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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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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Keane, Ferguson, Mackay or Souness: Who is football's No1 hard man?

These are the men that put the fear factor into football. The men that gave their opponents nightmares. Here we celebrate the top 10 tough-tackling hard men that we all hate to love. 1. Roy Keane Born and raised on a tough estate in Cork, Roy Maurice Keane is the undisputed king of hard men...

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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: Can England win Euro 2012?

Despite having won nothing since 1966 England always start major tournaments as one of the favourites. Their passionate fans are full of optimism, having been brainwashed by the Press that their players are world beaters, only for their hopes to be ripped apart as their flaws are exposed by tactical...

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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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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...

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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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Could these youngsters from Scandinavia be transfer targets for Premier League clubs?

Last time out I reported on the transfer speculation surrounding Ajaxs young Danish talent Christian Eriksen. While nothing has yet happened regarding a move by Manchester United, or any of the other mega-clubs supposedly watching him, we would do well to remember that he is still only 19 and des...

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Scandinavian Spotlight: Small countires with big ambitions - just don't tell Fulham

With the Danish Season now into its winter shutdown this weeks Europa League ties were the last on-field action for a while with Odense involved in Wednesday nights most dramatic match. Fulham were leading 2-1 and the game was in time added on when the hosts spurned a good chance to put things out ...

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Scandinavian Spotlight: FC Copenhagen Remain Top as Attendances on the Rise

The Superliga race in Denmark continued last weekend, albeit largely uneventfully. FC Copenhagen remain top of course, but the chasing pack missed a chance to cut the gap further when the leaders played out a dull goalless draw with Aarhus, who drop to fifth level on points with Horsens who were 2-...

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Scandinavian Spotlight: Europa League Places Decided and Tough Euro 2012 Draws

The last weekend of the season in Norway wasnt short of drama last Sunday as the final league positions were decided. As reported last week Rosenborg had slipped to fifth and were all but out of contention for a Europa League spot, relying on other results to go their way. Sure enough their record ...

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Scandinavian Spotlight: Final Weekend in Norway, FCK lose Derby and Transfer Talk

The final round of games in Norway takes place on Sunday with only Europa League places still to be decided. Last weekends big game between Tromsø and Rosenborg saw Norways most successful team of the last 20 years slump to a 3-1 defeat. Rosenborg have now conceded nine goals in their last two game...

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Scandinavian Spotlight: Denmark the only International Winners, Zlatan and Back to Domestic Tussles

Sweden and Denmark, having already qualified for Euro 2012, were involved in friendly action against each other last Friday, with hosts Denmark running out 2-0 winners over a lacklustre Sweden. Although the game was essentially meaningless both sides fielded strong teams with seven of Swedens star...

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Scandinavian Spotlight: Three Times the Fun for Helsingborgs, Aalesund put out the Fire and International Derbies

Swedens season ended last Saturday when Helsingborgs overcame Kalmar to complete the treble. Having won the Swedish Super Cup defeating Malmø 2-1 in the seasons curtain-raiser, then sealed their seventh league title back in September they became the first side to complete a clean sweep of domestic ...

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Scandinavian Spotlight: Molde Finally Clinch the Norwegian Title, Cup Finals Loom and Europa League Failure

Congratulations to Mr Solskjær and his boys. Molde FK are the new, and first time, champions of Norway. Despite being pegged back in the last minute of their Sunday game against Strømsgodset for a 2-2 draw the point was enough to spark scenes of wild celebration among their fans and players alike....

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Scandinavain spotlight: Elfsborg clinch third as FC Copenhagen suffer alarming slump

Last weekend was the last in this seasons league programme in Sweden. Helsingborg of course were confirmed as champions back on September 25 but the remaining issues of Europa League places and relegation were settled. Elfsborg secured third place behind AIK after a comfortable win 3-0 at home ove...

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What's next for the loveable Sven-Goran Eriksson?

It was only the other week that I was discussing the best football songs with a few friends. The best, apparently, was Baddiel and Skinner’s effort way back in the late nineties; ‘three lions on the shirt’ as I recall. The worst, not surprisingly which we all agreed on, was Ant and Dec’s rather ...

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Scandinavian Spotlight: Euro finals berth for Sweden and Denmark but a poor night in Europa League

Now that the international break is behind us we know the identity of all but four of the finals line-up. From the Scandinavian viewpoint most satisfying was the fact that the Danes and Swedes both managed to avoid the dreaded play-offs. Both completed fantastic victories over higher rated and more ...

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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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Scandinavian spotlight: Molde Champions Elect, Relegation Looms, Euro Delight and Despair

Despite this weekends international break last week saw a few important happenings, not least in Norway where the top two clashed, and relegation tussles in both Sweden and Norway. A win for Molde a week on Sunday at home to Odd Grenland will secure their first ever title. The champions-elect knock...

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Scandinavian spotlight: Helsingborgs Secure Swedish Title, Slip-ups and World Records in Norway

Party time! That was the order of the day when Helsingborgs returned to their Olympia Stadium on Sunday night after securing their seventh Swedish championship. Following a 3-1 victory away to GAIS the players and officials erupted in celebration on their coach journey back home as local rivals and...

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Scandinavian spotlight: Can Centenary Boys Molde Hold Onto the Dream?

As the season heads towards its climax in Norway and Sweden the destinations of the respective titles become more apparent. The situation in Denmark looks increasingly like becoming a one-horse race which makes the SPL appear super-competitive! Helsingborgs are nearly there in Sweden despite a setb...

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Scandinavian spotlight: Titles Beckon in Norway and Sweden, Euro Joy for Danes

With the international break over it was back to domestic affairs last weekend and the first of the proper European ties this midweek. With mixed results in qualifying for the group stages of the European competitions all eyes were on the races for the championships in Sweden and Norway last weekend...

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Scandinavian spotlight: Happy days for the Danes, not so for Norway

As the dust settles on another international break some in the Scandinavian football fraternity have more reason to be satisfied than others. The Danes will be very happy, Sweden reasonably so and Norway very disappointed. As mentioned last week the Danes had the first matchday off and could afford...

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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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Scandinavian spotlight: Can Norway see off their main rivals?

While most eyes have been fixed firmly on the transfer comings and goings over the past few days as the window came to a close on Wednesday night its back to international action over the coming days. Here in Norway, land of the seemingly unending rain, football is gearing up for some international...

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Scandinavian spotlight: How Do The Small Clubs Survive?

Having spent the past two midweeks watching the exploits of the various Scandinavian clubs in European competition with the likes of FC Copenhagen jetting off to the Czech Republic for a Champions League qualifier against Viktoria Plzen, and Malmø and Odense also involved, it got me thinking about t...

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Europe: It's all hotting up in the north

Although the Danish season runs through the winter and only five games have been played so far we are rapidly approaching the pointy end of the season in Norway and Sweden. The identities of contenders for titles and relegation are becoming clearer and the cup competitions are now down to the semi-f...

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Scandinavian spotlight: Transfer Window Hits Summer Football Hard

Once again the transfer window is in full swing and the rumours seem to get more outrageous by the day. For many football fans around the world this can be a time of excitement and many a pub boss is grateful for the prolonged discussions in bars the world over as fans discuss the merits or otherwis...

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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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Prediction: Spain to be squeezed out of Group D

Group D is a mismash of teams from the peripheries of the continent, Russia from the east, Greece in the south, Spain in the west and Sweden in the north; and each will take a distinctive style into the tournament. Spain will be attacking and reliant on abrasive defenders to secure wins; Russia wil...

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What We Really Think About Euro 2008

We've written our previews, told you all about the teams and tried to put as much information out there as possible. But what are the real views of the Squarefootball team? Read on to find out. Paul Grech WinnersThe injury to Fabio Cannavaro will hurt them but I still think that Italy will win it....

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Euro 2008 Preview: Sweden

“The obvious aim is to get out of the groups…after that everyone is allowed to dream.” Lars Lagerback’s words betray his realization of Sweden’s limitations but also the eternal hope that no one can kill of in football. If Greece and Denmark can win the European Championships, why not Sweden? Well,...

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3276: World Cup History; Sweden

by : Stephen Orford One final appearance and three more top four finishes represent an impressive World Cup record for Sweden. The land of Sven Goran Eriksson’s birth first participated in the 1934 tournament in Italy, where after beating Argentina 3-2 in the opening round, they went on to lose 2-...

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3212: World Cup Group B Preview: Swe

by : Chris Sherrard World Cup history It might have been all so different if the world hadn’t heard of Pele. The Swedes were strolling in the 1958 World Cup Final on home soil only for the 17-year-old to make his mark as Brazil came back to win 5-2 and be crowned World Champions. That came four ...

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