Seventh tier Blyth Sparans embodied the much talked about Magic of the FA Cup by reaching the third round of the FA Cup to face second tier Birmingham and taking a 2-0 lead into halftime. Though that all unraveled when Birmingham scored three goals in six minutes to win 3-2, Blyth have still won over the world (they count Barack Obama and Luis Figo amongst their 11,000 Twitter followers) with their day jobs and quaint fines.
Tag: Dirty Tackle
Luis Suarez saves Neymar from Luis Suarez attack
Luis Suarez collided with Neymar during a Barcelona training session. As we know from past incidents, this type of thing can result in Suarez burrowing his teeth into the other person’s body, but this time Suarez saved Neymar by shoving him away before the temptation to bite overwhelmed him.
This is what progress looks like.
Arda Turan sings (terribly) on The Voice in Turkey
The winter break affords footballers the opportunity to do things away from the game for once. So Atletico Madrid’s Arda Turan went home to Turkey to try and make it as a singer (kind of) on The Voice.
For those unfamiliar with the show, the judges all start with their chairs turned away from the stage, then the contestant walks out and sings. If the judges like what they hear, they turn their chairs around to see the person singing and fill them with false hope that makes their inevitable failure to become the next Right Said Fred.
So when Turan came out, he was given a rousing ovation that piqued that judges interest. And even though his singing sounded like a labrador trying to cough up a cigarette factory, the judges still turned their chairs around just to see who the presumably special guest was.
From there, everyone had a bit of fun, but the lesson of the day is that Arda Turan probably isn’t going to leave Atletico to become the next Dion Dublin anytime soon.
If it continued… (Spurs v Chelsea)
Spurs gave Chelsea a surprise by coming back from 1-0 down to win 5-3 at White Hart Lane on the first day of the new year. A brace from 21-year-old Harry Kane made him the star as Jose Mourinho stewed in his own conspiracy theories and Chelsea’s defending failed them miserably. This made for a rowdy match and demands that we ask the all-important question: “What if it continued?”
10-year-old competition winner takes the FA Cup home for a night
Eating a sandwich in your kitchen beside one of the game’s most iconic trophies is something many children (and adults) fantasize about and one 10-year-old Derby County fan actually got to live that dream. Ryan O’Donnell won a competition put on by the FA and his prize was a tour of the Rams’ iPRO Stadium and a night with the FA Cup at his house.
So how did he spend his time with the cup? He ate next to it (of course), he watched TV with it, he played a board game against it, and he slept with it at his bedside (or he at least got in bed and stared at it with the lights on while a camera person filmed him).
Thankfully, Arsenal finally ended their trophy drought by winning the FA Cup last season so Arsene Wenger didn’t have to go through the indignity of entering this competition himself under a variety of pseudonyms and never giving it back if he won.
Here’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic dressed as a snow ninja
Zlatan Ibrahimovic took time out of his conquering of the Swedish mountain tops to wish his fans a happy new year with a photo of himself dressed as a snow ninja posted to his Instagram account.
“I wish you all a happy new year! Greetings from the Swedish mountains at it’s most beautiful. And at it’s coldest. #2015#happynewyear,” says Zlatan as he casually leans against a snow covered rock, presumably after kicking the mountain to demonstrate his dominance of it.
So, just know that Zlatan is out there, dressed in an all black snowsuit and showing the world’s mountains who’s boss (hint: It’s Zlatan).
This Premier League launch ad is an overdose of 1992
On the first day of 2015, the Sky Sports YouTube account took a throwback Thursday trip to 1992 by posting one of their Premier League launch ads from that year. Not only does it capture the moment top-flight football in England became an untamable beast with an unquenchable thirst for money, but it also depicts the false sense of innocence of a time gone by. And Gordon Strachan’s mullet.
Conspiracy Theory: Opposing teams actively trying to beat Chelsea
Thanks to Jose Mourinho’s bold commitment to exposing the truth, we have already established that ball boys are conspiring against Chelsea. And after last weekend’s controversy in which Cesc Fabregas was booked for diving when he should have been awarded a decisive penalty in Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at Southampton, he has now revealed that the club’s list of enemies extends far beyond a few snot-nosed kids with complete, unchecked control of the flow of balls onto the pitch.
Lionel Messi’s body is just a giant coloring book to his son
Leo Messi’s body is worth billions. Between its footballing talent and ability to sell a variety of products, it’s something that Barcelona, FIFA, dozens of corporations and millions of fans hold in the highest regard. But to his two-year-old son Thiago, Leo’s body is just a giant coloring book begging for purple scribbles.
Fernando Torres gets warm reception at Madrid airport, feels happiness once more
Fernando Torres’ brilliantly confusing career has come full circle with his return to Atletico Madrid on loan from Milan after completing a permanent move from Chelsea. With Liverpool fans feeling betrayed by him and Chelsea and Milan fans disillusioned by his lack of goals, Atletico supporters are perhaps the only ones left with unconditional love for Torres. And a large number of them made sure he felt welcome upon his arrival at Madrid’s Barajas Airport.