Features

* After the week in which we learned that Michael Johnson, the player hailed as the next Colin Bell, has been released by Manchester City, Ian Herbert asks why we don’t appreciate the mental challenge that football presents to some individuals who are lauded and loaded when they’re barely into their teens. . By Ian […]

By Brian Sears 18 January 2012 The ominous news for Manchester United’s major rivals in the Premier League is United have never had as many points at this stage of a season (22 games) and have rarely  been as far ahead of the pack as they are at this stage. The gap between United and […]

* CHRISTOPHER DAVIES is a veteran football writer who paid 17 shillings and sixpence to be at Wembley for the 1966 World Cup final. A former chairman of the Football Writers’ Association, he is the current editor of FootballWriters.co.uk and the author of  ‘Behind the Back Page: The Adventures of a Sports Writer.‘ Here he argues that […]

  After the week in which Mario Balotelli moved a step nearer the Manchester City exit, Ian Herbert asks why his club haven’t matched their vast investment in him with a heavy layout on those who can put him on the straight and narrow . By Ian Herbert 14 January 2013 Ridiculous, you’ll probably say […]

By Brian Sears 10 January 2013 Arsenal have played 395 games at home in the Premier League, winning 251, drawing 94 and losing 50. Those 50 defeats have been shared among 21 of the 44 clubs to have visited Highbury or the Emirates over the last 21 seasons. That means 23 clubs have come and gone without achieving […]

By Nick Harris SJA Internet Sports Writer of the Year 8 January 2013   So Lionel Messi yesterday won the Ballon D’Or for the fourth time in a row, having had a stellar year in which he won the Copa del Rey. And scored 91 goals. The brilliant Argentinean, 25, collected the award – deservedly […]

* In his first Monday column of 2013, Ian Herbert, The Independent’s man in the north-west, asks why we only remember Ronnie Radford when 21st century giant killers are far more up against it; why ITV’s Splash! was a car crash; and why the Premier League chairmen won’t take Fergie on. . By Ian Herbert […]

By Sportingintelligence 31 December 2012 From everyone at Sportingintelligence to every who has taken time to visit the site and read any single piece we’ve produced in 2012, thank you. Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous, and robustly opinionated new year, here are the stories on this website most read in the past 12 […]

. 31 DECEMBER 2012 A Sportingintelligence survey of almost 1,000 fans from more than 60 different clubs has been published on this website today (link here), with those taking part voting SWANSEA CITY as the club in English football with the best owners, and BLACKBURN ROVERS as the club with the worst owners. These are […]

* In the latest instalment of his brilliant weekly Monday column, Tell Me Why, the Independent’s man in the north-west, Ian Herbert, poses 13 questions that are guaranteed to remain contentious and unanswered satisfactorily in the sporting year ahead.  . By Ian Herbert 31 December 2012   1. Tell me why we can’t stop demonising officials in […]