This is England and it’s ripe for Ronaldo nostalgia
Reality is messy, with too much detail, nuance and complexity. England needed the robot Ronaldo.
John Nicholson
Do Premier League clubs want a Fair Game?
Fair Game is being launched this week and Johnny is more than happy to show his support…
A proper European Super League can be the change we all need
We need profound change and we need it as soon as it can happen. The European Super League could be that.
The transfer window has become a sport for a noisy minority
Ah, the transfer window. Who wins? Who loses? Who cares? Well, we do because we have to. But Johnny doesn’t.
Man Utd need the old Roy Keane more than Ronaldo…
Signing Ronaldo is surely more about social media traction than actual football. Is that okay?
Of course anti-vaxxers have spread to paranoia of football
In a sport dominated by paranoia and conspiracy theories those suspicious of the vaccine were always going to spread.
Thicker and blurred lines are just the start of VAR’s demise
The offside lines are thicker. The lines between what was a foul and what is now are blurred. VAR is creeping away.
Fingers crossed Morrison does not unravel again at Derby
Ravel Morrison has had a second, third, fourth and fifth chance. The chaos at Derby might actually suit him.
Everything is not awesome; football needs objective media
Who holds football clubs to account when they control their own media? John Nicholson is angry.
The only thing poor about Lukaku now are those lazy critics
Romelu Lukaku is back in the Premier League for people to focus on his physicality and use him as a target man.
Football is now full of Winston Bogardes; it’s all gone t*ts up
Football clubs are paying millions to players they don’t want or need. It really has gone very wrong.
A new season brings hope, possibilities and structure
The break seems shorter each time but football is back to give us structure, hope and constant content nourishment.
We need Jack Grealish and his throwback charm more than ever
Johnny Nic wonders whether Jack Grealish will fit in at City. He only worries because he is in love.
Abolishing transfer fees could help fix a broken game
Free transfers, loans and a wage cap is how it should be across the board in Europe. Johnny is adamant.
Vieira is just the latest ‘Lampard’ appointment…
Patrick Vieira had got the Crystal Palace job because of his playing career. It’s a curious thing.
Summer? Pre-season? There is proper football out there…
Hibs and Celtic are already knee-deep in football v teams from Andorra and elsewhere. This is great.
England can be proud of summer spent crushing hate with love
Johnny Nic despaired at first. But on reflection he thinks the majority of England fans can hold their heads high.
Should we try to ‘get’ England tw*ts or just batter them?
We can talk economics and gender politics but maybe tw*ts are just always going to be tw*ts.
England at Euro 2020: What have we learned?
From the fans, from the players, from Gareth Southgate; what have we learned from Euro 2020?
Harry Kane is as timeless as his purple patch is endless
Some players seem born to it but Harry Kane has achieved brilliance through pure hard work and dedication.
Who could replace Southgate? Dyche? Lampard?
There is no obvious candidate to replace Gareth Southgate so get used to his liberal stylings.
Gareth Southgate is evaporating England cynicism every day
History will judge Gareth Southgate as an important man; he is exactly what England needed.
Attackers win matches, Giorgio Chiellini wins you titles…
Johnny Nic casts his wandering eye towards Turin and ponders: What’s so great about Giorgio Chiellini?
England critics are just cowards afraid of being wrong
England cynicism is the default position of many but why not just enjoy this?
This England generation must ignore blizzard of bullsh*t
Some of us don’t indulge in the oh-no-it’s-the-Germans nonsense; this England side should rise above.
If you’re tired of England, you’re tired of football
Football might not be the sport for you if you expect England to thrill you for 90 minutes.
Foreigners have made our England players look better
Forget Gareth Southgate, these England players are simply not as good as foreigners made them look.
Water palaver as fictional Ronaldo hams it up for £4bn
Cristiano Ronaldo says water beats Coke, even if George Costanza knows that no way does wine beat Pepsi.
England don’t look like England and that’s brilliant
England played more like Germany than John Nicholson can ever remember as they controlled v Croatia.
Marxism? Booing the knee is about just one ism
People are not booing a peaceful gesture because of Marxism. And that means it can now never stop.