One of the perks of being a referee years ago was that you had the opportunity of being a steward at Wembley Stadium for the big matches. There was no remuneration apart from a packed lunch. However, when you had …
Once again I am prompted to return to what the law book describes as ‘attempting to deceive the referee by feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled,’ which normally gets referred to as diving. This is not by the …
Diving must be stopped says Sepp Blatter – but is it that easy? Read more »
Brendan Rogers has progressed well since his painfully short term as Reading Manager and is now manager of Liverpool of course. I was disappointed however to hear his comments on the Liverpool game against ManchesterCity. I agree with him that …
Players’ mistakes can cost games so why always blame the referee? Read more »
The League Cup seems to be well down the pecking order when it comes to clubs’ priorities and for television companies these days. In its present metamorphosis as the Capital One Cup, for most viewers it only warrants a late …
Did Lloris need to scramble to save goal from drop ball? Read more »
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the anniversary of the founding of the Football Association and with it the Rules of Association Football, which happened one hundred and fifty years ago. There is another anniversary of an event …
For many years, Michel Platini, the renowned French ex-footballer, was the right-hand man of Fifa President Sepp Blatter. In fact many regarded him as the ‘power behind the throne’. Certainly, he seemed to be the one that Blatter turned to …
Can Platini introduce the sin bin into football? Read more »
One hundred and fifty years ago this week, 8th December 1863, a meeting of ex public schoolboys, representing a dozen London and suburban football clubs, took place in a pub, the Freemasons Arms in Great-queen Street, London. They met to …
Reading Prison closed its doors to wrongdoers for the last time last Friday, after 170 years. It was made famous of course, by Oscar Wilde and his Ballad of Reading Gaol. In its later years it became a young offenders …
For many years now there have been calls to use technology in football in order to get better decisions. When most people talk about technology they automatically think of goal line technology, which has finally arrived in the Premier League …
A very unusual incident happened at the Reading v Queens Park Rangers match at the Madejski Stadium last Saturday and was one which I know bemused many spectators. There was a free kick awarded to Reading outside their opponent’s penalty …
Players don’t always have to leave the pitch after injury treatment Read more »
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