Helping the Dons return home: AFC Wimbledon aiming to raise £5m through a bond to keep Plough Lane stadium plans on track February 10, 2020 The club may only be 18 years old, but AFC Wimbledon are no strangers to adversity. Having been founded in 2002 by supporters as a protest against the original Wimbledon’s uprooting to Milton Keynes, the Dons have risen through the divisions, winning six promotions in 13 years to reach League One. While there has been [...]
Nottingham Forest eye end to 21-year Premier League exile with promotion push February 5, 2020 This weekend sees two once-great clubs of English football go head to head as they both look to take a step closer to rising from the ashes. Both are battling for the Championship’s automatic promotion places, with Leeds one point off the top in second place and Nottingham Forest, who they visit on Saturday, close [...]
Les Ferdinand interview: QPR director of football on making the club a talent factory again February 5, 2020 Les Ferdinand harbours dreams of leading QPR back into the Premier League but the club legend and current director of football insists a new era of success in west London will not be ushered in overnight. Ferdinand, who marked five years in the role this week, believes the Championship outfit’s return to a philosophy of [...]
Agents row in extra-time: Why Fifa is at loggerheads with football’s leading intermediaries over new rule proposals February 4, 2020 A battle which has been rumbling on behind the scenes in football appears set to explode into full public view over the coming months, with the sport’s governing body going head to head with some of its most powerful figures. The issue at the heart of the matter has nothing to do with what occurs [...]
Sheffield United: Europa League qualification is ridiculous yet looks achievable for Chris Wilder’s never-say-die Blades February 4, 2020 Discussing a recent game, Chris Wilder made the point that football is not all about tactics – and I agree. More than anything it’s about players’ commitment to their job; the raw materials that go into being a professional. After that, extreme talents can make the difference for top sides but, as an example of [...]
Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan are building Serie A title challenge out of Premier League castaways February 4, 2020 From Chelsea to Manchester United and Arsenal, the Premier League is awash with clubs hiring young head coaches committed to putting academy players at the heart of their rebuilding project. It is an understandably attractive ideology that promises to get fans onside – but it is not a trend that has extended to Inter Milan. [...]
Premier League winter break: How does it work and what is every team doing? February 4, 2020 This week marks a Premier League first, with the advent of its inaugural winter break. Each team has been allocated a 13-day rest between top-flight fixtures, but fear not: there is no television blackout. Since the interval is staggered across two weekends, 12 teams have this weekend off while the other eight get to rest [...]
Tottenham 2-0 Manchester City: Spurs win in classic Jose Mourinho style to move fifth in the Premier League February 2, 2020 It has taken some time but Tottenham have now experienced peak Jose Mourinho. A return to his past glories came in the perfect scenario – against his arch foe – and, more importantly, in the most traditional of manners. Tottenham had three shots, spent the majority of the game with every player behind the ball [...]
Guardiola and Klopp are right: English football would be improved by scrapping the EFL Cup and FA Cup replays January 28, 2020 Once upon a time cup ties, like any extra games, meant significant extra income for English football clubs. The FA Cup final, meanwhile, represented a unique chance to be watched around the world. The brutal truth is that, for Premier League teams, neither of the above are true any more: top-flight status ensures financial security [...]
Football’s data liberator: How smarterscout founder Dan Altman plans to bring stats to the mainstream January 28, 2020 Dan Altman has been many things. Economist. Best-selling author. British government advisor. Columnist. Consultant. Teacher. All of those occupations revolved around the use of data, and “after about 15 years” Altman, in his own words, “got a bit bored and decided to try something a bit different.” That boredom has seen the 46-year-old American turn [...]