With the exception of 18-year-old Marcus Rashford, who will almost certainly be jettisoned when the final squad is announced, Roy Hodgson’s England squad contained few surprises. Two main questions need to be resolved in the three friendly matches before the European Championships begin. Firstly, can England’s defenders learn the art of defending? After years of […]
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Transfer tribunal fails to show its teeth again
The Professional Football Compensation Committee has ruled Liverpool must pay Burnley £6.5m plus a potential £1.5m fee in add-ons following Danny Ings’ move to the club last summer. Although a record figure, it seems a relatively paltry sum for a 23-year-old England international who would have expected to gain further honours had his season not […]
Lessons to be learned from Adam Johnson trial
In light of the evidence that Adam Johnson had extreme pornographic material involving animals on his computer, it would be easy to simply dismiss the former Sunderland winger as a very troubled individual. However, the case casts a poor light on many of those connected to him within football. It has certainly damaged the reputation […]
Europa League performance sounds death knell for Louis van Gaal
After Manchester United recently won four matches in a row for the first time this season, people began to suggest Louis van Gaal may survive to see out the final season of his three-year contract that ends in 2017. His side’s performance against Liverpool in the Europa League this week should put paid to that […]
Milan in a muddle
Arriving in Milan this week, it quickly became clear that the the names on the back of replica Inter and AC Milan shirts are not players belonging to the the upper echelons of the beautiful game. In years gone by, fans would wear the names of Ronaldo, Vieri, Shevchenko and Kaka with pride. Today though, […]
Neville’s nightmare in Valencia makes compulsive viewing
This season seems destined to be remembered for two storylines. One is Leicester City’s unlikely rise to the top of the Premier League, the other Jose Mourinho’s demise at Chelsea. While it’s wonderful to see the plucky Foxes maintaining their excellent form, it can’t match the melodrama of Mourinho’s final months at Stamford Bridge. It […]