Football Diary

by Patrick O'Connor

FOOTBALLERS can be really weird and do have some strange habits.

The Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, who is very much an old school type, has apparently lost his rag over his players following the latest Premier League fad of cutting up their socks!

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

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

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”.

Football Diary

by Patrick O'Connor

IT'S not been a good few days for being a professional footballer.

Yes, I know some of them earn bags of money, drive flashy cars and learn to do hip dances when they score a goal.

Football Diary

by Patrick O'Connor

THE transfer window may now be closed but its after-effects are still being felt.

The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claimed it was a traumatic period. The summer saw him lose two of his best players in Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas and Wenger was then left with a rather frantic scramble in the last few days of the window to bring reinforcements in.