The Joe and the Melee and Raheem
“Sterling behaved a bit like a spoilt child.” This was a line given to The Athletic about reports on Monday regarding a canteen bust up between England players Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez. The fight reportedly lasted no longer than 15 seconds, but the media backlash to it is still ongoing… which is also how… Keep Reading
Unai, Thanks for all the Good Ebenings, but It’s Time to Say Goodnight
I’ve never really liked the phrase “that’s what football’s all about”. It’s overused, not very insightful, and can be applied to basically any facet of the game. Here are some examples of things that could claim to be what football is “all about”: results, bringing people together, a good slide tackle, limbs, money, goals, winning… Keep Reading
A Halloween Story – Something Is Spooking North London
’Twas Hallows Eve, when all throughout the North, tempers flared and so anger came forth. Curses and rants swarmed Arsenal Fan TV, while crooked fingers lay towards Dele Alli. This is a tale of two establishments, possessing a bitter rivalry spanning decades, who have well and truly been struck by the fear of Halloween. The… Keep Reading
Whatever Happened to England’s Under 20 World Champions?
What were you doing on 11th June 2017? In years to come that may well be seen as the day that finally saw England’s footballing fortunes turn. Almost a year on from their shambolic exit from Euro 2016 and a bemused Roy Hodgson telling the assembled press he wasn’t sure why he was there, England’s… Keep Reading
An Impending Coaching and Managerial Shift: Nagelsmann, Conceicao and Gallardo
There is a current crop of managers at present that you could consider genuinely world class. Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane are three that come to mind, with notable mentions for Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone perhaps warranted. It is with this in mind that I decided to look… Keep Reading
Kosovo – Where Football Means Everything
Kosovo has a unique football culture. Could you think of another territory or country whose people ferociously support a national team that isn’t their own? And not just good wishes for a neighbour or a Celticesque willing for England to lose. I spent a week in Kosovo in 2015. It happened that two fixtures for… Keep Reading
Liverpool and Manchester City: Gods of the Gap
The “God of the Gaps” argument is a theological outlook where the gaps in scientific knowledge are evidence or proof of gods existence, physical or otherwise. On the whole, it was a criticism used by people to refine ‘God’ to only the gaps science cannot explain – it is merely a pro-science argument. This will… Keep Reading
Death, The Beautiful Game And Finding Motivation In Mortality
What drives success in sport? Last Tuesday night, we saw Serge Gnabry score 4 goals away at Spurs in the Champions League. That is success in the game of football. But what drives that success? Where does the will to win, to do great things on a football pitch, come from? Is it innate? Is… Keep Reading
The Trouble with Scotland is That It’s Full of Scots
Yes, it’s an inflammatory title, but I stole it from a movie so it’s probably fine. The international break is all about pretence. For English people who don’t like football, it’s a chance to impress your mates who do by pretending you like Harry Kane and for English people who do like football, it’s a… Keep Reading
The New Goal Kick Law: How Norwich Have Shown Arsenal Who’s Boss
The 2019/20 football season has brought us many new things. VAR has been introduced to the Premier League, Steve Bruce is now the Newcastle head coach, and, for a brief moment, Paddy Power emblazoned themselves on Huddersfield’s new kit in a horrific ‘Miss Universe’ style satchel. There have also been some rather consequential rule changes… Keep Reading