The matchday programme at The Liberty Stadium carried an interview with Alex Thomas, one of Swansea City’s data scientists, and perhaps it was he who best surmised the changes brought by Paul Clement. “When he (Clement) came in the pre-match report went from five pages to thirty. He is very Continue reading →

Greg Lea looks back at a pivotal night in the Title race of 2009… Andrey Arshavin could not quite believe it. Wheeling away to celebrate his fourth goal of the match in front of Arsenal’s jubilant travelling support, the Russian forward raised four fingers and began to shake his head Continue reading →

“Performance is always about how the players show their quality, their belief on the training ground. When you select the starting XI and the bench, I try to be fair. So it’s normal that, maybe, he needs to show more.” Mauricio Pochettino, discussing Vincent Janssen during a mid-February press-conference. Janssen Continue reading →

It’s been a week of lowered flags in Football World. Wayne Shaw was sacked for eating a pie on the substitutes’ bench during an FA Cup game and, days later, Claudio Ranieri was gracelessly tossed aside at Leicester City. And this is it. This is the end point. Football has Continue reading →

90s Heroes: Everyone Who Chipped Peter Schmeichel, 1991-1998 There was a sufficiently impudent reminder this week – courtesy of the awakened muscle memory of Falcao, the watching, helpless John Stones and the full-stretch yet stranded Willy Caballero – of the stealthily devastating power of the chip. It’s a humiliation, and Continue reading →