BENFICA are to Portugal what Real Madrid and Juventus are to Spain and Italy. In other words, wherever you go in the country, fans of the club can be found, from Algarve villages to the biggest towns and cities. And across Europe, wherever there are Portuguese people, the chances are they will be Benfica fans, […]
Tag: State of Play
QPR, West London’s wilderness club
THE FUTURE of Queens Park Rangers largely depends on two things: how the club navigates its way through the Coronavirus crisis; and secondly, the relocation to a new, more versatile stadium in the future. In 2018, an English newspaper named the club one of the worst managed in Britain. This was largely due to a […]
Club owners – the good, the bad, the prudent
WHY would anyone invest in football? Historically, the game has failed to provide even a modest return and often, the club owner has merely been the scapegoat for disappointed fans. Although football has changed and, at the highest level, clubs are making profits, owners are rarely appreciated and certainly not liked. The number of clubs […]
State of Play: Derby County – Yearning for Past Glory
TWICE League champions in the 1970s, Derby County are often considered to be a Premier League club in the waiting. But it has been more than a decade since the Rams were last in the top flight, despite going close to winning promotion on a number of occasions. The club has spent big to try […]
State of Play: Ipswich Town – Decline and Fall
IPSWICH Town have not fallen as far as the third tier of the English game since 1957, but unless something dramatic changes in the closing weeks of the season, the club looks set for relegation. The club’s owner, Marcus Evans, has publicly stated the drop into League One will not create massive financial problems and […]
State of Play: Sheffield Wednesday – club for sale?
JUST BEFORE Christmas 2018, Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri hinted that he was prepared to sell the club he bought for £ 37.5 million back in 2015. He was speaking at a fans’ meeting and the subject of the club’s finances was being discussed. Sheffield Wednesday had been spending significant sums on wages and continued […]
State of Play: Nottingham Forest – finally seeing the woods through the trees?
AFTER narrowly avoiding relegation to the third tier of English football in 2016-17, Nottingham Forest went into the current season under new ownership and with hopes of fulfilling some of the club’s potential. Forest are enjoying their best attendances since 1995-96 and going as far back as the glory days of Brian Clough and the […]
State of Play: Charlton Athletic – a valley of stress
NO LONDON football club has lost as much support as Charlton Athletic over the past decade. Discontent fans and decline on the field of play have been accompanied by a 52% drop in match attendances at The Valley. Not even a progressive approach to ticketing has been able to prevent crowds falling to their lowest level since […]