CATEGORIES

Relics, Don't Do It...

In the ground floor atrium of Zurich’s troubled FIFA World Football Museum a display case featuring shirts from FIFA’s 211 member associations was failing to impress three visiting American teenagers. “Who are Timor Leicester?” one asked. “They should host the World Cup in the US, like, every year,” added his friend. 

Focus on Jimmy Guthrie

When Jimmy Guthrie picked up the FA Cup for Portsmouth in 1939 it was a notable event in many ways. In simple football terms it was a big upset.

Newquay 0 Tavistock 5

There is more to the North Cornwall coast than surfing and ice cream. Newquay AFC are playing at the highest level in their history but struggling to maintain it with a young team and little money, while even the high-flying visitors to the Mount Wise stadium may not take promotion.

Delta force

The many failed attempts to establish a football club in San Francisco have not put off one ambitious group, who want technology to give them an edge.

Release Clause

Whether it was for genuine sporting reasons or a PR stunt gone wrong, Boa Esporte Clube’s signing of a convicted murderer has caused outrage.

Priest's Parish

Gillingham’s home may lack a fourth permanent side but each stand has its own personality and history attached, which it would be a shame to lose.

Forest Green Rovers 3 Tranmere Rovers 1

This year’s National League play-off final pitches a team with a rich history in the Football League against one with none, yet Forest Green are not the plucky underdogs they may appear to be from the outside.

Chesterfield 1 Accrington Stanley 2

Three seasons ago Chesterfield narrowly missed out on successive promotions after losing in the League One play-offs. Now they find themselves in a League Two relegation battle and the locals are getting restless

Help Is At Hand

With players arriving from all over the world it can often be hard for them to settle in. Luckily, clubs now employ people to make life as easy as possible

Terrier Breeding

HUDDERSFIELD ACADEMY

For Your Amusement

Some signings turn out to be so bad they are unwittingly the most entertaining thing on the pitch

Voluntary Sector

Our writers’ competition was set up with a legacy left by contributor David Wangerin, who died in 2012. Now in its fifth year, here is the 2017 winner describing life as a youth coach, after he reluctantly volunteered to help out.

Sponsored Run

A club founded in 1990 now challenge for honours but it is no fairytale, with rival fans bitter about their financial backing and lack of support.

European Standard

Surprise champions, new stadiums and a forthcoming World Cup suggest the Russian game is in rude health, but in many ways it is still struggling.

Look At The Bright Side

This summer’s European Championship captured the imagination of the host nation and signalled a shift in the way the women’s game is talked about, though England still have plenty of work to do on and off the pitch.

Getaway Drivers

This summer’s transfer window has seen plenty of players agitating for moves, learning the best exit strategies from the actions of others in the past. We look back at two attempted escapes that went wrong

Cautionary Tale

Officials used to be restrained in their use of cards, which wasn’t always for the good of the game

Second World War: Morale Support

Despite its ability to raise public spirits, maintaining a coherent football league programme proved problematic between 1939 and 1945 – and not just because of the constant threat of air attack.

Plays For Today

Edinburgh Fringe.

Feeling Champion

Dulwich hamlet

Owen, Going, Gone?

BLACKPOOL OWNERSHIP

Selection Process

The humiliation of being the last person picked for a team tends to stay with you

Too Much Too Young

Too Much Too Young

Part Of The Club

In football’s early days matches were mostly watched by curious observers but, as crowds increased, “they” became “we” and the fanatic was born

Boring Boring Baggies

 Tony Pulis’s dour approach saw crowds falling at The Hawthorns as fans fell out of love with their team 

Second Thoughts

Roberto Baggio’s penalty in 1994, Holland’s double disappointment in the 1970s, Bayern’s late 1999 heartache – defeated finalists have created some of the game’s most enduring images, to which players at all levels can relate

Trickle-down Effect

Most will now have seen Virgin Media’s advertising blitz promoting their “Twenty’s Plenty” offering with the Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF), and with it providing muchneeded exposure for the organisation and its campaign to reduce away ticket prices.

Millers' Crossing

Rotherham’s relegation was confirmed in early April and it had looked a certainty for months beforehand: with several games left they had already set club records for the fewest points in a season and the most defeats.

Control Freak

Mark Clattenburg’s self-centred comments about his refereeing have not only damaged his own reputation – they have also hurt fellow officials.

Away Days

No matter how your team are performing there is something special about the experience of travelling around the country to support them.