THE coronavirus pandemic has highlighted many things in the football world: the ongoing imbalance across most of Europe’s major leagues; the vulnerable business models of some clubs; the extravagant wage-to-income ratios; and continued aggression in the transfer market. While the top clubs have the means to recover from huge losses of income brought about by […]
HARROGATE is synonymous with tea, relaxation and rising house prices. It’s rated as one of the happiest places in Britain and has a gentle, refined air about it, thanks to its heritage as a spa resort. Such a setting seems an unlikely backdrop for the latest new club to join the English Football League (EFL), […]
CARLISLE is one of football’s outposts. Almost staring into Scotland, it is a mid-sized city with fewer distractions than some of the more metropolitan areas of the country. Carlisle United, founded in 1904, is a small, somewhat homely club with a sizeable stadium – Brunton Park is the largest in England which is not all-seated. […]
EXPERIENCE of human nature tells us that panic and knee-jerk reactions are as infectious as the Coronavirus itself, so English football may be heading for “behind closed doors” matches just like Italy’s Serie A. The same fate could await football in Germany, Spain and other countries around Italy. Whether this strategy is effective or not […]
SALFORD used to be the largest city in England without a Football League team bearing its name. It was also the birthplace and home of some very renowned and influential individuals, such as Shelagh Delaney, the writer who specialised in “slice of life” drama, Albert Finney, punk poet John Cooper Clarke and some members of […]
IT HAS not been a good season for Macclesfield Town and the future remains very uncertain for a club that ranks among the smallest in the Football League. Just 35 miles away, Bury provides a reminder of what can happen to a club that loses its way and becomes the victim of financial mismanagement and […]
BURY’s recent expulsion from the Football League was a reminder that the overall state of English football is not as resilient as top Premier League income streams would have you believe. The reality is that many clubs still live hand-to-mouth and revenues at the lower end of the 92-club structure are merely a fraction of […]
EVERYBODY has changed at Crewe at some point in their lives, or at least, that’s the popular myth. It was once one of the key railway hubs of Britain, the point where train lines intersected. At one stage, the railways employed thousands of people, more than 10% of the local population. It’s no real surprise […]
IT’S good to see Leyton Orient back in the Football League after two years in the non-league game. Orient are one of London’s most humble, most down-to-earth clubs and certainly most challenged clubs – they have competition from Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham on their doorstep. Indeed, you can see the Olympic site from Leyton […]
