Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
IT'S not very often that I praise the Football Association but they definitely deserve a pat on the back for their bid to halt the decline of men playing the 11 a side game.
A £200m investment scheme in grass roots football includes improving access and quality of pitches.
Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
NEXT time you think times are a bit tough, spare a thought for Gary Parkinson.
The former Middlesbrough footballer was head of youth development at Blackpool when he suffered a severe stroke last year. The 43 year old has locked-in syndrome which means he is fully aware of what's going on around him but is totally paralysed apart from being able to use his eyes.
Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
A vision of football in the future emerged last week and although on the face it seemed a miserable prospect, there could be a hidden bonus.
The president of Spanish giants Barcelona Sandro Rosell was quoted as saying that the English Premier League needs to be cut by four teams to help the Champions League.
Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
WHAT is it about the Germans and their business sense? They seem to be faring better than most in the Euro crisis and now one of England's top football writers suggests that the German model is the one to adopt when it comes to running football clubs.
James Lawton, of The Independent, who is also Sports Writer of the Year, was last week speculating on how the Premier League could move away from the situation where unless your club is owned by a wealthy benefactor you've got no chance of winning anything.
Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
AT last, a football referee exercising common sense!
When the Doncaster Rovers striker Billy Sharp scored in the 14th minute of their Championship home game against Middlesbrough last week he 'celebrated' by revealing a message on a T-shirt underneath his Rovers shirt.
Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
YEARS ago the only stars in football were the players, now the managers are often in the limelight as much as the young men they coach.
Sometimes they are spot on in their comments, sometimes you think “shouldn't have said that matey”.