Futbol // Current

Immigrant Soccer Referees

Every Friday night, after his their labour days, a group of Latin-American immigrants in Barcelona, get together in a basement to... more

Alfcohen
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AC Milan confirm Becks deal

Italian giants AC Milan have confirmed David Beckham will join the club on loan from LA Galaxy on 7th January. The Rossoneri... more

bonemachine
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Beckham Watch: LA Galaxy postpone Australian friendly

Looks like GoldenBalls move to AC Milan will keep the Aussies from seeing him.

MikeHammered
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Liverpool FC has something to cheer about

In the sadly execrable season five of the once mighty Peep Show, one of the few funny riffs involves the sexually hapless lead Mark Corrigan internally hailing every new female he meets as "The One". The problem is that even that riff shows that the show has lost touch with the reality that it once so brutally conveyed. In real life, someone who had been let down as often as Corrigan (and yeah, we know he cancelled the wedding, but still) would be much more backwards about coming forwards with such a perception, even to themselves.

It's a decent rule of thumb that, the more someone's heart is broken, the more cagey they become: once bitten, thrice shy, and so on. All of which explains the Liverpool fans' almost eerily pragmatic response to their side's outstanding start to the season, which went up a level today when they deservedly ended Chelsea's 86-match unbeaten run at home in the league.

In the 18 years since Liverpool's last championship, they have endured too many rejections to expose themselves again. Umpteen first dates have gone well, or so they thought, only for a second to never materialise. A few medium-length relationships (1990-91, 1996-97, 2001-02) also ultimately faded away. No wonder they are not crowing yet.

This is not, nonetheless, something we are used to from football fans. "And now you're gonna believe us, we're gonna win the league," is often sung absurdly prematurely, to be scoffed at by neutrals, but this time there is a role reversal: those of an impartial nature feel that Liverpool look the real deal, but the fans will not – externally at least, and probably not internally for fear of imposing some kind of hex – admit as much. They really are taking it one game at a time.

Yet the evidence that this is a serious side becomes harder to ignore. It's impossible to overstate the symbolism of today's victory. Already they have won four league games after going behind, and today they knocked off a number of records: their first league goal at Stamford Bridge since Bruno Cheyrou in January 2004, first win away at any of the big four in the league under Rafa Benítez and, of course, first side to win in the league at Stamford Bridge since Arsenal's Invincibles on February 21 2004. It seems 21 is today's magic number: this was, staggeringly, Benítez's 21st game against Chelsea in a four-and-a-bit season. History might just record it as Liverpool's coming-of-age.

In the sadly execrable season five of the once mighty Peep Show, one of the few funny riffs involves the sexually hapless lead... more