Ben Welch

Last month, Crystal Palace FC unveiled their new home and away kits, to be worn in the 2014/15 season. At first glance, both kits seem quite attractive, and generate a number of talking points. First, it’s noticeable that there is no primary sponsor in the middle of the shirts. Premier League fans may recall that […]

The Australian government are weighing up possible legal action to reclaim more than $38 million (USD) spent on the country’s unsuccessful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to a report. Allegations are emerging that Qatar, who won the right to host the tournament by a landslide, did so by bribing FIFA officials. […]

Amid calls for his resignation, Sepp Blatter today came out with one of his most bizarre statements yet. The FIFA president whimsically suggested that soccer could be played on other planets in the future, possibly resulting in an inter-galactic tournament akin to the World Cup. In a speech at the FIFA Congress, Blatter said “We […]

Following the recent departure of Harry Redknapp from Tottenham Hotspur, attention has quickly focused on the search for his replacement. In recent seasons, the North London club has enjoyed spells of success in the Premier League and Champions League. Now standing at a proverbial crossroads, Spurs’ fortunes will rest largely on chairman Daniel Levy’s forthcoming […]

Once again, English football is in the midst of a row caused by John Terry. His latest scandal, the alleged racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand, has meant that he and Ferdinand’s brother, Rio could not both be selected for England’s Euro 2012 squad, and it has resulted in the latter’s omission. It’s a situation that […]

In the last decade, the philosophy known as ‘Moneyball’ has revolutionised the way baseball teams evaluate players. Based on the field of ‘sabermetrics’, the approach is designed to reveal players’ ‘true’ value by judging them solely on their performance-related statistics. Given its remarkable success in baseball, how long will it be before Moneyball becomes common […]

Three weeks ago Manchester City clinched their first Premier League title in dramatic fashion, beating QPR with two injury time goals. It was a remarkable day, and a fitting way to end a thrilling, season-long title race with bitter rivals Manchester United. Since then, they have been praised by the media and fans alike for […]

Following Chelsea’s victory in the Champions League final, Europe’s collective media has fallen over itself to praise the character and resilience of their performance on the night, as well as their run in the competition which saw them topple Napoli, Benfica and Barcelona. While they are right to marvel at the improbability of their victory […]

So despite finishing fourth in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur will miss out on Champions League football because Chelsea won it all in Munich. Because they will only be playing in the Europa League, the strategy for this summer’s transfer dealings will have to be less ambitious then they will have hoped. Had they been […]