Posts Tagged ‘ David Pleat ’

Thursday May 10 – debt and depositions

With the financial uncertainty looming all over Europe, given the results of the recent elections in France and Greece, it’s probably not terribly surprising that filthy lucre continues to dominate the headlines. Although it’s sort of ironic that most of Fleet Street’s finest are channeling their inner Chicken Littles to cluck omniously about debt loads [...]



Friday April 20 — the Drogba-less London repechage, part IX

The release of Forbes‘ annual list the most valuable football clubs could not have provided a more suitable backdrop to Saturday’s Battle of the Brands. Because the tilt between Roman’s Rent Boys and Holloway Road Properties PLC is nothing if about the money. There’s no silverware on the line in the London repechage as the league [...]



March 1 — wary of the Ides of March

With the midweek calendar dominated by meaningless cash grabs from national FAs important preparation for national sides preparing for this summer’s Euros, it was unsurprising to see the angst, hope and knee-jerkism displayed by various hacks. The result of the night had to be in Genoa, where Clint Dempsey’s winner handed the Azzuri its first-ever [...]



February 17 – Arsene unholsters the hair dryer

Afternoon bonus feature with a nice compare/contrast between two European giants. James Horncastle explains how poor decisions off the pitch have finally caught up to Inter Milan while the Swiss Ramble deconstructs how FC Hollywood continues to tick along
Friday morning
It’s a Friday filled with hands-on-cheeks gasps from football’s truth troops.
To north London, where watching his side’s gutless [...]



December 9 – the revenge of the omelet maker?

If silence can occasionally deafen, it can also disconcert and the omelet maker’s decision to muzzle himself prior to El Classico being read by the amateur Mourinhologists as a sure sign that Franco FC are finally in with a shout against their archrivals Catalan Aesthes FC. It’s amazing what dropping a few hundred million euros [...]



November 4 – getting stuck into Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez has made quite a debut in English football. If he isn’t the POY, he’s certainly in the conversation. About the only thing that appears holding up back is his propensity to go to ground a little too easily. Oh and some allegations that he might require some diversity training with John Terry and [...]



October 28 – applauding the plucky underdog Phillipe Blatter

Ah, the banality of modern football. There are very few surprises any more. You see the same old faces at the top because money talks. Moreover, there are very few surprise packages any more, what with clubs have scouting networks to cover off the u-8 leagues throughout much of the developing world and even barren [...]



September 30 – marking an anniversary and another profitable year on Holloway Road

Fifteen years ago, Arsene Wenger took up residence at Highbury to the befuddlement of most supporters and disdain of much of the British press, who wondered why one of England’s leading clubs would go all the way to Japan to find their next manager rather than some battle-tested old day who has served a proper apprenticeship [...]



September 15 – opposed to impudent strumpets who don’t know their place

As a longstanding pillar of the Labour Party, football’s gentlest knight is firm believer in gender equity. Chivalry is all well and good but principles are principles and this is the 21st century. So when ESPN’s Kelly Cates (nee Dalglish) had the sheer brass to ask Beetface whether backup keeper Anders Lindegaard had created a [...]



August 28 – saluting the tactical genius of the wheeler dealer

Up early to run the rule over Stockport Massive, who gave a real thumping to north London’s lesser lights. Amid the oohs and aahs about what was a pretty impressive performance by Abu Dhabi FC, I was struck by the absence of commentary about how the wheeler dealer set up his side. He decided to [...]