The tabloids in recent weeks have been awash with stories circling John Terry’s affair and Ashley Cole‘s separation and there now seems to be a thinner line between celebrity and footballer. Once a footballer progresses in the world of football, he expects to be treated as a celebrity and this shouldn’t be the case. After the recent Bridge/Terry scandal huge disruption has been caused in the England squad resulting in Wayne Bridge effectively retiring from the national squad and no doubt rifts in the team will rear their ugly heads …

With the World Cup approaching, I have decided to name my England squad and starting eleven for the World Cup. There will be many shock inclusions and will include players doubtful for the finals.
Goalkeepers
Possibly the weakest area in the team with in my view little options and what I consider weak compared to some of the other teams.
JOE HART is my first choice at the minute as I think he is currently the best goalkeeper in the Premier League due to his outstanding form for Birmingham City.
BEN FOSTER would be my …

The outsiders. Up against the current league champions, dressed in green and gold. A chance for them to prove their worth on the Wembley stage after running out of steam in the league the season before. Two football matches are never the same but, as the stage gets set for this year’s Carling Cup Final, there are remarkable similarities with that of the Coca Cola Cup Final of 1994.

27th March 1994, Ron Atkinson got one over his old employer by leading his Aston Villa side to a 3-1 victory over …

Premiership Player Profiles continues as Wednesday’s Premiership blogs profile Wigan Athletic star Charles N’Zogbia with gavh looking at Chelsea superstar Frank Lampard on Monday.
The winger is currently attached to Premier League side Wigan Athletic. N’Zogbia primarily plays on the left side, often deployed at left back or the left wing.
Before transferring to Wigan in the January transfer window in 2009, N’Zogbia had been part of the Newcastle United team for five years.
The Frenchman was signed at the age of 18 from youth club Le Havre. Following his transfer, N’Zogbia became …

UMBRO, it’s a name that’s synonymous with the heritage and culture of English football since it’s creation in 1924. After the companies takeover by Nike in February 2008, many people speculated what impact the American juggernaut would have on the historic brand. To find out just what the future holds for Umbro and English shirt manufacturing, I spent a day with the company in Manchester.
Upon entering the building, I was whisked away to what could be considered Umbro’s footballing library. The room was filled with a range of shirts that …

It’s the start of another week of Premier League player profiles, as I and fellow blogger 5stars will be profiling a player from Everton and Wigan. As the title shows, today’s blog will be about on form Everton striker Louis Saha…
Louis Saha started his career with French side Metz, however while in his spell with Metz, Saha was loaned out to Premier League side Newcastle. Saha made eleven appearances for the Magpies, but he only managed to score one goal. Saha then attracted interest from Division 1 side Fulham and …

‘IN ANDY we trust, in Andy we trust’. These are the words of the Brentford faithful that echo around Griffin Park every home match. Rookie manager Andy Scott has turned a struggling League 2 side into a team that’s sneaking towards the Championship over the course of just two years. On a shoe-string budget, the former Bees player has earned a valuable reputation as one of the best managers outside of the Premier League.

FAN FAVOURITE: Andy Scott was a popular figure at Griffin Park during his playing days, winning the …

FOR A man who learnt his managerial trade under Neil Warnock, football’s marmite equivalent, it is perhaps unsurprising that Sheffield United chief Kevin Blackwell splits opinion almost 50/50 at Bramall Lane.
Blackwell, who worked with Warnock at Scarborough, Notts County, Torquay United, Huddersfield, Plymouth and Bury, celebrated two years in the Bramall Lane hotseat last week with a 2-0 victory over Bristol City. But despite possessing an impressive record in charge  with 48 victories from 107 games in charge – Blackwell is still forced to deal with a mounting feeling of …

Dorival Junior is the manager of Santos FC in the Brazilian equivalent of the Premier League. Santos are the 11th team that Dorival Junior has managed in just 7 seasons. He has jumped from club to club from a range of Brazilian leagues at an alarming rate. Santos hope that he will bring success to an underachieving team packed with Prima Donna’s who are now lead by the infamous Robinho. Santos were once a huge footballing force and with the likes of Pele and Pepe playing in the 1960′s, which are now known as the golden years. During this …

The legacy of Rinus Michels will never be forgotten by footballenthusiasts, his unique story and becoming a manager that would inspire generations through the medium of playing beautiful football.

This story goes back to the days when players were not able to play due to the ongoing World Wars in the first half of the 20th century. With Michels progressing as a young footballer in the Netherlands, it was in 1940 that his career was halted because of his duties to serve his country at war. At this time he was …