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James Meredith, the Socceroos and the step-up to international football

October 1, 2015

NB: Image courtesy of Thomas Gadd (www.thomasgadd.co.uk) Australia manager, Ange Postecoglou recently announced his 23-man squad for the Socceroo’s upcoming World Cup qualifier against Jordan in October. There were a number of welcomed returns including the Asia Cup-winning trio of James Troisi, Tomi Juric and Trent Sainsbury but with one ‘surprise’ inclusion in the form […]

Luke Shaw and athletes dealing with long-term injury

September 23, 2015

The risk of physical injury is part and parcel of sport at any level. Athletes put their bodies on the line to prove that they are the best in their field and claim victory over their opponents. Injury stops this pursuit in its tracks and can set an athlete’s progress back considerably. One minute you’re […]

Young Lions in review: John Stones

July 23, 2015

NB: Special thanks to Chris Smith for his valuable contributions to this article. “I want to set a mark and be a mixture of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry.” John Stones immediately set the bar of expectation high when he spoke to FourFourTwo’s Jonathon Fadugba in June 2015. Setting his sights on becoming the embodiment […]

Young Lions in review: Raheem Sterling

June 10, 2015

NB: Special thanks to James Dutton for his valuable contributions to this article. Just over a year ago, Raheem Sterling was billed as the potential MVP for England at the World Cup in Brazil. The then 19-year-old had played without fear at the cutting edge of Liverpool’s attack; an integral part of a three-pronged assault of the opposition where […]

Young Lions in review: Harry Kane

May 27, 2015

NB: Special thanks to Greg Theoharis and Ben McAleer for their valuable contributions to this article. Harry Kane, 21-years-old, 29 goals in all competitions, 4 assists and the Premier League Young Player of the Year Award. What more is there to say? The Tottenham forward has enjoyed the most productive season of any Englishman, young […]

Aaron Cresswell: Moulded by the Football League

April 22, 2015

The first half of the 2014/15 season was a resounding success for West Ham United. By December 2014 the Hammers were flying high in 4th place and dreaming of European qualification. Their success was in part down to a solid defence and two in-form full-backs, Aaron Cresswell and Carl Jenkinson. The epitomes of the modern […]

A boot review: Adidas 11Nova

February 13, 2015

Adidas launched the next generation of the Adipure 11pro boot range at the back-end of 2014. The launch heralded the return of the traditional, Kangaroo Leather upper and a new styling to rival the Nike Tiempo Legend. Adidas say that the third generation 11pro offers “the most comfortable and premium fit to date” and the […]

The big, yellow monster and 4 significant January transfers

February 3, 2015

Transfer deadline day, it’s a biannual event in the football calendar. ‘Event’ being the keyword in that sentence, it now happens as routinely as the FA Cup or the Champions League final. Football fans find themselves submerged in a sea of yellow ‘BREAKING NEWS’, rumours and media hyperbole for 24 hours on deadline day.

Idle FC and the beginning of a dynasty

November 20, 2014

Creating and establishing a new, amateur football team is an idea that several of my friends and I have toyed with for the past few seasons now. We wanted to build something from scratch, a team that could be successful but one where we’d enjoy playing football. In the summer of 2014 the wheels were […]

Andy van der Meyde: Short skirts, drugs & alcohol

October 10, 2014

This article originally appeared on these Football times. Ajax Amsterdam, one of the most successful football clubs in the world and the most famous of Holland’s club sides. Famed for their highly successful youth academy, the early to mid -2000s proved to be a particularly fruitful period for the young players of Ajax under the […]