“Brantastic!” – Guy Branston Interview Part 2

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Andrew Belt

In the second and final part of The False Nine’s exclusive interview with on-loan Bristol Rovers defender, Guy Branston, editor, Andrew Belt, gives space to Guy’s thoughts on a number of aspects of the modern game…

Around a fortnight ago, I spoke on the phone to Guy Branston for TFN’s first exclusive interview. Anticipating a limited time with the footballer and All About Ballerz businessman, I was instead afforded close to an hour and a half with Branston and found the chat entertaining and revealing from a football point of view.

Continue reading →

Poyet Project paying off at Brighton

Posted on December 23, 2012 by The False Nine

False Nine’s Tom Straker on the importance of patience in football and why sticking with Gus Poyet is the way forwards for Brighton…

Conventional wisdom is hard to come by in the divergent world of football opinions. If there’s one thing that fans of all spots and stripes generally agree on, though, it’s that managers are, too often, dispatched hastily. Loyalty, continuity and patience will – so this wisdom dictates – result in Ferguson-like success. Continue reading →

Long Live Boxing Day Football

Posted on December 22, 2012 by The False Nine

As the popular adage goes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. False Nine debutant writer, Joe Power looks at the history behind this most English of footballing traditions…

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to see [insert team here] win away. Hey! Continue reading →

Obscure Footballer of the Week #3: Josemi

Posted on December 21, 2012 by James Dutton

Obscure Footballer of the Week returns, catching James Dutton’s eye this week is Rafael Benitez’s first signing in English football. Take a bow, Josemi…

Liverpool. Istanbul. 2005.

Three words that conjure up such emotive images amongst Liverpool fans. Continue reading →

The Mystery of Andrei Arshavin

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Hugo Greenhalgh

False Nine editor Hugo Greenhalgh reflects on the Russian star’s troubled career at Arsenal…

An interesting bit of trivia emerged just before Arsenal’s Capital One Cup Quarter Final away at Bradford. If a certain player had travelled to Yorkshire that night, he would be returning to the site of his professional debut. Continue reading →

Leeds United v Chelsea Preview: Middle Eastern Promise Realised at Leeds

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Andrew Belt

Ahead of tonight’s eagerly-awaited cup clash between Leeds United and Chelsea, False Nine editor, Andrew Belt, assesses the mood of the Leeds camp and looks forward to a game full of historical meaning…

With all the furore concerning the mad house at Chelsea and the callous sacking of Roberto di Matteo coupled with Rafa Benitez’s dubious decision to take the reins of England’s most volatile football club, news of a more positive nature struggled to make itself heard. Continue reading →

Stevenage Remembers Mitchell Cole

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Andrew Belt

False Nine editor, Andrew Belt, visits Stevenage and finds a club mourning the premature death of one of their former stars…

The club flag was at half-mast.

Every Stevenage player wore a T-shirt with ‘Mitchell 21’ on it.

A minute’s silence was impeccably observed before the game.

A suitably subdued atmosphere greeted Stevenage’s home game versus Crawley Town last Saturday as the Boro bid farewell to their former player. Continue reading →

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Monthly Archives: December 2012