o brave wigan

wigan athletic almost held chelsea to a draw today. they did lose 1-0 in the end, but this definitely shows what the spirit and determination of a 7M pound squad can do against a 500M pound squad. props to paul jewell and the lads. if i had a glass of wine right now, i would have a toast for you, mr. jewell.

i have decided that wigan athletic will be my next favorite team, after manchester united and liverpool. while arsenal and chelsea are despicable, there really isn't much to not love about liverpool. determination, loyalty, team spirit and familial love over money, and what did that give them? the champions' league trophy. steven gerrard is definitely one to see for the next decade.

england's future looks extremely bright: wayne rooney, steven gerrard, michael owen, scott parker, nigel reo-coker, jermain defoe, jermaine jenas, shaun wright-phillips, ashley cole, darren bent, anton ferdinand, ben foster, ledley king, john terry, jermaine pennant, scott carson, stewart downing, glen johnson, wes brown, alan smith, joe cole, kieran richardson.

over the next decade, the likes of david beckham, sol campbell, michael ballack, alessandro del piero, pavel nedved, roy keane, and many others i won't even begin to mention, will have faded from the world of football, replaced by these young lads. so if you plan on sticking with football for the next decade, i suggest you start paying attention to the names above.

from the opening match of the season: the neville brothers rivalry, and the new korean dude. stolen from soccernet.