…here’s what we’re looking for:

Basics: You must be able to write in English. You don’t have to be perfect, but we want accurate spelling and complete sentences that actually make sense. Readers like sentences they can read.

Swearing is fine, in moderation. The odd cuss word will add power to a sentence, but too much makes it look like you don’t know any other words. It’s called the f-bomb for a reason: It should be devastating when you drop it.

You’ll also need to know how to do it bloggy style. That means inserting images and using hyperlinks. If you don’t know how then we can show you (it’s easy) but it’s essential that you’re willing to learn. Just so you know.

Content: Blogging isn’t just reprinting the news. That’s what newspapers are for. You need to be confident enough to state your opinion and write something interesting.

Sense of humour is important too. We like to have fun on The Offside, and hopefully the posts and comments on the site reflect that. Funny is good.

And as long as it’s football related, pretty much anything goes. If you think Landon Donovan needs to grow some balls, we’re with you. If you think Paolo Maldini is overrated then feel free to say so. You’d be wrong (about Maldini, not about Landycakes) but that doesn’t mean you can’t say it. You can say pretty much anything you like.

But there is one Golden Rule: We don’t tolerate any insults based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. No exceptions.

Teams we want to cover: All of them. We love the English Premier League, but it’s not the only league in the world (even if it thinks it is.) We love La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1. We love MLS too. We love all football leagues and all football teams, no matter who and where they are. And if international football is your thang, then pay a visit to our international sister site World Cup Blog.

Commitment: Some bloggers post multiple times a day. Some bloggers post once or twice a week. The bloggers who post more often usually have a bigger audience, for obvious reasons. Multiple bloggers per team are acceptable, provided everyone’s happy with the arrangement. We appreciate enthusiastic, consistent and passionate bloggers.

Community: We’ve worked hard to build a community atmosphere on The Offside, where all bloggers and commenters are friendly and supportive of each other. Even from rival teams. Debate and discussion is the name of the game, but we expect everyone to keep it friendly. We won’t fire up a blog for anyone who can’t.

How to apply: If you’ve made it this far, then you must be keen on writing for The Offside. Here’s what you do to apply.

1) Send an email to daryl[at]theoffside.com
2) Write Potential Blogger: [team you want to write for] in the subject line.
3) Please submit a sample post or two for the blog you would like to write for. Keep in mind our editorial guidelines above. If you’ve written for other football blogs, then feel free to include links.

If you do those three things then we guarantee we’ll get back to you. And if you’ve got what we’re looking for then we might be able to set you up with a team blog here on The Offside.

Chairman Simeon Jordan had this to say: “This summer has been difficult for Palace and therefore for me. We had a poor season and attendances were down. I have stepped in to bankroll the club to the tune of £5million between May 20 and July 31.

‘I don’t have a board of investors pumping money in. Most clubs would have gone into
administration but ours hasn’t because I stood up and made payments to hold the squad together.”

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1204379/SPORTSMAIL-EXCLUSIVE-Football-League-ban-Crystal-Palace-signing-players.html#ixzz0NJFSfXQa

Needless to say, CP is one of those clubs that can withstand this, since their U-18’s churn out a lot of very good players. Yes you want to have squad depth of experienced players, but at some point you need to warm bodies who can gain the experience. Youth can hurt you, but coached right, they can do very well.

Seeing these players out there, I have two players I’d take on right now, are Leroy Lita, and Gary McSheffrey ASAP. I think more of the attackers, the better. Plus with signing Lita, you don’t have to pay a stupid transfer fee, which can be saved to make a run at McSheffrey.

Manager Neil Warnock had this to say about the signing on the team’s website: “I have been after Darren for years. I was even prepared to offer up to £1m before he went up to Newcastle in 2003 when I was at Sheffield.

“I have always thought he was a quality player and we have missed a dead ball specialist since Ben Watson went. His dead ball quality is very good and he can play five out of six positions whether that is four-four-two or four-three-three.

“So he is very flexible and all I am asking him to do is play with a smile on his face because I think he has been down in the doldrums the last couple of years.”

Full name Darren Paul Ambrose
Date of birth 29 February 1984 (1984-02-29) (age 25)
Place of birth Harlow, England
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club Crystal Palace

Neil Warnock told cpfc.co.uk: ” We are thrilled to have him on board as we have been chasing Freddie for some time now. Even after he had agreed to join us he received another couple of decent offers from other clubs but he stayed true to his word and will be joining the lads at Beckenham this Wednesday for our pre-season preparations.”

Warnock added: “Freddie is an exciting, hard working player and I am sure the fans will be take to him very quickly.”

Freddie played 22 matches for West Ham last year, including seven starts. He’s also played for the under 19, and 20’s for England. So needless to say he’s a very talented player. Maybe he can be the firepower upfront to drive the Eagles towards the PREM!.

Gary McSheffrey
Full Name Gary McSheffrey
Birth Date August 13, 1982
Birth Place England
Height 5′ 8″ (1.73m)

Weight 146 lbs (66.3 kg)
Age 26
Position Midfielder
Squad # 11

Statistics

2008/09 Statistics

TEAM Competition GS SB G A SH SG FC FS YC RC
Birmingham Carling Cup 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0
Forest Championship 4 0 0 1 7 2 8 5 0 0
Birmingham Championship 3 3 0 0 9 3 4 5 0 0

2008/09 Season Totals 9 3 0 1 18 5 13 11 0 0

Crystal Palace Line-up:

Brian Rowland, Ryan Pierce, Stephen Basso, Andrew Marhsall, Mateus dos Anjos, Paul Robson (Bryan Harkin 87′), Shintaro Harada, Pat Healey, Val Teixeira (C) (Kevin Gnatiko 87′), Zack Flores (Jordan Seabrook 45′), Machel Millwood

Goal(s):

Cautions: Robson 13

Subs not used: Billy Chiles, Dan Lader, Neil Vranis, Alex Ughiovhe

Real Maryland Line-up:

Dave Kern, John Borrajo, Yendry Diaz, Ashleigh Townsend, David Purser, Loanny Cartaya, Tom Taylor, Sean Rush (Daniel Bulls 89′), Victor Ramirez (Marc Gracien 70′), Gary Brooks, James Stevens

Goal(s): Brooks 87

Cautions: Ramirez 3, Brooks 65, Gracien 83

Subs not used: Justin Hughes, Fabien Lewis, Ryan Cordeiro, Sergio Salas, Cameron Chastain

Referees:

Bryan Roslund, Angela Ianni, Jason Blight, Nathan Myers

Palace’s next fixture sees them make their second trip up to Ludlow, Massachusetts, in ten days as they take on the Western Mass Pioneers at 7:30pm on Friday, June 5.