About Paddy Spicer Ward

Growing up in Liverpool, as any other Scouser will tell you, readies you for a life surrounded by football, and my childhood was no different. Hailing from the ‘Red’ side of Merseyside, I study International Development at University of Leeds, but am currently living in Ankara, Turkey, on my year abroad. I spend a lot of time losing accumulators and playing Football Manager. I’m the bloke you see in early September peeling after a summer of constant sunburn. I also have soft spots for Genclerbirligi and Celtic, the latter thanks to my Glaswegian uncle and his Celtic Supporters club in Liverpool. The former you are likely to have never heard of, but are my local team in Ankara, check them out. Egg chasing I support Salford Reds and Lancashire in the gentlemen’s game. I sort of speak Turkish. Teşekkürler.

Valencia: The Welcome Return of Los Che

Paddy Spicer Ward looks at Valencia’s promising start in La Liga and whether they can relive past glories…

Valencia’s start to their La Liga campaign this year is not dissimilar to that made by Liverpool and Roma last season. Unfancied former giants in their respective leagues, Valencia will hope their season pans out more like that of their fellow countrymen Atlético, rather than falling at the end of marathon seasons as Roma and Liverpool did.

The youthful Los Che side have come flying out of the blocks, sitting just two points behind Barcelona, with an unexpected 3-0 loss away to Deportivo at La Riazor pencilled in alongside six wins and two draws. The lack of European football is no doubt helping the men from Spain’s third largest city, allowing more time working on tactics to nullify the opposition and gel together their new look squad.

This summer saw no less than 20 players depart from the newly revamped Mestalla, and it was not simply a case of trimming the squad, as there were 14 incomers as well. Most remarkably is that most of the 20 who departed were the mainstay of Valencia’s starting XI last season, with Juan Bernat and Jeremy Mathieu being the most high profile exits.;Victor Ruiz, Jonas, Andres Guardado, Eduardo Vargas and Phillipe Senderos a number of other notable changes. The change saw players with an average age of around 27 leave, with the incomers much younger at 23.

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The TFN Writers Awards: 2012-13

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The False Nine team respond to the results of the 2013 PFA Awards with their own picks for Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Manager of the Year…

Continuing on in his quest to become Wales’ answer to Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale was last night crowned as Player’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year at the 2013 PFA Awards at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. His double win follows in the footsteps of Ronaldo who achieved the same feat in 2007.

While the main prize of the PFA Awards is voted for by the players of the Premier League, here at TFN we didn’t want to miss out on the fun and so have taken upon ourselves to put forward our own picks for Player, Young Player and Manager of the Year. Continue reading

Going, Götze, Gone

Mario Goetze

It’s the football transfer that has shocked the world. Paddy Spicer Ward laments the departure of Mario Götze to FC Hollywood…

I have become somewhat disillusioned by the world of modern football. I am referring to the announcement that Mario Götze is to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer and join Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich.

The move by Munich to trigger Götze’s minimum fee release clause of €37m will make him the most expensive German footballer ever. I am however really trying to find a logical reason for Götze to want to leave Dortmund, that isn’t motivated my money. I can’t find one, and this has started to trouble me.  Continue reading

Hypothetical XI #10 – The Premier League in Turkey

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Paddy Spicer Ward offers up an XI of footballers currently in Turkey, who have also played in England…

This team has a number of players that have headed East during the twilight of their careers – no doubt attracted by the stacks of cash – but in the same way it oozes with experience. Along with their Premier League experience, a number have competed at the highest level, played in Champions League finals and even the World Cup Final. Whilst the line up may lack that yard of pace, the old heads in the team and wealth of experience will provide a match for anyone. Continue reading

A Love Affair with Genclerbirligi

 

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.

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