The midpoint of the European season is often one of the most jam-packed, chaotic and turbulent portions of the yearly footballing calendar. Between the January transfer window, scheduling congestion between all of the major competitions — especially in England where there is not a winter break — and under performing clubs starting to realize that there’s hardly […]
Tag: chelsea
sell by date
Sometimes, I find it amazing how factors outside the world of football can so profoundly affect the game. For instance, a nation’s culture often influences its traditional style of play. England’s fast-paced, direct style can very much be linked to the importance of bravery, determination and a “do it for the Queen” mentality in the […]
ten words or less #54
A long week full of friendlies culminates this weekend, and for the most part, there have been some scintillating performances not normally found in matches of such insignificance. But with the Euros and World Cup qualification tournaments just around the corner, perhaps it shouldn’t be so surprising to see so many players giving their all to ensure […]
gutted
Chelsea’s victory in Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final having bumped Tottenham out the next edition of the Champions League, I’m completely gutted. Helpless despair is the best way to describe the feeling, as if the thousand yard stare glued to my face since hadn’t given that away already. This season has certainly been a one […]
digging deep
Dig within. Within is the wellspring of Good; and it is always ready to bubble up, if you just dig. – Marcus Aurelius Perpetual gloom and doom hangs over White Hart Lane these days, at least that’s how it has felt the last few weeks. Spurs’ terrible run of form would normally be enough to […]
not gonna happen
Forget this writing gig… I’m going to become a bookie. Because if I’m really ever going to make some money out of my life long love affair with soccer, that’s clearly the best avenue. In order to get paid to play, I’d have to be good (I’m not). In order to manage, I should probably […]
ten words or less #48
With less than 30 minutes until kickoff between Spurs and United, I’m a literal train wreck. I’m stressing over Tottenham’s extremely weakened line-up squaring off against a solid looking starting XI for the Red Devils, and the potential repercussions of fielding such a weak squad in such an important match. The only thing that could keep […]
wrong side XI: left mid
this is part X in the “wrong side XI” series, where i’ll be selecting my very own starting eleven, assuming of course that i could choose any player from any team in the world. you can read the rules i’ll be following to make my team selection, and what formation i’ll be squeezing them into, […]
ten words or less #47
If this wasn’t a vintage “FA Cup Magic” weekend, I apparently don’t know what one is. One “upset” was on the cards, as the O’Neil bump effect continued on as Sunderland definitely thumped Arsenal and sent them crashing out at the Stadium of Light. Stevenage triumphantly/frustratingly held — and let’s be honest, outplayed — Spurs, […]
a troubling transition
The biggest problem with success is replicating it. The blood, sweat and tears that are shed in the process of reaching greatness always takes a drastically larger toll than any champion is willing to admit, and so they’re almost always at the root of the failure to retain their crown. In professional soccer, this saying […]
Wrong Side of the Pond 