Coshcast Special: 21 Thunder with Kevin Claydon
A special Coshcast as we sit down with writer and actor Kevin Claydon, who has a prominent role in the CBC’s new soccer-based drama 21 Thunder.
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Neymar, PSG, Verratti & the future of Barcelona
The key point is being the main man. Messi will stay at Barcelona for life and that might be another 3-4 years playing the second lead for Neymar. As much as he loves playing with Messi, he may feel the need to break out of the Argentinian’s simultaneously huge and tiny shadow.
Why this is Napoli’s chance to win Serie A
Napoli, however, must view this season as their chance to win the Scudetto for the first time since 1987, when the great Maradona led them to glory evading tackles and tax bills at will.
Victor Vazquez – Toronto FC’s Technical Leader
In the off-season Toronto FC added attacking midfielder Victor Vazquez to an already-strong squad that lacked a little guile, subtlety and creativity. The Spaniard has provided these attributes in droves. The Cosh boys discuss his quiet impact.
Mino Raiola, Ander Herrera & other transfer disgraces
With the lack of football this summer (with the exception of MLS, the Confederations Cup, U21 and U20 tournaments, legends matches, and some friendlies, I’ve found myself with quite a bit of time to do a lot of thinking, and that generally does not end up being a good thing.
Salah to Liverpool, Ronaldo & the week’s top stories
It’s been a busy week on the site. Here’s everything you need to read or listen to in one place. Enjoy:
Coshcast: Strikers, Transfers & Money
Hello and welcome to the Coshcast. We didn’t really fancy talking about Luka Modric going to jail, or or Ronaldo – God forbid – having to pay his taxes, so we thought we’d do something a bit different.
Mohamed Salah: Fitting in at Liverpool
Mohamed Salah’s move from Roma to Liverpool appears all but done. The 25 year old who reached double figures in goals and assists in Serie A last term will join the Merseysiders for a lot of money (the exact amount remains unclear), and he’s an exciting addition to the team, and the league. The question is, of course, where does he fit in?
Everton: Klaassen & Pickford will make little difference
Pickford – though still relatively unproven – is certainly better than Robles or Stekelenburg. Klaassen is a young, creative attacking midfielder, who will be a lot more reliable than the spasmodic Ross Barkley.
Ligue 1 review: Part 2 – Diabate, Bielsa & Puel’s next gig
The story of FC Metz’s season can only really be discussed as pre-Cheick Diabaté and post-Cheick Diabaté. This was a club mired in problems for the first half of the season, the fans sending an opposing goalkeeper to hospital with a flare and the club apparently agreeing to accept a sponsorship from the tourist board of Chad, a country in the midst of an economic crisis.
Ligue 1 review: Part 1 – Racism, Relegation & Romance
Everything has finally been decided. The Champions League Final saw a powerhouse club retain their title, the relegation playoffs are complete and it’s time to sit down with a Yann Tiersen record playing and go over the season of French football that was.
Edin Dzeko – Roma’s best since Batistuta?
In a tale of two vastly different seasons, Edin Dzeko “flipped the switch” this season after having, arguably, one of the worst seasons of his career in 2015-2016.
Coshcast: Real Retain Champions League
Today on this truncated Coshcast we pore over the remains of the Champions League final, deplore Sergio Ramos, Ronaldo shouts ‘vamos’ and Buffon deals with another loss. We also bring you old England in a Tony Adams-laden Mumu of the Week and New England as we look back at Toronto FC’s away defeat.
Coshcast: Paul Beirne goes Under The Cosh
It’s a very special Coshcast today as we welcome Paul Beirne onto the pod to talk about the Canadian Premier League and we’ve got more questions than Mike Flynn’s interrogators.
Totti, Zidane & Season Reviews: A Week Under The Cosh
The FA Cup Final, Manchester United’s silly “treble”, the upcoming Champions League Final, Totti’s emotional farewell…it’s been a hectic week in the world of football. Look back over it with us in the following articles and podcast:
MUFC 2016/17 Season Review: Don’t dare call it a Treble…
While I admire the Mourinho mentality that says, “if we’re in a competition, we’ll try to win it”, I don’t think any United fan will look back on 2016/17 as another treble season. With all apologies to Liverpool and what some dubbed the ‘Mickey Mouse treble’, this campaign is just barely a double. I mean, the Community Shield isn’t a major trophy, is it?
Tottenham Hotspur: 2016/17 Season Review
If you want to see where Spurs lost the title race, it was at the early point in the season where they didn’t even realize they were in one.
Leeds United: 2016/17 Season Review
Pre season didn’t start well. It never does, though, and again we had a new squad to gel. I wondered whether that donkey Chris Wood would ever develop a first touch. Couldn’t believe he cost us £3million.
Totti, Spalletti & Legacy: Thursday Throwdown
Francesco Totti has confirmed that he will retire at the end of this season. Here, the Cosh boys discuss Spalletti’s handling of him, and how he will be remembered.
Liverpool & The Ox – Same Question Applies
As ever with Ox, the first question is where he would play. With his luck he would probably end up competing with Milner for the left-back spot, but the current wisdom is that his preference is for central midfield.
Coshcast: Mourinho Wines, Chelsea Dine, Madrid Shine
The Coshcast joins you after a weekend that saw loads of exciting things happen that didn’t mean very much at all.
Coshcast: White Hart Pain
The Coshcast is back after a weekend that saw more fake penalties than Donald Trump is imposing on Vladimir Putin.
Coshcast: A Clasico FA Cup Weekend
Messi gets Real Madrid to Zidane and shut up as his last minute winner puts Barcelona level with Daddy Yankee – number 1 in Spain.
Kylian Mbappe: Carrasco, Martial, or better?
After Kylian Mbappe’s increasingly impressive performances in Ligue 1 and the Champions League, the Cosh discuss the kid’s cieling, and examine comparisons to his peers and past legends…
Tottenham’s Transfer Dilemma
Whether they end up winning anything this season or not, Pochettino and the club’s recruitment network are in for a difficult summer.
Coshcast: Ander Herrera Handles Hazard + CL Preview
It’s the Coshcast! Coming at you like a North Korean missile: some ups, some downs and probable fizzling out out at the end.
Man Utd. 2 – 0 Chelsea: 5 Questions Raised
Can Mourinho get the same level of performance out of his side when there isn’t a vendetta involved?
Atletico Madrid vs. Leicester: Poetic Preview
Leicester are still in the Champions League,
Having beaten Sevilla, it’s hard to believe,
but there they are in the draw as the rounds wear on,
They’ll face Atletico Madrid at the Stade Calderon.
Notes: Toronto FC vs. Atlanta United
Bono’s distribution needs work, but Atlanta’s pressing was effective and there were few options for Bono on the ball. His finger-tip save in the second half was incredible.
Thursday Throwdown: Neymar to Man Utd?
According to some simply horrifying football “news” outlets, Manchester United are readying a 173m pound or 200m euro deal to sign Neymar from Barcelona. The Cosh boys have a throw down on the topic as we aim to get to the bottom of this.
Thursday Throwdown: Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku has been a hot topic of late, and especially after an interview in which he criticized Everton’s level of ambition. Here, the Cosh boys discuss the rights and wrongs of his statement, and where his future may lie.
Atleti & Leicester: A Poetic Preview
Leicester are still in the Champions League,
Having beaten Sevilla, it’s hard to believe,
but there they are in the draw as the rounds wear on,
They’ll face Atletico Madrid at the Stade Calderon.
Jurgpep Guardiolopp
Thank you for listening to the Coshcast. If you enjoy it, subscribe right here on Itunes. It’s the Coshcast coming at you like an Ashley Young cross to the back post for Fellaini, pretty uncool, but extremely reliable. We start in the Premier League where City and Liverpool had […]
Kante’s Omnipresence
It’s the Coshcast hoping not to get banned for stamping on your ears.
We start this week with the ever romantic FA Cup in which Millwall manage to be racist, injure Harry Kane and pop Vincent Janssen’s cherry in one afternoon, Manchester United try to bully Chelsea and find that they Kante after Herrera’s error, Arsenal find their level and Manchester City make Pep so happy.
Thursday Throwdown: Xabi or Xavi?
Spanish deep-lying playmaker Xabi Alonso today announced that he will retire at the end of this season. The Cosh boys discuss their memories of him, and how he compared to his compatriot, Xavi Hernandez.
Luis Enrique’s Legacy: The Throwdown
Luis Enrique announced this week that he’s stepping down as Barcelona manager at the end of this season. What kind of legacy does he leave, and who would best replace him? Bernie & Alex discuss:
Reasons to watch AS Roma
In recent months the Giallorossi have developed into one of Europe’s most fun teams to watch, and not only for their style of play. Here are a few reasons why Roma deserve your attention.
Champions League Miracles
The Premier League, where in some kind of Henry Kissinger nightmare the red armies swept all before them with wins for Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd & Southampton, while in Wales, Paul Clement was in his element compared to Ranieri, who looked all despair-y.
Steven Caldwell goes Under The Cosh
Joining us today to talk about Toronto FC, this week’s Premier League action and answer your questions is former Premier League and MLS player, and Toronto’s favourite Scotsman, Steven Caldwell. Let’s get right into it.
Panenkas And Title Races
Coshcast time!
Where else to start but at the Etihad where Citeh had a 2-0 lead against Spurs pulled back, and where Kyle Walker did his best impression of Brexit as he pushed Sterling into an unrecoverable position.
Arsenal playing 3-5-2
One team that hasn’t adopted the fad is Arsenal, which is hardly a surprise. Arsene was not an early adopter of the transition from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, and he’s shown no recent signs of increased tactical flexibility. Thus, I preface the following by saying that it is a dream. A hypothetical.
The Case For Burnley’s Defence
Tom Heaton, the club’s captain, keeps goal. Michael Keane and Ben Mee, the centre-backs, play directly in front of Heaton. All three players have one thing in common. They started their careers in Manchester. The reason they are all now at Burnley is not due, solely, to the proximity of that large city.
Is Allardyce Going To China?
Listen to our latest podcast below. If you enjoy it, subscribe right here on Itunes. Chris Darwen is a sports writer and author living his dream on the Costa Blanca in Spain. Tales From The Top Flight has been featured each week in the largest English speaking newspaper in […]
Naked Headbutts & Coffee Machines
You would imagine if Tony Pulis’s Stoke had ever conceded a header to Mesut Ozil that the current WBA manager would have done quite a lot of naked headbutting after the match.
Toronto FC: The Bradley Question
Though I’m not a season-ticket holder, I’m aware that Bradley’s performances throughout the season haven’t generally been as bad as he was in the Conference Final. I’m also aware that he has rarely looked brilliant either, with each rare excellent performance drawing both praise and confusion as to why it doesn’t happen more often.
Klopp Conduts; Pardew Self-Destructs
Listen to our latest podcast below. If you enjoy it, subscribe right here on Itunes. Chris Darwen is a sports writer and author living his dream on the Costa Blanca in Spain. Tales From The Top Flight has been featured each week in the largest English speaking newspaper in […]
Moses Ensures Victor(y) For Chelsea
Chelsea go on the Conte attack to earn their Spurs, Liverpool continue to roll onwards despite being twice Ndonged, Arsenal defeat Bournemouth despite Ake at the back, and Mourinho may need to hit a bottle of red after getting a red for hitting a bottle.
Arsenal’s midfield mindf*ck
Since injury removed Santi Cazorla from the equation in mid-October, Arsenal have failed to find balance in the two positions at the base of the midfield.Without that balance, the team does not function properly. Mesut Ozil is playing the #10 role, but it is a very advanced interpretation of the position and this season he has spent a lot of time on the shoulder of the opposition’s defenders, looking to run behind them.
Anichebe is a “young Drogba”
Listen to our latest podcast below. If you enjoy it, subscribe right here on Itunes. Chris Darwen is a sports writer and author living his dream on the Costa Blanca in Spain. Tales From The Top Flight has been featured each week in the largest English speaking newspaper in […]
Liverpool will win the World Cup
If anyone felt this could be a Wembley classic in the world’s oldest ever international fixture the fact that both sides were managed by former Middlesbrough managers should have been the first clue.
Under The Cosh 