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Celebrating the slide tackle (Video)

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Whilst we marvel at the wonderful goals and pieces of skill performed each week by the finest attacking players, we rarely give praise to the defenders at the other end of the pitch who are also doing their job. Defending is not a glamorous art filled with moments of brilliance and excitement, but it is a necessity for any team that has aspirations to win trophies. Defenders don’t normally have a lot of time in the limelight, nor do they require the attention of the cameras to do their job. They just get on with it without any fuss, so here is a chance to celebrate the most spectacular part of their game; the slide tackle.

Where will Mourinho go?

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The evidence is starting to build that Real Madrid might need to look for a new coach come the end of the season. Jose Mourinho has been fairly evasive when questioned on the subject and as yet has not given a definitive answer as to whether he will be remaining in Madrid next season.

A look back to Euro 96 – Mixed emotions for England (Video)

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Euro 96 was a tournament that almost went the way that every England fan had dreamed of. Instead they ended up living the nightmare that  was the Germans and those dreaded penalties once again. 
En route to that eventful semi-final, Terry Venables team participated in two fabulous matches that rightly had the press declaring that Baddiel & Skinner’s prediction of 30 years of hurt coming to an end perhaps had some truth to it.

Player power – has it gone too far?

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Earlier this season, Theo Walcott declared that signing a new contract was dependent upon whether Arsenal would play him as a striker. He initially turned down a lucrative 5 year contract extension and claimed that the issue was not the money but whether he would be used in his preferred position.
Although his case may have been legitimate, how many other players are likely to use this reason as an excuse to force a transfer from their current club or as a bargaining tool to negotiate a pay rise?

A look back to World Cup 98 – A pitiful display from Spain (Video)

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The World Cup of France ’98 was a hugely successful and entertaining tournament. Not only did the hosts go on to thrash Brazil in the final, with mystery and intrigue surrounding Ronaldo’s curious illness the night before the game, but there were plenty of upsets and thrilling games in the earlier rounds. One of those matches was Spain v Nigeria in Group D, with both sides facing off in their first match of the competition.

There is only one Ronaldo, and his name is not Cristiano (Video)

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Juventus and Inter were locked in a fierce battle for the Serie A title during 1997/1998. The ‘Old Lady’ of Italy were benefitting from the talents of Zidane, Del Piero and Inzaghi, whilst the ‘Nerazzurri’ where hugely dependent on a 22 year old Brazilian called Ronaldo. Signed during the summer months from Barcelona, Ronaldo’s first season was going better than anyone expected. It seemed inevitable that he would be the player at the centre of the most controversial Derby d’Italia for many years.

Do you remember…? Taribo West (Video)

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If you don’t remember the name then you will almost certainly remember the hair! The colourful Nigerian has recently been in the news with reports that he lied about his age during his career and that he is actually 12 years older than he claimed. Whether this is true or not, he was certainly not trying to remain inconspicuous with the assortment of multi-coloured hairstyles he showed off during his career, although he wasn’t a bad player, at times…