False Nine writer Ethan Meade forecasts greater challenges from Eastern Europe and Paris in elite European competition…
Upon his election as President of UEFA, Michel Platini made it an express concern to diffuse European power away from solely in the hands of the traditional powerhouses. He had numerous plans to do this, ranging from changing the format of Champions League qualification, to the often mentioned, but seldom properly understood, Financial Fair Play rules. Continue reading
False Nine editor James Dutton dissects another controversial weekend in the Barclay’s Premier League and its implications on the wider world…
Rio Ferdinand is conspicuous without the ‘One Game, One Community’ logo t-shirt
An issue that had lay dormant in English football since the mid-1980s has reared its ugly head in the last twelve months, causing the game’s governing body to seemingly lurch from one crisis to another. It just won’t go away. Continue reading
Genclerbirligi’s club crest
The False Nine‘s Turkish Correspondent Paddy Spicer Ward writes a personal love-letter to Turkish football and the capital’s local side…
Many of you won’t have heard of Genclerbirligi, and I’m sure you would struggle to name a single player in their squad, or even know the colour of their kit. I know I couldn’t a few months ago, but a trip to watch my new local team in Ankara, Turkey, and I was hooked.
False Nine writer Matt Malone was at Hillsborough on Friday and gives his thoughts on the night’s worrying scenes…
In a week in which the FA has made some big accusations and called for serious action to be taken after the ugly scenes in Serbia, events at Hillsborough last night are a great example of the old adage that perhaps people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Continue reading
An electric atmosphere at Parken stadium is guaranteed this weekend
United by their location in the City of Leeds, False Nine editor Andrew Belt looks at two clubs looking ahead to a positive future after negotiating choppy waters over the past few years…
They collided on Friday 20th July. Two clubs meeting for the first time in a friendly that drew in a crowd of 2320. And despite a difficult few years for both teams hailing from the same borough, a warm, sunny evening complimented the mood around Throstle Nest as Leeds United took on Northern Premier League Division One North side, Farsley. Continue reading
After a series of man-management mishaps, it’s time for Giovanni Trapattoni to go quietly writes False Nine editor Hugo Greenhalgh…
Stubbornness appears to be a quality synonymous with great management. The master of this trait was probably the late Brian Clough. When asked how he handled players who disagreed with him, Clough famously replied, “We sit down for 20 minutes, talk about it and then decide I was right”. Continue reading