Next summer I’m travelling around Europe by rail during Euro 2012, aiming to see as many matches in as many different countries as possible. The tournament itself is being held in Poland and the Ukraine (as the image above handily illustrates) and I’ll go to a couple of actual matches there – but I want to watch the Croats play whilst in Croatia (with their fans), the Bulgarians whilst in Bulgaria, the Latvians whilst in Latvia, etc. And see the differences, similarities, contrasts and characteristics of the various nations and their fans.

Then, evaluating the sociological, historical, geographic and economic factors and influences, I’m going to write a book about it. A hybrid of history (of football and the countries themselves), travel, and of course the tournament itself.

That’s the plan anyway.

I’m announcing this for two reasons; a) to make me actually do it, and b) to see if anyone can help; anyone who has accommodation, friends, recommendations (for watching games for example) across Europe. I’m aiming to pre-arrange meetings with people in each country I visit, to ‘interview’ them (which will mean chatting to them over several beers then forgetting everything).

If you’re a kind and generous soul, or want to make something up to amuse yourself, please drop me a line on contact@footballsup.com. Likewise, any suggestions, hints, tips, abuse – feel free.

The planning (and writing) starts now – and with a vengeance come December 2nd, when the final qualifier is confirmed.

Paolo Di Canio has today been confirmed as the new Swindon Town manager. Here’s a tribute to him, taken directly from the Sabotage Times.

On the day Paolo Di Canio returns to English football as manager of Swindon Town, we look at the goals, glory and insanity of one of football’s cast-iron nutters.

Careful with that arm, Paolo…

On the day Paolo Di Canio returns to English football as manager of Swindon Town, we look at the goals, glory and insanity of one of football’s cast-iron nutters.

You’ve got to hand it Paolo Di Canio, he doesn’t do things by halves. Weeks after Swindon Town were relegated to the fourth tier of English football, Di Canio rocks up in shades and a sharp suit as the new manager of the club.

One of the most exciting players to have graced the Premier League, he is equally revered for his goals and commitment and reviled for his self-confessed fascism. Whatever happens next season at The County Ground, it certainly won’t be dull and, for Swindon Town fans, the least they can expect to see is effort. It was Di Canio, remember, who said that he ‘wanted to finish every game sweating and bleeding.’

Here’s a trip down mental memory lane…

On his political views…

“I am fascist, not racist. I do the Roman (fascist) salute to greet our supporters and those who share my ideas. This gesture is in no way an incitement to violence and even less about racial hatred.”

On Nigel Winterburn

One second, Winterburn is barking at me like a dog. The next he is wetting his pants. All I did was look at him.

On Fabio Capello

“F*** yourself. Who are you to talk to me like this.” I said. He took a step back and fell over a kit bag.

On doping

Doping in English football is restricted to lager and baked beans with sausages. After which the players take to the field belching and farting.

On Francesco Totti

Totti had said that he wouldn’t sit at the same table and have dinner with me. I said that was no great loss, because if you tell Totti that there are tensions in the Middle East, he’ll think that a fight has broken our on the right side of midfield.

On superstition

When I was warming up, someone told me that my shorts were on backwards. I hadn’t noticed. Before the game, the manager said: “Come on Paolo, put them right.” “No way!” I told him. “Are you crazy?” he said. But I knew it was a sign. We won 2-1 at Upton Park, I scored both and we beat Arsenal for the first time in 14 years.

Harry Redknapp tells Paolo Di Canio stories

Catching the ball

His top 5 goals

The golden age is over! The likes of Gerrard, Lampard and Beckham are all in their 30’s and seemingly starting to feel the pace of the modern game. With such dependence on these key figure heads in recent years who will come through and replace them? Has England learnt from previous criticism over the lack of English players in the game and poor academy setups? Today we are going to find out who might replace such great players.

1. Jack Wilshire
At just 19 Jack Wilshire has become one of the finest centre midfielders in the country and is now one of Arsenals most important players. His ability to command the midfield and play defence splitting balls has made many draw comparisons between him and Paul Scholes. He would be a welcome addition to any team and bring a great level of flair and energy to Arsenal’s game.

Where will he be in 5 years?: Established himself as a pivotal player for Arsenal but interest from other clubs is likely to grow. The recent lack of trophies at the Emirates suggests a move could be on the cards.

2. Jack Rodwell
Jack made his first appearance for Everton at just 16 years of age and since then has established himself as a first team regular. Similar in many ways to Wilshire, Rodwell has energy and vision far beyond his years. His rising profile has helped attract interest from big clubs such as Manchester United and it has long been suspected that he will make the switch to Old Trafford this summer. With such a move he surely must become a contender for an England place.

Where will he be in 5 years?: A big money move to a larger more profile club is inevitable. Most likely Manchester United.

3. Alex Chamberlain
It could be argued that Chamberlain is still relatively unknown as he is yet to establish himself as a house hold name. This will come in time as he currently plays for Southampton but the whiz kid is one of the most highly regarded youngsters around. Not only are big premier league teams in the hunt to sign up but also the likes of Barcelona and Inter Milan. So far it is unclear where his future will lie but at just 17 he has huge potential.

Where will he be in 5 years?: Established England youth player and a move to a big money club.

4. Chris Smalling
Many were surprised by Sir Alex Fergusson’s decision to sign Chris Smalling in 2010 and by the reported price tag of £12 million. As he often does, Sir Alex has once again proved the doubters wrong as Chris Smalling has turned into a fine young central defender.  His confidence and ability are far beyond his years and in recent months delivered a number of highly commendable performances.

Where will he be in 5 years?: With his recent form many expect Chris Smalling to be at Old Trafford for many years to come and eventually replace the ageing Rio Ferdinand.

5. Nile Ranger
Like Chamberlain, Ranger came up through the ranks at Southampton and in many quarters is described as ‘Ranger is the Danger’. The young striker has already made several appearances for Newcastle and is tipped to be the new Alan Shearer.

Where in 5 years?: Nile is expected to mount a serious challenge for a place in the Newcastle team. He is also expected to establish himself in the England youth team.

This is a guest post by Man Utd Soccer Schools. With such talent coming through our youth academies and soccer camps it is clear that we have got better at delivering young fresh talent through our setups. This will help for challenging on the international stage in the future.

Being as I barely update this site anymore, here are some more active/useful ones for you to visit. You all know the newspaper sites, Football365, ESPN, etc for news and match reports and stuff, but these you may not have heard of.

Goals/Highlights and Games

101GreatGoals - Updated incessantly with goals from all around the world. I’m unsure of the legality but who care about that? Also have a good iPhone app you can download for free here.

Sopcast – This is software that allows you to watch a variety of illegal streams. I’m not advising you to use it – a Sky subscription is much better. But this is undeniably cheaper.

Justin.tv – A site that allows users to set up their own video streams. Some of which may be live football matches.

What’s On

Where’s the Match – Nice graphical interface of all the live games and where they’re on

Live Football on TV – Doesn’t look as nice but does the same job

Podcasts

Football Weekly – The Guardian’s football podcast is just better than all the others.

The Football Ramble – The best ‘independent’ football podcast going

Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football Scout – An invaluable resource for other FF geeks

Total FPL - You can predict price rises etc on Fantasy Premierleague with this. A bit geeky even for me.

Live FF – You can see live scores being updated here, rather than having to wait for the official ones

News

NewsNow - An aggregator of all football news sites. You can filter by club, topic etc

Football Filter – Love this one. Feeds from newspapers, blogs, podcasts and so on, all nicely displayed and divided.

Is it this?

Certainly up there. Assault on the ref has to be admired, Di Canio, take a bow. But is that better than assault on a paramedic? Andre Bikey everyone:

I’d argue both pale into comparison with assault on a fan. Look how collected Cantona seems before he launches himself into Matthew Simmonds. Genius.

Assaults on fellow players can still be entertaining – but probably suffer from over-exposure. At least the ones above are rarities. This is my favourite – if at first you don’t succeed, try again. And then again. Until you NAIL him. Nice one Benjamin Massing.

This is another good one from Totti – absolutely nails Ballotelli:

And though not strictly a Red (albeit about 20 people deserved one) this fight is awesome, from Valencia v Inter a couple of years back:

What made this one even better was Jamie Redknapp’s commentary afterwards: “No one likes to see that Richard but look, fist comes round and BOOOOOMMMMM! Perfect punch” Ha.

But this is still my all-time favourite. There’s just one thought in his mind, no doubt, no indecision. He sprints half the length of the pitch to do it, knowing that one thing and one thing only can save Utd’s title chances. Smashing through Rob Lee.

I love his simple ‘I had to do it’ to Becks on the way off, and the sympathetic pat he receives in return. Perhaps the best thing about it is that he probably could have tackled him legitimately after all the ground he made up. But none of that legal tackle bollocks for Ole. SMASH.

Got any good ones? Send them to contact@footballsup.com or post them below…

To be a footballer would be to live the dream – but you do have to make sacrifices. Here are some who have really taken the freedom of retirement to heart – heart disease, that is…

This was prompted by a picture of Neil Shipperly I stumbled across – remember him? Battling striker who played for Chelsea, amongst others? Look at the transformation… (left is now, in case you didn’t realise)

Unfortunately Shipperley has also balded significantly, emphasising the ravages of age (believe me, I know how he feels). He’s not the only one fighting the fat though – not by a long way. It happens to current players as well – remember this slimline, promising 18 year old at Man City?

Yep, that’s the vaguely angelic looking Michael Johnson. Just look at him now…

Again baldness has accentuated his physical decline – but he appears to have aged twenty years in just two. And the greats are not immune either:

Ronaldinho there, showing that losing your hair and your slimline figure can be mutually exclusive. Whereas he’s retained his flowing locks, he’s certainly lost his definition.

A few other footballs who’ve packed on the pounds since quitting (in fairness, who can blame them – a life of restraint and abstinence must have an equal and opposite)…

I don’t think anyone is unaware of Maradona’s physical decline, but there it is in the starkest possible form. Not sure how much restraint and abstinence he employed though.

Mick Quinn was always a bit of a fatty, but now he’s absolutely enormous.

Big Nev is now REALLY Big Nev. And I can only presume that caption refers to his dinner.

Anyone who watched the FA Cup draw will have seen the adipose behemoth Neil Ruddock has become.

Recognise him, second from right?

Yep (assuming you said ‘Jamie Pollock’) – that’s Jamie Pollock. Remember him?

And lastly, our favourite Scandinavin fatty, Thomas Brolin – before…

And now:

We all know the footballers people rightly or wrongly abuse for being fat – Charlie Adam, Andy Reid (perhaps the heaviest centre midfield partnership the Premier League has seen?), Wayne Rooney, and of course ‘Fat’ Frank Lampard – but they have nothing on the above. Where Jan Molby led, others have followed. And I for one, salute them.

Any other obeasts spring to mind? Comment below or drop us a line on contact@footballsup.com.

1. Chris Baird (Stoke v Fulham, December 28, 2010)

2. Gareth Bale (Tottenham v Newcastle, December 28, 2010)

3. Dani Luengo (Extremadura U16 vs Asturias U16, December 28, 2010)

4. Khaleem Hyland (Zulte Waregem v Gent, December 30, 2010) (0.10 secs in)

5. Samir Nasri (Birmingham v Arsenal, January 1, 2011)

6. Andrew Taylor (Watford v Portsmouth, January 1, 2011)

7. James Morrison (West Brom v Manchester United, January 1, 2011)

8. Fernando Torres (Liverpool v Bolton, January 1, 2011)

9. Hassan Ali (Al-Ahli Dubai v AC Milan, January 2, 2011)

10. Christian Stuani (Barcelona v Levante, January 2, 2011)

***

Narrowly missing the list were goals from Andrey Arshavin, Paddy McCourt, Katuku Tshimanga (0.30 secs in), Eduardo Salvio, Omar Hassi and Pedro Rodriguez.

Silva is City’s most important player

David Silva spent most of his debut for Manchester City being buffeted about the pitch by Tottenham’s Tom Huddlestone on the opening day of the season. Then it seemed like City’s big summer signing was not made for English football, where praise from pundits generally centres on a player’s pace, power and drive, rather than his vision or ball skills. We routinely hear Premier League tub-thumpers prattling on about how they would like to see how Lionel Messi would fare against Stoke City, an argument with more holes in it than West Ham’s defence.

This is not something to be proud of and it is, of course, why English players struggle at international level, where possession is key, but in the Premier League, a small, skilful player is often viewed as a wanton luxury and Silva must have wondered what he had let himself in for as 21 headless chickens charged around him while he struggled to dictate play.

Since then his rapid rise has been remarkable. If Carlos Tevez has been portrayed as City’s heart, then Silva is the brains. Tevez was missing through suspension against West Ham – and may be on his way out of Eastlands for good – but City did not suffer in his absence. Much was made before the game of City’s inability to win without Tevez, but Silva would be a bigger loss. Indeed, if he maintains this level of performance, Roberto Mancini might not be too disappointed to see Tevez go. While it is true to say Tevez is City’s captain, it is Silva who is their leader.

He was a delight to watch, constantly on the ball, teasing his opponents with his soft, shuffling footwork, keeping City ticking over with the intelligent economy of his movement. He looks like a small woodland creature and plays with the impish mischievous glint of one too. Everything went through Silva. He is the thinking man’s footballer. His assist for Adam Johnson’s goal, an impossibly brilliant through-ball, was outstanding and something no other player on the pitch could have done. Silva’s work has largely gone unnoticed outside of Manchester, but judging by the way he spent the afternoon quietly winning a game of hide-and-seek with Scott Parker, one imagines that’s just the way he likes it.

Never write off a top side

Chelsea are fourth, one point off the league leaders, Arsenal. They have qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Frank Lampard is back and Didier Drogba is scoring again. And this is a crisis? Of course, all that fails to tell the whole story. With a defence leakier than a US diplomat, Chelsea had been appalling for weeks and Tottenham found themselves cast in the unlikely role of favourites yesterday. Favourites against a side that won the Double last season. Initially that feeling was justified after Roman Pavlyuchenko’s clever goal again exposed the flaws in Chelsea’s back four, but in the end, Tottenham were reliant on Heurelho Gomes’s save from Drogba’s stoppage-time penalty to earn them a point.

While only managing to draw the match extended Chelsea’s winless streak to five league games, their performance yesterday hinted at a return to their swashbuckling form at the start of the season. Against a very good side, Chelsea were excellent at times and should have scored more than once. Given their atrocious run, the manner of their comeback after Pavlyuchenko’s goal was highly impressive and reveals a dressing room that is very much united. It was a game reminiscent of Guus Hiddink’s first in charge in February 2009. Chelsea, in turmoil after sacking Luiz Felipe Scolari, travelled to Villa, cocky upstarts in fourth place, with few people expecting them to win. Chelsea swaggered to a 1-0 victory. As Manchester United have already demonstrated this season, it never pays to write off a top side. Even when they have been as bad as Chelsea in recent weeks. In the long run, they will end up proving you wrong.

Hope doesn’t kill you

It might be a famous quote, but Brian Stimpson was off the mark when he said “I can take the despair. It’s the hope I can’t stand.” Sure, on the surface, that makes sense. We can empathise with that. We know what he means. Yet, in reality, it fails to ring true. We need hope. It is what sustains us and without it, there really is no point any more. West Ham were dreadful against City, hopelessly outclassed and outplayed by a team that was able to leave out two strikers who cost £25m each and another who cost £17m; only no one was particularly surprised.

This is not your average relegation West Ham are experiencing: it is an Avram Grant relegation, lifeless, insipid and utterly devoid of personality. Quite simply, West Ham’s supporters are bored. Bored with losing. Bored with the terrible defending. Bored with the awful football. West Ham have won only 10 of their last 55 league games. With a record like that, it is almost an achievement that they are still in the Premier League and it is no wonder the fans are fed up.

In years gone by, such a limp display would have been greeted furiously by the Upton Park crowd. Instead on Saturday, just like their team, they sat back and watched in abject silence as City took them apart with surgical precision. The fight is gone. There were hardly any boos and there haven’t been all season. West Ham are doomed and everybody knows it. They have known it since August. When West Ham were relegated in 2003, they genuinely were too good to go down (they finished on 42 points, still a record in a 20-team league) and it was possible to pin one’s hopes on a player such as Joe Cole. Now they have Carlton Cole. Somewhere along the line, someone appears to have made a terrible mistake.

Pardew is not a bad manager

He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy. Newcastle’s supporters made that very clear before their game against Liverpool, when Alan Pardew’s arrival in the dugout was met with a less than positive reaction. Pardew, a man of relentless positivity and an oddly unsettling belief in his own ability, is unlikely to have been fazed by that. Given the circumstances of his arrival and Chris Hughton’s sacking, he would have expected nothing less. A lot has been said about events at Newcastle over the past week, but few things in life are as pointless as trying to comprehend what goes on in Mike Ashley’s head.

Either way, Ashley’s decision to appoint Pardew is not quite as disastrous as is being made out. True, Hughton should never have been sacked and Pardew’s contract until 2016 does have a sniff of being an elaborate hoax. Pardew, though, is not a terrible manager and starting his career on Tyneside with a 3-1 victory over Liverpool is as good as it gets and would suggest that Newcastle’s players have not turned mutinous following Hughton’s dismissal. For some time, the suspicion has lingered that Pardew has unfinished business in the Premier League, after he lost his way with West Ham in 2006. Pardew is well-versed in motivational techniques and even though he has said he knows he will not win the PR battle, he is exactly the sort of manager who is able to tap into a crowd’s mentality. Supporters have been known to take to him. Players too. If he is embraced at Newcastle, he could be brilliant. After all, at the club where reward for beating your local rivals 5-1 is getting the sack, nothing ever tends to make sense.

Moyes needs a fresh start

Another weekend, another game in which Everton have failed to overcome moderate opposition. This has now turned into a genuine problem for David Moyes’s side. We are used to this with Everton – they have always started seasons slowly, gradually building up momentum as they get into their stride and charge up the table. This season something has changed. The charge up the table has not materialised and after a 0-0 home draw with Wigan, they are only two points above the bottom three. Push someone’s buttons for long enough and eventually you’ll end up with a bloody nose and, similarly, eventually a bad start to the season will be impossible to recover from.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that David Moyes, excellent manager though he is, has gone stale at Everton. They have hit the wall under him, in the same way that Martin O’Neill was unable to take Aston Villa into the promised land of the Champions League. There has been no reward for Moyes’s fine work, largely due to Everton not having the financial muscle required to breach the top four. Moyes has hardly done a bad job, quite the opposite in fact, but there is a fatigue enveloping Goodison Park now and the current state of affairs is doing nothing to enhance his reputation. All parties need a fresh start and it would be a surprise to see Moyes still at Everton next season.

Originally from Goal.com – I just like the photos, which I’ve only just found…

Former Brazil, Barcelona and Milan star Rivaldo will make a return to Brazilian football in the 2011 Paulista for tiny club Mogi Mirim, of whom the player is also president.

The 38 year-old has not played competitive football since leaving Uzbekistani outfit Bunyodkor in August, and it has been seven years since he has played for a Brazilian club.

Nevertheless, the attacking midfielder announced on Twitter today that he plans to return with Mogi Mirim, who were one of the first teams he ever played for as a teenager and have had the player as their president since 2008.

“After sorting out a lot of things outside of the country, I have decided to play the Paulista 2011 for Mogi Mirim, of whom I am President,” the ex-international posted on the social network.

The last few years of Rivaldo’s career have seen him change clubs frequently, with spells in Greece with Olympiacos and Uzbekistan bringing domestic success to the clubs involved.

Mogi Mirim, based in the town of the same name 160 km away from Sao Paulo, finished 12th in last year’s first phase of the State Championship, but do not play in the national championship. Rivaldo played for the club for two years in 1992-93, playing 30 times with 10 goals.

Here they are – I assume some sort of Photoshop or cut our wizardry (seems more likely than him existing as two separate entities) – the lack of reflection in the first suggests he is some sort of vampire though.

Original article here

1. Karim Benzema (Mesut Ozil assist) (Ajax v Real Madrid, November 23, 2010)

2. Matheus (Braga v Arsenal, November 23, 2010)

3. Mehmet Guven (Eskisehirspor v Manisaspor, November 26, 2010) (First goal on the video)

4. Humberto Mendoza (Cucuta Deportivo v Atletico Nacional, November 26, 2010)

5. Chris Brunt (Everton v West Brom, November 27, 2010)

6. Mark Davies (Bolton v Blackpool, November 27, 2010)

7. Emmanuel Gigliotti (Siena v Novara, November 27, 2010)

8. Antonio Di Natale (Udinese v Napoli, November 28, 2010)

9. Cicero (Cologne v Wolfsburg, November 28, 2010) (pitcured)

10. Dinei (Palmeiras v Fluminense, November 28, 2010)

***

Narrowly missing the list were goals from Mikkel Thygesen, Franco Niell, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, Javier Garrido, Maxi Lopez, Ciaran Clark, Martin Petrov, Somen Tchoyi, Paddy McCourt, Adel Taarabt, Chumbinho, Santi Carorla, Marcos Senna, Pedro Rios, Mehdi Carcela, Fatos Beciraj, Sidney Sam, Eduardo da Silva, Marek Hamsik, Marama Vahirua, Antonio Nocerino, Roberto Soldado, Oscar Cardozo, Luis Rodriguez, Endo and Caio.