Some people were just born to manage England, albeit with the right name and at the right time, says Harry Pearson

Walter, Alf, Don, Joe, Ron, Bobby, Graham, Terry, Glenn, Howard, Kev­in.When studying this list of of the forenames of England’s managers it quickly becomes apparent that since the mid-Seventies the FA have got things hopelessly wrong. The departure of Don Revie and the brief interregnum of Joe Mercer should clearly have been followed by a more modern sounding manager, one whose name reeked not of linament and toad-in-the-hole, but of frothy coffee and formica, a Tony, perhaps, an Alan or even a Brian. Instead the FA went backwards and opted for Ron Greenwood.

Read more…

Alan Tomlinson explains how the seemingly insubstantial David Davies managed to blunder his way to a dominant position in England’s governing body

David Davies is the man some tip to succeed Graham Kelly as the top man at the Football Association. He has emerged from the inside and as the FA has stum­bled from one crisis to another, he has been seen as the man most likely to restore some sense of order to the chaotic proceedings at Lancaster Gate.

Read more…

Ken Gall explains why fans are fuming at the press response to the recently proposed merger of the two Dundee clubs 

When Peter Marr – nightclub owner and chairman of Dundee FC – raised the possibility of his club mer­ging with neighbours Dundee United, there was, un­sur­prisingly, uproar among the fans of both clubs. Slightly more surprisingly, there was also a flurry of fav­ourable comment in the Scottish press.

Read more…

For those who aren’t interested in the diet or the University Steve Jillings gives us a brief look at Cambridge football 

1912 Formed as Abbey United, gaining admittance to the Cambs FA League in 1921. Early chances of silverware dashed by Great Eastern Railwaymen.

Read more…

Rangers goalkeeper Andy Goram – from cult hero to alleged terrorist and extremist. Alex Anderson looks for reason and logic 

For Rangers fans who would like their club to ditch its sectarian image, the second last weekend in February contained an extreme high followed by extreme low. Saturday: a Scottish Catholic helps us annihilate Dundee and the fact is only reported on the back pages, in purely football terms. Sunday: an ex-Ranger cannot face Celtic because of front-page headlines associating him with organised murderers.

Read more…