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The Offside

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An offbeat look at soccer leagues from around the world.

Recent Posts Tagged With 'Arsenal'

• 10 Things We Learned in the Premier League

  Posted on Monday August 18th, 2008 at 09:00 in amir zaki, Arsenal, ashley young, aston villa, daniel sturridge, dean ashton, déco, emmanuel adebayor, english premier league, epl, fabricio coloccini, fernando torres

  1. Debut goals are easy When Arsenal debutant Samir Nasri scored just four minutes into his Premier League career, he set the tone for goalscoring debutants over the weekend. Egyptian striker Amir Zak...

• Premier League 2008/9 Predictions - Week 1

  Posted on Friday August 15th, 2008 at 15:13 in Arsenal, aston villa, blackburn rovers, bolton wanderers, boro, chelsea, english premier league, epl, everton, fulham, hull city, Liverpool

  It’s a bit of a Premier League predict-o-rama on The Offside today. I’ve already taken a shot at what the final 2008/9 Premiership table will look like (or more likely won’t) and Chr...

• Prem 08-09: The Sack Race

  Posted on Friday August 15th, 2008 at 11:00 in alan curbishley, alex ferguson, Arsenal, arsene wenger, aston villa, bolton, chelsea, david moyes, english premier league, everton, fulham, gareth southgate

  The beginning of the Premiership season is upon us, and that means a few things: i. If you root for someone outside the Big Four, start dreaming of the UEFA Cup. ii. Referees will be forced into hidi...

• Premier League Prediction: Final Standings 2008/9

  Posted on Friday August 15th, 2008 at 08:00 in Arsenal, aston villa, blackburn, bolton, chelsea, english premier league, everton, fulham, hull, Liverpool, man city, man utd

  The Premier League gets underway tomorrow, and I’m feeling brave. So brave that I’ve taken a (likely woefully inaccurate) guess at how the 2008/9 Premier League table will finish, one to t...

• Ol’ Fast Legs is Back

  Posted on Monday August 11th, 2008 at 14:30 in Arsenal, barcelona, eredivisie, erste divisie, go ahead eagles, Holland, jaap stam, marc overmars, Netherlands, world football

  Time really is a great healer. Turns out it can heal career-ending injuries. Because four years after retiring from the game with a dodgy knee, former Arsenal and Barcelona winger Marc Overmars plans ...

• Daily Dose 08.08.08

  Posted on Friday August 8th, 2008 at 22:59 in Ajax, anthony annan, Arsenal, blackburn, bobby robson, brett favre, cristiano ronaldo, daily dose, freddie ljungberg, Germany, ghana, hull city

  Something to read while you get a little too friendly with a park bench… End of the Mad Jens Mannschaft era (Germany WCB) Anthony Annan - Blackburn’s Makelele? (101 Great Goals) Arsenal a...

• Champions League 3rd Round Fixtures Decided; Or: Who Avoided Barca.

  Posted on Thursday August 7th, 2008 at 17:00 in aab, Arsenal, atletico, barcelona, champions league qualifying, dinamo, fenerbahce, fiorentina, guimaraes, juventus, levski, Liverpool

  The 3rd qualifying round usually goes unnoticed unless your team is participating simply because it usually shakes out how it should. The minnows go home and the teams deserving of a spot in the group...

• Daily Dose 08.04.08

  Posted on Monday August 4th, 2008 at 21:00 in amine chermiti, Arsenal, benny feilhaber, china, daily dose, ibod, ipod, jack wilshere, lithuania, olympics, premier league

  Something to read while you get the new iBod installed… Benny Feilhaber - singing sensation (Yank Soccer) Is China spying on opposition teams at the Olympics (SI.com) Cristiano’s conquest...

• Daily Dose 08.03.08

  Posted on Sunday August 3rd, 2008 at 19:00 in Arsenal, Brazil, coverciano, daily dose, greece, jack wilshere, olympics, pachuca, Ronaldinho

  Something to read while you stay in the world’s smallest hotel… Pachuca keeper photographed in compromising position (The Footie) Jack Wilshere impressing in pre-season (Goonerboy) 65 pla...

• Arsenal Ruin Jens Lehmann’s Stuttgart Debut

  Posted on Friday August 1st, 2008 at 13:00 in Arsenal, carlos vela, europe, jens lehmann, nicklas bendtner, stuttgart

  Jens Lehmann left Arsenal for Stuttgart in a bit of a strop. I know Jens Lehmann does everything in a bit of a strop, but his Emirates exit was particularly grumpy. So how could Arsenal make Mad Jens ...

• Champions League Third Qualifying Round - McClaren’s Revenge?

  Posted on Friday August 1st, 2008 at 11:01 in Arsenal, arsene wenger, atletico madrid, barcelona, champions league, champions league third qualifying round, draw, fc twente, schalke 04, steve mcclaren

  The big Steve McClaren plan was to fold up the brolly, dust himself off, pretend Euro 2008 never happened and go prove himself in foreign lands. And lo and behold, the Champions League Third Qualifyin...

• £15 million for David Bentley? Why Are Englishmen So Expensive?

  Posted on Thursday July 31st, 2008 at 15:00 in Arsenal, £15 million, blackburn rovers, chelsea, darren bent, david bentley, England, english premier league, frank lampard, john terry, Liverpool, rafa benitez

  You’ve likely heard by now that Spurs have signed David Bentley from Blackburn for £15 million. Good move for the player, but that’s a big chunk of change for a right winger with a lot to...

• Exotic Diseases Infect the EPL: Kolo Toure Gets Malaria, Michael Owen Gets Mumps

  Posted on Friday July 25th, 2008 at 11:30 in Arsenal, english premier league, kolo toure, malaria, michael owen, mumps, newcastle, sick players, world football

  It’s been an interesting month for exotic illnesses and EPL players. Arsenal central defender Kolo Toure has picked up malaria, probably when he was home visiting the Ivory Coast on break. In...

• Transfer Talk: Eto’o to Madrid, Muntari’s Left Foot to Inter and Medication for Calderon

  Posted on Thursday July 24th, 2008 at 19:30 in Arsenal, aston villa, barcelona, blackbrun rovers, brad friedel, cristiano ronaldo, dimitar berbatov, emmanuel adebayor, gareth barry, inter milan, Liverpool, man utd

  Do you have a pinch of salt handy? Good, you’re going to need it. Time for some more summer Transfer Talk… Real Madrid are interested in signing unwanted Barcelona striker Samuel Eto̵...

• World Soccer’s 50 Greatest Derbies

  Posted on Thursday July 17th, 2008 at 20:00 in 50 greatest rivalries, ac milan, Arsenal, barcelona, boca juniors, derbies, fenerbahce, galatasaray, inter milan, lazio roma, Liverpool, magazine

  The July issue of the ever-informative World Soccer magazine has a great front page feature: The 50 Greatest Derbies in World Football. Unfortunately, the full article is unavailable online so youR...

• Daily Dose 07.12.08

  Posted on Saturday July 12th, 2008 at 10:38 in Arsenal, daily dose, egypt, leo messi, man utd, mls, Portugal, world football

  Something to read while you hope no one responds to this ad… MLS originals, there from the start (Booked for Dissent) Refs “evening out” number of fouls? (For the Integrity of Socce...

• The Daily Dose 07.11.08

  Posted on Friday July 11th, 2008 at 20:00 in andrei arshavin, Arsenal, cristiano ronaldo, feyenoord, mls all-star game, sepp blatter, toronto fc, transfer rumors, world football

  Some news to read as you kill your drunken husband with a folding couch: If this is modern slavery, then the line to get shackled up starts here (Unprofessional Foul) Arsenal transfer rumors, from A-...

• Nasri Transfer Saga Finally Over

  Posted on Friday July 11th, 2008 at 18:00 in Arsenal, cesc, marseille, samir nasri, transfer, world football

  The transfer has been done and undone so many times it’s impossible to count, and though it always looked inevitable, it has to be a sigh of relief for all parties involved. Samir Nasri, the rea...

• More Overpriced: Adebayor or Arshavin?

  Posted on Tuesday July 8th, 2008 at 18:30 in ac milan, andrei arshavin, Arsenal, barcelona, chelsea, emmanuel adebayor, russia, spain, world football, zenit st. petersburg

  As with every summer, a few names have dominated the headlines and transitioned from transfer story to full on midday soap opera. You’ve got The Ronaldo Who Can At Least Get Prostitutes’ G...

• Tranfer Talk: Ben Arfa, Dani Alves, Jo… It’s Not Just All Rumours You Know

  Posted on Wednesday July 2nd, 2008 at 19:00 in ac milan, Arsenal, barcelona, cska moscow, dani alves, emmanuel adebayor, europe, Gossip, hatem ben arfa, jo, lyon, man city

  The summer isn’t all about transfer rumours you know. Sometimes there are actual signings too. And to prove it here are some photos of famous footballers smiling and holding up shirts with their...

• Transfer Talk: Window Opens Tomorrow, Hold onto Your Hats

  Posted on Monday June 30th, 2008 at 09:24 in ac milan, andriy shevchenko, Arsenal, barcelona, chelsea, emmanuel adebayor, frank lampard, gareth barry, inter milan, Liverpool, river plate radamel falcoa, robbie keane

  You know what tomorrow’s date is don’t you kids? It’s July 1st 2008. Which means the transfer window blows open in less than 24 hours and all those rumours swirling around outside wi...

• Rogue Agent On The Loose

  Posted on Wednesday June 4th, 2008 at 16:10 in Ajax, alberto aquilani, Arsenal, klaas-jan huntelaar, real madrid, roma, vincenzo morabito, world football

  You’d think in today’s day and age people couldn’t just to pretend to be somebody else in the public eye. The internet has so much info, particularly in the big wide world of sports,...

• Top 10 Freestyle Tricks of 2007/8

  Posted on Monday June 2nd, 2008 at 14:00 in adel taarabt, Arsenal, cristiano ronaldo, frank songo o, freestyle, man utd, manchester united, nani, nathan dyer, niko kranjcar, porto, portsmouth

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhSXMY1pV74 This video does exactly what it says on the tin. #10 Nathan Dyer (Southampton) #9 Ricardo Quaresma (Porto) #8 Frank Songo’o (Sheffield Wednesday) #7 R...