Armchair Pundit
  • Strife inevitable at unbalanced City

    It feels a lot like 2009 for Manchester City, doesn't it?

    This time last year, City had 19 points from their first 10 games, but a run of lacklustre performances had put Mark Hughes under pressure. Roberto Mancini was already in the building when Hughes stood in the dugout for his last game on December 19.

    Mancini probably has a greater appreciation now of how his predecessor felt. He has two fewer points from his 10 games this term, and victories against Chelsea and Liverpool count for nothing when set against the fear of drifting out of the title race so early in the piece that Wagner has

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  • Hyping the unhypable

    I like the Ryder Cup a lot. It's three days of
    genuinely gripping action - as tense, thrilling and nerve-racking as golf gets.
    It's also one in the eye for tedious Euro-scepticism, as the Special
    Relationship gets ditched in favour of unlikely blue-and-gold solidarity.

    It doesn't need hyping. But as it's on a popular
    satellite broadcaster that will remain nameless (in this sentence at least), it
    has been hyped to within an inch of its life.

    And the desire to give it equal billing to the
    Premier League is shown in the bizarre red-button option to watch both the
    Ryder Cup and Chelsea-Arsenal

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  • Nigel De Jong: Saint or sinner?

    A day after
    Nigel De Jong made a tackle deemed fair by referee Martin Atkinson, but which
    left Hatem Ben Arfa with a broken leg, he was dropped by his country.

    The Manchester City's midfielder's challenge apparently
    left Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk with "no alternative" but to
    axe him.

    This from a
    man who defended his side after all but two of his outfield players were booked
    in the World Cup final (Johnny Heitinga twice).

    That match
    included an outrageous De Jong kung-fu kick to Xabi Alonso's sternum that Howard
    Webb did not deem worthy of a red card or FIFA of additional punishment.

    Read More »
  • England inquest live chat

    Join Armchair Pundit Alex Chick to pick over the aftermath of the England v Montenegro Euro 2012 qualifier.

    There are bound to be plenty of talking points, so leave your comments and questions below and we'll conduct a post-match inquest.

    A disappointing result and an even worse performance - what did you make of that?

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  • Are Holland the new Germany?

    Neutrals have always loved the Dutch because of their swagger, their flair and their self-destructive tendencies.

    There was something unbearably romantic about a team of lavishly-skilled but fatally-flawed mavericks breezing to the latter stages before falling victim to those twin foes: in-fighting and penalties.

    Now Bert van Marwijk has taken a well-organised and effective team to the final, everyone seems to have gone off them.

    Barely a minute passed during their 3-2 win over Uruguay without Clive Tyldesley mentioning their new-found pragmatism. 

    The fact five goals were scored seemed to be

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  • Rooney wants out: chat transcript

    Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed every Manchester United fan's worst fears: Wayne Rooney wants to leave the club.

    In a frank and emotional statement, Ferguson said Rooney's agent informed United of his decision in August, and the club have no idea why he wants out.

    So what now? Is there any way back? Where will he go? How much will he cost? What does it mean for United?

    Join the Armchair Pundit to ask questions and have your say on the big issue.

    Read More »
  • Finally, an England game worth watching

    England
    have already qualified for Euro 2012. Put it in the books. Two games in, and
    it's job done.

    Wins against our two biggest rivals, including the toughest
    match of the whole shebang in Switzerland,
    and we are surely on our way to Poland
    and/or Ukraine
    in two summers' time. Where we will obviously suffer an early exit at the hands
    of technically superior opposition.

    A win on Tuesday against Montenegro (the only other team in
    the group with any points) and it really will be a done deal.

    With a couple of honourable exceptions, England are usually very efficient
    qualifiers. Unlike in Euro

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  • Five World Cup rule changes

    Here are five changes I would make to improve the World Cup. Three of them are alterations to the laws of the game, two are World Cup-specific.

    Challenge system

    Following Frank Lampard's non-goal against Germany, FIFA will look into goalline technology again, and this time it has every chance of being introduced.

    Good, but it will only cover a small percentage of the errors made by officials. Instead, I would introduce a challenge system similar to that used in the NFL.

    Each coach has two challenges, which he can use to review any call during the game. A goal, an offside, a handball, it

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  • Premier League predictions: 13th-16th

    Time for part two of the Armchair Pundit Premier League prediction extravaganza. (Read Part One here)

    Getting the mid-table clubs in order proved a very tough ask. There is a large group of sides who have little to choose between them - the difference between ninth and 16th could be fairly tiny.

    And last season, everyone from ninth (Birmingham) down lost more games than they won. You could call it a vast sea of mediocrity, if you were particularly grumpy.

    Anyway, with that flimsy excuse out of the way, here we go with some startlingly inaccurate forecasts for places 13 to 16.

    Note: Predicted

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  • In defence of Rafa Benitez

    As Liverpool lurch from one crisis to another. It is tempting to blame the club's woes on Rafa Benitez, whose six-year reign ended in an acrimonious shambles.

    Tempting, but wrong. It's time to debunk the ever-growing stockpile of myths about Benitez - a man who won the Champions League with the fifth best team in the Premier League, and came closer to winning the title than any Liverpool boss in two decades.

    Myth one: He won the Champions League with Gerard Houllier's team

    The argument here is that Benitez's crowning achievement, at the end of his first season, actually belonged to Houllier.

    Read More »

Pagination

(163 Stories)

About Armchair Pundit

Alex Chick spent the World Cup pontificating from the comfort of his own front room, and will continue rambling about football from the dark recesses of the Eurosport office. Not so much Armchair Pundit as Swivel Chair Pundit. He has been Deputy Managing Editor at Eurosport-Yahoo! since 2007, although it took him until last week to work out how to use the photocopier.

  • Hodgson hamstrung by foreign influx

    Hodgson hamstrung by foreign influx

    Well, we know what Harry Redknapp would have said had he been appointed England manager and been in charge for tomorrow's friendly against Norway: 'We're down to the bare bones.' And Harry would have been right. As rude awakenings go, … Continue reading → More »

    Jim White - Fri, May 25, 2012 13:01 BST
  • Hodgson lowers England expectations

    Hodgson lowers England expectations

    "You don't have to use short passes. Not if you want to use your big man up front." It could be a line ripped straight from the script of 'Mike Bassett: England Manager', that affectionate yet searingly honest deconstruction of … Continue reading → More »

    Early Doors - Fri, May 25, 2012 09:10 BST
  • Over and out for Pep

    Over and out for Pep

    It's a good time to be a Real Madrid fan. Jose Mourinho has signed an extension which will contract him to the Bernabeu until 2016. Sir Alex Ferguson might think about moving on by then.  Having displaced Barca as Spanish … Continue reading → More »

    Andy Mitten - Thu, May 24, 2012 17:46 BST
  • Coaching or TV? Neville must choose

    Coaching or TV? Neville must choose

    Gary Neville's appointment to Roy Hodgson's England coaching staff surprised me, because I'm not sure he can combine the job with his punditry for Sky. If he is working as a link between the squad and the manager, he needs … Continue reading → More »

    Paul Parker - Thu, May 24, 2012 13:02 BST
  • Barton gazes into the abyss

    Barton gazes into the abyss

    Twelve Nietzsche quotes for Joey Barton to ponder during his suspension: 'If there is something to pardon in everything, there is also something to condemn.' 'Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself.' 'And if you … Continue reading → More »

    Early Doors - Thu, May 24, 2012 09:01 BST
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