In search of the £45 million man: the dilemma at the heart of Manchester City’s problems this season

By Ben Stebbings @Stebbiino

Where is the real Yaya Toure, the one-time Manchester megalith who has become a catch-all scapegoat for City’s myriad of problems.

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Bye Bye Mackay: Malky’s time at Wigan will linger in the memory for all the wrong reasons

Apr7

Let Them Eat Goals

By Ben Stebbings @Stebbiino

Hiring Malky Mackay poisoned the well, but Wigan Athletic shouldn’t have to drink its contents for years to come.

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Nigel’s Fury: With one moment of lunacy has Pearson destroyed a hard-earned reputation?

Feb12

Let Them Eat Goals

By Ben Stebbings @Stebbiino

Will Nigel Pearson’s touchline tomfoolery permanently alter the footballing world’s perception of him? Moreover, should it? We delve into the potential repercussions of one moment of madness.

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Jon Arne Riise’s Top Five

Feb5

Let Them Eat Goals

By Ben Stebbings @Stebbiino

With sixteen year-old Norwegian wunderkind Martin Odegaard completing his protracted transfer to Real Madrid this week to either fulfill his undoubted potential or fade into obscurity (Freddy Adu long-ago taught us to temper our enthusiasms), we thought it apt to venture back into the career of one of his nation’s favourite sons. Yes, we know John Arne Riise hasn’t officially retired yet (he’s currently ripping up trees with APOEL in the Cypriot First Division) but the redheaded left-back has more than enough moments in his back catalogue to warrant a retrospective. Strap yourselves in as we release the kraken.

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Is Match of the Day as good as it has ever been?

Jan22

Let Them Eat Goals

By Ben Stebbings @Stebbiino

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Is England’s coaching system fundamentally flawed?

Jan21

Let Them Eat Goals

By Ben Stebbings @Stebbiino

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Ipswich Town (2000-2001)

Aug14

The Last of the Promohicans; The glorious rise and fall of Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town (2000-2001)

Cast your mind back to the turn of the millennium. A time when A1 and Craig David ruled the charts with an iron fist, Jimmy Saville was a live-and-kicking national treasure and Ipswich Town were mowing their way through the Premier League as though it were a plentiful wheat field. The Tractor Boys (as they’re affectionately known), managed by ‘Burly Burly’ George Burley and featuring a loyal band of never-better journeymen and deceptively promising youngsters, were perhaps the final example of an arguably extinct breed; the promoted team who has a genuine go for the Champions League spots, an underdog with no limit to their ambitions. It’s a type of team we’ve elected to call The Promohicans partly for their warrior spirit, but mostly for wordplay reasons and today we honour the last of them.