Stories | When Saturday Comes

International playboys

Owen Amos explains how two brothers dealt with rejection in England – by becoming footballing celebrities in the Philippines

While Chelsea wait for Josh McEachran to establish himself (or be sold to Fulham), two of their other youth team graduates are doing rather well. James and Phil Younghusband, brothers from Middlesex, were released by Chelsea in 2006 and 2008 respectively. Now, they’ve got 50 caps between them, a string of sponsorship deals and – most importantly of all – 200,000 followers on Twitter. The Younghusbands have made it; they’ve just made it 7,000 miles away, in the Philippines.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - Book reviews

Stick or twist

Mark Brophy isn’t surprised that both clubs and players take the big-money gamble on promising teenagers

I wouldn’t recognise Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the Southampton winger, if I saw him in the street. Thanks to the footballing gossip columns, I know that he’s 17 and the same kind of hot property Theo Walcott was in his Saints days, supposedly worth £10 million and interesting the very biggest English clubs. Ipswich’s Connor Wickham, perhaps better known, is another to be the subject of speculation on a close-season transfer. Should either make a move this summer they will be embarking on a well-trodden path.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - The Archive

Slippery slopes

From Wembley hopes to League Two reality in the space of a year, David Squires tries to make sense of supporting Swindon Town

To locate Swindon Town in the League One table, you need to scroll a long way down; a whole rotation of the mouse wheel in fact. It’s no surprise to see them down there though – with the obligatory “R” next to their name – for the 2010-11 season has been one of almost unrelenting misery.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - Book reviews

Live and direct

Mark Segal questions whether an overtly strict approach to players’ use of Twitter is precluding an exciting new opportunity

During his undistinguished seven-match England career, striker Carlton Cole has failed to put a smile on the face of Fabio Capello or his bosses at the Football Association.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - The Archive

Health check

Steve Menary assesses the debts of clubs in the English league and discusses whether the goverment should intervene into football politics

Since the turn of the year, a committee of MPs from across the political spectrum have been interviewing football administrators to work out whether the game’s governance is “fit for purpose”. The hearings are over, the committee’s recommendations are due in June and the case for reform is compelling.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - The Archive