Football in my Third World Country
These are some of the ground realities facing the average football fan in India. Traditionally, the term ‘Third World Country’ was used during the cold war to refer to the countries that…
Becoming Michelangelo: How Zinedine Zidane Is Moulding Madrid In His Own Image
Zinedine Zidane the artist has downed his brushes, Zinedine Zidane the sculptor and has picked up his tools. 2016 was a special one for a certain team in white- 53 games played,…
Premier League mid-point: what will 2017 bring?
At the Premier League season’s halfway point, we look at what 2016-17 has offered up so far, and make predictions for the second half. It’s been a double bluff season for the…
In a Klaas of his own
An extensive look at one of the best goal-poachers the beautiful game’s ever seen: Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Soccer is simple, but it is difficult to play simple – Johan Cruyff The late…
A Football Opinion Piece For People Who Hate Football Opinion Pieces
Presenting a football opinion to end all football opinion pieces… Or very least make you question the next one you read. When I’m watchin’ my tv and a man comes on and…
Introducing Liverpool’s Antennaed Alien Assassin – Bob Firmino Barbosa
Brazilian bravado shrouded in German efficacy; for opponents, Liverpool’s Bob Firmino is player that hangs on to the fringes of the frame of your television. It starts off like any other alien-themed…
20 Years of Arsene Wenger – Acknowledging Football’s Finest Facilitator
“I am only a guide. I enable others to express what they have within them. I didn’t create anything. I am a facilitator of what is beautiful in man.” 1996 was the…
A Tale of Two Chelseas
This is a story of Chelsea’s season of playing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They say we only remember the good things in retrospect. The rose-tinted glasses effect. Try telling that to…
Oh Wayne on the wane
Wayne Rooney’s days at Old Trafford might be numbered. Is it time for Roo to get a move on? Somewhere in a roomy cabin in Manchester sits a man with a smile…
Is It Time We Call Out International Football’s Biggest Bluff?
Ved Sen takes on International Football, and asks it the question it fears the most. I remember a time, when I was growing up and resenting International football. Back then, I didn’t…
Retrograde FA Have Made A Huge Mistake
England, obstinately, have gone ahead and appointed Sam Allardyce today. Though, one newish instalment the FA can at least expect is a state-of-the-art PowerPoint facility. Still counts as progression, don’t it? The…
Wales, Together Stronger: A Lesson In Unity
Anushree Nande explores the extraordinary rise of the Wales National Football team from 117th 4 years ago, to their phenomenal campaign at the Euro 2016. “Sports are human activities made difficult for…
Roy Hodgson and the Three Deadly Sins
Sins of the father, they say, are passed on to their sons. But who is to blame when the FA are retrograde to put a someone like Roy Hodgson in charge? The…
All The Kings Men
How do you gauge success in a sport? Is it the number of titles and medals you collect? Or perhaps, the number of upsets you cause? Is surviving in the first division…
Johan Cruyff,“Salid y disfrutad” – Go out and enjoy
Perhaps Johan Cruyff’s greatest legacy is in the fact that his ultimate goal was to play enjoyable and entertaining football both as a player and coach. To him it was imperative that the players…
Louis van Gaal Diaries – Into That Good Night
Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. – Dylan Thomas I am rather…
Zidane’s The Way
Imagine the chaos of running a business. Now, imagine this business also happens to be a football club, where you have balance the books and tilt the balance of trophies won in…
Johan Cruyff – Depression and unrequited love
I have locked myself in my room. Staving off all human contact. Sure, there are good people out there, great people, but my luck lately, has been shot. All I have to…
Stats, Smokes and Mirrors – Red Rambles Part 1
Admittedly, Jürgen Klopp’s tenure at Liverpool FC hasn’t been, Rocky Balboa’s immortal words, “all sunshine and rainbows.” The Reds are sweating it out in their tracksuits, but are still a few flight…
The Philosophy of Philosophy
Date: May 16, 2011 Occasion: Google Zeitgesist Conference, Hertfordshire Speaker: Stephen Hawking “Most of us don’t worry about these questions most of the time. But almost all of us must sometimes wonder:…
Louis Van Gaal – In search of the Zahir
Let’s address the camel in the room. If the defeat to Wolfsburg was the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back”, the subsequent losses to Bournemouth and Norwich made fans, journalists and experts alike,…
Move On, Real Madrid!
Saturday, 21st November – Real Madrid kick off with a single aim. Reduce a three point gap with Barcelona to zero. A couple of hours later, they were booed off the pitch…
Curse of the Injuries – Jack Wilshere and Alexandre Pato
(This piece was written before the Capital One Cup tie between Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal). Whatever the arguments about the quality of the old versus new, it can be agreed that the…
Howdy, Wayne Rooney! We miss you.
Wayne Rooney, sweltering out of position I remember a 18-year old Wayne arriving at the Carrington training complex on transfer deadline day. The signing had no dearth of excitement as Sir Alex had…