WELL IT’S back and although some of the big hitters have yet to kick-off, it’s clear that the song remains the same for some football people. All three newly-promoted teams were beaten, two comfortably and one pushing the reigning champions to the limit. It doesn’t bode well for teams like Fulham and West Bromwich Albion, […]
Tag: Leicester City
Hasenhüttl’s house of horror
WHAT CAN you really say after a 9-0 drubbing except sorry? You had to feel some sympathy for pale-faced Ralph Hasenhüttl, facing the TV cameras after a seismic home defeat that extended Southampton’s current run to one point from five league games. Southampton have said they have no interest in sacking Hasenhüttl, but look at […]
Big city clubs remain dominant
LEICESTER CITY’s 2015-16 Premier League victory was remarkable in many ways, it was a rare moment in time when the status quo in English football was challenged and the most surprising title win since Nottingham Forest won the old first division in 1978. It also reminded football fans there is still some romance left in […]
The Premier League reflects the modern soccer syndrome
LIVERPOOL kicked-off the Premier League season in emphatic style, underlining their own credentials and also reminding everyone of the competitive imbalance that exists in the top flight. While it looked like business as usual for the Reds, Norwich City, for all their enterprise in the early stages of the game, now know that life may […]
2019-20: Look to the Midlands for the element of surprise
SINCE the second world war, the Midlands have provided the Football League/Premier League champions six times, the last occasion being Leicester’s triumph in 2016. From 1992-93, when the Premier was launched, only 11 times has the region had a top six club. Last season, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City finished seventh and ninth respectively, decent […]
UEFA Champions League – different models, similar aims
THE LAST EIGHT of the UEFA Champions League includes some of the usual suspects, but also highlights the achievements of some of the less celebrated European clubs. The new paper from KPMG’s Football Benchmark, The Elite Eight, highlights the different business models of the quarter-finalists, but also underlines the progress of clubs like Leicester City, […]
Leicester makes you weep for the modern game
SO, LEICESTER CITY, feeling good now? A 3-1 victory over Liverpool, displaying the sort of form that won the club the Premier League, suggested that they had this sort of performance in the locker all along. Et tu Claudio. This whole episode leaves a bad taste in the mouth, but should we really be surprised? […]
Ranieri – don’t be surprised at all
IT IS sad when a good guy gets the axe, particularly when public opinion is so positive about his achievements, but there should be no surprise about the sacking of Claudio Ranieri. Leicester City, in their current position, would probably be parting company with any manager, let alone one that led them to the most […]
Here’s another reason why Leicester should be applauded
IF THE FAIRY-TALE wasn’t enough, Leicester City’s board and management should be given credit for building a squad that has more Englishmen in it than any other champion side since 2013. Claudio Ranieri’s regular squad has half a dozen English players, more than the last two Premier League champions (Manchester City and Chelsea) combined, who […]