THE BBC recently published a story that highlighted how rarely some clubs’ iconic line-ups actually played together. It showed that football carries many myths in its rich heritage, but also confirmed that our perception of the component parts of great … Continue reading Brazil, Chelsea and England 1970 – Why the perception of “iconic line-up” still misleads us
OUR latest State of Play report looks at West Ham United. This is a club with a very distinctive regional identity: the club of the cockneys, … Continue reading West Ham United: The next step
SINCE the world locked down, there has been an upswing of interest in dystopian novels, films and radical theories from desert-dwelling hermits predicting the downfall of the human race from their caravans as they polish their weapons and count their … Continue reading Systemic clubs – who would we save to preserve football?
IT SEEMS amazing that it took until 1985 for Juventus to win their first European Cup. They had gone close prior to that, losing 1-0 in both 1973 (Ajax) and 1983 (Hamburg), but they invariably under-achieved in the competition. Sadly, … Continue reading Europe’s Champions: Juventus 1985
BETWEEN 1968 and 1971, the late Dave Sexton, Chelsea’s softly-spoken and erudite manager, received a string of letters – written with a duck-egg green Osmiroid pen – that highlighted the skills and attributes of a midfielder plying his trade with … Continue reading Colin Bell: Dear Mr. Sexton….sign Nijinsky of Manchester City
IT was the day after the day after Christmas Day in 1977 and Chelsea were playing West Ham United at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea had won 2-1 and the West Ham fans had been kept in the ground, the usual post-match … Continue reading Yuletide football, as idealised as a white Christmas
Game of the people 