Showing 1 - 10 of 66
Another FA Cup opportunity for the Silkmen
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 14/02/2026
» With seven Premier League teams away to lower league sides in this weekend's fourth round of the FA Cup, there is the potential for an upset or two, which is the essence of this competition.
A sporting year of cheers, jeers and tears that will be remembered
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 27/12/2025
» It's that time of the year to acknowledge the men and women who have graced the sports pages over the past 12 months. It has been a year of mixed emotions. Here are a few of those who have contributed to the memorable moments of 2025.
Out of frying pan and into fire: Dyche, Rohl move into hot seats
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 25/10/2025
» The managerial merry-go-round has been in full swing lately and it is getting hard to keep up with which gaffer is where. The latest move the Premier League in has witnessed is Sean Dyche taking over at Nottingham Forest, replacing Ange Postecoglou who lasted just 39 days, the fewest ever for a Premier League boss.
Naming stadiums can be a bit tricky and sometimes awkward
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 26/07/2025
» When the new Premier League season kicks off, the fixtures will be graced by a brand new stadium courtesy of Everton FC which has finally left the "Old Lady" of Goodison Park after 133 years. The Toffees' new home at Bramley-Moore Dock on the banks of the River Mersey is called the Hill Dickinson Stadium after the international law firm that holds the naming rights.
A mixed bag at the Club World Cup
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 21/06/2025
» The opening week of Fifa's Club World Cup in the United States has at times felt more like pre-season warm ups for the clubs involved rather than a serious competition featuring some of the top clubs in the world. However, despite the oppressive heat there have been some decent games and things are expected to pick up when it gets to the business end of this four-week tournament.
Hard road ahead for Leeds and Burnley
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 26/04/2025
» While the hectic Easter schedule resolved some key promotion and relegation issues in the English Football League there are plenty of teams that still don't know what division they will be in next season. It will all be sorted in the coming days whether by direct promotion, relegation or through gruelling playoffs.
Nervous times in England as lower division clubs battle for glory
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 05/04/2025
» As the English football season approaches the business end there are some terrific skirmishes going on in the lower divisions of the Football League. Much depends on how the players can adapt to the pressure of striving for promotion or fighting relegation. It is grassroots football at its best.
It's desperate times for Luton
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 01/03/2025
» In the Premier League there is a distinct possibility that the three newly promoted sides could be going straight back down, although Ipswich and Leicester fans might dispute that. Rather ominously the same thing happened the previous season.
'3 B's' give hope to the smaller clubs
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 14/12/2024
» Back in the 1960s as a teenager I would regularly visit Elm Park to watch my home town team Reading in the old Third Division. Among the visiting sides were Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford. Just like Reading, these clubs looked destined to stay in the lower divisions forever although by some miracle Reading made it to the Premier League in 2006 for an all-too-brief stay.
Caley Thistle in crisis mode
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 26/10/2024
» Troubling news from Scotland where League One club Inverness Caledonian Thistle has been placed into administration after running into major financial problems. The club has also been hit with a 15-point reduction, moving them to the bottom of the league with minus three points. That puts them 12 points behind the team directly above them, Dumbarton.