Brendan Dunlop

The Hardcore Footy Show returns

2009-01-05T12:13:00Z

Happy New Year Hardcore Country! Hopefully the holidays were as good for you as they were for Wayne Bridge who is happy to trade Stamford Bridge for a better paycheque, some actual playing time and I'm sure Busta Rhymes' new album.

The Hardcore Footy Show returns today and we've got one hell of a show in store. We'll kick off 2009 with an extra co-host. The Hardcore Footy Show Pick Em Challenge officially came to an end on Boxing Day, and Brandon in St. Louis proved that he was the best soccer capper in all of Hardcore Country. I'm not surprised he was better than James, but I know that Travis Payne's pride is hurt, seeing another American flex his soccer knowledge in front of an international community.

So as the winning prize, Brandon will co-host the show today. A big thanks goes out to everybody that participated in the challenge. It was fun to see the picks each week and I was happy to see all the new Hardcores get in on it. We'll keep the picks going each week, but we'll have a new contest in for this month.

Today we'll recap the end of 2008, debate whether the FA Cup even matters and get to some continental chat after a couple of big time games in Spain's La Liga. And we'll be sure to let Brandon plead his case for an MLS team in his beloved midwestern city.

Catch James Sharman, Kristian Jack, Brandon in St. Louis and me, today at 12pm EST on The Hardcore Footy Show!

On the Soccer field this weekend

2009-01-03T00:52:00Z

The Hardcore Footy Show Pick Em Contest is over, but we'll keep the picks coming every week. My co-hosts are still enjoying their well deserved vacation, but here's what I'm putting my money on this weekend.

The first weekend of 2009 lacks the lustre you might be hoping for. The English Premier League takes the weekend off to get some FA Cup action in. You know they're still celebrating the new year in Italy so no Serie A either. And the Bundesliga takes the whole month off, leaving Spain's La Liga to give us our premium soccer fix. They definitely deliver with a couple of matches, and they took the liberty to space em out which is always nice.

Spain's La Liga
Valencia vs. Atletico Madrid
Saturday, 4pm EST
Here is a great opportunity for Valencia to show they can play well against the other big teams in Spain. All they have to do, is actually play well against the other Madridistas. Playing well against the cream of the crop hasn't been easy for Los Che this year, although a win this weekend would see them up a couple of spots and into second place. The two sit third in the table, but Atletico holds the advantage on goal differential. Unai Emery definitely wants that to change and even held practise on New Year's Day. I'm guessing the only guy more pissed about that than the players, was the trainer, knowing all the puke he would be cleaning up around the pitch. I could barely run to the bathroom Thursday let alone run at practise! But that's why I talk and write about these games instead of play in them. Valencia has taken the last three meetings at the Mestella, one last January in the Copa del Rey. I like the Bats to repeat the success on Saturday, mainly because Atletico's hot streak has to come to an end. They've won four in a row in La Liga, and are unbeaten throughout since losing the Madrid derby in October. Big teams on hot runs usually hit their cool down thanks to big teams. PICK: Valencia (+110)

Barcelona vs. Mallorca
Saturday, 2pm EST
I think I'm the only one other than Mallorca head coach Gregorio Manzano that has any hope for this result, but I think red-hot Barca will struggle with the Barralets again. But they will at least come away with a point this time. Mallorca shocked the league leaders with a 3-2 win at the Nou Camp in May, and although their last league win came in late October against Espanyol, I don't think a tie is out of the question here. Again let's look at everyone's favourite factor when predicting results; streaks. Barca is way too hot right now! Other than losing to Shaktar in that meaningless Champions League game, they haven't lost since August. I really don't think they'll lose now...but a draw against the 17th place team will bring them down to reality a bit. Where will the luck come from for Mallorca, a team that has only two draws that represent the positives from their last nine games? Debut keeper Dudu Aoute who I'm sure would love to see the headline, "Dudu on Barca." PICK: Draw (+550)

Real Madrid vs. Villarreal
Sunday, 11am EST
I don't know who draws up the sked in Spain, but the NHL could learn a few things. The headline match on Sunday might force you to keep your Saturday night at the club short, but it will be worth it. Talk about a hell of a start to a new job. Imagine being a doc fresh out of med school, and your first three assignments include delivering septuplets, a quadruple bypass on conjoined twins and brain surgery on a former president. Ok maybe those tasks are a little extreme, but taking over an injury riddled Real Madrid team to face Barcelona, Valencia and Villarreal right out the gate is no easy task either. Juande Ramos will have a boosted roster as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra are expected to make their Madrid debuts. Gonzalo Higuain now joins the long list of talents on the injury list. Villarreal though seem to be sliding. They've lost two in a row and haven't won since November at Huelva. A trip to the Bernebeu is no easy way to find the win column. Sunday should bring a win for Juande. PICK: Real Madrid (-133)

Here are my other plays this weekend (some great road value out there!):

England's FA Cup
QPR vs. BURNLEY (+250)
Saturday, 10am EST

Birmingham vs. WOLVERHAMPTON (+188)
Saturday, 10am EST

HULL (+130) vs. Newcastle
Saturday, 10am EST

Portugal's Superliga
Vitoria Setubal vs. SPORTING LISBON (-143)
Saturday, 3:30pm EST

May the winners be yours Hardcore Country!

Brandon in St. Louis wins THFS Pick Em Challenge

2008-12-29T01:24:00Z

After fourteen weeks of The Hardcore Footy Show Pick Em Challenge, one regular listener reigns supreme as the best soccer capper in Hardcore Country: Brandon in St. Louis! Clearly, James and I were no match for the midwestern soccer wizard, KJ gave him a run but it was too little too late. Hopefully we all made some money in the process, it was a fun competition and I was glad to see all the participants. We'll keep the fun going in 2009, but we'll make it a little different.

FINAL WEEK'S RESULTS
Fitzy - 5/5
Breaks - 4/5
Dunlop - 3/5
Kristian Jack - 3/5
Brandon in St. Louis - 3/5
Scuba Steve - 3/5
Ghetto in Ottawa - 3/5
Peanut - 2/5
Travis Payne - 2/5
Lynn Nguyen - 2/5
Pierre in Toronto - 1/5
Ricardo M. - 1/5
S-Double D in Windsor - 1/5
J. Houdini in Montreal - 1/4

FINAL STANDINGS (Wins - Losses)
Brandon in St. Louis 45-25
Kristian Jack 43-32
Ghetto in Ottawa 42-33
Dunlop 36-39
Pierre in Toronto 36-39
James Sharman 34-36
Peanut 33-37
J Houdini in Montreal 32-32
S-Double D in Windsor 32-43
Ricardo M. 31-44
O.G.G. 27-23
Fitzy 27-22
Breaks 26-44
Pizzola 26-14
Tom Newton 24-31
Sam in Sacramento 24-21
Sam 23-13
Travis Payne 19-21
James: Abroad 19-16
Toledo_Ted 16-24
Brendon Lynch 15-15
Scuba Steve 12-13
Charley B 11-9
Miguel in Toronto 10-10
Lynn Nguyen 9-16
Pharoah 3-17
Crow 2-3
McFly 2-3

We've got ideas in the works for the next competition. We're leaning towards a survivor pool based challenge, but if you have any other ideas hit us up, soccer@hardcoresportsradio.com

We're back with The Hardcore Footy Show in 2009 with our first show Monday, January 5th at 12pm EST. Happy New Year Hardcores!

The Hardcore Footy Show Pick Em Blog FINAL WEEK

2008-12-23T12:49:00Z

It's really hard to believe the end is near. This is the last week for The Hardcore Footy Show Pick Em Challenge, it OFFICIALLY ENDS ON BOXING DAY. That is your last available game day, (there's a full sked of EPL). So get your picks in fast, and even if you're not challenging up there with Brandon, Ghetto and KJ (clearly I don't know what I'm doing), play for pride baby! This is going to go down to the wire with a great battle at the top of the table. Let's have fun with it.

Last week's results;

James Sharman - 4/5
Ghetto in Ottawa - 4/5
Brandon in St. Louis - 4/5
Pierre in Toronto - 4/5
J. Houdini in Montreal - 3/5
S-Double D in Windsor - 3/5
Breaks - 3/5
Dunlop - 2/5
Peanut - 2/5
Kristian Jack - 2/5
O.G.G. - 2/5
Tom Newton - 2/5
Travis Payne - 1/5
Ricardo M. - 1/5
Pharoah - 1/5
Scuba Steve - 1/5
Fitzy - 1/4

To see the full contest rules, check the original blog. http://hardcoresportsradio.com/blogs/brendandunlop/archive/2008/09/19/more-picks-for-the-wknd-and-contest-rules.aspx

STANDINGS (Wins - Losses)
Brandon in St. Louis 42-23
Kristian Jack 40-30
Ghetto in Ottawa 39-31
Pierre in Toronto 35-35
James Sharman 34-36
Dunlop 33-37
S-Double D in Windsor 31-39
Peanut 31-34
J Houdini in Montreal 31-29
Ricardo M. 30-40
O.G.G. 27-23
Pizzola 26-14
Tom Newton 24-31
Sam in Sacramento 24-21
Sam 23-13
Breaks 22-43
Fitzy 22-22
James: Abroad 19-16
Travis Payne 17-19
Toledo_Ted 16-24
Brendon Lynch 15-15
Charley B 11-9
Miguel in Toronto 10-10
Scuba Steve 9-11
Lynn Nguyen 7-13
Pharoah 3-17
Crow 2-3
McFly 2-3

Let's go out with a bang! Let it roll...

Dunlop
Stoke City vs. Manchester United (DRAW +400)
CHELSEA (-700) vs. West Brom
Sunderland vs. BLACKBURN (+225)
Aston Villa vs. Arsenal (DRAW +250)
LIVERPOOL (-300) vs. Bolton

James Sharman
TBA

Kristian Jack
Stoke City vs. MANCHESTER UNITED (-333)
MIDDLESBROUGH (+150) vs. Everton
CHELSEA (-700) vs. West Brom
ASTON VILLA (+150) vs. Arsenal
Portsmouth vs. WEST HAM (+250)

Peanut
Aston Villa vs. ARSENAL (+188)
Stoke City vs. MANCHESTER UNITED (-333)
CHELSEA (-700) vs. West Brom
Wigan vs. NEWCASTLE (+225)
SUNDERLAND (+125) vs. Blackburn

Travis Payne
Middlesbrough vs. EVERTON (+188)
TOTTENHAM (-138) vs. Fulhamerica
Man City vs. HULL (+350)
CHELSEA (-700) vs. West Brom
Portsmouth vs. West Ham (DRAW +240)

This week you heard the very best of 2008 on The Hardcore Footy Show, what did you think of it? Who do you want to hear us talk to in 09'? And be honest, how many times did you laugh at Travis Payne? Let us know, we're back January 5th, 2009 but you can hit us up anytime, soccer@hardcoresportsradio.com

Happy Holidays Hardcores and may the winners be yours!

The BEST of The Hardcore Footy Show in 08'

2008-12-22T06:20:00Z

This week on The Hardcore Footy Show, we'll take a look back at the year that was. Well, the ten months we were on the air anyway. A lot happened on the pitch in 2008, and we talked about all year long on the show.

We'll take a look back to our first show, our favourite interviews, the best moments and of course it wouldn't be a good 'Year in Review Show' without a blooper reel of all the stupid shit we said in 08'. There's even a 'best of; segment dedicated to our official American soccer correspondent Travis Payne. He's even tried to sell it back to us...

In 2008 we talked to a lot of footy fiends. We talked to poet and soccer commentator Ray Hudson from GolTV, chatted business with MLS commissioner Don Garber, and got a South American soccer lesson from KJ's favourite writer Tim Vickery. Here it all on our special Year in Review show TODAY at 12pm EST.

We'll be back January 7th to talk about everything that happened while you got loaded off of mom's eggnog and brandy. And hit us up anytime, soccer@hardcoresportsradio.com

Happy Holidays Hardcore Country! May you have even more winners this holiday season.

Soccer this weekend (other than England)

2008-12-20T08:26:00Z

Spain's La Liga
Real Madrid vs. Valencia
Saturday, 2pm EST
Juande has now had a full week to settle in at the Bernebeu. Things don't get easier. After a convincing Champions League performance, then a late loss to much hated Barcelona, we'll see how Los Blancos respond against Los Che. Heading into the weekend, Real sit sixth in the table, 12 points behind league leading Barca so getting points tomorrow will be huge if they are to have any chance of the three-peat. Valencia may have more credit troubles than the US housing market right now, but they do sit second in the league. How long they stay there though, is another story. They've won just two of their last five, and didn't look so hot against Brugge or St. Etienne in the UEFA Cup. They hope for the same success they enjoyed on their last trip to Madrid, which was a 3-2 win in March. Real might have a flu problem going around the locker room as both Raul and Sergio Ramos are sick this week (SR can't play anyway after his yellow card fun fare against Barca). Cannavaro, Marcelo and Robben should all be good to go though. For Valencia, former Madrid star Fernando Morientes will enjoy this one from the sidelines, but David Silva should be back and healthy. Watch for Juan Mata to try to show up his former club, but I think Juande's men have all the momentum heading into this clash. PICK: Real Madrid (-110)

Villarreal vs. Barcelona
Sunday, 1pm EST
There aren't too many teams that have troubled Barcelona this season, but Sunday's visit to El Madrigal will not be easy. Pellegrini has told the papers all week that his Villarreal side will not change their attacking form this week, which means we could see quite a challenge all game. Barca's defense has been impenetrable in league play. They've given up just 9 goals in 15 matches. As far as the rivalry goes, Villarreal has the upper hand taking their last three from the Catalans, including two at home. Heading into the weekend, Pep's side have won three in a row, while the Yellow Submarine are looking to get back into the win column after losing in Seville and falling to Celtic in the Champions League. American standout Jozy Altidore has seen the pitch a lot lately, and we could see a battle of youth up front late in the game if Pellegrini again calls on the former Red Bulls product and Pep allows young Bojan to play. I think Barca will be held back on the road, but Villarreal will struggle to find the back of the net. PICK: Draw (+275)

Italian Serie A
Catania vs. Roma
Sunday, 9am EST
After a terrible start to the season, Roma will be looking to head into the holidays with smiles on their faces. A trip down to Sicily should do it on Sunday, but they'll need to put some work in. The Romans need max points from this clash, because they only sit one point ahead of 12th place Catania. But this is not the same team that barely escaped relegation last year. The Sicilians have been unstoppable at home losing just one game this year, drawing once and winning seven. Roma hasn't had that luck at home or on the road. Spalletti may have a small squad to work with though. Totti has been battling flu like symptoms through training this week, so he is a question mark. Alberto Aquilani and Juan are both banged up, BUT Matteo Brighi is back from suspension so should add an extra spark to the midfield. PICK: Roma (-120)

Turkey's Super League
Galatasaray vs. Besiktas
Sunday, 12pm EST
I know it's a little off the wall, but somebody's watching this one. Hopefully for the Instanbul police department, it won't provide the usual amount of violence for an Instanbul derby, but there are at least a few soccer heads looking forward to this match. Galatasaray look to keep pace with high flying Fenerbahce by building their own impressive winning streak. The Yellow Reds have won four straight, including a 1-0 win in Berlin in the UEFA Cup and another win at home to Besiktas will help their league rep. They beat Besiktas the last four times they've visited the Ali Sami Yen, so as a man that follows streaks, I like Galatasaray to get it done again. PICK: Galatasaray (-120)

Secrets in soccer

2008-12-18T05:43:00Z

Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in the summer? Say it ain't so!

Someone in Madrid has been talking and now there are millions of Man U fans wondering what the hell is going on with their club. Spanish paper El Mundo quoted a Real Madrid club director as saying that Cristiano Ronaldo will sign for Los Blancos in the summer.

The report claims that club director Pedro Trapote told a friend after El Clasico last weekend, that the two clubs have agreed to a deal and what's more interesting, agreed to keep it their little secret. The conversation is said to have been recorded.

After last summer's soap opera, Real president Ramon Calderon said the club would no longer pursue C.Ron, but how many times have we heard big spending clubs change their minds? You know this story isn't over.

Check out how The Daily Mail spills it all.

What's your reaction? Should clubs be allowed to make verbal transfer agreements outside the transfer window? Do you believe there's any truth to the story? Do you even care if there is?

The Hardcore Footy Show Pick Em Blog WEEK 13

2008-12-16T04:26:00Z

I can't believe Christmas is almost here. Because Christmas Day is on a Thursday, it kind of messes things up. We had been saying all year that Christmas would be the end of the contest, but to be fair I think we have to include matches that happen the week of Christmas. So, this is your second last week to pick games. The contest officially ends after the matches on Friday, December 26th aka Boxing Day! Let it roll baby,

J. Houdini in Montreal - 3/5
Brandon in St. Louis - 3/5
S-Double D in Windsor - 3/5
Dunlop - 2/5
Peanut - 2/5
Kristian Jack - 2/5
O.G.G. - 2/5
Pierre. - 2/5
Ricardo M. - 2/5
Travis Payne - 2/5
Pharoah - 1/5
Scuba Steve - 1/5
Tom Newton - 1/5
Ghetto in Ottawa - 1/5
James Sharman - 0/5
Breaks - 0/5

To see the full contest rules, check the original blog. http://hardcoresportsradio.com/blogs/brendandunlop/archive/2008/09/19/more-picks-for-the-wknd-and-contest-rules.aspx

STANDINGS (Wins - Losses)
Kristian Jack 38-27
Brandon in St. Louis 38-22
Ghetto in Ottawa 35-30
Dunlop 31-34
Pierre in Toronto 31-34
James Sharman 30-35
Ricardo M. 29-36
Peanut 29-31
J Houdini in Montreal 28-27
S-Double D in Windsor 28-38
Pizzola 26-14
O.G.G. 25-20
Sam in Sacramento 24-21
Sam 23-13
Tom Newton 22-28
Fitzy 21-19
Breaks 19-41
James: Abroad 19-16
Toledo_Ted 16-24
Travis Payne 16-14
Brendon Lynch 15-15
Charley B 11-9
Miguel in Toronto 10-10
Scuba Steve 8-7
Lynn Nguyen 7-13
Pharoah 2-13
Crow 2-3
McFly 2-3

Here's what we're feeling this week.

Dunlop
UEFA Cup - Hamburg vs. ASTON VILLA (+240)
UEFA Cup - Sampdoria vs. SEVILLA (+140)
EPL - Newcastle vs. TOTTENHAM (+188)
EPL - BLACKBURN (-110) vs. Stoke
Serie A - AC MILAN (-175) vs. Udinese

James Sharman
UEFA Cup - TOTTENHAM (-138) vs. Spartak Moscow
EPL - BOLTON (+120) vs. Portsmouth
EPL - West Ham vs. ASTON VILLA (+138)
EPL - Arsenal vs. Liverpool (DRAW +220)
Serie A - Siena vs. INTER MILAN (-162)

Kristian Jack
UEFA Cup - TOTTENHAM (-138) vs. Spartak Moscow
EPL - HULL (+100) vs. Sunderland
EPL - NEWCASTLE (+150) vs. Tottenham
EPL - West Ham vs. ASTON VILLA (+138)
EPL - Everton vs. CHELSEA (-138)

Peanut
UEFA Cup - BRUGGE (+100) vs. Copenhagen
UEFA Cup -FEYENOORD (+175) vs. Lech Poznan
UEFA Cup - HAMBURG (+110) vs. Aston Villa
La Liga - Espanyol vs. ATLETICO MADRID (+110)
La Liga - Mallorca vs. SEVILLA (+100)

Travis Payne
UEFA Cup - AC MILAN (-138) vs. Wolfsburg
UEFA Cup - St. Etienne vs. VALENCIA (+162)
UEFA Cup - BENFICA (+100) vs. FC Metalist Kharkiv
EPL - Everton vs. CHELSEA (-138)
La Liga - SPORTING GIJON (+120) vs. Almeria

Today on The Hardcore Footy Show, Toronto FC midfielder Rohan Ricketts joined us in studio, and we spoke to his teammate and Welsh international Carl Robinson on the phone from England. Check the podcast if you missed it. We're off next week, but catch 'The Hardcore Footy Show Year in Review' next Monday in our usual timeslot at 12pm EST. Remember the contest officially ends December 26th (after the matches from that day) so get your picks in and let's have some fun with it!

Sippin' on some Spanish soccer

2008-12-13T07:19:00Z

El Clasico
It doesn't get much better than Barcelona versus Real Madrid. Add to the mix that this matchup looks completely different than it did last weekend, and there's even more reason to be excited about it. The two-time Champions visit the Nou Camp this afternoon with Barcelona drooling over the thought of revenge. The last Clasico was anything but memorable for the Catalans. They were embarrassed 4-1 at the Bernebeu in May just days after Los Blancos clinched their second straight Spanish title. Heading into this match, Barcelona clearly are the better team and the boys at Ladbrokes took note making the Champions 5/1 underdogs. But the circumstances have changed. Last week Real fell to Sevilla and their coach said they couldn't even contend with high flying Barca. This week, they have a new coach. Juande Ramos sinks his teeth into his new job with his first Spanish opponent being their most hated rivals. He must be praying that his injury riddled club can avoid playing spectator to a scoring expo. Barcelona has had a lot of luck against the other big clubs this season spanking Atletico 6-1 and shutting out Valencia and Sevilla. They won't have to worry about defending Arjen Robben or Marcelo as both are serving suspensions, and Wesley Sneijder will spend another week in street clothes alongside Gabby Heinze. So Juande will have a slightly different squad than the one he rolled out to take care of Zenit 3-0 Wednesday. Something tells me Raul will keep the momentum from his two goal game mid-week. He has a few reasons to want to impress his new boss and there's no bigger stage than this rivalry. One player matchup to look for, has some Argentine flavour. You know Gonzalo Higuain will be looking to upstage his countryman Leo Messi, and I have no complaints with that. We should see a few goals in this one. It kicks off today at 4pm EST. PICK: Draw +280

Sevilla vs Villarreal
There's another battle of heavyweights, on Sunday with Villarreal paying a visit to Sevilla. The Rojiblancos should be riding a high considering their 4-3 win last week, left Bernd Schuster standing in the unemployment line this week. They love to score goals and they should score a few more this weekend with Luis Fabiano back in the lineup after serving a suspension last weekend. Manolo Jimenez will not have Lautaro Acosta and Ernesto Chevanton at his disposal as both are on the mend. Villarreal now have a healthy Nihat which means American standout Jozy Altidore will find himself back on the bench. As for this rivalry, Sevilla shutout the Yellow Submarine in April and will be looking for the same result Sunday. The home side actually have a serious dominance over Villarreal at the Pizjuan, winning six of the last seven. Watch the strikers in this one. Freddy Kanoute and Luis Fabiano are two of the best in Spanish football, but if you're drawing up a top ten list I think you have to throw Nihat and Giuseppe Rossi into the mix. Hopefully we'll see a scoring expo on Sunday in Seville. It kicks off alongside all the other big 1 o'clocks. Which football will you choose? PICK: Sevilla +105

Valencia vs Espanyol
Let's come back to today, because this is a huge bounce back game for Los Che. You can't really judge Valencia on their drubbing to Barca last week, because it was a drubbing at the hands of Barcelona! The biggest concern for them really is off the pitch. Everyday there are new stories about their estimated $1 billion worth of debt, and you wonder if that will play on the minds of high price targets like David Villa and Ruben Baraja. One guy that the Che brass could get a lot of money for right now is Juan Mata. The kid is only 20 but is second only to DV in scoring and has made for a wiked duo with the Spanish frontman. Watch for bottom feeding Espanyol to have some serious trouble with him. The Barcelona side should have trouble scoring for a while still with Raul Tamudo out into the new year. This is the early game on Saturday and I like Valencia here. Let's enjoy their play while we still can, the day might not be far off when we're talking about "the team that formerly existed as Valencia." PICK: Valencia -188

Big game in the Serie A with Juve at home to Milan, and in Germany Cinderella Hoffenheim host Schalke. Both are on Sunday so I will break down those games later on in the day.

Rohan Ricketts IN STUDIO on The Hardcore Footy Show

2008-12-13T06:38:00Z

It may be the MLS offseason, but the headlines haven't stopped. Baseball free agents like CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett may be signing for blockbuster deals, but the MLS has stolen some newspaper space with a blockbuster trade of their own. The Houston Dynamo traded three time MLS All-Star and Canadian superstar Dwayne De Rosario to his hometown club, Toronto FC.

So Monday on The Hardcore Footy Show we will get the inside deal from DeRo's new teammate, TFC midfielder Rohan Ricketts. He will join us in studio this week, and I'm sure he'll have a few things to say about one of the deadliest midfields in Major League Soccer. We'll also get his thoughts on the turn around of his former premier league club Tottenham.

Give us a call Monday at 1-888-9HARDCORE or hit us up with an email, soccer@hardcoresportsradio.com

Catch James Sharman, Kristian Jack and me with Rohan Ricketts LIVE in studio on The Hardcore Footy Show, Monday at 12pm EST!

Champions League group stage is over: Bring on the good stuff

2008-12-11T12:21:00Z

It couldn't come quick enough for some footy fans, but the final 16 have finally been decided in the Champions League and here's a surprise, there aren't any big surprises! Thirty-two teams qualified, but the sixteen teams we all expected to get through, actually did. Sure a few teams surprised us as to where they placed, and matchday six definitely provided some heartaches for the gamblers, but Werder Bremen really is the only team with a sour taste in their mouths this morning. I guess 'The Special One' might have a sour taste after Inter fell to Werder handing Panathinaikos top spot in the group. His comments afterwards certainly suggest that he does. "We deserve to find already in February a great opponent like Barcelona, defending champions Manchester United or Liverpool." Way to light a fire under the asses of your players. Jose has a reason to be upset seeing as they failed to win their last three matches, not to mention losing to Anorthosis. But it seems this is just a hiccup in their Championship campaign. The only team I think they really need to worry about drawing now is Barcelona. They are playing perfect football right now and are scoring goals for fun, whereas the others all seem to have their vulnerabilities posted on facebook.

One of those vulnerables is none other than the defending champions. Sir Alex seems to agree with me. The angry Scot seemed pretty concerned after his club's draw at home to Aalborg. “I don't know what it is - concentration or carelessness. But we're going to embarrass ourselves if we are not careful.” How often do we hear him talk like that? Here's a surprise though, he completely ignored Rooney's violent incident which could put the 23 year-old out of the line up for an extended period of time. Rooney reportedly stomped on the chest of Aalborg midfielder Kasper Risgard, but Fergie was quick to pass the blame, “I never saw anything with Rooney. They were quite tigerish themselves. One of their players could have been sent off for a tackle on Carlos Tevez.” That a boy Alex, it's never you, it's always them.

Real Madrid provided the best possible start to a new job for Juande. Raul scored a pair and looked like the Raul from 2004. Even Arjen Robben looked like he was playing with a special spark. Could it be that these guys are worried about keeping their place in the new Blancos? I'll give credit to Raul for becoming the all-time leading scoring in European competition. Somebody should tell Cristiano Ronaldo about that and we'll see how hard he tries for that personal achievement. Raul has another reason to sweat perhaps, as Los Merengues are rumoured to be the new front runners in the Andrei Arshavin show. Dick Advocaat says the club should let him pursue his career elsewhere and with some teams in Russia merging with local rivals, £20 million probably could go a long way for St. Pete's. Zenit find themselves with a crack at repeating in the UEFA Cup thanks to the Champions League reject rule, so at least Arshavin can look forward to that if he is not shipped off in January.

While Real Madrid have the momentum heading into El Clasico on Saturday, Barcelona on the other hand will be reeling off their shock loss to Shakhtar. Ok so clearly it was Pep's B team that dropped the ball, but are we wrong to expect Bojan Krkic to carry the load and continue the winning ways? I want to say no, but considering the average age of the starting 11 would prevent them from drinking in Ontario, maybe we should let that one go. Strong supporters of Spanish football are just happy that all four Spanish clubs survived. Barca may have looked best in the group stage, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Atletico or even Villarreal upstage them. Both clubs also have the potential to score goals for fun, whether than do or not is another story.

I must say I am pretty impressed at the way Porto finished. After their trip to the Emirates, I was a little nervous that The Dragons would see their way out early. If they get a lucky draw, we could be talking about this team in the Final Four again. They have a talented squad and right now their chemistry is on par with any of the other success stories. Plus, there are a few guys on that team that are looking for big contracts elsewhere, so keep your eyes on Lucho, Lisandro and Raul Meireles. Sporting Lisbon also earned the bragging rights to the city by booking their place in the next stage, while city rivals Benfica went crashing out of the UEFA Cup. The strong finish makes head coach Paulo Bento look very good right now, and you may remember that Sir Alex was trying to steal the former Portuguese defender to replace Carlos Queiroz. He might carry a heavy price tag if Sporting stick around in this competition.

Although none of the minnows made it past the group stage, there were a handful of surprises along the way. Perhaps there is more parity than the standings would suggest? Juve fans will remember BATE Borisov's pair of draws for a few seasons to come and I can't see Anorthosis Famagusta disappearing into obscurity any time soon. Do you like the group stage as a venue for these clubs to make names for themselves, or should the group stage be trimmed to include just the real champions of Europe? I've said it on 'The Hardcore Footy Show' a few times, although these teams come out of nowhere each season and we find ourselves reading in August about teams we've never heard of before, I wouldn't change a thing. Sure it seems to water down the competition a bit and we always see lopsided results at the end of the group stage because the big clubs simply stop caring, but I enjoy watching teams I don't get to see often, if ever.

The Hardcore Footy Show Pick Em Blog WEEK 12

2008-12-09T02:52:00Z

If you wanted big excitement, you got it all across Europe last week. Shit, you even got it this side fo the pond with Seattle and Toronto rolling out their new jerseys! Ok, so maybe Travis and Drew Carey were the only people excited about that, but hey whatever floats your boat right? KJ and I were thrilled to be talking about a Villa win yesterday. Lescott beautifully contorted his body to strike it past Friedel for the 93rd minute equaliser, but leave it to Ashley Young to capitalize on some sloppy defending and take the lead back. Definitely check out the highlights if you missed this one. http://thescore.com/video/Player.aspx?vid=2329. We talked La Liga with Spanish super-fan Andrew Lopez today on The Hardcore Footy Show. He seemed very impressed with Barcelona's play, calling this year's squad the best team he has ever seen, and he shares KJ's interest in watching Atletico score goals for fun. Check the podcasts if you missed the show this week.

The picks contest is winding down with just three weeks to go. Here's how we all did last week (You'll notice a correction. KJ is on fire and got better than the 3/5 originally posted);

Kristian Jack - 4/5
Brandon in St. Louis - 4/5
Scuba Steve - 4/5
Pierre in Toronto - 4/5
James: Abroad - 4/5
Ghetto in Ottawa - 3/5
James Sharman - 3/5
Dunlop - 3/5
Peanut - 3/5
Fitzy - 3/5
Sam - 3/5
Ricardo M. - 3/5
Breaks - 3/5
O.G.G. - 3/5
Tom Newton - 2/5
Toledo_Ted - 2/5
Travis Payne - 2/5
S-Double D in Windsor - 2/5
J. Houdini in Montreal - 1/5
Pharoah - 0/5

To see the full contest rules, check the original blog. http://hardcoresportsradio.com/blogs/brendandunlop/archive/2008/09/19/more-picks-for-the-wknd-and-contest-rules.aspx

STANDINGS (Wins - Losses)
Kristian Jack 36-24
Brandon in St. Louis 35-20
Ghetto in Ottawa 34-26
James Sharman 30-30
Dunlop 29-31
Pierre in Toronto 29-31
Ricardo M. 27-33
Peanut 27-28
Pizzola 26-14
S-Double D in Windsor 25-35
J Houdini in Montreal 25-25
Sam in Sacramento 24-21
O.G.G. 23-17
Sam 23-13
Tom Newton 21-24
Fitzy 21-19
Breaks 19-36
James: Abroad 19-16
Toledo_Ted 16-24
Brendon Lynch 15-15
Travis Payne 14-11
Charley B 11-9
Miguel in Toronto 10-10
Lynn Nguyen 7-13
Scuba Steve 7-3
Crow 2-3
McFly 2-3
Pharoah 1-9

The Champions League group stage wraps up this week, so be careful of the teams that don't have anything to play for. There's a lot of value out there, but you've got to be smart with it. Here's what we like (and I promise you I made the Spurs pick before the show this afternoon, so I'm not trying to pull one past you, but I'm very happy to actually start the week with a dub);

Dunlop
Champions League - Panathinaikos vs. ANORTHOSIS FAMAGUSTA (+500)
EPL - West Ham vs. TOTTENHAM (Win)
EPL - LIVERPOOL (-350) vs. Hull
La Liga - Barcelona vs. REAL MADRID (+450)
Serie A - INTER MILAN (-600) vs. Chievo

James Sharman
Champions League - BARCELONA (-200) vs. Shakhtar Donetsk
Champions League - Marseille vs ATLETICO MADRID (+250)
Champions League - Werder Bremen vs. INTER MILAN (+162)
Champions League - Porto vs. ARSENAL (+200)
Champions League - MANCHESTER UNITED (-400) vs. Aalborg

Kristian Jack
Champions League - Basel vs. SPORTING LISBON (+162)
Champions League - CHELSEA (-600) vs. CFR Cluj
Champions League - MANCHESTER UNITED (-400) vs. Aalborg
Champions League - Werder Bremen vs. INTER MILAN (+162)
EPL - MAN CITY (+100) vs. Everton

Peanut
Champions League - Basel vs. Sporting Lisbon (DRAW +240)
Champions League - MARSEILLE (+100) vs. Atletico Madrid
Champions League - CELTIC (+125) vs. Villarreal
Champions League - MAN UTD (-400) vs. Aalborg
Champions League - REAL MADRID (+100) vs. Zenit

Travis Payne
Champions League - Juventus vs. BATE Borisov (DRAW +400)
Champions League - LYON (+150) vs. Bayern Munich
EPL - Middlesbrough vs. ARSENAL (-150)
La Liga - VALENCIA (-225) vs. Espanyol
Bundesliga - Stuttgart vs. BAYERN MUNICH (+100)

As always, hit us up anytime soccer@hardcoresportsradio.com. We're back with The Hardcore Footy Show next Monday and 12pm where we'll recap the Champions League group stage and the weekend club action.

Soccer & Sangria: Does it get any better?

2008-12-07T22:20:00Z

I don't know what the weather is like in your part of Hardcore Country, but a good bottle of Sangria goes just as well with the white winters of Hardcore Country North as it does anywhere else. And you might as well enjoy that bottle with some quality Spanish soccer action. That's what we'll do this week on The Hardcore Footy Show. We'll talk to Spanish super-fan Andrew Lopez, and I'm sure he'll have a few things to say about the past week in La Liga.

The big Barcelona/Valencia match was a little more one sided than fans of Los Che would have hoped, and I am totally kicking myself in the ass for turning off the Villarreal/Getafe game in the 79th minute. It's never over til you hear the final whistle, right? Cam preaches a lot of truth around here. Sevilla came out early against Real Madrid forcing the home side to put on a scoring expo, only to suffer the loss thanks to Renato, one of the millions of forgotten Brasilian footballers. If you wanted to see some scoring this weekend, you definitely saw it in Spain.

But how could I get his far into the blog and not mention that Kristian Jack and I WILL BE DOING JUMPING JACKS IN THE STUDIO TOMORROW AS WE TALK ABOUT VILLA'S THRILLING LATE WIN AT GOODISON! Sorry for the caps, but I'm still excited about it. Too bad we couldn't see KJ's reaction Live in HD today. There's also a few other English stories that James and KJ will be sure to shove down my throat, and we'll take a look at the upcoming Champions League matches this week.

So don't miss The Hardcore Footy Show, LIVE Monday at 12pm EST on Hardcore Sports Radio, Sirius 98, and right here at hardcoresportsradio.com!

The Hardcore Footy Show Pick Em Blog WEEK 11

2008-12-01T21:26:00Z

The great debate on which league is more entertaining was held at bars, pubs and living rooms across Hardcore Country this week. A few big derbies on the schedule provided some moderate entertainment, with Arsenal vs. Chelsea being the hilight of the weekend. Real Madrid really tanked it on their visit to Getafe, while the other Madrid side did what the always do, made goal-scoring look easy. Inter still sits atop the table in Italy, but the real talk about the other Milan club is about how different the club could look come January. Or perhaps I should say, how much more Inter will look like Chelsea of 2006. Didier Drogba looked anything but interested in the big London derby as he jammed to his iPod while the Gunners handed the Blues their second loss at the Bridge this season. So what better fit for Double-D than a comfortable spot up front with Inter? From the words coming out of Jose's mouth, you would think these two are secret lovers. Have a listen to how James explained it in segment 2 of this week's show. We also got into a short debate about my favorite British people and Peanut happily reminded me of my attraction to Rachel Stevens from S Club 7. Man she was hot in that stupid show. The Florida one was better than the Cali version, although she dressed better on the West Coast.

The picks contest is winding down with just four weeks remaining. Here's how we all did last week;

Ghetto in Ottawa - 4/5
Kristian Jack - 3/5
James Sharman - 3/5
Dunlop - 3/5
Travis Payne - 3/5
Sam - 3/5
Sam in Sacramento - 3/5
J. Houdini in Montreal - 3/5
O.G.G. - 3/5
Scuba Steve - 3/5
Fitzy - 3/5
Pierre in Toronto - 3/5
Pizzola - 3/5
James: Abroad - 3/5
Peanut - 2/5
Tom Newton - 1/5
S-Double D in Windsor - 1/5
Brandon in St. Louis - 1/5
Pharoah - 1/5
Ricardo M. - 1/5

To see the full contest rules, check the original blog. http://hardcoresportsradio.com/blogs/brendandunlop/archive/2008/09/19/more-picks-for-the-wknd-and-contest-rules.aspx

STANDINGS (Wins - Losses)
Kristian Jack 32-23
Ghetto in Ottawa 31-24
Brandon in St. Louis 31-19
James Sharman 27-28
Dunlop 26-29
Pizzola 26-14
Pierre in Toronto 25-30
Ricardo M. 24-31
Peanut 24-26
J Houdini in Montreal 24-21
Sam in Sacramento 24-21
S-Double D in Windsor 23-32
O.G.G. 20-15
Sam 20-11
Tom Newton 19-21
Fitzy 18-17
Breaks 16-34
Brendon Lynch 15-15
James: Abroad 15-15
Toledo_Ted 14-21
Travis Payne 12-8
Charley B 11-9
Miguel in Toronto 10-10
Lynn Nguyen 7-13
Scuba Steve 3-2
Crow 2-3
McFly 2-3
Pharoah 1-4

On this week's show, KJ and James made the argument that there is just too much football further emphasizing their point that they could not care less about the soon to be named Europa Cup. But if you dare to enjoy the oversized buffet of soccer, you have a full sked of midweek UEFA Cup games to choose from. Here's what we like this week;

Dunlop
UEFA Cup - SEVILLA (-350) vs. Partizan Belgrade
UEFA Cup - Wolfsburg vs. Portsmouth (DRAW +240)
EPL - LIVERPOOL (Loss) vs. West Ham
EPL - Fulham vs. MAN CITY (+150)
Serie A - Lazio vs. INTER (+110)

James Sharman
EPL - LIVERPOOL (Loss) vs. West Ham
EPL - Hull vs. MIDDLESBROUGH (+190)
EPL - MANCHESTER UNITED (-600) vs. Sunderland
EPL - West Brom vs. PORTSMOUTH (+160)
EPL - West Ham vs. TOTTENHAM (+150)

Kristian Jack
EPL - ARSENAL (-333) vs. Wigan
EPL - MANCHESTER UNITED (-600) vs. Sunderland
EPL - WEST BROM (+150) vs. Portsmouth
EPL - Everton vs. ASTON VILLA (+160)
La Liga - Sporting Gijon vs. ATLETICO MADRID (+110)

Peanut
UEFA Cup - FC METALIST KHARKIV (+140) vs. Olympiakos
UEFA Cup - SEVILLA (-350) vs. Partizan Belgrade
UEFA Cup - STANDARD LIEGE (+130) vs. Sampdoria
UEFA Cup - ASTON VILLA (-400) vs. MSK Zilina
UEFA Cup - Lech Poznan vs. DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA (+130)

Travis Payne
UEFA Cup - Copenhagen vs. ROSENBORG (+350)
UEFA Cup - Twente vs. SCHALKE (+150)
EPL - Bolton vs. CHELSEA (-188)
CCC - QPR vs. Wolverhampton (DRAW +225)
Serie A - AC MILAN (-350) vs. Catania

We talked to John Molinaro from cbcsports.ca this week on The Hardcore Footy Show and he seems pretty anxious to see David Beckham ride the pine in Milan. Catch the podcasts anytime on-demand if you missed it. And don't forget you can hit us up, soccer@hardcoresportsradio.com

Another kick with The Hardcore Footy Show

2008-12-01T12:03:00Z

A big week of soccer means we'll have plenty of things to talk about on The Hardcore Footy Show today. There were a lot of unders in the NFL this weekend, and the same can be said about the other type of football. Five of the nine matches stayed under the total in England while seven of the ten games in the Serie A failed to provide any goal scoring entertainment. We'll talk to our Italian soccer expert John Molinaro from www.cbcsports.ca, and I'm sure the debate about which league is more entertaining will be brought up again.

The MLS season might be over, but that doesn't mean we're done talking about it. The Seattle Sounders added ten more players to their roster thanks to the seemingly annual expansion draft last week, and our favorite American soccer correspondent Travis Payne even called us live on Wednesday from New York City to tell us all about it. The Houston Dynamo advanced to the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions League, and Arsenal decided to hire MLS Commissioner Don Garber's right hand man as their new CEO. Maybe he's just hoping for a London bailout. We know that Wenger sure is, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

James will again look into the mirror and see what garbage the British papers are doing jumping jacks for, and The Hardcore Footy Show Pick Em Contest heats up with just four more weeks remaining.

What did you think of the week in soccer? With teams giving up in the later legs of the Champions League, there was a lot of value too cash in on....if of course you were smart enough to be on the right side of it. As you can see from my picks last week, I wasn't so lucky. Hit us up and tell us what you thought about European play, domestic club action or anything else that involves the world's favorite round ball. Call us up at 1-888-9HARDCORE, or email us, soccer@hardcoresportsradio.com

Join Kristian Jack, James Sharman, Peanut and me on The Hardcore Footy Show today at 12pm EST, or hear podcasts anytime in our podcasts sections, or download em from iTunes. It's a footy free-for-all!