Notts County: Curiouser and Curiouser

The story of Notts County just keeps getting more bizarre.

After being bought up with petrodollars and appointing Sven Goran Eriksson as their Director of Football, the Magpies of League Two (English soccer’s fourth tier) are now on the prowl in the transfer market. And over the last couple of weeks, some of the names bandied about by the British tabloids have been downright ridiculous, from Luis Figo to Patrick Vieira.

Campbell, 34, has won a Premier League, scored in a Champions League final, and played on the world’s biggest stage. Now, he’s considering playing for crowds in the neighborhood of 5,000 in glamorous places such as Aldershot, Port Vale, and Grimsby. Quite a fall from grace, but it’s clear the money must be there.

Is Tottenham for Real?

The Premier League table is a pretty sight for Tottenham fans this week. Thanks to goal difference, Spurs are sitting at the top, ahead of Chelsea. And, just as exciting for them, they are ahead of Arsenal.

Of course, after only three games, it’s still very early in the season. But already people are wondering, is Tottenham for real?

They came out of the blocks with the best possible start by beating Liverpool, 2-1, in the surprise of the opening weekend. Then, they crushed Hull 5-1 and followed it up on Sunday with a tough 2-1 victory over West Ham. But a look at their schedule shows that things are about to get much more difficult. Sure, they have Birmingham next — and the way Spurs are playing, there’s no reason it shouldn’t mean another three points — but then come Manchester United and Chelsea in quick succession.

Inter Shocked in Serie A's First Weekend

A week after the Premier League and two weeks after the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, Italy’s Serie A finally clicked into gear this weekeend. Though for defending champions Inter Milan, it might have been to early.

They got a rude awakening on Sunday when Bari held them to a 1-1 draw at home in the San Siro, while Inter’s rivals, Juventus and A.C. Milan, both did their jobs by starting with a win. Samuel Eto’o grabbed his first league goal for the Nerazzurri from the penalty spot in the 55th minute, but Bari equalized 18 minutes later to earn a valuable point from the champions. But what stood out in the match reports was a costly miss by Eto’o with Inter leading 1-0.