A game of two halves for Vikings

The Vikings' defensive line had a lot to smile
about in the second half against the Redskins

The Minnesota Vikings finally won their first game of the season on American soil last night, overcoming the Washington Redskins 34–27 at the Metrodome to go 2–7. The game featured a rejuvenated Christian Ponder, who threw for two touchdowns and just four incompletions all night, but it was the Minnesota defence that showed the most improvement from their final-minute defeat to the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday.

Chelsea's managerial merry-go-round comes full-circle

Mourinho has returned to Chelsea after
six years away from Stamford Bridge

Well, it's not like no one saw it coming, but the inevitable has been confirmed. José Mourinho has been confirmed as Chelsea's 11th manager of the Roman Abramovich era (if you don't mind the Grover Cleveland-esque custom of numbering his two spells separately).

Manchester United and Real Madrid: a match made in heaven

When Manchester United drew Real Madrid in the round of 16 of this year's Champions League, many marked it out immediately as the tie of the round. Real manager José Mourinho even went so far as to say that it was a match better suited to being the final of the competition than to decide who reaches the last 8.

Hargreaves out in the cold

Few things can be more devastating to a footballer than to have their career curtailed by injury, but that seems to be the direction in which Owen Hargreaves is heading since Manchester City announced that the one-year pay-as-you-play contract he signed last summer would not be renewed. The former England international's struggles with various leg injuries have been torturous, as he made one comeback after another, only to last just a few minutes before breaking down again.

You can't always have it your own way

The English cricket team will go into Wednesday's Twenty20 International and the forthcoming One Day International series against India as the number one Test side in the world. They took the title from their opponents - who had reigned at the top of the ICC rankings since December 2009 - with a convincing 4-0 whitewash in a month-long Test series that included two wins by more than an innings.

Welcome

Welcome to From the Sidelines!

This blog will attempt to give my opinions on a wide number of sports, but topics will inevitably be drawn from those sports that I hold the most interest in. Football, rugby union, cricket and American football will be among those to feature most often, but I am always happy to take suggestions for material.

All opinions expressed here are my own, without outside influence, and do not reflect the viewpoints of any employers.