The Six Fierce and Unnecessary Conflicts that shaped Roy Keane’s career
Some players are hard to define. Not Roy Keane. A man driven by desire to destroy all obstacles in his path, he was destined to experience a career that saw him bump from conflict to conflict. Already as a teenager, Keane revealed a glimpse of the character that would become both his greatest asset, as well as the source of his greatest troubles. Following a friendly against the United States, Ireland’s team bus had to wait 30 minutes for Keane to arrive. A furious Jack Charlton shouted…
Joey Barton – Quotations
Joey Barton. Thug. Criminal. Prisoner. Rebel. Yes. All of that. But for a man perceived by many as one of football’s least classy men, his words reveal a level of introspection that’s extremely rare for a professional footballer. Enjoy. His background 1) I came from a very violent background. Where I grew up, fathers would have bets on whose kids were the toughest and we were put together in the garden – almost like illegal boxing fights. …
How a jacuzzi-bound Van Persie was changed forever by watching Bergkamp
When Robin van Persie moved to Arsenal in 2004, he was immediately viewed as the natural heir to the great – but aging – Dennis Bergkamp. Both were Dutch, both played as number 10, and both had an excellent technique as well as an eye for the goal. But there was a striking difference between the two, as Van Persie himself realized on a rainy tuesday afternoon in the first season they spent together on Highbury. Robin had just finished his own train sessions, and was resting in a jacuzzi, which, through…
Documentary: The Two Escobars
The story of Colombian football can’t be seen isolated from Colombian society. Both its successes – which can be traced back to financial injections by drug lords such as Pablo Escobar – and its tragedies, such as when international Andres Escobar was shot dead – reveal the problems inherent to life in Colombia. For a better understanding, watch this excellent 105 minute documentary on The Two Escobars.
Chelsea All-Stars
As of 2014, Chelsea have a better team than ever before. If the Blues keep dominating the Premier League the way they’re doing right now, it’s likely that some of Chelsea’s current players will one day end up in a Chelsea all-time XI. Hazard perhaps. Or Fabregas, or Diego Costa, or maybe Matic. Check this website in 2020 and you’ll know the answer. But that’s future speculation. For this Chelsea all-time team, we’ll dive into the past. A past with only a few genuine highlights.…
El Loco Marcelo Bielsa: 16 Quotes
Maradona’s mediocre right foot serves as a permanent reminder that the perfect player does not exist. The same is true for the perfect coach. He would simultaneously have to be an effective teacher, an inspiring speaker, a father-figure, a former world class footballer, a tactical visionary, an expert on psychology and physiology, a multi-lingual communicator, a man capable of both flexibility and steadfastness; kindness and sternness; patience and impatience; honesty and sweet talk, a man who both imposes collective discipline ánd lets individual creativity flourish freely;…
(Documentary) Roy Keane vs Patrick Vieira: Best of Enemies
He wasn’t the star of his team. Nor the gifted playmaker. Nor the classy goalgetter. Nor the idol of young boys – or girls. He wasn’t Beckham or Ronaldo or Bergkamp or Henry. But he was the undisputed leader of his team, the man everyone else looked up to in times of trouble, with respect and admiration – and a bit of fear too. He was Roy Keane. And he was Patrick Vieira. Around the turn of the century, the rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United was at its height. And at…