The football blog for fans of all clubs
On 8 December 2001 Manchester United lost at home to West Ham United, their third successive defeat and sixth of the season so far. The team that had won the last three Premier League titles was on shaky ground, and one of the scapegoats was Juan Sebastián VerĂłn. The Argentine midfielder had signed for a […]
I was an avid collector of Merlin’s Premier League stickers for the 1995 season, with the battered album residing in the loft to this day. Memories of rushing to the local shop on a Sunday morning, pocket money burning a hole in my pocket, endure. Taking the packets home and ripping the top off to […]
Part One: Ardiles, Villa, War & Wembley Fans of South American football and/or the Football Manager series uttered sheer disbelief when West Ham United completed a double swoop for Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano on transfer deadline day of 2006. With a grin that would make the Cheshire Cat look miserable, Hammers manager Alan Pardew stood […]
In February 2008, as part of Tottenham Hotspur’s 125th anniversary celebrations, Argentine duo Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa became inductee 22 and 23, and the first foreigners, in the club’s Hall of Fame. However, it could have been so different had an event beyond their control not occurred in 1982. Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa […]
Envisaging a World Cup without La Albiceleste is like imagining the Argentine diet without red wine and beef. Yet a bad result in this, penultimate, round of qualifiers could make that nightmare a distinct reality, and put into the perspective the “failure” of three final defeats in as many years. As things stand Argentina are […]
Club Deportivo MorĂłn caused a huge upset in the Copa Argentina earlier this week, defeating “Big Five” team San Lorenzo to progress to the last 16. The winning goal came in the 86th minute when super sub Leandro Guzmán, who only came on in the 70th minute, sent a superb left-footed shot from the edge […]
On 5 September 1993 Argentina welcomed Colombia to the intimidating Estadio Monumental, home of River Plate, located in the Nuñez district of Buenos Aires. Going into the final fixture of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying group, the visitors led by one point, and knew that a victory or even a draw would seal their place […]
It’s hard to believe that 2018 will represent 25 years since Argentina won a major international football tournament, especially given the players at their disposal during the last quarter of a century. Argentina did win gold medals at the Olympic Games of 2004 and 2008 but the last full, senior triumph came in 1993’s Copa […]
Argentinos Juniors and Chacarita Juniors will be playing top flight football after gaining promotion from Argentina’s Primera B Nacional. Argentinos Juniors were comfortable champions, finishing 11 points clear of their nearest rivals. Chacarita Juniors grabbed the second promotion spot after an epic down-to-the-wire battle with Guillermo Brown which was only settled on the final day of […]
Given the current state of the Scottish national team, many would be surprised to learn that the Godfather of Argentinean football was born in the Gorbals in 1853. Alexander Watson Hutton was one of the millions of Europeans who moved to Argentina in the nineteenth century in search of a better life in the burgeoning […]
Boca Juniors’ La Bombonera is a stunning, swaying yellow-and-blue cathedral of football nestled in the tight streets of the wonderful Buenos Aires barrio of La Boca. Juan Román Riquelme, Carlos Tevez, Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Juan Sebastián VerĂłn, and countless other legends have all donned the azul y oro at one point or another during their […]
The Copa Libertadores is heading towards the “business end” with 16 teams remaining, four of which are Argentine. Estudiantes and AtlĂ©tico Tucumán have already been eliminated – having finished third in their groups – and will now drop into the Copa Sudamericana for a second bite at the cherry of continental glory. That leaves River […]
For the 32nd time in their history Boca Juniors have been crowned champions of Argentina. Los Xeneize were dealt a blow halfway through their campaign when influential captain Carlos Tevez upped sticks and joined Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League for a reported ÂŁ600,00 per week. Boca coped well initially, winning 4 of the first […]
End-of-season tours to exotic far-flung destinations are normally nothing to do with football. Instead it’s often the brain child of a suit and tie in the marketing department looking to keep the latest sponsor happy lest they withdraw their lucrative support. During this upcoming FIFA date, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) will boost their coffers […]
After what seems like an eternity, Argentina have finally announced Jorge Sampaoli as the new manager of their national football team. Sampaoli will replace the much-maligned Edgardo Bauza, whose reign gleaned just three wins from eight to leave La Albiceleste in fifth position in the COMNEBOL World Cup qualification table. The delay in announcing the […]
The group stage of the Copa Libertadores – South America’s premier cup competition – has concluded, with four of Argentina’s six representatives qualifying for the knockout phase. River Plate, San Lorenzo, Godoy Cruz, and LanĂşs will all progress whilst Estudiantes and AtlĂ©tico Tucumán have been eliminated in third place in their respective groups and will […]
There is no doubt that the game of the weekend in round 25 takes place at La Bombonera, where top-of-the-league Boca Juniors host Newell’s Old Boys. Both sides are going into the game following a defeat, both losing 3-1 at home to their greatest rivals during the Clásico Weekend. Newell’s were defeated by Rosario Central, who took a […]
Another idea out of the AFA’s ever-revolving tombola of wacky ideas is the Clásico weekend, where all 30 teams are paired against their nearest rivals in a line-up that would have Sky Sports’ marketing men wetting their pants. The Boca-River game will perhaps have the biggest repercussions, and not just because they are the country’s […]
Gonzalo Maroni stole the limelight on Sunday evening as Boca Juniors stayed three points clear of the chasing pack in the race for the Argentine title. In a 3-0 victory over Arsenal de SarandĂ at La Bombonera the 18-year-old scored a spectacular volley and left the pitch to a standing ovation. Like Juventus’ Paulo Dybala, […]
Last weekend CĂłrdoba’s big two clubs – Belgrano and Talleres – clashed in what was the first league meeting between the two for 15 years. The game ended 1-1 but what should have been a celebration of football in the city turned to tragedy as one young fan lost his life. In 2013 the Argentine […]
