Showing 1 - 10 of 23
Southgate makes a wise decision to quit as manager
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 20/07/2024
» Gareth Southgate's resignation as England manager hardly came as a surprise. It was clear that despite reaching the final of Euro 24 all the abuse he received from critics during the tournament had hurt him deeply. After all, he had been England's most successful boss since 1966 World Cup winner Sir Alf Ramsey.
Supporting cast make a welcome comeback to the English game
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 05/12/2020
» For the first time in nine months, we will be seeing a limited number of fans at five of the English Premier League football stadiums this weekend.
Timely intervention on handball fiasco, but the farce will remain
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 03/10/2020
» For the third week running, the Premier League served up a feast of entertainment despite the best efforts of the ridiculous handball rule to spoil the party, threatening to blight the entire season.
Scholes and what might have been
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 23/03/2019
» Periodically we see former top footballers trying their hand at managing teams in the lower leagues. It often ends in tears, or at the very least, a bruised ego.
A rare harmonious parting of ways
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 19/01/2019
» When football managers and clubs part company the words "by mutual consent" invariably pop up, even though everyone knows the manager was unceremoniously axed, fired or to use the correct technical term "given the boot". However, this week that expression surfaced again and for once it was an accurate reflection of the situation as Huddersfield manager David Wagner left the club in amicable fashion despite it being bottom of the league.
When getting fired pays rich rewards
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 08/12/2018
» The departure of Mark Hughes from Southampton hardly came as a surprise. He now holds the unenviable record of being the first manager to be sacked by two different Premier League clubs in the same calendar year, having been axed by Stoke City in January.
Pards joins managerial merry-go-round
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 07/04/2018
» News that West Bromwich Albion and Alan Pardew have parted ways by "mutual consent" hardly came as a surprise considering the club's dire situation, sitting rock bottom after eight straight defeats. 'Pards' lasted just 124 days.
Bannister one of the last great amateurs
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 10/03/2018
» The death of Sir Roger Bannister, the first man to break the four-minute mile barrier, gave us a reminder of the days when a lot of the top sports men and women were amateurs, having regular occupations, and participated in sport in their spare time.
Golden and some not so golden moments of the year
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 30/12/2017
» It is that time of the year when Nobby drags himself out of the armchair to honour assorted heroes and villains who have graced our sports pages in 2017. Admittedly, it is bit of a mixed bag.
Clubs face dilemma of reluctant stars
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 09/09/2017
» Last weekend's international break is probably the most inconvenient of the year. The Premier League and most other European leagues had barely got going and yet are forced to an untimely halt. It is almost like the Premier league has two starts to the season -- the false start which began on Aug 11, and this weekend, when the clubs line up with their real teams, at least until the January window.