Author Archives: phil

Barney Ronay on Stuart Downing

Posted on July 9, 2011 by phil

From The Guardian: Downing is the most undervalued of English footballers: intelligent, scuttlingly forceful and with some refined touches in his versatile left foot. He is an unusual English footballer in other ways too. Mainly because he seems to be … Continue reading →

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Long-form: Would Adding More Breaks Be So Bad?

Posted on July 8, 2011 by phil

There was an article on EPLTalk.com about the ‘proposal’ that the game will be split into three thirty-minute periods during the Qatar World Cup. This notion has been widely panned by football fans far and wide, but it got me … Continue reading →

Posted in general, long-form, world cup | 1 Comment

John W Henry Sure Likes His Numbers Alright

Posted on July 7, 2011 by phil

And speaking of Liverpool and Moneyball, it seems like their owner has a head for numbers.  Here are two recent tweets: Interesting: from Jan 22 pts per game: Chelsea 2.06, Man Utd 2.06, LFC 2.00 Everton 1.75, ManCity 1.73, Arsenal … Continue reading →

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Charlie Adam is the Wrong Answer

Posted on July 7, 2011 by phil

An eminently readable piece from Surreal Football about Liverpool and their alleged application of “Moneyball”. The thing is, Charlie Adam probably shouldn’t be what comes out when you create a formula for signing footballers.

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Man Utd Bid For Nasri Two Weeks Ago

Posted on July 7, 2011 by phil

There’s a piece co-authored by Jeremy Wilson in The Independent about Samir Nasri’s situation. While Wenger has said that he would not allow a repeat of Flamini‘s departure, it is understood that he has not ruled out making Nasri stay … Continue reading →

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Tim Payton on Arsenal’s Predicament

Posted on July 7, 2011 by phil

Interesting piece from The Independent.  In a nutshell, Arsenal chose a self-sustaining business model, which sounds very sensible but puts them at a disadvantage to many other clubs. It is a precarious arrangement that relies ever more on manager Arsène … Continue reading →

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Gregg Roughley on Liverpool’s New Look Midfield

Posted on July 7, 2011 by phil

One of the good things about getting journalists onto podcasts is that you get to know what their areas of interest are and what teams they follow. There’s no denying Gregg Roughley is a Liverpool fan. Here’s his analysis on … Continue reading →

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Charlie Adam moving to Liverpool

Posted on July 6, 2011 by phil

The days of unknown and utterly average players passing through Liverpool appear – thankfully – to be behind us.  According to The Guardian: Liverpool’s six-month pursuit of Charlie Adam is almost over after they agreed a fee with Blackpool for … Continue reading →

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Tottenham’s Fixture Congestion Nightmare (July/August Edition)

Posted on July 6, 2011 by phil

In The Guardian’s run-down of pre-season bits and bobs, comes the news that Tottenham are facing an incredible ten games in 21 days. Kaizer Chiefs (July 16, A), Orlando (July 19, A), Barnet (July 23, A), MK Dons (July 26, … Continue reading →

Posted in spurs | 1 Comment

The Enduring Brilliance of Brian Clough

Posted on July 6, 2011 by phil

Just when you thought you’d heard all the anecdotes and read all the biographies, comes this from The Guardian’s The Knowledge column.  The subject was “What’s the most ridiculous reason for a fine in football?” “Brian Clough (who else?) once … Continue reading →

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