Yesterday saw the unsurprising announcement that Gareth Southgate had resigned from his role as England manager. Southgate was one of England’s best managers, second only to Sir Alf Ramsey, who won the World Cup in 1966. Despite reaching two European Championships finals and a World Cup semi final, fans became tired of his rather uninspiring football and weren’t shy in vocalising this. After the goalless draw against Slovenia in the final group stage, some fans threw plastic beers cups at him at full time. Social media has been rife with complaints throughout Southgate’s tenure bemoaning his ..read more

On a day where Americans will be waking up with the realisation that their country will never be the same, Gareth Southgate and his charges look to make history of their own tonight in Berlin. Much like Donald Trump with his political beliefs, the England manager has divided the nation but with his team selection and tactics. The former Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough defender has faced a lot of criticism but has stuck to his ideas until the very last. When someone is a public figure with authority, their every choice and decision face the ultimate scrutiny. Social media gives a ..read more

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What with it being St George’s Day today, I thought that it’d be a good opportunity to share four England performances that were unexpected and humiliating for the opposition. England 9 Scotland 3 (15th April 1961) I first read about this game in a book as a young boy and it just didn’t seem possible. This may very well be because I was during the Graham Taylor era and anything more than a narrow victory was out of the question for our national team at that time! This match was the concluding game of the 1960/61 Home Championships and was played in front of 97,350 fans at Wembley Stadium. Walt ..read more

I will always look back on the summer of 1995 with the fondest of memories. It was the hottest summer on record in the UK at the time, second only to 1976 and it seemed as if every day was a scorcher. With no World Cup to watch, it also meant that the players were available to negotiate transfers earlier than the previous summer. This was particularly exciting for me as a nine-year-old obsessed with the game. My Dad had recently purchased a television with teletext and I was now able to see the transfers being announced throughout the summer before having to wait for the six o’clock news! On 1 ..read more

The 1994 World Cup was over. Brazil were champions, having beaten Italy in a goalless final that ended with Roberto Baggio belting the ball high over the crossbar at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The tournament drew in huge crowds in America, with an average attendance of 68,991 (a record that stood until the most recent World Cup in Qatar) watching some of the world’s best players in action. Several Premier League managers and scouts would have been part of the crowds because within days of the tournament reaching its conclusion, many of those who had starred for their country were signing for P ..read more

In March, I attended my first foreign game and it was completely different to the matchday experience that I’m used to in England. I was visiting my girlfriend Kristin, who lives in America and we went to go and watch the Colorado Rapids, her local MLS team. They were hosting the Minnesota United at their home, The Dick’s Sporting Goods Stadium. There was an English connection as Adrian Heath is Minnesota’s manager. The former midfielder played for seven different English clubs over the course of his career, most notably for Everton where he won two league titles and an FA Cup. In fact, it was ..read more

The Bradford City Fire Disaster occurred on this day back in 1985. Fifty six football fans went to a game but did not return home. Two of the victims were supporters of Lincoln City (Bradford City’s opponents that day). This post is in memory of those who died that awful day and the many, many people affected by thew awful tragedy. May the victims rest in peace. The post Bradford Fire Disaster – In Memory appeared first on Far Post Header ..read more

As soon as I heard the sad news of John Motson’s passing this morning, I immediately set to work on writing this tribute. He was a footballing legend (a phrase often used but seldom warranted, but in this case more than necessary) and broadcasting supreme. As I grew up in the 1990’s, sports commentary was simple: Athletics was David Coleman, Formula One was Murray Walker and snooker was Clive Everton. Football had more than one commentator, however. The BBC had John Motson or Barry Davies, ITV had Brian Moore and the voice of Sky’s coverage was Martin Tyler. Davies, Motson’s colleague at the ..read more

The reigning African Cup of Nations champions finished second in Group A. After an opening day 2-0 defeat to the Netherlands, The Lions of Teranga secured their passage into the Second Round with victories over Qatar and Ecuador. Their star man Sadio Mane has been ruled out of the tournament through injury, but they have still scored five goals. These goals have come from five separate players, so they are dangerous from all over the park. Senegal needed a victory in their final game against Ecuador – and secured this twenty minutes from time thanks to a winner from Chelsea’s Koulibiay. It w ..read more