A Sticker's Worth 500 Words

Mat Jolin-Beech today looks at the managerial merry-go-round which is oiled and ready to go ahead of a new season through the lens of an underused Belgian defender who played three times as many games as one of his managers oversaw in the 2004/05 campaign. His club career saw him play in his native Belgium, the Netherlands, England, Germany and the USA before retirement in 2021 but he is yet to throw his hat into the management ring. He is, however, bald, bearded and European so watch this space should your club make an early personnel change. Over to Mat. The Euros are over , it still isn’t coming home, and pre-season is already underway. This is the time when hopes and dreams build for your team. The optimism for the new campaign takes root and begins to grow. It is a new season, and with it comes new hope. There also comes new kits at £200 a pop, new ticket prices, always up, never down, and the hope of new signings that will lead your boys to glory. For some, there are new manage...

Well who could have predicted we’d be on the verge of yet another England appearance in a European Championships final a few weeks ago ? John Stones may not have played a single pass forward, Harry Kane may look like he’s not slept in three months and Phil Foden may have managed to hit every part of the goal frame besides the back of the net but Gareth Southgate has once again guided his charges successfully through a major international tournament. All that now stands in the way of football coming home from Berlin is a very talented Spain side who apparently have a decent history in this competition. As this summer’s feast of football comes to an end it’s time for the far more exciting and headline dominating transfer window. As clubs across Europe (and Saudi Arabia) look to solve their various dilemmas the recent European Championship has provided the continent’s finest with the perfect shop window and, unfortunately, made Fabrizio Romano busy again. Could Lamine Yamal be the ne...