Tag: premier league

In celebration of Everton, the brilliant up and downers

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…

Breaking down Jürgen Klopp’s Gegenpressing with Tim Lees

Since coming to Liverpool, eccentric German coach Jürgen Klopp has become somewhat of a darling of the written press. With his bubbly, likeable character and intensity winning over many onlookers, thoughts have since…

Mark Hughes: the introvert who saved Alex Ferguson’s job

When the idiosyncratically brilliant English winger Chris Waddle left his job in a sausage factory to sign professionally with Newcastle United at the relatively late age of 19, he thought all his childhood…

They used to play football on plastic

The story of plastic pitches in English football, their rise, unfair advantages and sweeping controversy from QPR to Oldham and Luton to England.

Ruud van Nistelrooy and the art of scoring goals

“He is a great goalscorer but a poor footballer.” These were supposedly the words of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff when discussing the qualities of his compatriot Ruud van Nistelrooy. The quote is…

Football’s agitators and agents of chaos

MY FIRST FORAY INTO A TRUE BRAWL DISGUISED AS A FOOTBALL GAME was when I was 16-years-old. I had been “recruited” by a group of stockyard workers from Eastern Europe to play in…

Kenny Dalglish: a king among men

Kenny Dalglish wasn’t the most skilful player, nor was he blessed with blinding pace or immense strength, but scenes of a stealthy and intelligent Scot with straw-like hair and ice-blue eyes cutting defences…

Wonderkids and football’s desperate need for patience

THE TERM ‘WONDERKID’ IS OFTEN USED when referring to a talented young footballer. A player that shows great promise or stands out amongst players older than him. Like a drop of blood falling…

Liam Brady: the most complete Irish footballer of all-time

Elegant, intelligent, incisive and a match-winner; terms that can be applied to the greats of the game, and terms that unequivocally apply to Dublin’s Liam Brady. A midfielder with touch and poise ahead…

David Bentley and the unforgiving world of football

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…