Football Manager: The Premier League Report: Matchday Three (26th and 27th of September)

Let it be said that football continues to throw up surprises. Not always (Man City’s 3-1 defeat of Leicester at the Etihad featured yet another display of passing mastery from Guardiola’s men, especially from Kevin De Bruyne), but there is always an astonishing, unexpected result or two. Consistency is a buzzword in football, and thus […]

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Football Manager: The Premier League Report: Matchday Two (19th and 20th of September)

With the fairly unusual, post-covid scenario of matchday two in the middle of September, who might begin to show early signs of promise? Who would establish some early-season momentum? Liverpool hosted West Ham United in Saturday’s early kick-off, and the defending champions made short work of an abject Hammers side, with Roberto Firmino scoring after […]

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Football Manager: The Premier League Report, Matchday One (12th and 13th of September)

So, after all the questioning, consternation, excitement and dread, the new Premier League has finally arrived! The season opened with what was, on paper, a cracking fixture between Manchester City and Manchester United, but who would come out on top? Who would kickstart their season the best possible way? Bernardo Silva got Manchester City off […]

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Football Manager: The Pundit

One thing I’ve never tried on a Football Manager game, of any variety, is to be, for lack of a better word, a commentator or reporter. Granted, these are not natural features of the games, but there is a way to make it happen. You can be a manager who never manages a team, and […]

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Writing Prompts: Penalties

As I write this, the England Women’s national team is engaged in a penalty shootout with Nigeria, in the Round of 16 at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. They would go on to win the shootout 4-2, and book their place in the quarter-finals. An England team winning a penalty shootout […]

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Football Legends: Lionel Messi

The 2022 World Cup Final, between reigning champions France, and 2014 runners-up Argentina, was in many ways about the apprentice supplanting the master. French superstar Kylian Mbappe had helped France win the trophy four years earlier; now he hoped to emulate the great Pelé in winning consecutive tournaments. In his way? A towering icon of […]

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