As a stalwart center-back for Burnley and Cheltenham Town, Michael Duff was everything that epitomised the previous age of footballers, with an unmatched loyalty, a battle-hardened style and the toughest of mentalities. It’s quite common that a player’s attributes can influence their managerial characteristics, but in Duff’s case, his teams embody the spirit of his…

Since the turn of the millennium, 22 teams have won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, but eleven of those have gone on to be relegated the very next season. From the spectacle of Blackpool to the disarray of Derby, the showpiece match winners tend to struggle in the big time – but…

English professional football manager and former player Steven George Gerrard MBE now serves as the head coach of the Aston Villa team that competes in the Premier League. He came into the world on May 30th, 1980.   Gerrard played the majority of his professional career in the central midfield position for both Liverpool and…

Rob Edwards’ appointment as head coach of Watford is one that raises many eyebrows, despite the success of a title-winning season with Forest Green Rovers. With a notoriously trigger-happy owner in Gino Pozzo, the Hornets haven’t been a club that likes to stick with the project as such.   This is why Edwards’ signing comes…

At the start of the season, very few Napoli fans had their sights set on finishing the season with their first league title in over 30 years. Luciano Spalletti was not the most attractive candidate for the head coaching role and many Napoli fans were against his appointment, but with 7 games to go, Napoli…

David Moyes. The underappreciated Scottish chap from the streets of Glasgow whose roots run deep into English football courtesy of his tenures at Preston North End, Everton, Manchester United and Sunderland prior to taking charge of West Ham in November 2017 to replace Slaven Bilic, as the east London side sat in the relegation zone.…

The UEFA Champions League has its rich history of enthralling battles between players and managers, but very few are at the pedigree of the two managers locking horns in the Champions League semifinal. If there was ever a debate about the greatest manager of all time, you are assured of hearing at least one of…

“I love underdogs, people who have achieved extraordinary things against the odds”. A quote attributed to Phil Keoghan, the New Zealand TV presenter famous for hosting CBS’ The Amazing Race. It’s a quote that perfectly encapsulates the current status of Burnley FC in the English Premier League over the past fifteen years.   Founded in…

Ange Postecoglou has transformed Celtic on & off the park. He’s provided a team who play relentlessly aggressive attacking football & united a fan base that was in despair following a shambolic season last year, and he deserves enormous credit for what he has achieved in less than twelve months.   What Shape Were Celtic in…