When the ball cannoned off Craig Dawson past Lukasz Fabianski during West Ham’s helter-skelter draw with Arsenal last weekend it was the centre back’s second own goal in consecutive matches. It was also the second that West Ham conceded in this game as Tomas Soucek had inadvertently deflected Alexandre Lacazette’s shot into his own netContinue reading “Own Goals Part Two – Double Trouble”
Author Archives: richardfoster60
The 2020/21 season and the concertina effect
This is my thirtieth weekly blog post I know, how time flies. Having started back in August we are now entering the final straight so it feels as good a time as any to reflect on what has happened over the last seven months. The 2020/21 season did not begin in August as is theContinue reading “The 2020/21 season and the concertina effect”
Football’s Wasteland: VAR, empty stadiums and fractious fragmentation
As I and many others have pointed out until we’re blue (or in some extreme cases purple) in the face the pure aesthetics of football are being steadily eroded for the sake of minuscule and misguided rulings. At its very best football flows with an elegance that few sports can match but under VAR itContinue reading “Football’s Wasteland: VAR, empty stadiums and fractious fragmentation”
London Calling: Palace’s curious derby habit
Most fans have a sneaking suspicion that fate conspires against their club now and again. In extreme circumstances this feeling develops into rapidly escalating levels of paranoia reaching a consensus that firstly, the whole world is against you and secondly and more worryingly that there is very little that can be done about it. ForContinue reading “London Calling: Palace’s curious derby habit”
Own Goals Part One – Keepers’ Clangers
They are football’s equivalent of tragicomedies. Own goals litter the football landscape with an intoxicating mixture of laughter and tears. Over the next few weeks here on The Football Mine I will be publishing an occasional series of pieces that focus on these captivating slices of football history, those little vignettes that can define aContinue reading “Own Goals Part One – Keepers’ Clangers”
Kits fit for a king – a personal history of Palace’s fine line
There have been numerous times when I have questioned the sanity of following my football club. Like the vast majority of supporters, the mixture of good and bad has leaned towards the latter. But one thing that has been an almost continuous source of joy with very few disappointments along the way has been ourContinue reading “Kits fit for a king – a personal history of Palace’s fine line”
The referee’s a ****** – How abuse has reached a disturbing level
Referees are considered by many football fans to be fair game for having abuse hurled at them from a dizzy height. They are the Aunt Sallys of football – an easy target when things are going wrong for your team and you need to vent your frustration. A variety of chants cascade from the standsContinue reading “The referee’s a ****** – How abuse has reached a disturbing level”
Saints Alive
Ralph Hassenhüttl did not mince his words after the 9-0 shellacking Southampton suffered at Old Trafford on Tuesday. “We lost again in a horrible way,” the Austrian admitted, after this nightmarish déjà vu came back to haunt his team, having been similarly humbled at home by Leicester last season. “The same story, one man downContinue reading “Saints Alive”
A tale of two owners and their under-performing managers.
While not exactly being two peas in a pod, Mike Ashley and Roman Abramovich do share a trait besides being very wealthy owners of football clubs. Both are extremely reticent when dealing with the media; curt would be a polite way of describing their attitude. And as Newcastle and Chelsea have been struggling recently, inevitablyContinue reading “A tale of two owners and their under-performing managers.”
Half-term report: No fans, plenty of pens and tightest of title races
At this stage last season Liverpool were already thirteen points ahead of their nearest rivals, Leicester City. While the second half of the season was not exactly a walk in the (Stanley) park, there was the sense of an orderly procession towards their first league championship for thirty years and that elusive Premier League title.Continue reading “Half-term report: No fans, plenty of pens and tightest of title races”
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