Kyle Austin

Unless you are familiar with both towns it would be easy to confuse an image of Burnley for its near neighbour Blackburn. Both share the marauding rows of tight Victorian terraced housing, offering a window to England's past and evoking images of men in cloth caps and the bustling noise and billowing smoke of busy […]

Michael Owen’s shock transfer to Manchester United gives him the chance to be re-united with Wayne Rooney, a strike partnership that proved so fruitful with the England national side. A successful pairing up front is often at the heart of a side’s success and if they develop a mutual understanding can prove greater than the […]

£56 million here… £80 million there… this summer has been dominated by the outlandish spending of a select few, with transfer records tumbling at every turn. But one deal that will grab most of the headlines could well be a free transfer. Michael Owen, labelled a fallen idol, a faded star, even a has-been by […]

It has been the talk of the summer as the Galacticos 2.0 era burst into life and threatened to smash every transfer record in sight. We all expected some sort of fireworks when Florentino Perez returned to the Bernabeu with lavish promises of a return to an era when the world’s best players made an […]

Ray Wilkins seems a nice sort of bloke. He had a hugely successful career for club and country, and had spells playing abroad in France and Italy, away from the hustle and bustle of the English Leagues. He has since chiselled out a successful career as a coach at Chelsea. So he is not the […]

A sixth place finish in La Liga and a place in next season’s Europa League may be satisfying on the face of things. But a limp end to the season, discontentment on the terraces, and growing financial problems only darkened the thick storm clouds already lurking above Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium. Their long-standing money troubles look […]

No no I am not jumping the gun about the result of FA Cup Final. But even if Everton lose on Saturday David Moyes can have the consolation of collecting a personal piece of silverware this season – The LMA Manager Of The Year Award. It is the first time a manager has won the […]

It may have been coming for a while but you have to pay tribute to Pep Guardiola's Barcelona for their achievements so far in a season that could still get even better. Champions and Copa Del Rey winners, his side have dominated the Primera Division this year and are worthy winners. They can, of course, […]

It is one of the more unsavoury sides of English football. The tabloid headlines and pictures outlying in detail the drunken antics of professional footballers. Court appearances, suspensions, rehab visits, it isn't what a manager needs when planning a big game, let alone the far reaching impact such problems can have. Some big name players […]

It was called a victory for football. With the free-flowing, attack minded Barca defeating the dour hard-nosed boys from West London, with their stifling, aggressive and negative tactics. But it wasn't total football that won Barca the game last Wednesday night, it was one moment of brilliance from Iniesta in the last minute – Barca's […]

Ok I give up, I can’t find one. I’ve tried to find a football fan that has a strong disliking for Gianfranco Zola and failed miserably – the guy is just too darn nice! Even those who aren’t fond of Chelsea – the club he played for so successfully – can’t help but respect and […]

It's that time of year again, where nerves are shredded, nails are bitten and the relegation trapdoor gets ever closer. But for those fans of teams at the bottom of the EPL there is hope. I had a dig round the archives and have found some examples of teams who looked dead and buried, but […]

It become an almost weekly occurrence throughout the season. After each and every defeat Tony Mowbray, West Brom’s beleaguered manager, has been forced to batter away suggestions from the baying press that his side should change their style of play in order to compete in the division. You can see where the journos are coming […]

Oh dear here we go. Man United boss sir Alex Ferguson, not content with moaning about Rafa Benitez’s arrogance or Arsene Wenger’s team selection, has found another excuse for his side’s failings: The changing rooms. Yep according to Fergie the changing rooms at some Premier League clubs are below the standards expected of the modern […]

Referees – the bane of a football fan's life. Your hopes and dreams can be shattered by one shrill peep of the man-in-black's (or red or green or whatever colour they choose to wear these days) shiny whistle. They are also, of course, an easy target for fans, players and managers who divert the attention […]