It’s tuesday night at Fleetwood Town football club. The small fishing town now have a team in the Conference, one division outside the Football League. A fantastic achievement. Tonight they are hosting Mansfield Town, who only recently were in a League Two play-off final. And up-front for Mansfield, is a small pacy striker, who in 2007 scored one of the goals of the season. In the year Blackpool went up from League One to The Championship, Keigan Parker scored a memorable winner in the play-off final against Yeovil. Chipping the ball deftly past Steve Mildenhall from 25 yards, Parker was […]

So after the fiasco of the failed World Cup campaign, the French Football Federation have come down hard on one of the main perpetrators of the French self-sabotage, by banning Nicolas Anelka for eighteen games. This effectively means that Anelka will not represent his country again. But more importantly, it allows a critical re-evaluation to begin. A re-evaluation around the core values of French football. Values which had clearly become forgotten, as weak man-management and rampant egos held sway, over what it meant to represent the French nation at football. Sometimes it can be good to hit rock-bottom. Reach a […]

The pundits had written Blackpool off. Dismissed them out of hand. Lowest points ever. Relegated by January said ‘expert’ Piers Morgan. And when you look at the evidence its easy to make these arguments. This is a team that has previously shown no real obvious ambition to be a Premier League team. That is in terms of infra-structure, player recruitment, wages and so on. So its easy for the pundits to dismiss Blackpool as a lower league team, trying to punch way above their weight. But that opinion, does not take into account what Blackpool have going for them. And […]

The World Cup is meant to be the stage by which the game of football develops and evolves. A visible forum of new ideas; theories; moves and formations. A means to transfer the best of the game from the top table to the grassroots. Unfortunately, Dutch coach Bert Van Marjiwk took no heed of that notion. For him winning was everything. The only thing. No matter how. As long as the artful Spanish were stopped. For years the Dutch have shot themselves in the foot at the big tournaments. Big egos and superior attitudes undermining their collective talent. The years […]

On Saturday, Queens Park Rangers travel to Blackpool, for a Championship match. But who will be in charge of The R’s? Two months ago, Jim Magilton was sacked after a dressing room bust-up with Akos Buszaky. Now. its understood, that new incumbent Paul Hart is on the verge of departing Loftus Rd, after a bust up with loanee Adel Taraabt. Its an extraordinary situation. Or is it? Nothing that comes out of Loftus Rd is surprising these days. Manager and player bust ups. It’s the norm isn’t it? Everyday football club stuff? So why is it, that managers are taking […]

‘Unacceptable’. The words of Sir Alex Ferguson to describe the manner in which Mark Hughes has been treated by Manchester City. Sitting through the 4-3 Sunderland game at Eastlands, knowing that rumours were growing like wild-fire, about his impending sacking. Of course, it will all be forgotten about soon enough. But the way in which the Hughes sacking has remained a news story, is a reflection of the unfortunate way the City executive have gone about their business. It has to be asked then, as to what are the Core Values that govern the behaviour of all at Eastlands? Values […]

‘Arrogance is one thing. You cannot forgive contempt, which is what he showed Sam Allardyce last week-end’. Sir Alex Ferguson, describing Rafael Benitez’s attitude, after Liverpool opened up a two-goal lead against Blackburn Rovers, at Anfield. Benitez, apparently signalled with his hands, that the game was as good as won, well before time, in a manner that has riled Ferguson and Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce. It’s another heightening in the intensity of the ‘mind-games’ that have been played out this season between Ferguson and Benitez. Mind games that seem to work perfectly for Ferguson, but not for the Liverpool […]

It’s early on, in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final, when Liverpool have a free-kick, thirty five yards out from the Chelsea goal. As Fabio Aurelio lines up to take the kick, Petr Cech drifts off his line, ready to come for a high ball into the crowded box. Instead Aurelio notices the growing gap that Cech has left by his post, and drills a deft left-footer, past him from distance. It’s a big blow to Cech’s confidence, as he then struggles throughout the game. His lack of confidence, seems to impact upon his defence. Chelsea leak another […]

It’s the day before the big Champions League quarter-final. All is well at Liverpool. The Premiership title challenge, is back on. The team are in prime form. The manager has a new long-term contract. Nothing can go wrong! Then, at his Tuesday pre-match press conference, Rafael Benitez speaks out. Again. He claims that United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is now running scared of his Liverpool team. Believing that Ferguson is feeling the pressure from his Liverpool team. Given the adverse publicity, that his anti-Ferguson jibes in January brought him, it’s a surprising strategy from the Spaniard. And an ill advised […]