With some of the best players in Britain reaching the back ends of thirty, some of the country’s major clubs have started looking at long term replacements for their older players. Legends like Ryan Giggs, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are all players that could be retiring in a few seasons and it almost time for the next generation to step up and get noticed. There is so much talent out there that just need the stage to perform on in order to make it into the elite, and hopefully …

Firstly, I must say as a Manchester United fan I was shocked and worried when it was announced that Sir Alex Ferguson was retiring. He has been at the helm for longer than my generation has been alive, and as a fan I can only thank him for the countless great memories he has given the club. It took a few minutes to get my head around the fact that Sir Alex would not be manager of Manchester United next season and when it did finally sink in, naturally my …

When someone hears about La Liga (or BBVA Liga) he thinks automatically about Barcelona, Real Madrid and the rivalry between them, they forget about Atl. Madrid, Malaga, Valencia and the surprise of the season Real Sociedad!
Its true that Real and Barca are the most successful clubs in Spanish football history but there are plenty more teams that are interesting to watch here are a few.
Valencia: Always been up there with Madrid and Barca, finishing almost all the time 3rd in the league but this season was pretty poor for them as …

I’m ashamed. I’m ashamed because as much as I love football, homophobic attitudes within the game go unchecked, with authorities unconscionably reluctant to intervene. Sepp Blatter’s comment that gay fans travelling to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup “should refrain from any sexual activities” typifies how out of touch FIFA is, but the problems go deeper. Brighton and Hove Albion supporters are routinely abused by other fans because of their city’s large LGBT population, and the FA hasn’t moved a muscle to stop it.
This shouldn’t be an issue. Homophobia in …

I’ve been watching football since I was about 10 and I’m 33 now so during my lifetime of watching it  I have never known a time without Sir Alex Ferguson in English football, but today he has stepped down and will no longer be in charge of Manchester United. Although it’s a shock he is 71 and is due to have a hip operation so taking a step back its probably not a massive surprise and having won everything there is to win then it’s probably a good time to …

Determination is beyond doubt for both Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Early exit of former champion Chelsea makes both teams as tournament favourites, who were beaten by the tactical excellence of the Blues last year. Bayern shows devastating dominance in Bundesliga, but were pushed to the cliff edge by Arsenal in the Champions League knockout stage. On the other hand, hit by injuries of players and even coach, Barcelona’s level of performance is clearly sinking, regardless of their healthy lead in La Liga.
Being under the spotlight for the last five years, …

For the past two years adidas and Opta have identified a new type of player ‘The Engine’ from an algorithm summarised by a mathematical equation. ‘The Engine’ is a type of player who will not run out of energy, a box-to-box midfielder, a player who seeks goal scoring chances, tracks down his opponent such as Bayern Munich’s Javi Martinez.

Based on the adidas insight, Opta have helped to reveal the fundamental character of ‘The Engine‘ by finding out how to measure and quantify his performances. adidas & Opta will analyse data …

Chelsea are a club that now demand success of some description every season, without fail. So from a neutral’s point of view, being in the Semi Finals of not 1 but 2 club competitions is a good season right?
 
Some will have their opinions for both sides of the argument… my personal opinion is No. I say this, mainly due to the perceived fixation Roman Abramavich seems to have with not only the Premier League, but the UEFA Champions League.
 
There is no denying the level of talent at the disposal of …

With the first leg encounters of the Champions League quarter finals behind us, I cannot help but feel slightly disappointed with the level of football that was demonstrated by the “best eight” teams in Europe. As the competition is now gradually reaching its most interesting stages, I was hoping that the drama and entertainment that has always branded the Champions League, would once again come to the forefront. However, some of the elite teams were not at the top of their game, and we therefore did not witness the most …

Most of you will know that Marbella is a place on the southern coast of Spain, known as a bit of a tourism hotspot if you’ll excuse the pun. As part of the Costa Del Sol, Marbella attracts plenty of tourists every year to its 27km of sandy beach. You may not have realised that Marbella also has a pretty loyal football following, with the local side being Union Deportiva Marbella (UD Marbella for short). Nor should you have realised to be frank. UD Marbella are a small Spanish side, …