Opinion

There is a significant amount of pressure that professional footballers go through on a weekly basis and it is easy for many to forget the toll that this has on the body, not just physically, but also mentally. It is important for a footballer to ensure that they get the balance right when it comes […]

There is little doubt that when most fans think of Tottenham goals they think of Harry Kane. And the England striker will look to be among the goals once more on Saturday when Spurs host Chelsea in what has to be the pick of the Premier League fixtures of the weekend. But while Mauricio Pochettino’s […]

The video assistant referee (VAR) is a football assistant referee that checks and reviews decisions which are made by the main official of a match with the use of video footage. It has been part of the Italian Serie A for almost a season now and many other football associations are thinking of implementing it […]

The nomadic footballing career of Stig Tofting isn’t perhaps the most glamorous. It isn’t even the most familiar. But when told alongside a life story filled with tragedy and controversy, it’s nothing short of compelling. Throw in some Hells Angels and boxing bout with the guy who sang ‘Barbie Girl’ and it becomes unbelievable. Lawn-mower […]

Born Free Paul Labile Pogba was born 15th March 1993 as a result of a pre-conceived plan by his refugee parents to gain permanent settlement in France. Mother Yeo and Farther Fassou Antoine were part of the mass migration to France, refugees of civil unrest in Guinea. They were advised before landing in France that […]

In Dennis Bergkamp’s biography, Stillness and Speed, he alluded to an over-coaching problem which had been tainting his club, Ajax, at that time. He was working there as Under 19’s assistant manager: “They (the coaches) all have their badges, and they are all very sympathetic and know exactly how to play football and what kind […]

Dethroning a King You’ll be hard-pressed to find a Football fan who hasn’t heard of Kylian Mbappe. Born on the 20th of December 1998 in the town of Bondy, in the region of Seine-Saint-Denis, to an Algerian Mother and Cameroonian Father. Kylian would grow up part of a sporting family, his mother Fayza a Handball […]

So what did I hope to achieve from this article? It would be wonderful if someone was inspired by one of these talented young ladies to even just start a blog, just believe they have the ability and talent to write and follow that dream. The work being done by Derby University sounds excellent and […]

In Part One we looked at the prospects for women writing about football, how under-represented they are and the fantastic work done by Derby University to offer students, male and female, an opportunity to find their way in the industry. With their links to Derby Ladies, the University is well placed to offer females an […]

Why aren’t there more females writing about football? This is a question which has puzzled me for a while now. Journalism, as such, has for years been considered a male dominated environment, and football has had to drag itself kicking and screaming from decades of being a solely male preserve. Football in the UK has […]

England have just won their first match in the Netherlands since they were World Champions. The win in Amsterdam in 1969 was thanks to a late goal from Colin Bell against a side which included wonderful talents such as Johan Cruyff, Rob Rensenbrink, Rudi Krol, although the fact the Dutch brought on Dick van Dijk […]

* In a series of articles, I will be looking at a concept caused by the paradigm of the day and how it has seeped into football, how to spot it, how it affects football, and what football, as a lens, can teach us about the goings on in the broader societal landscape, away from […]

One of Their Own “He’s one of our own, he’s one of own, Harry Kane, He’s one of own” chant the Spurs faithful. It’s true that Kane represents a rarity in modern Football, inducted into Tottenham’s youth system aged 11 he made his way through the age groups, to become a staple of the senior […]

For the coming weeks, in a series of articles, I will be looking at a concept caused by the paradigm of the day and how it has seeped into football, how to spot it, and what football, as a lens, can teach us about the goings on in the broader societal landscape, away from the […]

Seven Minute Saviour March 8th 2017 9:28pm – Barcelona are 5-3 down on aggregate to Paris St. Germain, 88 minutes on the clock and staring elimination from the Champions League in the face, los cules win a free kick, up-steps Neymar. What happens next is quite possibly the most unbelievable Seven minutes in Champions League […]

A Decade of Dominance The Ballon d’Or is the award all the players want to win. It recognises the winner as the best player anywhere on the planet. For the last decade this award has been won by just two players, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, tied at five wins a piece. Such dominance of […]

It’s the most talked about change to the rules since the Bosman rule or the backpass rule. Many were calling for football to make more use of technology as other sports have done, and it followed the rather meek introduction of goal-line technology. Since goal-line technology has been brought in there are so few instances […]

Peter Crouch wasn’t in the matchday squad for Stoke City for their 1-1 draw with Leicester City at the weekend. If reports were to be believed in January he very nearly could have been lining up for Chelsea in the Nou Camp against Barcelona in the Champions League in a few weeks time. A lot […]

Welcome back to another instalment of Modern Era Legends, the series where I go back over the last couple of decades and highlight the careers of personal heroes and football legends. Today’s piece brings a sort of mini-series into the main series. I mentioned at the end of my last piece that I would be […]

My footballing world came crumbling down on Thursday 15th February 2018 when Paul Robinson announced his retirement from football. He was known amongst fans as Robbo and that’s what I will continue to call him in this piece. Robbo went on to make a career total of seven-hundred and sixty-three appearances for a total of […]