I've been commentating on football since the late 1980s, having previously been an entertainingly inept goalkeeper for Wrexham Schoolboys and, clearly in an era of national shortage, Wales Schoolboys.
Scouting isn’t rocket science! Every time a Premier League side signs a good foreign player the nation goes crazy. Who is this mystery guy? Where did he come from? Anyone with a decent knowledge of the game outside the UK would have known that the likes of Santi Cazorla, Oscar and Papisse Demba Cissé were … More Roger Espinoza (Sporting Kansas City)
I can’t help feeling we’re wasting our breath complaining about UEFA’s embarrassingly insignificant punishment for Serbia? After all, what did we expect? The most revealing aspect of the judgement is that the punishment of £65,000 and an Under-21 match played behind closed doors is the biggest ever given by UEFA for a racist incident. Just think … More UEFA’s Toothlessness Should Surprise Nobody
Their remaining time on the pitch is running out: some bewitched us and are embarking on a final lap of honour; others won’t be missed until they’re gone. It’s time to raise our hats to the players who won’t be around forever. Okay, I admit it’s not all that easy to love Mark Van Bommel. … More Last Chance To See: Mark Van Bommel (PSV Eindhoven & Holland)
Here’s something I wrote for Soccerlens Lionel Messi hogged the headlines, of course, when he finally broke Gerd Muller’s record for most goals in a calendar year. Although the Madrid papers were delighted that Radomel Falcao gave them an excuse not to lead on this astonishing achievement: AS led on “Insatiable Falcao” and tucked Messi … More Messi makes history, but a Betis star is born
Scouting isn’t rocket science! Every time a Premier League side signs a good foreign player the nation goes crazy. Who is this mystery guy? Where did he come from? Anyone with a decent knowledge of the game outside the UK would have known that the likes of Santi Cazorla, Oscar and Papisse Demba Cissé were … More Tommy Oar (Utrecht & Australia)
Shock horror! Fernando Llorente is leaving Athletic in the Summer! Equally remarkable rumours that the Pope is actually Catholic and bears defecate in the woods remain unconfirmed. The leaving of Bilbao tends to be complicated, of course: ask Javi Martinez! Llorente, aware of the fact he might actually want to return to the region at … More Mad Scientist Bielsa’s Llorente Experiment Fails
Sport’s a healthy pastime apparently, but European football’s fixture schedulers seem determined to stop us from going out and getting some exercise. It’s wall-to-wall derbies and clashes of the big teams this weekend: a lot of couches won’t be left across Europe! The Prem looks dull, though. Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid What a match! … More Welcome to the Best Weekend of the Year!
Here’s a piece I wrote for Soccerlens Winning is a habit, we’re told. Juventus are finding that losing is too. While the emphatic victory over Chelsea has raised hopes of a Serie A renaissance in the Champions League, domestically Juve are experiencing an uncharacteristic slump. After a record-breaking run of forty-eight unbeaten, suddenly they’ve lost … More The Sudden Vulnerability of Juventus Throws Serie A Open
A home match against local rivals Torino, who are hardly setting Serie A alight, might seem the perfect fixture for a Juventus side suffering a sudden dip in form. However, if Il Granata keep their nerve and stick to the audacious tactics they’ve been using lately, they might provide a thrillingly unorthodox threat in the … More The Turin Derby: Will Torino Go For Broke Against Stuttering Juventus?
The other Catalan club’s new coach Javier Aguirre Here’s something I wrote for Soccerlens Harry Redknapp isn’t the only wily veteran to take on a dysfunctional bottom of the table side this week. Javier Aguirre is a master fire-fighter but he’s taken on a massive job at Espanyol. At least his side isn’t as far … More Javier Aguirre Takes on Espanyol’s Mission Impossible
Scouting isn’t rocket science! Every time a Premier League side signs a good foreign player the nation goes crazy. Who is this mystery guy? Where did he come from? Anyone with a decent knowledge of the game outside the UK would have known that the likes of Santi Cazorla, Oscar and Papisse Demba Cissé were … More Vicente Iborra (Levante)
Chelsea’s fans might feel uncomfortable at the thought of Rafa Benitez at the helm, but is that sense of unease misdirected? Perhaps the anger directed at the Spaniard is merely a proxy for the uncomfortable realities his arrival has stirred deep within fans’ hearts about their relationship with the club’s owner. The words Benitez is … More Please Can We Have Our Souls Back? Chelsea’s Fans Backtrack On Their Faustian Pact
Peripheral Vision 