I was going to open this plea for sanity with a philosophical quote about the virtues of patience or something similarly clever, but why overcomplicate things when something simple would suffice? That’s the sort of thing that keeps getting Marcus Rashford in trouble isn’t it? Manchester United’s home-grown line leader continues to polarize opinion as… Keep Reading
(Article originally written and published in October 2017) “Hey, I will stand my ground And I won’t back down” Tom Petty (and Catalunya) Watching the Barcelona team make their way onto the pitch of the empty Camp Nou stadium at the weekend made for interesting viewing. The Las Palmas players didn’t seem too phased… Keep Reading
(Article originally written and published in August 2017) I was sitting in the back pew at a funeral recently and my mind started to wander. I wondered if the average age of people who regularly went to church was now older than the average age of the churches themselves. In between trying to make imaginary… Keep Reading
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
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
“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
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
“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
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
On April 20th, the official PFA Premier League Team of the Year for 2017 was announced amid the usual fanfare and camera flashes. The final selection always stirs up healthy debate on who should or shouldn’t have been included. The team they went for was as follows: David De Gea, Kyle Walker, David Luiz, Gary… Keep Reading
