Scandinavian influence continues to become prominent in the world of football, from the exploits of Erling Haaland to new age data and its use in match preparation. We now struggle to look at the game as it once was, therefore, this piece will delve into the reasons why the northern tip of Europe has changed the footballing landscape in its own way.
Having not set foot inside a Football League ground in far too long, I will admit to being a little unsure as the travelling party of myself, my son (Jamie), Dad (Tony), brother (Simon) and brother in law (Grant) set off for the Broadfield Stadium in the early afternoon, ahead of taking in Crawley Town v Accrington Stanley.
As a disabled supporter, I can begrudgingly admit my mobility isn't what it was even given the constraints of a relatively mild form of cerebral palsy, in addition to a later ankle injury. And so a sizeable portion of the drive down from Haywards Heath via Portsmouth (thank you Mum/Dad and Simon) was spent wondering exactly what I'd let myself in for- after all, it had been a while since the awkward shuffle to and from a seat and that after the sometimes equally daunting squeeze through the turnstile...
Now that football coming home has been rubber-stamped by UEFA, and the UK and Ireland will co-host Euro 2028, it would seem the FAI's immediate priority is getting its house in order beforehand given the uncertainty around the future direction of both the men's and women's teams of the Republic…
With Chelsea's owners BlueCo having now stretched their financial muscle across the Channel and acquired Strasbourg FC, could it be that the new regime's involvement actually marks quite the ending to a good few years of fiscal struggle for Le Racing?
Every summer the talk and focus of the domestic football world shifts from what's happening on the pitch, to which player is moving where off of it. In 2023, some of the biggest, most attention-stealing deals have involved Englishman, with Jude Bellingham arriving at Real Madrid, Harry Kane getting to his point of no return with Spurs and Declan Rice moving across London to Arsenal. However, there's no avoiding the fact that the past few months have seen an interloper, an elephant in the room, yes I mean the Saudi Pro League (SPL).