Dimitri Payet has given West Ham a custard pie – and the biggest problem is in the timing January 17, 2017 Long before he told the club he no longer wanted to play for them earlier this month, Dimitri Payet had already given West Ham supporters good reason to be disgruntled with his behaviour. Payet, an instant fan favourite in his dazzling first season in east London, has failed to live up to those standards this [...]
Why I think expanding the World Cup to 48 teams is a good idea January 10, 2017 Wembley, October 1987: I remember playing for England as we thrashed Turkey 8-0 in a European Championship qualifier, Gary Lineker scoring a hat-trick. It was our second eight-goal win in three years against Turkey, who at that stage had made it to just one major international tournament. Those days are gone. Turkey have reached the [...]
Premier League’s top six has never looked stronger – that might attract more stars to England but it doesn’t look good for the other teams January 3, 2017 Wednesday night’s clash between Tottenham and Chelsea is likely to be a key moment in the destiny of this season’s Premier League title race, but it is more than that. It is also a reminder of the formidable quality of the top six in England, which is currently as strong as I can ever remember [...]
Manchester City’s problems are self-inflicted but Pep Guardiola can solve them by changing his tactics December 13, 2016 Pep Guardiola is insistent that Manchester City’s recent deterioration won’t make him abandon his philosophy, but there is no denying that things are not going to plan at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola’s perfect start of 10 wins from 10 games is a distant memory, with City managing just four victories from 15 fixtures since. Defence has [...]
Slaven Bilic must go back to basics to steer West Ham out of a relegation battle and save his job December 6, 2016 One point above the relegation zone, reeling from a thrashing at home to Arsenal on Saturday, and now uncertainty over the future of Slaven Bilic. It is hard to work out how it has gone so wrong so quickly for West Ham and their manager. Firstly, while it is no excuse, the stadium factor can’t [...]
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud’s exemplary attitude should earn him a rare start against Paris Saint-Germain November 22, 2016 It's clear that Olivier Giroud, with just one solitary start to his name so far this season, is not Arsene Wenger’s No1 choice to play centre-forward for Arsenal any more. Wenger believes that his team are best with a fast, fluid front line and I think he’s right; the most effective way to play in [...]
Interim manager Gareth Southgate’s fingerprints were all over a courageous England performance against Spain November 16, 2016 It may not have been Spain at their strongest but England fans will have been encouraged by their team’s display in that 2-2 draw and manager Gareth Southgate was entitled to call it a special performance. The hosts were great until the later stages and, particularly in the first half, which tends to be tighter [...]
England v Scotland is more of an arm wrestle than a football match and Gareth Southgate’s men must be ready for a fight on Friday November 9, 2016 I remember the scene before one of the matches I played against Scotland. It was at Hampden Park in May 1989, just after I had committed to moving north of the border and signing for Rangers. There were already three or four players in the England squad at Rangers, and they knew the significance of [...]
Future looks bright for Leicester as Foxes show signs of balancing European and domestic concerns November 1, 2016 Leicester have had to swallow a dose of reality this season following their fairytale title success, with domestic results not matching their fantastic European performances, but I think there is every reason for the Foxes to look forward with excitement to what is coming next. First, they have a chance to clinch a place in [...]
Antonio Conte’s tactical tinkering at Chelsea is a reminder of a good manager’s worth October 25, 2016 Chelsea’s Antonio Conte has done coaches everywhere a huge service in a fortnight that has not only revealed his influence but also reminded us that the job is not just about man-management. After a decent start to his tenure, Conte lost his way with back-to-back Premier League defeats to Liverpool and then Arsenal, the latter [...]
