Why Terry won’t be found guilty – The defence argue John Terry was merely repeating back what Anton Ferdinand said to him. Terry argues he heard Ferdinand accusing him of calling Ferdinand a “black cunt”. Defence also suggest that Terry could have misheard “Bridge” as “black”. – The defence painted Ferdinand as an unreliable witness. […]
What if… Le Sulk took the reigns at Chelsea?
‘What if’ Nicolas Anelka remained at Chelsea and after the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, the player nicknamed ‘Le Sulk’ was made the interim manager. Not many would’ve bet on Nicolas Anelka ever becoming a manager, he never looked the managerial type. Yet, football is an unpredictable game on and off the field and Nicolas Anelka […]
Pet Hate 1: Goal Music
Thanks to the special relationship between the US and Britain, many elements of American culture have made their way across the pond. Some of them have been great (pizza, Breaking Bad, Soundgarden), some not (pointless wars, wearing hats sideways, Beyonce) but when they start creeping into our football, it’s time to draw a line in […]
John Terry Trial: Day 4 AM – Anton’s lack of sophistication and perceived vulnerability
Today started with the closing arguments from the defence and prosecution, with the prosecution arguing that Terry is no stranger from using physical attributes as a means of verbally abusing someone, whilst the defence argued Ferdinand was an unreliable witness and Terry could have easily misheard what Ferdinand said to him initially. “It is unlikely […]
Mark Ogden On… West Ham supporting press, sacking Redknapp and Manchester
Since Manchester City became the richest club in the world, Manchester has become a focal point for football in this country, with both clubs finding themselves 19 points clear of the nearest team, Arsenal, last season. It will be some time before we can refer to Manchester as Milan, given their inability to progress in […]
John Terry Trial: Day 3 PM – No noise at the Emirates
Following John Terry giving his evidence this morning, England and club team mate, Ashley Cole, was called to the stand. The Chief Magistrate asked Cole to stand up but he replied: “I’d prefer to sit.” “I told my lawyer I didn’t want to get involved,” Cole said. “I know JT and I know Anton.” Cole […]
Who’s to blame for diving?
It’s the year 2012. There’s a double dip recession in full swing, banks are wasting your money, floods are hitting places you’ve never heard of and politicians seem more intent on arguing over policy than actually doing anything proactive to help the country as a whole. So, plenty to moan about then. But despite all […]
John Terry Trial: Day 3 AM – Fat Paddy Kenny and four f***s
The day started with Anton Ferdinand’s parents finding Terry supporters in the seats they had been sitting in on Monday and Tuesday. The Terry supporters refused to move and the Ferdinands complained to the officials. Duncan Penny, the Crown prosecution, suggested there was a discrepancy between what Terry told the FA about incident in October […]
John Terry Trial: Day 2 AM – Camera angles and 2,000 character witnesses
Day two of the trial began with demonstrators outside Westminster Magistrates Court holding up ‘Climate Emergency’ banners as Terry arrived. Terry‬ swapped his grey suit with pink tie for traditional dark suit with black tie for his expected appearance in the witness box. Anton Ferdinand’s parents and Chelsea chairman, Bruce Buck, were in the public […]
Goal-line technology? We have bigger fish to fry
So the International Football Association Board has agreed that goal-line technology should be introduced in football at some point over the next season. IFAB considered this a few short years ago. At that point, they were opposed to it but now the scales (apparently) have fallen from their eyes. What has hastened this change? A […]
John Terry Trial: Day 1 PM – “Shagging gestures” and lip-readers
This morning we found out that the argument over John Terry trying to win a penalty after a coming together with Anton Ferdinand lead to a, well, “debate”, as Terry called it. Terry called Ferdinand a cunt, Ferdinand responded by claiming Terry was a cunt for shagging his team-mates’ missus. For clarity, the “shagging gesture” […]
Daniel Taylor On… Arsenal as City’s feeder club, Pirlo and the top 4
The day after England crashed out of Euro 2012, Daniel Taylor, chief football writer at The Guardian, wrote about England’s inability to keep possession and how this would cost them in the long term. It wasn’t the first time this problem was mentioned though, with an article making exactly the same point following England’s draw with France. […]
John Terry Trial: Day 1 AM – Bad breath and c***s
Crown alleges Terry said to Ferdinand: “Fuck off, fuck off, fucking black cunt, fucking nobhead.” Crown says there is “very little dispute” between lipreading experts on what Terry said to Ferdinand but the defence claims it was “sarcastic”. Footage of the incident was shown which was filmed by Chelsea‬ for “future training purposes” and unbroadcast […]
Managerial tenure in the Premier League and football as a business
If you’ve ever listened to the BBC’s 606 Football Phone-In show after a manager has been sacked, then you’ve certainly heard the famous line uttered that “Football is a Business.” Of course, the Premier League is a business. The £3.018billion deal for domestic TV rights over a three year period is proof in the pudding, […]
RvP: The latest to kiss the badge and make them cry
Patrick Vieira – 1996-2005 Now an ambassador for Manchester City Emmanuel Adebayor – 2006-2009 Two months after leaving Arsenal he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate a goal he scored against them in front of his former fans. He now plays for hated rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Jose Antonio Reyes – 2004-2006 Reyes was […]
Ollie Holt on… Pirlo’s falling leaf, Chelsea’s threat to United and his Golden Boot bet
Another international tournament passes us by and we’re met with another failure from England to even reach the semis. However, unlike previous years, expectations were at an all time low so the players have returned without getting much stick. England reached the quarter-finals, standard, and Roy Hodgson managed to get them playing like a team. […]
Wenger’s history of transfer denials – From RvP to Henry and Cole to Nasri
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Arsene Wenger has a history of categorically stating that players will not leave the club, only for them to request a transfer and sign elsewhere shortly afterwards. This summer’s players were Robin van Persie and Alex Song and they are the latest of a long line of ex-Arsenal players that the manager […]
Time for Mancini to get the credit he deserves?
Despite having delivered huge success since taking the reins at Manchester City, Roberto Mancini is yet to really receive the level of praise his performance merits. Whilst Harry Redknapp and other more media-friendly managers are lauded over for their average achievements, Mancini is left relatively ignored despite his impressive record during his short stint in […]
James Ducker On… AV-B, Manchester, Eden Hazard and boring Spain
Jordi Alba joined Barcelona when he was just 9-years-old and stayed there for seven years before he was released. He signed for neighbouring UE Cornellà when he was 16-years-old and was soon called up to the Spain U-19 squad. Valencia paid €6,000 for the teenager where he went from strength to strength. He got his […]
Will AVB be successful at Tottenham?
It was confirmed yesterday that Andre Villas-Boas has become the new manager of Tottenham Hostpur, signing a three year deal with the club. But can he be a success for them? Can he take what Harry Redknapp has done and build on it so that they progress as a club? First off, I don’t think […]