Irresistible: Thank You, Eden Hazard
Football lacks entertainers. The wonderful ability of an individual to captivate and tantalise stadiums with an uncoachable skill, distinguishing them from everyone else, is fading. Eden Hazard’s retirement is a poignant reminder…
To the Arsenal 1-0: An Alternative Match Report
There are certain sport fixtures that carry with them the weight of history, of tradition, of rivalry, and of intense, often irrational emotions, including unavoidable hurt. For someone initiated into football during…
Paul Pogba, Neymar Jr and That Small Matter of Legacy
Legacy. The word does carry a certain sense of magnitude, but if you happen to eavesdrop on any football-related conversation at a pub, you might find it getting thrown around a lot.…
Bitcoin football: the story of Real Bedford FC
Football has become the establishment. Thirty years since the publication of Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch, the gentrification of professional football in England is no longer confined to the executive suites. Where once…
Sheffield Wednesday: No Cloud Without a Silver Lining
Ask any Sheffield Wednesday fan and they’ll tell you their club is massive. But, bias aside, they do have a point. With plenty of top flight pedigree in their history books, a…
Alexandro Bernabei: A Long Way Away From Home
Whether it be signing players from Japan, South Korea, the United States or Argentina, it is fair to Celtic have broadened their horizons in the transfer market in recent years. The likes…
David Silva – The Sorcerer in Plain Clothes
On a December evening in 2010, Andy Gray was in a studio, possibly somewhere in London, discussing Manchester City’s recent defeat against Everton at home. It was brought to Gray’s notice that…
Arsenal, Identity, and Evolution
Once, while out skating, I took a crack to the back of my head in a fall, knocking myself out. When I began to come around, I experienced an accelerated evolution of…
In Search For The Industry, We Lost The Product
Live football has given me some of my most cherished experiences. I remember my first-ever football match in 1999 – Crystal Palace vs Grimsby on a chilly autumn afternoon at Selhurst Park.…
Farewell, Granit Xhaka. Arsenal Was Richer for Having You.
There was a time, a few years ago, when I could have kicked a ball with my eyes closed and hit multiple goodbye offerings; in fact, a part of me had started…
Why I Gave Up My Newcastle United Season Ticket
For some years now, I’ve had the impression that the UK’s relationship with Saudi Arabia represented the absolute worst of this country for a number of reasons: The hypocrisy of pursuing policies…
New Zealand Football: Hope for the Future?
In this four-part series, Ryan Murray unravels the complex tapestry of New Zealand football, delves into the nuances which have thwarted the Kiwis’ progress, reflects on whether recent infrastructural changes have had…
New Zealand Football: Internal Foes, International Woes
In this four-part series, Ryan Murray unravels the complex tapestry of New Zealand football, delves into the nuances which have thwarted the Kiwis’ progress, reflects on whether recent infrastructural changes have had…
The Greatest Team Ever…That I Played (a Bit) For
Amidst all the pre-Covid journalistic and internet chatter about whether the all-conquering Liverpool team’s season was the greatest ever, various alternative candidates were put forward. These ranged from Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ 2003-4 season…
Premier League 2022-23: This is our Arsenal
Do you remember what you were doing on May 7, 2006? My sister and I were holed up in the TV room with our uncle’s friend, watching Thierry Henry kneel down and…
Are We Ever Going to Look Beyond the Skin?
The opening sequence of Inglorious Basterds is a masterclass on how to write a lede. There is much to rave about its aesthetic treatment, but Christoph Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa really…
New Zealand Football: Domestic Matters
In this four-part series, Ryan Murray unravels the complex tapestry of New Zealand football, delves into the nuances which have thwarted the Kiwis’ progress, reflects on whether recent infrastructural changes have had…
When the Bubble Bursts: Football’s Post-Apocalypse
Football has a money problem. Rather than being shaded by money trees, the health of the modern game is being antagonised by the very fabric of its ecosystem. Footballers, fans and clubs…
From Wolfsburg misfit to immortality in Naples: the rise, blip, and rise of Victor Osimhen
In Naples, football is more than a sport. This southern city, famous for its natural beauties and rich history, is a place where men who become heroes are immortalized. They are worshipped.…
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia: Naples’ Immortalised Son
Napoli’s first Serie A title in over three decades was won in spectacular fashion, with the Partenopei dominating rivals all over the pitch. One player, the Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, has managed to…
New Zealand Football: A Challenging Backdrop
In this four-part series, Ryan Murray unravels the complex tapestry of New Zealand football, delves into the nuances which have thwarted the Kiwis’ progress, reflects on whether recent infrastructural changes have had…
Untapped Markets: How Celtic Provide an Example for All of Scottish Football
Ange Postecoglou was appointed Celtic manager in 2021. Almost immediately after his unveiling, the Australian alluded to his desire to tap into markets that had otherwise been untouched by Scottish clubs prior…
Barca: The Albatross Around FC Barcelona’s Neck
The smoke signals have been fired. Barcelona lead the La Liga table by thirteen points. With just five games left, they are overwhelming favourites to win their first league title in four…
Football, Mental Health, and Belonging
I like to think that everything in life is a metaphor. Things can be broken down into comparisons, and when it comes to the game of football, we can spend entire lives…
KRC Genk – The Belgian academy producing some of football’s biggest stars
Tucked away in Eastern Belgium, closer to the Dutch border than the major Belgian cities, Genk is a former coal mining town which fewer than 70,000 people call home. Even in a…
Football Twitter, Arsenal, and Coming Back to Myself
Getting older is a peculiar experience, particularly hitting 40. There are highs—a new decade, the chance for over the top and extended celebrations—and then there are lows— your mortality suddenly hits you…
Y’All Means Y’All: Why Women’s Football and Trans Players Need Each Other
Have you ever played on a football team? Perhaps you play for a grassroots team. Maybe it’s more casual, a regular five-a-side game with your mates. You might just have fond school…
The Europa Conference League: an unlikely stroke of genius?
When UEFA announced the introduction of a tertiary continental club competition, it’s fair to say that the idea received a lukewarm reception at best. While some, for various reasons, did instantly herald…
Carlo Ancelotti: Football’s Greatest Unsung Coach?
The stare. The brow. The outfit. Everything about Carlo Ancelotti is iconic to its core. He is a man that exemplifies class, and his accolades as both player and coach take him…
What Rivalry? Arsenal vs Chelsea in the Wake of Jorginho’s Transfer
Deadline day in January is always fun, as clubs scramble to complete last-minute transfers that will make or break their season. This year was no different, with Nottingham Forest further expanding their…