As featured on Guardian Sport “Yes, the actual Joe Cole,” the tweet read. “Seriously, Joe Cole. The real Joe Cole.” Coventry City’s Twitter feed wasn’t the only one incredulous. Joe Cole, three-time Premier…
Tag: england
FOR A CLUB WHOSE LONGEVITY IN ENGLISH FOOTBALL’S TOP DIVISION stands second only to Arsenal, Everton have a bit of an up-and-down history. Their fourth First Division title, in 1932, came on the…
This feature is part of The Masterminds The only way to simplify football is to make it complicated. As such, understanding who Brian Clough was and his impact on football seems appropriate for…
Since the heady days of Banks, Clemence and Shilton, British football has experienced a regression in the number of goalkeeper at the highest level. We look back over the years.
Was Steffen Freund ahead of his time? Did the death of the destructive holding midfielder coincide with his time in England? We investigate.
It has been 20 long years since Euro 96 had English fans dreaming. Boasting one of the best England squads in recent decades, the Three Lions made it all the way to the semis before succumbing to old foes Germany on penalties.
It took not much more than a month in mid-1974 for the feel-good factor to return to the England national football team. A feel-good factor that was sorely required in the wake of…
Stylish, flamboyant and a free-kick master. A wonderful range of passing, a quick decision maker, creative, patient and composed. Such superlatives could be about any number of brilliant players throughout football’s history. Perhaps reading…
One of England’s most passionate derbies, is the rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham beginning to stagnate with a lack of success on the field?
How intelligent spending, long-term thinking and fan power transformed the club from the brink of extinction to Premier League powerhouse.
This feature is part of The Fleeting Fraternity As defining moments go, having a spike pierce your backside is one of the less edifying. As the carefree long-haired 20-year-old fell off the roof,…
ARRANGING A TRIP TO SAN MARINO IS QUITE THE CHALLENGE. There is no train station in Europe’s third smallest state, let alone an airport. Large pedestrian-only zones mean that parking spaces are sparse,…
A Moneyball approach, we examine the analytical detail that has brought FC Midtjylland success and is poised to do the same at Brentford.
AN HONEST RESPONSE IS EXACTLY WHAT THE PRESS LIKE TO HEAR as often as possible, in any line of questioning. What’s all the more alluring is a touch of some interest and intrigue;…
Tim Lees profile (from Soccer School UK) Tim came through the academy system in England with both Bolton Wanderers and Everton as a youngster. He has over 300 appearances semi-professionally in England and in…
The career of Eamonn O’Keefe in Saudi Arabia is one of the least told but most bizarre stories in football. Welcome to a world of excess, greed, superstardom and a homosexual prince.
June 13, 2014: “Robotic, predictable and a bit too calculated.” Those were the words chosen by a tearful David Bentley, aged 29 at the time, to describe his views on the modern game…
As good as any tall and powerful England striker in recent years, Dean Ashton could have become a Premier League great. Sadly, injuries took hold