Socrates: Football’s last intellectual
There are many iconic World Cup images; Bobby Moore and Pele embracing after the England and Brazil game in Mexico, 1970, Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of…
Articles by Dave Long
Enough is Enough: Lille OSC fans vent their frustration
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…
Quantity over Quality? Juventus heading for more trophies, but at what price?
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…
Vive la Revoluce! Zdenĕk Zeman, Foggia and the Serie A tactical rebellion
“If you score 90 goals then it shouldn’t really worry you how many are conceded.” Zdeněk Zeman Italy’s Serie A in the early 1990’s was…
50+1 Reasons Why: Fan ownership under the spotlight in the Bundesliga
In early February 2018 Hannover 96 shareholder, Martin Kind, withdrew his application to the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL) to take majority control of the club….
Chasing Rainbows: Memories of Euro 96, Part Two
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…
The Boys of Summer: Memories of Euro 96, Part One
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….
How Deep is Your Squad?: Injuries Push Juventus to the Limit
Although it isn’t quite the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan it seems a game doesn’t go by without Juve reporting a new injury. It…
Fame Over Familiarity: The Welsh FA Gamble On Giggs…
Great players do not always make great managers, I’m sure you’ll remember Alan Shearer at Newcastle United in 2009 and how he oversaw the club’s…
The New Ministry of Defence: Juventus stand firm after nervous start
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…
Born of Frustration – Allegri’s Adjustment Revolution….
Firstly, I apologise for the delay since my last article, it isn’t down to simple laziness I can assure you of that. If we’re pointing…
We Need to Talk About Paulo: The Dybala Dilemma
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,…
Just a Little bit of History Repeating…
I’m no Shirley Bassey fan, I had to Google the title to see who sang that song, but she was right, we’ve been here before…
Virtual Insanity: VAR creates more problems than it solves
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…