Football’s small pleasures: Handshake confusion
Will they be able to shake hands successfully without looking like massive idiots? We love the dance.
The Last Defender
The last Last Defender: Real football fans
Being working-class or a minority in 2017 is not much fun. Football might be all there is…
The Last Defender: Half-time shirt-swapping
It’s not the players who need to keep their shirts on here…it’s those who make a fuss.
The Last Defender: Touchline shenanigans
Grown men pushing and shoving because they play for clubs geographically close. What fun.
The Last Defender: Identikit stadiums
Grounds get their identity not from bricks or steel but from fans. And old buildings are sh*t.
The Last Defender: Cynical fouls
It is so patently cheating, and yet so obviously the smartest and most efficient thing to do…
The Last Defender: Bias in football
Was Martin Tyler biased? In that moment when he is getting excited about Wayne Rooney, then yes. But he was right.
The Last Defender: The prawn sandwich brigade
Most football simply isn’t exciting enough to shout yourself hoarse. Jose has to put on Rocky Horror, not Chekhov.
The Last Defender: Stupid shirt numbers
The age of 4-4-2 and even of regular starting XIs is gone. Why can’t a centre-half be No 11?
The Last Defender: Short-term managers
Some managers have made a career out of it. Southampton have proved it can be a long-term success.
The Last Defender: Midweek fixture traveling
Midweek fixtures can be a killer, but what else can the PL do? And do they even happen all that often?
The Last Defender: The terrors of goal music
Goal music is hated, but if we don’t let it bring the terraces together in love, love will tear us apart again.
The Last Defender: ‘The Premier League era’
There’s always somebody decrying records when they come with a caveat. But this is a useful caveat.
Promotion and relegation: Same as it ever was..
Would it surprise you to learn it was more common to Do a Leeds 40 years ago than it is now?