For a city of over 10 million people (yes, I'm including outside the Boulevard Périphérique) I've always found it baffling how this world-famous city doesn't host more recognisable football clubs. Most European capitals will have at least two. Think Roma and Lazio, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, Manchester United and Manchester City. And don't get me started on London. Paris Saint Germain (PSG) is the only club that springs to most minds when football fans think of Paris. Of course, history and culture might hold the cards to this question, what with cycling and rugby being France’s most po ..read more

What you're about to read might come across as one long rant, and to some degree that's exactly what it is (you've been warned). In my relatively short amount of time on this planet, I've already witnessed the destruction of my local football ground (Underhill) and noticed how the game has rapidly changed, with growing anger and resentment building amongst the more traditional fans who feel more detached and alienated than ever before. As football moves towards a more sanitised 'product' that glistens on the TV screens for a world wide audience, the matchday atmosphere has taken a hit and a f ..read more

With football in an ever-changing state of flux, football clubs are adapting their image to meet the needs of the modern game. In light of this, we released our first Club Crest Evolution article back in 2020, which focused on a select handful of clubs that had made the leap into the digital age and caused quite a stir in the process. After Inter Milan's much anticipated crest change in April 2021, we're returning to the subject, analysing some of the most recent crest changes since our our last article as well as analysing others from the recent past that we didn't touch on the first time ar ..read more

With football in an ever-changing state of flux, football clubs are adapting their image to meet the needs of the modern game. In light of this, we released our first Club Crest Evolution article back in 2020, which focused on a select handful of clubs that had made the leap into the digital age and caused quite a stir in the process. After Inter Milan's much anticipated crest change in April 2021, we're returning to the subject, analysing some of the most recent crest changes since our our last article as well as analysing others from the recent past that we didn't touch on the first time ar ..read more

Nineteen Nighty-two. A relatively busy year what with the Olympic games being held in Barcelona, Bill Clinton elected President of the United States of America and Whitney Houston set a then singles chart record with "I Will Always Love You" by staying at number one for 14 straight weeks. In the football world, we witnessed one of the (if not the) biggest changes in domestic and European football in decades with the revamping of the English First Division and The European Cup. Before we look at the changes it's important to remember how football was viewed at the time. Football had come off t ..read more

Football is an ever-evolving sport that feeds off the cultural and economic norms of the time. The game has come leaps and bounds since the eighties, an era with minimal commercialism, ageing terraces and players wearing very short shorts. It was also a decade when English football was not at its finest, a factor that may have deterred many potential commercial sponsors. Fast forward and ‘the beautiful game’ has now seemingly been swamped by betting companies, from Betway at West Ham United to Sportsbet.io at Southampton. How did we get here? Take a step back, and by analysing the last few de ..read more

Amsterdam. Cue instant visions of seedy sex clubs, young and excited foreign tourists (badly) rolling up a spliff and endless canals that easily make you feel like you're stuck in a beautiful maze. Dubbed the 'Venice of the north', Amsterdam has a population of 872,000 which expands all the way over two million when you include the metropolitan area. Famous for its many attractions including the Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum and some of the habits noted above, this bustling city brings in over five million tourists a year. The tourist scene isn't the only successful industry here, with la ..read more

In the summer of 2003, the only real way to check on my team's summer transfer activity was to wait for the weekly local paper that rocked up at my door, read the rumours on a very basic message board online (this was in the early days of dial-up) or call the club news hotline. After racking up a hefty phone bill, it came as no surprise that this channel was now banned by my angry parents. Little old Barnet didn't feature much on Ceefax (bar the results) but I remember this being an important source of information for the more established Premier League and Championship sides. This was 2003 ..read more

If Roma or Venice isn't your top destination when visiting Italy for the first time, then Florence (or 'Firenze' as the locals call it) will most likely be a solid second choice. Noted for its culture, renaissance art, architecture and monuments, this city became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1982 and is famous the world over, welcoming millions of tourists annually. It's population is smaller than you think, at just 380,000 (metropolitan area of 1.5 million) and is a major economic and industrial hub, with nearby Prato being the textile haven for the nation. As you make your way around the ..read more

Blink and you'll miss it. Since the turn of the 20th century, some of London's most iconic grounds have been dismantled and resigned to the history books. From the Twin Towers of Wembley to The Shelf at White Hart Lane, the slopes of Underhill to Highbury's famous ‘Clock End,’ we've lost some truly iconic places. The changing nature of the game means clubs are having to uproot and expand to compete in a fiercely competitive space. Hospitality and corporate boxes are now a necessity and clubs now need their grounds to produce income everyday of the week rather than solely relying on match days ..read more