Romania – The Golden Generation of the 1980s & 1990s

By Michael Hamlen So-called golden generations is always an area that seems to fascinate and intrigue football fans throughout the ages. Hungary in the 1950s, Holland in the 1970s, Portugal in the 1990s even England in the 2000s and most recently Belgium spring to mind. There are countless others that appeared, some were successful, others

The Last Season at the Goldstone Ground 1996- 1997

By Michael Hamlen If you look at Brighton and Hove Albion today, playing in the Premier League in a wonderful modern stadium you could be excused for thinking this was always the case. A team playing exciting football with players from around the world, this is how it’s supposed to be it, isn’t? Well, 25

Why Did They Not Get More?

Players That Should Have Won More England Caps: The 1990s By Michael Hamlen We’ve all done it. We have all sat down in a pub or at a mate’s house with a cold beer and discussed who was England’s best player? The missed opportunities or who was the worst player to put on an England

Soviet Union: A Team Frozen in Time

By Michael Hamlen If you’re of a certain age you would remember a mystical team from the East in a red or white shirt with the letters ‘CCCP’ emblazoned upon it. That team like the country itself was for many an unknown quantity and you always felt a sense of mystic and mystery although somehow

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By Michael Hamlen “Thomas… charging through the midfield, Thomas, it’s up for grabs now…..” those are the words echoed by the late Brian Moore as Michael Thomas raced through Liverpool’s midfield into the penalty area and flicked the ball over the onrushing Bruce Grobbelaar to snatch the championship from Liverpool at Anfield in the most

Howards Way

This is not a rag to riches story nor is it a story about a wealthy owner taking over a club and buying the league. This is a story of a team stepping out of the shadow of its local rival, giving its fans and the city of Liverpool a sense of pride. Whilst set

Forbidden Games – The Justin Fashanu Story

If you saw Justin Fashanu flicking the ball up on his right foot, swivel, and volley the ball past Ray Clemence, the England goalkeeper, from outside the area for Norwich against Liverpool in 1980, you would be forgiven for thinking you were witnessing the birth of the next England superstar. The parallels with Wayne Rooney

Building Jerusalem

“Again Wilkinson in the place…..Jonny Wilkinson……He’s done it”, it’s not quite as memorable as 1966 and “They think it’s all over, it is now”, but those immortal words captured the moment (and the relief) as the ball sailed over the posts and gave England the deciding points with just seconds remaining in the 2003 Rugby

Senna

Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Juan Miguel Fangio, Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettal may have won more Formula 1 World Championships, but they’re not the most famous or best driver. That accolade is reserved to the driver who took the world of Formula 1 by storm between his debut in 1984 and ended so tragically on

Yugoslavia- The Greatest International Team That Never Was

‘The Greatest International Team That Never Was’ by Michael Hamlen The 1990s was the decade that changed football. The ‘product’ that you either view on television subscription services, on the internet or in all-seater stadia all result from decisions and avenues chosen in the 1990s. The football phone ins or football podcasts that have evolved