Soccerlens has launched a scathing attack on football fans around the world, branding them irrational and childish.

Soccerlens owner Ahmed Bilal went so far as to call them a “senseless, directionless mob who enjoy being manipulated by the media.”

Speaking exclusively to Soccerlens (go figure) on the Ronaldo saga, Bilal questioned the loyalty of so-called Manchester United fans who had celebrated the successes brought to the club by Cristiano Ronaldo but now could not find any time for the Portuguese winger:

Read the rest of this entry »

Japan 0-1 USA (Holden 47′)
Tianjin Olympic Centre Stadium, Tianjin, China
Thursday August 7 2008
Kickoff: 17:00 China Standard Time (UTC + 8 )

The United States defeated Japan in their opening round Olympic match in Group B.

Soccerlens brought the action to you live (which meant 5 AM for those of us living in America, like myself). Click below for the live blog!
Read the rest of this entry »

Barcelona do not need to release Lionel Messi for the 2008 Beijing Olympics football tournament, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Wednesday.

Werder Bremen and Schalke have also won their appeal to prevent Diego and Rafinha from going to Beijing.

Regardless of where you stand on the club v country debate, there are two important factors to consider here:

Read the rest of this entry »

10 is the magic number of the Beautiful Game. Any player who dares wear it on their back has to be something special.

That FC Barcelona have handed Lionel Messi the magical number 10 shirt vacated by Ronaldinho is no surprise. From a stringy, spotty faced oik to the most exciting player on the planet, Messi is holding the flame with quiet style and a healthy dose of nonchalance. He isn’t exactly Ronaldo or Beckham in the looks stakes but that hasn’t held him back on or off the pitch. This for handsomely challenged footballers the world over has been a real boost….

Read the rest of this entry »

Paul Merson speaks to Soccerlens about England’s chances in 2010, Alan Shearer, and why any Germany game holds special memories for him.

Watching a 40-year-old Paul Merson take to the field a couple of months ago against Scotland Legends you could see, despite his lack of pace, the touch and the vision that saw him become a star at Arsenal and earned him 21 England caps.

Indeed, it’s a testament to the attacker’s skills that he was the only member of England’s 1998 World Cup squad not to play for a top-flight team, and you wonder what Fabio Capello would give to have a player like Merson in his squad for the current qualifying campaign.

Read the rest of this entry »

Because I like to give you guys something to talk about, it’s time for another edition of ‘[insert league/competition here] XI].’

This time, the focus is on the Bundesliga, which is set to kick off in a week and a half when Bayern Munich take on Hamburg SV on the 15th. The Bundesliga, whether they are a force on the club level in Europe or not, aren’t short on talent, both with home-grown talent and imported talents as well.

So, I didn’t have any issues with having names to slot into this XI, though certain positions were much easier to fill than others, and as was the case with the forwards, I could’ve taken my pick and come up with a quality partnership no matter what (and this time, I did include real strikers).

Read the rest of this entry »

Politics and sports seldom mix, especially when sport is seen as a tool to gain political leverage (either by those using it or those protesting against it).

And when the sport is as widespread and as passionate as football, with the politics as acrimonious and divisive as those of Great Britain, mixing the two is a bad, bad idea - not as bad as the 2012 Olympics logo (above), but nearing the same lengths of ridiculous head-in-the-sand behavior.

With London hosting the 2012 Olympics, should there be a Team GB or a Team England to represent the host nation?

Read the rest of this entry »

It is often said that football is a simple game. The fact is that most teams fail to make it look simple. The reason for that is because the team has to have a group of very talented individuals who are fit, strong, well organised and working together as a team, covering for each other and all trying to achieve the same things.

If you look at the statistics from successful teams over the years there are common themes throughout the team that each of them do. They are all pretty obvious but it is worth taking a look at them.

In an ‘Insight’ article back in 2000, Andy Grant listed eleven characteristics of a successful team. He defined success over a period of games, not just one-off victories:

Read the rest of this entry »

We hear it countless times these days: “If he’s that good at this age how good will he be when he reaches his peak?”

And if related to a player at the club we support, we drool and wonder at the prospect. It has been a long-held belief (based on the relative truism of history) that something in the region of 28 years of age is when a player reaches his peak.

Yes, there are variations; goalkeepers arguably peak somewhere in their 30’s and can be very good value in their late 30’s. Top defenders can play at the highest level into their mid thirties and often peak later than the average. Midfielders tend to hit the average. But what, I ask, of forwards and wingers, or, to lump then into a single category, the pacey, flair players who tend to steal the headlines and scoop the awards?

Read the rest of this entry »

The Olympic Football Tournament is probably not going to be the highlight of your year as a fan. Be honest, football isn’t what you’ll be watching the Olympics for, after all.

And with the European Championship and the Copa Libertadores having provided some brilliant football and no end of surprises, the UEFA Champions League and Europe’s biggest domestic competitions having been as widely watched as ever, and a new season just around the corner, you could be forgiven for making the matches about to take place in China something of a lower priority.

To do so, though, would be to risk missing some of the most beautiful football to be played between now and the end of the year, because at least one team at the Beijing games have it in them to entertain to as high a standard as a proper full national team.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been observed that the Brazilian women’s football team could use a little luck. They’ve been nearly to the top in some huge games, including the 2007 World Cup (in which they lost 2-0 to Germany) and 2004 Olympics (2-1 to the US in extra time).

But, alas, As Canarinhas find themselves in the group of death: Group B, which includes two-time World Cup champions Germany (their first opponent), very solid North Korea, and the talented Nigerian side - the latter is the best African women’s team, with a lot of desire and a lot of women playing in European leagues (this may be the group in which more players have experience playing with and against each other in their club sides).

Read the rest of this entry »

Joey Barton’s story is tragic - a promising and talented footballer who has made bad decisions, decisions that have now brought him to a crossroads in his life. Where he goes on from here and what he does with his career will depend a lot on how he views the past (whether he perceives himself to be the victim or the victimiser) and perhaps more relevant to football, how the people around him help him move forward.

Make no mistake - Newcastle United, the PFA and the FA each have key roles to play in Barton’s future - and here’s how they can help the player while punishing him for his actions:

Read the rest of this entry »