These days there’s nothing quite like a genuine shirt - they’ve got a look and feel to them that’s only really possible with official merchandise, and owning the genuine article could be considered a mark of a real fan. They can be a bit pricey at times, though-this is pretty much true of all clubs
Where did it all go wrong for Athletic Bilbao? At the end of last season they had emerged as almost everyone’s second favourite side; their run in the UEFA Europa League had won them many admirers and it was thought the club would go from strength to strength. However, the summer then came along and
The iconic image of Bobby Moore lifting the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966 is burned into the mind of every self-respecting English football fan. It represented the peak of English football; a deserved triumph for the creators (and in that year, perfectionists) of the game. It was a mark that stood England up among the
Before 2007, the Russian Premier League trophy had only ever made its way out of the Russian capital Moscow once, to Vladikavkaz when Alania won the title way back in 1995. But since 2007, it’s been unwilling to make a return to Moscow, having a brief stay in Saint Petersburg when Zenit claimed the title
The last four or five years at Barcelona saw Pep Guardiola lead his boyhood club to the most successful era of the clubs history. Winning three La liga titles, two Champions Leagues, two Copa Del Rays, two Super Cups and two World Club Cup’s in just four seasons, Guardiola produced a Barcelona team that is
On matchday two, we were treated to what would now be labelled an “old fashioned” Champions League match when Manchester City took on Borussia Dortmund. In the days of the European Cup, before the competition’s rebranding in 1992, it truly was a “Champions League” in the sense that only the champions of respective leagues would
EA’s FIFA series is rapidly becoming known as the gold standard in football sims. When it first came long in the early nineties for the 16-bit consoles such as; the Sega Megadrive, there was nothing like it at the time. Gamers were used to top down and difficult to control football sims such as Sensible
A solid performance for the England under 21 side yesterday as Stuart Pearce - to his credit - yet again guided the side to the European Championship. It’s a shame that the match was somewhat overshadowed by the unsavoury scenes that started at the final whistle, but those issues were dealt with in this article.
The great captains of modern football are so much more than just the guy in the armband who calls the coin toss. A captain of the quality of Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane and Bobby Moore are players who lead by example and unite and oversee a team to ensure it meets the management’s objectives, wins
As you scan this year’s current La Liga standings, a few things stand out. Atletico sitting joint top is particularly pleasing; Malaga and Real Betis occupying the vacant Champions League spots is pleasant; and Real Madrid sitting nine points behind Barcelona after just seven games is astonishing. So far, this years Primera has been extremely unpredictable and, as you stare
When Southampton, Reading and West Ham respectively got promoted to the premier league all three clubs knew that they would have a battle on their hands if they wanted to stay in the “big time”. Speculation surrounded all three clubs, would they be like the Derby of 2007/2008, who endured an absolutely torrid season or
Olympique de Marseilles fans walked away from the live football online action Stade Velodrome last Sunday evening with a slight air of disappointment despite their 2-2 draw with super-rich Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint-Germain. Although top of the table heading into the game, Marseilles were seen as relative underdogs in the light of PSG’s expected
When you glance at the top of the Primera Division table at the moment nothing really jumps out at you; Barcelona and Madrid are top of the league. However, look a little more closely and you will notice it is Athletico who are joint top of the league, level on points with the Catalans, not
After the much celebrated and long awaited arrivals of superstars Hulk and Axel Witsel, Zenit shot to the European headlines, for all the right reasons. Just over a month later, Zenit are once again hitting the headlines, but this time for all the wrong ones. After two matchdays in the Champions League the Russian champions
Despite being the reigning champions of the fifteenth highest ranked league in Europe, many people were left scratching their heads when Nordsjælland’s name was pulled out of Pot 4 during the draw for this year’s Champions League group stage. In a similar situation to fellow lesser-league minnows CFR Cluj from Romania and BATE Borisov from
A few months ago, a few frustrated fans and Barcelona critics had all but deserted hopes of any noteworthy improvement for Barcelona under Tito Vilanova, the man who had been under Pep Guardiola’s wing for four seasons. Vilanova, who turned 43 a few weeks ago, surprised them all. With the silent backing of the top
The FA’s respect campaign has been running for a long time now. And nothing is more apparent than in the pre-match handshakes between opposing players just before kick off. Over the last few weeks this has taken center stage. In some matches you’d be forgiven for forgetting there was actually any football on show. From
From the outside looking in Marcello Lippi has had a very eventful career as a football manager. When he started off in 1982 after hanging his boots up with Sampdoria one wonders if he ever envisaged he would reach the managerial summits he has managed to climb. To have been senior coach at Atalanta, Napoli,
The name Gian Piero Gasperini returns to the football world, the last time the name was heard wasn’t really for the best reasons, but instead, a synonym of critics and insults. For those who don’t remember, he was THAT Inter manager who was sacked with only five matches played thanks to his terrible results while
The Financial Fair Play regulations will eventually stabilize the round leather game when its rules are duly enforced and in a way, will help smaller teams find their feet back in the peddle for glory in their various competitions. It was first agreed in principle in 2009 by UEFA’s Financial Control Panel of football to
It has been well documented that the famous number 9 shirt at Arsenal has some sort of curse surrounding it, with the majority of the Arsenal number 9s sitting on the Arsenal injury table or bench while other number 9s such as Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao et al made the coveted
After the tragic passing of a true football great Gary Speed, Welsh football was left with a huge hole to fill. Under Speed Wales played attractive, free flowing and effective football. The players were motivated and enjoyed playing their football as much as the fans were watching it. However when all that changed, the FAW
If you are reading this article chances are you enjoy football. Whether you watch casually, are a fan, or a fanatic, football is probably a big part of your daily life. I am (along with a lot of other people) not so privileged. I am a guy growing up in South Africa, Port Elizabeth to
If you chat with any seasoned Manchester City fan, they’ll be able to give you an in-depth description of what are more commonly known among Blues as ‘the dark days’. As a sixteen-year-old, I may be somewhat unqualified to write this article, but, here it goes. If you search ‘Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool 1996’ into
Racism is a major issue in our world nowadays, even the beautiful game is filled with it. Players, officials and fans are all targeted, some may be targeted because of them being on the opposing team and some individuals are even targeted by their own fans. Below are some football related racist incidents and acts