Category: Stories
-
Barack Obama and the 2008 Euros
The 21st of June 1964, a balmy evening in the Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid. Marcelino pops up with a goal in the 84th minute to break Soviet Union hearts, and to ultimately give Spain their first major trophy; the European Nations’ Cup. It was reckoned at the time that this would be the first of many…
-
Matchdays: Pyongyang
By Rishi Chowdhury 4pm, 08 October 2015 – Kim Il Sung Stadium – Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea One hour in North Korea (DPRK) and I’m outside the Kim Il Sung Stadium, being handed a ticket to watch a 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier between North Korea and Philippines. Earlier that day in Beijing…
-
An Introduction to UK Academy Football
Youth academies. Anyone who’s played Football Manager will know how important they are in guiding your wonderkids towards a first team place. Improving the facilities, bringing in the greatest minds in terms of coaching and analysis, all of it has an influence when attempting to reduce the impact of the transition from youth football to…
-
Canadian Premier League profiles: Forge FC
Nobody can ever take away the crown of first ever Canada Premier League champions. Forge FC are a force to be reckoned with.
-
The 1950 FIFA World Cup: A Brazilian Tragedy
Moacyr Barbosa was heralded as one of the finest goalkeepers in the world throughout the 1940s and 50s. The unbeatable colossus stood in goal for the Seleção during what should have been their finest honour – glory at their own World Cup. It wasn’t to be for the team, the shining stars of a country…
-
Denis Irwin: Manchester United & Sir Alex Ferguson’s Mr Reliable
This May sees the 30th anniversary of Manchester United’s 1989/90 FA Cup victory, a campaign which began in the 3rd round against Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest. The only goal scored by Mark Robins gave the Red Devils a 1-0 victory widely believed to have saved Sir Alex Ferguson from the sack. After a thrilling 3-3…
-
Project 2034: How an Indian club is undertaking the most ambitious youth football project in the world
Picture credits: Minerva Punjab FC Club Photographer Building from the bottom, achieving long-term sustainability and prioritizing youth development seems to be the latest trend in football. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, you’d be forgiven for thinking the way to grow in football was by spending as much money as possible, given the meteoric…
-
Matchdays: Hearts Relegation Battle
Pathetic fallacy is literary tool used to attribute human emotion to aspects of nature. I went to Tynecastle last Saturday to see Heart of Midlothian, one of the UK’s most historic clubs. This dismally wet and windy Saturday was a textbook occurrence of pathetic fallacy. In October 2018 Hearts sat top of the Scottish Premier…
-
Francesco Toldo: The underrated, dependable deputy to Buffon’s brilliance
With four FIFA World Cup victories, Italy has produced some of the finest players to grace the game. Giuseppe Meazza, Valentino & Sandro Mazzola, Gianni Rivera, Giacinto Facchetti, Gigi Riva, Antonio Cabrini, Claudio Gentile, Paolo Rossi, Gaetano Scirea, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Roberto Baggio, Alessandro del Piero, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta: the list is endless. …
-
The Importance of the Scottish Cup
Celtic. Celtic. Celtic. Celtic. Celtic. Celtic. Celtic. Celtic. Rangers. Rangers. Rangers. Celtic. Celtic. Celtic. Rangers. Celtic. Rangers. Celtic. Celtic. Rangers. Rangers. Celtic. Rangers. Rangers. Rangers. Rangers. Rangers. Rangers. Rangers. Rangers. Rangers. Celtic. Rangers. Celtic. How was that? Boring? Monotonous? That is the list of the winners of the Scottish top-flight over the last three decades.…
Heart of Football 