The Half Decent Football Magazine http://www.wsc.co.uk Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:02:20 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.wsc.co.uk/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.wsc.co.uk The Half Decent Football Magazine http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/5741/38/ 7 September ~ Since Wales' defeat to Montenegro last Friday, John Toshack has come under growing pressure to step down as national team manager. As Huw Richards explained in WSC 225 (November 2005), he didn't make a great start either, although there were mitigating circumstancesLaughter may have echoed from Anglesey to Usk when David Healy angled his shot across Paul Robinson at Windsor Park, but Northern Ireland’s victory over England was not without its downside for Wales. As well as putting plaudits for a spirited display against the English into more sobering perspective, the result ended any chance of matching an initial fourth-place seeding. Read more (content/view/1489/29/) WSC Daily - September 2010 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:54:39 +0100 http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/5740/38/ 7 September ~ Chelsea's forthcoming Champions League tie against Zilina in Slovakia is likely to be watched by a very small crowd. Slovak football blog Britski Belasi (http://britskibelasi.footballunited.com/2010/09/06/update-tickets-zilina-v-chelsea/) explains why a huge hike in ticket prices has caused a home fans' boycott. WSC Daily - September 2010 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:14:55 +0100 http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/5739/38/ 6 September ~ This the debut season of Italian football's Tessera del Tifoso, or fans’ ID card scheme. There have been protests about the card ever since it was first mooted and plenty more have been made in the last few weeks. During the season opener at the Stadio Olimpico, a large group of Roma’s ultras remained outside the stadium, leaving an entire block of the usually chock-full Curva Sud glaringly empty. At the Serie B game between Empoli and Pescara I saw a number of the home side’s ultras choosing not to enter the ground, but instead setting up a Subbuteo table outside. WSC Daily - September 2010 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:34:51 +0100 http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/5738/38/ 5 September ~ A decade ago Wrexham were the highest placed Welsh football club playing in the English system. There’s a very real chance that at full-time today they will be the fourth highest, if Newport County AFC win their first ever Conference game against their Welsh brethren. Wrexham’s decline is in marked contrast to the recent successes of Cardiff and Swansea, who are both finally living up to their potential after decades in the lower league doldrums. But while both the South Wales league clubs pushed for promotion to the Premier League last year, Wrexham were consolidating in the Conference, and wondering how the hell they had ended up there. WSC Daily - September 2010 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:13:50 +0100 http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/5737/38/ 4 September ~ You could have forgiven Plymouth fans for being excited at the inclusion of their local football stadium in England's World Cup 2018 bid when it was announced last December. However, the team has since slipped into the third tier. To avoid the stadium becoming a white elephant, filled to only a quarter of its capacity, Argyle would need to be in the Premier League, or at least be strongly competing to move towards it. WSC Daily - September 2010 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:24:02 +0100 http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/5736/38/ 3 September ~ On July 14, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) issued a press release stating that the two initial World Cup objectives (qualification for the tournament and qualification for the knock-out phase) had been achieved and thanking everyone involved. While it was obvious to all in Portugal that performances in South Africa had been disappointingly pale, the FPF seemed happy enough, and coach Carlos Queiroz saw his bank balance jump by €720,000 (£600,000) in bonuses. WSC Daily - September 2010 Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:10:34 +0100 http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/5735/38/ 2 September ~ The sole Belgian fan who travelled to support his team in Armenia last September was both mocked and pitied in his home country. However, many of the roughly 1,000 Scotland fans who recently paid £50 to join or renew their membership of the Scotland Supporters Club only to be denied a ticket for the forthcoming Euro 2012 qualifier in Lithuania may regard him with envy. WSC Daily - September 2010 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:10:49 +0100