Posts tagged “featured”

WHEN Arsenal won the double in 1970-71, it was the first time since Tottenham’s much heralded success of 1960-61. Everyone thought it was an astonishing achievement, yet it was only a decade after their North London rivals had swept up the major prizes. Prior to Bill Nicholson’s side won the double, you had to go back to 1896-97 (Aston Villa) and 1888-89 (Preston North End). It was popularly considered to be impossible to win both the premier prizes on offer. Today we live in an age where the top sides want to win everything. But a leading club’s priorities don’t generally include the FA Cup – the Premier and Champions League qualification are the prizes that will be one and two on the “to…

Categories: English Football

Tagged: Arsenal, Chelsea, doubles, Everton, FA Cup winners, featured, Football League Champions, Lead, Liverpool, Manchester United, top slot, Wolverhampton Wanderers

Chelsea’s Osgood and Hutchinson – short-lived but sensational

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on February 20, 2020

CHELSEA fans will never forget Peter Osgood and Ian Hutchinson, they were, after all, two of the key figures in the club’s unforgettable 1969-70 FA Cup triumph. These two players helped define an era, a swaggering Chelsea team that was fashionable, exciting, hard as nails at times and confident to the point of arrogance. But it is not always appreciated that their time together – their partnership – was very limited and was disrupted by injuries, suspensions, internal strife and, ultimately, by the break-up of Chelsea’s early-1970s team. In short, the symbiotic relationship between the players was confined to that one season, 1969-70, a campaign that saw them score 53 goals between them. They would never go remotely near that total again as a…

Categories: players

Tagged: 1970s, 1970s football, Chelsea, featured, Great Partnerships, Ian Hutchinson, Lead, Peter Osgood, top slot

Manchester City 67-70 – Mercer & Allison’s alchemy

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on February 16, 2020

THERE HAVE been more successful Manchester City teams in recent years, and certainly more expensive, but it is unlikely that any of the 21st century City line-ups will be as loved as the side that won four trophies in three seasons between 1967-68 and 1969-70. That team was immortalised in the late James Lawton’s new book, Forever Boys, a heartfelt reflection of an exciting era that ended a period of red dominance in Manchester. City’s team, characterised by the triumvirate of Lee – Bell – Summerbee, played an exciting fast-flowing brand of football that not only left Maine Road crowds purring with delight, but also made them the neutral’s favourite. They were led by a classic “good cop, bad cop” partnership of avuncular manager…

Categories: Teams

Tagged: Colin Bell, featured, great reputations, Joe Mercer, Lead, Malcolm Allison, Manchester City, top slot

Major clubs need to create the right climate

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on January 27, 2020

RIGHT NOW, climate change is a very topical issue, and rightly so. If the scientists are correct, we may all face some serious issues in the relatively near future, issues that cannot be ignored or dismissed as scaremongering. Football has to ask itself what role it can play in combating climate change. We are told that there are three things that we most certainly do as a start: ensure we do not waste food; eat less meat like beef and lamb; and travel less by air. Although these three conditions may seem rather trivial, consider the impact on the football industry and the periphery of the game. But first of all, we should ask how much energy it takes to put a game of…

Categories: Football politics

Tagged: Brazil, climate change, Dartford, featured, Forest Green Rovers, pitches, pollution, Qatar, top slot

Posts tagged “featured”

Football’s hallowed double – those that went missing

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on March 27, 2020

Chelsea’s Osgood and Hutchinson – short-lived but sensational

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on February 20, 2020

Manchester City 67-70 – Mercer & Allison’s alchemy

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on February 16, 2020

Major clubs need to create the right climate

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on January 27, 2020