A move prompted by the purchase of a lightbulb, when Kevin Keegan moved to Southampton in 1980, it represented one of the greatest shocks in football The post When Southampton signed the two-time Ballon d’Or winner Kevin Keegan – and no-one knew about it appeared first on These Football Times ..read more

At his peak, Neil Ruddock represented much of what was beloved in an English defender: commanding in defence and calmness and confident on the ball The post Names of the Nineties: Neil Ruddock appeared first on These Football Times ..read more

Le Tissier was an enigma, an instinctive talent who could defy the norm, and he will go down as one of the finest of the first decade of the Premier League The post Names of the Nineties: Matthew Le Tissier appeared first on These Football Times ..read more

They were aggressive and attacking, a team in Mauricio Pochettino's image, and his Southampton side of 2013/14 would put him on the map The post Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton: the 16 months that saw the Saints become the Premier League’s entertainers appeared first on These Football Times ..read more

One look at the psychedelic maelstrom of noise and colour was enough to convince me to turn back at once. As our train pulled into Zürich Hauptbahnhof, the sight of thousands of techno-house enthusiasts crowding the platforms and living it large was a horrifying prospect. In an attempt to cram in as much eye-opening experience as possible, I… The post Matthew Le Tissier: the last golden boy of a golden era appeared first on These Football Times ..read more

As the ball squirmed under the arms of DC United goalkeeper David Ousted, the travelling New York Red Bulls fans knew they were witnessing a moment of history. Bradley Wright-Phillips, the one constant during the turbulent years of squad overhaul, was leading the celebrations. The Red Bulls’ marksman was swapping his number 99 shirt for… The post Bradley Wright-Phillips and the making of an MLS legend appeared first on These Football Times ..read more

On the lengthy walk down the Seven Sisters road to White Hart Lane, there’s a banner outside one of the few reasonably priced pubs that wields a picture of Daniel Levy. The caption reads: “They have more ales than I have had managers.” It’s a ringing endorsement of the pub, not so much for the Tottenham… The post Football’s unsung heroes: the chairmen running their clubs properly appeared first on These Football Times ..read more

Few players become legends at Liverpool and then repeat the trick elsewhere. Fewer still did it when Liverpool dominated England. Jimmy Case did, though The post The double renaissance of Jimmy Case appeared first on These Football Times ..read more

WHAT MAKES A GOOD MANAGER? For some, it’s an innate ability to motivate a group, a natural charisma that can unite a team around a common goal. For others, it’s tactical acumen – an intuition for probing the minutiae of the game in search of an opponent’s weaknesses. Most football fans agree on one thing,… The post Making a manager: the rise of Ronald Koeman through a career of multiple setbacks appeared first on These Football Times ..read more

CARLOS TEVEZ, CLAD IN A DEEP BLUE KIT, stepped out onto the pitch and soaked in the adulation of thousands of impassioned fans. It’s a scenario that the Argentine has encountered hundreds of times before, but on this occasion he was a long way from the familiar surroundings of La Bombonera. Instead, he found himself… The post How China is sneaking its way into English football appeared first on These Football Times ..read more