(Guest Post) England's Ongoing Failures

By Sathesh Alagappan

Iceland’s victory over England at Euro 2016 sent shockwaves through the footballing world; the latest episode in a long history of underachievement failure for the England men's national team. The toothless nature of the performance, and the lowly standing of the opponents made this defeat particularly hard to take.

The Politics Of Sport - The English Football Hero

By Shane Thomas

"I do love his [Jamie Vardy's] story – in 2012 he was playing for Fleetwood Town in the Conference, so far he’s the leading scorer in the Premier League this season... As football itself becomes more and more predictable; as the unraveling of the powers-that-be who have profited from the game at the expense of the game; a story like Vardy’s is great."

"Wait, sorry. I forgot. It doesn’t matter what any footballer does off the pitch as long as he performs on it. How silly of me."

The Politics Of Sport - Why Do They Keep Getting Away With It?

By Shane Thomas

The point of a verdict in an inquiry, investigation, or legal proceedings is to act as a full stop. To clear the fog of questions surrounding an issue, remove the anxiety of indecision, and let us breathe because we now know where we stand.

The Politics Of Sport: The Race Conversation

By Shane Thomas

Roy Hodgson, the England manager. A racist? Personally I don't think he is. My thoughts are much in simpatico with journalist, Natasha Henry, who tweeted more eloquently than anyone else that I've heard on this issue.

The Politics Of Sport: Shaun Tuck's Islamophobia - Over To You, FA

By Shane Thomas

I had no plans to pen another post so soon after my last one, but the tragic recent events in Woolwich have put paid to that. So how does a violent murder connect with the world of sport?

Dangerous Tackling? Blame The FA.

By Shane Thomas

Regular readers of this blog (all two of them) will know that one of my biggest bugbears in football is dangerous tackling. Even more infuriating is seeing such conduct go unpunished. So like many in football, the FA's decision not to take retrospective action against Wigan's Callum McManaman for his egregious challenge on Newcastle's Massadio Haidara left me disgusted.

Hillsborough: The True Failings

By Shane Thomas

The Hillsborough independent panel's verdict was said to send shockwaves throughout the English game. People were reputedly stunned by the revelations that the accountability for the tragic deaths of 96 Liverpool fans should no longer be aimed towards the supporters, but towards the ostensibly esteemed organisations of the South Yorkshire Police, The FA, sections of the English newspapers and the British government.