LSD, Alcohol and Football

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…

A Football Pioneer’s Unfashionable Opinions

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…

A Bizarre Kind of Smokescreen

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…

In Other News..

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…

Germany 0 England 2

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…

Croatia v England

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…

Confidence!

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….

Repeating Myself

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…

Arsenal 1897?

Well, that’s the theory. I’ve no evidence to back it up. If it is Arsenal, and it is 1897, not only is the film taken within 12 months of the invention of the entire technology, but it’s captured Arsenal’s horrid old ground at Plumstead. Here.

A Youtube Miscellany

First up, silly, patronising film by British Pathe showing England training for the 1970 World Cup. A wonderful Duncan Edwards tribute by Matt Busby and Wilf McGuinness. Blackburn Rovers v West Bromwich Albion. In 1898. West Ham v Manchester United – in 1912. (Update: now removed from the site. This is a great shame, as…