Category: Uncategorized

Clive Davis: Assuming Martin O’Neill is tied into his contract, is this the moment to start a Bring Back Graham Taylor campaign? No, and I think last night’s result slightly more complicated than that. And perhaps it really is time now for a few minutes’ reflective silence from the press. They got what they wanted…

The build-up to tonight’s match is increasingly centred on the “hostile reception” England can expect from the Croatian fans – including, perhaps, racism. I wonder. Over the summer there were a number of stories emanating from a country far more dead set against les rosbifs… and this brave man set out in full regalia to…

Alcohol and football have been cellmates in this country for as long as anyone can remember. Although we hear more nowadays about “drugs” and footballers, my personal suspicion is that drink is and will continue to be the footballer’s tipple of choice. The side-effect, of course, has been the loss of many great players to…

Herbert Chapman’s still remembered as one of the game’s great innovators, an original without parallel in English football. Here’s a short list of just some of his ideas, few of which took root in his own time: Floodlighting (actually, floodlighting was pioneered in England in 1878, but wasn’t persisted with: Chapman encountered it whilst on…

The sheer wilful perversity of the British football press is something Henry Winter would normally excuse himself from, but he makes up for lost time today: Yesterday in training, when the Maksimir’s forbidding gates were closed to onlookers, McClaren again put his players through their 3-5-2 paces. The head coach will look at the unpopular…

Steve McClaren demands England passion. The story was emailed to me with the following comment appended: Well, you wouldn’t want a team consisting of players, with, say, skill now would you? Arrgggghhhh! It’s been said elsewhere that McClaren’s words indicate his intention to grind out a draw (if you’ve read my preview, you’ll know I…

I notice that one of the sites with the kindness and patience to link here refers to MTMG as a contrarian blog. What follows might be why. Sven Goran Erickson must be quietly enjoying some parts of England’s immediate post-him fate. First, the success of Hargreaves and Crouch – then the failure to solve the…

Despite what I said in the wake of that awful match against Macedonia, I’m feeling extremely cheerful about Croatia. My gut feelings have been 100% reliable for a while now – since calling the Portugal quarter-final correctly – and my gut feeling is that Croatia’s home unbeaten record isn’t going to last into Thursday. I…

There are a number of words you come across in psychotherapy that are a complete nuisance, because although they are in common use, they are for practical purposes meaningless yet you are obliged to lock arms with them. “Addiction”, for example, a word used to relate whole slews of frankly unrelated forms of compulsive behaviour….

I’m going to – repeat myself, that is – for as long as is necessary. This from today’s Guardian: 3. Psychology Glenn Hoddle had Eileen Drewery and McClaren has Bill Beswick. The former national basketball coach and highly qualified sports psychologist worked with him at Derby, Manchester United and Middlesbrough. Beswick’s key themes are taking…