Emma Hayes is setting standards on the Chelsea touchline and in the media. Get well soon…
Everybody loves Emma Hayes, but few people love her more than Johnny Nic. Here’s his tribute as the Chelsea boss takes time away from the touchline…
Everybody Loves
‘Posh’ Patrick Bamford proves there is a different route to the top…
Patrick Bamford is not your average footballer. And Johnny Nic is here to celebrate England’s latest call-up…
Rooting for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: the good egg living his dream
Whether he is up to the job or he isn’t, Johnny Nic reckons we can all get behind a decent guy like Ole…
Sutton United are sweet like amber and chocolate…
Sutton United are the focus of this week’s ‘What’s so good about…?” because we are all about the clicks…
Let’s embrace The Gareth Way before Southgate-mania wanes
Johnny Nic ponders what’s so great about Gareth all the while recognising that Southgate-mania will one day wane…
Micah Richards: the glorious, howling antidote to modern life
Any man who can mellow Keane while bringing sunshine into all our lives is alright by Johnny…
N’Golo Kante is the smiling clairvoyant with two hearts
This week we pay tribute to N’Golo Kante – the only Chelsea player that everybody loves.
Alan Smith: Loved in Manchester; forgiven in Leeds?
Johnny Nic remembers the homegrown Loiner who swapped Leeds for Man Utd.
Veni, vidi, Vidic: Hail, Nemanja – the last of the double-hard b*stards…
Nemanja Vidic was always ready for war. Actual f***ing war. Johnny Nic eulogises over Man Utd’s former skipper…
Even Roy Keane loves Patrick Vieira these days…
His battles with his Manchester United counterpart are only part of Patrick Vieira’s legacy. A proper player.
Everybody beyond Barcelona loves Luis Figo for a reason…
Don’t think it’s wrong to feel a twinge. Look at him, the supremely talented, impossibly handsome b*stard…
Safehands Seaman, England’s No.1 and the bloke next door
An unflappable presence in England and Arsenal’s goal for around 427 years, Davey Shovelhands receives some Johnny love…
All hail Fabio Cannavaro, too short and handsome to be THAT good
You have to be bloody good to win the Ballon d’Or as a defender. Canny Fabio is one of only three to pull it off…
Why is Samuel Eto’o so under-appreciated on these shores?
Johnny Nic raves about one of the century’s most-deadly hitmen Samuel Eto’o. Someone here has to…
Forget the penalty, Roberto Baggio was divine…
Roberto Baggio was one of the greatest footballers of all time. Just bathe in his brilliance…
Edwin van der Sar might just have been the perfect keeper
EVDS was serenity personified and the ideal replacement for Schmeichel at Man United, just a few years too late.
Super Kev: the red-hot journeyman Little to Quinny’s Large
Johnny Nic can’t fathom why a big club never took a punt on Kevin Phillips. But that makes Super Kev more endearing…
Ruud Gullit was a dreadlocked magician whose legacy grows
Ruud Gullit was crucial in helping challenge perceptions at a delicate time in football.
Van Basten would have shattered records without injuries
MVB achieved a ludicrous amount in a relatively short career. The Dutchman was a distant, exotic, orange superstar.
No-one did it quite as well, nor as joyously, as Ally McCoist
McCoist was a phenomenal and underrated striker. But primarily, he enjoys himself and brings a smile to the occasion.
Robin van Persie was capable of brilliance and petulance
Does everybody love Van Persie? Arsenal fans would disagree. But most would appreciate his childish excellence.
Johan Cruyff: The man who enacted football’s greatest moment
Johan Cruyff was a revolutionary as a player and a manager, the man who delivered football’s greatest moment.
Neuer: The quadopus who changed how the game was played
Not many footballers can claim to have transformed an entire position with their playing style. Our Manny can.
Everybody loves… Hristo Stoichkov, the devilish Christ on earth
“There are only two Christs. One plays for Barcelona, the other is in heaven.” Stoijkov’s genius – and ego – was God-given…
Alan Shearer is a pillar of our footballing existence
Alan Shearer was brilliant. Alan Shearer is down to earth. Alan Shearer was the beating Geordie heart of Newcastle.
Alves is the action hero who redefined an entire position
We are holding out for the action hero franchise but Dani Alves as a player wasn’t too bad either.
Robbie Keane was an under-appreciated Emerald genius
Robbie Keane supported Everybody Loves since he was a young boy so this is a dream come true for him.
David Batty is the last person who would read this article
David Batty remains one of English football’s enigmas. And one thing is for sure: he won’t read this.
Son is brilliant *and* won’t ever be caught at a sex party
Johnny is a little bit in love with the low-maintenance excellence of Spurs machine Heung-min Son.
The unearthly Erling Haaland will surely go to the top
Haaland is not normal. He looks more like a shapeshifter than a footballer and is wonderfully unconventional.