Glory, glory! Red is the colour! Or maybe not.

Just what is it about a red shirt that gets glory seeking fans of non-local teams in such a lather? I ask this as a somewhat bewildered Scots observer of English football from an Irish perspective – if that doesn’t sound like codswallop. I’ll try to explain what I mean, but perhaps my point was […]

Way to go, Delio!

So farewell, Delio Rossi. After six months at the helm of my beloved Fiorentina, the frustration he, his players and all of us who shout for the Viola share, finally blew into violence when he took several swipes at insubordinate young forward Adem Ljajic in full view of the world. Today, he finds himself fired, […]

England is (still) not Britain

The arrogance of The English (formerly known as the England football team) and misguided opinion of their own importance continues to show it knows no boundaries or sense of perspective. Not only have they launched a new and expensive football kit when their popularity is at an all-time low, and even their most stupidly die-hard […]

There will always be an England… tat merchant

So there I was, working behind the counter in the Selfridges, Oxford Street branch of Our Price in the summer of 1990, filing away titles from our large selection of VHS tapes, when a well-to-do middle-aged lady gingerly approached the counter. “I say,” she announced, by way of introduction. “Do you have any Gezza videos?” Being Scottish, and […]

Joachim Loew – Style God

It’s been an odd World Cup. I’ve wanted to write screeds about it but it’s outfoxed me at every level. Through flowing, stinging tears, I typed furiously about the operatic tragedy that was Italy’s early exit but reading it back, I realised that I couldn’t separate my arias from my elbow. I’ll leave that one […]

Liverpoo-el literacy “ledgends”

As Liverpoo-el fans who might form part of my friends and family will doubtless agree, I have not gloated once about Fiorentina’s glorious double victory over them in the Champions League group. And nor will I; I’ll simply celebrate on my own – as Viola fans are a bit thin on the ground ’round my way, […]

The Welch Squelch

First thing first: naturally, this blogger cannot contain his glee at Fiorentina’s marvellous 2-0 win over Liverpoo-el in their home Champions League encounter last week; witnessing the precocious talent of young Montenegro forward Stevan Jovetic come alive in front of Europe has put many, myself included, in mind of that young Viola star of two decades ago, Roberto […]

Well, My Family’s ALWAYS Supported Ipswich…

Lots of jersey swapping is sure to ensue as fairweather Irish fans of Ye Olde Englishe football change allegiance yet again. Mind you, they’re being asked to wear the blue of Ipswich Town now. How dare Roy Keane pick a team who don’t play in the red of Munsterpool United, or even a nice shade […]

Bloke From Out-In Tallaght Now Outa Liverpoo-el

Oh dear. Robbie Keane’s great, romantic footballing story-arc, his epic journey between the twin tracksuit capitals of the world, has all gone wrong. His boyhood dream, to wear Liverpoo-el’s appalling array of away jerseys and training gear professionally, was realised but, alas, only fleetingly. He now has to return to what his former Scouse colleagues call “that London”, with […]

“I’ll Have A Fiorentina Please, Boss…”

As if we needed any further proof of the gulf in professionalism between Continental football sides and their British counterparts, here’s a heart-warming, heart-saving tale of a dietary reward system that simply wouldn’t work if offered to the Mars Bar and Coke-consuming likes of Keane, Rooney and Terry. The greatest football coach of them all, […]