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I would hope that it wouldn't surprise any of our readership that I am not a Joey Barton fan. His
mock-philosophical guff makes me feel like vomiting, and the assumption that his opinions have more
validity than the rest of us just because he used to be violent and has now apparently reformed
makes my [.
AVB craziness Last time Chelsea had a Portuguese manager there was usually a whirlwind of
conspiracy theories and paranoia swirling around. But with Jose Mourinho at the helm it was usually
created for the benefit of the club. Under Andre Villas Boas it seems the manager himself is the
biggest victim.
The law that rules that players must be cautioned for taking their shirts off is much-debated. Why
should you not remove your shirt, is that big a deal? But the players know the rules, so why should
we feel sympathy for them? The rule regarding entering the crowd to celebrate is easier to
understand, because [.
It's no secret that the road to success in professional football is a long one. And even then, it's
never easy. But the undeniable fact is that this modern age of football often expects management to
perform master strokes, such as win trophies in their first and only year in charge. Consider the
Spanish League, [.
It's no secret that the road to success in professional football is a long one. And even then, it's
never easy. But the undeniable fact is that this modern age of football often expects management to
perform master strokes, such as win trophies in their first and only year in charge. Consider the
Spanish League, [.
Sunderland set to gain a Brucey bonus? We live at a time in which constant improvements are deemed
necessities. More reliable cars, faster computers, cheaper travel. And football, as with so many of
our national traits, displays these demands palpably. After promotion we expect survival. After
survival consolidation.
Sunderland set to gain a Brucey bonus? We live at a time in which constant improvements are deemed
necessities. More reliable cars, faster computers, cheaper travel. And football, as with so many of
our national traits, displays these demands palpably. After promotion we expect survival. After
survival consolidation.
It's written in the stars... We are regularly told that the Premier League is the most
unpredictable league in the world, but is that really true? Because through a weekend of watching
golf on the sofa, I think I've got it nailed. P.S. It can't be biased if you have a go at everyone.
August [...]
Tis the season to hear bullsh*t The transfer window is again upon us. To the non-connoisseurs out
there, this means that you will have two and a half months with pretty much nothing happening other
than tabloid paper talk equating to guesswork. There will then be a period of two weeks where the
whole of [.
Yeah, right FIFA President Sepp Blatter has bowed to pressure and announced a range of sweeping
reforms he is confident will placate the beautiful game's stakeholders around the world. "For the
first time we will introduce goal mouth technology," he stated. "Special cameras will be positioned
to determine whether cocktail olives in fact enter the [.
Midfielder's withdrawal puts club before country On Monday it was finally announced that Jack
Wilshere would not be travelling with Stuart Pearce and his Under 21 squad for the European
Championships in Denmark, ending days of argument and counter-argument about his potential
involvement over the summer.
The second of our 'flops' feature 10. Heurelho Gomes The ultimate Jekyll and Hyde goalkeeper. No
one has given away or saved more penalties than him this season in the Premier League, and Gomes is
now second only to Rob Green in goalkeepers whose errors have been directly responsible for the
conceding of a goal.
A great football career in acknowledgments Thank you for being the greatest goal scorer in my
lifetime. Zidane may have had more grace and compsure in the nineties, but Ronaldo had the finish.
247 goals in 343 league games from a man who was plagued by knee injuries from the age of 20
onwards. 62 [..
Is he going to be sacked again? Richard Keys doesn't make it easy for himself doe he? The
broadcaster will go into Talksport tomorrow for his first day at work having to answer some
seriously awkward questions, after footage from A Sky test channel emerged. In the video, Richard
Keys referred to as ex-international and [.
Is a small island mentality restricting our coaches? The following blog was written before the
sacking of Steve McClaren from Wolfsburg. Its points, however, are still valid. Thinking outside
the box the key to success of English managers He was the tabloid-labelled ‘Wally with the
Brolly'. After an ignominious exit from England, Steve McClaren was a [.
Sticks and stones will break my bones As you may have read, yesterday OTP rather wound up Monsieur
Savage by suggesting that he may be out of touch with some of the working class fans that pay to
watch him at Pride Park. It is time to admit that I, Daniel Storey, then took upon [...]
Round 2. Fight. OTP, and me in particular, has history with Robbie Savage. He has previously made
it clear that we are not his favourite football blog site. But Robbie wants to let us all know that
he is still in touch with football fans nationwide. He knows that we toil away through the week,
[...]
Did we mention it was exclusive? Internazionale will confirm Gareth Hale's growing reputation as
the most sought-after ex-TV comedian with a £40m bid in the summer, the most that has ever been
offered for a comic of his age and experience. The move, if successful, would shatter the transfer
record for a British comedian and [.
Time for a change in managers' contracts? Rafa Benitez's record at Inter Milan does not make for
pleasant reading. In 39 games either side of his term, the club lost just three games. In his reign
of 23 games, they lost seven times. The Spaniard was forced out of the club, presumably with hurt
pride.
Scot has worked wonders on the tightest of budgets It has been a busy old season in the
Championship. Before football had even started, six managers were starting their career with new
clubs. Incredibly, since August ten more managers have left clubs, from the Steve Coppell debacle
at Bristol City to Sheffield United having three [.
Continuing our Guest Post January feature, please extend a warm OTP welcome to Ibracadabra of Never
Captain Nicky Butt. I often wonder to myself if there are others like me out there. Others so in
love with footy that it is their number 1 hobby/passion outside of (or including) their work and
family.
Theo 'fesses up Theo Walcott's admission that he dived to try and win a penalty will sadly take the
shine off Arsenal's heroic draw against financially crippled Championship side Leeds United. For
us, Theo's post-match interview was as unnecessary as waxing your pecs – sure you get something
off your chest, but your left with [.
OTP's new least favourite Prem manager We have a confession to make. OTP discovered this morning
that it has a severe disliking of Blackburn Rovers caretaker manager Steve Kean. The suspicions
that we weren't his biggest fans were already there, but the lightbulb moment came when we read
that he is planning a one-to-one meeting [.
Happy New Year, OTP fans. As a treat for the start of 2011, we are going to be featuring guest
posts from various writers throughout the month in a feature we've imaginatively entitled Guest
Post January. First up is Eric Beard from AFootballReport. As has been the case for the better part
of the 21st [.
Happy New Year, OTP fans. As a treat for the start of 2011, we are going to be featuring guest
posts from various writers throughout the month in a feature we've imaginatively entitled Guest
Post January. First up is Eric Beard from AFootballReport. As has been the case for the better part
of the 21st [.
