On Tuesday evening I was present amongst the away fans at the Karaiskakis Stadium to witness Olympiakos versus Arsenal in the Champions League. Although the result wasn’t to end up matching my expectations, the experience as a whole was to more than make up for the disappointment.
Scott Parker is currently at the top of his game. The reigning Writers Player of the Year has cemented his place in England’s midfield and won Novembers Premier League player of the month. But what perhaps makes this even more impressive is that Harry Redknapp and Spurs paid just £5million for his services this summer. Shrewd business no doubt but is it the best (bargain) transfer in Premier League history? The below deals may have something to say about that…
We football aficionados just adore a slice of misty-eyed nostalgia occasionally. How wonderful it is to watch footage of – or simply think back to – a bygone era from time to time, when pitches were like mud baths, and the players were proper hard men, sporting jerseys with sewn-on badges and socks rolled down round their ankles.
It’s long been thought that Football is ahead of the curve when it comes to tackling racism. Whilst this is an idea that has been fuelled by those within the game, on the surface there does appear to be some truth in it.
Following what can reasonably be termed a successful campaign and yet another major tournament qualification, we can suggest that recent times have been England’s most successful spell. At least as far as reaching major finals goes (Euro 96 hosts, France 98, Belgium and Holland 2000, Japan and Korea 2002, Portugal 2004, Germany 2006, Switzerland 2008-ahem!, South Africa 2010). What then can we glean from this last campaign that could point to a performance at Euro 2012?