Thursday cannon fodder: the other guy again

Howdy! Ben’s off doing his best Matlock impersonation today, no doubt solving a murder in a small town, so it’s me again, bringin’ the links.

Hey look, England have a new manager! Again! I’m sure Gareth Southgate will be just the man to lead England to their latest early exit from (insert tournament name here).

Barcelona and Real Madrid have assured La Liga that they will not pursue the creation of a European Super League “for the foreseeable future”. Not shown: their fingers crossed behind their backs.

Meanwhile, on the other end of soccer’s economic spectrum, the Nigerian national team can’t afford to fly to Zambia for its World Cup qualifier next month.

This sounds like a pretty interesting documentary.

Bayern Munich are reportedly one of several German clubs investing in E-Sports franchises. As an Old who never really played video games, I don’t get the appeal of E-Sports, but it’s apparently quite lucrative.

China looks set to supplant The MLS as a final destination for aging superstars who want to cash in. They can have ‘em.

Speaking of The MLS, tough news from Seattle this week as Clint Dempsey’s been shut down for the season as a result of an undisclosed heart ailment that has sidelined him for a month. An actual doctor, but not Dempsey’s actual doctor, weighs in on what might be going on. All Cascadia rivalry stupidity aside, I feel for Clint and hope he gets healthy enough to live worry-free, whether he plays again or not.

Hey! Today’s Per Mertesacker’s birthday!