The writing blog of David Stringer
This first appeared on SportsLobster three days ago.
Like many people, I find Adrian Durham extremely annoying. He has all the insight of a pub bore, and the smugness of a man of genius who the world refuses to recognise. Somehow, his infuriating nature has drawn in listeners and readers, and he’s ended up presenting a show on TalkSport and writing a weekly column for the Daily Mail.
Continue reading “The Strange World of Adrian Durham: Better than Wenger”
The Premier League has finally got around to starting their games, the lazy buggers, kicking off for the first time yesterday. To tie in with this, there was a new piece on BornOffside yesterday morning, we took a look at what we think for the season ahead.
Eight of us gave our thoughts on who’ll win the league, qualify for the Champions’ League, be relegated, and surprise expectations. A few times we contradict each other, which is proof that we shall be proven right on all things.
Click here to read the BornOffside Premier League Preview
Today my latest Lower League Week went up at BornOffside.
It featured stories on Wolves trying to clear out unwanted players so that they can take a star player from Sheffield United, one of their rivals; Exeter have decided to expand their fanbase by appealing to Brazilians; Walsall have started surprisingly well and Carlisle surprisingly badly; there’s some brief thoughts on Hartlepool; and two different versions of Coventry City were playing at ‘home’ at the same time on Sunday.
Basically, it’s just another ordinary, bizarrely colourful week in the lower leagues!
Click here to read Lower League Week: Wolves at Sheffield United’s Door
This went up a little later than it should have, but yesterday BornOffside published predictions made for the Football League and Conference by myself and two others – Lucy Waldon and Dan Rawley.
Obviously, predictions should be made before the event begins, as the word, broken down, should make clear: pre- meaning previous to, and -diction meaning… to pronounce correctly. Actually, that just about makes sense.
Though it’s been published after two Football League games and one Conference game, all predictions were made before the Football League started.
Click here to read Football League & Conference Predictions
The Football League has returned, and that means that, during the week, so did the Lower League Week.
On Wednesday, for Born Offside, I wrote about the Coventry fiasco; the media’s lazy reporting of the Coventry fiasco; a Crawley fan being banned for being mean to Ian Holloway; Northampton beginning pre-season with a bonfire; the opening weekend’s matches; and an Accrington employee being naughty and breaking some betting laws.
There was also some lovely sarcasm from Torquay United, and Notts County tempting fate.
You can read all that and more at The Lower League Week: Coventry’s Ten Points and Northampton’s Bonfire of the Memories
Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke handed in a transfer request on Monday, with a host of clubs linked with a move for the Belgian striker.
It’s always a risk when a player changes club – will he be able to adapt to the new environment, to his new teammates, to the new tactics? There’s a lot more to consider than just the paycheque on offer.
I’ve helped Christian to make his decision, by looking at the tactics of the four English clubs linked with him – Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool, and how he’d likely be used by those clubs.
Click here to read Where Should Benteke Go?
Shortly after the sacking of Roberto Martinez, and before the appointment of Manuel Pellegrini, representatives from Manchester City started talking about ‘holistic management’. They got a decent amount of mockery about this, from fans and the mainstream media.
Writing for Bornoffside, in a piece published yesterday, I took a look at what the term means, and why the club think it’s important.
Click here to read Let Go of Your Doubts, and Embrace Holistic Management
A little earlier in the week, an article I’d written was published by BornOffside.
Following the abdication of Alex Ferguson, not just from the manager’s office at Manchester United, but as the working figure with the greatest influence over the English game, that role is now up for grabs.
Will Moyes, who’s never won a trophy, rise to the extra pressure? Will Mourinho recreate his earlier success at Chelsea? How will Andre Vilas-Boas and Brendan Rogers build on impressive but mixed first years at their clubs?
For years, the idea of Alex Ferguson and Manchester United being on top seemed to be the default status quo – if they didn’t win the title one year, the feeling was that they would next year.
But now, there is the possibility of real change. The landscape of English football could look very different this time next year.
This was before the fixture list revealed that Manchester United would play Chelsea on the opening day, and Arsenal made an ambitious move to sign Gonzalo Higuain – if anything, the points I made have been underlined since.
Click here to read Who Will Set the Standards for the Premier League?
Over at Squawka, I’ve just written two articles, both of which went up on Thursday.
With Arsenal’s Lukas Podolski a year into his career at the Emirates, a year in which he’s scored a pretty respectable 11 goals, bids have come in, from Borrussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid.
I took a statistical look at Podolski’s season, his strengths and weaknesses, as well as his style.
Click here to read Podolski Rubbishes Transfer Speculation But Should Arsenal Consider A Bid?
Also, with Manchester United’s Nani being linked with bids from Monaco and Galatasary, I took a look at how he’s performed this past season. I was surprised how often he was available but not selected in the big matches, and how long he’d been out injured.
Click here to read Should Moyes Consider Bid For Perennially Promising Manchester United Winger?
This is a late link yet again, with the final, double-sized edition of the Lower League Week going up on Bornoffside.net during the week.
Some of the bigger stories were Coventry’s stadium apparently being on fire; the playoff finals; new managers for Doncaster and Hartlepool; Wolves and Sheffield United still searching for bosses (at the time of writing); the effects and to an extent the morality of parachute payments; early summer transfers; Bury’s financial troubles, and Billy Sharp being playful. Probably.
Click here to read The Lower League Fortnight – Preparations for Next Season
SciFiFootball 