As reports suggest that Calum Chambers may be in line to 'solve' Arsenal's midfield human resource crisis, a conversation with 90 Minutes Online's Darren Douglas got me thinking about football's utility men. The Bird's Eye Potato Waffles of their trade, these are the chaps who'll 'do a job' anywhere.
When Neil Lennon left his post as Celtic manager at the end of last season, he must have been reasonably confident that his desire to manage an English club would have been fulfilled sooner rather than later. However, the Irishman remains out of work, and for all he initially stated that a sabbatical from the game would do him no harm if it came to that, by all accounts he is currently itching to get back on the training ground.
What is it that attracts famous footballers to strange foreign lands? This week Robert Pires became the latest player to take part in this ever growing trend, setting off for India’s IPL. The 40 year old former French international retired three years ago but has been tempted out of his rest by the idea of playing outside of Europe for the first time in his already illustrious career. But why?
There is no denying it, Liverpool were left with a giant hole to fill this summer when their talismanic forward Luis Suárez moved on to Barcelona. Of course Liverpool were left with no choice but to sell after Suárez had once again started his dinner prematurely, this time during the World Cup.
In a game utterly obsessed with the worship of attacking talent, here’s a celebration of some of the greatest defenders and defences of the past 25 years.