Xisco Muñoz, Steve Bruce, Nuno Espírito Santo, Daniel Farke, Dean Smith. It is only the middle of November and five Premier League managers have already been told that their services are no longer required. That’s a quarter of the Premier League who have made a change at the top. A stark reminder, as if it were needed, that life as a football manager at any level (but particularly in the Premier League) can be fleeting.
Well, it's been a long 2 years, but we finally did it, we got back out on the road to experience a new football match day at long last! This trip was originally booked for February 2020 (vs Rochdale), but had to be rearranged due to the fixture date being changed at late notice. As a result, we were due to see Portsmouth vs Blackpool in April 2020, but we all know what happened next as the world experienced a pause button moment, and so it came to pass that Portsmouth vs Bolton, at the end of October 2021, became our actual 'football away day'...
In the latest round of internationals, we found two former Chelsea men- Fikayo Tomori, now of AC Milan, & Tammy Abraham, who's joined former Blues manager José Mourinho & former Manchester United man Chris Smalling at Roma, named in the England squad. In light of this, it’s time to evoke the spirit of the late great Football Italia in celebration of those who've made similar moves to the aptly boot-shaped country from our shores!
With so much football to keep us occupied, the average fan doesn't tend to look too far ahead, and so it may have escaped your attention that Canada will be joint hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, alongside their North American Football Union (NAFU) neighbours Mexico and the United States. Les Rouges are not historically renowned for their footballing prowess, having only previously qualified for a solitary World Cup, in 1986, but, this may be about to change thanks to the influence of a man from County Durham.
In the last year, we have seen Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan and Lille win their respective league titles. A constant between all three was the way in which they won their titles. All three sides played with a defensive first approach leading to consistent and controlled victories throughout the season.