World Cup Quiz: Who Made The Cut?
The World Cup is one of the biggest tournaments in world football, and it is the main sporting event taking place this summer. The best thirty two national teams from around the world will head into the tournament with their own expectations. For newcomers such as Iceland and Panama, their expectation is likely to be… Keep Reading
In Pursuit of Passion- The Dangerous Obsession That Holds England Back
I was recently talking to a friend I used to play football with, who suggested that England football team should talk to a coach of the England rugby team- in particular Sir Clive Woodward, who masterminded England’s victorious campaign in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. His idea was that Woodward would be able to motivate… Keep Reading
An Uncommon Goal – A Call to Alms
When footballers hit the headlines, it’s usually a case of infamy, infamy, or they’ve all got it in for me, to paraphrase the great Kenneth Williams. From racism to roasting, garish mansions, infidelities to illegal parking, murky motel encounters with team-mates and vulnerable young women, to even murkier whatsapp messages to vulnerable even younger women;… Keep Reading
Diego Costa and Philippe Coutinho: A Tale of Two Contracts
“You sign an agreement; you make a contract, you live up to it. You never get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate. You got a right to say yay or nay…” Don King Rooney coming home, Vardy back in form, Giroud off the bench, Matic in Manchester, Lukaku looking awesome and the champions… Keep Reading
Abramovich, dirty money and the value of competitiveness
I’m often accosted as a Chelsea fan with the fact that the last 15 years of success has largely been due to the deep pockets of Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich. His purchase of the club in 2003, and subsequent billion-and-a-half pounds of investment, transfers and renovations have brought Chelsea, a mildly successful if not… Keep Reading
Fake News; The Spurs poorhouse; and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Local news, business news, sports news, fake news, arts, science, national and international news; all there to inform and interpret, to engage and entertain, each with its own indistinct place in a world both real and imagined. Of course one of these newses is getting much more coverage in the media these days than the… Keep Reading
Kiss of death from a Rose – Danny’s words could seal his Spurs exit
“Can open, worms everywhere”, “We all knew they couldn’t get away with it forever didn’t we?” “You can’t pay big players small money” and so on…. If you think Danny Rose’s interview with the Sun was misconstrued, misinterpreted and a sensationalised version of a candid open conversation with a newspaper lacking in integrity – it… Keep Reading
Why Manchester United will (easily) win the Premier League
And so, the start is near. The Premier League will begin the 25th year of its life, and the most successful club in its history will be opening their trophy cabinet once again. ‘But why!?’, I hear you scream into your monitor. ‘United finished sixth (SIXTH) last year!’ or ‘Pogba completely failed to perform’ or… Keep Reading
The Enemy Within: Football in Thatcher’s Britain
The Bradford City fire disaster. The Kenilworth Road riots between Luton Town and Milwall fans. Hooliganism, Heysel, Hillsborough. These are some of the darker images that linger in the mind when we think of football in the 1980s when the reputation of British football fans had sunk so low that they had apparently seeped out… Keep Reading
AS Monaco – From Languishing in Ligue 2 to Champions League Elite
In the 2010-2011 Ligue 1 season, AS Monaco, who had won the league 7 times, 6 national cups and had been in the Champions League final, finished in 18th place and were relegated to Ligue 2. Later on in 2011 the club was purchased by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev whilst it was languishing at the… Keep Reading