Liverpool were strolling to a comfortable win at St Mary’s. A goal apiece for Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge had given Jürgen Klopp’s side a two-goal buffer over Southampton at half-time; three…
Tag: premier league
Blessed with more ability than most professional footballers could ever dream of, Adel Taarabt has spent more time believing his hype than generating it
WHEN FABIO CAPELLO TOOK OVER AS ENGLAND MANAGER in succession to Steve McClaren in 2008, he largely refrained from making the sweeping changes many people felt he should have been drawn towards.…
If ever there was a time for Harry Redknapp to effusively proclaim a player as “triffic”, it was when describing Frank Lampard. The year was 1996, the venue was a West Ham…
THOUSANDS OF SCREAMING FANS awaited the emergence of their heroes from behind the car park barriers. One could be excused for thinking this was the scene of a backdoor getaway after a boyband…
Will West Ham ever return to the days where local lads played beautiful football among their peers, with many born close to the stadium itself? It’s highly unlikely, but that won’t stop…
When the conversation topic turns to footballing legends, those that spring to mind are generally the quintessential one-club men – Francesco Totti, Ryan Giggs and Steven Gerrard, for example. None of these players had…
This feature is part of The Masterminds: 10 Under 45 When Eddie Howe announced his retirement from football at the age of 29, he wasn’t certain what fate had in store for…
Recently, I was at the Picasso Museum in Barcelona and my mind couldn’t help but wander off to football. This moment came when I was inspecting Pablo Picasso’s Las Meninas collection. In…
When the transfer window finally reopens on 1 January, fans are always desperate to see new players posing awkwardly with a shirt in the bowels of their new training ground, grimacing towards…
‘Brand Beckham’ is a phrase synonymous with a man who has built an empire on the back of a glittering sporting career. Its’ reputation is further enhanced through his partner in marriage…
Despite receiving more flak than perhaps any other manager in English top-flight history, Graham Taylor was a man of sheer class, talent and honesty
While the story of Sir Alex Ferguson’s success at Manchester United is well-known, how he became the most consistent manager in British history is less so
GREAT PARTNERSHIPS, whether in attack or defence, are hard to come by in football. It’s either one of the two failing to adapt to conditions around them – through either a lack…
AFTER 66 MINUTES of the last game of the season, Dennis Bergkamp did what he’d always done. Receiving the ball from the wing, the masterful Dutchman threaded an inch-perfect ball into the box…
It’s around 4:20pm on 14 May 1995. The sunlight is beaming across the packed terraces at a gloriously electric Anfield on a fine summer’s day as 22 players drift this way and…
The boy has wisdom beyond his years. “You learn more about yourself in the tough times than you do in the good times,” says James McClean. Less a boy now at 27-years-old,…
Illustration by Akinyele Lexain Olalekan IT’S JANUARY 2004 and Bolton Wanderers are playing Aston Villa in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final. In the 80th minute, Bolton are awarded a free-kick…