Last Season – Finished 8th in the Premier League – 57ptsManager: Harry RedknappINS:ST Ben Sahar – LoanST Peter Crouch – 22m USST Omar Alieu Koroma – LoanOUTS:MF Sulley MuntariDF Joel WardGK Asmir Begovic – LoanPossibles:DF Younes Kaboul – TottenhamFW Jeremy Menez – MonacoDMF Marcelo Mattos – PanathinainkosST Eidur Gudjohnsen – BarcelonaST Steven Fletcher – HibernianLB Celestine Babayaro – FAST Djibril Cisse – MarseilleMF Nolberto Solano – FACB Steven Taylor – NewcastleRW Shaun Wright-PhillipsWhat’s Left in the Kitty – 10m USWhat Lies Ahead:Aug 16 Chelsea (A)Aug 23 Manchester Unted (H)Aug 30 Everton (A)Sep 13 Middlesbrough (H)Sep 20 Manchester City (A)Sep 27 Tottenham (H)Oct 4 Stoke City (H)Possible Starting XI:GK David JamesRB Glen JohnsonCB Sylvain DistinCB Sol CampbellLB Hermann HreidarssonRMF John UtakaCMF Papa Bouba Diop/Lassana DiarraCMF Sean DavisLMF Niko KranjcarFW Peter Crouch/David NugentFW Jermaine Defoe/KanuHow They’ll Stack Up:After winning the FA Cup last term (for the first time in 69-years), Portsmouth now get to show what they can do on the European stage in the UEFA Cup. Since Harry Redknapp returned, the side have continued to build and the little/large strike partner... Read More

Quarter FinalCroatia v TurkeyPreview – Reaching the quarterfinal stage of the European Championships matches Croatia and Turkey’s best ever performances. For Croatia their previous appearance in the final eight came in 1996. They beat Turkey 1-0 (a lat... Read More

Group B Austria 0-1 Germany At the 2006 World Cup Germany threw off the chains of decades of highly effective but mind-numbing play to become one of the most entertaining teams in the tournament. Today they reverted to old habits and produced an uninspiring but all the same, winning performanc... Read More

Day 7 Croatia 2-1 Germany For Croatia a performance that just about encompassed everything that the Sunday game against Austria was not. Comfortable, composed and confident Croatia was well organized and prepared to largely stifle the ... Read More

France 0-0 Romania It was an ultra-cagey first half with neither team willing to commit players forward in numbers during open play. Free kicks and corners offered up the best opportunities but even then the keepers were rarely tes... Read More

Austria 0-1 CroatiaConventional wisdom would have had an early goal for Croatia offering up the platform for a resounding win. Conversely the Austrians would have been expected to fold given the form guide going into the tourn... Read More

Group BAustriaAustria has never played in the Euro Championships Finals.  How they qualifiedIt was an epic struggle that was played out in the soccer boardrooms, confe... Read More

United's financial losses from David Conn. Jonathan Wilson looks to the future of a Premiership-bound Luka Modric and compares his style to th... Read More

It could well go down as one of the best public relations exercises of the year. And all it took to garner priceless world-wide headlines was a trip to a soccer game and a spot of ... Read More

Simon Barnes on thinking right….or wrong. An article on Jimmy Gabriel – formerly of Dundee North End, Dundee, Everton, Southampton……... Read More

African Cup of NationsAfter going four-for-four in the quarter finals of the African Cup of Nations it was just too good to last and although both my semi final picks have made it through to a final game it has turned out to be for third place rather than the actual final. Although Ghana enjoyed an edge in the play a lack of sharpness in the penalty box cost them a place... Read More

Rob Hughes on the next Argentine superstar – this one is only eleven years old! Paul Gardner on the marked absence of star signings post-Beckham. David Conn on the paradox of Manchester City and Premiership riches. Robert Philip on forme... Read More

Croatia opened with a fantastic free kick goal from Srna. But after that it was all Australia. The Aussies had a series of penalty appeals. When the pena... Read More

Well, kids... (I plan to tell them, a boy and a girl, some six-seven years after I convince my ex to get b... Read More

It was the game last night that originally inspired me to start a blog. Might as well write down all the stuff I talk to my friends about all the damn time... whether they... Read More

Brazil opens with a win and three points but it was an underwhelming performance. The Croatian defense was rarely troubled by the Brazil attacks and Carlos Alberto Parreira is going... Read More

Croatia sense that they can get something out of this game. Prso's hard running is causing the Brazilian defense trouble. Ronaldo's substitution is hardly unex... Read More