England… The Road to Doha Opens For England 8 Dec 2020 With little pomp or circumstance, the draw for the qualifying round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup took place on Monday night. It was a relatively low-key affair when compared…
Denmark… The most passionate football nation in Europe 23 Dec 201920 Nov 2020 This article was first written back in 2011 but is one of the top five viewed posts I've ever published - if you view it in terms of population of…
England… Notts County facing uphill battle to regain EFL place 5 Aug 2019 Anyone thinking that Notts County would breeze straight back into the Football League received a major wake-up call on Saturday afternoon. County’s long history counted for little as a physical…
England… Whatever happened to the likely to be very good lads? 30 Dec 201726 Dec 2017 July 2014 and Germany have just demolished Brazil on home turf in the World Cup Semi-Final. The vast majority of their squad have come through their Under21s yet we still…
England Best Song Ever 29 Dec 201726 Dec 2017 Back to January 2014 when Danny Last and I decided to see whether the words really do live up to scrutiny as we decide what the best football song ever…
England… Is the Chinese cash a bad thing for English football? 20 Jan 2017 So it is official. World football has gone mad. Oscar’s transfer to Chinese side Shanghai SIPG ratified on the 1st January meaning he left these shores to become the richest…
England… Master of none 1 Jan 20171 Jan 2017 What happens when you get a bit lippy and suggest to one of your colleagues that their job on a match day was "easy"? It seemed I was just about…
England… 2016 – A year in football 1 Jan 201730 Dec 2016 So that was 2016. A year most will remember for famous people dying, although the stats will show that no more than a normal year (our love of Social Media…
England… Who benefits from Stadium naming rights? 27 Dec 201627 Dec 2016 There's a fantastic new book that's been published by Leon Gladwell called "Beyond the turnstile" which is full of oustanding pictures from his quest to capture the beauty of the…
England… 1966 and Not All That 30 Jul 2016 In celebration of the 50th anniversay of our greatest ever footballing day as a nation, below is an extract of the chapter I wrote for Mark Perryman's excellent book '1966…
England… Teargas and tantrums in the South of France 15 Jun 2016 There's nothing unusual about stories of strikes affecting public services and transportation in France. As far back as I care to remember there's been stories of blockades at ports or…
Barclaycard Premier League… Post-season Blues….and Citizens and Spurs 27 May 201528 May 2015 A weeks after the end of the season used to be the reserve of testimonials for long-serving players and club officials. Football has moved on, and the likelihood of a…
England… For sale – one England goal keeper’s kit – as new 28 Mar 2015 Whilst the biggest cheer in the second half came at Wembley in the 70th minute when Harry Kane scored with his second touch in international football just eighty seconds after…
Barclaycard Premier League… The Lord’s work 25 Feb 201524 Feb 2015 With the snow gently falling in South London a few weeks ago and another Rooks game coming under threat I looked around for alternatives. Having been away for the past…
England… A love of Tembling Madness 16 Jan 201518 Jan 2015 I'm showing my age by sharing a joke from my adolescent years that is tenuously connected to this year's annual Northern Capricorn adventure. "What's the difference between Joan Collins and…
The Ball is Round 