Arsenal v Barcelona tonight in the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final. An epic battle between two of the top football clubs in the world. First round advantage will go to Arsenal FC as they play at home at the Arsenal Stadium in London. Barca seek an away goal.

The Gunners will have their work cut out for them, FC Barcelona are not the current Champions League titleholders for nothing! Barca and Arsenal played each other in the final of the 2006 Champions League, so both teams are capable of going all the way.

Thierry Henry scoring a goal for FC Barcelona

Big game for Thierry Henry as he returns to the home ground of his old club. It will be interesting to see how the Gunner’s fans welcome Henry.

Arsène Wenger’s team are going to have to be watchful of the attacking flair of Barcelona, who will be going all out to score away goals. Barcelona have a phenomonal attack with some very talented individuals – Mesi, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thierry Henry. But it will interesting to see how they play as an attacking unit, Arsenal cannot focus on one player, they have to defend as a team.

Here’s two quotes from the Arsenal defender, Thomas Vermaelen -

“It’s crucial you play as a team and defend well at all times. We know how important it can be to keep a clean sheet at home”   Thomas Vermaelen.

“It will be a hard game for us, but if you want to win the UEFA Champions League you have to beat the best teams”  Thomas Vermaelen

After this very long ang tiring game, were sure Barcelona fans would love to take a break in one of Spain’s tourist destinations, Canary Island’s Tenerife.

Manchester United FC beat AC Milan 4-0 last night to go through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Wayne Rooney was sensational, scoring the first two goals in the 13th and 46th minute.

But the green and gold campaign was ever present… read on…

Click here to view the embedded video.

It was an emotional night at Old Trafford as the crowd welcomed back their hero David Beckham even though he plays for AC Milan and only came onto the pitch in the 62nd minute.  Beckham had an impossible task of trying to get AC Milan back into the game.  After the game Beckham praised Rooney’s efforts, saying he is one of the best players in the world at the moment.

Beckham caused some controversy when after the game, he picked up a green and gold scarf and wore it.  The green and gold colours represent the colours of the old Man U football club (Newton Heath it was called before the football club became Man United) and a campaign against the Glazer family who own Man United FC. Thousands of green and gold scarves were worn by fans and anti-Glazer chants could be heard in the stands.

David Beckham wearing the controversial green and gold scarf

I’m sure that Avram Glazer, who was watching the game from the director’s box, wouldn’t have liked to see David Beckham supporting the campaign against his family. There have been a number of anti-Glazer protests by Man U fans.  A wealthy group of individuals called the “Red Knights” are rumoured to be mounting a takeover bid.

The UEFA Champions League Football is well into the knockout stages.  One of the highlights of European football, as the best football clubs take on each other across Europe.  Last night saw Arsenal go through to the Quarter-finals, as they thumped FC Porto 5-0.  Whilst FC Bayern München battled hard to just edge out ACF Fiorentina, although they finished 4-4 on aggregate, Bayern go through on scoring more away goals 2-1.

Tonight Manchester United take on AC Milan at Old Trafford, Man U are up 3-2 on aggregate after their away game. Whilst Real Madrid play Lyon at home, Lyon are 1-0 up after the first leg game.

Click here to view the embedded video.

UEFA Champions League takes place over many months as the top finishing European clubs play three qualifying rounds, a play-off round, then finally 32 teams play in a group stage, a knock-out stage where the top 16 teams play for the quarter-finals, semis and then the final.

Champions League really produces some of the best football as you are seeing the best clubs and professionals playing against each other.  Names like Beckham, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo… produce some of the best football games ever, as the level is raised.

While there are many possible entries into various types of video game genres, there is only one name that is synonymous with console football video gaming: Madden. There have been other football games on the video game market over the years, but hardened gamers know that if they’re not playing Madden, they’re not playing the best.

The Madden Football Video Game Series
The Madden series, now with over 20 years of games to its credit, is famous for its realistic simulation of NFL football play, from its animations, to the skill levels of the players, to your management of your team. Your ability to control any player on the field and to adjust plays based on the formation of the other team is all part of what makes Madden great. There are also mini-games and different play modes to keep you interested hour after hour, day after day.

What’s New with Madden 10
Each year, a new Madden game is released. One of the purposes of this is to introduce the new players who have come into the league since the last game came out, but another is to upgrade and enhance the playing engine and features. In Madden 10, this is done through the “Pro-Tak” system.

In the old Madden, making contact with an opposing player was usually enough to result in both players heading straight for the ground for a tackle. With Pro-Tak, every contact is an adventure. Your tackle will change depending upon who is hitting whom, where on the body the hit comes and where during the play it happens. Each different type of tackle brings with it different tackle animations that enhance the realism of the game as well as possibly requiring some strategic adjustments.

Playing Madden 10
The Pro-Tak enhancements change many aspects of the game, including the running game and line protection. You’ll have to play it yourself to see how, which for Madden enthusiasts, who are always looking for a new twist, will be a welcome change. Most football gamers will definitely find that upgrading to Madden 10 is well worth it.

One of the most deeply moving movies out to close 2009 is probably The Blind Side, based on the 2006 Michael Lewis book of the same name. For those who like football and those who like feel good stories of people pulling themselves out of difficult circumstances in order to succeed, The Blind Side is a must-see.
The Story of the Blind Side
The Blind Side follows the story of Michael Oher (played in the movie by Quinton Aaron), who currently plays as an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens. Oher came from a broken home, born to a single mother who was addicted to crack. He attended eleven schools during his first nine years of education and was often either a foster child or homeless. Oher’s father was murdered while he was in high school.

Things started to turn around for Michael when a friend, Tony Henderson, encouraged him to apply to get into a private school, the Briarcrest Christian School. The school accepted Oher provisionally if he could complete a home study program, but was admitted even though he did not complete that program.

The real turning point in Oher’s life was when he was taken in (and later adopted) by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, played by Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw. The couple supported Oher through school and helped him raise his grade point average to the point where he could be accepted by Division I colleges. Oher was a standout football player in high school and received scholarship offers from many schools, but eventually settled on the University of Mississippi, which happened to be the Tuohys’ alma mater.

Michael Oher Today
Oher was an All-American at Ole Miss and was scouted as a high prospect. He planned to come out for the 2008 NFL draft, but stayed to play his final season at Ole Miss instead. In 2009, he was drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens.

Critical Reception for The Blind Side
The Blind Side opened to strong reviews. Oher’s compelling story makes the film appealing to a wide range of moviegoers. Its opening weekend gross was the highest of Sandra Bullock’s career.

Brett Favre, the 40 year old former Green Bay Packer who is a lock for the NFL Hall of Fame, isn’t done yet. Now with the Minnesota Vikings, Favre’s performance has placed him squarely in talks for the potential MVP award.Favre Retirement
Three years ago, it seemed like Favre was long past his prime and had done everything that a superstar NFL quarterback could do. He won the Super Bowl and rewrote the passing record books with the Green Bay Packers. But the Packers felt it was time to move to a new, younger direction with able backup Aaron Rodgers, and Favre, rather than be pushed out, chose to retire.

Favre’s Return
That retirement was short-lived, as Favre, despite throwing 15 interceptions in his last season with the Packers, decided he had more to give to the game. The New York Jets thought he might be right, and shipped their quarterback, Chad Pennington, to Miami to make room for Favre.

Although things looked bright early, as Favre bombed his way to first place with the Jets early in the season, even delivering a victory over the then-undefeated Tennessee Titans, he fell victim to a late season collapse. He ended up with a league-high 22 interceptions and the Jets missed the playoffs entirely. Favre was clearly no longer welcome in New York.

The Favre Comeback
However, the Minnesota Vikings, Favre’s long-time rivals when he was with Green Bay, welcomed him with open arms. Packers fans were incensed and Favre was energized. Much to their chagrin, the Packers suffered two losses at the hands of their former star, and Favre went on to lead the Vikings to nine wins in their first ten games. Along the way, the pick-prone quarterback offered up a mere 3 interceptions, his lowest total ever. Talks of MVP began.

As of this writing, the season is not over, and whether Favre will suffer another collapse or lead the Vikings to the promised land, an unprecedented Super Bowl victory, remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that whatever you might say about Brett Favre, it’s clear that he did indeed have more to give to the game of football.

Everyone knows that refereeing in professional sports is difficult. Referees have to keep track of everything that is going on on the field by themselves, while fans have the benefit of thousands of eyes to catch any mistake, not to mention cameras that can replay any event over and over again. Still, when a referee makes an egregiously bad call or no-call, there is nowhere for him to hide, and this is especially true in the case of association football, where the fans are particularly unforgiving.

Missed Handball
However, most agree that the failure to call two consecutive handballs by France’s Thierry Henry in their World Cup Qualifier against Ireland to have been an error of the most unforgivable kind. With 17 minutes in overtime remaining in a 1-1 tie, replay showed Henry quite clearly not only using his hand to keep the ball in play, but then using his hand to pass the ball to William Gallas, who headed in the winning goal.

Was the Referee at Fault?
Somehow, Swedish referee Martin Hansson completely missed the offenses, despite the insistences by the Irish team that a foul had been committed, and the French win stood, allowing them to advance. Henry acknowledged what the replay showed, that he had in fact handed the ball, although he said it was unintentional.

Calls to Replay the Game
FIFA has refused to review or replay the game, saying that despite the error, the game was complete and could not be replayed. All the Irish and many in France have called for a replay, saying that they don’t want it to be perceived that the French won the game by cheating.

Hansson’s Response
The 38 year old Hansson, who has been a referee for eight years, claimed that he was not at fault, saying that his view and the view of all the linesmen were obstructed. According to Hansson, photographs of the incident bear this out. Nevertheless, the legendary brutal pressure applied by soccer fans has been so hard on Hansson that he has said he has seriously considered retirement, although he is due to referee in the Champions League on December 8th or 9th.