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”
Category Archives: WBA
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 – current players who have made 300 appearances for one club Part One
Nearly all the attention was focused on a player who was not going to play. Even the BBC got wrapped up in the “Will he? Won’t he?” saga, with 5 Live’s football correspondent John Murray commentating on which Tottenham players he could spot as they trooped off the team bus and made their way aroundContinue reading “The 300 Club – current players who have made 300 appearances for one club Part One”
Down, Down, Down – Why relegation already being decided is a pity
When Sam Allardyce finally lost his oft-quoted record of never being relegated from the Premier League there were quite a few people revelling in a spot of Schadenfreude. The memory of his grubby dethronement as England boss allied with his uncompromising and prickly persona combined to make him one of the least likeable managers. EarlierContinue reading “Down, Down, Down – Why relegation already being decided is a pity”
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”
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”
Is Allardyce’s return a step towards normality?
There is something faintly reassuring about Sam Allardyce being appointed to rescue a club that looks destined for the drop. It has happened a few times before and no doubt will happen again. In this season of all seasons perhaps this is what we all need, some familiarity, a return to what we perceive ofContinue reading “Is Allardyce’s return a step towards normality?”
Kenny Sansom’s fight against his demons and dementia
Kenny Sansom was one of my first football heroes. He made his debut as a 16-year-old and was described by club historian Reverend Nigel Sands as “the first tangible product of the youth policy instituted by Malcolm Allison…and was unquestionably Palace’s best ever left-back.” He was an integral member of that enticing, exciting “Team ofContinue reading “Kenny Sansom’s fight against his demons and dementia”
Pulis, Pragmatism and Points deductions
When Tony Pulis arrives at your club in November it usually means you are in a bit of trouble and in need of the footballing equivalent of Red Adair to come to the rescue. Sheffield Wednesday are the latest club to enlist the services of a manager who has famously never been relegated. Considering WednesdayContinue reading “Pulis, Pragmatism and Points deductions”
The Football Mine 