Book Review: Hard Men of Rugby by Luke Upton

I got given this book for Christmas, and have thoroughly enjoyed reading it since then. Luke Upton has chosen twenty of the tough sports' tough guys and they reflect the global nature of the game, and the changes it has undergone. There are old school hard men who played in amateur era, a wild west …

Book Review: On Unfamiliar Grounds by Mark Cowan

This is the second book by Cowan I've read, and like the first, this is concerned with football in the North East of England. But as the title suggests, Cowan is on his travels this time. While his previous book followed his local team Guisborough Town, this follows his journeys across 15 months in 2012-13. …

And the Fans Played On: Denmark Vs Wales

After Wales ran wild on Ireland on Thursday night (see here), it would have been easy to get carried away for the second Nations League match. I must admit I did daydream that it would be great if we got back-to-back wins, putting us in a commanding position. But it wouldn't be an easy match, …

Irish Eyes Aren’t Smiling: Wales vs Republic of Ireland

It's been a pretty crappy week for me. Work has been rough, I've been crabby and WoM and I have both been snappy with each other. I thought for sure that the Universe would seize on this opportunity to kick me while I was down. That Wales' first match in the new Nations League would …

Who I’m Supporting at Russia 2018

Later on today the Russia 2018 World Cup begins, and as Wales failed to qualify, I have to pick a foreign country to root for. Luckily, I've had lots of practice as Wales' 2016 campaign is the only one I've really had skin in the game for, and it broke me. So, the question is, out …

Book Review: The Binman Chronicles by Neville Southall

Everton and Wales goalkeeping legend Neville Southall's career was winding down when I started watching football. I can remember him doing a decent job for an uninspiring Everton side and playing for Wales quite a few times. But it would only be later that I came to appreciate how successful his career between the posts …

Book Review: The Beautiful Dream by Ralf Haley

I found myself identifying a lot with Ralf Haley. Like him I was a kid who loved football and who dreamed of being a professional. And like him, I was nowhere near good enough. It's a dream billions of kids have across the world, with only a relatively small number of them achieving it. I …

Book Review: Football’s Strangest Matches by Andrew Ward

Cliche tells us that football is a "funny old game" and there are plenty of odd occurences, strange coincidences and memorable moments throughout it's history. This book decides to collect several of these oddities. While the book is diverting enough and there are some interesting tales it fell far short of my expectations. The problem …

Book Review: The Football Neutral: Season 2014/15 by Jim Smallman

One of my favourite books that I read last year was Jim Smallman's first Football Neutral. This is the second season as Smallman continues his travels to various clubs. A stand up comic, Smallman decided that attending football matches on Saturdays instead of wasting time in cafes, and blogged about them, the results being collected here. …

Book Review: Commitment by Didier Drogba

Cards on the table time, I'm not a massive Didier Drogba fan. This is probably because despite being a skilled footballer I felt he was too prone to diving and he played for Chelsea during an era when I severely disliked the team (mainly because of the tag team of tools that was Ashley Cole …