“The best invention ever”, were the words used by Leyton Orient chairman, Barry Hearn, to describe the play-offs. Quite a statement, considering his comments came in the wake of his team’s defeat to Blackpool in the third division play-off final in 2001. Indeed, since its inception, over 100 clubs have competed in over 400 play-off […]
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When Gianfranco Zola arrived in England he had the hopes of a nation resting on his shoulders. The previous – and only – Italian to play in the Premier League was Nottingham Forest’s unfortunate Andrea Silenzi, a lumbering injury-prone centre forward with a first touch like a harpoon and the acceleration of a slug in […]
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Back in 1996, Kevin Keegan’s title chasing Newcastle United dubbed ‘The Entertainers’ travelled the Maine Road to face a relegation threatened Manchester City side. Most gamblers would have had this down as a banker away win for the Magpies but Alan Ball’s Sky Blues put in a performance that defied their low league position. This […]
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After coming through the youth team system at Crystal Palace it wasn’t long before this young Eagle was making his league debut against Reading aged just 19. The defender soon established himself as a first team regular in the late 80’s before going on to make 207 appearances for the Eagles. During his time at […]
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Did you grow up watching Gazzetta Football Italia, Saint & Grievsie and Football Fantasy League with Skinner and Baddiel? If so, then this is the quiz for you. You’ve got 12 minutes to match up 100 footballers from the 1990’s based on the team they played for and the nationality they represented. Test your 90’s […]
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Just 102 players across the four biggest leagues in Europe (England, Spain, Italy and Germany) managed to bag 20+ goals in a season during the 90’s. How many can you name? Take the test here
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Back in 1994, former Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle managed his Chelsea side to victory over his former club in dramatic fashion at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham Hotspur took an early 2-0 lead after just 18 minutes courtesy of goals from Steve Sedgley and Jason Dozzell but the Blues fought back with goals from Mal Donaghy, Mark […]
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25 years ago today Sir Alex Ferguson’s red devils landed in hell when they met Kevin Keegan’s entertainers at St James Park. Top of the table Newcastle United we’re simply too hot to handle that day for the reds and the Toon won the battle 5-0 to go eight points clear of United. They eventually […]
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In Germany, his nickname was ‘flipper’ which is translated in deutsch is pinball machine due to his quick feet and boundless energy on the pitch. When he arrived in England, the tabloid newspapers labelled him ‘Der Dive Bomber’ for his reputation for being theatrical under a challenge but it wasn’t long before he won over […]
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The first season of English football’s Premier League kicked off on Saturday 15 August 1992, with two amazing games, the first Norwich City beating Arsenal 4-2 away at Highbury, with Mark Robins scoring two goals after trailing two-nil at half-time. Then at Selhurst Park, when Crystal Palace grabbed a last-minute equaliser from Simon Osborn to […]
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