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)”
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Botafogo and Crystal Palace: From Rio to South London – a match made in Heaven?
[Thanks to Tomas Martinez for the photo of Botafogo Bay c/o Unsplash.com and also to Robbie Blakeley @rio_robbie for his insight] John Textor’s investment in Brazilian club Botafogo has led to an unlikely transatlantic alliance between Rio de Janeiro and South London. After Textor announced his interest a few weeks ago there was a rashContinue reading “Botafogo and Crystal Palace: From Rio to South London – a match made in Heaven?”
Arsenal’s century of Premier League red cards:- Winterburn to Gabriel
Gabriel’s second yellow card in the space of a few minutes against Manchester City on New Years’ Day handed the champions the initiative in a match in which they had struggled to assert their customary superiority. The successive yellow cards were reminiscent of Arsenal’s first red card in the Premier League when Nigel Winterburn receivedContinue reading “Arsenal’s century of Premier League red cards:- Winterburn to Gabriel”
Monday morning Nuggets – Matchweek 19
Yesterday’s win over Leicester was Man City’s 35th in 2021 and with 47 points at halfway stage could still break the 100 barrier as they did in 2017/18. City last conceded three goals at the Etihad in September 2020 to none other than Leicester who on that occasion beat them 5-2. Wilfried Zaha’s sending offContinue reading “Monday morning Nuggets – Matchweek 19”
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”
Team of the Eighties – Part One
This week was a particularly poignant time to catch up with Al Ryan, writer and director of the “Team of the Eighties” documentary that charts the many ups and downs of Crystal Palace Football Club from the early-1970s. The club went through a seismic transformation under the influence of flamboyant Malcolm Allison when he arrivedContinue reading “Team of the Eighties – Part One”
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.”
Game, set, match
Italy’s success at the Euros was underpinned by the innovations and imagination of their set piece routines. The man primarily responsible was a Venetian banker by trade who spent much of his spare time as an assistant coach in the lower leagues of Italian football before getting the opportunity to work in top flight football.Continue reading “Game, set, match”
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”
“We Are the Geordies” – a film about fans for fans by fans.
Football documentaries have become all the rage. In quick succession came the “All or Nothing” series at both Manchester City, charting their record-breaking 2017/18 season, and at Tottenham, which coincided with the arrival of Jose Mourinho in November 2019. Before either of those we had the ultimate car crash viewing that was “Sunderland ’til IContinue reading ““We Are the Geordies” – a film about fans for fans by fans.”
The Football Mine 