The twenty-ninth episode of Hand Of Pod is, as the milkmaid said to the parson, quite a whopper. That's largely because Sam, Australian Dan and Seba have not one but two rounds of Torneo Apertura matches to look back on, as well as River Plate's historic debut in the Nacional B (second division). There's more,... Continue Reading →
Riquelme returns to Argentina’s domestic squad
Alejandro Sabella has named his first squad as Argentina manager, in preparation for a pair of friendlies against Brazil next month. The matches, before anyone gets too excited, will feature only players from the domestic leagues of the two nations, so this is not a return to the proper national side; but for the first time in... Continue Reading →
In the fourteenth episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, Dan and Dan are once again back on the fernet (after an alcohol-free episode 13), whilst Seba is dry as ever. We discuss the two giants of Argentine football; Boca Juniors, who had another Riquelme-inspired win, and River Plate, who scored an absolutely fantastic goal which... Continue Reading →
D’Alessandro is the King of the Americas
Andrés D'Alessandro has been named by Uruguayan newspaper El País as the 2010 South American Footballer Of The Year, an award informally known as the 'King Of The Americas'. The Internacional de Porto Alegre playmaker succeeds countryman Juan Sebastián Verón, who won it in both 2008 and 2009, after a fairly ordinary year in the Brazilian... Continue Reading →
Hand Of Pod episode 3
The third episode of Hand Of Pod, featuring myself and the Dans English and Australian, is online now. We discuss Cristian Fabbiani's girth, Martín Palermo's slowness, Juan Sebastián Verón's lack of pace and reveal just how little we know about Goiás, Independiente's opponents in the Copa Sudamericana final. You can listen to it here.
Estudiantes go top of the league and Cocca quits as Gimnasia boss after La Plata derby
The fourth round of the Torneo Apertura 2010 finally came to an end four-and-a-half weeks after it started on Wednesday afternoon, with Estudiantes' 2-0 victory over Gimnasia y Esgrima, which left Gimnasia without a manager. Federico Fernández headed the Pincha into the lead in the 37th minute, and when Seba Verón was pulled to ground... Continue Reading →
Thoughts from the weekend: All Boys 2 – 1 Estudiantes
I'm a bit late with this, but here it is at last. Last weekend saw a lot of goals scored in the first division, but in some ways perhaps the most important ones were scored in Floresta at the clash between newly-promoted All Boys and title-chasing Estudiantes de La Plata. Estudiantes' defeat in that match... Continue Reading →
Verón admits he might not play again for Argentina
Juan Sebastián Verón has confirmed that he thinks it unlikely he'll play for Argentina for much longer, if ever again, due to age and the need for Sergio Batista - who looks increasingly likely to be given charge of the side on a permanent basis - or his successor to build a team for the... Continue Reading →
Riquelme finally signs, and Seba Verón wades in on Maradona
After more ins and outs, ups and downs and all round tedious moaning than a particularly tawdry adult film, Juan Román Riquelme has finally signed his new four-year contract with Boca Juniors. Putting pen to paper earlier today, the Boca playmaker extended his stay at the club by four years, a week later than scheduled.... Continue Reading →
World Cup exit: my thoughts
If you're an Argentine football fan and a bit of a glutton for punishment - or if you're otherwise interested in what exactly Diego Maradona demonstrated to us during Argentina's World Cup campaign - you can click here to read my post-match reaction from Buenos Aires for ESPN Soccernet. There'll be a post along the... Continue Reading →
Hasta El Gol Siempre 