It wasn't by accident that Bryan Robson earned the nickname Captain Marvel. Constantly putting his body on the line for club and country during the 1980s, Robson often inspired those around him, dragging every inch out of his ability in order to deliver for Manchester United and England.  "I have been fortunate to work with some exceptionally gifted footballers, many of them magical, world-class talents," Ron Atkinson explains in Andy Mitten's We're The Famous Man United. "But Robbo, without a doubt, is the finest, the greatest, the most rounded and accomplished footballer I have eve ..read more

Admittedly it doesn't take much, but my mind immediately rewound to the 1980s as I watched Rangers' James Tavernier fire home two penalties against St Johnstone recently. Tavernier's expertise from the spot was clear for all to see, his goals sealing a 3-0 win for Rangers that took the club to the top of the Scottish Premiership. The second penalty that day was Tavernier's 64th success from the spot. Not bad for a right back.  But a right back who enjoys taking penalties is nothing new. For in the 1980s there was a man who was prolific from 12 yards out, a player renowned for this abilit ..read more

Thunderbastard. A football goal scored usually from long-range with high degrees of velocity and power. Think Davie Cooper in the 1987 Scottish League Cup final. Steven Reid for Blackburn against Wigan. Roughly 93% of Tony Yeboah's goals for Leeds. You can volley your xG into the stands. Here is a football term that should be celebrated. Helpfully the Urban Dictionary definition in the opening sentence above gives an example of a memorable goal that happens to be the subject of this piece: "Metgod's free kick against West Ham in 1986 was an absolute thunderbastard of a strike ..read more

The current nightmare faced by Reading supporters should leave any true lover of the sport feeling cold. Putting any club allegiances to one side, you can only have sympathy for the plight of the club under the ownership of Dai Yongge. The recent on-pitch demonstration that caused the abandonment of their match against Port Vale shows just how desperate these fans are to highlight their predicament. Enough is enough. Struggling at the bottom of League One, Reading fans would most probably accept relegation if it paved the way for a new owner at the club. It would be the first time since 1 ..read more

Is it possible for one video on YouTube to sum up a sport at that particular point in time? Something highlighting the key components of a sporting era in one neat package, demonstrating to the uneducated just what it was like to have lived through that time. Yes seems to be the obvious answer.  Just take football in the 1980s as a case study. Sadly there are numerous clips illustrating the impact of crowd violence on the sport and the lack of safety inside stadiums at the time. Any sporting documentary covering football in this period will inevitably include footage of hooligans, genera ..read more

Fulham travel to Anfield for the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday with the enticing prospect of reaching a first Wembley cup final since 1975. Making sure that they are still in the tie for the return leg at Craven Cottage will be crucial. Even a repeat of the recent league meeting at Anfield would be a decent result. A defeat by two goals or more would surely leave the west London club with too much to do in the second leg. But it is hard to imagine Marco Silva's current team suffering a thrashing that completely destroys their hopes of keeping the dream alive. This certai ..read more

The evening of Sunday December 3, 1989 seemed significant in the world of snooker. As a 20-year-old Stephen Hendry won the UK Championship at Preston there was an overwhelming sense that the baton of power was being passed from one great champion to the next. The end of the decade painted a worrying picture for the dominant figure of the sport in the 1980s. Steve Davis had lost finals before. Yet this felt different. Since turning professional in 1985 Hendry had been seen as the future of snooker, the boy who could knock Davis off his perch. Winning the 1987 Grand Prix and 1989 Masters, Hendr ..read more

There are some football matches in the distant past that will forever be shrouded in suspicion. Those results that give growth to conspiracy theories, accusations, and general doubt over sporting integrity. Often first impressions are proved right - not much consolation to Nottingham Forest fans in 1984 - but there are others that may never be confirmed one way or the other. Fans of the Dutch national team could be forgiven if they cast their minds back to one particular match in December 1983. On the brink of qualification for Euro 84, there was only one possible result that could prevent an ..read more

Not all appearances involving the royal family on the BBC have been cringeworthy. Long before Prince Andrew, Pizza Express, and his revelations of being sweat free, and just prior to the toe-curlingly terrible It's a Royal Knockout, there was a television programme that managed to paint the royal family in a positive light. Princess Anne appearing on the 200th edition of A Question of Sport was a memorable moment in so many ways. With just four channels to choose from there were many shared television experiences like this throughout the decade, as the likes of JR, Charles and Diana, Den and ..read more

There are always debates relating to greatness in sport. Constant comparisons between individuals and teams from various eras spark conversations in pubs, on phone-ins and social media, as those involved dig their heels in and present evidence supporting their case.  Arguing about the greatest football team to ever play the sport could prove tiring. Judgement is often clouded by club allegiances, recency bias, or the more mature among us refusing to believe that a team from the distant past will ever be surpassed. Take the Liverpool team in the 1987/88 season. Surely there can be no argum ..read more