The Subs Bench Daily Blog and Weekly Podcast

The Brazil versus Scotland friendly from this past weekend has continued to make headlines during the week due to the unfortunate banana throwing incident. Apart from the fact Brazil and Scotland have traditionally enjoyed a very close relationship in international football, it is completely understandable why this act could have been initially viewed as racially [...]

As the season draws to a close it is time to recognize those players who have had outstanding seasons. I have compiled my shortlist of the five outstanding players in the Premier League this season. Before I get into them individually, a few honorable mentions need to be made. Rafael van der Vaart, who without so many [...]

Jose Mourinho has taken advantage of the international break to get his name back in the English headlines by stating he turned down he England job before it was given to Fabio Capello. Everyone seems to be taking it for granted that Mourinho, who had made no secret of his desire to return to England, [...]

Over recent days NFL player Chad Ochocinco has been trialing with MLS club Sporting KC in what can only be described as a shameless publicity stunt by both player and club. Let me begin by clarifying that I have no problem with an MLS club thinking outside the box to get publicity, and this is [...]

Of all the teams currently fighting for their Premier League lives, there is one club that stands out, Aston Villa. Villa have not traditionally been a relegation threatened club in the Premier League era and despite a few uncomfortable seasons under David O’Leary and Graeme Taylor, Villa fans have never had to endure this type [...]

Sir Alex Ferguson’s post match comments this past weekend baffled me. I was expecting Ferguson to criticize, albeit subtly, the decision to send Jonny Evans off for the collision with Stuart Holden. I say “collision” as it was to dedicated players going for a 50-50 ball rather than a tackle, and unfortunately as can happen, [...]

I realise it is old news now, but if you haven’t seen Ballotelli versus the bib it really is worth a look. He makes how much a week?    

Toronto FC got their MLS season underway with a very disappointing 4-2 defeat to expansion club Vancouver Whitecaps. Watching the game you would have been forgiven for confusing TFC as the expansion team, and with a new coach and a completely different playing style, in many ways they are a new team that will take time [...]

There have been a number a leg breaking tackles seen this season alone in the Premier League, not to mention those of last season. The most recent example being Jamie Carragher’s effort on Nani’s shin, which thankfully didn’t result in any serious damage. Nani has come out and criticized Carragher’s tackle as ‘not football’, just [...]

There have been suggestions recently that the FA Cup needs to be re-invented in order for the competition to regain the popularity and importance it had before the European Champions League and Premier League became the all important money-makers they are today. I am not convinced this is the case, but there is little doubt [...]