Posts Tagged ‘ by Sean O’Conor ’

I am sick. Literally with a tropical invader in my bloodstream which has kept me yo-yoing between promotion and relegation for the past three weeks, an unwelcome souvenir from the World Cup in South Africa which unwrapped itself belatedly.But sick of s...
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The Premier League could be set to get its first American coach if press speculation is correct.Bob Bradley is apparently on Aston Villa's shortlist to replace Martin O'Neill, along with Alan Curbishley, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Martin Jol, with Jurgen ...
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An afternoon in Spain a month since that night in SowetoMadrid is an odd city in an odd location. A great European capital, but without the sights of Paris or Rome. A grand citadel of fútbol too, but with fewer pro clubs than Buenos Aires, and less th...
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Some reflections after the end of the big show:South Africa was criminally safe -Siting a World Cup in winter in a land known for its crime and huge traveling distances was a mistake, so in 2014 we can relax in the knowledge that.....Anyway, crime fe...
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If a bad workman blames his tools then does a bad team blame the referee?The end of a gruelling match like this World Cup Final is not the best time to give a measured opinion, but after cheering for Holland amid Dutch friends, I have heard it all abou...
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So here we are at our game's No.1 date, which will rewrite the history books forever - Holland or Spain's first World Cup win approaches. While not quite as Dutchaphile as Greg, who chose to live there, I have been hopping happily across the Channel fo...
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Back in Blighty and delighted to feel summer after some sub-zero Joburg nights.Come the semi-finals, World Cups tend to lose their sheen, although the fact two of the final three have yet to raise the trophy adds some flavour. I would love to see the D...
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Jo'burg airport was a hive of fan activity yesterday with first-round visitors leaving the World Cup.Slovakians were everywhere, beginning their long way home following their epic win over Italy, probably having booked flights in the expectation their ...
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I haven't got my head around this tournament yet.The weather was supposed to favour the top European nations, but with the exception of the Dutch they are struggling. Then the African countries were going to prosper on home soil and they'll be lucky to...
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Sometimes the heat of the moment clouds judgement.Leaving the floodlight dust-cloud enveloping the Royal Bafokeng stadium in chilly Rustenburg, only one set of fans were jubilant - the Americans. England fans like myself were drowning in despondent dej...
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So I land at my fifth World Cup since Italia '90, expecting something big. I got it this morning waking up to Table Mountain outside my window, one of the world's most breathtaking vistas. I cursed out loud when I first saw it, it was so overwhelming.M...
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Welcome to the land of the wackiest club names in football...To the mood music of droning vuvuzelas, England won 3-0 tonight in South Africa, though far from impressively. The conditions were interesting, with a plunging thermometer, as Steven Gerrard ...
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He's a wily one, that Capello.Having led us all up the garden path he pulls a few surprises in his final England 23, which no-one correctly guessed yesterday. He also surprised us by letting the final cut slip out via Twitter and other sources hours be...
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Sacre Bleu! Euro 2016 will take place in France following today's vote in Geneva.The 13-man UEFA Executive Committee chose the home of its President Michel Platini as venue for the tournament after Turkey lost 7-6 in the final round of voting, Italy ha...
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England 3:1 MexicoA tropical day in London of around 85F made the Tricolores fans feel more at home than the hordes of sunburnt, sweaty Northern Europeans like myself, but once perched high inside the new Wembley, a cool breeze blew over the 90,000 cro...
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....think 433? Not long after Greg advocates England playing the old Ajax formation with Gareth Barry likely to miss out, another Amsterdam legend Ruud Gullit says the same thing in London's Evening Standard:"They can't just rely on Rooney," Gullit told Simon Johnson, "and Lampard plays his best when he is in the 433...In...
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Fleet Street had its two cents on a calamitous day for England's 2018 bid:"Lord Triesman’s crime was the oldest one in the book. He got caught....If we can all go back to pretending there is absolutely no corruption in world football, particularly not in Russia, then everything will be just fine" -...
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Just when the 2018 World Cup race seemed to be narrowing down to an England v Russia duel, the FA's Chairman puts through his own net with a kiss and tell scandal.Lord Triesman was secretly taped by a former secretary who claimed to have had an intimate relationship with him, although the salacious details...
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FT: Atletico Madrid 2:1 Fulhamaet; 1:1 at 90 min.ATL: Forlan 116'FUL: Davies 37'ATL: Forlan 32'Atletico Madrid- De Gea, Ujfalusi, Perea, Dominguez, Antonio Lopez, Reyes (Salvio 78'), Paulo Assuncao, Raul Garcia, Simao (Jurado 68'), Forlan, Aguero (Valera 119').Subs not used: Joel, Camacho, Juanito, Cabrera.Fulham- Schwarzer, Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Duff (Nevland 84') Etuhu, Murphy (
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UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL Atletico Madrid v FulhamHamburg Arena 14:45 ESTWhat are Fulham doing in a European final?They don't have much money, a small fanbase and no stand-out stars the big teams are fighting over.Roy Hodgson is the simple answer, the most internationally-experienced English coach alive, a throwback to the '50s and beyond when...
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