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/leagues/french-ligue-1/provincial-french-side-attempts-to-buy-lionel-messi.html http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/provincial-french-side-attempts-to-buy-lionel-messi.html#comments Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:59:29 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/provincial-french-side-attempts-to-buy-lionel-messi.html Let’s establish something: there isn’t a club in the world which doesn’t want Lionel Messi – even Real Madrid. Another fact, perhaps a few levels below: no one can get Messi. That didn’t stop a French club president from trying, in jest, and being rebuffed with a six month suspension for his chuckling troubles. The fee is [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/provincial-french-side-attempts-to-buy-lionel-messi.html/feed 3 http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/a-goal-so-illegal-its-impressive.html http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/a-goal-so-illegal-its-impressive.html#comments Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:00:33 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/a-goal-so-illegal-its-impressive.html In the words of Ron Burgundy: “What? You pooped in the refrigerator? And you ate the whole… wheel of cheese? How’d you do that? Heck, I’m not even mad; that’s amazing.” Two very basic things late on in the Bordeaux-Nancy Ligue 1 match this weekend: the ‘goal’ never crossed the line and the move which put [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/a-goal-so-illegal-its-impressive.html/feed 1 http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/salaries-of-ligue-1-presidents-revealed.html http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/salaries-of-ligue-1-presidents-revealed.html#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 20:57:08 +0000 Sarah http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/salaries-of-ligue-1-presidents-revealed.html This picture (of Marseille President, Jean-Claude Dassier)  makes *so* much more sense now! Le Parisien has revealed the salaries pocketed by the French league’s reigning Presidents. As always, money in sports is always an interesting topic. Who has it, who makes more of it…and whose willing to do the job for nothing at [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/salaries-of-ligue-1-presidents-revealed.html/feed 1 http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/yoan-gouffrans-allergy-to-grass-of-the-blade-variety.html http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/yoan-gouffrans-allergy-to-grass-of-the-blade-variety.html#comments Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:00:15 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/yoan-gouffrans-allergy-to-grass-of-the-blade-variety.html (Probably best to differentiate so as not to start any nasty rumors.) When the headline first broke, it appeared to be a satirical piece on Yoann Gourcuff’s oft-critiqued personality. Then maybe it was an explanation for that oft-critiqued personality. Then reality set in and realized that reading can occasionally rely heavily upon the details. Like correctly reading [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/yoan-gouffrans-allergy-to-grass-of-the-blade-variety.html/feed 1 http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/faty-was-the-man-behind-the-wheel-not-char.html http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/faty-was-the-man-behind-the-wheel-not-char.html#comments Sun, 10 Oct 2010 16:48:26 +0000 Sarah http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/faty-was-the-man-behind-the-wheel-not-char.html Charlie Davies’ club teammate, Jacques Faty, has admitted asking Davies to lie to the police Just a few days ago, news broke that Charlie Davies was stopped by police speeding 201 km/hr.  Given that Charlie Davies is still recuperating from a serious car accident last year that resulted in a young woman dying, the news that [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/faty-was-the-man-behind-the-wheel-not-char.html/feed 3 http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ligue-1-saint-etienne-beat-lyon-in-rhone-derby-for-first-time-in-16-years.html http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ligue-1-saint-etienne-beat-lyon-in-rhone-derby-for-first-time-in-16-years.html#comments Sun, 26 Sep 2010 02:27:09 +0000 Sarah http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ligue-1-saint-etienne-beat-lyon-in-rhone-derby-for-first-time-in-16-years.html Did I just witness a key moment in Ligue 1 history?  I guess we won’t know until the end of the season, but that won’t stop Saint-Etienne fans from celebrating like they just doomed their local rivals, Olympique Lyonnais, to relegation in Ligue 2.  To the more objective observer, it’s a long way from that.  [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ligue-1-saint-etienne-beat-lyon-in-rhone-derby-for-first-time-in-16-years.html/feed 12 http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ligue-1-jussie-scores-a-stunner-to-seal-bordeauxs-win-over-lyon.html http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ligue-1-jussie-scores-a-stunner-to-seal-bordeauxs-win-over-lyon.html#comments Mon, 20 Sep 2010 03:04:59 +0000 Sarah http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ligue-1-jussie-scores-a-stunner-to-seal-bordeauxs-win-over-lyon.html *Apologies for the quality, best one I could find at the time The history between these two teams is a tale of two eras.  Historically, Bordeaux have dominated the matchup, winning 20 and drawing 15 of the past 45 Ligue 1 matches.  The more recent history tells a different story.  In the past 11 matches between [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ligue-1-jussie-scores-a-stunner-to-seal-bordeauxs-win-over-lyon.html/feed 1 http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ludovic-giuly-can-really-cut-a-rug-clear-a-room.html http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ludovic-giuly-can-really-cut-a-rug-clear-a-room.html#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 21:30:58 +0000 chris http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ludovic-giuly-can-really-cut-a-rug-clear-a-room.html At some point, the footballing world is going to need someone to whip up a quick book listing all the ways a famous person can land on the internet and all the things one should not do to avoid the inevitable embarrassment. A bottle of wine, France v Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ludovic Giuly in a bar tick [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/ludovic-giuly-can-really-cut-a-rug-clear-a-room.html/feed 4 http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/marseille-vs-nice-does-remys-heart-condition-qualify-for-a-discount.html http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/marseille-vs-nice-does-remys-heart-condition-qualify-for-a-discount.html#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:00:27 +0000 Sarah http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/marseille-vs-nice-does-remys-heart-condition-qualify-for-a-discount.html Marseille is a club known for a few things: being the only French club to win the Champions League (in addition to a long history of domestic success); its fanatic supporters; and for its history of notable players such as Jean-Pierre Papin, George Weah, Didier Deschamps, Abedi Pele, Marcel Desailly, Fabien Barthez, Didier Drogba…and [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/french-ligue-1/marseille-vs-nice-does-remys-heart-condition-qualify-for-a-discount.html/feed 1 http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/is-the-epl-ready-for-the-return-of-gerard-houllier-is-aston-villa-ready.html http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/is-the-epl-ready-for-the-return-of-gerard-houllier-is-aston-villa-ready.html#comments Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:32:02 +0000 Sarah http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/is-the-epl-ready-for-the-return-of-gerard-houllier-is-aston-villa-ready.html Though no official announcement has been made, the English media has been buzzing for the past 48 hours (or maybe 72) about the possible return of Gerrard Houllier to the EPL.  Houllier, who was touted as a possible successor to Martin O’Neil at Aston Villa, is rumored to be part of a three-person team Aston [...]]]> http://www.theoffside.com/leagues/is-the-epl-ready-for-the-return-of-gerard-houllier-is-aston-villa-ready.html/feed 3