So it’s “arrivederci” to Mr Capello and with that once again The FA are in search of fresh man with fresh ideas to manage the England football team. The now infamous “impossible job” is waiting ominously to be filled by a brave managerial soul and the national media appear to be in no doubt as to whom that man should be, yes it’s the half human half bloodhound hybrid, Harry Redknapp.

Redknapp, who was on Wednesday cleared of tax evasion at Southwark Crown Court, must have been relishing the thought of a quiet night in away from the intense media scrutiny which had been constant over the previous two weeks. Alas, he was to have no such luck as the media spotlight quickly beamed back on him, albeit for more positive reasons, following the resignation of Fabio Capello.

Seemingly the whole nation was immediately buzzing with talk of what Capello’s departure meant for the national team just four months before Euro 2012. The question constantly nagging me however was why? Why all the hysteria?

International football has become a rather underwhelming and dreary pursuit in the face of ever growing interest in the now epically hyped English Premier League and heavily revered Uefa Champions League.

How depressing the feeling has become when late on a mid-week afternoon as your attention turns towards the weekends domestic action you realise it’s an international break, a feeling only exacerbated further when the break is merely for a friendly.

The international breaks are often uninspiring, dull, an unwelcome distraction. It is becoming ever more commonplace that following a dispiriting international break the nation’s mood is once again lifted by a rip-roaring weekend of domestic football.

Success at International level was once considered the pinnacle of football achievement with the feats of Pele, Maradonna, Beckenbaur serving to immortalise them and the World Cup itself in the annals of football history. The former of these three football greats responded to Lionel Messi‟s third successive Ballon d‟Or by claiming the argentine magician cannot be considered a true great until he has achieved success on the International level.

The Pinnacle

The retort to this is straightforward; Messi has three Champions League winners medals, a competition which has undoubtedly superseded the World Cup as the pinnacle of excellence and achievement in the modern game. This is a fact which can be highlighted simply by identifying the two dominant forces in each spheres of the game. In the domestic game the superior outfit is clearly Barcelona, in international football it is Barcelona Lite, most commonly known as Spain……without Lionel Messi.

This is a major reason why Redknapp should stay put. He is already dining at football’s top table with an almost tangible chance of sitting at the head of it, at least domestically, providing he can find a way past the two Manchester’s and without the added pressure of a nations unrealistic expectations.

This is more than can be said for his chances with England, a team that despite a light sprinkling of exceptional players, still lacks the ball retaining ability, technical prowess and mental strength to compete with the offerings of Spain, Germany and Holland.  At international level Harry’s literally stuck with what he’s got and can no longer rely on his eye for talent and famous wheeler dealing that has helped him further Tottenham’s cause during his tenure.

The question Redknapp must ask himself is “can I actually be successful as England manager?” Obviously that depends on what is considered success but if the past is anything to go by that consideration will be seriously out of kilter with what is actually achievable and we all know how the story goes from there.

Contrastingly, at Tottenham he is potentially on the verge of something really special this season or the next with a couple of astute additions to a squad. A squad which, as Daniel Levy has already proved last summer with his resistance to the sale of Luka Modric, will not be dismantled, especially with Champions League football in the bag.

Impossible Job

Compounding all this is the very reason why we call the national the role the “impossible job,” the tabloid media. The England team has become less a body that regularly occupies football fans minds and more some form of toy for the national newspapers, with the football manager playing the most vulnerable of pawns in their often frenzied game.

Admittedly, Harry has them firmly on his side with pretty much unanimous support across the nations print rooms, but of course how quick this can change; Kevin Keegan anyone?

Following the failures of Steve McLaren the order of the day became experience, tactical knowledge, authoritarianism in order to get the best out of our over indulged “Golden Generation‟ and up until June 2010 Capello delivered this emphatically and was considered a shrewd appointment even at £6 million pounds a year.

Four disappointing games later and all that went out the window. His tactics were a problem, his grasp of English was a problem, his nationality, his wages, his choice of swimwear (who can forget the Speedos) you name it if it involved Capello it was a problem and remained a problem even after another successful qualifying campaign.

Accordingly, despite his managerial achievements still remaining relatively modest and indeed his own reservations regarding lack of daily contact with players, it is now the attributes that Redknapp possess which are in vogue.

But  its depressingly inevitable that the vulnerability of the role will eventually render these attributes unsuitable and ineffective and yet again we will be back where we are now, after all how can one succeed in the impossible job.

Commenting from a significant distant I think he‟d be mad to swap White Hart Lane for Wembley Way but nevertheless, it is highly likely that the lure of leading his nation will be, for Harry, a proud Englishmen, understandably too much to resist. I just hope he fully realises the position and potential he is walking away from and more importantly just exactly what he is walking into.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

You’ll find the latest Premier League Transfers (January 2012) listed here. Archives for older transfer seasons are at the end of this page. For the latest transfer rumours and confirmed transfers for other leagues, see our football transfer lists page.

If you find a transfer not listed here let us know and we’ll add it.

Last Updated: 1 February 2012

Arsenal

In: Thierry Henry (loan, New York Red Bulls); Thomas Eisfeld (£600,000, Borussia Dortmund)

Out: Luke Freeman (undisclosed, Stevenage); Vito Mannone (loan, Hull City); Daniel Boateng (loan, Swindon Town); Gavin Hoyte (loan, AFC Wimbledon); Paulo Botelho (loan, Levante); Emmanuel Frimpong (loan, Wolverhampton Wanderers); Sanchez Watt (loan, Crawley Town); Wellington (loan, CD Alcoyano); Sead Hajrovic (loan, Barnet); Rhys Murphy (loan, Preston North End); Ryo Miyachi (loan, Bolton Wanderers)

Aston Villa

In: Enda Stevens (undisclosed, Shamrock Rovers); Robbie Keane (loan, Los Angeles Galaxy)

Out: Nathan Delfouneso (loan, Leicester City); Shane Lowry (undisclosed, Millwall); Fabian Delph (loan, Leeds United); Elliot Parish (undisclosed, Cardiff City)

Blackburn Rovers

In: Anthony Modeste (Bordeaux, loan), Bruno Ribeiro (Grêmio Barueri, free); Marcus Olsson (free, Halmstads BK); Bradley Orr (undisclosed, Queens Park Rangers)

Out: Jason Roberts (undisclosed, Reading); Keith Andrews (free, West Bromwich Albion); Ryan Nelsen (free, Tottenham)

Bolton Wanderers

In: Tim Ream (£2.5m, New York Red Bulls); Ryo Miyachi (Arsenal, loan); Marvin Sordell (£3m, Watford)

Out: Gary Cahill (£7m, Chelsea); Jack Sampson (loan, Southend United)

Chelsea

In: Gary Cahill (£7m, Bolton Wanderers); Kevin de Bruyne (£6.7m, Genk), Patrick Bamford (£1.5m, Nottingham Forest)

Out: Nicolas Anelka (undisclosed, Shanghai Shenhua); Alex (£4.5m, Paris Saint-Germain); Rhys Taylor (loan, Rotherham); Sam Walker (loan, Yeovil); Ben Gordon (loan, Kilmarnock); Patrick van Aanholt (loan, Vitesse Arnhem); Josh McEachran (loan, Swansea City); Gaël Kakuta (loan, Dijon)

Everton

In: Darron Gibson (£500,000, Manchester United); Landon Donovan (loan, Los Angeles Galaxy); Nikica Jelavic (£6m, Rangers); Steven Pienaar (loan, Tottenham)

Out: Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (£5m, Spartak Moscow); Aristote Nsiala (loan, Accrington Stanley); James Wallace (loan, Tranmere Rovers); Louis Saha (free, Tottenham)

Fulham

In: Jack Grimmer (£200,000, Aberdeen); Pavel Pogrebnyak (£3m, VfB Stuttgart); Ryan Williams (undisclosed, Portsmouth)

Out: Alex Kacaniklic (loan, Watford); Bobby Zamora (£6m, Queens Park Rangers)

Liverpool

In: Jordan Ibe (£500,000, Wycombe Wanderers); Danny Ward (undisclosed, Wrexham)

Out: Danny Wilson (loan, Blackpool); Martin Hansen (undisclosed, Viborg FF)

Manchester City

In: David Pizarro (loan, AS Roma)

Out: Nedum Onuoha (£3m, Queens Park Rangers); Ben Mee (undisclosed, Burnley); Kieran Trippier (undisclosed, Burnley); Harry Bunn (loan, Preston North End); Alex Nimely (loan, Coventry City); Chris Chantler (loan, Carlisle United); Wayne Bridge (loan, Sunderland), Frederic Veseli (undisclosed, Manchester United)

Manchester United

In: Frederic Veseli (undisclosed, Manchester City)

Out: Darron Gibson (£500,000, Everton); Daniel Drinkwater (undisclosed, Leicester City); Mame Biram Diouf (£1.5m, Hannover 96); Joshua King (loan, Hull City); Féderico Macheda (loan, Queens Park Rangers); Ravel Morrison (£650,000, West Ham United); Oliver Norwood (loan, Coventry City); Scott Wootton (loan, Nottingham Forest)

Newcastle United

In: Papiss Demba Cissé (£10m, SC Freiburg)

Out: Alan Smith (loan, MK Dons); Philip Airey (loan, Gateshead); James Tavernier (loan, MK Dons)

Norwich City

In: Jonny Howson (£2m, Leeds United); Ryan Bennett (undisclosed, Peterborough United)

Out: George Francomb (loan, Hibernian); Oli Johnson (loan, Oxford); Korey Smith (loan, Barnsley); Chris Martin (loan, Crystal Palace)

Queens Park Rangers

In: Nedum Onuoha (£3m, Manchester City); Taye Taiwo (loan, AC Milan); Féderico Macheda (loan, Manchester United); Samba Diakité (loan, AS Nancy Lorraine); Djibril Cisse (£4m, Lazio); Bobby Zamora (£6m, Fulham)

Out: Matt Connolly (loan, Reading), Bradley Orr (undisclosed, Blackburn Rovers)

Stoke City

In:

Out: Danny Pugh (undisclosed, Leeds United); Florent Cuvelier (loan, Walsall); Ben Marshall (loan, Sheffield Wednesday); Tom Soares (loan, Hibernian); Ryan Brunt (loan, Tranmere Rovers); Matthew Lund (loan, Bristol Rovers); Michael Tonge (loan, Barnsley); Danny Higginbotham (loan, Nottingham Forest); Ben Marshall (undisclosed, Leicester City)

Sunderland

In: Wayne Bridge (loan, Manchester City); Sotiris Kyrgiakos (loan, VfL Wolfsburg)

Out: Trevor Carson (loan, Hull City); Louis Laing (loan, Wycombe Wanderers); Blair Adams (loan, Northampton Town); John Egan (loan, Crystal Palace); Billy Knott (loan, AFC Wimbledon); Jordan Cook (loan, Carlisle United); Ryan Noble (loan, Derby County); Nyron Nosworthy (loan, Watford)

Swansea City

In: Darnel Situ (£250,000, Lens); Josh McEachran (loan, Chelsea); Gylfi Sigurdsson (loan, Hoffenheim); Curtis Obeng (undisclosed, Wrexham)

Out: Vangelis Moras (loan, Cesena); Lee Lucas (loan, Burton Albion)

Tottenham

In: Iago Falqué (undisclosed, Juventus); Ryan Nelsen (free, Blackburn Rovers); Louis Saha (free, Everton)

Out: David Button (loan, Doncaster Rovers); Dean Parrett (loan, Yeovil Town); Andros Townsend (loan, Leeds United); Iago Falqué (loan, Southampton); Harry Kane (loan, Millwall); John Bostock (loan, Sheffield Wednesday); Tom Carroll (loan, Derby County): Sebastien Bassong (loan, Wolverhampton Wanderers); Vedran Corluka (loan, Bayer Leverkusen); Roman Pavlyuchenko (£8m, Lokomotiv Moscow); Steven Pienaar (loan, Everton); Adam Smith (loan, Leeds United)

West Bromwich Albion

In: Scott Allan (£300,000, Dundee United); Keith Andrews (free, Blackburn Rovers); Liam Ridgewell (undisclosed, Birmingham City)

Out: Roman Bednar (free, Blackpool); James Hurst (loan, Chesterfield); Romaine Sawyers (loan, Shrewsbury Town); Lateef Elford-Alliyu (loan, Tranmere Rovers); Chris Wood (loan, Bristol City); Gonzalo Jara (loan, Brighton & Hove Albion); Joe Mattock (loan, Brighton & Hove Albion)

Wigan Athletic

In: Jean Beausejour (undisclosed, Birmingham City)

Out: Daniel Redmond (loan, Hamilton Academical); Nouha Dicko (loan, Blackpool); Jordan Mustoe (loan, Barnet)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

In: Eggert Jonsson (£250,000, Hearts); Emmanuel Frimpong (loan, Arsenal); Sebastien Bassong (loan, Tottenham)

Out: David Davis (loan, Chesterfield); Sam Winnall (loan, Inverness Caledonian Thistle); Jamie Reckord (loan, Scunthorpe United); Sam Vokes (loan, Brighton & Hove Albion); Adlène Guedioura (loan, Nottingham Forest); Matt Doherty (loan, Hibernian); Andy Keogh (undisclosed, Millwall)

Premier League Transfer Archives:

Summer 2006
January 2007
Summer 2007
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Summer 2008
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Summer 2009
January 2010
Summer 2010
January 2011
Summer 2011

For the latest transfer rumours and transfer lists for other leagues, see our transfer news section.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With United traveling to Arsenal and Tottenham going north to Manchester City, there’s a lot to look forward to this week.

Here’s a look at the top betting tips and the best matches this weekend.

Arsenal v Manchester United

Man United face arch rivals Arsenal in the big game of the weekend at the Emirates on Sunday, and at 2.62 look good value to beat the Wenger boys.

The Gunners were thrashed 8-2 earlier in the season at Old Trafford, and although they have improved since I can’t see why they can be fancied to gain their revenge.

They come into this on the back of a 3-2 defeat away at Swansea and have been finding it hard to find the back of the net at home having scored more than once in just four of their last 16 PL games on their own patch – netting just 20 in total over those matches.

Many will be quick to point out that they do have a good recent record in this fixture having won three and lost one of the last five, but United have by far the stronger current form coming into this and are more than capable of bagging all three points.

Wayne Rooney has scored six goals in his last six appearances against Arsenal in all competitions make him and Robin van Persie the market leaders to score first at around the 6 mark.

However the best bet surely has to be Rooney in the anytime goalscorer market at the 2.4 on offer with bet365. That looks a huge price for a player on the top of his game.

Given that Arsenal will be out keen to avoid another heavy humiliating defeat I can’t see this being a goal fest, and fancy United to win 2-0 or 2-1.

The former is a 15 chance with Paddy Power, while the latter is 9.5 chance with bet365 and Boylesports.

Bolton v Liverpool

Liverpool have an outstanding record against Bolton and at 1.67 with Betfred and Paddy Power look a banker bet to maintain that at the Reebok.

The Reds have won the last 10 Premier League games in a row against the Trotters, and the home side have also managed to keep just one clean sheet in the last 13 games on their own patch.

Kenny Dalglish’s men really should prove too strong for Bolton, despite the fact that they come into this on the back of a disappointing 0-0 draw with Stoke and have failed to score in three of their last four Premier League away games.

They have found goals hard to come by since Suarez picked up his ban, but will never find a more accommodating side than Bolton to put that right.

Steven Gerrard is looking stronger with every game and Craig Bellamy has been devastating away from home.

The latter is a 6 shot with Paddy Power to net the opener, and that makes plenty of appeal from a punting perspective.

Liverpool to win 2-0 is my idea of the outcome at 7.5 with bet365 and Paddy Power.

Norwich v Chelsea

Chelsea travel to Carrow Road to take on Norwich and at odds of 1.62 should have little difficulty bagging all three points.

The Blues come into this on the back of three consecutive sins in all competitions, and have an excellent record against their rivals.

They have won the last five meetings with them in all competitions, scoring at least 3 goals in each game.

AVB’s men have also lost just one of their last nine Premier League matches (W5 D3 L1) and face a side who have conceded in all 10 of their home games this season.

Frank Lampard has been a key player for Chelsea, and his last four goals have seen draws turn into single goal victories.

He is a tasty looking 7 with bet365 to net the opener, and that looks worth a wager as does the 2.88 on offer with Boylesports for him to score anytime during the 90 minutes.

I fully expect Chelsea to put the Canaries to the sword, and like the look of 3-0 and 3-1 in the correct score market at 15 with Paddy Power and 12 with Betfred respectively.

Over  2.5 goals at 1.63 with bet365 also looks a rock solid bet.

Manchester City v Tottenham

Man City face another tough game when they play host to Spurs at the Etihad on Sunday, and the draw looks worth a punt at the 3.75 on offer with bet365 and Betfred.

City have only won five of the 29 Premier League games against Tottenham, but have triumphed in the last two meetings (W5 D5 L19).

They also come into this having lost their last two games on their own patch and struggled to beat Wigan 1-0 at the DW Stadium last weekend.

They are not looking as invincible as they once were and Harry Redknapp’s boys have enough class to grind out a share of the spoils.

The Londoners have lost just one of their last nine PL games and now have a squad capable of mixing it at the highest level.

I fancy them to grind out a 1-1 draw, and that scoreline is a general 7 chance.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

According to Castrol EDGE Performance analysis, Gareth Bale has been one of the Premier League’s best performers this season, with the Welsh winger both scoring and creating regularly for his high-flying Tottenham side.

Indeed, so far this season, only two midfielders, Frank Lampard and Bale’s team-mate Rafael van der Vaart, have out-scored the former Southampton man, who has bagged an impressive six goals so far.

Creatively, Bale has also been in outstanding form this season, with only one player (of any position), David Silva, providing more assists while only Chelsea’s Juan Mata has set up more goal-scoring chances overall this season.

Premier League 2011/12 – Top Scoring Midfielders & Most Creative Players

Bale has been rewarded for his superb performances over the past year with a place in UEFA’s Team of 2011, with the Tottenham star the only Premier League player included. One wonders how long it will be before one of the giants of La Liga or Serie A will tempt the former full-back into a move to the Continent.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Fernando Torres, once renowned as one of the most feared strikers in world football now finds himself in a disastrous situation. Almost one year since his record breaking £50 million move to Chelsea, Torres has scored mere 5 goals i.e. cost £10 million per goal. The blues have been patient but not anymore as the reports suggest the Londoners are ready to sell him for £20 million. Where will the Spaniard go from here?

Manchester:

Surely Manchester City can afford Torres’s wages but they already have three top quality strikers in Aguero, Balotelli and Dzeko all in form so why sign a flop one.  Adding to that the Spaniard wants to play and at City he will only be able to make the bench warmer than he has been doing for Chelsea.

Sir Alex already has one problem sitting in the form of Berbatov, adding Torres to that, very unlikely. Besides United are not looking to spend much this winter, in case they do then by all means the priority should be a central midfield player. From Torres’s view point, the Liverpool connections might stop him from joining the Devils. Betrayed once for joining Chelsea and turned miserable, the second time he might just be cursed for life by the Liverpool fans.

North London

Harry Redknapp likes to sign players that are unhappy or unwanted at their clubs. Van Der Vaart, Adebayor, Robbie Keane, Jermaine Defoe etc. Torres well unwanted and unhappy, still he is beyond Tottenham’s pay bracket. They just won’t pay over the odds.

The scenario is quite similar with Tottenham’s closest rival Arsenal. Gunners did not bother listening Samir Nasri’s cry of increasing his salary equal to Fabregas’s £110,000 a week, never mind talking about £150,000 for Torres. Let’s say Torres will agree to take a pay cut but to what extent? He earned £110,000 at Liverpool, Arsenal surely not interested.

Liverpool

The fans are divided on this subject. Ever heard of a saying “Form is temporary, Class is permanent” maybe that’s not applicable on Chelsea flops? Some say Liverpool is the only club to get his confident back and start firing goals that the Reds have been missing largely. Others have the word “traitor” engraved in their minds forever when they hear his name. Kenny Dalglish has done a fantastic job of changing the dressing room environment which has been negative for quite some time. Again Torres return might badly influence that.

Spain

Being loyal to Atletico, Torres hates Real Madrid. Never mind, they don’t want him. Barcelona have the best Spanish striker in their ranks, signing currently the worst one not in their plans. All others cannot afford his salary except Malaga, but then did he not want to play for a “big club” or for now he just wants to play.

Others

Torres once claimed he’d like to play for Milan but the Rossoneri do not buy players lately, they only want them on loan. Never heard any flying rumors coming from Russia, Anzhi? Lastly PSG, if they can look to sign 36 years old Beckham for not so footballing purpose then why not Torres as he is Spain’s most marketable player.

David Villa, Fernando Llorente and Roberto Soldado are all there and realistically Torres as a bench warmer for blues will not guarantee his place in the Spanish squad for Euro 2012. It is not just that Chelsea have to sell him for their good, but Torres must leave for his.

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From Soccerlens.com - Football News

This weekend, the big teams have a chance to catch up with the Premier League leaders Manchester City, and you can get great betting odds for United, Arsenal and co. to cut down on the lead and make the title race more interesting.

Manchester United v Wolves

Manchester United have endured a horrendous week, crashing out of the Champions League and then losing Vidic for the rest of the season due a knee injury. They need to bounce back, and the visit of Wolves to Old Trafford this weekend gives them a glorious opportunity of doing just that.

Bookmakers make than a best priced 1.25 to beat Mick McCarthy’s men, and they cannot be opposed. United have not lost at home to Wolves for 31 years. They have won the last five and are unbeaten in the last six on their own patch.

Wolves have also scored just one goal in those last six visits, and although some will argue that now is the best time for them to be taking on a United side not playing at their best they are forgetting about on sir Alex Ferguson.

The United boss has proved time and time again that he is capable of lifting his players when things haven’t gone right, and I think Wolves will suffer the backlash this weekend.

What the Red Devils have lost in recent weeks is their killer instinct in front of goal. Wayne Rooney hasn’t looked the same player since his England sending off and has now not found the back of the next in the league since September.

I’m convinced that he will bounce back, and a top priced 4.33 with bet365 to net the opener in this, he makes plenty of appeal.

United to win 3-0 or 4-0 is my idea of the outcome, and those scorelines can be backed at 8 with Boylesports and 12 with bet365.

Liverpool v QPR

Liverpool are a top priced 1.36 to beat QPR at Anfield this weekend and and the stats suggest that they will do just that.

The visitors have won just one of their last 20 league visits to Merseyside, and the Reds are unbeaten in their last seven home games.

Kenny Dalglish’s men once again saw red in their shock 1-0 defeat away at Fulham last weekend, but if they keep their heads in this then there should only be one outcome.

They have the joint-best defensive record this season having conceded just 13 goals so far, and I think that they should be able to win this with a bit to spare and keep a clean sheet to boot.

They are 2.1 chances with Paddy Power to win to nil, and that has to be a fair punt given their cramped odds in the outright market.

Charlie Adams celebrates his 26th birthday in this game, and at 9 with bet365 to bag the opener looks value to kick-off his big day in style.

Arsenal v Everton

Arsenal are a a top priced 1.57 to beat Everton at the Emirates this weekend, and look bankers at those odds to bag all three points.

The Gunners have won six and lost none of the last eight Premier League games against the Toffees and have taken 19 points from their last seven games.

That’s the same number of points that they took from the previous 18 games, and clearly shows what terrific form they have been in of late

Arsene Wenger took the decision to rest virtually all of his first choice XI for the midweek Champions League trip to Olympiakos, and it was a shrewd move given that they had already qualified and had everything to lose but nothing to gain by risking their key men.

It means that he will be able to field his first choice team for this, and you have to think that they will comfortably prove to strong for a struggling Everton side and land the odds of 1.57 available with Betfred and Paddy Power.

Having said that it would be no surprise to see the visitors net a goal as they have have scored 11 goals in the last 11 meetings between the two sides. They have failed to score just once, but have only netted more than one goal on one occasion.

Therefore the 1.83 on offer with bet365 and Betfred about both sides netting makes plenty of appeal from a punting perspective .

Stoke v Tottenham

Stoke take on to in-form Spurs in front of Sky cameras at the Britannia (4.30pm KO) and Harry Redknapp’s side look worth a punt at 2.1 with Paddy Power.

Three Premier League meetings between the two sides at the Britannia have ended 2-1 with Spurs winning the last two visits.

The London outfit come into the game having won their last three on the road, and although they have never won four on the bounce I strongly fancy them to do so.

They have a side full of quality who play slick attacking football and I can see the Stoke back line having real problems against the lies of Peter Crouch and the in-form Gareth Bale.

Crouch, who netted twice against his former club when they met at White Hart lane in April is a a general 8 shot to grab the opener, and that looks decent value.

However Bale, who has scored four and assisted four goals in his last five Premier League appearances, will be carrying my money in the same market at 9.5 with bet365.

For those that like to play the correct score market it has to be a 2-1 win for Spurs at 9 with Betfred.

Chelsea v Manchester City

Chelsea play host to league leaders Manchester City on Monday night, and the in-form Blues have to be worth a punt at 2.5 with Betfred and Boylesports to beat Roberto Mancini’s City slickers.

The Blues triumphed 2-0 in this fixture back in March and come into the game on back of arguably their best performance of the season.

They looked back to their clinical and organised best when trouncing Valencia 3-0 to secure their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, and had previously proved far too strong for Newcastle when registering a 3-0 victory over the Magpies at St James’ when last seen in Premiership action.

Andre Villas-Boas seems to have turned things round, and this promises to be a great game filled with goals – despite the fact that in recent years City have struggled to score at Stamford Bridge.

They have actually have failed find the back of the net in  eight of their last nine league visits to London, but they are a different proposition now and come into this unbeaten in their last eight PL away games (won six).

So given that Chelsea have only managed to keep one clean sheet in their last 8 games at the Bridge but have also not found it difficult to find the target at the other end of the pitch, backing both sides to score looks a standout bet at 1.62 with bet365 and Betfred.

*bet365 are offering a £50 free In-play bet on this game.

To qualify simply place a bet before kick-off, then once the game starts place another bet on any In-Play market. If your FIRST In-Play bet loses we will refund this stake, up to the same value as your largest pre-match bet (max £50).

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With 15 points separating the top five teams in the English Premier League, the race for a top four place is well and truly on. If you bet on football, you’ll know that Manchester City are still favourites for the league title but with a tough set of fixtures ahead of them, things can change very quickly.

The UEFA Champions League group stages have been wrapped up with Chelsea and Arsenal content, and the Manchester clubs distraught, but domestic commitments take centre stage this weekend. Games at Stamford Bridge, the Emirates Stadium and the Britannia will shape the balance of the top spots going into the festive season, and test the resolve of England’s biggest clubs.

Chelsea vs Manchester City

Monday night’s game between Chelsea and Manchester City is undoubtedly the pick of the round, with much on the line for both teams. A defeat for the home team would see an almost unassailable gap open between them and their table-topping opponents, whilst the chasing pack would be given hope should the visitors be subjected to their first defeat of the season.

Chelsea have put an autumn blip behind them, and 3-0 victories over Wolves and Newcastle domestically and Valencia in Europe have stabilized the London outfit. Andre Villas Boas has given himself some breathing room by qualifying for the Champions League knockout rounds, but the pressure would be piled back on the Portuguese coach with a defeat on Monday. The Blues are currently ten points behind City; a win would bring them back into title contention, whilst a loss may rule them out of it.

City were eliminated from Europe’s top club competition on Wednesday despite beating Bayern Munich, and will have to re-focus on their top priority of winning the Premier League. The only team still unbeaten in the division, the side from the Etihad Stadium could lay a real marker down with a win away to one of the top teams in the land, or see their advantage at the summit rescind to two points with a defeat.

Arsenal vs Everton

Arsenal have well and truly put their shaky start to the campaign behind them, as summer signings have settled in at the Emirates Stadium and started to get performances for the club. A solid run of domestic form over the last two months has lifted The Gunners up to fifth place, two points behind Chelsea and five adrift of North London rivals Tottenham. The side’s home form has been good in the resurgence, and a 4-0 win against Wigan at the DW Stadium in their last domestic fixture will be sure to add confidence. Arsene Wenger rested his key players for the Champions League game at Olympiakos in midweek, but expect Robin van Persie and co to return on Saturday.

Everton’s inconsistency comes as a frustration to the Goodison Park faithful, and David Moyes team have struggled to put a run of form together this season. Consecutive victories over Wolves and Bolton were cancelled out by a disappointing home defeat to Stoke last time out but on their day The Toffees can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league.

Mikel Arteta’s first appearance against his former employers will add spice to this one; Paddy Power have the Spaniard at odds of 9/1 to get the first goal.

Stoke vs Tottenham

Spurs are being touted as surprise title contenders after an excellent run of unbeaten form has taken them to third place, whilst Stoke have held their own domestically and in Europe this term; the pair meet on Sunday at the Britannia Stadium.

Stoke have embraced their first season in the Europa League, and have qualified for the knockout rounds with a game to spare. Although at times inconsistent, especially after European games, Tony Pulis’ men have beaten Liverpool at home this term, and drawn with Manchester United and Chelsea. Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios will face their former club, and the English striker will pose an all too familiar aerial threat to the visitors.

10 wins in 11 games sees Spurs as one of the form teams in the league, and leaves them only seven points off the leaders with a game in hand. Harry Redknapp’s men would most likely be delighted with a top four finish, despite the title challengers tag of late, but will face a stern test in the Midlands this weekend. Much has been spoken of the side’s attacking players, who admittedly are in great form, but Scott Parker must win the midfield battle and the Kaboul/King partnership deal with Crouch for the White Hart Lane club’s run to continue.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Football fans are geniunely interested in buying the weirdest things if they are carrying their favorite club’s logo. Even if they have never used anything like it before but they must have it!

Two years ago, we did a little research and collected the weirdest football merchandise from around the globe and a particular jester hat in Barcelona colors got a lot of attention. This time around, we’ve added the weird merchandise to the Soccerlens Store.

Here are some of the weird football merchandise from the Store:

Rubber Ducks

So, your bath time gets very boring. How about we introduce you to a colorful rubber ducky with your clubs’ crest?

Click here to browse our rubber ducky range. Only available for Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Golf

If you play golf, it sure as hell gets boring. Those long walks to the ball can be made more interesting if you buy a football club-specific golf ball or tees or something that will get you to think about an actual sport.

Click here to browse our golf range.

Real Madrid Jester Hats

Last time around, I found a Barcelona jester hat but this time around, we bring for you a Real Madrid jester hat!

Frankly, it looked much better in Barca’s colors.

Click here to buy the Real Madrid jester hat.

Nodding Dogs

Even if you didn’t know what it was called but you know what a nodding dog is because if you’ve been alive and around in the last ten years, you have seen it somewhere.

Unfortunately, nodding dogs are only available for Tottenham fans and Real Madrid fans.

Click here to: buy Tottenahm nodding dog | buy Real Madrid nodding dog.

Piggy Banks

If there’s any room left in your house which is not covered by an item bearing your club’s logo, get one of these and put it there. These are piggy banks…

Click here to browse our piggy bank range. Only available for Arsenal, AC Milan, Birmingham City, Celtic, Chelsea, Everton, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Rangers, Real Madrid & Tottenham.

Messi Towel

This is just unacceptable. Or maybe only for girls who really like Lionel Messi.

I’m a Barca and Messi fan myself but rubbing a photo of Messi up and down on my body is just too far across the line for me. There’s definitely nothing wrong with towels carrying club crests but this is one of the weirdest football merchandise in my opinion.

What’s next? Cristiano Ronaldo toilet paper?

Click here to buy Messi Towel, if you must.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

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.

Watch the best of Premier League action this Christmas with Sky HD. Already have Sky? Upgrade to Sky Sports online and save £5. Get Sky HD or upgrade to Sky Sports now.

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.

Watch Live Football On Sky HD

Don’t miss out on any live Premier League games over the holidays – with Sky Go, you can watch live football wherever you are over the holiday season, on your iPad, iPhone or laptop. Get Sky Go.

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