Football Ethics
- Details
- Written by Darren Douglas
This may be sneered at by virtue of combining football and ethics in the same sentence, but the beautiful game is still beautiful, if a little bloated in its older age.
Thursday, May 01, 2025
The Latest Football News and Opinions From 90 Minutes Online
I'm an egotistical footballer, get me outta here!
- Details
- Written by The Rome
I wanted to come up with a better headline than that, but N'Zogbia doesn't exactly lend itself to quirky puns. It is the French winger’s unusual name however, that has ignited a war of words in what is one of the bizzarest and most transparent attempts to desert a club yet.
Despite signing a 5 year deal at Newcastle Utd in September 2007, Charles N'Zogbia has made it no secret for the last year that he is keen to ply his trade elsewhere. The first rumblings of discontent came a year ago after Kevin Keegan took the reigns. In a typical defensively minded Keegan-esque move, winger N'Zogbia found himself being played out of position at left back and he made his feelings of displeasure clear to his new boss who stated last February that "We'll look at it in the summer as the signs are he is not happy here."
English Premier League review - No nads & rubbery lips
- Details
- Written by The Rome
A full round of Premier League fixtures took place mid-week and the televised Tuesday game saw the mighty Villa take on a Portsmouth side hopelessly waning under the stewardship of wannabe intellectual Tony Adams. On these pages I have sung the praise of the debuting Heskey and mercilessly slaughtered the managerial nous of mule boy, so naturally I was concerned that an Emile own goal would put the gloss on a Pompey landslide victory, achieved by some tactical innovation from Mr. Introspective.
I needn't have worried. In a role reversal of what I hope to see regularly, Agbonlahor flicked it on for Heskey, who spun a lazy Campbell to thump it past David James. Villa rode their luck again and never really got motoring, but it was a strong defensive display and despite having much of the ball, Portsmouth rarely looked incisive. Crouch showed his true pedigree by ballooning Pompey’s best chance over the bar from about 4 yards out, so Martin O'Neill’s men held on to record their 6th successive away win and keep the unbeaten streak alive.
German Bundesliga half-term report
- Details
- Written by Darren Douglas
It is currently the winter break for the German Bundesliga, and what better time to review the season thus far. You only need to take a look at the table to realise that this season's competition is not running absolutely to type. The team that currently occupies the top spot is the previously unheralded and relatively unknown (TSG) 1899 Hoffenheim.
The death of the Hard Man
- Details
- Written by Fraser Ball
Over a pint in my local recently the conversation turned to the so called “hard man,” John Terry, and his tears after missing a penalty in the Champions League final. It got me thinking about the days when men were men and the role of the enforcer in a football team was as important as the goal scorer.
In times gone by these characters were commonplace, but now I fear the days of the hard man are over. With players in the top flight so valuable and highly paid maybe they are gone forever. It’s a damn shame.
How entertaining would it be to see Cristiano Ronaldo step-overing his way into a two-footed tackle by Stuart Pearce? Or Frank Lampard catching a Norman Hunter left hook?