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”

Is the Premier League Manager of the Month cursed?

NB This is a fuller version of the piece published in the Guardian on 7th April, with added information A myriad of myths that swirl throughout football, some of which hold credence, such as ‘The Law of the Ex’ that dictates more often than not that strikers will score against their former clubs. Another ofContinue reading “Is the Premier League Manager of the Month cursed?”

Friday morning Nuggets Matchweek 20

Liverpool had been on a run of 21 consecutive successful penalty conversions (Mo Salah scoring 15 of those) before Kasper Schmeichel saved his spot kick on Tuesday. His previous miss was over four years ago against Huddersfield on 28 October 2017. Mark Noble did not miss from the spot against Watford and his 27th successfulContinue reading “Friday morning Nuggets Matchweek 20”

The Stat Pack – the commentator’s bible.

You do not know his face nor his name but you will have experienced his work many, many times while watching televised football. As a freelance broadcast journalist and assistant producer Dave works for, amongst others, BT Sport and Premier League Productions – the company responsible for broadcasting the Premier League around the world. HeContinue reading “The Stat Pack – the commentator’s bible.”

The 300 Club Part Two: Noble by name, nobleman by nature

As West Ham were cruising to an emphatic 4-1 victory over Leicester they indulged themselves in one of those prolonged sessions of keep ball, with each successive pass greeted by the joyous olés of the home crowd. There were only two minutes remaining and it looked as though this could go on until the finalContinue reading “The 300 Club Part Two: Noble by name, nobleman by nature”

The 2021 Play-Offs: Will the Curse finally be broken?

As the build-up to the Play-Offs weekend intensifies, a slight dampener was cast on proceedings. Unlike the FA Cup Final which was deemed ‘a test event’ with Chelsea and Leicester City receiving around 10,000 tickets each, only 4,000 tickets were made available to each of the Play-Offs finalists. Although an extra 2,000 tickets have nowContinue reading “The 2021 Play-Offs: Will the Curse finally be broken?”

Fan engagement – now is time to act

This week’s publication of the 2019/20 Fan Engagement Index was understandably delayed because of the Covid pandemic, but ultimately it could hardly have been better timed. In light of the protests at Old Trafford last Sunday against the owners and the universal condemnation and subsequent implosion of the European Super League [see https://bit.ly/3gziruc%5D, the thornyContinue reading “Fan engagement – now is time to act”

Crystal Palace and closing the age gap

When Sky Sports put up the statistic that Palace had conceded fourteen goals in the last 15 minutes, the joint most in the Premier League this season alongside Liverpool, during Monday night’s game against Leicester there was a horrible inevitability about what would happen next. Sure enough within five minutes Kelechi Iheanacho had belted theContinue reading “Crystal Palace and closing the age gap”

Decline and Fall of The Super League

The dust barely had time to form let alone to settle when the whole edifice came tumbling down. As fans gathered outside Stamford Bridge to express their opposition to the formation of the Super League there were already cracks appearing within the dozen clubs. The protests had been gathering ever since the news broke onContinue reading “Decline and Fall of The Super League”

Like father, like son

So it looks highly likely that Erling Braut Haaland is on his way out of Borussia Dortmund and en route for either La Liga or the Premier League with Barcelona, Real Madrid, both Manchester clubs and Chelsea all in the frame. If he, or more significantly Mino Raiola, chooses England as his next destination, heContinue reading “Like father, like son”