An Introduction Those who know me on a personal level know that my opinions on many things donāt tend to go along with the majority. Some say Iām just wired differently, some think itās a subconscious reflex just to naturally be ācontraryā. Through this occasional feature I hope to provoke some discussion by laying out […]
Rants
Shirt numbers: Not always one to eleven!
Jordan Ayew (The Aston Villa version of Andre) was shown off by Swansea City on Thursday with obligatory club shirt in hand after his return from the African Cup of Nations. Jordan chose the very unusual number three despite being a striker, his excuse was that Ghana legend Asamoah Gyan wore number three, and hopes […]
Beware the Day Tripper
Millions of people flock to the UK every year to visit various places of interest. Theme parks, castles, zoos, art galleries and other historical hot spots all come under the same description, they are tourist attractions. Add to this list now some Premier League football stadiums. With stadia growing bigger by the decade, the demand […]
The Snakes of the Transfer Desert
In football players come to football club and players leave football clubs. It’s the circle of life in the footballing world. You can accept players want to play at the highest level for the highest wage. However, I always believe the manner in which a player leaves speaks volumes. Transfer requests have been at large […]
Upsets, shocks, agony and ecstasy; yes, the FA Cup weekend is upon us…
Expectations are high; tickets have been bought, and scarves are at the ready for expectant fans up and down the country. FA Cup weekend is upon us, with the Premier Leagueās leading teams vying for a bid to snaffle the prized silverware. The chance of a visit to Wembley for one of footballās showpiece occasions […]
Why Manchester United Cannot Afford Any More Injuries
Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal as revealed that left-back Luke Shaw suffered a dead knee in Unitedās 2-1 victory over Everton on Sunday and had to be substituted so as not to aggravate the injury. He told BBC sport in an interview after the game that āHe has a dead knee. He could have […]
Excellent Draw should see Messi Lead Argentina through to Latter Stages of the World Cup
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is now just a couple of weeks away and the attention of football fans is starting to turn towards the tournament in South America. All of the qualified nations are eyeing up a successful event and one of those is certainly Argentina who have been well backed for World […]
Five players to watch at the World Cup
Every international tournament springs surprises. We’ve seen it all from the Czech pair of Patrick Berger and Karel Poborsky lighting up Euro 96 before earning moves to English giants Liverpool and Manchester United respectively, El Hadji Diouf’s exciting displays in the 2002 World Cup earning him a move to Liverpool and even Mesut Ozil’s creative […]
Youthful Squad Provides Feel Good Factor for England World Cup Chances
After months of speculation, Roy Hodgson named his 23-man England squad for the World Cup in Brazil and preparations for the tournament can now begin in earnest this week with the first of three warm-up matches taking place against Peru at Wembley on Friday night before jetting off to Miami where they will face Ecuador […]
Supporting Your Team vs Supporting Your Manager: The Moyes Manchester United Divide
Thereās a hint of a civil war among Manchester United fans at the moment. The fans are certainly divided into two camps. There are those that find themselves still firmly behind under-fire boss David Moyes and those that would favour a change in management ASAP. Itās an issue that has really come to ahead this […]
Uniting France through football and laughter – Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Zlatan Ibrahimovic gets a lot of people talking. Whether it is for his off the pitch antics or his creativity in front of goal, it’s hard to find a footballer capable of still dividing so many opinions. āOverratedā, ānever turns up when neededā or ācockyā […]
Le Classique: a brief history
A couple of weeks ago, something really got to me. All over European football media, there were reports dubbing Paris Saint-Germain vs AS Monaco as the biggest game of the season in terms of French club football and a great advert for Ligue 1. It’s not. For me, the biggest game of a season is […]
Manchester United playing the blame game
On Monday morning the vitriol hadĀ started. From the #MoyesOut campaign on Twitter to the fallout in the press for Manchester United’s demolition by their city rivals. Watching the game, it was tough to argue with either points and there was an air of ineptitude from the first minute that left a feeling of angst among […]
Brendan Rodgers is in no position to lecture Liverpool striker on loyalty
Footballers donāt see the world as fans do. They aren’t stuck with one club for all eternity; they can leave when a better offer comes along. The defence of the mercenary footballer has always been that itās a short career, but this has become a moot point when the Premier League offers such grotesque salaries: […]
It’s Time Levy Backed AVB
Let’s face it.Ā Daniel Levy’s stubbornness in the transfer market in the last 11 months have cost Spurs dearly. Champions League football is yet another year away from White Hart Lane aswell as the daunting possibility of Gareth Bale’s inevitable departure being a year earlier. Daniel Levy haggling during transfer negotiations are world-renowned and has garnered […]
Is Liverpool striker justified in making Chelsea captain comparison?
Luis Suarez revealed earlier this month that he was ready to leave Liverpool FC. Rather than being honest to the fans and explaining that, justifiably, he wants to join a better club who can compete for the Champions League every year, he has blamed his decision on the country. Suarez has been regularly criticised in […]
Manchester City should expect backlash for this “typical City” behaviour
This time last year it was all going so well for Roberto Mancini and Manchester City. Two goals deep into injury time during the last match of the season against QPR meant the Italian had delivered Cityās first title in 44 years in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable. The long wait was over. City, who […]
A message for Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United – don’t milk the fans
Last night’s game at the Nou CampĀ confirmed that two German teams would be playing in the European Cup final at Wembley later this month. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund were worthy winners against the two best teams in Spain, whilst English sides made little impact on the competition. Chelsea and Manchester City couldn’t even make […]
Stereotypical football: The most English footballer
Some players just arenāt made for the English game, some of us arenāt as efficient as Germans at taking penalties, even fewer are capable of playing ātiki takaā football like the Spanish, but we all wish we grew up on a Brazilian beach and could dance through challenges. These are the stereotypes in football, Iām […]
Goal-line technology – too little, too late
It has been announced this week that goal-line technology will be introduced to the Premier League from next season but in my opinion, it’s far too late and far too little. It was inevitable that goal-line technology would eventually be introduced to the Premier League but why has it taken so long? The Hawk-Eye technology […]