Modern-day association football is defined by the current Laws of the Game.
Nevertheless, early versions of the Cambridge Rules (originating in 1848), the Sheffield Rules (1858), the Uppingham Rules (1862) and the FA’s 1863 Laws of the Game are readily available.
Expanding on my post on the Non League Matters forum, the current managers of the current top 3 all have part of the club’s name in their name, even if just phonetically:
The last time, the circle was not completed. This time, it has been.
Read the rest of this entry ?
Both Norwich City and Southampton have been relegated from the Championship (level 2) to League One (level 3), four years after being relegated from the Premier League in 2005, along with Charlton Athletic, who were relegated from the Premier League in 2007.
Read the rest of this entry ?
In a post last May, I pointed that only twice before in any major European league have the same two clubs finished first and second three seasons in a row:
With still more than 2 months to go until the end of the 2008-09 season, there’s already talk of Manchester United and the quadruple of League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, as early as more than a month ago, and even by Manchester United’s assistant manager, Mike Phelan.
Read the rest of this entry ?
Having been in the top two in the Premier League since 28 September 2008, and having topped the table throughout December and into the new year, with Manchester United outside of the top two during this period, Liverpool were replaced at the top by Manchester United in the weekend of 18/19 January 2009, and slipped to third behind Chelsea last night. Aston Villa are fourth, just three points behind Manchester United.
Within a week, both Nottingham Forest and Derby County lose their managers.
Historically, except for largely Clough-inspired titles and European successes in the 1970s (up to 1980), East Midlands clubs have largely under-achieved.
When was the last time all of the big four in England failed to win, or even score a goal, without any of them playing any other of the big four? Their results this weekend:
Aston Villa 0 Manchester United 0
Chelsea 0 Newcastle United 0
Liverpool 0 v Fulham 0
Manchester City 3 Arsenal 0
Further, these were all fixtures that in recent seasons, the big four side has usually won fairly comfortably.
Not for the first time in the past 20 years, Everton have signed a player (Louis Saha) from Manchester United who is struggling with fitness or form, or to keep a first team place – Norman Whiteside, Andrei Kanchelskis, Phil Neville and Tim Howard to name just four others.
