Opinion

One thing about Scottish soccer: it’s never dull — especially off the field.

In recent years, the Scottish Premier League has seen more comings and goings than a Kardashian family reunion. At one point, as recently as two years ago in fact, three of the biggest clubs in the country — including Glasgow giants Rangers — weren’t even playing in the top division.

Imagine La Liga without Barcelona or the English Premier League without Manchester United.

Arsenal fans like to share their opinion on things...a lot. Now, before we go any further, we must say that there's a fair bit of whinging and moaning from fans of every club, however, Arsenal seem to take it to a new level. 

Arsene Wenger is doing it again. He’s toying with Arsenal fans for his own sick and diabolical pleasure. He’s being Arsene Wenger. As a result of this next season, Arsenal will continue to be Arsenal. In other words, Arsenal will continue to be mediocre and underwhelming.

Unless Wenger decides to think outside the box and think like his old nemesis Sir Alex Ferguson and make a wise decision to snap up Javier Hernandez from Bayer Leverkusen. Would this be good for Arsenal? Of course it would, Chicharito brings guaranteed goals and, of course, he knows the Premier League.

Portugal manager Fernando Santos was undoubtedly the big winner of Euro 2016. It’s an almost certainty that his name has entered the conversations of many top European clubs looking for their next coach.

Euro 2016 did not provide many spectacular moments, unforgettable games or tactical innovations that’ll redefine 21st century soccer, but it did bring back the necessity of having a fantastic manager in international play.

It’s a question that has divided football fans for years now, and we’ve finally been provided a definitive, solid answer. Regardless of where your allegiances previously held court, either with the diminutive, technically gifted Argentine or the more robust, 18-yard box dwelling Portuguese, we now know once and for all who’s the better player.

This has been the year of the underdog in soccer. From Leicester City in the Premier League to Wales and Iceland in Euro 2016, upsets have come to the fore. 

Soccer is the most democratic sport in the world. Once the players enter the pitch, there’s little the coach can do to upset the proceedings. The nature of the game lends itself to unpredictability — 90 minutes of continuous action where a single mistake or moment of genius can decide the game’s outcome. 

This past Monday marked another disappointing loss for the England National Football Team as they fell to Iceland in the round of 16 in UEFA Euro 2016.  For fans of England soccer, this is going to be a hard pill to swallow for years to come. However, when you look at the recent history of the club, it may be time to lower expectations a bit. Perhaps England's so-called "early exits" aren't as disappointing or unexpected as fans make them seem. 

Every week, The18 takes the world's most frequently asked soccer questions and attempts to answer them. That way, when that clone of yours turns evil and tries to convince everyone that you're the evil one, your football knowledge will allow your friend to put a slug in his head, not yours. You know. Like in Star Trek. Or The Island. Man, Hollywood has used that plot device a lot. Anyways, this week: Why do soccer players dive? 

We're going to preface this article by saying this: Diego Maradona was a great player and is one of the legends of the game. Good, now that that's out of the way, Diego Maradona is a huge hypocrite.