Owen Oyston saved Blackpool from the brink of bankruptcy. David Blundell looks at the controversial businessman
Distinguishing Features Take the Emperor Ming, dress him in the archetypal football manager sheepskin and stick a six gallon hat on his head. You now have Owen Oyston. At least, that was Owen a year ago. Now, denim shirt and trousers with arrows are more his line (he is now in Pentonville prison for the unusual crime of using undue influence to talk a girl into sexual congress).
Fulham may have a rich owner with big plans, but Scott Longley claims the club still isn't going in the right direction
Initially it was like winning the lottery. For one glorious moment Fulham fans felt like we were the cats who not only got the cream but got the whole dairy and an army of milkmen to feed us on demand. Thanks to Mohammed al-Fayed we were rich beyond our wildest dreams.
Being a Burnley supporter isn't easy at the moment. Tony Dawber discusses the club's descent to the bottom of the Second Division
Imagine being as depressed as a Manchester City fan. Then double it and you are somewhere near. Burnley are languishing at the foot of the Second Division and on a downward spiral back to obscurity despite being arguably the best supported team in the division. Our plight has earned even more attention because the slide is being presided over by legendary former sausage seasoner Chris Waddle, who turned down other offers in order to grab Burnley by the scruff of the neck and hurl it towards the Premiership and whatever else came into our sights.
Things could be about to change in Scottish football, as Gary Oliver analyses what the future holds for the SPL
Tony Blair may have no intention of repealing trade union legislation, but that has not prevented ten Scots hankering for a closed shop. And far from being Old Labour dinosaurs, these protectionists are the thrusting ‘entrepreneurs’ who chair Scotland’s Premier Division clubs: in the crusade to create an autonomous Premiership, their latest threat is to sever all links with the Scottish Football League and dispense with promotion and relegation.
Constantly changing the rules makes things difficult for everybody, not least the referees
Watching Nigel Martyn take an eternity over a goalkick the other day prompted thoughts about the Law of Unintended Consequences. Some years ago the tidy-minded people on FIFA’s rule-making committee decided that one of their minor rules was unnecessarily holding up play. It was the one that said a goalkick must be taken from whichever side of the goal the ball went out of play.