Tuesday, February 7
Can Donovan/Dempsey combine? - The Guardian - Guardian Sport Network: Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey may be better together than apart
"Suarez will have headlines throughout his career" - BBC - BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty on Suarez’s return, Capello’s appearance, Dalglish’s defence … and the Anfield cat.
Mali's heroes weep for nation at war - The Guardian - Seydou Keita's tears should have been joyous but they preceded an emotional plea
All Toy Much for Andre - Daily Star - Andre Villas-Boas ended this classic frantically racing up and down the touchline like a child who had lost his favourite toy.
Top Ten: Deals PL Clubs Missed Out On...- Football365 - There weren't many exciting signings made by PL clubs in the January transfer window, but elsewhere there was some great business. Here's the best of the deals...
Prem reputations take a dive - Eurosport - British football's self-constructed veneer of moral superiority has taken a brutal battering this season: multiple racism investigations, and abuse directed at those who have spoken out about the issue, have seen to that fairly comprehensively.
A tangled Webb and a Cisse-fit - ESPN - Few of us like a Monday morning, but The Fifth Official does, for it brings with it a chance for him to point the finger and laugh. Here he pulls out the pretty, the puzzling and the downright pig-ugly from a week brimming with potential victims.
English football transfer spending down 70% in January - BBC - English Premier League football clubs spent about 70% less in the January transfer window than they did last year, according to Deloitte.
First love - Fox Soccer - Dad had to learn: Soccer was Josh Gatt's game
Diplomat Bielsa goes on the attack - BBC - South American football expert Tim Vickery on the forward-looking philosophy of ex-Argentina and Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa
Tears of despair for Gabon - FourFourTwo.com - After the laughter comes tears. The star of the show stood emotionless, a mix of resignation and yearning in his eyes. A stadium held its breath. Belief melted into hope.
Analysing the Cup of Nations quarter-finals - Eurosport - The African Cup of Nations is progressing well and coming towards a conclusion. We have been looking at the quarter-finals and we have made several observations which we can share
Huntelaar: I'm joking with the Germans - FIFA.com - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is regarded by his Schalke team-mates as a witty character and something of a prankster. Interviewed exclusively by FIFA.com, the Netherlands striker certainly lived up to his reputation, although he is perfectly capable of a seriousness when the subject demands.
Should Terry go to Euro 2012 at all? - Reuters - So now we know. John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy (again) but is available for selection for Euro 2012, which ends days before the start of his trial for alleged racist abuse. Of course, Terry is innocent until found guilty and most fans would agree he should not be dropped from the team because of a so far unproven allegation, which he denies.
We Might As Well Have A Monkey Captain...- Football365 - The captain is just the bloke who leads out the team and tosses the coin so why do we get our knickers in a twist? We should just have a monkey working for peanuts...
FA action makes Capello irrelevant - The Guardian - Fabio Capello has had his authority undermined by the Football Association's actions
Trouble at the top - Sky Sports - Alan Curbishley believes Fabio Capello's public criticism of the FA has caused problems.
Go now Fabio! I backed him when he lost games, but not now he's lost the plot - The Daily Mail - The employment contract both the Football Association and Fabio Capello examined before it was announced that John Terry would be stripped of the England captaincy for a second time needs revisiting, this time with regard to the section that concerns the premature termination of the England manager’s position
Fabio Capello's crime was simply to reiterate loyalty - London Evening Standard - Can you imagine a club manager, if left unconsulted as the board removed the captaincy from a senior player, being cast as the villain of the piece? Especially if manager and board had hitherto stood behind the captain on a principle enshrined not in the ebb and flow of events but our society's unwritten constitution?
Sack Capello now and bring in new blood - Eurosport.yahoo - The FA should take another brave decision and fire Fabio Capello after he undermined their authority in the latest episode of this John Terry saga.
Copa Libertadores a cradle of talent - ESPN - This year's major international tournament, the European Championship, was first disputed in 1960 - which makes it a mere youngster in comparison with the South American version, the Copa America, held as far back as 1916.
Where's the old Fabio, the one of safe hands and solid judgement? - The Independent - James Lawton: That he should indicate his unhappiness to the Italian media is more than a mere etiquette breakdown.
Capello should be listened to when he comes to reflect on his crazy days amid carnage - The Telegraph - All those volunteering to drive Fabio Capello to the airport, form an orderly queue. All those worrying about how on earth England’s next captain, expected to be Steven Gerrard, can work with a manager who prefers the armband on John Terry, raise a sceptical eyebrow now.
Why Capello's called it wrong - BBC - David Bond on Fabio Capello's decision to criticise the FA following John Terry's removal as England captain
The end of football's borrowers? - BBC - Professional clubs consider the impact of Fifa's plans to end the emergency loan system
Revivals and keepers - Sky Sports - Big comebacks, top four scores and Paul Robinson's fear of Arsenal... it's Martin Tyler's stats.
David de Gea is transformed from a flapper at crosses to a flying saviour - The Telegraph - In the second minute of injury-time in this extraordinary game, Manchester United’s Paul Scholes brought down David Luiz just outside the area. Sensing his chance, Juan Mata clipped the free-kick with power and precision over the wall of red shirts.
Remember Moore, Butcher, Robson and the times you could be proud of England's captain? - The Daily Mail - He was the ultimate England captain, but World Cup-winning hero Bobby Moore was still the man most remembered among a proud tradition down the ages of English football
Culture clash - Sky Sports - Guillem Balague continues the debate on the differences in English and Spanish football culture.
Dalglish keeps faith in Carroll - The Guardian - Luis Suárez had to wait for over an hour while his manager focused on Andy Carroll
Webb Did United More Harm Than Good...- Football365 - Our man in black thinks Mr Webb got one right and three wrong. And he thinks two of the wrong decisions favoured Chelsea. Elsewhere, Adam Johnson is excused. Kind of.
Abramovich's visit raises pressure on Villas-Boas - The Independent - Chelsea confirmed that Roman Abramovich visited the club's training ground before their draw with United on Sunday
'It's all you need': David Beckham says he only has three close friends - Daily Mail - He has a life of celebrity and wealth that few of us can dream of. But David Beckham has revealed that there is an unfortunate downside to fame for him - he only has three friends.
Suarez's kick was serious foul play... he should have seen red - The Daily Mail - Luis Suarez came back from his nine-game suspension — and should have been facing another three matches on the sidelines after kicking Scott Parker at Anfield on Monday night
Phil Jones stumbled and fumbled . . . but he's perfect to lead England - London Evening Standard - When Phil Jones fell over his own feet after being turned inside out by Theo Walcott at the Emirates Stadium two weeks ago, I'll bet most of you watching had a little chuckle.
How new No 9 Cissé arrived at Newcastle - The Independent - Demba Ba helped persuade his countryman to head for St James' Park.
Twitter Fued Between Becks and Barton - Daily Mail - Footballer Joey Barton is no stranger to a Twitter row. And the Queens Park Rangers midfielder is certainly racking up enemies from his fellow footballers after launching a vicious online tirade against David Beckham, claiming his new underwear range was made in a 'sweat shop.'
Rooney raises tension with tweet on Suarez - The Independent - United striker says Liverpool man should have seen red in 0-0 draw with Spurs at Anfieldn
Wilshere Sunning it Up with Son - Daily Mail - Having been ruled out for the rest of the season Jack Wilshere decided to head abroad for some rest and recuperation. The dynamic Arsenal midfielder narrowly avoided getting caught in the recent snow and instead headed to warmer climes. The 20-year-old whisked his baby son Archie off on a hot holiday break where the pair have been enjoying some father and son bonding.
Fair play to FIFA for trying, but with respect, they're on very shaky ground - London Evening Standard - Fair play is a dignified cause for FIFA to champion but the pre-match handshake is meaningless because respect cannot be forced.
Blushing Becks: I didn't know where to look" - The Sun - Shy David Beckham "didn't know where to look" when his Goldenballs were thrust into the spotlight during the Super Bowl on Sunday night.
Abbey Crouch brings a whole new meaning to 'plunging neckline' - The Daily Mail - Abbey Crouch looked nothing short of jaw-dropping today as she channelled her inner Catwoman. The mother-of-one, 26, squeezed her incredibly tiny, but still curvaceous, figure into an all-black catsuit with a plunging neckline that practically gaped to the navel.
