Tottenham Hotspur: How much would you sell Gareth Bale for?

Tottenham Hotspur have lived in the shadows of their north London rivals Arsenal for many a year, but with Real Madrids relentless pursuit of Gareth Bale showing no sign of ending Spurs fans are now experiencing what it has been like for the Gooners almost every summer over the past eight years....

READ MORE

Forget showbiz beautification of Beckham, he was simply remarkable

Perhaps it is just too easy to align oneself with the glossy beautification of David Beckham led by certain corners of the English media, or perhaps I’m just going soft in my old age (I’ll be a pipe and slippers man by the time I turn 19 in June, it’s all downhill from here). Or perhaps, just perha...

READ MORE

Manchester United: Bale or Ronaldo - who would you rather have at Old Trafford?

It has been reported that Sir Alex Ferguson has been given permission to sign one marquee player this summer and it looks as though that may mean the return of Ronaldo or the arrival of the new star on the block Gareth Bale. But who would you rather see at Old Trafford? Both Bale and Ronald...

READ MORE

Arsenal: Would you swap Wenger for Mourinho?

So Real Madrid have been knocked out of the Champions League and Jose Mourinho, yet again, hints at a return to England. After the match the Special One said: I know in England I am loved. I am loved by the fans, I am loved by the media, they treat me in a fair way, criticising me and giving me c...

READ MORE

Champions League: Barcelona, Bayern, Dortmund or Real - Who will win the trophy?

Wembley is set to host its second Champions League final inside three years next month and theres every chance that UEFA get their dream all-Spanish final of Barcelona against Real Madrid as the pair were kept apart in the semi-finals. However, its by far a foregone conclusion as Barca must first se...

READ MORE

Should Michael Owen be hailed as a football great?

Michael Owen burst on the scene as a fresh-faced 17 year old and took the Premier League by storm. He scored on his Liverpool debut against Wimbledon and hit 18 in his first full season in the first team. His lightening pace and accuracy in front of goal gave opposition defences nightmares. However,...

READ MORE

Outside the Box – Football on TV: Munich is top of United’s problems but Nani ain’t one

Last week saw a big few days for Manchester United. Prodigal son and spray tan admirer Cristiano Ronaldo sauntered back into town with the same cocksure swagger and over-preened sense of self-worth he left with four years ago, and along with his slightly misfiring team broke the hearts of his...

READ MORE

Arsenal: Could Xabi Alonso be on his way to the Emirates?

Reports in the media over the weekend suggest that the Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso is stalling over a contract at Real Madrid and that Liverpool may be interested in bringing him back to these shores, but could Arsenal convince him that his future rests with them in the capital? Theres no doubt ...

READ MORE

Will Man United finish off Real Madrid at Old Trafford?

Manchester United scored an all-important away goal at the Bernabeu in their first leg Champions League clash with Real Madrid but can they stop Ronaldo and co from doing the same this evening at Old Trafford? Sir Alex Fergusons game plan at Madrid was excellent with Danny Welbeck, Jonny Evans and ...

READ MORE

Man Utd v Real Madrid - Free Bet Offer with bet365

bet365 has a fantastic free bet offer to add to the excitement as Man Utd welcome Real Madrid to Old Trafford this evening with their UEFA Champions League last 16 tie in the balance. Place a pre-match bet on this much anticipated fixture today and you will receive a free In-Play bet to the s...

READ MORE

Outside the Box – Football on TV: Schmeichel talks us through United’s trip to Madrid while Piers talks down to Owen

For me this past weekend’s football was filled to the brim with acute annoyances and irksome irritations. To start with it was FA Cup Fifth Round and all the best games were on ESPN, and as I’m still too cheap to upgrade it means I had to go without. On top of that, my beloved Leicester didn’...

READ MORE

Can Manchester United beat Real Madrid?

Premier League leaders Manchester United take on La Liga champions Real Madrid tonight in the glamour tie of the Champions Leagues last 16, but can Sir Alex Fergusons men keep flying the flag for England? The two sides havent met since the Brazilian Ronaldo scored a hat-trick for the visitors and w...

READ MORE

Man United: Fergie's game plan for Real Madrid

With such a big game this evening, the anxiety of all fans involved is rising faster and faster. So lets take a look at what Manchester United need to do to make the second leg so much easier. It may seem obvious but everything will start at the back. It sounds like a cliche b...

READ MORE

Arsenal: Would you be happy to see Wenger join Real Madrid?

Over the past few seasons Arsenal fans have watched their best players leave the club one by one. Patrick Vieira went to Juventus, Thierry Henry, Alex Hleb and Cesc Fabregas all signed for Barcelona, while Adebayor, Clichy, Nasri, Toure, Nasri and Van Persie all left for the sunnier climes of Manc...

READ MORE

Will Arsenal, Chelsea or City bring Edinson Cavani to England?

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made no secret of his admiration for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani. When asked about speculation linking the Gunners with the Napoli striker, who has scored 16 Serie A goals this season, Wenger said: Cavani is a player that I like. Will he cost a lot of money? T...

READ MORE

Outside the Box – Football on TV: A boring birthday for the FA as the stars fail to shine

For most people, an evening out at the local pub will be a largely stress-free excursion filled with raucous banter, sorrowful introspection and a touch of casual xenophobia. Nights out in this great country have followed that tight format for hundreds of years, never wavering in the face of adver...

READ MORE

Man United: Would you sacrifice Rooney to have Ronaldo back?

Manchester United will come face-to-face with their former hero Ronaldo in the last 16 of the Champions League in February, but could the former United number 7 be ready for a sensational return to Old Trafford in the summer? Everything coming out of Spain suggests that Ronaldo is not happy with ...

READ MORE

Can Arsenal or Man United win the Champions League?

The Champions League draw for the knockout stages is made next Thursday (December 20) but can either Arsenal or Manchester United keep the coveted trophy on these shores? Only the two Premier League sides represent England in the final 16 following the premature of Premier League champions Man City...

READ MORE

Real Madrid: Who will replace Mourinho?

Despite ending Barcelonas dominance in La Liga it looks as though Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid will be parting company next summer. Madrid are currently 11 points behind Barca and even if Real claw that back and go on to win the Champions League all the indications are that the Special One will be ...

READ MORE

Outside the Box – Football on TV: Love or hate him, 'Mourinho' shows Jose really is the Special One

There are times in this cruel cruel world of ours when desperate sad acts like myself look up to the heavens mournfully, unleash a shriek of despair before dropping our heads to the ground and mumbling incoherently about life being terribly unfair. In my case, it’s usually something to do wi...

READ MORE

Outside the Box – Football on TV: Michael Owen ensures we’ll remember, remember the fright of Movember

When the wise Jedi minds of future generations look back at the metrosexual, iPad-obsessed, self-serving era we currently reside in, they will quite rightly grimace and ask just what the hell we accomplished. We allowed Piers Morgan to prosper when he really shouldn’t have; we created and fo...

READ MORE

Outside the Box – Football on TV: The headline acts of El Clasico put on one hell of a show

Here’s one for you. On the eve of each new football campaign, which match whets the appetite most? Liverpool vs United? Spurs against Arsenal? The Steel City derby? Personally for me, it’s the prospect of any match in which Mario Balotelli will come up against anybody as deranged as he; Craig Bell...

READ MORE

Real Madrid's record against English sides

Real Madrid host English champions Manchester City tonight and Roberto Mancini will be hoping to achieve something that only two English sides have managed in European competitions . . . beat Madrid at the Bernabeu. Arsenal were the first English side to beat Real Madrid at home in 2006 thanks to a...

READ MORE

Manchester City's record against Spanish sides

Manchester City are in the Spanish capital for easily the most eagerly awaited clash in the opening games of this seasons Champions League. This is what being in the Champions League is all about . . . lining up against the very best Europe has to offer, and they dont come much better than Jose Mou...

READ MORE

Who is your money on winning the Champions League?

Chelsea start their defence of the Champions League trophy this week but with giants such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and AC Milan all desperate to be champions of Europe again, can the Blues hold on to the greatest prize in European trophy? A few weeks ago we ran an article on...

READ MORE

Messi or Ronaldo: Who would you love to have in the Premier League?

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the two biggest names in world football right now. Unfortunately they are both plying their trade in La Liga for the Spanish giants of Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. But if you had the choice of seeing either Messi or Ronaldo in the Premier League who ...

READ MORE

Who will win the Champions League?

The group stages for this years Champions League competition will be drawn this afternoon, but who will win the biggest prize in European football? Chelsea became the first team from the capital of England to win the trophy in May, beating the German giants Bayern Munich on penalties in their own b...

READ MORE

Is this the worst football kit ever?

Players and fans are supposed to wear their shirts with pride, but sometimes the tops are so hideous they make you utterly ashamed. Arsenal fans have complained about their Dennis the Menace away kit, Manchester United supporters have hit out over their new tartan home kit and some Liverpool fans a...

READ MORE

Fantasy Football 2012/13 is here

Do you think you can do a better job than the professor Arsene Wenger? Could you out-muscle Mancini at defending title winners Manchester City? Then this is your chance to prove it! Squarefootballs Fantasy Football is back for another season and we want as many participants as possible. Last season...

READ MORE

Outside the Box – Football on TV: England make it hard to watch, while Sky’s legend makes the game look easy

Another week, another panic-inducing evening spent watching the England team then. This whole edge-of-our-seat, fine line between death and glory shtick that England have peddled out for years is now growing quite tiresome. Just for once, couldn’t we be like Germany and be ruthlessly efficient and...

READ MORE

Ten of the biggest cup final defeats ever

Heart of Midlothian clinched their eighth Scottish Cup on Saturday with an emphatic 5-1 win over their Edinburgh rivals Hibernian. It was a terrible afternoon for the boys from Leith, but Pat Fenlons men are not alone in being humiliated on their big day. Here are the 10 of the biggest cup final de...

READ MORE

Arsenal: Where will Robin Van Persie start next season?

Its Groundhog Day as far as Arsenal fans are concerned. For the past decade, every summer has been full of rumours about the future of one of their big names. Patrick Vieira started it all off, then it was Henry, then Fabregas and Nasri, and now Robin Van Persie. Why does Arsene Wenger always put th...

READ MORE

The top 10 dives in football history

Manchester United’s Ashley Young and Chelsea’s Didier Drogba have caused controversy over the past fortnight by diving to win penalties and going down quicker than your average High Street hooker. Ashley Young started it all off by winning a cheap penalty against QPR’s Shaun Derry, when the tough m...

READ MORE

A Fond Farewell To The One And Only Raúl González

With the 24-year-old Lionel Messi waiting in the wings to add to his remarkable tally of Champions League goals, one would fully expect the South American to take over the record scoring berth. Barring serious injury or a cataclysmic loss of form, the jewel in Barcelona’s shiny crown will probab...

READ MORE

Chelsea: Can Roberto Di Matteo win the Champions League for the Blues?

Salomon Kalou’s crucial away goal last week in Benfica has put the Blues in the driving seat for a semi-final place against either AC Milan or Barcelona, but can Roberto Di Matteo be the man to finally fulfil Roman Abramovich’s quest to win the Champions League? Chelsea host Benfica on Wednesday ni...

READ MORE

Beckham, Best, Henry or Cantona: Who were the coolest footballers to ever live?

We would all like to be footballers, right? The money, the women, the cars. Oh, and the playing of football. That’s pretty good. But some are cooler than others. Too cool, even. So cool they make everyone else look like silly, awkward, emasculated chumps. So who were the 10 coolest footballers to e...

READ MORE

El Clasico: My recipe for the perfect football feast

Woodstock 69’: love, freedom and prosperity. Wimbledon: elegance and tradition. For me, El Clasico is up there with these occasions as the greatest spectacles on earth. The two most successful sides in the history of Spanish football ripping chunks out of each other. And I love it. I love every...

READ MORE

It's the Italian job for Arsenal and Chelsea but who will win the Champions League?

The draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League draw has just been made and both Arsenal and Chelsea must overcome Italian opposition if they are to lift the coveted trophy. Arsenal reacquaint themselves with AC Milan while Chelsea must see off Napoli, who helped knock Manchester City out of...

READ MORE

Outside the Box – Football on TV: A love-in for O’Neill as marvel Martin ruins Rovers’ day

It was clear at 1pm on Sunday what the overriding theme of the day was going to be on Sky Sports’ Live Super Sunday. Ed Chamberlain, growing more and more comfortably into the role of football anchorman, opened the afternoon’s football coverage by loudly proclaiming, “Sunderland’s new era begins tod...

READ MORE

World Player Of The Year: Big Three of Messi, Ronaldo and Xavi Dominate Again

The news that Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Christiano Ronaldo will make up the top three in the vote for World Player of The Year, would surprise no-one who takes a decent interest in the world game. These are the same three players who filled out those positions in 2009. Last year Messi and Xa...

READ MORE

Reduce the size of the Premier League? You gotta be kidding me

Sometimes you have to wonder whether football is football anymore. Money has become part of our game for a long time now but the fear of how possessive riches will become, and how their grip will most probably tighten even further to strangle out every last penny from our game, is always in th...

READ MORE

Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Birmingham: What game would you like to erase from your club's history?

I think it is safe to come out from behind the sofa now. The trick and treaters have gone into 12 months of hibernation, giving the nation’s doorbells time to recover. The BBC can put the series of Halloween movies back into cold storage. Just how many were there? As football fans we too have exper...

READ MORE

Manchester United got off lightly: Here's five of the worst results ever

Manchester City rocked the champions at Old Trafford, hitting Fergies men for six, but Hugh Larkin recalls five of the worst beatings of all time. As Chris Pettit reminded us elsewhere on this site - Manchester Citys spectacular 6-1 victory at Old Trafford was the second jaw-dropping scoreline of t...

READ MORE

Can any player, including Messi, be considered 'the greatest'?

Ah, the Champions League. Bringer of drama, stopper of dreamers, platform for Ray Wilkins to say ‘my word’ 50 hundred thousand times. And there are other things that are nearly always discussed, certainly when seeing the two dominant Spanish sides play. The great debate has moved from trying to ...

READ MORE

Who will win the Champions League 2011/12?

Spanish giants Barcelona are attempting to make history this season. In May they destroyed Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United to win the Champions League, but no team has managed to keep hold of the famous trophy since it was renamed 20 years ago. However, the bookies firmly believe Pep Guardiola...

READ MORE

Top 10 bizarre injuries to footballers

Swansea City’s vice-captain Alan Tate is set to miss most of the Swans’ debut season in Premier League after breaking his leg in a freak golfing accident. The versatile defender was a passenger in a golf buggy that lost control and Tate will have to watch the majority of the club’s rollercoaster adv...

READ MORE

Will the new season throw up any shocks across Europe's top leagues?

Here we go again ... Its that time of year again. Your club has had some embarrassing/great results in pre-season friendlies and the anticipation builds up as the new season approaches, but what can we expect from the big leagues around Europe? Some countries, of course, have already kicked off, su...

READ MORE

Five transfers we knew would end badly

Each summer, when football ceases to exist for two months, we get to speculate over who’s going where and for how much. Contracts end, players are transferred and over-the-top amounts of cash are spent. But how about those moves that you just feel will not be positive in any way? We’ve listed o...

READ MORE

Squarefootball's Fantasy football invitation

There is less than two weeks to go until the start of the 2011/12 Premier League season and time is running out for you to enter the Squarefootball fantasy football competition. Last season more than 100 teams competed for the Squarefootball title, which was won by P Oxenby and his team FC Poxo. He...

READ MORE

Manchester City: Tevez, Telephones and Tedium

Im not sure whats been worse over the last week or so, the phone hacking scandal or the Tevez transfer saga?Maybe if the News Of The World was still in existence it could report, with its tele-pathic powers, where Tevez will be moving to? If I were a Manchester City fan I would just like to see th...

READ MORE