Matt Jones

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been lambasting Cardiff City for time-wasting during his side’s 4-1 win over the South Wales team. The Portuguese chief was sent to the stands for venting his fury at officials after what he believed to be devious tactics from the newly promoted outfit. Now, an FA charge looks imminent, but […]

Lords Cricket Ground, one of Great Britain’s most iconic sporting venues, hosted the inaugural London Sports Writing Festival this weekend. The event saw some of the most talented sports writers around combine with a host of Britain’s most popular sporting figures to deliver a fascinating insight into topical and age-old sporting discussions. I had the […]

After a stuttering start to his campaign with Manchester United, the international break should have offered some welcome relief for Javier Hernandez. But anyone who has followed Mexico’s most recent qualifying campaign will have known this to be unlikely, as El Tri have been nothing short of atrocious as of late. They can still qualify […]

Chester is a city in the North-West of England that strays close to the Welsh border. It is a fascinating part of the country, steeped in culture and rife with historical relevance. Once a Roman fort situated in an ideal location on the River Dee, it was named Deva Victrix and remnants of those ancient […]

International weekends are often a bit of a downer. But at least this weekend we’ve got some pretty decent, competitive fixtures to look forward to, rather than the pointless friendly games that regularly punctuate the domestic calendar. It helps too when we’re at the final knockings of a World Cup qualifying campaign. Some nations have […]

When the news broke that Ashley Cole was out of England’s crucial game against Montenegro and possibly the team’s next fixture against Poland, the hyperbole that usually accompanies the withdrawal of a key England player was unnervingly absent. It wasn’t splashed across the back pages, it wasn’t the top of the hour story on sports […]

For me, away days are the best thing about being an English football supporter. They encapsulate and preserve everything that is brilliant about the game: The passion and commitment of supporters traveling to watch their team. The elation when you score a goal in another team's back yard. And perhaps most importantly of all, having […]

It was difficult to pick out five fixtures for this weekend, as there are so many enticing encounters across the soccer landscape over the next couple of days. But in my eyes, here are the best five contests. There's a bit of everything in there. A massive derby, title defining contests and financial juggernaut taking […]

It has been a remarkable start to the season for Arsene Wenger and his Arsenal side. Last night’s win against Napoli was just the latest in a campaign that seems to be churning victories out on a metronomic basis. Positivity has gripped the Emirates and those who bellowed for Wenger’s head in the aftermath of […]

Editor's note: Today marks the first column of a new weekly series by Matt Jones entitled 'The Heart Of English Football' that gives you insight into what it's like to be a supporter who lives in England — capturing the experience, rituals and everything we don't get to see or feel via the television set. […]

Liverpool are second in the Premier League table after their emphatic 3-1 win over managerless Sunderland. The Reds, inspired by Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, had far too much firepower for the Black Cats yesterday and never looked in real danger of surrendering their 2-0 half time lead. For the second time in a week, […]

So, on the brink of another bumper weekend of soccer, we’ve scoured the globe (and the TV guides) to help pick the best five games for you to watch this weekend. So put your feet up and get ready to enjoy two huge local derbies, a guaranteed goal-fest and the return of a world class […]

It’s not often that a defender is lauded as man-of-the-match following a 4-1 win. But after City trounced United in the season’s first Manchester derby, amongst the many contenders for the accolade was Vincent Kompany, as the City captain put in a typically inspirational performance. Sky Sports’s Jamie Carragher, a pundit notoriously difficult to appease […]

It’s still there. That Everton spirit. The coveted togetherness that many predicted would cease the second David Moyes walked out of Goodison Park. In fact, it’s been more prominent than ever in the past seven days. It’s helped Everton to their first two victories of the campaign and of Roberto Martinez’s tenure as manager; they […]

Losing in the Champions League final is always something of a body blow. It’s even worse when you’re beaten by a domestic rival. And when that team has already snaffled your best player too? Well, that’s just piling on the misery. Of course, this unfortunate series of events occurred in the final weeks of Borussia […]