As the country prepares to co- host Euro 2032 alongside Italy, it would seem that somewhere near the top of the Turkish Football Federation's priority list has to be sorting out the multitude of problems currently rife in the domestic game ..read more

As a parent of children playing football- the youngest a current Chelsea in the Community player, the eldest having passed through their ranks up to Year Three- the FA's proposal to eventually phase out heading in youth football speaks equally loudly to both fatherhood and the fan in me ..read more

The dust won't settle for a while and the disappointment will be raw for some time, but this is the right moment to reflect on the unusual journey that England took at the 2024 European Championships in Germany. By the historical standards of the Three Lions, these past four weeks have represented their third best ever performance in a major tournament, obviously only bettered by 1966 and the last Euros (when England really should have finished the job against Italy). And yet, there's a clear split between those fans that think Gareth Southgate should continue for the next World Cup, and those ..read more

As a parent of children playing football- the youngest a current Chelsea in the Community player, the eldest having passed through their ranks up to Year Three- the FA's proposal to eventually phase out heading in youth football speaks equally loudly to both fatherhood and the fan in me ..read more

There are certain subjects worthy of debate which must, practically by law, pop up every time the very word “football” is spoken in any pub the length and breadth of the country, if not the world. One of them must be the “greatest upset of all time”...  ..read more

Now that Roy Hodgson's recent health worries have hastened his retirement from the day to day in the dugout, inevitably talk has turned to his contribution to the game over such a long career. But, depending on the point of view, could it be said that his stock is higher in Europe than at home? Alan Smith, one of his predecessors in the Crystal Palace dugout, retrospectively believed it would have been the sensible choice at the time ..read more

As the country prepares to co- host Euro 2032 alongside Italy, it would seem that somewhere near the top of the Turkish Football Federation's priority list has to be sorting out the multitude of problems currently rife in the domestic game ..read more

When football conversation brings up the topic of the 'Invincibles', most fans, wherever they're based, will understand that this is a reference to the undefeated Premier League campaign of Arsenal in the 2003/04 season. That team earned their own legendary moniker, and place in the history books, by achieving something that is rarely seen at the top levels.  ..read more

A couple of weeks ago, I ended up at Hardenhuish Park, with a couple of friends, to watch Chippenham Town FC host Welling United FC in the National League South. Admittedly it was not the original plan for March 23rd 2024, but it did turn out to be a happy plan B or C! Originally, we were set up for our first new football away day adventure of this season, with a trip to see Oxford United vs Lincoln City. Then the dreaded international break got in the way, and the game was rearranged with barely the requisite ten days notice for fans. So, whilst the Kassam Stadium will have to wait for next s ..read more

After a gap of just over a year, we finally notched up another new entry in our long line of football away day experiences. And this one delivered the most entertaining game that we've seen so far in this series. Our venue was the St Mary's Stadium, and the fixture was Southampton against Watford in mid April. Whilst there wasn't a lot riding on it for The Hornets, the same certainly couldn't be said for a Saints team still pushing for an unlikely automatic promotion spot, and already nailed on for a Championship play-off place ..read more