Outside the Box – Football on TV: Bad luck stories abound as the Scots take on Wales in a clash of the misfiring

It’s a universal truth that some people are just plain unlucky. These desperate souls, through no real fault of their own, just get a rough deal in this bad ol’ world and spend their days enduring an avalanche of ungodly misfortune and rudimentary shite. And don’t suffer the misapprehension that t...

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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...

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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...

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The Strange World Of FIFA: England Ranked Fourth In The World

It will come as something of a surprise to most fans who watched Euro 2012 that England came out of the tournament going up in the FIFA world rankings - not bad for two wins in four matches, one of which came against a Ukraine team who lie at 46th in the table. Ranking tables are always an untrustw...

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Euro 2012 - Team Of The Tournament

With just the final to go its time to decide which players made the most impact in Poland and Ukraine. In recent years FIFAand UEFA have picked a squad of the top performers at tournaments but wheres the fun in that? Very few fans come up with the same eleven and thats when it gets interesting, so h...

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Outside the Box – Football on TV: Lawro plays the Twit as BBC confidence turns to England despair

It’s easy afterwards, in the hazy mist of reflection that hangs mournfully across the country each time the England team are wrenched from a major tournament, to neatly nestle back into the default self-loathing English mind-set and pretend we were always doomed to fail, fated to forever chase the...

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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...

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Outside the Box – Football on TV: Euro Vision begins as ITV and the BBC vie for Championship glory

Ok, so it might not feel too much like summer right now. It’s about 10°C outside, caravan parks are under water and the only suntans in sight are painted on the vacuous plebs of Geordie Shore. But I promise you, we are there and that of course means only one thing: the European Championships have ...

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Euro 2012 Fantasy Football invitation

Calling all fantasy football fans. Have we got a treat for you. If you think you are a better manager than Englands Roy Hodgson or that you could leave Germanys Joachim Low feeling really down in the dumps then why dont you prove it? Weve set up our own Euro 2012 mini-league with the Sun and youve...

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Euro 2012: Gomez, RVP or Ronaldo: Who will win the Golden Boot?

Arsenals Robin Van Persie scored 37 goals in all competitions last season. Bayern Munichs Mario Gomez bagged 41 while Cristiano Ronaldo found the bag of the net an astonishing 60 times, but who will lift the coveted Golden Boot at Euro 2012? Germany are one of the favourites to win the competition ...

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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...

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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...

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Outside the Box – Football on TV: The rise and fall of the sprightly Savage is far from a waltz in the park

Do you remember the first time you ever saw Star Wars? That intoxicating and bedazzling rush of pure unadulterated excitement as you sat slack-jawed, unable to wrench your eyes away from all the bright lights, whizzing space ships and questionable acting? And perhaps you also remember the desolate f...

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Outside the Box – Football on TV: A test of comedy quizzing is passed with help from the inspiring Irish

Ok, before we go any further let me first congratulate the Irish team on their impressive qualification for the European Championships next summer. There was the inevitable party mood for the second leg of the Republic of Ireland v Estonia match last Tuesday and I’m sure there are not many that begr...

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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 ...

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Ireland: 10 Handy Facts About Estonia

The Republic of Ireland probably received the draw they wanted when they were paired with Estonia in the Euro 2012 play-offs. The Baltic state have never qualified for anWorld Cup or Eurotournament, or a play-off, before. 1. Estonia have been in action since 1991 after the break-up of the Soviet Un...

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Republic Of Ireland Seeded But Tough Opponents Still Await

The news that the Republic of Ireland are seeded for the Euro 2012 play-offs will at least allow Giovanni Trappatonis squad to avoid the most dangerous side in the draw - Portugal - but the cliche there are no easy games really does apply here. And it especially applies to Ireland. In six play-off ...

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Irish Euro Dreams Still Alive

A battling goalless draw in Russia, complete with Richard Dunne playing with a number 5 on his shirt drawn on in felt tip, kept alive the Republic Of Irelands hopes of qualifcation for Euro 2012. Under Giovanni Trappatoni the Irish have always been tough to beat and they showed their battling quali...

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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...

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Who's Going To Be At Euro 2012?

The qualifying groups for Euro 2012 are reaching the business end and its becoming a little clearer which players will be in Poland and Ukraine and which ones will be spending extra time on the beach. Places Booked As usual Germany have headed the way in qualification. Aside from a sticky period a...

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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...

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What five things would you do before the season starts?

Isn’t it normally New Years Eve when you get a top 100 favourite moments of the year or top 500 best movie credits or some other poor excuse for a programme? Well I thought I would also use it as a poor excuse for an article, but rather than boring you all with a list consisting of 100 or more items...

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Football in 3D - A new risk to average attendances?

The world has evolved and developed a lot since the 1950s with the invention, evolution and development of everything from bladeless fans to electric cars and high definition broadcasts and beyond, but what have the boffins responsible for 3D been doing for 60 years since its inception? 3D today i...

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Would you like to write for Squarefootball?

Do you live, breathe and sleep football? Do you have a passion for writing and want your views to be read by a potential audience of millions? Then we at Squarefootball Towers would love to hear from you. Whether you follow Aberdeen or Accrington Stanley, West Ham United or Wolfsburg, we can offer ...

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Squarefootball fantasy football invitation 2010/11

I saw more action and excitement this summer down at the mortuary than I did at the World Cup in South Africa. There was also a better atmosphere between me and my ex-girlfriend than there was inside the grounds, thanks to the constant drone of those awful vuvuzelas. And as for entertainment, I th...

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Ireland must be pleased with Euro 2012 draw

After being so cruelly denied by the hand of Henry in the World Cup qualifiers, Ireland will have been hoping for better luck in the next qualifying section. And by the look of the Group B draw for Euro 2012 it appears that they have got it. Euro 2012 GROUP B: Andorra, Armenia, Macedonia, Republic...

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Was the World Cup seeding France's punishment?

The Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke was, today, at pains to reject any notion that France was being punished for the Henrygate incident but in choosing an arbitrary point of time for deciding the World Cup seedings that is the only real inference that can be drawn. From the moment that Fifa de...

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Does Ireland have any chance of competing in World CUp 2010?

After the contentious France vs Ireland play-off game, the news that a replay was not possible, despite Thierry Henry's comments seemed to rule out Ireland's involvement. That the French players were hardly concerned about the aftermath, whereas the Irish players were barely fit to play says a lot ...

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How did the unlucky Ireland team get on after World Cup elimination?

There was much talk of dropping Irish players who were not mentally fit to play after the Paris rollercoaster; but in the end most of the hard-bitten Ireland players turned out. Not everyone was sympathetic to their plight, with Roy Keane especially scathing. But with a replay now not likely - how...

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How did the evil France team fare after Henrygate?

I thought I'd look at the subsequent performances of starting eleven of the France team that eliminated Ireland after 'that' goal by Gallas, after 'that' assist by Henry. There will be no replay of Ireland vs France, as Fifa has no rule to cover 'cheating' - although plenty to cover the 'unauthoriz...

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Would a replay of Ireland v France be fair?

It's hard to watch the replay (after replay) of Thierry Henry's deliberate handball ahead of his cross for the decisive extra time goal for France without wondering about fairness. The circumstances of the fixture were somewhat unfair to start with. Fifa and Uefa somehow contrived to decide that P...

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Republic of Ireland Can Put FIFA Noses Out Of Joint

We all want to see the best players at World Cup Finals but unfortunately you cant have everything in life- George Best, Ryan Giggs and GeorgeWeah are just three superstars who never made it to the big jamboree. FIFA like to have as much of their cake as possible though, so outrageously they decide...

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Ireland hope for Greeks bearing gifts

Fifa has updated its National Team Rankings this morning (Uefa should update at some time today, but is currently showing slightly different rankings) and Ireland has moved up the rankings to 20th - but not enough to avoid the big guns in the World Cup play-offs. Looking at the seeded teams, Greece...

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Saturday Yankee - Home internationals

The five British and Irish international teams are all in action today; with England playing Slovakia in a friendly but Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Wales and Scotland all in competitive action trying to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Lets see Group 4 - Wales vs Finland (3pm) With Germ...

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An Important Night For Ireland

While Fabio Capello has just a friendly to worry about- although its an important one against Euro 2008 champions Spain- his fellow countryman Giovanni Trappatoni has a vital World Cup game to negotiate tonight. Ireland need to pocket three points aginst Georgia to keep the pressure on Italy at the...

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Solid Start For Trappatoni's Ireland

England aren't the only British Isles side putting their faith in an Italian boss and Giovanni Trappatoni has also made a more than useful beginning with the Republic of Ireland. Like his compatriot Fabio Capello, 'Trap' has a stellar reputation as both player and manager and can win almost any con...

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Transfer Specualtion - Will Keegan or Keane win the battle for Aiden McGeady?

Kevin Keegan and Roy Keane were two of the greatest players ever to have graced the game. But who will have the power to persuade Aiden McGeady that his future lies with them? The Republic of Ireland winger is undoubtedly the most exciting player in Scottish football. He has the skills of a Brazili...

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Transfer Speculation - Richard Dunne to Tottenham Hotspur

Only five teams in the Premier League conceded more goals than Tottenham Hotspur last season so it's no surprise to see Juande Ramos being strongly linked with a move for Manchester City defender and captain Richard Dunne. The Republic of Ireland star is one of the most determined defenders in the ...

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5045 Republic of Ireland Manager-Th

by : Hugh Larkin 11= (17) Chelsea: Level Chelsea move up six places on the back of three straight wins in October; with the 6-0 win over Manchester City a warning sign that Chelsea are about to start a title charge. The City game and the win at ... 11= (15) Manchester United: Level United have f...

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4987: Can Play, Can’t Manage: Why Ex

by : Dan Coombs The world of football shows as well as any other walk of life that some men are born leaders, and some are not. Some of the real managerial success stories have come from players hanging up their boots, only last year Roy Keane and Paul Ince hit the headlines for successful spells a...

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4354: Republic of Ireland- Is There

by : Hugh Larkin Two 1-0 victories in less than a week haven’t transformed the Republic’s prospects in Group D but they have at least raised the possibility of qualifying for the 2008 Euro Finals again. Steve Staunton has 5 games left to pull off an unlikely escape. 8th September 2007; Slovakia a...

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4171: Stan on the Brink?

by : Fred Tarow 4. Club versus Country It may be called a debate but the reality is there are simply a set of concrete facts. The clubs/companies pay the players around $6 million a year. The representative side they turn out for 6 times a year pays in a week what they normally make in half a day. ...

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3748: Republic of Ireland: Stan Dese

by : Fred Tarow The furore around the North Korean nuclear tests this week seemed to indicate that Judgement Day was nigh. It was the strongest in a series of signs that the world had gone irretrievably haywire. The first indicators came just 48 hours earlier when Macedonia held England in Manchest...

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3735: Ireland: Only One Option for F

by : Fred Tarow If Steve Staunton is thin-skinned then the FAI should remove his shoelaces and belt when he and his team touch down at Dublin Airport tonight. The Sunday morning papers have been merciless in the wake of one of the most, if not the most, embarrassing episodes in the history of Irish...

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3599: Analysis: Germany v Ireland

by : Fred Tarow Few people would consider a 1-0 defeat in Stuttgart against a buoyant Germany to be a disastrous result. Eamon Dunphy is one of those people. He who permanently scowls in the same way the sun permanently shines declared the Irish performance on Saturday evening "a shambles". In the ...

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2644: Ireland: Good luck Steve Staun

by : Chris Sherrard It’s reported that Steve ‘Stan’ Staunton is set to be named as the new manager of the Republic of Ireland. Staunton’s going to need all his experience from Liverpool, Aston Villa and three World Cups to get his national team back on track. Because it is 20 years since an Irela...

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2444: Ireland: Terry Venables is the

by : Fred Tarow If the people who compile the Oxford English Dictionary are in need of an accurate definition of mediocrity then they should look no further than the list of candidates for the vacant Irish manager's post. Names like George Burley, Frank Stapleton, Steve Staunton, Roy Keane, Niall Q...

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2404: Ireland: Who could manage?

by : Stephen Orford The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) begins its search for a new national team manager today (Wednesday) after taking the decision not to renew the contract of Brian Kerr. Kerr’s 33-month reign comes to an end after the Republic failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup fin...

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2398: Ireland: Martin O’Neill is the

by : Chris Sherrard The glorious green of Ireland will not be on show at the World Cup in Germany this summer. The tournament will be weakened by that fact. But more so off the pitch than on it. Ireland stuttered their way through this current qualifying group but the stark fact is they failed to...

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2376: World Cup 2006: Win or bust fo

by : Hugh Larkin In a World Cup qualifying group where draws have been the order of the day the Republic of Ireland have to win their final game against Switzerland to have any chance of a trip to Germany next year. There is a scenario that could see Brian Kerr’s squad as group winners but more lik...

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