Despite their outstanding recent form, Roger Willis questions how far Plymouth Argyle have really come since owner and chairman James Brent took them out of administration in 2011. *** “Flies all green and buzzin’ in this dungeon of despair” once sang Frank Zappa. Well it’s the Greens that are a-“buzzin’” at present and manager John Sheridan has developed a side which – a horrific 0-4 reverse at home to York City notwithstanding – has just enjoyed a fine run of performances and results that has seen Plymouth Argyle shake off an iffy start to the season and surge up the…
All posts tagged Finances
Patrick Bamford and the Rise of the Privately-educated Footballer
Stewart Robson was something of an under rated footballer of the 1980s. Unfortunate to have figured most prominently for Arsenal during the dog days of the Terry Neill/Don Howe era, George Graham preferred Steve Williams in the midfield anchor role and the tough tackling and energetic Robson is now half-forgotten. I say half-forgotten because Robson has since gone on to forge himself a career in the media after subsequent playing and coaching spells at West Ham, Coventry and elsewhere. A regular on The Times football podcast and contributor to Talksport and ESPN’s Italian football coverage, the 49 year old’s name…
Blackburn Rovers have Unearthed a Gem in Gary Bowyer
When I last wrote of Blackburn Rovers in the autumn, my verdict was overwhelmingly harsh. After all, the imposters who currently own the club are still in place, the wage bill is exalted and the consequences of year upon year of over spending and declining attendances are beginning to bite hard. If there is a club whom Blackburn resemble in their current trajectory, it’s Coventry City, a team that patented the concept of slow decline before their demise became a head on rush into oblivion these past 12 months. Three months later and those problems remain but this will be…
Assessing the Future of Charlton Athletic’s Belgian Connection
Amid the gasping at the prospect of an all-Sheffield FA Cup quarter-final when Sunday’s draw took place, Charlton Athletic fans will have quietly considered the chance the club now has of contesting a semi-final at Wembley Stadium. That would constitute a real turnaround for the Addicks after a difficult season on and off the pitch, one that has seen them take up occupancy in the Championship relegation zone, a campaign of mediocrity rather than plain awfulness, ungarnished with truly horrendous results but all the same very flat at times. The most significant events of these past few months at the…
Book Review: Sport in Capitalist Society: A Short History
Sport in Capitalist Society: A Short History by Tony Collins Published by Routledge 2013, £19.99 God bless Crystal Palace’s self-styled ultras, the Holmesdale Fanatics. The irony of proudly displaying a banner reading “AGAINST MODERN FOOTBALL” during a Premier League match this season, one which was beamed into bars and living rooms around the world on television, was clearly lost on them. Perhaps that’s only to be expected, given that they seem to consist mostly of pimply teenagers bouncing around under a flag while one of their chums whacks a drum in semi-rhythmic fashion. They’re not the only supporters to have…
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Mark: Also you forgot John Lillington the Bristol city secretary he had a lo...
Tom: "There a school of thought that goalkeeper is the one position one can...
harry m: That po match against Birmingham is my favourite football match ever....
Dominic: I saw Swindon take on Coventry on Good Friday. As a Coventry fan I tho...
