Ian Plenderleith raises the difficulties faced in creating a football blog that is both successful and commercially viable

Why would anyone work for free? One major plot in the internet’s rollercoaster storyline has been the rebirth of amateur media and its consequent claim to be taken seriously. In terms of football journalism, this has meant an emerging forum for that perennially seething vocal mass, the fans. The initial resistance by the mainstream newspapers to that untamed articulation of frustration and discontent has given way to a partially welcoming embrace.

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James McMahon questions why there are no openly gay footballers

It’s now just over 20 years since Justin Fashanu, Britain’s first and, to date, only openly gay footballer, agreed a deal with the Sun to come out. Last year, the PR kingpin Max Clifford teased the press by stating he’d recently advised two high-profile Premier League stars not to follow in Fashanu’s footsteps, adding that football “remains in the dark ages, steeped in homophobia”.

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Mark Rowe explains why fewer stewards and a loosening of health and safety regulation may see standards at stadiums decline

John Rutherford was insistent. If a group of home fans wanted to bring their giant flag in, they had to show a fire safety certificate. It was April 2009 and Rutherford, the formidable safety officer at Sheffield Wednesday, had a lot on his plate. As well as the usual matchday duties there were TV crews doing live interviews for the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough.

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Cameron Carter raises the question of quality versus quantity in football punditry

A common and unnerving feeling experienced by the middle-aged person is the suspicion that they are being hurried along. Time appears to pass more quickly – calendar events flash by, children age and learn to look at us sarcastically, Rory McGrath makes another series out of wandering around Britain drinking real ale. This creeping sense of urgency has long since intruded into the world of television, to the extent that it is now almost unbearable to watch an interviewee pause, introduce a subordinate clause or stumble over their words, so brief is the space given to them to make their point before their chance is gone and the programme must move on.

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The British press reflect on the controversy surrounding England’s 2018 World Cup bid

Reacting to October’s Sunday Times investigation into the World Cup bidding process several in the press wistfully described a seductive setting: a Switzerland of suave gentlemen, crisp navy suits, lavish hotels, steak suppers and, according to the Telegraph, a lake “so clear that you can see the moorhens diving for fish ten feet under”. The twist, when it came, was the “stench of corruption” – the politics of this world “could not be murkier”.

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