Squad Numbers

Premier League preview and predictions 24/25-Part 5: Squeaky Bum Time

Unlike the previous section in this series, this is a place where no football fan wants to be. Finishing in this area of the League brings with it delusion, despair and eventual delight. For months you feel like you may be doomed to relegation, hoping, praying that something might change, but in the end, relief…
Premier League preview and predictions 24/25-Part 4: The Old “Crystal Palace Zone”

Ah yes, the ever un-glamarous, yet quite calming area of the Premier League, 11th-14th. Teams that finish here are stable Premier League sides, who can take solace in that, but are always thinking, next year, maybe next year we can push on into the top half. Let’s see who will have that joy this year:…
Premier League preview and predictions 24/25-Part 3: The Upper mid-table

The next instalment in our Premier League preview are the clubs that are the definition of mid-table, but feel less so than the lower mid-table teams. To finish either 9th or 10th always feels like a solid achievement for any mid table side, if not quite at the level where they can compete for European…
Premier League preview and predictions 24/25-Part 2: The fight for Europe

Next up on our preview of the 24/25 season is the fight for Europe. Every year positions 4-8 are hotly contested, with teams desperate to qualify for the Champions League, and this year will be no different. Let’s take a look at how things could play out this season: 4th: Manchester United This is Manchester…
Premier League preview and predictions 24/25-Part 1: The Title contenders

Here we go again. 380 games await us. From the historic and always thrilling Manchester Derby to the scintillating clash between Brentford and Bournemouth. Last year, the Premier League was a key player of Sky Sports’ “Greatest Show On Earth” campaign. That is the case more than ever nowadays, more games than ever are being…
Don’t take this for granted, there is no “next level” for England

In my last post, I said that Gareth Southgate was a genius, and said that he was the best England manager of all time. Admittedly, that doesn’t look great now after the loss to Spain, but I stand by it. No England manager has a better record than Southgate, in terms of win percentage and…
Gareth Southgate is a genius, and England are one game away from history…Somehow

89:59, ticking over to 90:00, it is the dream of every young child in the world to see that ball leave your foot and hit the back of the net at that moment. A moment of pure ecstasy, jubilation and incomprehension, the feeling of doing your country proud, all of your friends, family and strangers…
England need to commit to a way of playing, and fast.

Four points from the opening two games, and almost guaranteed qualification to the round of sixteen, on the outside, things are going pretty well for England at Euro 2024. That is true to an extent, as qualification is not to be scoffed at, and Serbia and especially Denmark are very capable of hurting any team.…
Man United 0-1 Crystal Palace, a day which encapsulates the joy of being a football fan, from the away end.

30th September 2023, Manchester United 0-1 Crystal Palace. A euphoric day built on the overwhelming resignment that there could be very little chance of any kind of result from the game. The trip wasn’t much about the result, or even the match, more about the experience of watching your humble little team take on what…
The misconceptions around scoring first in a final

The day is the 11th of July 2021, approximately 4 minutes past 8, Luke Shaw has just driven England into the lead of the Euro 2020 final against Italy, at Wembley. An entire nation was sent into euphoria, football was coming home. Almost 3 hours later, an entire nation was sent into misery, as Bukayo…