Gareth Samuel

Mario Balotelli is one of the most enigmatic and reportedly difficult footballers in the Barclay's Premier League and like many sports stars, his name is as synonymous with descriptions of arrogance as it is with words of praise. So is the Italian rapscallion arrogant or just confident? And what is it that pushes athletes like […]

Hertha Berlin will return to the top flight after just one season in the lower league wilderness but it is likely a long battle against relegation awaits them. Their last top flight campaign ended not just in relegation but humiliation – an embarrassingly poor hinrunde effectively condemned them by Christmas and after winning at home […]

The long suffering fans of Hamburg need no reminding that it has been 24 long years since they last lifted a trophy – and all but the most hopeful are already resigned to another campaign full of hurt. The players which have formed the core of the team recently are being allowed to leave and […]

Michael Ballack has suffered several disappointments in his career – but though being informed his time in the Germany squad is effectively over will have hurt, even he cannot be surprised. The writing has been on the wall for Ballack for several months and Joachim Loew’s reluctance to bring him back even when fit was […]