The Nowhere Men by Michael Calvin Published by Century 2013, £14.99 They are a mythical breed, not to say a forgotten one in these days where youtube videos are said to inspire signings, but, in an increasingly hybrid and varied form, soccer scouts continue to ply their trade – and yet it’s an aspect of the game that we as punters understand so little of. Hence, Michael Calvin’s new book The Nowhere Men does a relentlessly fascinating job in lifting the lid on the profession. Sure, the grizzled old pro in a touchline windcheater, pulling into Newport Pagnell service station…
All posts tagged West Ham
TTU Go Predicting: Best Free Agent
A look at the Professional Footballers’ Association list of out of contract and available players becomes more depressing by the year, even if there are Premier League outcasts aplenty whose current availability is often more a consequence of protracted contract negotiations and a choice of suitors. Hence, Chris Baird, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Carlton Cole and the like will end up somewhere eventually. Of those, the pick of the list is perhaps Hitzlsperger and whilst ‘The Hammer’ may well find interest from a top tier team in Europe, his recent injury record and failure to last more than a year at any…
A Football League SWOT Analysis: The Weaknesses
Of course by its very definition the Football League is weak – comparatively. While it’s true that West Ham and Southampton skilfully negotiated the step up to the Premier League this past year, both enjoyed wage structures and transfer budgets way beyond the scope of second tier clubs. Yesterday’s opening post on this four day SWOT analysis salvo perhaps painted too rosy a picture of the League’s attributes. Today’s comes up with a decidedly different portrait. It’s clear that many of the competition’s strengths have their exact obverse on the weaknesses front and indeed, many of these issues are perilously close to the threats…
TTU’s Goodreads: 22-02-13
Football fans are divided into two camps - those who like to get to their cars and beat the rush and those who would stay until the bitter end even if the experience is of an utter thrashing. First up in our spots of the week today is the unfortunate Coventry City fan who departed before the end of the recent 2-0 win at Crewe: AUDIO: Why You Should Never Leave a Coventry City Game Early, The Coventry Telegraph Poor lad - resolutely sticking to the belief that the phone in host was having him on, I wonder if he…
Unexpected Rivalries 6: Leeds United and Chelsea
After nearly a decade since the clubs’ last meeting, the press have been doing their best this week to stoke up the ghosts of rivalries past ahead of tonight’s Capital One Cup quarter final between Leeds and Chelsea at Elland Road. Frank Lampard admits that he felt the need to inform his foreign team-mates of the historical enmity in case they find themselves upended and bewildered on the northern turf, wailed at by twenty thousand Yorkshiremen; while that cuddly soul Neil Warnock has reminded us of past disputes, albeit of a personal kind. My Dad once spent a few days…
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