And managers who never make it at all and don’t even bother to come up with excuses. For managers, there are at least three big problems which are outside of their control.   First, they generally ...

Now obviously one can’t predict this season based on the six previous campaigns, but it is interesting that there is a near universal view that Tottenham have now turned a corner and will be ...

Football is a tough physical game, so the issue of facing physical pressed comes into play in the sense that young players are told to “man up”. It is also a fact that bullying is a part of English ...

Therefore, the issue of fans getting worked up about referees is merely fan bias; the poor, uneducated fans not being able to see the game as clearly as the media can, because of the fans’ affection ...

There are indeed three separate worlds of football, which exist in England. The same three worlds might also exist in other countries, although I’m sticking with England for the moment.

The brilliantly named “Kepa” is on a three-year contract, so he sits and waits. Reports say he is a very good keeper in that he played over 100 times for Chelsea, and 14 times for Real Madrid when on ...

But such is the way of things. For the moment, Arsenal are top and Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United aren’t even in the top four.

So the mood declines and the owner, trying to retain some credibility among the other Very Rich Men who are by now laughing at him, shows his “strength,” sacks the manager and brings in someone else.

Arsenal have one more game in the run of matches they will be expected by all and sundry to win (Fulham after the international rounds, on 18 October – this another Saturday evening game).

Now of course, things might change in the course of today (Sunday) or indeed in the coming week, but it is unlikely that Arsenal’s position of strength will decline since all this is being achieved ...

For the West Ham game, the referee is John Brooks.