The Spoiler

Premier League cast-offs coming to sit on a bench near you

The Spoiler — Thu, 24 May 2012 09:32:32 +0000

It’s that joyous time of year when clubs cast aside their deadwood and the scramble for second-rate freebies gets underway. These poor souls are on the hunt for new contracts, so here’s how it might look if someone took pity on the whole sorry bunch.

Champions League winners Salomon Kalou and Jose Bosingwa will perhaps [...]

Auxerre clearly like what they have been seeing at Ewood Park

The Spoiler — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:02:50 +0000

Blackburn’s fans probably won’t look back on this season with any great fondness but they can at least reflect upon starting a very exciting new trend. Rovers’ measured response to relegation included flinging tennis balls at manager Steve Kean, not the most honourable of acts in itself. But Auxerre clearly saw the wisdom in the [...]

Enjoy the Grand National with a free Paddy Power punt!

Whiteboard — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:53:51 +0000

As half of Merseyside spill down to London for a Wembley derby more eagerly anticipated than Kenny Dalglish’s post-defeat interviews with Geoff Shreeves, plenty will trek in the opposite direction for the Grand National.

The Atletico Madrid of horse races, complete with illustrious history, big crowds, high expectations, chaos at every turn and very few [...]

Alex Pato: more muscle injuries than Inter have had 2011-12 wins

Whiteboard — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:21:52 +0000

What was the least surprising incident in the Champions League this week? All three away-leg winners triumphing at home? Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice? Chelsea fans waving their super naff flags?

Nope, forget all that, the event that trumped all others in the so-damn-disappointingly-inevitable stakes was AC Milan forward Alex Pato hobbling off [...]

Kenny Dalglish is still on course to make history at Liverpool

Whiteboard — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:33:50 +0000

Rafael Benitez’s reply to being linked with the Chelsea job was to preach of his greatness, however a far subtler approach could see him back at Liverpool within months, where his work looks more miraculous with each passing day.

Things have turned so sour under second successor Kenny Dalglish that the Reds are now priced [...]

Will it be Nesta’s night again in his personal duel with Messi?

Whiteboard — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:58:07 +0000

Much of what is written about tonight’s Carles Puyol-tagged game of the season between Barcelona and AC Milan will be about Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but the piece’s true protagonist is Alessandro Nesta.

Yes, the 36-year-old defender who ITV started their first-leg coverage practically mocking, armed with the assumption that old age guaranteed a [...]

How does this man continue to land Europe’s top jobs?

The Spoiler — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:31:17 +0000

It’s hard to be successful all of the time, even we know that. But failing at everything is a rare and special thing, and one that should never go unrecognised. So we’ve spent some time marvelling at the dismal work of Claudio Ranieri and thought we’d share the love.

There are very few men in football [...]

Dalglish paid as much as Sir Alex, Hughes outearns Allegri & Klopp

Whiteboard — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:26:25 +0000

Everyone assumes that the reluctance of UK managers to go abroad relates to the silly belief that British is always best, but a recently published list (yes, we’re a bit late) of the planet’s 30 highest earners reveals the real reason.

Premier League clubs, no matter how mediocre, are willing to spend barmy amounts to [...]