Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Steve Coppell and Quotas of English Players in the Premiership

By Tom Dunmore • Nov 13th, 2007 • Category: Uncategorized

Steve Coppell said today that “We must protect our identity by having a limited number of English players [in the Premier League].” Steve, my friend, there already is a very limited number! Of course, he means minimum quota. Steve’s a smart man yet I can’t argue with Gramsci’s Kingdom when he brutally points out [...]



Toronto FC and the New York Red Bulls, Contrasting Tales

By Tom Dunmore • Nov 13th, 2007 • Category: Uncategorized

Deeply contrasting MLS news: another delay for the opening of Red Bull Park in New Jersey; whilst Toronto FC have already sold-out their self-imposed 16,000 season ticket limit. At this rate, the latter will have built themselves a new and bigger stadium by the time NY open theirs.



Will South Africa Be Ready for World Cup 2010?

By Tom Dunmore • Nov 13th, 2007 • Category: Uncategorized

Yesterday saw reports about delays in South Africa’s stadium preparation for 2010, but the Road to 2010 World Cup blog wonders if there isn’t a touch of unfair European skepticism about African capabilities behind the pessimism. What do you think? And would the U.S. be the right choice to step in if needed?



Steven Wells, Dave Zirin and the Politics of Sportswriting

By Tom Dunmore • Nov 12th, 2007 • Category: Uncategorized

Steven Wells’ latest rant fires his usual unhinged potshots at the mainstream sports press on both sides of the Atlantic. I mention it because he discusses the American left-wing sportswriter Dave Zirin prominently, which reminded me of this interesting piece which describes his discovery of soccer in Chile.



Seattle MLS Website Available

By Tom Dunmore • Nov 12th, 2007 • Category: Uncategorized

Seattle will be MLS’ 15th team in 2009, and they already have a snazzy website up. It’s pretty smooth compared to the regular horrific MLS team sites, and you can already reserve a season ticket. Even the FAQ is available in 12 languages, including Afrikaans (?!). Update: the announcement that Drew Carey is involved is [...]



American Tom Hicks to Buy Roma?

By Tom Dunmore • Nov 12th, 2007 • Category: Uncategorized

Well, it’s all Italy all the time here. But this is a weird one. Why — given UEFA regulations prohibit an individual owning a majority shareholding in two competing clubs and that Roma and Liverpool regularly both play in the Champions League — did speculation about Liverpool’s Tom Hicks buying Roma lead to a [...]



More on the Aftermath of Gabriele Sandri’s Death and the Riots in Italy

By Tom Dunmore • Nov 12th, 2007 • Category: Uncategorized

Unfortunately I don’t have the time (or the knowledge) to construct a thoughtful post on the aftermath of yesterday’s terrible events in Italy this morning. But I can again urge you to read the commentary from two people on the ground there: see ursus’ latest comment today on our post regarding what happened with the [...]



In Brief: Earthquakes Fans Angry at San Jose Paper

By Tom Dunmore • Nov 11th, 2007 • Category: Uncategorized

Uh oh. Local media support is key for MLS teams, but San Jose’s biggest paper is already badly misreporting on the Earthquakes. [Note: this is a new "in brief" feature I'm trying out for quick links]