Live sport is nothing without the fans. And that’s been demonstrated this week in Birmingham as England host New Zealand in the Second Test Match at Edgbaston. A crowd of 18,000 will be allowed in across the five days as England look to claim the first series win of the summer after the drawn match… Continue reading The Barmy Army showed what sport has been missing for over a year.
Author: Stewart Freer
Let the game of manager musical chairs begin.
Now that the football season is over, the usual roundabout of transfers will kick into life again. But it’s the manager’s market that is looking like the more interesting. Quite a few top clubs are looking for new managers this summer, and this could have a very big impact on how next season will play… Continue reading Let the game of manager musical chairs begin.
It was so bloody good to see family.
It is a sign of the times we live in that a recent family visit up to our new house was an absolute treat. We hadn’t been able to see each other for the last 15 or so months, and had had to miss out on Boxing Day, where we meet up and have a… Continue reading It was so bloody good to see family.
Did the European Super League actually have a point?
I mean, the structure of the competition is not something I could ever abide by. A closed shop of self-chosen elite, with a few invited guests, who would be constantly reminded of their luck to be invited into the club. It was an arrogant plan executed by old men who have a lot of money,… Continue reading Did the European Super League actually have a point?
The Champions League final should not be held in Istanbul this year.
These are exceptional times, and plans have to change quickly. Istanbul has held European finals before, very successfully. Liverpool’s incredible comeback in the 2005 final against AC Milan. That was in Istanbul. The stadium is great, even if the pitch is a little far away for my liking. And there is no doubt that a… Continue reading The Champions League final should not be held in Istanbul this year.
Returning to normal.
What does that even mean anyway? I don’t think anything goes back to normal after an event like this pandemic we’ve suffered through for the last 15 months or so. Normal will adapt and change. What’s that saying? “The only thing that is constant is change.” That has been true in my life recently. For… Continue reading Returning to normal.
The fallout of the Super League.
Well, that was fun, wasn’t it? The extraordinary 48 hours that football fans witnessed earlier this week was really something to behold. The collapse of the European Super League is a victory for football fans, preserving the structure that has allowed the game to flourish into the global enterprise it has become. But it has… Continue reading The fallout of the Super League.
You can stick your “Super League” up your …
I could not give a damn about the commercial opportunities for this new “European Super League.” I don’t care at all. Because this cabal of club owners conspiring in a corner behind closed doors have sold the last of the integrity left in the sport I love down the damn river. And my club has… Continue reading You can stick your “Super League” up your …
Team spirit was a cornerstone of great Chelsea teams in the past. It seems to be returning.
Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last night, seven years on from when they last reached the same stage of Europe’s premier club football competition. But why has it taken so long for Chelsea to get back to the closing stages of the Champions League? Why have they failed to build on their… Continue reading Team spirit was a cornerstone of great Chelsea teams in the past. It seems to be returning.
Inside the mind of a guitar nut.
When you get really into something, you can become really anal about it. Like really anal. I’m like that with guitars. Because, when all is said and done, what is a guitar? It’s some bits of wood and metal glued and screwed together. Add some electromagnets, some wiring and a speaker and you have an… Continue reading Inside the mind of a guitar nut.
