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Sports & Recreation > Sports Celebrities Can Beckham save Major League Soccer?: 4 of 29
Perhaps the question should be, can Major League Soccer be saved from David Beckham?Yes, he is talented. Yes, he is English. Yes, his wife will probably add yet more millions to the burgeoning coffers of the LA boutiques. And yes, he might name his next child Angeles or something equally adroit. But is he what America needs?I... More..
Sports & Recreation > Soccer Fundamentals What makes a good soccer goalie: 4 of 28
Argh! Gah! Splut! Please! No more American sporting colloquialisms!A good 'goalkeeper' must have 7 important attributes, amongst others:1) Agility. Not always the first thing one looks for, but a certain maneuverability is essential - think about David Seaman's two most embarrassing moments - when dealing with a ball that is ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Soccer Why soccer is not so popular in the US as elsewhere: 14 of 50
Capitalism.America needs stats. Stats mean spread betting. Spread betting means more taxable gamblers. More tax means they can build more casinos. More casinos... well you get the picture. Soccer (the shortened form of 'Association Football' don't you know) doesn't lend itself to the plethora of statistics that American Footb... More..
Sports & Recreation > Sports Celebrities Is Owen the new Beckham?: 1 of 2
I cannot seriously believe someone would have started a discussion on this topic. It beggars belief that some fool would decide that because Owen followed Beckham to Madrid, he is in some way emulating him! If this were the case, surely Beckham would be the new McManaman! And the players themselves could not be more different... More..
Arts & Humanities > Horror, Mystery & Suspense Book reviews: Agent Zigzag, by Ben MacIntyre: 1 of 1
Agent Zigzag by Ben MacIntyreWith the release of sensitive documents under the Freedom of Information Act, it is always likely that under some stone or other will be found some extraordinary creature from the past. After being granted unprecedented access to previously classified information, Ben MacIntyre has unearthed possi... More..
Arts & Humanities > American Literature Book reviews: The Yiddish Policemen's Union, by Michael Chabon: 1 of 1
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael ChabonWith the Americans about to renege on their deal with the Jewish people, and the land of the Yiddish-speaking Federal District of Sitka about to revert to being American once again, the discovery of the body of a heroin-wrecked chess prodigy in a no-star fleapit hotel inhabited b... More..
Sports & Recreation > Hunting Was the British government right to ban fox-hunting?: 5 of 9
Is chasing a fox around the countryside only to have it ripped to shreds by a pack of dogs whose only existence is owed to breeding for the express purpose of ripping an animal to shreds the best and most effective way to cull a predatory pest?IS IT HELL!Those townie toffs who don jodhpurs and sip from silver hip flasks are i... More..
Sports & Recreation > English Soccer How to improve England's football team?: 19 of 32
It's a real problem, and it's one Sven didn't face, and that has been around since Sheringham and Scholes retired. It's guile. Rooney has some, Scholes had some, but we just don't have a Cristiano Ronaldo, an Aimar, a ridiculously talented and some would say cynical player to really put the gloss on what is otherwise a hardwo... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Football Are football players paid too much?: 85 of 117
I was going to ask whether we were talking about 'soccer' or American football, but as the difference in salaries is negligible these days, I'm not going to make the distinction.If we look at the world at large, there are many people who are paid more than even they could possibly justify. According to an urban legend, the th... More..
Sports & Recreation > English Soccer New investment at Liverpool FC: 7 of 9
There is much to be said on the subject of tradition in football (or soccer; whichever floats your boat) and the subsequent trend of foreign investment which is seen as diluting the Britishness of our favourite game. People stood aghast as Mr Abramovich sauntered down Fulham Road with Chelsea title deeds raised aloft in a cle... More..