Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Feb 7, 2012, 10:00 am
Lets put aside the 7-1 drubbing that Arsenal handed out this weekend of the ridiculous defense at Chelsea, up 3-0 in the second half!! The intriguing story that I have been meaning to write about - the Special One and his desire to return to England. Actually the Chelsea game might flame the fires o...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jan 19, 2012, 6:40 pm
Beckham, Pato and now Tevez? I guess the petro-euros in Paris are not as valuable as once believed! After Beckham said no thanks to PSG and re-upped with the Galaxy and then we say PSG do a dance with AC Milan only to see Pato say no to the French capital, now we are watching at the Apache might fol...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jan 19, 2012, 6:17 pm
Interesting story, Liverpool Football Club will be the first footy team wearing the Warrior brand kit. Warrior is known more for their equipment for hockey and lacrosse with a host of goodies from gloves to sticks to shoes. Now they are jumping into the fray of big time footy with one of the biggest...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jan 11, 2012, 10:26 pm
I realize I am a bit behind, but watching the highlights of the Arsenal v Leeds FA Cup game brought back some warm and fuzzy feelings about Arsenal and when Titi Henry was the dominate striker in the Premier League: Does Henry have another run in him for Arsenal? Maybe. When he first moved to Barce...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jan 9, 2012, 11:24 pm
No surprise that Argentine and Barcelona star Messi won the Ballon D'Or, his third such honor. At the tender age of 24 will anyone be surprised if he ended up doubling his tally? He joins the only other three time winners - Zidane and Ronaldo (the Brazilian) - of the FIFA player of the year. Don't f...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jan 7, 2012, 11:03 pm
Happy New Year to all, a few days late, but still within a reasonable window! So what can we expect in 2012 in the world of footy? Here are some trends/predictions to look for this year: Influx of mega-wealthy investors. The footy world has witnessed what an apparent unlimited budget can do for a cl...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Dec 14, 2011, 2:41 pm
The Manchester City of the Seine is at it again, with the winter transfer window a few weeks away, PSG is rumored to be involved in a host of big transfers; Beckham from LA Galaxy seems like a done deal.The Apache - Tevez - might be heading to Paris rather than MilanKalou could take the Eurostar fro...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Dec 6, 2011, 11:42 pm
I almost fell off my chair when I read this today about the idiot - Blatter - saying goal line technology could be adopted in a few seasons - click here. After being so opposed to the adoption of technology for football what has created this change in heart? Maybe after he made his asinine comments ...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Dec 3, 2011, 4:10 pm
Ooof oooof ooooof, so France avoided the really big fish in the shapes of Spain, Holland and Germany. They even missed the likes of Portugal and Croatia...so why does this group still make me nervous? It might be the fact that France head into the group as a co-favorite if not the favorite to finish...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Dec 1, 2011, 10:51 pm
The Euro draw will take place tomorrow in Kiev to determine the teams that will comprise the 4 groups of 4 teams. Just a refresher - all 16 teams have been placed in pots based on rankings, with Poland and Ukraine in Pot 1 since they are co-hosting. The pots: Seedings for Euro 2012 Pot 1: S...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Nov 18, 2011, 9:16 am
"There is no racism in the game...just shake hands...after all it is just a game." Just some words from the genius Sepp - see the interview click here. Let's shake hands later...Uh okay Sepp, what world are you living in? Racism, unfortunately, still exists in every day life so why would it magicall...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Nov 3, 2011, 1:50 pm
Laurent Blanc unveiled his list for the upcoming friendly matches, a few new faces, some old faces and some old faces missing. First the list: Gardiens de but : Cédric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille) Défenseurs : Eric Abidal (FC Barcelone/ESP), Matthieu Debuchy...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Nov 3, 2011, 5:51 am
It is a tad sad that a 0-0 draw away to Arsenal from Marseilles is seen as the high light for Ligue 1 representatives in the Champions League. The other two French sides in the competition - Lille and Lyon were brushed aside by Inter and Real Madrid. I sat through the Real Madrid - Lyon match, and i...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Oct 24, 2011, 10:50 am
Another World Cup final...another tough loss for Les Bleus. This time in New Zealand in the rugby World Cup finals versus the host and powerhouse All Blacks. France lost by the smallest of margins: 7-8. In a match that many saw as the coronation of the Kiwis, Les Bleus looked to prove all the pundit...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Oct 19, 2011, 3:54 pm
A recent story from England that the foreign owners might look to get rid of relegation and promotion, click here. Are you kidding me? For what reason? So they can ensure their little toy stays firmly planted in the Premier League? First of all who would decide this? Would you set a date and say, by...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Oct 14, 2011, 3:49 pm
This is what happens when you cannot even get out of the group stages in major tournaments...your coefficient drops and you have less of chance of getting out of the group stages! Side note, this is something that will haunt nations like Belgium and their "golden generation," they have not even qual...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Oct 11, 2011, 2:19 pm
So Blanc springs another surprise on us - goes back to a 4-3-3 and gives us a new formula with regards to the players...the biggest surprise is to find Menez in the starting 11 and Remy as the point of the attack... France : Lloris (cap.), Réveillère, Rami, Abidal, Evra, M'Vila, Cabaye, Nasri, Mé...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Oct 11, 2011, 2:02 pm
A story that made some minor waves were the comments made by Zidane around his future and the possibility of he becoming the French manager, click here. It would be nice to see the former captain becoming more involved with the FFF, of course there is no guarantee that he would be a good manager...b...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Oct 11, 2011, 1:35 pm
Laurent Blanc has long avoided the question of who will become the captain for France. Instead he has rotated his captains amongst - Lloris, Mexes, Diarra, Abidal and Malouda (I might have forgotten one...). The latest to get the arm band on a regular basis is Lloris. The Lyon keeper does not necess...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Oct 11, 2011, 1:23 am
... it really should not have come down to this. When France went ... and look for Bulgaria to foul you!!! I also love the ... ....even more painful! But back to the present. France did the ... it remains a mystery. The man to watch for BosniaFrom what appears ... holding responsibilities and...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Oct 10, 2011, 12:39 am
I am remiss to have not had the time to post some thoughts on the France v Albania match from last Friday. It turned out to be a relatively easy victory for Les Bleus: 3-0, a score that one would expect when teams such as these meet. Some quick thoughts: The Good: Have to start with Samir Nasri, the...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Oct 7, 2011, 2:55 pm
France will come out in a 4-4-2 against Albania with a very offensively minded midfield. With injuries to the likes of Benzema, Gameiro, Abidal, Mexes, Ribery and Sagna, the team will have a very different look. Something that might be somewhat concerning heading into two matches that must be won. T...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Oct 6, 2011, 6:04 pm
The latest news from Clairefontaine is that the LOSC right back, Debuchy, will be slotted to start at right back, over Reveillere (Sagna is out injured). It is a bit of a surprise that Blanc will go with a player earning his first cap to slot him in a big game, granted it is against Albania, but the...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Oct 5, 2011, 10:33 pm
I have been remiss in writing about Les Bleus - travel and work have gotten in the way! But with some airport time I can finally weigh in on what is happening with Les Bleus.  With 2 crucial games left in qualifiers, France find themselves in a precarious position. With the likes of Mexes, Benzema,...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Sep 26, 2011, 11:44 am
Shhhhh, let's not talk about my future at the North London feeder clubSigh, the theme from the past few seasons seems to continue as the latest story around Arsenal is that the current skipper and freshly minted 100 goal scorer - Robert Van Persie - is not sure about his future with the club. Sound ...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Sep 20, 2011, 12:05 am
I was reading this last article about another potential "issue" which with nation a player will represent at the international level, click here for SI article. The debate revolves around an American player born to a German mother in Germany while his American father was stationed there for the mili...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Sep 6, 2011, 2:30 pm
5 of his starting 11 will be different this afternoon when France face Romania. Granted, two of the changes are due to players returning from sickness in the case of Sagna or from suspension in the case of Rami. The other 3 are strategic changes made by Le President. The starting line up: Le onze fr...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Sep 5, 2011, 12:16 pm
Against Albania, Laurent Blanc decided to slot one of his left wingers on the right side. Unlike during the 2006 World Cup where the new kid on the block Ribery was slotted right with Malouda left, Blanc flip flopped these two against Albania. But why? Unlike under Domenech, Blanc has placed natural...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Sep 1, 2011, 11:37 pm
The biggest concern for Le President is who will be his right back, as Sagna is recovering from an infection. The Gunner cannot go, then the Lyon right back  - Reveillere will most like slot in on the right side of the defense. Not a big drop off since the Lyon player has regularly seen action for ...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Aug 29, 2011, 10:48 pm
8-2...8-2.......EIGHT goals...a snow man in golf terminology. Just plain awful. The nice thing for me was because of hurricane Irene I had no power and therefore "watched" the game through my iPhone. Thankfully. Too bad Arsenal are no refunding fans who had to suffer through that match away from Old...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Aug 26, 2011, 1:38 pm
Ok maybe not the home stretch, but these next two games will go a long way in determining if France will be present next summer at the Euros. France are sitting in a good position, but they should not assume the qualification is in the bag at all. Group D HomeAwayTotal TeamsPWDLWDLWDLFA+/-Pts1 Fr...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Aug 11, 2011, 10:31 am
Fans of football, Barcelona and Arsenal are all waiting for the soap opera that is Cesc to come to an end. All signs indicate that the Arsenal captain will be heading back to his former club shortly. This has been long time coming and the soap opera for the past few seasons has been a distraction an...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Aug 10, 2011, 2:45 pm
Surprise surprise, Blanc announces what appears to be a very offensive minded formation! What appears to be a 4-3-3 could really be seen as a hybrid Spanish formation: 4-1-4-1. A very offensive midfield. The line up: Lloris - Sagna, Kaboul, Abidal (cap.), Clichy - Mvila, Martin - Rémy, Nasri, Malou...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Aug 9, 2011, 5:16 pm
All indications point to Abidal - Kaboul as the central pairing for the French defense in tomorrow's match against Chile, which also be the pairing for the match against Albania in the Euro qualifiers (Rami will be suspended and Mexes recovering from injury). The last few matches for Sakho, both for...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Aug 6, 2011, 11:29 am
It never ceases to amaze me how little time professional footballers seem to get off between seasons. No wonder players are even more strained summers when there is a global tournament - which was the case this season with the Copa America. This should not impact too much the teams in Ligue 1, now t...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Aug 5, 2011, 12:46 am
Looks likely that this, Kaboul and Sakho, will be the defensive central pairing for the match against Chile and might very well be for the Albania match as well. I forgot that Rami was suspended for a game...so Blanc will have to leverage this match to test out his central pairing. Jumped to #3 in t...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Aug 4, 2011, 9:47 am
Laurent Blanc has called up 23 players for next week's friendly against Chile. Not too many surprises, the list: GARDIENS : Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cédric Carrasso (Bordeaux). DEFENSEURS : Eric Abidal (Barcelone), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Younès Kaboul (Tottenham...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jul 31, 2011, 12:50 am
Earlier this weekend, FIFA held the draw to determine the groups for each region and how nations will qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The big news heading into the draw for the European region was that France would not be in Pot 1, meaning they could risk being drawn with another one of Eu...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jul 30, 2011, 12:08 pm
I will say that the Gooner called PSG, MCFC south, but I prefer calling PSG - Manchester City on the Seine! Why this new name? With the cash infusion from new Middle Eastern backers, PSG has started to spend like the Citizens did when they also received a cash infusion from wealthy middle eastern ba...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jul 20, 2011, 11:35 am
So I was reading how Theyab Awana will be punished for his taking of penalty kick in a manner "disrespectful" of the game, click here for article. I will give the UAE manager credit for taking action and for calling out his player. I do think it appears to have become a tempest in a tea cup. Was the...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jul 18, 2011, 5:49 pm
No this is not a post about the Woman's World Cup finals, and yes that was a shocker. The US National team can only look at that result as a failure. They were the #1 team in the world. Had a 1 goal lead twice. Gave up said leads late in regulation and then in extra time. The first time on a terribl...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jul 15, 2011, 12:44 pm
Recent rant from French striker  - Titi Henry - about playing in the MLS, click here to read. Based on the article, the two areas of concern for Henry - the playing surface and the media requirements. For the first rant, not a surprise. I understand why MLS teams play on the turf, they share stadiu...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jul 14, 2011, 11:05 am
Not a surprise but Pat Vieira has announced his retirement today, how appropriate on Bastille day! What a remarkable career for one of the most elegant and powerful "box to box" midfielders the game has seen. Vieira will be most remembered for his days patrolling the midfield for the Gunners. He pla...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jul 14, 2011, 10:15 am
Happy Bastille Day! Let them eat cake!!!
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jul 7, 2011, 10:54 am
Headline on BBC Sports - Arsenal's Samir Nasri remains Manchester United target - sigh. Are we about to see the implosion of Arsenal? Clichy is already out the door, the heat around Nasri leaving is starting to burn hot and the 800 lb gorilla - Cesc to Barcelona. The revolving door at Arsenal seems ...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jul 7, 2011, 12:30 am
Great pre-game speech. Too bad this coach wasn't managing Les Bleus rather than Dumbenech...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jul 6, 2011, 8:52 am
The latest rumor is that Arsenal sniffing around Marseilles and their French international - Valbuena. Interesting. The Marseilles winger has never been high on Deschamps list of key pieces for OM. I am not sure how the winger would be seen as a replacement for the potential departures of Nasri and ...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jul 1, 2011, 1:27 pm
So it appears that once again, Arsenal will end up being in the black after the transfer window closes...meaning they will be a net seller. Good? Bad? Typical?? Here is what it might look like: Purchase Gervinho from LOSC for 11m pounds. Great another winger! Maybe we should look to getting a true #...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jun 30, 2011, 2:17 pm
So the Gold Cup final was this past weekend, I had wanted to lay down some key strokes and give some thoughts on the finals earlier, but work sometimes gets in the way of my musing. Better late than never! For those of you that did not watch or do not know what the Gold Cup is, a quick recap. This i...
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Guy Courtin posted an article on The Bean Town Frog - Jun 29, 2011, 3:03 pm
Wow...the latest rumor is that PSG is preparing a bid of 31.5m Euros and Erding for the young winger. The very fact that PSG is rumored to be in the chase for the player is exciting, yet I remain cautious. Clearly the new majority owners of PSG are willing to splash the cash around, or at least give...
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