Monthly Archives: May 2016

Marcus Rashford to join ranks of England’s youngest-ever players

By Editor , 26th May 2016 at 11:34 AM (11v11 blog)

As Louis Van Gaal takes his leave of Old Trafford, the veteran Dutch coach will reflect on his legacy of the latest batch of young Red Devils graduating through to the senior team at Manchester United. The star pupil of the Class of ’16 is undoubtedly Marcus Rashford who can cap his meteoric rise by making his England debut this week. The Manchester-born striker made his United debut only three months ago and has made such an astounding impact that…

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England’s striking options at Euro 2016

By Editor , 24th May 2016 at 11:40 AM (11v11 blog)

We’ll soon know England’s final 23 ahead of this summer’s European Championships and it’s likely that one of Roy Hodgson’s initial strikers will fail to make the cut. With Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford in top form, Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge are returning to full fitness and it’s going to be a tough call. First choice Wayne Rooney may be England’s all-time leading goal scorer but it’s felt that Hodgson will follow Manchester United’s lead and play…

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Five divisions of 20 – Football League restructure proposal resurfaces

By Editor , 20th May 2016 at 7:03 PM (11v11 blog)

The Football League has released proposals that could see the domestic professional league system re-organised into five divisions of 20 teams from the start of the 2019-20 season. As if to prove there’s nothing new in the game, the same proposal was put forward back in the sixties and, half a century later, could the 100-club structure suffer the same fate? The 21st century version carries the title of a ‘Whole Game Solution’. It was in 1959 that Football League…

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Gareth Barry tops the starters menu

By Editor , 12th May 2016 at 4:00 PM (11v11 blog)

The sacking of Roberto Martinez brings a disappointing season towards an ignominious close at Everton but, amid the doom and gloom, there is a reason for a cheer around the Goodison Park ranks. Although the Toffees’ final away game of the 2015-16 campaign at Sunderland did mean they had won only one of their last ten league games, it was a notable occasion for veteran midfielder Gareth Barry as he became a new record breaker. It was the 35 year-old’s…

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Can Romania do a Greece at the Euro 2016?

By Editor , 12th May 2016 at 9:32 AM (11v11 blog)

We are a matter of weeks away from this summer’s festival of football in France. Squads are being finalised, sweepstakes are being organised at work, and wallcharts are being downloaded to be blue-tacked to walls and displayed on tablets. As well as your own team’s chances of progressing, it is also a good time to look out for other teams who may do well and surprise a few people in June - and even in July. Everyone remembers what Greece…

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The first 21st century player

By Editor , 10th May 2016 at 1:05 PM (11v11 blog)

The 2015-16 Football League season came to a close on Sunday (8 May 2016), and those of us whose youth is but a distant memory have been made to feel just a little bit older. Midfielder Callum Styles was selected on Bury's subs bench for the first time in their League One game against Southend United at the JD Stadium. He substituted Anthony Dudley in the 75th minute to become the first player born in the 21st century to appear…

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Nine yellow cards for Tottenham Hotspur against Chelsea

By Editor , 03rd May 2016 at 9:40 AM (11v11 blog)

Amid the euphoria of Leicester City’s magnificent and historical title success (needless to say, our heartiest congratulations to all concerned), new Premier League ground was also broken elsewhere on Monday night. In the title crunch game at Chelsea, nine yellow cards were shown to Tottenham Hotspur players; the first time in the competition’s history that nine different players from one team had been shown yellow. Considering the importance of the game, Cup Final referee Mark Clattenburg appeared to be in…

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