Match Stats Aston Villa v Manchester United Saturday, 12.45pm Pointers: Ø Aston Villa are unbeaten at home this season (W3-D3-L0), while Man Utd are yet to lose on the road – although they have drawn five of their six fixtures. Ø Villa have drawn seven of their last nine games against traditional Big Four sides […]
With the 2010 World Cup draw just made, I thought there was no better time for some bold predictions. It was Pelé who once said – in that conceited manner of his – that an African nation would win the World Cup before Y2K. Then again he once infamously predicted Columbia would win USA ’94, […]
They trot up and down the sand, posing for endless photos, backs aching under the weight of many an obese sunburnt child. They long for pasture, for freedom, for quiet and not the bingo calls, the trams, the boozy lewd outbursts of those in the Kiss Me Quick, Squeeze Me Slowly hats on the promenade. […]
The 2010 World Cup makes it twenty years since I was self-diagnosed with football fever. An innate curiosity heightened only by my father’s halcyon tales of Pelé, Eusebio and, of course, our very own Geoff Hurst: whose unique contribution crowned England’s finest ever moment in the summer of ’66. Fortunately for us, and for you […]
Alfred Hitchcock often walked on screen to introduce his features with a hint of what to expect. All I will say in my short cameo is that the following season review contains no less than twenty five Hitchcock titles. I have recently been looking at the work of Francis Alys, who was described by the […]
I’ll begin by apologizing for my lack of blogging over the past six months and sincerely promise a more productive summer. Last September, seeking some deeper sense of fulfilment, I embarked on a surprise return to university as a mature student in the land of saints and scholars which proved a far greater commitment than […]
When David Moyes re-iterated the importance of class and dignity following last week’s victory at Eastlands, it echoed similar comments he made to a Spanish waiter a couple of years ago, and pretty much underlined that a new bitter rivalry has emerged this season. Much has been written about this divide, with its biblical connotations […]
This week, Everton beat Manchester United, got knocked out of Europe, and announced their season ticket prices for next season. And, the couple downstairs had another almighty, seemingly final row. Meanwhile, a man refused to shake another’s hand and we had a celebrity marriage split. Seeing similarities between football support and a relationship between strangers […]
Just when we were all enjoying a summer free from the fickle world of football, like low budget reality television – it’s back, in our faces, and sucking us all in. And, though there is something so intrinsically sickening about modern football, I cannot hide my exuberance as the big kick-off draws ever closer. I […]
As ever, the excitement has been building and with the absence of a major international tournament to distract us during the summer months it is with relief that a new season is finally upon us. Drowning in pre-season predictions (three guesses where this blog is heading …), the final week is always the most agonizing. […]
