December 2011
13 posts
A to Z: Football's headline makers of 2011
afootballreport:
By Zara B. and A. Cortez
Alex Ferguson
This past 6th of November marked Sir Alex Ferguson’s 25th anniversary since taking charge of Manchester United. While many managers are fads at other clubs (Chelsea, Real Madrid), Manchester United have been fortunate enough to have a single manager lead the club to 12 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, and two...
The Best of Football Writing in 2011
afootballreport:
Compiled by Eric Beard
Let’s go with a classic scenario. What if you spent the last 12 months fighting for your life on an island after a shipwreck? How would you acclimate back into society? Well, you would probably want to catch up on what you missed. If you’re a fan of football and love reading about the game, then you would want to read the best pieces from 2011. That’s...
2 tags
Watchafootballreport:
Garrincha, the little bird
Translated by Gordon Fleetwood with help from his from Jorge
Garrincha é o nome de um passarinho alegre, cor de terra
[Garrincha is the name of a little bird, color of the earth]
Que quem apelidou Manoel Francisco dos Santos “Mané Garrincha”,
conhecia tanto o rapaz quanto o passarinho. E era um poeta
[Whoever nicknamed Manoel Francisco dos Santos...
2 tags
Unquantifiable Genius: Neymar as Messi
afootballreport:
By Eric Beard
“Pelé doesn’t know sh*t.”
That was Sid Lowe’s response to James Richardson’s teasing statement on The Guardian’s Football Weekly Podcast. Richardson, of course, was referencing Pelé’s opinion that Neymar is better than Lionel Messi. With Pelé getting up there in age, Sid might be on to something. But that’s neither here nor there. The fact is that Neymar couldn’t...
The Metamorphosis of Lucas
afootballreport:
By Amy Eustace
“People just don’t know how good Lucas is,” prophesised Rafael Benitez, three years ago to the month. It was December 2008, and Liverpool had found themselves in a somewhat unfamiliar position by recent standards. Top of the table, ahead of the pack and with just one defeat for the first half of the season away to Spurs, the only problem was a smattering of...
Watchafootballreport:
Ella: The First Female Table Football (Foosball) Player
The idea: “She was born under the hands of a craftsman who has carved the image and likeness of her male partner. The exact proportions but with more curves. Her game is as precise and her shot as powerful as the men’s. On this pitch there are no more obvious physical differences. She and he play under the same conditions....
2 tags
Tom Dunmore. Pitch Invasion. MLS Invasion....
afootballreport:
Founded in 2006 by Tom Dunmore, Pitch Invasion remains the cream of the crop of independent football writing on the internet. It has been packed to the brim with quality for five years, which is precisely why a “Very Best of Pitch Invasion” book was compiled by Mr. Dunmore. As an Englishman from Brighton who moved to Chicago to get his PhD at the University of Chicago, Tom has...
1 tag
Dreaming in Buenos Aires: Trezeguet at River Plate...
afootballreport:
By Eric Beard
Argentine fútbol has been suffering. The country’s national team failed to live up to the hype in Copa America this past summer, while Brazil’s emergence as an economic power has spurred the Brasileiro to new financial and competitive heights. Argentina has been lagging behind its bitter rival, but two strikers, as accomplished as any in the world, are ready...
Jonathan Wilson. The Blizzard. Brian Clough....
afootballreport:
Oliver Sparrow and Eric Beard had the pleasure of spending an hour with esteemed author and journalist Jonathan Wilson on the AFR Podcast. Jonathan writes for The Guardian, The Independent, Sports Illustrated, World Soccer, and FourFourTwo. He is also the editor of a quarterly publication called The Blizzard, which is filled with content from some of the biggest names in...
Eric Beard: How The SOPA Will Stifle Soccer In The... →
afootballreport:
By Elizabeth Cotignola
Globalization. Fandom. The Advent Of The Internet.
In his apartment in New York City, Marco, a devotee of the Church of AS Roma, sits hunched over his laptop, mesmerized by the match streaming from his screen - his beloved…
1 tag
Keep It Clean Clásico Contest!
afootballreport:
Don’t give up hope just yet. Yes, we know. It got ugly last time around. Very, very ugly. Nevertheless, El Clásico is back and the expectations are bigger than Nicklas Bendtner’s ego. It might be a little optimistic, but we want to see a good, clean game between two of the best football clubs in the world. Is that really too much to ask for? Probably. And that’s the basis of...
Watchafootballreport:
Is this the Clásico of the future on Pro Evolution Soccer 2022?
It’s already kind of getting to us. I know, I know, Real Madrid vs Barcelona isn’t until Saturday, but study breaks are already being filled with mock Clásicos on FIFA 12. I’m sure hundreds of millions of digital Clásicos will be played, this week alone. That’s when I saw this, my jaw kind of dropped. It was...
