Moyes short of answers
When I sat down to write this piece, I started to think to myself ‘why bother’? And then it struck me. That was the very point. The fact that it didn’t seem worth writing about United’s trouncing in...
View ArticleChelsea are exactly where they should be
Most football teams are surrounded with varying degrees of hyperbole when things are going well or badly. According to most of the British press, Liverpool presently are just about the greatest team...
View ArticleDear Fernando Torres
Fernando, this is a painful letter for a Chelsea fan to write. We had so many hopes and dreams that have ultimately been shattered. Who is to blame I’m not entirely sure. You didn’t force Chelsea to...
View ArticleAll praise the spiritual wave sweeping global football
Football is often chastised for the more seedy, salacious and hedonistic lifestyles of players with bulging wallets and celebrity lifestyles. Indeed, footballers are seen on newspaper front pages as...
View ArticleMoyes debacle is the end product of a far wider United story
While professional football has always been a costly hobby for the wealthy and a vehicle to get rich quick, it is really since the Sky era was ushered in that the unquenchable thirst for riches was...
View ArticleChelsea end of season report
In previous weeks, two excellent defensive displays in Madrid and at Anfield gave Chelsea renewed hope in both the Champions League and premiership. However, Chelsea’s season was ultimately meekly...
View ArticleThe English Premier League end-of-season report
The English Premier League season is finally over, so it’s time to mark the end-of-term report cards for the every club. Manchester City – A Hard to give anything less to the champions. Yes, they made...
View ArticleCould Spain do the unthinkable?
Spain’s achievements in winning back to back European Championships with a World Cup sandwiched in between beggars belief in the modern era. Such are the margins these days that sustained periods of...
View ArticlePlease let the World Cup be a good’un
For a Scotland supporter the requirements for a World Cup are pretty simple nowadays – a good tournament with great games and moments. Now I’m probably already sounding like a grumpy old man, but for...
View ArticleWho I should support at the World Cup?
As mentioned in my previous World Cup post, and as will be glaringly obvious to all readers, Scotland shall not be at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. So, who do I support? There is nothing wrong with being a...
View ArticleMy World Cup so far
My previous article was hoping and preying for a great World Cup, lamenting the previous few tournaments and suggesting it was an event in decline as a victim of global football media overkill. WATCH...
View ArticleHeavyweight clash to dispel national stereotypes
When the World Cup comes around, national stereotypes tend to abound about footballing heritage and how the various teams play. The Dutch will of course play technical, possession-based football, The...
View ArticleMy World Cup in review
I’d written previously about my desire for a World Cup to re-ignite my passion for the game and the event. I surely got one. One caveat I would add is that I have watched the past two Western...
View ArticleWho’s winning the EPL transfer war?
The EPL and the mundane old transfer season, remember that? The transfer market is a fast-moving animal which provides a fix for us football fans struggling to cope with the end of the World Cup and...
View ArticleIs Gareth Bale correct about La Liga?
Times are good at Real Madrid. They have just lifted La Décima, and over the summer they have added two of the shining stars from the World Cup. First Toni Kroos and now the 80-odd million Euro capture...
View ArticleRomelu Lukaku plays the Blues
Romelu Lukaku has finally moved on from Chelsea after three years and 15 games. As has been their way recently, Chelsea have again turned a profit on the player in selling him to Everton who have...
View ArticleLampard leaves for the City – True love is tough for football fans
Yes, I know, Frank Lampard left Chelsea on good terms and after many years of incredible service. And I know I had plenty of forewarning he was leaving to join another club. He said goodbye in the most...
View ArticleLittle nostalgia at White Hart Lane
It was of little surprise that Tottenham despatched Queens Park Rangers at White Hart Lane on Sunday, but so big was the difference in the two teams that it was tough to spot where the line was between...
View ArticleDi Maria acquisition poses tactical questions for Van Gaal
Angel di Maria has become Manchester United’s and Britain’s most expensive player after signing for the Reds for just under 60 million pounds. Di Maria is undoubtedly a fine player of huge pedigree and...
View ArticleShould clubs really care about their country?
With the end of the transfer window and another international week upon us, there has again been lament in the English press as to the state of the national team and the prospects for squad members in...
View ArticleIt’s blue ribbons for the EPL trophy, unless the Devil turns it red
October is of course early days in terms of an entire season, but the English Premier League looks to have already taken on a shade of blue again as Chelsea and Manchester City currently lead the way....
View ArticleChelsea need a tweak to ensure success
It would of course seem churlish or just plain daft to dream of criticising Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea team right now. They are top of the EPL and looking good to qualify for the group stages of the...
View ArticleSo just actually how good are Liverpool?
Liverpool were always going to find this season relatively hard going. That was inevitable given their near miss in winning the title, the ageing legs of Steven Gerrard and the loss of Luis Suarez. The...
View ArticleDaniel Levy and the great glass ceiling
Yes, Roald Dahl fans, it’s a bad Wonka pun and while the famous chocolatier was renowned for odd and eccentric antics, some of Daniel Levy’s behaviour could just be put down to poor judgement. The...
View ArticleYou’re supposed to be at home
So goes the regular taunt from away fans to home fans at football grounds around England. People often question why away fans are more noisy, but the answer is very simple – they are the absolute...
View ArticleHas Van Gaal brought progress, or is he just plain hopeless?
Louis Van Gaal is polarising opinion right now. On one hand there is a feeling of hope among United fans that a corner has been turned and that their football is attacking. On the other hand is the...
View ArticleArsenal need Wenger Reloaded, not Revolutions
In the Wachowskis brothers’ sci-fi trilogy the Matrix, one of the most intriguing characters is the Architect. He reveals that, “The Matrix is older than you know. I prefer counting from the emergence...
View ArticleWould Barcelona ever sell Lionel Messi?
We all love a transfer story and which one could possibly be bigger than Barcelona selling an unhappy Lionel Messi? It seems incredulous to even consider it, Messi is so woven into the club’s very...
View ArticleTim Cahill: A man for the big moments
I have to admit to being a little reticent writing this article given the big Aussie contingent on The Roar. It is however a genuine piece and the player in question is very worthy of praise. While...
View ArticleCould Manchester United’s ‘blip’ become something bigger?
Growing up in the UK in the 1980s, one constant in life was that Maggie Thatcher was in charge and ruled with an iron fist. For a younger generation of EPL fans it has been a similar tale, Sir Alex...
View Article