The Premier League is home to some of the best football stadia in the world. Manchester United’s ground Old Trafford has the biggest capacity, while the likes of Anfield (the home of Liverpool) and White Hart Lane (the home of Tottenham) can claim to have the best atmosphere, but the Emirates Stadium has been voted the best away ground to visit in Britain.
Arsenal’s move away from Highbury was a tough one for the Gunners to make, but the Emirates Stadium is now firmly their home. The 60,000 plus capacity stadium has already experienced some great nights, with the 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League earlier this year one that springs to mind, while Arsenal fans will be hoping Arsene Wenger has some silverware to parade there very soon.
The Emirates Stadium has been built to a very high standard and gives a great viewing experience for fans, while also bringing in plenty of revenue for Arsenal Football Club. Does it boast the atmosphere of one of Britain’s traditional stadiums though and is the Emirates Stadium the best away ground to visit? Let us know what you think…
To see the rest of the results from the Football Fans Survey 2011, brought to you by ZOO Magazine and FootballFanCast.com, click here
Celtic have completed their sixth signing of the summer after landing striker Gary Hooper from Scunthorpe United.
The 22-year-old frontman will join up with his new team-mates ahead of Wednesday's Champions League qualifier against Braga in Portugal.
Hooper scored 43 goals in 80 league appearances for the Iron and had been interesting a host of Championship clubs.
"I don't know about playing but he will be in the squad," explained manager Neil Lennon ahead of the flight to Portugal.
"I was pleased to get him. He has been on our radar for quite a while.
"I think we have a good player on our hands, his record is very good.
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"It's not just goals, he can play a little bit as well and there were a lot of clubs after his signature."
Efrain Juarez, Charlie Mulgrew, Cha Du-Ri, Joe Ledley and Daryl Murphy have all joined the Hoops during a summer of rebuilding at Parkhead.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
The European Court of Justice have stated that fans are legally allowed to watch English football through a foreign satellite feed, despite complaints from the Premier League that it is an infringement on their rights.
Portsmouth landlady Karen Murphy was fined £8,000 for using a Greek decoder to show games in her pub, but after a ruling by the ECJ has been proved to be within her rights to do so.
Sky Sports and ESPN are the rights holders within the United Kingdom, but are currently not allowed to show Saturday 3pm games as part of their programming.
The new ruling will mean that fans will be able to see Saturday afternoon fixtures through the use of foreign satellite feeds, which was previously illegal.
The Premier League sees this as a detriment to the game, as it may encourage supporters to watch the game on the television rather than attend in person at the stadium.
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Stoke City host West Ham, and Manchester City welcome Reading in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.Stoke, unbeaten at their Britannia Stadium home in 2011, fell 3-0 to their Sunday opponents at Upton Park in the English Premier League on Saturday, giving Avram Grant’s side the upper hand heading into the Cup clash.Midfielder Glenn Whelan said the Potters will look to maximise on their home advantage.”We’re on our home patch, that’s where we’re solid and hopefully that’s what we’ll be on Sunday,” the 27-year-old told the BBC. “If we can get right at them in the first five or 10 minutes, I’m sure the crowd will be right behind us.” Stoke are aiming for their first appearance in the Cup semi-finals since 1972, and their maiden final spot, while three-time winners West Ham are still in the running to emulate their most recent final appearance in 2006.Reading may be without Cup hero and captain Matt Mills, who scored to help the Championship club past Everton and book them a date with City at Eastlands, after the 24-year-old picked up a groin injury in their 3-1 league win over Ipswich Town on Saturday.City’s all-star squad have hardly cruised through their Cup campaign thus far, requiring replays to surpass the lowly Notts County and Leicester City.Edin Dzeko has scored for the Blues in both of his two Cup appearances under Roberto Mancini, while fellow striker Carlos Tevez can continue an impressive season, with the Argentine on 18 league goals, and has scored four in as many Cup clashes.The Cup shapes as Mancini’s best chance to end the club’s 35-year trophy drought.
England midfielder Gareth Barry has backed under-fire striker Wayne Rooney to rediscover his best form at the World Cup.
Rooney has been widely criticised for venting his anger at England supporters following the boos which greeted Friday's goalless draw with Algeria in Cape Town.
The Manchester United striker has been a peripheral figure in the two draws – against the United States and Algeria – which have left the Three Lions fighting for their Group C lives ahead of a must-win game against Slovenia on Wednesday.
But despite appearing off-colour at the Green Point Stadium on Friday evening, Barry has backed Rooney to bounce back starting with England's final game in Port Elizabeth next week.
"We know we need Wayne," he said. "Wayne, at any time, can produce something magic."
Speaking about the disappointing performance against Algeria, the Manchester City midfielder explained:"It is disappointing. Obviously, it was a big game for us today and we wanted to take three points.
"Our performance was probably a little bit flat, not attacking enough, but we're still in it.
"There were not really too many clear-cut chances. For England, that's the least we expect. We make the chances, like we did against the US.
"We didn't win the match, but we came out knowing we probably should have.
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"We have to be confident. We spoke about it in the dressing room. We're going to stick together in the next few days.
"Everyone knows we'll do enough to get through."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Brazilian starlet Lucas Moura has played down a potential move to either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur.
Moura, who currently plays in his homeland with Sao Paulo, says that he wants to concentrate on winning titles in Brazil before moving on to a big European club.
“I’m very happy that big European clubs are interested in me, as it shows I’ve been doing my job well,” said Moura, 19, who has been linked to both Liverpool and Tottenham in recent months.
He added: “But I’m still very young and I’ve got a lot to learn.
“Right now, my mind is fully focused on Sao Paulo. I want to win titles here, write my page in the club’s history and only then will I think about a move abroad.”
Moura has won 10 caps for Brazil so far and is gradually establishing himself as a regular in the squad.
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Article courtesy of Matt Wood from the excellent Clean Sheets All Round
Shane Smeltz’s double spurred Gold Coast United on to a dramatic 3-2 elimination final win over Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium.Sunday’s win ensures the Gold Coast have now set up a meeting with Central Coast Mariners for a chance to play Brisbane Roar in the A-League grand final.The visitors took the lead at in the first half before coming from behind in the second after the Reds had gone in front with goals from Sergio van Dijk and Matthew Leckie. Smeltz almost opened the scoring midway through the first half when Reds defender Dario Bodrusic failed to clear a long ball out of defence.The Croatian was unable to get his foot to the clearance and Smeltz ran onto the pass before strolling past Bodrusic and firing low from inside the box in search of the bottom corner.While Reds goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic was equal to the task then, he could do little about the New Zealand international’s next effort.On 38 minutes, the Gold Coast striker received the ball with his back to goal, turned, took a touch and lost his defender before blasting a 30m shot past the out-stretched Galekovic.Slory was replaced five minutes before the break after picking up an injury in a challenge and Matthew Leckie came on and made an immediate impact with his explosive pace.The Young Socceroo – destined for Germany having signed a deal at Borussia Moenchengladbach – helped set up van Dijk in the dying stages of the half but his shot flashed past the post.GCU could have doubled their advantage just after half time when Dino Djulbic got his head to the ball from a set piece, but the defender’s header bounced off the post and Galekovic was forced to slap the ball away from danger. The Reds grabbed an equaliser from the penalty spot in the 54th minute when van Dijk was fouled in the box by Bas van den Brink after a Cassio corner.Van Dijk stepped up and converted the spot kick, with Adelaide taking the lead 10 minutes later when Leckie pounced on the rebound after Moss had saved Cassio’s shot.A minute later, the visitors scored a dramatic equaliser when former Adelaide striker Bruce Djite headed into an empty net.Smeltz got on the end of the cross and his close-range header was saved by Galekovic but only into the path of Djite, who did not miss with the goal at his mercy.And with 10 minutes remaining, GCU stole a dramatic third goal when substitute Joel Porter was brought down in the area by Nigel Boogaard.Smeltz had to take his spot kick twice after an infringement on the edge of the area, but it mattered little as he secured the victory for Gold Coast.
The 2010 World Cup in South Africa is fast approaching and the anticipation for millions of football fans around the world is almost unbearable. In less than a week the first game will get under away to signal the start of a month of the highest quality football, with world stars such as Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney all taking centre stage. The greatest tournament of the greatest game in the world will see major footballing nations such as Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Spain and England battling it out for the 2010 World Cup trophy on the field.
Off the field the battle is well and truly on to take the accolade of being the best 2010 World Cup viral video. Just like the World Cup itself there is some stiff competition for this award, with dozens of football videos being released ahead of the tournament. Big names such as former Liverpool and England midfielder John Barnes, England manager at Euro ’96 Terry Venables and former Tottenham, Chelsea and England goal machine Jimmy Greaves are all appearing in some of the best football viral videos out there at the moment. We have chosen the best 7 just for your viewing pleasure:
Sure Men – predicting who will win each match at the 2010 World Cup is a difficult task, let alone which country will get their hands on the trophy, so to make it easier a last eight sweepstake has been created. Taking inspiration from the iconic Honda advert, here’s an incredible football sweepstake machine:
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Mars – The 1990 England World Cup song World in Motion remains the best English football song to this day, largely in part to the amazing John Barnes rap. Here’s Barnes recreating his iconic rap and putting other England football songs to shame. Sing along to a decent football song for a change:
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Freeview – Meet the Tiny Streaker! Every tournament is graced by the presence of a streaker somewhere along the way and here’s the smallest one in the world, who is looking forward to the 2010 World Cup as like the world’s best footballers its his chance to shine on the big stage. He has a magnificent beard too:
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The Sun – The 02 in London is used to some amazing singers and pop stars. The great and the good of the modern music scene have performed there and now there’s someone else to add to the list. Former England manager Terry Venables, but he went one better and performed on the roof:
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Ringtagz – Fed up of having the same old boring ringtone on your mobile? Why not make your caller’s day and get a ringtone that celebrates the World Cup instead? In this strange video, here are some puppet socks showing how you and your mates can get behind England this summer:
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Burger King – One of the hottest tickets in the world is for the 2010 World Cup final on the 11th of July in South Africa, but the next best thing is getting to watch the game on the big screen with an England legend. Enter the one and only Jimmy Greaves and a burger:
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Adidas – The 2010 World Cup will show just how far football has progressed in recent years. Players such as Lionel Messi and David Villa are taking the game to a new level, in part thanks to the help of some ridiculously light football boots. Look out for France legend Zinedine Zidane in this video:
Some hilarious 2010 World Cup viral videos I’m sure you’ll agree. I’m not sure about Venables’ singing, probably best to keep that to himself in the shower, but the Tiny Streaker and his incredible beard put on a good show, whilst the sweepstake machine football video is awesome, especially considering as they shot it in one take! What’s your favourite?
Most football fans spend the off-season tracking, at least loosely, the transfer dealings of their favourite team. There’s always one player – a Wesley Sneijder, or a Sergio Aguero – whose situation takes the entire two months to resolve, and who eats up a large portion of your summer with endless column inches and rumour bulletins dedicated to them. But at the same time as we get excited about who’s coming in, there’s often a player many fans want to see going the other way.
It may be for any one of a wide variety of reasons. Perhaps the player is, despite several years of good service to your club, no longer capable of contributing to the first team. Perhaps he’s a foreign import who hasn’t gelled with the squad, or adapted to English football; or perhaps the manager gambled on a signing who has turned out to be a dud. Whatever the reason, you want them out.
In the gallery below, FFC brings you a collection of the ten players in the Premier League right now who have most outstayed their welcome. Time be moving on, fellas.
Click on Wayne Bridge below to see the top 10
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A late equaliser from Giuseppe Rossi denied Germany their first win over Italy in 16 years on Wednesday, with the sides drawing 1-1 in Dortmund.
At Signal Iduna Park, where the Italians inflicted a heartbreaking 2-0 defeat on the Germans in the semi-final of the 2006 World Cup, the Azzurri once again broke German hearts after Miroslav Klose’s 16th minute goal was cancelled out by Rossi’s intervention nine minutes from time.
The hosts were the first to find their feet, with Klose capitalising on some nice build up play from Mesut Oezil and Thomas Mueller to open the scoring with a shot past Gianluigi Buffon in the Italian goal.
Klose could have scored a second moments later when another Oezil pass put him through on goal, but this time Buffon made a crucial save.
Italy were sparked into life when Daniele de Rossi forced a good save from German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with a well-hit volley.
The visitors could have been awarded a penalty after Per Mertesacker appeared to foul AC Milan striker Antonio Cassano, but the referee allowed play to go on.
The Italians almost found themselves level when substitute Marco Borriello had his effort saved by Neuer, and another new addition, Alberto Aquilani, went close with a long-range effort that flashed wide of the post.
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Just as it appeared as though the German’s would finally break their Italian hoodoo, substitute Rossi bobbed up to turn beyond Mertesacker and slot a shot past Neuer.
Germany surged forward in search of a winner, but their efforts were denied as Buffon saved a late Sami Khedira strike to ensure a share of the spoils.