http://www.theoffside.com League Football, Soccer News and Views from Around the World Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:55:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 http://www.theoffside.com/europe/samsunspor-team-bus-meets-train.html http://www.theoffside.com/europe/samsunspor-team-bus-meets-train.html#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:53:14 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/europe/samsunspor-team-bus-meets-train.html What do you say to this? Holy @#$%. Incredibly, everyone from Samsunspor – Turkish Super Lig – survived and the team bus is the only thing which netted catastrophic damage. And as evident from the video, no signs/warnings appeared that, ya know, a train was steaming in. Someone’s likely to see a change in employment status for this. ]]> http://www.theoffside.com/europe/samsunspor-team-bus-meets-train.html/feed 0 http://www.theoffside.com/europe/bumper-balls-footy.html http://www.theoffside.com/europe/bumper-balls-footy.html#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:10:31 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/europe/bumper-balls-footy.html Since it’s negative gazillion degrees in Norway ’round this time of year, they need to get creative with their football. And while going inside would be, and often is, the simpler explanation, it’s a lot less fun than becoming human plastic bubbles. And judging by the way red cards are being tossed around these days, [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/europe/bumper-balls-footy.html/feed 2 http://www.theoffside.com/europe/as-neuchatel-xamax-turns.html http://www.theoffside.com/europe/as-neuchatel-xamax-turns.html#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:07:40 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/europe/as-neuchatel-xamax-turns.html Or doesn’t turn, rather. This club is something else, and it’s all down to Bulat Chagaev, Chechen rebel hell bent on destroying tiny little football clubs from quaint Swiss cities. Despite showing up appearing as though he had bags of cash, and making some signings indicating money was on the way, it’s been nothing but [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/europe/as-neuchatel-xamax-turns.html/feed 0 http://www.theoffside.com/europe/the-king-of-bling.html http://www.theoffside.com/europe/the-king-of-bling.html#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:36:35 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/europe/the-king-of-bling.html Ricardo Quaresma is sort of the quintessential flashy footballer. The type of gent whose game translates better to YouTube and the video game of your choice rather than a pitch of appropriate measure. Turns out his lifestyle is equally as flashy. He was the victim of an armed robbery this morning, of things which were [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/europe/the-king-of-bling.html/feed 0 http://www.theoffside.com/europe/killer-olympiakos-robots.html http://www.theoffside.com/europe/killer-olympiakos-robots.html#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:05:34 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/europe/killer-olympiakos-robots.html As kids, we were promised a fruitful future in which robots would create a world of magnificent splendor…before rising up and killing us all. Turns out we’re still getting there. This is a tiny little robot which can multitask. The contribution to society we find on YouTube is “humming” the Olympiakos theme song while drawing the [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/europe/killer-olympiakos-robots.html/feed 0 http://www.theoffside.com/europe/berba-for-president.html http://www.theoffside.com/europe/berba-for-president.html#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:05:38 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/europe/berba-for-president.html There are lots of things which are either rigged, not taken seriously or both in football. FIFA qualifies in general. So too does the electoral process in Bulgaria. (The footballing variety, obviously.) The Bulgarian Player of the Year is something of a travshamockery, given that it’s Berba’s year after year, and justifiably so. However, he asked [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/europe/berba-for-president.html/feed 1 http://www.theoffside.com/europe/red-star-genius-in-simplicity.html http://www.theoffside.com/europe/red-star-genius-in-simplicity.html#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:24:50 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/europe/red-star-genius-in-simplicity.html The Belgrade derby has some, shall we say, “behavioral issues” which require constant considerations. How best to combat a problem of lighting the stands on fire whilst also throwing Molotov seat cocktails? Remove the damn seats. Good in theory, questionable in its successful application. Problem is, Red Star did it for the curve hosting Partizan’s fans. That’s [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/europe/red-star-genius-in-simplicity.html/feed 2 http://www.theoffside.com/world-football/viennese-smoke-mirrors.html http://www.theoffside.com/world-football/viennese-smoke-mirrors.html#comments Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:22:26 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/world-football/viennese-smoke-mirrors.html The YouTube is full of audacious shows of individual talent and athleticism and scammers promising links to game highlights but redirecting you to some blogspot site where you may or may not enjoy binding matrimonial contract with an Eastern European female simply by clicking on the link. This free kick routine from Rapid Vienna is [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/world-football/viennese-smoke-mirrors.html/feed 2 http://www.theoffside.com/europe/bulats-tomas-milller.html http://www.theoffside.com/europe/bulats-tomas-milller.html#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:44:30 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/europe/bulats-tomas-milller.html Bulat Chagaev, high chieftain of formerly respectable Swiss club, now punchline, Neuchatel Xamax, has permeated and skyrocketed to the top of the Batshit Crazy Football Owners Top Ten, formerly inhabited by such sane representatives as Becali, Zamparini, etc. So much so that you’re not living life unless running his name through a Google News search [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/europe/bulats-tomas-milller.html/feed 0 http://www.theoffside.com/europe/never-too-young-to-brawl.html http://www.theoffside.com/europe/never-too-young-to-brawl.html#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:40:26 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/europe/never-too-young-to-brawl.html The shock factor in football brawls is pretty much dead at this point, outside of someone bringing a cache of weapons from the bench or a nine year old throwing perfect eight-punch combos in a church rec league at the ordained referee. And even then…. These are fifteen year-olds from Russia, teams of Vladikavkaz & Rostov, [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/europe/never-too-young-to-brawl.html/feed 1