Whiteboard | The Spoiler

ANTICIPATION BUILDS

The return of the Champions League is less than a week away!

Forget the flowers, spend February 14 with Graeme Souness and co

February 14. An expensive seat at a posh venue, painstakingly but thoughtfully prepared montages and a bit of spine-chilling orchestra music to accompany the dulcet tweet of Howard Webb’s whistle. It can only mean one thing: the return of the Champions League.

That’s right, the scrap for that cup with the Gary Lineker-esque ears resumes [...]

Feb

8

Whiteboard

5:23 PM

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BETS OF THE DAY

Big call for armchair fans: Milan, Barcelona or Middlesbrough?

Domestic cup delicacies from three nations available to taste tonight

There hasn’t been a bet of the day for a while, so to repay fans of inexpert tipping worldwide, tonight’s feast of football seems like an appropriate time to offer three for the price of one, that price incidentally being nothing.

All prices listed are from bwin, and if you bung all three choices into [...]

Feb

8

Whiteboard

4:10 PM

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CAPTAIN COLE

Ashley Cole is the only man classy enough to succeed John Terry

Well at least it’ll make it easier for you to scapegoat him come June

If he hadn’t cheated on the apparent greatest living Briton, used hyperbole to show disgust at Arsenal’s stinginess or shot someone with a rifle, would Ashley Cole really be a 20/1 outsider with William Hill to replace John Terry as England captain?

Take all the role model nonsense out of the equation – and why [...]

Feb

6

Whiteboard

4:13 PM

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SUPERSTITION

Why Brighton fans are thrilled to be planning a trip to Liverpool

Brighton know how to find their way from Liverpool to Wembley...

Gus Poyet’s Brighton masterplan involves visiting Anfield on a yearly basis. So the ardour greeting their prize of an FA Cup fifth round date at Liverpool isn’t inspired by awe at the glamour of the treat that Gaizka Mendieta helped serve up but belief that it is a sign that they are Wembley-bound.

The Seagulls [...]

Jan

30

Whiteboard

11:09 AM

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BET OF THE DAY

Goals on the menu as Cardiff look to carve Crystal Palace open

Palace mind games may backfire as badly as an Arsene Wenger sub

Domestic cup football is often viewed as the Steve Cotterill to the Champions League’s Brian Clough, but Whiteboard is genuinely as excited as Harry Redknapp on transfer deadline day about what this midweek has to offer.

There are Carling Cup semi-finals in England, the prospect of a Pepe-free Clasico in Spain and a quite majestic [...]

Jan

24

Whiteboard

12:01 PM

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BET OF THE DAY

McClaren 5/1 to follow Nottm Forest failure with Dutch title

Second phase of reputation resuscitation therapy is working a treat

One club’s comedy villain is another’s saviour, and so it was that months after leaving Nottingham Forest with his reputation in England severely wounded once again, Steve McClaren rocked up at FC Twente and immediately had them cooing.

The former England manager’s comeback match ended in a 5-0 thrashing of RKC Waalwijk. Making the success [...]

Jan

23

Whiteboard

5:39 PM

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NUMBER ONE

Tevez’s agent labels PSG coach Ancelotti the best in the world

Just a coincidence that he is the only one 100% keen on his client?

To be labelled the best in the business from a field featuring Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson and Paul Lambert is quite the honour, and Carlo Ancelotti must be even more delighted at being awarded the title by someone so revered.

Kia Joorabchian, giving the world the update it vociferously demanded to a [...]

Jan

23

Whiteboard

4:12 PM

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COLLATERAL DAMAGE

Maxi Lopez and Fulham remain victims in tiresome Tevez saga

Innocent duo paying for AC Milan’s Per Mertesacker-paced actions

While Kia Joorabchian is being wined and dined by some of the most influential figures in football and Carlos Tevez is chilling, others have been left in limbo.

It is admittedly divided and indecisive AC Milan rather than the Tevez camp who are primarily to blame for the appallingly handled situation, but Maxi Lopez and [...]