trophies, with the additional number of teams ensuring dominance over Liverpool and Manchester, who only have two major teams each. The Merseyside city will be keen to exert superiority over it’s Mancunian neighbours, as the teams involved view each other as a local derby and travel insurance is need for away games. Liverpool also can claim to have been the dwelling place of the most top flight league wins, and the most European successes with travel money being splurged by the fans, but is ousted from the top of the list by their lower cup triumphs.

Scotland

Glasgow

Number of teams: 4 in football league, two currently in SPL – Rangers and Celtic
League Titles – 96, Scottish Cups – 68, League Cups – 41, Total – 205
European – Champions League / European Cup – 1, Europa League / UEFA Cup – 0  , Cup Winners Cup – 1, Total – 2
Combined trophies – 207

Edinburgh

Number of teams: 2 in football league, two currently in SPL – Hearts and Hibs
League Titles – 8, Scottish Cups – 9, League Cups – 7, Total – 24
European – Champions League – 0, Europa League – 0 , Cup Winners Cup – 0, Total – 0
Combined trophies – 24

Rangers and Celtic have dominated Scottish football since their inception, and their combined trophy cabinets are bulging at the seams. Their 208 combined victories totally outstrip Hearts and Hibs’ 24, and will be a source of pride for the west coast city.

The duo’s dominance also make Glasgow football most successful city, and with the stranglehold the sides have on the game north of the border, this is unlikely to change anytime soon.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

As a homage to the history of the club, Celtic will play in a new third kit with a contemporary color and design.

The third shirt is vivid yellow with a series of thin black hoops, which double in size at their half-way point from direction to creat an overall quartered effect.

The sleeves are vivid yellow and the collar is a black crew neck.

The Nike manufactured kit is inspired by a former Celtic away kit, first worn in the 1926/27 season, which featured quarters of solid green and white.

The third kit shorts are black with a yellow stripe on the back near the bottom of each leg. The socks are yellow with a black band at the top and two black hoops with CFC featured in the center on the back of each half.

The new kit is made from recycled polyester.

The Dri-FIT technology ensures the active regulation of the players’ body temperatures on the pitch to keep them dry and cool. Temperature regulation is helped by ventilation zones, consisting of hundreds of tiny laser cut holes from the under arms to the waistband, allowing air to circulate to keep players dry, cool and comfortable.

To complement the new match day kit, Nike will launch a unique Celtic line of training and lifestyle clothing for both players and fans to wear on and off the pitch.

The kit and the extended line is available for pre-order from May 26, 2011 and it will be available in stores from June 16, 2011.

In case you didn’t get it the first time, click here to pre-order your 2011/12 Celtic Third Kit (also available without sponsor).

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Player transfer fees and their larger than life wage bills are a common topic of discussion for a football fan of today. From Wayne Rooney threatening to quit to oil-rich owners going on shopping sprees, the footballers have now become spoilt and they now know that their high demands will be met at their current club or the next.

It is especially easy to get a huge wage offer for those who possess skill and/or experience. Yaya Toure moved from Spain to England with a wage demand that even England’s best Rooney was not getting at the time.

For the smaller clubs, it has become far more difficult to move into the top-flight and pose a threat to the top teams in their own country, let alone go on a Euro trip.

We have taken the liberty to skim out the football clubs out of the ESPN’s 200 best-paying teams in the world and present a list to you of 66 best-paying football teams in the world.

If you’re gifted with football, this is who will show you the money:

The Leagues and Countries: Bundesliga (Germany), EPL (English Premier League, England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy) & SPL (Scottish Premier League, Scotland).

Also see: Best Paid Footballers By Country

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Given his recent extra-marital misdemeanours, it should come as little surprise that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney‘s intrinsic commercial value has – if you’ll excuse the unavoidable pun – waned of late.

His recurring inability to regulate which orifices he crams his junk into has already cost Rooney one of his high-profile sponsors, after Coca-Cola chose to withdraw his gummy smirk from their ‘Coke Zero’ products – claiming that they felt it was ‘no longer appropriate’ to run a promotional campaign that was endorsed by a man with less respect for the sanctity of marriage vows than Errol Flynn.

According to the new (Anglo-centric) ‘footballing rich list’ commissioned and published by FourFourTwo.com, Rooney has seen his market worth drop by a staggering £12 million in the few short weeks since the allegations over his private perfidities were made so very public – thus seeing him fall from 3rd to 6th in the individual footballers’ rankings and from 65th to 89th overall.

The 24-year-old now finds himself behind his United teammates Ryan Giggs, Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand in the pecking order, with veteran Newcastle defender Sol Campbell (a re-entry thanks to his lucrative, short-term contracts at Notts County and Arsenal) also coming in two places above him in fourth spot.

LA Galaxy’s walking billboard David Beckham has unsurprisingly retained his position at the top of the individual pile, despite his value dropping by 20% from £125 million to £100 million due to him missing the World Cup through injury as well as his ‘advancing years’ -as Hugh Sleight, the editor-in-chief of ­FourFourTwo.com, explains;

“For Beckham, missing the World Cup and approaching retirement have had an effect and we’ve cut his value by a fifth to £100m. As you’d expect, Brand Beckham™ have a cunning business plan to ensure their financial power continues even after Becks hangs up his boots, but that’s still in its early stages.

Wayne Rooney’s flirtations with the front pages have clearly affected his value to sponsors and we ­correspondingly cut his value by a third. He’s young and he has time to bounce back, on and off the pitch, but for the time being, his reputation has been seriously tarnished.”

LA Galaxy's David Beckham tops the list yet again

The various FourFourTwo.com Football Rich Lists read thusly, firstly the individual player rankings:

• 1) David Beckham, aged 35/36, LA Galaxy, £100m (last year: £125m, 1st)

• 2) Michael Owen, aged 30, Manchester United, £40m (last year: £38m, 2nd)

• 3) Rio Ferdinand, aged 31, Manchester United, £34m (last year £30m, 4th)

• 4) Sol Campbell, aged 36, Newcastle United, £31m (re-entry)

• 5) Ryan Giggs, aged 36, Manchester United, £27m (last year £24m, 5th)

• 6) Wayne Rooney, aged 24, Manchester United, £25m (last year £37m, 3rd)

• 7=) Steven Gerrard, aged 30, Liverpool, £22m (last year £20m, 8th)

• 7=) Frank Lampard, aged 32, Chelsea, £22m (last year £21m, 7th)

• 9) John Terry, aged 29, Chelsea, £19m (last year £18m, 9th)

• 10=) Didier Drogba, aged 32, Chelsea, £18m (last year £16m, 10th)

• 10= ) Patrick Vieira, aged 34, Manchester City, £18m (new entry)

The individual manager rankings offer little in the way of surprises, except for the inclusion of Ipswich Town manager Roy Keane in second place, one position (and a full £2 million) above his former manager at Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson – although his career earnings as a player are obviously also taken into consideration:

• 1) Fabio Capello, aged 64, England, £36m (last year: £30m)

• 2) Roy Keane, aged 39, Ipswich, £28m (last year: £27m)

• 3) Sir Alex Ferguson, aged 68, Manchester United, £26m (last year: £22m)

• 4) Carlo Ancelotti, aged 51, Chelsea, £21m (last year: £17m)

• 5) Arsene Wenger, aged 61, Arsenal, £17m (last year: £15m)

• 6=) Sven-Goran Eriksson, aged 62, Leicester City, £15m (last year: £15m)

• 6=) Roberto Mancini, aged 46, Manchester City, £15m (new entry)

• 8=) Mark Hughes, aged 46, Fulham, £10m (last year: £8m)

• 8=) Harry Redknapp, aged 63, Tottenham, £10m (last year: £10m)

• 8= ) Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, aged 37, Manchester United Reserves, £10m (new entry)

And lastly, the individual owners and major shareholders rankings:

• 1) Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nayan, aged 40, Manchester City,  £20bn (last year £17bn, 2nd)

• 2) Lakshmi Mittal and family, aged 60, QPR, £17bn (last year £18.4bn, 1st)

• 3) Alisher Usmanov, aged 57, Arsenal, £8bn (last year £1.3bn, 9th)

• 4) Roman Abramovich, aged 43, Chelsea, £7.4bn (last year £7.8bn, 3rd)

• 5) The Liebherr Family, Southampton, £3bn (new entry)

• 6) Joe Lewis, aged 63, Tottenham, £2.7bn (last year £2.5bn, 4th)

• 7) Denis O’Brien, aged 52, Celtic, £1.87bn ( last year £1.73bn, 6th)

• 8)  Stanley Kroenke, aged 62, Arsenal, £1.85bn (last year £2.079bn, 5th)

• 9) Malcolm Glazer and family, Manchester United, £1.53bn (last year £1.5bn, 7th)

• 10) Bernie Ecclestone, aged 79, QPR, £1.4bn (last year £1.466bn, 8th)

The full range of lists and an explanation as to how they are calculated can be found on the FourFourTwo website.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

England

Arsenal Wrap Up Squillaci Signing

Arsenal have completed a £5m deal for Sevilla center back Sebastien Squillaci. (The Guardian)

Analysis: Squillaci won’t have any problems settling in with his new team, given the French influence and the presence of his several of his international teammates, and he’ll add a wealth of experience to a side that’s still relatively young overall.

Diarra Offered To Liverpool

Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra has reportedly been offered to Liverpool, according to Sky Sports.

Analysis: Diarra would be a quality addition to Liverpool’s midfield. His knee injury two seasons ago really curtailed what had been an excellent first season-plus for him at Real, but he definitely has what it takes to flourish in the Premier League. And with Roy Hodgson having to look at a long Premier League season and multiple cup competitions, getting the chance to add quality depth in a key area like midfield is one not to be passed on, irrespective of the whole Mascherano mess.

Another Midlands Move For Mancienne

Wolves have snapped up Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne on loan for the third time. The 22-year-old first moved to Wolves on loan during their Championship title campaign in the 2008/09 season, and he returned to Molineux last season, making 22 Premier League starts as Wolves survived the drop. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Chelsea looked to only be willing to consider a permanent deal for Mancienne, but considering that such a deal wasn’t about to happen and that he wouldn’t see much, if any, time at Chelsea this season, loaning him out to Wolves again is a good idea.

Italy

Inter Table Official Mascherano Bid

The Sun reported early Thursday that Inter Milan had sent an official offer for midfielder Javier Mascherano to Liverpool and that the club was awaiting a response about their offer for the unsettled Argentinian, who’s also wanted by Barcelona.

However, the latest reports say that the offer, which was £6m plus former Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari, was quickly rejected by Liverpool.

Analysis: Well, judging by these comments, the return fax might well consist of nothing more than ‘HA!’ written in large letters. Try again, no?

Milan Line Up Robinho As Ibra Fallback

If AC Milan fail in their bid to land Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, they could turn to Manchester City’s Robinho, Sky Sports says.

Analysis: Milan have their heart set on Ibrahimovic, and it looks like both sides will do their best to make the deal happen, but if it happens that the money issue proves to be too much of a stumbling block, Robinho would be a good – and comparatively much more affordable – backup option.

Spain

Mallorca Sign Cavenaghi

Mallorca have signed Bordeaux striker Fernando Cavenaghi on a season-long loan deal. (Goal.com)

Analysis: After selling Aritz Aduriz, their top scorer for the last two seasons, to Valencia, Mallorca needed to find a new primary goal getter on the cheap, and their loan move for Cavenaghi fits that. Cavenaghi only scored three goals in 14 league starts last season after netting 13 and 15 the previous two seasons, but with a regular place in the starting lineup and the likes of Borja Valero creating plenty of opportunities, he should surpass the double-digit mark again, which could be enough to help Mallorca finish in the European places again.

Germany

Diego Set For Wolfsburg Switch

Former Werder Bremen star Diego is set to return to the Bundesliga after only one season at Juventus, as Steve McClaren and VfL Wolfsburg are set to land the Brazilian playmaker in a €15m deal. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: What’s that they say about there being no place like home? Diego wasn’t exactly a complete flop at Juve, but he’ll find a lot more success upon his return to the Bundesliga. If he finds his old form, this will be one of the best 2010 summer transfers. If McClaren elects to hold on to Zvjezdan Misimovic, he’ll have some selection headaches, but he’ll also have an attack that will be nigh on unstoppable.

France

Bordeaux Land Khalfallah

Bordeaux have moved quickly to find a new playmaker after the departure of Yoann Gourcuff to Lyon, nabbing Valenciennes star Fahid Ben Khalfallah for a fee believed to be between 4m and 5m. Khalfallah signed from Caen last summer and helped lead Valenciennes to a 10th-place finish, scoring seven goals and finishing tied with Marseille’s Lucho Gonzalez as the Ligue 1 assists leader with 12. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Not exactly a flashy signing if Bordeaux supporters were hoping to see the club splash the cash to replace Gourcuff, but he’ll do the business at Bordeaux. Don’t be surprised if he makes another step up soon.

Scotland

Celtic Move For Shechter

According to the Daily Mail, Celtic have made a £2.5m bid for Hapoel Tel Aviv striker Itay Shechter. The 23-year-old scored 31 goals in all competitions last season.

Analysis: After scoring 21 league goals in 83 appearances in three seasons at Maccabi Netanya, Shechter scored 22 in 34 appearances in his debut season for Hapoel, and if he keeps it up, he’s destined for a step up before long. But with Hapoel having made the group stage of the Champions League, he could well prefer to test himself against Europe’s best and wait for other opportunities.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Hearts set the bar high for the weekend on Saturday lunchtime when they hammered Hamilton Accies 4-0 at New Douglas Park. The Jambos got off to a flyer and opened the scoring through Calum Elliot on 6 minutes. Elliot has previously been victim of the Tynecastle boo-boys but he curled home a lovely left-foot shot high into the net to set Hearts on their way.

Youngster David Templeton produced an excellent strike on 24 minutes after a shocking sequence of errors in the Hamilton defence. Tomas Cerny made a hash of a poor back-pass from Mensing and defender Canning didn’t do much better with a weak clearance that set up Templeton to fire home the second.

Ruben Palazuelos and Martin Canning were both sent off in the second-half, then Kevin Kyle added a third from the penalty spot before Calum Elliot rounded off a fine afternoon for Jim Jefferies with his second of the afternoon.

The Aberdeen fans were in fine voice at McDiarmid Park with over 2,000 supporters making the trip from Aberdeen to Perth. McGhee’s side got off to a superb start at home to Hamilton but it was looking like the Dons would only be leaving with a point from this game after a pretty poor match.

But with four minutes remaning, substitute Darren Mackie managed to fire the ball low into the net past the helpless Enckleman to send the Aberdeen fans home delighted and put them top of the SPL.

Rangers notched up an impressive 3-0 win at Easter Road in what was an eventful afternoon in the capital. Hibs unveiled their trendy new East Stand which took the capacity to just over 20,000. The first-half was a dire affair with both sides mis-placing the most basic of passes.

Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor would make the headlines with his dive to the floor claiming Riordan had headbutted him, when TV pictures showed that Riordan had been nowhere near his head.

The game burst into life towards the end of half and there were some meaty challenges going in. Kyle Lafferty then went in rashly on Liam Miller which started an almighty brawl in the centre of the pitch. Kevin McBride of Hibs blasted the ball against the Rangers striker and the usual handbags broke out.

Both McBride and Lafferty were sent off, both wrongly in my view, and in the opinions of Walter Smith and John Hughes.

Two less men on the park meant the game completely opened up which made it a very entertaining second-half. Madjid Bougherra made a stunning goal-line clearance which gave Rangers a kick up the backside and led to Kenny Miller slamming home from the close range on 64 minutes.

New Rangers signing Vladimir Weiss came on as a substitute and sparked real life into the SPL Champions and played a neat one-two with Davis to set up Miller for his second goal.

The third came in injury time when Miller was fed through on goal by Davis and the striker fired home with his left-foot to claim his fourth goal of the season.

Neil Lennon secured his 10th SPL win in a row thanks to a comfortable 4-0 victory against St Mirren. The Buddies contributed next-to-nothing in this game as Celtic could have scored 8 or 9 on Sunday. Welsh midfielder Joe Ledley scored his first goal for Celtic with a neat finish on 6 minutes.

Shaun Maloney’s Celtic career has been hampered by injuries but the striker has had a new lease of life under Lennon and scored on 23 minutes to make it 2-0. Stealing the headlines though was youngster James Forrest who has burst on to the scene this season and has created a new excitement around Celtic Park.

The 19-year-old scored the 3rd for Celtic with a fine finish, hammering the ball high into the net with Gallacher helpless.

The goal of the afternoon was saved till last when Ki-Sung-Yong produced a stunning long-range effort which sailed high into the top corner. The Hoops are in Europa League action on Thursday night and this result will help the confidence going into another dreaded away fixture.

Probably the most impressive performance of the weekend was at Tannadice in Dundee as newly-promoted Inverness Caley Thistle hammered Dundee United 4-0 on their own patch. Terry Butcher’s side produced an explosive performance and still thinks ‘the best is yet to come’ from his Caley side.

Kevin McCann, on loan from Hibs, scored an excellent opener from long-range on 34 minutes. The potent Adam Rooney has caught the eye in Caley’s first two fixtures and scored the first of his brace on 51 minutes with a fine, looping volley. Just two minutes later, midfielder Russell Duncan fired home the 3rd for Caley Thistle and Rooney scored his second from the spot on 82 mintues to give the visitors a much-needed confidence booster early on in the season.

At Rugby Park, Motherwell secured three points ahead of their Europa League clash with Odense after a 1-0 win against Kilmarnock. On loan striker Nick Blackman headed home the only goal of the game on 37 minutes.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Celtic kicked off the Scottish Premier League season on Saturday afternoon with a tricky trip to Inverness to take on the SPL newcomers. After disappointment against Braga, the pressure was already beginning to build on new manager Neil Lennon and his new signings.

Cha Du-Ri, Mulgrew and Ledley all made their SPL debuts for Celtic, but there was no place in the starting eleven for big-money signing Efrain Juarez. The home side made a good account of themselves in the first-half, but overall there wasn’t much entertainment from either side.

Midfielder Paddy McCourt scored the winning goal after 56 minutes with a fine piece of individual skill taking the ball past three Caley defenders before firing the ball past Ryan Esson in the Caley goal. The hoops were in control from there on and youngster James Forrest had two great chances to get his name on the scoresheet but he failed to convert.

A good start for Celtic in what is traditionally a banana-skin match up the in the highlands.

Champions Rangers unfurled the league flag in a fitting pre-match celebration and fielded new signing James Beattie in the starting line-up. The Gers kicked off with a thrilling tempo and created some good chances with Cameron Bell saving well from Kenny Miller. The Gers striker would get his goal on 13 minutes when Broadfoot’s shot was saved by Bell but the clearances on the line deflected off Miller’s back and flew into the net.

Beattie was denied his debut goal with a stunning stop from Bell and Kilmarnock began to come back into the game with Danny Invincible missing an excellent chance from just a few yards out. Rangers seemed rattled and Kilmarnock comfortably dominated a good 10-15 minute spell of the first-half.

Walter Smith’s side came out the traps well in the second-half and went 2-0 ahead thanks to Steven Naismith who had an excellent game in midfield. Naismith latched on to a Miller flick-on and fired the ball under Cammy Bell and into the net. You’d have thought it was game over, but Kilmarnock were backed by an excellent travelling support and got back into the game when Sasa Papac fouled James Dayton inside the box and Jamie Hamill coolly slotted home the spot-kick.

Beattie missed a one-on-one soon after and it was clear the former Stoke striker was just a yard off the pace this afternoon. It was a nervy end for the champions but they start off with three points which will please their supporters who have endured a tough summer.

Aberdeen sent out a strong message to the other SPL sides with a 4-0 victory over Hamilton Accies. New signing Paul Hartley was the star of the show scoring the first ever SPL hat-trick of penalties. Sone Aluko was on fine form for Aberdeen and won the first penalty after 19 minutes which gave Hartley his first goal from the spot.

Hartley got his second five minutes before half-time from the spot sending the keeper the wrong way. Zander Diamond bundled home the third goal, before the Aberdeen new-boy Hartley got his hat-trick on 65 minutes. A disappointing afternoon for Hamilton boss Billy Reid but euphoria for Mark McGhee who badly needed an excellent start to what will be a difficult season for the Dons.

The SPL’s third-force survived a scare at St Mirren Park thanks to Jon Daly’s 89th minute equalizer. Daly converted from close range thanks to Morgaro Gomis’ cross to give Peter Houston’s side a point from the opening game. New St Mirren boss Danny Lennon will be happy with his side’s performance yesterday with five new faces in the starting line-up for the Buddies.

It was looking great for the home side when Sean Lynch opened the scoring with a fine volley from the edge of the box.

It was another 1-1 draw at Tynecastle in the match between Hearts and St Johnstone. The Jambos left new signings Kevin Kyle and Stephen Elliot on the bench but relied on another Elliot to open the scoring with Calum the man to put Hearts ahead just before half-time. Almost immediately after, the Saints got an equaliser through Sam Parkin who nodded home Taylor’s cross to score his first-goal in a St Johnstone shirt.

In Sunday’s televised game, Hibs got their season off to a flyer in the eagerly anticipated match against Motherwell at Fir Park. Towards the end of last season both sides produced a stunning 6-6 draw in the highest scoring SPL match. John Sutton got the opener after 13 minutes when he diverted Murphy’s cross into the net.

Just before half-time, Anthony Stokes got the equalizer when Derek Riordan’s creativity set up a good chance for his team-mate and Stokes side-footed into the net. Paul Hanlon and Liam Miller put Hibs 3-1 ahead with about a quarter of an hour still to play, but Murphy’s penalty a minute later was just a consolation as this game provided some excellent entertainment.

Sadly, it didn’t have 12 goals but 5 was enough.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News