It Started With a Kick Episode 75 : Mark Halsey Mark Halsey was a top flight referee for over twenty years but started as a goalkeeper for semi-pro clubs such as Cambridge City and Hertford Town before taking up refereeing in 1989 and was Premier League ref from 1999 to his retirement in 2013. MarkContinue reading “It Started With a Kick – Episode 75 Mark Halsey”
Category Archives: Leeds United
The Community Shield 2025 and a history of muddle-headed meddling
When Crystal Palace face Liverpool this coming Sunday, 10th August they will be contesting their first Community Shield in the 103rd edition of the new season’s traditional ‘curtain raiser’. The Community Shield, or its ancestor Charity Shield, dates back to before Palace were formed as a professional club. Throughout the early years of the match’sContinue reading “The Community Shield 2025 and a history of muddle-headed meddling”
Premier League MatchWeek 15/16 Episode 36 ‘It Started With a Kick’
PREMIER LEAGUE NUGGETS – MatchWeek 15/16 BRENTFORD’S HOMESICKNESS Part 16 Having dispatched Newcastle 4-2 the previous week to record their seventh home win, in Week 16 Brentford travelled the few miles to Stamford Bridge to continue their away day travails with a 2-1 loss. Having amassed 22 points out of a possible 24 at theContinue reading “Premier League MatchWeek 15/16 Episode 36 ‘It Started With a Kick’”
Selhurst Park: 100 years-old It Started With a Kick Episode 21 – Michael Caulfield
Introduction – This week’s blog looks at the centenary of Selhurst Park Selhurst Park Centenary 30th August 2024 – the grand old lady of SE25 is 100 years-old today. One of the famed football architect Archibald Leitch’s many stadia, Selhurst Park is still going strong. Selhurst is showing her venerable age in the two standsContinue reading “Selhurst Park: 100 years-old It Started With a Kick Episode 21 – Michael Caulfield”
Premier League Nuggets 2023/24
15 March MW 28 COMEBACK KINGS Wednesday night’s match at the Vitality Stadium was a highly emotional affair as Luton’s captain Tom Lockyer returned to the ground where he suffered a cardiac arrest a few months before. When all is said and done, Lockyer’s recovery from that terrifying episode is the story of the seasonContinue reading “Premier League Nuggets 2023/24”
Premier League Nuggets 2023/24
So that’s Week 1 done and dusted and here are the tastiest Nuggets from that opening weekend :- Week 2 NEWCASTLE As Newcastle fans rejoiced in hammering Villa 5-1 on Saturday, as well as being top of the league, they could be forgiven for missing out on the fact that they are currently the onlyContinue reading “Premier League Nuggets 2023/24”
Premier League Nuggets
As the thirtieth Premier League season is over, it is high time for some Nuggets, all 30 of them firstly club-by-club, and then some generic ones. 1. Starting with Arsenal who lost more games (13) than Brighton (11) & Palace (12) but won more (22) than Chelsea (21). 2. Next up it’s Aston Villa –Continue reading “Premier League Nuggets”
A view from the box seat and what was missing
18 October 1969 is a date indelibly marked in my football conscience. It was my very first visit to Selhurst Park as part of my elder brother’s birthday party. After over five decades, my recollection is a little sketchy, indeed I had to look up the score: a 1-1 draw with Gerry Queen scoring forContinue reading “A view from the box seat and what was missing”
Friday Morning Nuggets – 17/12/21
A gentle reminder that you can still grab the brand spanking new, fully revised edition of Premier League Nuggets in time for Christmas either in shops or online so hurry while stocks last. Norwich have scored only eight goals in seventeen matches so far this season, adding in the two goals they scored in theirContinue reading “Friday Morning Nuggets – 17/12/21”
Queens Park Book Festival with Pat Nevin and Ricky Hill
At last weekend’s Queens Park Book Festival I had the pleasure of hosting a football panel with Pat Nevin and Ricky Hill, who both had books published earlier this year. A common theme that unites the two former internationals is that, for different reasons, both were considered as outsiders within the football world, for exampleContinue reading “Queens Park Book Festival with Pat Nevin and Ricky Hill”
The Football Mine 