Andy Cole
December 31st, 2009
By Andy Cole
31 December 2009
The middle of the most remarkable Premier League season we’ve ever had is as good a time as any to reflect on a great 2009, and a defining decade for England's top division. Not that England's top division has a monopoly on magnificent talent, which leads me nicely to my end-of-year / end-of-decade awards.
PLAYER OF 2009
Lionel Messi is only 5ft 7in tall but he's been head and shoulders above everyone else on a football pitch this year. He’s a freakishly talented footballer and for him to play so well, even through a supposed personal slump, was...
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December 24th, 2009
By Andy Cole
17 December 2009
England's bid to stage the 2018 World Cup will ultimately succeed or fail on the basis of 24 votes cast by Fifa's Executive Committee (ExCo), so it was heartening to visit Nigeria this week and witness the enthusiasm for English football of one of those 24 voters, Dr Amos Adamu.
It is no secret that Dr Adamu, like many of his compatriots, follows the Premier League closely. Between touching down in Abuja early on Tuesday until leaving late at night, I saw a whole range of English club shirts being worn, from Manchester United to Chelsea to...
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December 24th, 2009
By Andy Cole
10 December 2009
Without consulting any tables, can you name the team that had the best record in the group stage of the Champions League? The answer is Bordeaux, who won five of their six matches and drew the other in a tough section (Group A) that also included Bayern Munich and Juventus. If you knew that, well done – I'm not sure many would get that right.
Laurent Blanc's team finished ahead of Bayern to move into the last 16 while Juventus missed out, and no manager in their right mind should be relishing the prospect of facing Bordeaux...
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