Matt Jones

No. 23: Senegal Shock The World (Japan & South Korea, 2002) Nowadays it’s traditional for the host nation to play in the World Cup opener, but back in 2002, it was the current holders France who started the first ever World Cup to be played on Asian soil. The French side were the favorites for […]

No. 24: Gemmill's Solo Stunner For Scotland (Argentina, 1978) Whilst it may seem an unfathomable prospect these days, Scotland were actually a very good soccer team towards the back end of the last century. I kid you not! Boasting arguably the world’s finest footballer at the time in Kenny Dalglish, the toughest player in the […]

No. 25: Donovan Sends The States Crazy (South Africa, 2010) After draws in their opening two games of the 2010 World Cup, the United States Men’s National Team knew that they had a wonderful chance of making it to the knockout stages. A hard earned 1-1 tie with England was followed up by a pulsating 2-2 […]

Can you believe it? It’s just 26 days until the World Cup gets underway in Brazil. The host nation will kick off the tournament against Croatia in the competition curtain raiser, paving the way for a month jam-packed with top quality soccer. Lovers of the beautiful game will be able to sit back and sample […]

How often do we hear that old cliche in soccer, “this is our cup final”? A vital game, in which winning is the only option; nothing else will do. As we approach the final knockings of the European domestic campaign, the calendar is packed with these “cup final” clashes in the league, not to mention […]

“The Europa League, eh? Well, you’re going to struggle next season!” Unfortunately, European football’s second tier competition has managed to fashion itself a pretty diabolical reputation over the past few years. It’s a status so damaging that qualification for the tournament has become almost bittersweet in the eyes of many. A fifth, sixth or seventh […]

There was a sense of palpable anticipation on the cusp of Jose Mourinho’s first ever Clasico contest. Unbeaten in La Liga, the Portuguese boss seemed to have settled in to his new role well at the Bernabeu. Madrid had already were looking more compact and Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to be flourishing under the tutelage of […]

The final few games of the campaign are wonderful. Nine months of grind seems geared towards these final knockings, as fans across the globe pray that their team has what it takes to stand up under pressure and get the job done. For many, these last few games are somewhat meaningless. But for others, portable […]

As a supporter, trying to grasp perspective during a wonderful run can be difficult. You become so immersed in your soccer team when it’s going well; reading every match report after a win, trawling through social media to sample opinions of your team and counting down the seconds until the next fixture. On Merseyside, there’s been […]

Is there any scenario that makes it acceptable to want your own team to lose? In many respects, to pomp for the opposition goes against some of the game’s core mantras: Uniting behind a cause, backing 11 men who represent the supporters through thick and thin, no matter what. But what if a win for […]

It’s no bad thing for a soccer team to have a clear stylistic identity. The annals of the game’s history are rife with iconic philosophies associated with different teams. Phrases like “Catenaccio,” “Total Football,” “Tiki-Taka” all stir memories of sides that played the game in unique ways, all sampling their own various successes. A distinct […]

We seem to have come a long way in such a short space of time during this UEFA Champions League campaign. After another competition of high drama, controversy and spades of quality, the finalists for this year’s competition are set. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are the two teams that will battle it out at […]

In my household, Sunday’s have always been synonymous with soccer. For me, the ideal weekend would be to watch my team win on the Saturday before settling in for a full day of soccer on the Sunday. That includes highlights from the games the day before early in the morning, previews for the games ahead […]

The semi-final stages of the UEFA Champions League are typically tight, tense affairs. Especially the first-leg of the ties, where neither team wants to give an inch; after coming so far, it’s understandable that the modus operandi for managers at this stage is “must not lose” opposed to “must win.” So as we geared up […]

In soccer, taking the reigns at a club after the departure of an enormously significant figure is always a perilously difficult task. For managers, the man who follows “the man” is often handed a poisoned chalice; unable to live up to the magnitude of his predecessor and incapable of galvanizing the team in a comparable manner. Unfortunately for David Moyes, he […]