No coach in the history of the Copa Libertadores has won more titles than Carlos Bianchi, a man who was written off so often and kept coming back for more
Statement: Glenn Hoddle is a footballing genius. I think he’s up there with the very best English managers in, or out as the case may be, of the game today. Sure he’s a…
“FOOTBALL IS THE WORKING CLASS BALLET.” The hallowed and revered words of Alf Garnett. There’s no debate either – football is beautiful, in so many ways akin to the ballet. Both require…
“They may only be Istanbul’s third club in the eyes of so many unaware of their defining history, but let’s never forget that they were Constantinople’s first club long before they were Istanbul’s third.”
In the historic Italian city of Naples, football goes very much beyond the game. This is the story of one man’s journey through the tifosa-laden streets of the Mezzogiorno and his Enterprise…
IN FOOTBALL, the greatest legacies are reserved for those who pioneer their way into folklore. Manager and players alike are remembered in the grandest terms by evaluating their role in changing the course…
IT HAS BEEN THE MOST UNORTHODOX OF JOURNEYS for Rwanda national team manager Johnny McKinstry as he looks back on his brief but hugely impactful time in the professional. Born and raised in…
I have seen the future. Football’s future. It’s both exciting and tragic. Amidst the reliance on strength, pace and fitness, players have taken centre stage like never before. Long gone is the…
Occasionally, a player comes along whose talent is paradoxically matched by their worldwide under-appreciation. A player who mesmerises opposition fans and leaves them wondering what would be possible if he played for their…
AS HE SAT DOWN TO WATCH HIS NEW EMPLOYERS register a sodden display at Villa Park in 2001, little could Juan Pablo Ángel have known about what lay ahead. For the Colombian, one…
“Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Winston Churchill’s famous words in October 1939 at the breakout of World War Two ring out as loudly today as they did…
Illustration by Soccer Patterns. View more here As the dominant talk in global football centres around whether Real Madrid and Manchester City can wrestle back the title in 2016, across the Atlantic, fans…
JORDAN HENDERSON JUST CAN’T WIN OVER THE MAJORITY IT SEEMS. To some, he can’t pass, can’t dribble and doesn’t have a fixed position. He has underwhelmed for England, doesn’t really offer much in…
It has been four years since I started These Football Times and the landscape of football writing has changed beyond imagination in just that short period. I never intended to create a site…
Rome, the Eternal City, has hosted some of the game’s all-time greats – among them Conti, Falcão, Signori and Chinaglia. None, however, are greater than current captain and symbol, Francesco Totti. It…
Middlesbrough had money and a bright young manager in Bryan Robson. Juninho, Emerson and Ravanelli arrived and the top flight was never the same again
LET’S TALK about strikers – goalscorers to be precise. The players who make the difficult seem unerringly easy. The ones who generally tend to finish off their dinner. They’re the elusive ones, out…
Fresh air: emotive words that evoke the notion of a better, cleaner place. A place where all your troubles can be left behind and a momentary breath can de-stress and revitalize. A…