Dear Australia…… Your rules are rubbish!

I’ve just watched my 13 year old cousin play football for his local team the Tarmoor Tigers in Australia. I’m still astounded and shocked at what I’ve just witnessed and realise why the football here will never be there national sport! It was the quarter finals of the local cup so there was a big turnout. I’ve only recently come to Australia so was quite excited to watch him play and see what the quality was like.

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Whatever Happened to Young Michael Owen

Earlier this week, there was a fair amount in the press about how it is a full decade since England’s 5-1 victory in Munich. Initially, I was going to write about how the fact that we are celebrating this victory a full ten years on typifies English footballs attitude

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Diary Of A Sky Sports Soccer Saturday Reporter

I love my stats - all reporters love their stats. And Huddersfield vs Wycombe was packed full of fascinating ones.

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Diary Of A Sky Sports Soccer Saturday Reporter

Over the years I've learned not to turn Sky Sports down whenever they offer me work. But there are rare occasions when I've just had to say 'Sorry, No, I can't do it'.

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Saturday Gossip & News Round Up @ Mata on “verge” of Chelsea switch, Jagielka happy at Everton, Aguero can handle pressure

Blackburn boss Steve Kean has denied having a row with El-Hadji Diouf, but does admit the controversial Senegalese international is likely to leave before the close of the transfer window.

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FootballFriendsonline.com Football Quiz Challenge

What type of quizzer are you? Do you sit drunk and clueless in the corner? Or are you halfway to Nerdsville with a tank top on and a smart-arse smile? Can you admit to watching Eggheads - even if only in a moment of weakness? No matter which category you fall into – try our pub quiz and prove to yourself that the years of watching and talking about footy have not been a complete waste of time. But please try not to cheat, for as my headmaster used to say “You’re only cheating on yourself”, which ironically is not what his wife said to him, when she caught him in congress with his secretary.

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(Another) 2011/2012 Championship Preview (with predictions and odds)

Clichés become clichés for a very good reason; the fact that they have a solid grounding in reality and truth. Usually anyway. Thus, the cliché that the Championship (no marketing here) is the most hotly contested and difficult league to predict has an element of truth to it. However, certain patterns can be deduced.

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Championship Preview

After relegation from the top tier of English football, Birmingham, Blackpool and West Ham will be hoping they can bounce back at the first time of asking. After being harshly axed from previous jobs all to do with dodgy ownership, Chris Hughton and Sam Allardyce want their respective clubs to be pushing for the Championship title. I reckon they would have a good chance of winning it too.

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Bargains So Far

You never know if a transfer will come off. There have been so many flops and so many bargains every single season. So, here is my attempt at picking out some of the best buys so far.

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Still trying to decipher the Joe Cole enigma

The rebuilding process is underway for Liverpool, started in January with the acquisition of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll, it has continued into the summer with a ringing endorsement from owner John Henry, who said that his club will prioritise the future, and not just look for short term benefit.

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England - The Green Shoots of Promise

Suffice to say that following England’s catastrophic demise in last year’s World Cup, any hope that any England side would win a major tournament anytime soon, all but disappeared.

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Life is still the same for long-life Gradi as he marks 70

Back in the summer of 1983, Dario Gradi was offered a route back into club football management after being cast into the wilderness as a result of failure at Crystal Palace. That June, he embarked on an unbelievable journey that begins its 28^th year at Gresty Road in charge of Crewe Alexandra.

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England – Giants in Slumberland

For a nation that produces the Cream of the Crop in genuine footballing talent , it is seriously a wonder why such massive quality has not translated to much success on the Big Stage save a 1966 World Cup Final extra-time 4-2 win against Mighty West Germany and a semi final 1-0 loss to Yugoslavia in the 1968 European Championship Finals.

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Newcastle: Crisis Club Or Stable Side?

With Newcastle United sustaining there place in the Premier League after their promotion from the Championship, are they a team who should be looking for a top 10 finish or will they be fighting in the relegation battle come the 2011/2012 season?

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Brave Blackpool Preparing for New Battle

Rarely has a team relegated from the Premier League been praised unanimously from all corners.  Seldom has a manager been touted as a serious candidate for manager of the season despite seeing his side slip into the second tier of English football. However, bizarrely, this is a situation Blackpool and their manager Ian Holloway have just experienced.

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