Along with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, Joe Cole’s addition to the Liverpool squad has meant that Roy Hodgson has assembled a dynamic attacking trio that has the makings of being one of the most deadly combinations in the Premier League. The question for Hodgson is how he will accommodate all three in the team when Cole and Gerrard are seemingly vying for one place.
Since joining Liverpool, Cole has expressed a desire to play for the Reds in his preferred position in the hole behind the striker. Cole got his wish when Hodgson chose to select the ex-Chelsea man in his favoured position in Sunday’s pre-season friendly defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach with Steven Gerrard being used in a deeper role along side Cole’s fellow new signing Jonjo Shelvey.
The attacking midfield role is something that is familiar to Cole as he started his career at West Ham playing the very position he wants to fulfil at Liverpool. Cole’s more familiar role as a wide player came as a result of necessity rather than choice as both Chelsea and England utilised Cole in the wide left role which has been a problem position for club and country.
Ever since he was a teenager, Cole has displayed the attributes necessary to succeed in the position. He brings huge technical ability along with the guile, vision and flair to a position where such skills are hugely valued.
While Cole has expressed a wish to play in the attacking midfield spot, the player that occupied that spot for most of last season under previous boss Rafa Benitez was fellow England international and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. However, with that being said, I don’t believe that playing behind the striker is Gerrard’s most effective position.
Gerrard started initially as a more defensive player in his formative years at the club and it is this defensive grounding (though not often seen) that has led me to believe that Gerrard’s best position is in the centre of midfield as a box-to-box midfielder rather than playing behind Torres.
Gerrard’s effectiveness for Liverpool has come from his ability to arrive late in the box to score goals. Playing in behind the striker would severely hamper the opportunities for Gerrard to make those late surges into the opponent’s box for which he has become famous for.
Where Gerrard and Cole will ultimately line up for Liverpool is down to the formation that Hodgson chooses.
Given Torres’ class and the lack of another proven striker in the squad, Hodgson could choose to go for a 4-2-3-1 with Mascherano (if he stays) or Aquilani alongside Gerrard in centre midfield. Cole would occupy the attacking midfield spot; with Ryan Babel, Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt vying for two spots out wide.
More likely is that Hodgson will choose to play Cole in his unfavoured left position as part of a 4-4-2 which would allow him to play new signing Milan Jovanovic, Ryan Babel or possibly David N’Gog or Daniel Pacheco alongside Torres while still accommodating Gerrard and Cole in the same team.
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
Arsene Wenger’s recent comment that attacking full backs win games highlights the rise and rise of the position. Players like Djalma Santos and Nilton Santos in the Brazil team in the late 1950s and later Roberto Carlos and Cafu set the trend for the multi tasking defender and it is a position that has been built upon greatly. Take the top English teams for example: Man Utd have Rafael and Evra, Man City have Richards and Clichy, Chelsea have Cole and Bosingwa, Arsenal have Santos and Sagna, Tottenham have Walker and Assou-Ekotto and Liverpool have Johnson and Enrique. How many of those players’ defensive abilities would have warranted them a place in the famous Arsenal back four of the nineties, or Liverpool’s defence in the eighties? Perhaps Evra, Cole and Sagna but the rest have sacrificed defensive solidity for attacking prowess. That is not to say they are not good players, far from it: they are all good players, but the style of their play is indicative of what is now expected from full backs. If Wenger was looking for a defender whose main asset was his defending then he would not have bought Andre Santos; however that does not detract from his usefulness – he has already scored against Chelsea in the league and Olympiakos in the Champions League.
Integral
The rise of full backs has coincided with their role as a tactical necessity for many teams in world football. Take Dani Alves for example. The right back spends more time in the opposition half than he does in his own. Why? Because every time Barcelona line up against a team that isn’t a real threat (so most of the time) the opposition half will play the game with ten men behind the ball. Subsequently the need for extra men to break down the opposition defence for Barcelona requires players like Abidal and Alves to get forward. Not even Barcelona can break down opposition defences all the time Alves plays a crucial part in making sure that it happens more often than not. The same can be said for Marcelo at Real Madrid, or Maicon at Inter or Phillip Lahm at Bayern Munich. In fact how many young brilliant full backs coming through academies do you hear of these days that do not have the extra weapon of going forward as one of their attributes? It has become a necessity.
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Formation
With a change in formation the role of the full backs has also become more important. With more and more teams playing 4-3-3 than ever before the full backs are required to come forward to fill the gaps where the wide midfielders of a 4-4-2 would otherwise have been. This is most noticeable at teams like Arsenal and Barcelona. Obviously Arsenal utilised attacking defenders even when they played 4-4-2 but since they switched to their current formation the full backs have become more and more attacking. Without their full backs advancing up the pitch teams who play a 4-3-3 risk being dominated in the midfield due to their play being too narrow
Centre-backs
A need for an attacking element to your game is not just confined to the full backs either. More and more we are seeing centre backs who not only posses better technique but who also enjoy marauding into the opposition half. Recent arrivals in the Premier League such as Vermaelen, David Luiz, Sebastian Coates and Christopher Samba are all demonstrative of this. In other leagues to Pique, Pepe, Thiago Silva, Vertonghen and others all represent a new era of defenders, defenders from which managers demand an extra gear to their game.
Football is like any other aspect of life in that there will always be a form of evolution changing and driving on our sport. It is only natural for not only managers;’ tactics but also the roles of all positions to become more complete. Just in the same way that wingers must defend and strikers must be involved in build up play then defenders must attack. Isolated cases throughout history suggest that this is far from a totally new phenomenon but what is new is the frequency and importance of such players. You will never again see a team like Arsenal with the back four they had in Wenger’s first couple of years just in the same way that you won’t see Liverpool like that either. Some will consider that a shame but whilst it may not be working out perfectly for either of them at the moment any evolution has teething problems. The future for full backs is bright, and it contains a lot more than their used to too.
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A subject that is bound to cause debate but one that should not be easily dismissed, with the FA Cup losing its prestige over the last two decades should the winners receive a place in the following season’s UEFA Champions League? Of course it would mean that finishing 4th in the Premier League would equal qualification into the Europa League instead, thus shifting more importance on the famous domestic cup as a competition.
In 2008 UEFA President, Michel Platini started the debate that winners of the main domestic cup tournaments across Europe should qualify for the Champions League, but the idea was quickly rejected. Since then, Platini has focused on seeing league champions from smaller countries enter the tournament. He feels that the winners of the domestic cup competitions are champions in their own right and it would be fitting for them enter the main European tournament.
However, there is a long list of pro’s and con’s to this idea. Since the formation and rebranding of the Premier League in 1992 and also the Champions League competition from the old knock-out style cup competition, the FA Cup has suffered as a result. Where two decades ago, winning the FA Cup was viewed as a major trophy, today it’s seen as more of a nuisance to managers who are either trying to save their club from Premier League relegation or aiming to finish in the top four.
Whilst we’ve not seen the treatment of fielding reserve teams for FA Cup games, like the League Cup, managers, players and fans would be more in favour of qualifying for the Champions League than winning the FA Cup. Especially with the money involved for clubs participating in what is now, the most prestigious tournament in world football.
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But Platini’s idea for expanding the access for the tournament, could see it lose the prestige it holds. After all, the origin of the European Cup was for the best teams from each country to compete against each other to determine who the kings of Europe are. There are positives to expanding the access of the tournament as it helps the clubs from smaller nations to progress financially and on the pitch.
The pro’s for the FA Cup winners achieving Champions League qualification would see a more competitive tournament with teams who would usually compete for the 4th place position in the EPL putting their emphasis on winning the FA Cup. Plus, other teams in mid-table would see the cup as an excellent opportunity to break into the Champions League, without spending years on progressing in the league.
On the flip side, the Premier League may lose out in terms of quality. Since the 4th place Champions League place has been available we’ve seen competition for places down to the last games of the season, without this, teams outside the top 3 would only have Europa League places to compete for, thus making the idea a lesser of two evils.
Alternatively, a better system for this to work would be for a play-off tie between the team who finishes in 4th place in the EPL and the FA Cup winners at the end of the season. This would also put people’s fears of the possibility of a lower league team winning the competition, where not only would they have to win the FA Cup, they’d have to defeat the 4th best team in the Premier League, thus increasing the odds against.
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Personally I can only see the play-off system working. Without it, you would be taking competition from the league into the FA Cup, whilst the play-off system would see both competitions be equally cut-throat. There is also the argument that finishing 4th is much harder to accomplish than winning a cup competition, although if Platini pushes harder for it to happen across Europe it will be something for us to consider realistically rather than hypothetically.
Carlo Ancelotti described Chelsea's opening-day 6-0 rout of West Bromwich Albion as "nothing special".
The reigning Premier League champions sounded an ominous warning after they started their 2010/11 campaign with a resounding victory over the newly-promoted Baggies.
Didier Drogba hammered in a hat-trick, Florent Malouda grabbed a brace and England midfielder Frank Lampard got in on the act at Stamford Bridge.
However, speaking at full-time, Ancelotti refused to be carried away despite the devastating display.
He said:"We did our job, nothing special.
"This team can show this kind of play, scoring a lot of goals. We had a difficult pre-season, but now everything has come back to be okay.
"We played a good game with a lot of goals and I am happy.
"We kept a high tempo, but West Brom were in the game until the second goal and then it was more easy because there was more space."
Meanwhile, Ancelotti has dismissed suggestions of dressing room unrest between the players and Roman Abramovich following the owner's recent decision to cut bonuses.
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"I have not spoken to the players about this, but I am not interested in it because it is a deal between the players and the owners," added the Italian.
"They did not speak with me about it and if I have to watch how they play, I would not say they are unhappy about it."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Everton winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov has admitted that he is eager to leave Goodison Park come January, as first-team opportunities are few and far between.
The wideman joined the Merseyside club from Lokomotiv Moscow two year ago for £9 million, but has been a fringe figure in David Moyes’ plans.
The Russia international has Euro 2012 in mind, and fears that if he continues to waste away in the doldrums at Goodison Park he will miss out on inclusion in Dick Advocaat’s squad next year.
The Eastern European had initially stated that he was willing to stay in England and fight for a starting berth at the Premier League club, but he now seems to have admitted defeat, and will look for a move when the transfer window re-opens.
“At my club I almost don’t play and therefore I’m of no interest to Dick Advocaat as a first-team player in the national team,” the 26-year-old told Mirror Football.
“I’m not satisfied with this and while there’s still time until Euro 2012, I have to change something,” he concluded.
Cash-strapped Everton may well be keen to cash in on Bilyaletdinov come the new year, as he seems surplus to requirements at Goodison.
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Tottenham booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after holding AC Milan to a goalless draw at White Hart Lane.Peter Crouch’s late goal at the San Siro in the first leg proved enough for the north London club to reach the last eight of the competition.After beating the holders Inter Milan earlier in the season, Harry Redknapp’s side made it another memorable night in north London by beating their arch rivals.Milan will count themselves unlucky to have lost the tie after creating the best chances in the second leg, but Tottenham showed all their fighting spirit to keep alive their chances of winning the Champions League in their first ever season in the competition.Milan were determined to force their way back into the game and came close to opening the scoring on 15 minutes when Zlatan Ibrahimovic saw his free-kick beaten away by Heurelho Gomes.Tottenham were still lucky to be on level terms on 25 minutes when Michael Dawson made a crucial mistake which resulted in Gomes racing out of his goal. Pato took the ball around the Tottenham keeper and crossed in for Robinho whose shot hit Benoit Assou-Ekotto and the ball was cleared off the line by William Gallas.Tottenham finally started to wake up and created their first major chance on the half hour mark when Rafael van der Vaart saw his free-kick go just over the bar.But Milan kept putting pressure on the Tottenham goal and Pato saw his fierce shot produce a fine save from Gomes.Tottenham were certainly living on the edge and must have thought it was going to be their night after Milan wasted another golden chance on 65 minutes.Pato’s pass picked out Robinho whose low shot produced another excellent save from Gomes. The rebound fell to the former Manchester City forward but he fired his shot wide of the post.Redknapp knew it was time for a change and brought on Gareth Bale to try to give his side a much needed boost.But it was Milan fans who thought the deadlock was finally broken on 77 minutes when Pato’s low drive from the edge of the box beat Gomes in the Tottenham goal, but his effort went into the side-netting, much to the relief of the home supporters.Pato again tested Gomes in th first minute of stoppage time with a stinging volley that went just over the crossbar, but Tottenham held on will now be eagerly awaiting the draw for the quarter-final stage of the competition as they look to reach the final at Wembley at the end of May.
When a team gets promoted from the Championship to the Premier League you’re always waiting for them to show their hand ahead of the upcoming season. Usually this comes in the form of some big-name purchases, but for West Bromwich Albion it has come with tying their star player last year to a long-term contract. Graham Dorrans was the key man in the Baggies’ promotion push last campaign and once again the Scotland international will be the first name on the team sheet for Roberto Di Matteo in the 2010/11 season. Could this be the best bit of business the Italian does all summer?
Dorrans won plenty of silverware last season on the back of his high-level of performances throughout. The Scot won the club’s Player of the Year award and the Professional Footballers’ Association fans’ Player of the Year accolade. His fine performances, in which he netted eighteen times for West Brom, also earned him three Scotland caps and the 23-year-old was catching the eye of clubs from around the country. West Ham were sniffing around and the Hammers reportedly made three concrete bids, the last of which was around £5 million. By turning these down surely West Brom have shown that they intend to put an end to the boing boing Baggies of recent years?
The midfielder has no doubt proved to be a bargain for West Brom, having cost them just £150,000 from Livingston in 2008. Comfortable on the ball, an eye for a defence splitting pass as well as goal, much will be expected of Dorrans in the same way that Blackpool will be looking to another Scot, Charlie Adam, to provide the creativity needed. The club should be congratulated for holding onto one of their most talented players, but now is not the time for West Brom to rest on their laurels and they need to use this deal as a springboard to attract other players to the club.
If West Brom are indeed serious about ending their relegation-promotion cycle then some high-quality additions will be needed. As always the key to staying up will be goals, but whether a loan move for Liverpool’s David N’Gog would be a great move I’m not too sure. One thing that will be of concern will be the amount of goals they shipped in the Championship, 48 in total, so no doubt defenders will be on Di Matteo’s radar as he looks to strengthen. Whatever players they bring in, it is essential that West Brom keep hold of their big names, and by securing the future of Graham Dorrans, they have done that and shown an important signal of intent for the upcoming campaign in what could be their best bit of business this summer.
Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer
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Arsenal have been the whipping boys within the press this week as the media do their level best to unsettle the Red side of North London. Arsene Wenger has remained defiant this week, although has suggested that the title maybe beyond them week.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Gunners blogs that include one aspect that is positive for Arsenal; Wenger faced a referee induced crisis, while a change could set Arsenal back further.
We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week
Arsenal simply in a referee induced crisis
Caption Competition: Tottenham and Arsenal relations sink lower
One bright aspect in a season of gloom for Arsenal
FIVE things Arsenal fans learned from the North London derby
Tottenham and Arsenal on transfer alert as contract talks stall
Atangana confirms Arsenal interest
Time at Arsenal for a re-distribution of income, wealth and talent
Will Arsenal star ever win over his critics?
Why change could set Arsenal back even further
Lost in translation at Arsenal?
Best of WEB
English hardman is the ideal replacement!! – Highbury House
Wojciech Szczesny lines up Barcelona but Jack’s happy to stay, for the moment anyway. – Le Grove
Something Is Missing And It’s Called Heart – Online Gooner
Captain’s Log: The Cross Of Changes – A Cultured Left Foot
Lyon midfielder tops Arsenal’s winter list – Gunnersphere
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Click on Miss Sanford below to see her in all her glory
Money generated through broadcasting is arguably the most important source of income for a club. It might not be significantly more than match-day or commercial for all clubs but it is the difference between the richest clubs from Europe and those English ones just below them.
The revenue generated by broadcasting is reliant on deals from domestic competitions and European competitions. It is no surprise that the sides who earn the highest broadcasting revenues all play in the Champions League.
The table below shows the total revenue that teams earned the most through broadcasting deals in 2010.
Team
Total Broadcasting Revenue (£m)
1
Barcelona
145.8
2
R.Madrid
129.9
3
AC Milan
115.5
4
Inter
112.9
5
Juventus
108.5
6
Man U
104.8
7
Arsenal
86.5
8
Chelsea
85.9
9
Liverpool
79.5
10
Bayern
68.3
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Looking at the table, you might be surprised. English teams that are considered as the ‘biggest’ in Europe languish at the bottom of the top ten, below their Spanish and Italian equivalents.
Manchester United may be one of the ‘biggest’ clubs in the world but it only generates the 6th highest broadcasting revenue, and generated £40.1m less than Barcelona in 2010 despite playing in the Champions League and coming runners-up the Premiership. This is because Spanish and Italian leagues allow clubs to organise their own private TV deals for domestic League games. The English and German leagues sell their TV rights collectively and split the money between clubs more equally.
While this arrangement exists, teams in England will never be able to compete with biggest Spanish and Italian clubs in terms of TV revenue. Juventus did not qualify for the Champions League this year, but still had a higher total revenue from broadcasting than Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea who have all played in the competition for the last two years.
****
In 2005, the gap in revenue from broadcasting between English and Spanish clubs was not severe, but in the last 3 years it has become massive.
2005
2007
2010
1
AC Milan
93.2
1
AC Milan
103.4
1
Barcelona
148.5
2
Juventus
84
2
R. Madrid
89.1
2
R. Madrid
129.9
3
Inter
69.7
3
Inter
86.2
3
AC Milan
115.5
4
R. Madrid
59.5
4
Barcelona
71.8
4
Juventus
108.5
5
Chelsea
55.4
5
Juventus
62.6*
5
Inter
112.9
6
Barcelona
53.4
6
Man U
61.5
6
Man U
104.8
7
Man U
48.8
7
Chelsea
59.6
7
Arsenal
86.5
8
Arsenal
48.6
8
Liverpool
55.2
8
Chelsea
85.9
9
Liverpool
51
9
Arsenal
44.3
9
Liverpool
79.5
*Juventus played in Serie B in 2006/07
[divider]
Since 2005, Real Madrid have increased their revenue by £70m and Barcelona by a staggering £95m. This is because private TV negotiations see these teams benefit from an upward spiral; the more successful they are on the pitch, the richer they become and so the more successful they are likely to be the next year. This is why Barcelona and Real Madrid now find themselves so much richer than any other side in Spain. One of Barcelona’s main attractions is their brand of football, one of Real Madrid’s is their ‘galacticos’, but both of these teams rely on their huge broadcasting revenue to help fund these attractions.
The same is true of England but to a lesser extent because the rewards for success are significantly less. In the last 5 years Manchester United have only increased their broadcasting revenue by £56m and Chelsea by £30m. These are considerable amounts of money, but insignificant in comparison to what Spanish clubs generate.
Since an English side will never receive more than a capped amount of money through broadcasting, its upper limit of revenue is reduced. If clubs in England were allowed to secure private TV deals, it would be interesting to see how much money they received and which team received the most.
Italian sides have not increased their revenue by the same extent as in Spain but that is because they already all had extremely profitable TV deals in place in 2005. In 2007, Juventus had a greater revenue from broadcasting than any side in England despite being in the Serie B. With this in mind you can see the predicament of English clubs.
Continue to the NEXT PAGE…
But the sharing of broadcasting money is, by no means, entirely negative for English football. While there may be no English clubs in the top 5; there are 8 in the top 20. This is a higher representation than any other League. In England the television rights are sold collectively and therefore divided in a more equal fashion. This means English clubs Aston Villa, Fulham and Manchester City who have not played Champions League football in 2010, feature in the top 20 ahead of clubs who have. The 7th richest side in England, due to broadcasting revenue (Tottenham), makes more than the 3rd most in Spain (Atletico Madrid).
For the year 2010, both the 08/09 league position and 09/10 have a contribution on broadcasting revenue as they dictate whether a side played European football in 2010. For example, a side like Bordeaux may have finished 6th last year, but it also played in the Champions League because of its success in 2008/09 domestic season.
Team
2010 Total Broadcasting Revenue (£m)
Position in domestic League 09/10
Position in domestic League 08/09
1
Barcelona
145.8
1
1
8
Premier League
2
Real Madrid
129.9
2
2
5
Serie A
3
AC Milan
115.5
3
3
3
La Liga
4
Inter
112.9
1
1
3
Ligue 1
5
Juventus
108.5
7
2
1
Bundesliga
6
Man U
104.8
2
1
7
Arsenal
86.5
3
4
8
Chelsea
85.9
1
3
9
Liverpool
79.5
7
2
10
Bayern
68.3
1
2
11
Lyon
64.2
2
3
12
Marseille
58.0
1
2
13
Fiorentina
57.1
11
4
14
Man City
54.0
5
10
15
Roma
53.7
2
6
16
Bordeaux
53.5
6
1
17
Aston Villa
52.1
6
6
18
Tottenham
51.5
4
8
19
Atletico
50.9
9
4
20
Fulham
50.9
12
7
[divider]
Interestingly enough, the German league also organise their television rights collectively. However they negotiate significantly less lucrative deals than in England, Italy or Spain. Deloitte’s indicate that this is because of the ‘lack of an established Pay-TV market in Germany’, rather than because of the way they distribute the money.
The Premier League on the other hand generates more money than any other League in Europe. The League is more marketable largely due to the competitive nature of the Premier League which results from strength in depth. The non-elite teams in England generate more income than their Italian and Spanish equivalents and therefore can spend more money on players and wages and produce better teams.
Last year in La Liga, Barcelona and Real Madrid collected 99 and 96 points respectively. They lost just 5 games between them. Valencia, who finished third, won only 71 points. There was a gap of 25 points between 2nd and 3rd, and 33 points between 4th placed Sevilla and 2nd.
In comparison, in the Premier League the champions (Chelsea) and runners-up (Manchester United) lost 13 games between them. A 24 point gap separated Manchester United and Everton, who finished 8th, while a 33 point gap existed between 2nd and 13th (Sunderland). This shows the difference in the two leagues. The non-elite teams in England are able to compete more closely with the top sides. Therefore the overall standard Premier League is higher.
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This strength in depth in England may initially begin due to the non-elite clubs receiving more TV money, but it also affects match-day revenue and this is reflected in the average attendances.
Below are the average attendances, per League game, of the European domestic leagues, excluding the three sides with the highest average attendance. In England this is Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle, In Spain; Barcelona, R. Madrid and Atletico Madrid, In Italy; AC Milan, Inter, Napoli, and in Germany; Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Schalke.
Competition
Average Attendance (excluding big 3)
Bundesliga
24,513
Premiership
20,494
Serie A
12,251
La Liga
11,928
[divider]
On average, a Premier League game sees almost double the amount of supporters than in Spain. So while the elite clubs in Spain and Italy prosper from individual broadcasting deals, the smaller clubs dwindle. The smaller clubs receive such minor broadcasting revenue that they cannot field sides that compete with the best and as a result people don’t want to go and watch them play, this is obviousl not the case in England or Germany.
The inequality of TV deals is not the only reason for a less competitive domestic League in Spain, but it has a major effect. Not only do the smaller clubs receive less money through TV deals, but they also generate a comparatively insignificant amount of money through match-day revenue as their average attendances are so low.
If the money made from broadcasting was divided more equally, as it is in England and Germany, the strength and depth of La Liga would be higher and the smaller clubs would be better sides. One affect would be that the smaller clubs would increase their average attendances. The Spanish League would be more competitive and the chances are that as a League they could generate more money.
It is because of broadcasting revenue that English clubs are not among the richest in Europe. Even so, an English side has appeared in 4 of the last 5 Champions League Finals.
Coach Joachim Low believes Germany showed the 'will of champions' in Saturday's 4-0 World Cup quarter-final demolition of Argentina.
Germany followed up their 4-1 last 16 victory over England with a breathtaking display of attacking football against the much-fancied South Americans in Cape Town.
Thomas Muller's early strike was followed by two goals from Miroslav Klose and a late fourth from defender Arne Friedrich.
"We really turned in an incredible showing," said Low, whose side now face Spain in the semi-finals.
"Scoring four goals against Argentina you have to say that that was class.
"We really stepped on the gas in the second half and played a liberated style of attacking football.
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"I have been proud of my team for a long time, not only today. We played some really great football in the second-half and the team has shown the will of champions.
"This result and the amount of goals we scored was almost unimaginable before the game."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email