Health, strength and vigour all describe Osasuna perfectly. The last word is open to interpretation, it could just as easily be translated as robust or rugged and that slots into the description of Los Rojillo quite aptly too. Literally, that is what Osasuna means in Basque. Fans of nominative determinism are in their element in…

West Bromwich Albion’s 4-0 victory over Sheffield United in August sent a rippling statement to the rest of the EFL Championship. As two recently relegated sides did battle at The Hawthorns, Albion prevailed convincingly in a physical and overpowering performance.   Valerien Ismael looked odds-on to go one better than his playoff campaign at Barnsley…

Learning from mistakes is not something Norwich City have always been able to do in recent years. The evidence for this is clear – last season the club only managed to better their 2019/20 Premier League campaign by just a single point.   Many factors were the cause for such a poor return but what…

Unlike other articles I’ve published, today’s story won’t be revolving around a team from Brazil that is in the “class of G-12”. Far from it. Today’s story revolves around a club that was founded in Braganca Paulista, a small city on the outskirts of Sao Paulo.   With just 150,000 inhabitants you can see why…

As Everton trailed Bayern Munich by a goal to nil in a European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final, Howard Kendall famously told his players, “get the ball into the box and the Gwladys Street will suck the ball into the net”. The boss spoke the truth.   Second-half goals from Graeme Sharp. Andy Gray and Trevor…

Tonight, Rotterdam, and a large chunk of the Netherlands, will be glued to their television screens. After just over twenty years, fans of Feyenoord, the Dutch sleeping giant, will be able to watch their club take on AS Roma in a European Cup final.   Sure, it’s the Europa Conference League, which doesn’t quite roll…

Enthralled, bemused and often amused, supporters of Le Racing are rarely bored; their club has been one of ups and downs in recent times.   From the outside looking in, Strasbourg’s fortunes over the years seem engagingly exotic but also alarmingly chaotic. But just maybe they have found their antidote for some much-needed stability in…

Yes, was the answer from Angers President, Saïd Chabane, after he was asked if he had the choice again to make all of the outward loans in the winter transfer window that Angers had made. Since then, Angers have accrued 13 points from 18 Ligue 1 games resulting in a cascading descent to the edge…

After such an iconic manager has departed your football club, there’s always to be some sort of fall-out. When Chris Wilder left Sheffield United – the same manager who had guided Sheffield United back to the Premier League after years in the wilderness – The Blades went through a grieving process.   Paul Heckingbottom would…