Analysis & Insights
Analysis & Insights
Is Home Advantage Real: Can Home Fans Help Their Team Win?
Everyone has heard of the home advantage. A game played away from home is thought to be a tougher prospect than the same game played at your own ground. It’s something we learn early on […]
Analysis & Insights
Set-Piece Coach Role on the Rise as Clubs Seek Match Winning Plays
On average, between 20% and 30% of goals scored come from set-pieces. Despite this, it wasn’t until the 2010s that the dedicated set-piece coach role started becoming more common. The exact numbers of goals scored […]
Analysis & Insights
Do Football Agents Really Have As Much Power As People Say?
In football, most of the attention is on the players themselves or the manager. Yet these aren’t necessarily the people with the most power. They are answerable to the likes of the sporting director and […]
Opinion & Debate
Opinion and Debate
Changing the Offside Rule Can’t Come Quickly Enough
I read with relief that Arsene Wenger, long-time Arsenal manager and now Chief of International Football Development at FIFA, had proposed changing the offside rule. He is a man who understands the game better than […]
Opinion and Debate
The Power of Social Media in Football: Is it Good or Bad?
Remember when Jadon Sancho ended his Manchester United career by lashing out at his manager via a Twitter post? That’s the power of social media in football. It’s not all players embarrassing themselves though. Think […]
Opinion and Debate
Is it Time For Female Managers in Men’s Football?
Women’s football has been receiving a lot more attention in the last decade, especially since the England team won the UEFA Cup in 2022. It’s much more common to see women’s football on television and […]
Clubs & Management
Clubs and Management
Every Football Pub: Where Supporters Drink Before The Game
Football pubs are public houses that open all week, but on matchdays, they become supporters clubs. Places where fans feel they belong, where they can walk in alone and instantly have company. Every club has […]
Clubs and Management
Sporting Director, Technical Director, Chief Executive – What Do These People Actually Do?
For a football club to operate effectively and be successful, they need to get their management structure right. I’m not talking about the manager of the team and his assistants and coaches, but the management […]
Clubs and Management
How Do Fan Owned Football Clubs Work?
Buying a football club is a big deal. Even in the lower leagues, it is an endeavour reserved for the rich and powerful that regular folk could never dream of achieving. At least, not on […]
Football History
Football History
The Evolution of Football Boots: From 1526 to Now
The average professional football boot weighs between 200-250 grams – about 40% lighter than boots from the 1990s. That represents about 30 years’ worth of progress, but people have been playing organised football since the […]
Football History
Evolution of the Goalkeeper: From Shot Stoppers to Playmakers
Football is always evolving. If you could watch a game back in 1900 it would be unrecognisable from a game today. I’m not talking about how the ball has changed or the lack of sponsorship […]
Football History
Why Do Football Songs and Chants Exist and How Did They Start?
There have been some absolute belters over the years haven’t there? Football songs and chants have provided some brilliantly funny moments, and some not so funny ones, too, but then, football fans aren’t known for […]
