Anatomy of a Cinderella story: Borussia Mönchengladbach's improbable season

If there is one thing to love about the Bundesliga, it is that the championship race always includes a team that comes seemingly out of nowhere to be in the running, even at this later stage of the season. Sure, Bayern is always a candidate, and usual suspects such as Borussia Dortmund and Schalke are bound to be in the conversation year in and year out, but surprise teams such as Hoffenheim (as a newly promoted team, no less), Hertha Berlin and Mainz in recent years have done so much to provide neutral fans with an underdog story to find interest in before they ultimately fell short of their lofty aspirations. The rise of Borussia Mönchengladbach, this year's Cinderella, is just about as unlikely as they come, however.

The Ryan Martin Show, 2/27/12

Podcast Powered By Podbean

As opposed to what has happened while recording the show during the last couple of weeks, this week's show came through unscathed and complete...well, almost. For some reason the recording cut off with quite literally ten seconds left in the show. Needless to say, those ten seconds weren't all too important by then.

Klinsmann rolls out roster for Italy: Usual suspects and a couple of twists

I could go through with a thorough rundown of the roster position by position, but there probably isn't much need for that considering that the squad we will see trotted out in Genoa next Wednesday will look much like what we've seen for a few years now. That's not to say that there won't be a couple of guys I'll be particularly interested to see on this stage, however.

Chelsea in crisis: What to do with André Villas-Boas?

At times yesterday, it looked as if Chelsea had read Arsenal's recently written script of travelling to Italy to be a lamb to the slaughter, Juan Mata's goal notwithstanding. Independent of Mata's fortuitous goal, Chelsea were just about as porous defensively (not too much of a surprise these days) as Arsenal had been but a week earlier, and in doing so effectively signed their own execution order for both this singular match and, in all probability, the two-legged tie as well. Peter Cech even did his part in these defensive lapses by inexplicably leaving himself in no man's land by coming out to the edge of the box to contest Edinson Cavani, thus leaving a gaping net for Ezequiel Lavezzi to coolly fire into for his second. For a side like Napoli that boasts such household names as those of Cavani and Marek Hamsik, there is certainly no need to help them score when they can do just fine in scoring on their own, thank you. Chelsea didn't exactly heed this elementary advice.

Show and blog update...

It's been a busy few days here in Auburn, so I thought I'd catch everyone up on the latest.

• If you attempted to listen to Monday's show online, you probably noticed that there were some problems in doing so. Apparently the figurative hamster fell off the wheel at the studio and screwed up the live streaming. As the recording of the show was being taken from the live stream, it wound being a series of crackles and pops instead of actually sounding like a show. This should be remedied by next Monday.
• I've got a couple of stories I'm brainstorming on at the moment, so look for those to be up later today or tomorrow.
• And finally, thanks to everyone who has listened in or read the blog in these very early days of the show. It's still a work in progress, but the process of getting the show to where I want it to be has been a lot of fun in these first couple of weeks. Thanks for tuning in!

David Bentley (possibly) and Eddie Johnson to MLS: Last Chance Saloon for both?

Wonker (Flickr) and Jarrett Campbell

With the MLS season kicking off next month, teams throughout the league have been shuffling their decks with the hopes of getting the balance right in a league that is so renowned for its parity and competitiveness. In this preseason merry-go-round, the names of two players who are looking for redemption in their respective careers have come to the fore: David Bentley and Eddie Johnson.

AC Milan 4, Arsenal 0: Introspection time

Gordon Flood

I really and truly thought that Arsenal had a chance to go into Milan last night, get at least a draw, and with a good break along the way, maybe even head back to London with the win and a valuable away goal or two. None of this was to come to pass, however, much to the chagrin of Gunners fans everywhere. Kevin-Prince Boateng's masterclass of a volley on 15 minutes made sure of that.

US Soccer: Friendlies with some bite!

The upcoming friendly with Italy in Genoa on the 29th of this month has naturally garnered much attention from my fellow Americans, since we as fans are always intrigued by these matches that give us the opportunity to see if our boys can play with the best in their own backyard, as seen with the France friendly last fall.

For American fans not able to take the time off  for a nice soccer themed, European vacation, a couple of tantalizing options have taken shape in the last few days.

Quick Tuesday thoughts: Administration, Brian Ching, and Bouna Coundoul

While I should be salivating at the thought of the Champions League round of 16 kicking off today with Barcelona traveling to Bayer Leverkusen and the Cinderella APOEL going to Lyon, I can't help but to have my thoughts gravitating more towards the financial plights of Rangers and Portsmouth, both of whom have been entered into administration in recent days.

The Ryan Martin Show, 2/13/12 (Some technical difficulties)

Podcast Powered By Podbean

As Murphy's Law would have it, there would of course be some technological snag that would pop up at some point during my first show. This snag did indeed arise, and it came in the form of the recording of the show fouling up midway through and costing me part of my commentary about the England job, all of my Suarez rant, and opinions about Manchester United v. Liverpool and Manchester City.

Be warned that the recording jumps from me talking about England to me talking about Tottenham as a result of this, so don't think that my ADD kicked in at that point. Alas, at least I can offer you most of the show if you missed it live. Better luck next time, I hope!

Quick thoughts: West Brom 5, Wolves 1--End of the road for McCarthy?

After the win against QPR at Loftus Road last week, Wolves fans must have been of the mentality that the upcoming fixture at home against West Brom was undoubtedly winnable and that Wolves could very well be on their way to survival. The reality of Sunday's match proved to put these hopes to bed with a thud.

Premier League title race: Manchester City v. Aston Villa

With Manchester United having gained all three points yesterday against Liverpool, the onus is firmly on Manchester City to win at Villa Park and not lay another egg on the road as they did against Everton.

Luis Suarez and the victim's mentality (Updated with statement from Liverpool, Suarez)

With the execution of one simple, fleeting gesture, Luis Suarez could have put his racism fueled row with Patrice Evra to bed and even taken the steps toward restoring his image in all parts of England not named Liverpool. Alas, this moral high road was one that Luis Suarez apparently deemed too difficult to navigate.

Premier League Saturday thoughts

While the sexy match of the weekend, that of Manchester United and Liverpool, is currently underway in the early kickoff, there are plenty of other games taking place around England which could prove to have massive implications for teams trying to stay up and those dreaming of nights in Europe.

Random Musing: A case for Brendan Rodgers

                                                                                                 Ben Wyeth Photography

                                                                             
As one would readily expect in the aftermath of Fabio Capello's abrupt resignation from his post as England manager, the speculation about just who will take the reigns of England in advance of Euro 2012 has begun in earnest and undoubtedly won't die down until the FA has chosen his replacement. Of course, this rampant speculation will only be replaced by almost perverse over-analysis and hyperbole once the selection has actually been confirmed.

Capello resigns in wake of Terry row

This isn't the first time and certainly won't be the last time the FA shoots itself in the foot, but the grand nature of this self-inflicted wound probably leaves many England fans and multitudes in the soccer world shaking their heads in unison.

One voice out of many...

The debut of my radio show next week is fast approaching, and while I do my best to put some of the final touches on the production and publicity of the show in these dwindling days, I can't help but to look back on how I've reached the point of being such an ardent fan of the world's game and, in turn, how I've somehow, for better or worse, even turned into yet another in a long line of pundits who have been so taken by this sport as to want to wax poetic about it in order to earn a daily wage.