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”

The welcome return of the 12th man and home comforts

When Everton squeaked past Chelsea last weekend it provided a huge boost to the Toffees’ chances of survival, something that was celebrated with raucous gusto by the Goodison crowd of over 39,000. The influence exerted by the home supporters that started the night before and reached a climax in the last frenetic minutes of theContinue reading “The welcome return of the 12th man and home comforts”

Palace’s FA Cup semi-final : a chance to celebrate

As a Palace supporter I find it difficult to contain the thrill of going to Wembley this weekend for the club’s fifth appearance in an FA Cup semi-final. While for the fans of our opponents Chelsea and the other semi-finalists, Liverpool and Manchester City, this is much more routine. It is all part and parcelContinue reading “Palace’s FA Cup semi-final : a chance to celebrate”

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Friend and his friends)

There are few things more tiresome than supporters complaining about refereeing decisions and the injustices suffered by their own club. Consequently I hesitated in joining the clamour surrounding Kevin Friend and his VAR wingman Craig Pawson for a series of contentious decisions during Palace’s game with Liverpool on Sunday. However, emboldened by the almost unanimousContinue reading “We Need to Talk About Kevin (Friend and his friends)”

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”

Celebrating Panini’s 60th anniversary

There are countless sticker collections gathering dust in lofts across the country. Panini albums have been avidly compiled by millions of people across many generations, dating back to the first that was launched in the UK for the 1970 World Cup. The sticking phenomenon was so popular, it even had its own language — ‘swapsies’,Continue reading “Celebrating Panini’s 60th anniversary”

Friday Morning Nuggets – Matchweek 14

In a break with tradition, today’s blog post is a selection of the seven tastiest Nuggets from MW14 as there was a full round of midweek action to delve into. Plus a gentle reminder that you still have time to buy this year’s ‘must have’ Christmas gift for all football fans: the revised edition ofContinue reading “Friday Morning Nuggets – Matchweek 14”

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”

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”