The Window of Opportunity

By Shane Thomas

Two Tuesdays ago, Wigan were leading Swansea 2-1 in a key game in their battle to avoid relegation. In the second-half, James McCarthur, on as a substitute, missed a great chance to secure the win. The commentary team speculated whether Wigan would come to rue that miss.

Wigan went on to lose 3-2.

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.

The 2011/12 Premier League Club Review

By Shane Thomas


One of the most common misnomers in sport is the word "great". Greatness is often ascribed to a sporting event or occasion when what one means to say is "eventful" or "dramatic".

There's no doubt that this past Premier League season was chock-full of excitement and drama, but great is was not. Greatness comes from a high standard of excellence. So while this season wasn't the greatest (that probably goes to either the 1998/99 or 2007/08 season), the past nine months were arguably the most dramatic seen on these shores. In the order of where each club finished in the league table, let's go through the clubs:

Premier League Pacesetters Under Fire From Their Rivals

By Shane Thomas


As another Premier League weekend draws to a close, Tottenham Hotspur - who looked safely ensconced in third place, and with an eye on the two Manchester clubs - have hit a wall in terms of results. Zero points from the last nine, with Arsenal's late win against Newcastle meaning that they only hold a one point gap over their bitter neighbours on the red side of North London.

A Game too Far?

By Jonathan Wilkinson

Tonight St. Helens booked a place in their 5th straight Grand Final, a remarkable achievement until you realise they lost the last 3 to Leeds and the one they won was against Hull in one of the worst seasons in Super League history.