14 minutes for Cesc to win his first trophy in six years

It may have been an overly feisty affair, as such has become the custom for El Clasico in recent seasons, but Barcelona’s 3-2 win last over Real Madrid, a 5-4 aggregate victory over their fiercest rivals in the Spanish Super Cup will be remembered by one man in particular; Cesc Fabregas. The former Barca trainee was forced to watch from the bench until the 76^th minute with a cameo appearance allowing the former Arsenal captain to make his long awaited debut for the Catalan giants.

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Udinese mirror the Arsenal situation

It was a tense and nervy affair in North London on Tuesday night, Arsenal just doing enough to ensure they will travel Udine next week with a lead in tow, a slender one at that, but as the bandwagon has been so quick to point out, a relieving reward for a disjointed performance so far away removed from the cavalier Arsenal that has become the domestic neutral’s best friend in recent years.

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Arsenal must look for help at home

In 1930, Herbert Chapman, one of the most successful, innovative and forward thinking football managers in the history of the beautiful game, signed a young Austrian goalkeeper called Rudi Hiden for Arsenal. The transfer was about as unlikely as today’s Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, signing an English player, for international transfers, in the 1930’s, were almost unheard of.

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Diary Of A Sky Sports Reporter

Hartlepool nil Huddersfield nil. Goalscoring opportunities nil (or at least it felt like that!). Entertainment nil. Reports on Sky nil. Hours driving to and from the game a lot more than nil. Ticket price nil. Money earned more than nil. And it's those last two which I try to remember on days like this.

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Get in De right Gea or you’ll never get out of the starting blocks....

£18Million is a lot of money for any player, its a price that seems to fit the position of a new number 10, or a tricky winger out on the left, its a price tag that comes with a lot of expectation right off the bat, for that much money, a player needs to be a game changer, a breath of fresh air for a team in need of that extra kick. It hopefully brings in an experienced head amongst the team, or someone who knows the game well to slot right into his new surroundings with consummate ease.

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Is Joey Barton a hero or a villain?

Whilst there have been many players who have gained the marmite status with football fans over the years (Robbie Savage), the most compelling of those has got to be Joey. The regrettable actions over the weekend have further enhanced this debate once more. Whilst Barton’s poignant tweets about George Washington have displayed intelligence, his theatrical tumble has again shrouded him in controversy. 

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Shay given chance to shine

Aston Villa have snapped up Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given for an undisclosed fee reported to be around £3.5million. Manager Alex McLeish signed him to replace Brad Friedel who moved to Tottenham. So is this good for Villa and Given?

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The story of Stichting Betaald Voetbal Vitesse

Some of you will be familiar with Vitesse and will be thinking, isn’t it Vitesse Arnhem? But it’s not - although they do play in Arnhem, the Dutch outfit currently play in the Eredivisie and finished the 2010-11 season in 15th place, just scraping survival.

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Not the glorious return we wanted, but the return we needed...

Manchester United earn all three points after going down to a dodgy goal. Joey Barton and Alex Song find themselves reigniting an old flame. Arsenal still look wasteful in the final third. And Fernando Torres still looks way off that £50 mark despite his best efforts this weekend.

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Arsenal At A Cross Roads

Arsenal FC, a club who have been at the pinnacle of English and European football for over twenty years, a club who have harboured some of the Premier League’s most talented players and have one of the most decorated youth set-ups in Europe.

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Why Cesc Fabregas will be a success at Barcelona

After protracted transfer negotiations, Barcelona have finally got their man. The European champions have strengthened their side with one of the most talked-about players in Europe.

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Tweets, the press and the authorities

Football and Twitter is all the rage at the moment, what with Joey Barton attempts to transform himself into a Scouse Che Guevara/ George Orwell hybrid and Mick McCarthy’s Louise Mench-esque attempts to ban the site.

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We All Follow United @ The Round Up

Here’s a round-up of some of the latest and best articles up on We All Follow United that are worth reading:

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Daily Round Up @ Torres is back? Wenger turns to Asian wonderkid, Kean warns Rovers, plus Given, Hodgson and Dos Santos

The Premiership is back and already hitting the headlines…

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FootballFriendsonline.com Football Quiz Challenge

What type of quizzer are you? Do you sit drunk and clueless in the corner? Or are you halfway to Nerdsville with a tank top on and a smart-arse smile? Can you admit to watching Eggheads - even if only in a moment of weakness? No matter which category you fall into – try our pub quiz and prove to yourself that the years of watching and talking about footy have not been a complete waste of time. But please try not to cheat, for as my headmaster used to say “You’re only cheating on yourself”, which ironically is not what his wife said to him, when she caught him in congress with his secretary.

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