False Nine editor, Andrew Belt, assesses the front-runners of the Russian Premier League in the first of three 2012-13 review pieces of the campaign so far as the teams ease into the winter break…
Two weekends ago, the Russian Premier League broke up for the safety of warmth during winter as harsh weather comes to the country. Continue reading
The Valley – home of Charlton Athletic since 1919, despite a short hiatus between 1985-92
Making his False Nine debut, Fergus McWalters looks at the culture of ground-sharing and its implications across the football landscape…
Last weekend, my club Charlton Athletic celebrated the 20th anniversary of ending its exile from The Valley. Charlton played against Brighton and Hove Albion in a thrilling game that ended 2-2. Other than a mutual rivalry with Crystal Palace, Charlton and Brighton both share another thing in common; in their recent history, they had to leave their respective home grounds and share with other clubs. I am too young to remember Charlton’s exile, but the fact that it’s such an important part of the club’s history meant that I’ve learned all about it ever since I started watching Charlton all the way back in 1996. Continue reading
In the first offering of The False Nine‘s first exclusive interview, editor, Andrew Belt, speaks to experienced professional footballer, Guy Branston, about his career in the game and the formation of his exciting new footballer scouting website, All About Ballerz…
Guy Branston is not your usual interviewee. Bursting with enthusiasm for football, he can speak for hours on the sport but also listens to everything you have to say and answers everything honestly, giving you the utmost respect and attention throughout. Continue reading
Michel Platini courts controversy with every whimsical decision he makes.
In the wake of the controversy that surrounded UEFA’s decision to hold the European Championships of 2020 across the continent, The False Nine’s Joe Bookbinder, Hugo Greenhalgh and James Dutton discuss why it’s not such a bad idea after all…
Could anyone imagine the final of the European Championships taking place along the coast of the Caspian Sea, directly north of Iraq and north-east of Iran and Syria, in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku? As far-fetched, phantasmagorical and downright ludicrous as it may sound it could so easily have been reality – until the intervention of one man. A Frenchman. Continue reading
The False Nine’s Kyle Hulme takes a look at how Zdeněk Zeman, in his second stint as Roma manager, is captivating the hearts and minds of Italians up and down the country…
Zemanlandia has once again brought itself to the forefront of calcio discussions in the coffee shops and bars up and down lo stivale. Almost twenty years since Zdeněk Zeman first won over the fans in Italy when he transformed Foggia from a club in the depths of the Italian league structure to one fighting for Europe, he’s back with a bang as manager of AS Roma, and almost all football fans are glad to see him back – all except for the Juventini, that is. Continue reading
The False Nine’s Ethan Meade presents the case for expanding the Champions League to 64 teams…
Michel Platini’s announcement that UEFA were considering scrapping the Europa League and doubling the size of the Champions League was met with uproar from many corners, and perhaps understandably so. Many people have taken the view that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ – an understandable view given the year on year entertainment which the Champions League delivers. But delve deeper into the idea and there are a number of positives to an expanded Champions League. Continue reading
TFN’s Hugo Greenhalgh reflects on Thierry Henry’s perfect return to Arsenal and his FA Cup goal against Leeds United…
Arsène Wenger described it as “a dream”. Such was the romanticism of Thierry Henry’s goal against Leeds United, it really did seem too good to be true. In what had been a particularly drab FA Cup tie, it was the Premier League’s greatest ever showman that set it alight. The allure of football is built upon these magic moments and it summed up so much about one of the sport’s most intriguing stars.
Henry had made a tearful return to his former club the week before to unveil a bronze statue of his celebration against Tottenham. For a man who by his own admission does not show emotion, it was a remarkable sight seeing the Frenchman welling up. There was a sense that this was a different Henry that had returned from America, one who was now wearing his love for the club proudly on his sleeve.
The buzz in the Emirates that night was electric. Excitement grew around the stadium as news trickled through that Henry would be on the bench. Consequently, the events on the pitch merely seemed like a warm-up act until the star attraction was due on stage.
With the sides still locked at 0-0, Wenger called upon his former protégée to make the difference. This faith, as it had been so many times already, was to be rewarded once again. As ‘12’, Henry’s new number, was displayed on the Fourth Official’s board, the stadium was blinded by a wall of flashing cameras. The superstar, on the first night of his comeback tour, was ready to perform. Continue reading