-
Wednesday 11 August 2010
-
Neil Warnock, right, and his assistant Keith Curle look on as QPR slip to defeat against Port Vale. Photograph: Paul Redding/Action Images
Do you care about the Carling Cup? Neil Warnock doesn't. After watching my boys, Port Vale, comfortably beat Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road last night I got around to reading Warnock's programme notes: "There are going to be a few changes to my side for this evening's game. The simple fact is that the cup is not our priority this season."
The QPR manager was true to his word, changing six players from their 4-0 Championship win on Saturday, while the Vale were unchanged from the opening game of the season.
-
Tuesday 10 August 2010
-
Gianluca Festa (right) battles with Kevin Davies of Chesterfield during Middlesbrough's 1997 FA Cup semi-final against Chesterfield. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Allsport
Ahead of tonight's Carling Cup first-round clash, what are your memories of the 3-3 draw at Old Trafford?
Continue reading... -
It's not quite the walk to the Lamex Stadium. Photograph: PA
On the train home from the game last night, one question repeatedly came to mind: what would LS Lowry make of Stevenage?
Lowry's famous painting Going to the Match is so important in the heritage of the national winter game that the PFA bought it in 1999, splashing out nearly £2m (it can afford it). There are still plenty of grounds where you can sense what Lowry sensed, but Stevenage's Lamex Stadium, or rather the journey to it from the station, is about as far away from Lowry's interpretation as it is possible to be.
-
Marlon King has got time on his hands and plenty to think about. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian
John Ashdown: QPR fans are lobbying the club to ignore the possibility of signing the striker on a free after his release from jail
Continue reading... -
Monday 9 August 2010
-
Portsmouth supporters make themselves heard at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday afternoon. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images
Portsmouth's hopes of avoiding a second consecutive relegation this season already seem distant due to one simple problem: with only 13 outfield senior players the manager, Steve Cotterill, lacks any real method of varying his tactics both from game to game, and during a match when needing to do so.
This was all too clear on Saturday against Coventry City. Cotterill could name an XI featuring Aaron Mokoena, Michael Brown, Ibrahima Sonko, David Nugent, Hayden Mullins, Richard Hughes and Tommy Smith. But when his one-dimensional tactic of instructing the midfield to spray diagonals out to Smith on the right was worked out by Aidy Boothroyd's side, Cotterill's options appeared nil.
-
St Mary's as seen by an undercover journalist. Photograph: Chris Ison/PA
The Sun has come up with a novel response to Southampton's attitude to photographers
Continue reading... -
Wilfried Zaha celebrates his goal in his first professional start for Crystal Palace. Photograph: Christopher Lee/Getty Images
We knew it was going to be this way, but did anyone expect the madness to start so soon? Scunthorpe winning at Reading? Millwall hammering Bristol City? Plymouth winning away at supposedly nailed-on Southampton? The Football League is back and it's as bonkers as ever. It's probably not wise to read too much into the results at this stage but still it's good to see that the Championship in particular has lost none of its capacity to surprise.
Watford and Norwich kicked things off in style on Friday night, with a thoroughly entertaining 3-2 away win for the Hornets at Carrow Road. The Guardian's Richard Rae coined probably my favourite phrase of the opening weekend, describing Malky Mackay's side as "the Hertfordshire Rossoneri" in reference to their black-and-red striped away kit and the quality of their play. Maybe it'll catch on.
The goal of the weekend was probably John Bostock's effort for Hull – not a bad way to mark your debut and a solid start for Hull, who, despite their financial worries, still have a strong enough squad to have named Paul McShane, Seyi Olofinjana and Daniel Cousin on the bench at the KC Stadium. It was a bad day, though, for any Posh fans celebrating their birthdays.
Rochdale's first match in the third tier since 1974 ended in a 0-0 draw, not of any particular interest of itself, although it meant a short scout around the Rochdale website this morning and the discovery of a little gem. During Dale's pre-season training camp in Spain, the club's chief executive Colin Garlick wrote a series of diaries for the site, featuring his musings on the day-to-day goings on at the club and life in general. They're well worth a read if you have the time. "I thought the lads had a tough day yesterday but that was nothing compared to my night. I completely exhausted myself chasing that fly around my room with the Lynx in one hand and a pillow in the other." "A few players are starting to not indulge too much at breakfast time and prefer a few extra winks of shut eye to a bowl of cornflakes. I have to say they're right about the cornflakes, Spain might be in the World Cup Final but we beat them hands down when it comes the popular morning cereal."
-
-
Sunday 8 August 2010
-
Saturday 7 August 2010
-
Round-up: A late goal earned Stevenage a point in a 2-2 draw with Macclesfield in their first ever Football League match Continue reading...
Stevenage's Charlie Griffin celebrates his late equaliser against Macclesfield. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images
-
Millwall's Paul Robinson, second left, celebrates scoring his side's third goal at Bristol City. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA
Millwall celebrated their return to the Championship by subjecting David James to a torrid afternoon in a 3-0 victory over Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
The England goalkeeper was beaten by Darren Ward and Danny Schofield either side of half-time before Paul Robinson's goal sealed a magnificent opening day for the south London side on the hour mark. However, there was a sour note to Millwall's day as Darren Carter was sent off for two bookable offences. Continue reading...
-
Sheffield Wednesday's Clinton Morrison, right, celebrates with Giles Coke after scoring his side's second goal against Dagenham & Redbridge. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/Empics Sport
Newly relegated Sheffield Wednesday started their League One campaign with a 2-0 victory over Dagenham & Redbridge. An own goal from the defender Scott Doe gave Wednesday a 14th-minute lead after he deflected Gilles Coke's shot into the net.
Two minutes later Coke's fellow debutant Clinton Morrison struck from close range to double the lead and confirm defeat for the Daggers in their first ever game in the third tier. Continue reading...
-
James O'Connor celebrates Doncaster's opener. Photograph: Action Images
• Click here for all of Saturday's Football League scores and scorers.
Ninety minutes into the season: is it doom and gloom time already for your team, or is promotion already on your mind? This post is pretty much an open thread, but some early thoughts:
• Championship performance of the day: Millwall, 3-0 victors at Bristol City (ahem)? What about Doncaster, for their excellent 2-0 win at Preston, or Ipswich, who came from behind to win 3-1 at the Riverside?
-
Thank goodness the new season is back. Photograph: Phil Cole/Getty Images
So here we go again. There's something about the last rasping coughs of pre-season which I find uniquely depressing, a feeling that thankfully the actual football always manages to immediately dispel. Until April or so, at least.
-
The new manager at Meadow Lane tells Stuart James that while he faces a difficult task, it can't be worse than the death threats he received at Ferencvaros Continue reading...
Craig Short, the new Notts County manager, has returned to the club where he won back-to-back promotions as a player. Photograph: Fabio De Paola
On Football
Last 24 hours
-
1. Cash-rich Sharjah ruling family revealed to be behind Liverpool bid
- 2. Have any footballers been transfer-listed or sacked for being overweight?
- 3. Could Frankie Fielding be England's most unlikely international ever?
- 4. England v Hungary - live!
- 5. Liverpool remain in limbo until bidders put hard offers on the table
Last 24 hours
-
More zeitgeist
What is Zeitgeist?
Zeitgeist is an experiment in showing trending news, topics and articles from the Guardian. Find out more in our blog post.
-
Men's touch fastening canvas shoes
Buy one pair, get one free for only £19.99 (plus £3.95 p&p;)
From: £23.94
Bestsellers from the Guardian shop
Football League blog – most commented
Browse over 150,000 profiles and find a date today
Latest news on guardian.co.uk
Last updated less than one minute ago
Free P&P at the Guardian bookshop
-
- Inverting the Pyramid
- £8.99 with free UK delivery
-
- Top 100 Cricketers of All Time
- £8.99 with free UK delivery