Matt Clough

Writer

Nat Lofthouse: the Lion of Vienna and the gent of Bolton

It’s difficult to discuss Nat Lofthouse without resorting to clichés. His career and life, like so many of the players he shared the pitch with, seems so improbable when compared to modern…

The ethical quandary of supporting two teams

There’s a point that all addicts reach known as the moment of realisation. The point when amidst the mental fog a sudden ray of sunshine breaks through to provide clarity. Mine came…

England and the fantasy history that simply doesn’t exist

As the referee blew the final whistle to confirm arguably England’s most ignominious result for a generation, the collective look on the players’ faces wasn’t one of anguish but of sheer stupefied,…

Don Revie: the forgotten master of English football

Football has always been a game of binaries, of rivalries, of winners and losers. The victors are rewarded by having their place in footballing legend enshrined for generations to come. The losers either…

Paul Gascoigne and the death of the flawed hero

FOOTBALL IS CAPABLE OF BEING PURE THEATRE, producing storylines that would be tossed aside by even the most shameless Hollywood scribe as too implausible. Liverpool in Istanbul in 2005, Manchester United in…

The tragedy and triumph of Il Grande Torino

The history of football, like anything that hinges on so many disparate variables converging in one place, plays host to innumerable ‘what if’ moments. For all the relentless analysis, the rigorous preparation, the…