The football blog for fans of all clubs
There are many iconic World Cup images; Bobby Moore and Pele embracing after the England and Brazil game in Mexico, 1970, Diego Maradonaās āHand of Godā goal in 1986 and Marco Tardelliās passionate celebration after his goal for Italy against West Germany in 1982. For many the image of headband-wearing, bearded, Brazilian midfielder, SĆ³crates, in […]
The images from the pitch invasion and threatening chants at the end of the Lille OSC and Montpellier HSC game last weekend have shocked many but not come as a great surprise to most. In an increasingly pressurised sport, where results and instant success are demanded by everyone, it is common to see fans become […]
Last Wednesday’s win away to Tottenham Hotspur saw Juventus progress to another Champions League Quarter Final, their third in four seasons. Their form in Serie A since November has been imperious and they’re matching Napoli stride for stride in the Scudetto race. They have also made their fourth Coppa Italia Final in a row where […]
āIf you score 90 goals then it shouldnāt really worry you how many are conceded.ā ZdenÄk Zeman Italy’s Serie A in the early 1990’s was dominated by defences, a time of Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Giuseppe Bergomi and Jurgen Kohler. 1991/92 and 1992/93 champions, Milan, scored 74 and 65 goals during the 34 game campaign, […]
In early February 2018 Hannover 96 shareholder, Martin Kind, withdrew his application to the Deutsche FuĆball Liga (DFL) to take majority control of the club. This wouldnāt usually cause much of a stir outside Germany, however he was trying to make Hannover only the fifth Bundesliga team to be majority owned by a single entity […]
Holland provided the last test of the group stage. Often flattering to deceive, the Dutch were a team at war with each other. Childish in-fighting marred their campaign and at times it appeared they just didn’t want to be there. England just needed a point to qualify and was their first evening game of the […]
June 1996, a month which will always bring a smile to the face of English people old enough to remember the European Championships in England. Not just because the hosts reached the semi final (a semi final for England back then was almost a minimum requirement), it was just a magnificent time to be a […]
Although it isnāt quite the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan it seems a game doesnāt go by without Juve reporting a new injury. It certainly has demonstrated the importance of a quality squad as Juve continue to seek the treble. The latest injury added to the list was Andrea Barzagli who was injured in […]
Great players do not always make great managers, Iām sure youāll remember Alan Shearer at Newcastle United in 2009 and how he oversaw the clubās relegation after he managed one win in eight games. While managing Wales is a modest job in world football terms the immediate task for new boss, Ryan Giggs, is to […]
On 14th July last year the football world stood open mouthed as Leonardo Bonucci stood in front of a huge Champions League trophy with various AC Milan suits close by, for him he had completed a move to Milan after an apparent deterioration of relations between him and management in Turin. For Juventus it meant […]
Firstly, I apologise for the delay since my last article, it isnāt down to simple laziness I can assure you of that. If weāre pointing the bony finger of blame it should be in the direction of Juventus and Max Allegri as I have deliberately held off writing this article to see how we fared […]
Saturday 23rd September 2017, Paulo Dybala runs on to a pass from Miralem Pjanic and smashes the ball home from the edge of the area, the first goal of four for Juventus in the Derby Della Mole. Cue familiar celebration, but this wasn’t just about beating our cross-city rivals, it was a culmination of excitement […]
Iām no Shirley Bassey fan, I had to Google the title to see who sang that song, but she was right, weāve been here before havenāt we? In fact, Iād go as far to say itās a seasonal occurrence. Juventusā early season form can often be compared to that of a hibernating tortoise who has […]
In the summer the Italian FA (FIGC) made the move, along with the German Bundesliga, to use video assistant referee (VAR) to help eradicate the inconsistencies from the game. My initial thought was it would sterilise the game and deprive it of those contentious talking points. For a moment imagine what would’ve happened had this […]
