Spector – "No regrets" as Blues aim for Wembley
Jonathan Spector’s Birmingham City will attempt to overturn a 1-0
deficit from the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final at St.
Andrew’s tonight.
The Blues are optimistic on the back of only one defeat in ten games.
They have onl...
God save our hopeless team
My country (England) takes its national team far too seriously, and I am glad. It makes life interesting. Logically we should just be happy to reach the last eight of a major tournament. But since when has the heart and the head been the same?
The la...
Just the ticket for 2012
More tickets go on sale tomorrow for the 2012 Olympic Games football tournament.
The latest batch is available online from 11am Monday 30th April until 11pm Sunday 6th May.
However, according to IOC rules, only residents of the UK and European nati...
What the giornali said – the view from Italy
Italy is as soccer-mad as they come. Anyone who has spent time in 'lo stivale' - the boot-shaped peninsula - cannot fail to notice the insane grip football has on Italian lives.Walk around a piazza or along a busy street and chances are you will find m...
Farewell Harry – one of the greats
How sad to hear Harry Keough had passed away. I was lucky enough to interview him along with another legend Tom Finney in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup and I never forgot his warmth and generosity.I probably took up more of his time than I should ha...
Watching Jay Rise & Shine
On a weekday night early on in Watford's Premier League season of 2006-'07, I stood on a street corner in North London and told Jay DeMerit his story was remarkable."It would have ended perfectly if you'd been picked for the World Cup," I joked. "But seriously, have you thought about writing a biography?"Jay looked stunned...
Spector eyes Blues Euro test
Jonathan Spector's Birmingham City take on Slovenia's SK Maribor at St Andrews tonight, knowing their Europa League odyssey will come to an end if they fail to win."We are making a good run of it, " Spector told NSC, "so hopefully we can advance to the group stage. We definitely want to make...
Jurgen moves on from Brussels with love
Jürgen Klinsmann loves his job. And that is good.I am used to England managers on the edge of a nervous breakdown, and the last time I watched Klinsmann in a press conference, before the 2006 World Cup, he was defensive and at times brittle as German...
Jack’s back to chuck Blazer a grenade
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the Caribbean...Jack Warner, the infamous former CONCACAF boss and FIFA Vice-President, is back in the news.Still smarting from his banishment in June after almost three decades in the corridors of foot...
Only nine months to go
The EPL is back, though it barely went away.
And after only one game, Manchester United, with Wayne Rooney's new tonsure to the fore, look most likely to win it again, despite a defence already succumbing to injury.
I was delighted to see Ashley Youn...
It’s only a game
Q. Which English Championship team's fans were chanting 'USA, USA' yesterday...?
A. Cardiff City's, in tribute to West Ham's former England goalkeeper Robert Green, whose side lost 0-1 to the Bluebirds at Upton Park in their first match under Sam Alla...
Don’t mess with Teixeira
"The islanders (the English) are the pirates of the world, a bunch of pirates...I will make their lives hell... In 2014, I'll be able to get away with anything. The most slippery, unthinkable, Machiavellian things - denying press credentials, barring access, changing game...
