It’s been a rough ride for the Green Army since the fall-out from Euro 2012 but with massive games against Sweden and Austria, it’s time for the best fans in the world to stand up for the Boys in Green and roar them on to World Cup 2014 in Brazil.
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It’s the most important game so far in the World Cup qualifying campaign for Ireland as Sweden and Ibrahimovic are in town. A defeat will finish us off, while a draw may only prolong Ireland’s chances of making the play off. The YBIG Football Show looks ahead to the crunch encounter. Continue reading → 
A request by Swedish fans to march from Dublin city centre to the Aviva Stadium on Friday evening and perform a Tifo display in the grounds, has been turned down by the Gardai and FAI. Up to 6,000 Swedes are expected at the crunch World Cup encounter but the march, which has become a tradition on away trips, has been ruled out by the authorities while an in-stadium display has also been shot down. Continue reading → 
“He is a credit in the way he behaves and the way he performs. All in all, he could potentially be one of the top midfielders in European football” – Roberto Martinez sings the praises of new recruit James McCarthy as he tells evertonfc.com. Continue reading → 
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the man we must shackle if we are to keep the visitors quiet and come away with a vital win on Friday. With a career that’s taken in some of the world’s top clubs, Ireland will be up against it to stifle the Swedish captain, but our own form striker Robbie Keane’s record measures favourably against the PSG hitman. Continue reading → 
Dead Slow Results service. Leading hand cut, hand printed LFC results service. Nil-Nils, defeats, and wins. Printmaking document to record results est. 2012 from the Printi Printer. Continue reading → 
Gareth Bale was presented to the Bernabeu crowd in front of an attendance of 25,000. Continue reading → 
Having endured a torrid period with injury, and five withdrawals from previous Irish squads, Anthony Pilkington has linked up with the Republic set-up and with Aiden McGeady out through injury, could even feature in Friday’s crunch tie with Sweden.
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He’s been called Ireland’s answer to Gareth Bale and in their tussles in the Premier League to date, he has often come out on top. Seamus Coleman’s ability to attack and influence the play is one of the key reasons Irish fans hold some hope we can defeat Sweden at home and take a massive step towards the World Cup in Brazil next year.
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Andy Keogh has taken to Twitter to vent his disappointment having been left out of the Ireland squad. Andy Reid is back in business for Forest, while James McCarthy’s transfer looks imminent. And what do you do when you live in Australia and can’t watch the Ireland-Sweden game? You buy the rights yourself.
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Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Kevin Prince Boatang and Neymar showcase the Nike Tech Pack. Continue reading → 
Even without the sale of Gareth Bale, Spurs have been exceptionally busy in the transfer market buying up a host of midfield players. So how will Andreas Villas-Boas keep them all on side with even more cash set to land in his lap with the departure of the Welsh wizard?
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What do you do when you live in Australia and you can’t watch Ireland’s World Cup qualifier with Sweden? You buy the rights for the game yourself. David Feeney has delved into his own savings to show the crucial clash to Ireland’s ex-pat community Down Under. Continue reading → 
Legia Warsaw supporters responded with a tifo and flare display to UEFA’s order to close the section housing their Ultras for their Champions League clash play-off with Steaua Bucharest. The Polish champions were fined €30,000 for the “racist behaviour” of fans during the previous round. Continue reading → 
Davey Blackett is illustrating a different footballer every day up to next year’s World Cup kicking off on June 12. We’ve already had Roy Keane and today’s post features Liam Brady. Continue reading → 
We want to live here. Barcelona’s brilliant new ad with Qatar Airways. Continue reading → 
Love it or hate it, the football transfer window is in full flow again and twice yearly it drives seemingly rational players, managers, fans and journalists to distraction. However, social media now adds a whole new aspect to the way transfers are handled and reported upon, as Dan Mellett writes. Continue reading → 
Events at the World Athletics Championships have shone the spotlight on Russian law and the merits of the country hosting major sporting competitions. Actor Stephen Fry’s recent open letter called for them to be stripped of the Winter Olympics because of draconian homophobic laws just passed in the state. All this raises yet more questions about FIFA’s criteria for World Cup host nations as Robbie Duggan writes. Continue reading → Has Trapattoni finally bowed to the pressure from the media and fans and picked a team to satisfy everyone? It’s a packed YBIG Football Show as Dave O’Grady chats with five Irish soccer journalists and writers looking back at the game with Wales and ahead to September’s crucial qualifiers with Sweden and Austria Continue reading → 
Robbie Keane scored a hat-trick as LA Galaxy came from behind to defeat Real Saltlake while team-mate Landon Donovan hailed the Irish captain ‘world class’. Continue reading → 
If Fergie was a god in the red half of Manchester, it remains to be seen if his successor David Moyes can keep the Red Devils in the promised land. Does landing his first trophy matter? Irish Mancunian Dan Mellett explores what the Community Shield success means for the new boss, observing that even Christ himself didn’t have to follow Alex Ferguson. Continue reading → 
With the new Premier League season about to kick-off, Layth Yousif recalls a busy 48 hours with Sky Sports shadowing roving reporter Johnny Phillips, author of ‘Saturday Afternoon Fever, A Year on the Road for Soccer Saturday’.
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36 hours with MLS starlet Diego Fagundez. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder is the first player from the New England Revolution youth system to sign for the club. Continue reading → 
A youthful Ireland enjoyed the lion’s share of possession against Wales in Cardiff, creating more scoring opportunities, but could only manage an uninspiring 0-0 draw. Meanwhile, World Cup group rivals, and imminent visitors to Dublin, Sweden beat Norway 4-2 with Ibrahimovic grabbing a hattrick while Austria were beaten at home by Greece. Germany played out a 3-3 thriller with Paraguay. Continue reading → 
As Ireland prepare to take on Wales in Cardiff, we look back at a historic previous clash. When the sides played at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground in 1906, two film-makers were on hand to capture some of the action. The images are believed to be the oldest surviving footage of an international match in existence. Continue reading → 
His team-mate John O’Shea has called him an ‘unsung hero’ and while his partners in the Irish midfield have fallen in and out of favour, Glenn Whelan remains at the heart of Giovanni Trapattoni’s quest to reach the World Cup next summer. The Dubliner earns his 50th cap in Wales tonight. Continue reading → 
Statistics released this week show Ireland with the fourth highest representation of footballers in the Premier League and, with the new season just starting, international boss Giovanni Trapattoni was able to name ten top flight players in his team to face Wales. This time a year ago, however, his squad was reeling from a disastrous European Championship. The manager has stuck to his word and overhauled the playing staff but for the team that lined out against Italy last summer, much has changed in just 12 months.
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, Thierry Henry is a divisive figure in French football. Perceived as aloof, an adversary of Zidane, and the apparent leader of a shameful strike at the 2010 World Cup. In an extract from French Football Weekly’s Jeremy Smith’s interview with Phillipe Auclair, author of Thierry Henry: Lonely At The Top, Póg Mo Goal looks at the Frenchman’s standing in history, and THAT night in Paris. Continue reading → 
Should Gareth Bale’s transfer to Real Madrid go through this summer, the price is set to smash the world transfer record with a staggering fee of around €100 million. Continue reading → 
Liverpool and Celtic fans sing You’ll Never Walk Alone ahead of the Dublin Decider at the Aviva Stadium. Continue reading → 
He’s the highly-rated winger who’s lined out for Ireland since U-15 level but such have been the performances of Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish that England came calling. Believed to have considered a switch in allegiances, in a massive boost to the Republic, the 17-year-old has accepted a call up to Noel King’s U21’s for this week’s Euro qualifier. After an exciting pre-season where he’s appeared for the club’s senior side, Shelley Osborne of Villa supporters’ site My Old Man Said takes a closer look at the rising Irish star. Continue reading → 
Robbie Keane sits down with Cobi Jones for a chat about growing up in Tallaght, the growth of football in America, and his plans for the future. The Irish captain also shows off his card tricks to team-mates on an LA Galaxy flight to Miami. Continue reading → 
Seamus Coleman and Darron Gibson show off the new Everton Nike away kit. Tipperary anyone? Continue reading → 
Saddled with paying for the Aviva Stadium and with the spotlight continuing to focus on its finances, the Football Association of Ireland is in a healthier state than might be perceived, as Sport for Business recently reported. Continue reading → 
Copa 90 looks at Soccer in the city. With spots from former New York Cosmos goalkeeper Shep Messing and journalist Gabriele Marcotti the video explores the grass roots and history of the gane in the Big Apple Continue reading → 
Champions eventually topple. As Barcelona and Spain have demonstrated their fallibility – and that of their play – so too in Gaelic football, Donegal, praised and pilloried for a revolutionary style, have been unceremoniously dumped from the All-Ireland. But what can the rise and fall of Jim McGuinness’ side tell us about the state of Irish soccer? As the main criticism of Giovanni Trapatonni centres on Ireland’s manner of play, the issues run far deeper than the senior team. Diarmuid o hAinle explores a uniquely Irish state of affairs and the influence of Gaelic Games on young players. Continue reading → 
A look at Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille in Crest Love: #5. Continue reading → 
He’s a man without a club but Stephen Hunt, who turned 32 this week, is still as determined as ever. With options on the table, including moving to Europe, Hunt is getting his head down and working hard on his fitness. Back home in Ireland, he spoke to Padraig Byrne of the excellent back-post.com.
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Barcelona’s new signing Neymar has made his long-awaited début coming on as a 78th minute substitute in Poland. The Brazilian was introduced late on and was met with some hefty challenges from the locals Lechia Gdansk. Meanwhile Lionel Messi was up to his old tricks in the 2-2 friendly draw at the PGE Arena. Continue reading → 
World Freestyle champion Andrew Henderson showcases his skills around some of London’s landmarks. Continue reading → 
Spine-tingling stuff. 95,000 fans sing You’ll Never Walk Alone ahead of Liverpool’s friendly with Melbourne Victory at the MCG. Continue reading → 
He was a man in demand, a striker being chased by Europe’s top sides before Monaco splashed the cash and signed Radmael Falcao. But has the club in the royal city signed a new prince, or a soon-to-be pensioner? Continue reading → 
The Cosmos return to the playing field for the first time in nearly 30 years on Aug. 3 at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium when they face their old rivals, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Continue reading → 
If there’s one universal truth in professional football, it may be that talented young players keep moving on and moving up. Sadly for Wigan supporters, it’s increasingly apparent that 22-year old midfielder James McCarthy is not exempt from this truth. Despite the 5-year contract McCarthy signed with the Latics in 2011, the last few months have seen rumours of a transfer escalate into a bidding war between top English clubs with Everton and Spurs upping the ante last week. Continue reading → 
Richard Dunne has been omitted from the Irish squad for the friendly clash with Wales in Cardiff. The new QPR signing’s return could depend on how much game-time he sees at Loftus Road. Meanwhile, Robbie Keane has not been asked to fly in from the States, and there’s another chance for Anthony Pilkington. Stephen Quinn is rewarded for his impressive display against Spain and is named in the squad for the August 15 friendly. Continue reading → 
He looks like Neymar, he moves like Neymar, and he scores like Neymar. Santos’ new teenage striker Neilton has inherited the number 11 jersey and already has three goals in nine games including a stunning strike last weekend against Portuguesa which has Spurs on alert. Continue reading → 
Arsenal have revealed their new away strip for next season. The Nike design revisits the club’s traditional colours of yellow and blue for it’s second kit and aims to reflect ‘London style.’ Continue reading → 
Fantasista 2013 is a celebration of contemporary football art inspired by the rapid rise of the ‘football artist’ in the digital age. The exhibition opens this week in London. Continue reading → 
Umbro GeoFLARE boots Continue reading → 
Despite the controversy that follows him, Luis Suarez remains a man in high demand. With rumours of a potential departure from Anfield, his performances last season and in the Confederations Cup have some of Europe’s top clubs on high alert. Who are his suitors and who might Liverpool replace him with should the Reds lose the feisty Uruguayan? Continue reading →