Cultured Football #139
Cultured Football #139
Books of the Year. January Transfers. Hillsborough Law Still Needed. Soft Skills. Rolling Stones.
Year in Review - my favourite sports books of 2023
By
I’m a bit of a sucker for year-end favourite lists and even more so when they combine sports books. Sadly, there aren’t too many of those around so, when I spotted this I knew that I had to include it. And not only because the author is looking forward to reading my book Echoes of an Italian Summer.
January signings CAN transform your season
By Huw Davies for
As December and the year start nearing the end, attention turns to the January transfer window. Many consider this the window of desperation - only the desperate are eager to do business - yet that is because there are instances where things work out spectacularly well.
Bonus Pick: Along with preparing for transfers, desperate clubs are also quick at sacking managers during this period, to allow the new man the time to bring in his players. Tony Mowbray was the latest one to suffer that fate, the fantastic job in tacking Sunderland to the play-offs last season quickly forgotten. [BY
for ]You Think The Hillsborough Law Is About Us? That Ship Sailed Long Ago. It's About You, Dickheads
By for
Cultured Football doesn’t usually do bad words or politics but this is one occasion that deserves it. Tony Evans is nothing if not passionate and direct, yet he is always right. As we’ve seen in the aftermath of recent mis-managed ticketing situation in the Champions League final, when authorities were quick to blame fans, supporters and ‘common’ people always come last in the authorities’ reckoning. The Hillsborough Law would have changed that, at least in England. Why are there people - fans and ‘common’ people - who don’t want that to happen? Baffling.
Bonus Pick: Football is no longer the sole property of the people. [By
for ]Every Saturday, Cultured Football brings you five great football articles you should be reading.
Christoph Freund: Why Bayern Munich analyse players’ soft skills
By Training Ground Guru
Unless you are a fan, it is not easy to like Bayern Munich. Yet, this conversation with new sporting director Christoph Freund is too engaging not to share. "You have to be made to give your all to get to the top and stay there. There are plenty of examples of players who were huge talents, but who nevertheless took a different path. That's perfectly fine, but you have to admit it to yourself before you become unhappy."
Rolling Stones
By Tom Reed and Sam Wainwright for Terrace Edition
It is easy to dismiss the importance of the FA Cup until you see images like those which follows Maidstone United’s qualification to the Third Round. And there are plenty of wonderful images (and words) here!
Bonus Pick: Recently another friend showed me his Mexico 86 book that he still had. It was full. It was perfection. It was not for sale. [By
]Last Week’s Most Read: ‘I’m happy. I have friends who are not’: What Inter Miami lost with Messi
By Ryan Baldi for The Guardian
It is fair to say that the vast majority of football fans had no idea who Inter Miami were before they signed Lionel Messi last June. All that changed once that transfer was pushed through; Messi's arrival has led to a surge in attention and attendance for Inter Miami. Yet it isn’t all good with many longtime fans feel a disconnect from the previous "family atmosphere". Even worse, the biggest impact for supporters has been a significant increase in season ticket prices, leading to frustration and loss of fans who had been supporting the club from the start.