Mark Foreman discusses the sheer quantity of football books that are ready to hit the shelves
It was only when I was told that bookshops are expecting over 30 new titles to appear on the shelves in time for the World Cup that the full scale of the football publishing boom hit home. These days it would seem that no player, club or fan’s eye view is too ‘marginal’ (a phrase all too common to anyone with a shoe box full of rejection letters) for big name publishers to print.
Ruud Gullit was an iconic figure during his time in England but Rutger Slagter reveals exactly what his fellow Dutchmen think of him
When Johan Cruyff went to Barcelona his name was better known worldwide than the name of his new club. When he left the recognition was about equal, according to Cruyff himself. The same could be said for Ruud Gullit and Chelsea. Manchester United and Liverpool have been household names in Holland for years. Some fanatics had known about Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Wimbledon. A couple of years ago I read somewhere that Glenn Hoddle was moving to Chelsea. I knew Hoddle.
Ken Bates has given the Chelsea job to former players before with mixed results, so Mike Ticher wonders if Gianluca Vialli can cut it
“John Hollins was a mistake. He has a very strong wife. It might have been better if I’d made her manager.”
Manchester City are languishing at the wrong end of the table, as Ashley Shaw outlines the club's latest change in manager
Frank Clark’s final press conference was a subdued, almost tearful affair. Having presided over perhaps the most hapless performance witnessed in City’s most hapless season, the knives were being sharpened for yet another managerial casualty.
Kevin Bartholomew reflects on the plight of two clubs, and the greater significance of their demise
Brighton played Doncaster at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium on Valentine’s Day in a crucial relegation battle. But despite the fact that the outcome of the match would help determine which team would be banished to the the Vauxhall Conference (or worse), both sets of fans used the occasion to draw attention to their respective plights.