by Kristian Walsh | Nov 11, 2013 | Footie
BEFORE I grew up and became a sport journalist, I was a football fan. Football fan is a bit of a dirty phrase now, isn’t it? Everything is about the bigger picture when you’re older and fandom can never be unbridled; it’s all balance sheets, shot-to-goal ratios and...
by Kristian Walsh | Dec 18, 2012 | Footie
STOP the press, here’s an exclusive for you: all football journalists have a favourite football team. Some even support one. There is a ridiculous notion given credence in this age of social media and global villages that those who write about football should do so...
by Kristian Walsh | Jun 27, 2012 | Footie
CRISTIANO RONALDO took one brief glance at Petr Cech prone on the floor for confirmation. Once he had that he wheeled away, running towards the touchline with more speed and less abandon than he had shown over the previous 80 minutes. It had been an unforgettable 80...
by Kristian Walsh | Jun 11, 2012 | Footie
AND it had started so well. The brown seats as you walk in – frayed, fretted, frowned upon – give confirmation of their popularity. The indent created by the last person becomes yours; it is half-perturbing, half-welcoming knowing how many have come before you and how...
by Kristian Walsh | Jun 8, 2012 | Footie
ANDY BRASSELL is a wonderful man with a fine CV: he is European Football Correspondent for Fox Soccer, BBC Worldwide and ESPN Soccernet, as well as appearing on BBC Five Live. But more importantly for us, he’s with Portugal at their training camp throughout Euro...
by Kristian Walsh | May 29, 2012 | Footie
IT started how it finished. It ended how it began. It has done so for 23 years. Kenny Dalglish’s second coming came after a cancelled holiday, with his first day back at work an FA Cup defeat. 18 months later, an FA Cup defeat preceded a holiday cancelled in...
by Kristian Walsh | Apr 13, 2012 | Footie
IF you hold your ear close enough, you can hear it. You can hear it on buses, in office blocks and pubs. It’s heard in north Liverpool, south Liverpool and across the ripples of the River Mersey. There’s a hushed whisper around the city of Liverpool; a...
by Kristian Walsh | Mar 8, 2012 | Footie
Athletic Bilbao left the football purists purring with a brilliant away win at you know where tonight. It seemed like a good time to post this… THERE’S nothing better in football than watching a team which typifies the city it represents. The overt...
by Kristian Walsh | Sep 26, 2011 | Footie
HE LOVES me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not. For anyone who’s ever been dumped in a relationship, the subsequent pining for that person will be an uncomfortable, unwelcome memory. For days,...
by Kristian Walsh | Aug 22, 2011 | Footie
ONE of the most glorious weekends of the year is the first weekend of June. The summer sunshine makes a conceited effort to emerge from the clouds and grace your bedroom; its quick glance over the parapet promises much, but opts to stay in its fluffy white nest...
