Roma swept Barcelona aside to complete one of the tournament’s great comebacks. It’s a result with the potential to reignite Italian football’s challenge to the European elite and leave the recent World Cup disappointment behind.
Read More The Italian phoenix rises from the ashes“A certain bandy-legged bearded beauty who couldn’t be a more perfect fit for this lofty ideal; and at the same time looks out of place at Real Madrid.”
Read More The Strange Duality of Isco“We all have dreams, plans, bucket lists and after watching the Argentina ‘78 World Cup on television at a young age; South America was my number one place to visit before it was too late.”
Read More Groundhopper: Tango and Football in La BocaWith a return to Champions League football next season nearing ever closer, the disappointment of the last few years could soon be a distant memory for Marseille’s faithful.
Read More Rudi García’s Olympique de Marseille on the Rise Following Recent StrugglesFrom Porthmadog to South America, with China providing the icing on the cake – or maybe not so much.. Read all about Tommie Collins’ recent venture following his beloved Wales to the China Cup.
Read More China Cup: A Trip Too Far…Had injuries not blighted him over the years, the German international would be regarded as one of the very best. Robbie Chalmers takes a look at his prodigious talent.
Read More The cult of Marco Reus: A marvellous talent robbed by injuriesWith Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria and Tunisia representing Africa at the upcoming World Cup in Russia, Rohan Kaushik takes an in-depth look into the game’s roots in the continent.
Read More The Story Of African FootballFollowing a recent trip to the Spanish capital of Madrid, Gethin Boore recounts his visit to Alcorón’s Estadio Santo Domingo, AD Union Adarve’s Poli Deportivo Vincente Del Bosque and Atlético Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano.
Read More Groundhopper: Fútbol in the Spanish CapitalFollowing a Confederation of African football conference on the future of women’s football in the continent, Agnes Olawo covers the issues that came to the fore.
Read More CAF Symposium: Raising our GameWelcome all refugees, anti-homophobia flags, festival-like atmosphere and a few U-Bahn mishaps. Welcome to our match day experience at FC. St Pauli’s Millerntor-Stadion.
Read More A Visit to FC St. Pauli: The Glastonbury of FootballEurope’s finest coaches have swarmed on the Premier League, but will the clubs make the most of it?
Read More Elite Managers are making their mark in England, but how sustainable is it?In his first ‘An hour with…’ feature, Russ Vernon talks to Lee Frecklington, formerly of Rotherham and Peterborough United, now of Lincoln City.
Read More An hour with… Lee Frecklington of Lincoln CityA previous Wall Street banker takes charge of the US game, beating progressive-minded former player to the top gong, whilst USMNT player reflects on World Cup failure and what lies next.
Read More Around the MLS: New US Soccer President, player reflects on World Cup failure and looks to the futureRayo Vallecano are Madrid’s third team behind Real and Atletico, but it is a football club with an marvellous story. The club and their fans are true credits to the Vallecas community.
Read More Rayo Vallecano: The Pride of VallecasGermany’s 50+1 ownership structure is heralded throughout Europe, but in a football world dominated by money, many threats to the ideology remain, with this particular one coming from the Hannover 96 chairman.
Read More Martin Kind and Hannover 96 threaten 50+1 ruleMarcelo Bielsa arrived in Lille to much fanfare, only to leave amidst confusion, disagreements and as of now, law suits. Now he seems bent on revenge against his former club.
Read More Bielsista could force Lille into administrationSeeing your manager leave to a rival may seem like a nightmare situation for most, but with Paul Heckingbottom’s departure from Barnsley to Leeds United, Lewis Robinson sees possibilities..
Read More Paul Heckingbottom leaves Barnsley for Leeds United: Blessing in disguise?With clubs placing scouts all over the globe, those individuals with a track record of finding the next world stars are more in demand than ever. Delve into the world of superscouts..
Read More Superscouts and their growing influence on how clubs are runA decade ago, Spain embarked on the journey of a lifetime that culminated in them fulfilling their international potential. But with the World Cup 2018 in Russia looming, what awaits La Furia Roja this time around?
Read More The Return of La Furia RojaFollowing his recent announcement as Wales manager, take a journey through Ryan Giggs’ international playing career – through the eye of a fan.
Read More Ryan Giggs, in the words of Catatonia: ‘You’ve got a lot to answer for’The success of Japan’s revolutionary J-League is an embodiment of time and effort. Yet, how Japan got to that point is quite something in itself. It is a story that every true football aficionado must know.
Read More The J-League RevolutionPast master tactician, Helenio Herrera, and modern-day great, José Mourinho, were doppelgängers in all but looks.
Read More Helenio Herrera & José Mourinho: Both cut from the same clothFootball, a funny old game. Over the course of the year, your team suffers highs and lows. Here we cherry-pick our most iconic moments for 2017.
Read More Highs and lows of 2017Dros hyd y flwyddyn mae yna lawer iawn yn digwydd yn y byd pêl-droed. Ond be am i ni edrych yn ôl ar 2017 yn sydyn. Edrych ar yr hyn y cynigodd o i dimau Cymru a’r tîm cenedlaethol, ac ar yr hyn disgwylir nhw yn 2018.
Read More Barn y ffan: Edrych yn ôl ar 2017In the third edition, Luke looks at how his temperament is portrayed in his side..
Read More A football coach abroad: Emotional control and avoiding knee-jerk reactionIn our first Groundhopper feature for a fair while, Gethin recounts his recent visit to the Basque Country, as he took in the San Mamés and Mendizorrotza, whilst also catching a brief glimpse of the Ipurua Municipal.
Read More Groundhopper: Basque identity against Spanish identityMorocco are heading to their first World Cup Finals since France ’98. We look into how everything is seemingly coming together for the Lions of the Atlas..
Read More Lions of the Atlas stride on RussiaThroughout the game there are a number of football clubs that play in countries different to that of their origin. Here we look at some examples on the border between Wales and England.
Read More Border football clubsDespite regularly portraying football fans as individuals intent on disrespect, disobedience and disorder, the UK Government’s football-related arrest figures for 2016-17 paints a different picture.
Read More Football related arrests fall in UKDespite all the unforgettable memories, as Chris Coleman leaves Wales for lowly Sunderland, the feeling of what might have been remains..
Read More Nothing lasts foreverLazio ultras’ decision to leave stickers of Anne Frank clad in Roma colours at the Olimpico rightly caused uproar. But does the problem lie beyond football and deeper in ultra culture?
Read More Fascist Lazio ultras highlight ongoing issuesThey’ve had La Liga triumphs, Champions League finals and utter disasters. But now it seems as though Valencia are on the way back. With Marcelino doing things in his effective own way, Los Che are on the march.
Read More Marcelino reignites Valencia flameA recent trip to the Estádio do Dragão got us thinking about Porto and their devastating start to the season under Sérgio Conceição..
Read More Estádio do Dragão roars under Sérgio ConceiçãoTwo historical giants of European football, under Chinese ownership, with squads full of expensive talents, big egos and even bigger expectations.
Welcome to the battle for Milan…
Over 1,500 Wales fans are heading towards Tbilisi to watch the crucial World Cup qualifying match with Georgia. Although back in 1994, only the mere total of 11 supporters ventured to a much-different landscape.
Read More Memories from Tbilisi ’94As the Santiago Bernabéu fell quiet, Real Betis players and staff celebrated ecstatically. Yet, don’t expect complacency from the fans, as history shows them a high is so often followed by a low.
Read More Los Verdiblancos reach high on the yo-yo stringAn in-depth view at South Korea’s mercurial journey during the 2002 World Cup they part-hosted.
Read More Taeguk Odyssey: Looking Back on South Korea’s March to Football History3-1 down from the first leg, the Brazilian’s absence will no doubt be felt when Cristiano Ronaldo and co. come to town. However many of the players remaining have excelled on this stage before and Unai Emery can find a formula to upset the odds.
Read More PSG can beat Real Madrid without NeymarUltras boycott, half empty ‘Yellow Wall’ and a rather commercial atmosphere. Hear what we made of the Signal Iduna Park on a Monday night.
Read More Podcast: Borussia Dortmund – FC AugsburgHave a listen to our first podcast from the Union Berlin v SV Sandhausen match – although, we apologise in advance for the lack of sound quality at times.
Read More Podcast: Union Berlin – SV Sandhausen
