England Need To Leave Their Complacency At Home

By Shane Thomas

In early 2012, the England men's cricket team was in a pretty good place. They soundly beat Australia a year previous to retain the Ashes, and then followed that up by thumping India 4-0 to become the world's best ranked Test side. They had assumed the mantle of the sport's playground bullies, and travelled to the United Arab Emirates to continue in this vein.

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Winter Is Coming

By Shane Thomas

One would think I've missed the boat for a doleful piece on Arsenal. After all, the time for pessimistic sentiments should have been in the aftermath of their dismal showing in defeat to Olympiacos last Tuesday. Now the bulk of Arsenal's players go into the international break on the back of thumping Manchester United 3-0. All is rosy in the Emirates garden again. What could there possibly be to worry about?

England's Children Taught Their Harshest Lesson

By Shane Thomas

I imagine it's always a thorny issue for a parent when their child hits a stage of near adulthood. One has to take care not to stifle their path to independence, but must also be cognisant of not giving them so much autonomy that they're not yet ready to handle.

It's a difficult balancing act[1], and is a task that Stuart Lancaster can probably relate too. When he goes through the futile but inevitable process of recounting what went wrong against Australia, and this entire World Cup campaign, he'll wonder if his players were the sporting equivalent of a group of adolescents, unable to be trusted to stay home on their own.