Not my words, but those of Morocco’s Nordin Amrabat angered by a late Spanish goal that cost his nation victory in a dramatic World Cup match in Group B last night. The decision by the Referee Ravshan Irmatov of Uzbekistan not to award the goal following his Assistant’s raised flag was reverted to VAR and […]

They say there are no easy games in International football but we all know that is not true. San Marino, Andorra, American Samoa and now Panama are living proof that there’s plenty of nations that may compete on a level playing field but are perhaps in reality too weak to take on the likes of […]

With the world’s best player at your disposal one would think that your team should have a chance of winning the World Cup. For Argentina they have not just one world class player, but a number of players that regularly perform to high levels for some of the top football clubs on the planet. So […]

Harry Kane’s late winner for England last night not only gave Gareth Southgate and his team a valuable three points in Group G of the 2018 FIFA World Cup but also spared a few blushes and a media/social media backlash but does this young team of Lion’s deserve better from the public who continue to […]

All this week I’ve been running over Groups A to H in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia as I predict who will qualify and tip those who I expect to do well. The top 32 nations on the planet will be whittled down to 16 in little under three weeks’ time… But who […]

7 days to go until the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and if you’ve been following me this week you’ll have noticed I’ve covered groups A to F so far as I run through nation-by-nation my daily thoughts and predictions on who will progress to the latter stages of the competition. Today it’s the […]

Little over a week now to the biggest event in the sporting calendar (yes it beats even the Olympics with its dressage and fencing thrown in) and all the teams are in to FIFA HQ as the 23 man squads have been officially submitted. No excuses now? Just focus and preparation as the top 32 […]

Another day nearer to the start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Finals as those last remaining nations post their 23 man squads to take part in Russia. We follow on from yesterday where I looked at Groups A and B with a preview of Group C & D and what is likely to come. […]

Like a tail wagging dog waiting by the door for my owner to return up the garden path I’m very very very excited to tell you that there’s only 10 days to go now to the greatest sporting competition on the planet and as the appetite whets uncontrollably towards the leg humping, face licking stage […]

Less than 5 days from creating history with Real Madrid in becoming the first coach to win three successive European Champions League finals (and more frustratingly just a couple of days since I wrote about the future of the club being in safe hands), the great Zinedine Zidane has surprisingly announced he is to step […]

For half an hour of the European Champions League final on Saturday night Liverpool were the better side (all be it marginally in my opinion) against Real Madrid with the reds pressing game causing more los blancos turnovers than usual but nothing like in comparison to how they had done in overwhelmingly knocking out the […]

It seems like all I’ve talked about for a couple of weeks is Premier League football managers but with all the ins and outs over the last few days it’s hard not to bring up a topic that just never seems to go away. After 22 years in charge at Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger finally […]

West Ham United have acted quickly (to their credit) in replacing David Moyes as the teams new manager or head coach or whatever you want to call it nowadays? Enter Manuel Pellegrini, a charming Chilean with a track record that includes being one of only ten managers to have won the English Premier League. As […]

I made the trip south to Wembley for the 2018 FA Cup Final on Saturday anticipating a cagey uneventful match I wasn’t disappointed (largely because I expected it) to view exactly that, as Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 in the evening spring sun. In truth, if it wasn’t for Phil Jones having the turning circle […]

Chelsea Manager Antonio Conte could be number six in the list of Premier League coaches to leave their post already this summer as club owners across the nation opt for style over substance following pressure from media and fans alike to play the fashionable Klopp verses Guardiola kind of way. In his two years at […]

We all face it in our lives at some point or another but it’s how we deal with this adversity and how we bounce back which potentially makes us stronger in character and more determined to succeed the next time around. This week as a football fan for me was about expectancy, excitement and anticipation […]

Gareth Southgate announced his England squad yesterday and looks to be playing it safe as he appeases the FA to manage expectations of media and social media opinion in a slightly underwhelming squad that looks a little top heavy on defenders. Looking between the lines I expected more balance from Southgate who I had hoped […]

I was lucky enough to catch the back end of Howard Kendall’s great Everton team when I was growing up. Sharp, Sheedy, Bracewell, Ratcliffe, Southall and co. I started liking football when they were champions of England and I loved the way their British born squad attacked in numbers but since the birth of the […]

Part of me thinks that Mauricio Pochettino has done all he can whilst Managing Tottenham Hotspur. He’s taken a side with (self-implicated) limited resources as far as it can go and now he needs change. Whilst another part of me thinks he has the safest seat in football now that cross town rival Arsene Wenger […]

Whilst Manchester City & Barcelona have broken records domestically this season, a lack of consistency with some disappointing results in their respective leagues have probably helped Real Madrid and Liverpool focus more in reaching the final of the Champions League. So what is the more impressive achievement? Going 43 La Liga games unbeaten is no […]