Sports
When Saturday Comes
Pirate Transmission
Broadcasters around the world are paying huge sums to screen football, but they will not be willing to invest if they cannot be protected.
3 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Scandi Drama
Years before it was screened live in the UK, England’s Football League was building a cult following abroad thanks to a visionary broadcaster.
5 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Pot Of Gold
A rare meeting between two local rivals brought FA Cup fever – and a useful financial boost – to one corner of Hertfordshire
3 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Digital Divide
From earnest post-match punditry to being used in actual players’ matchday preparations, the virtual game is becoming increasingly blurred with reality.
4 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Haringey Ladder
The decision to walk off in the face of abuse has shone a national spotlight on a community club with a progressive approach
3 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Bournemouth 0 Norwich City 0
Dean Court may have received a Premier League facelift but against today’s visitors the home team fail to live up to their status, although the low-quality draw they play out is still somehow reassuring.
8 min |
December 2019
When Saturday Comes
Knowledge Sharing
England’s recent success at youth level has come off the back of the FA’s different approach to coaching, shunning star names and appointing low-key but experienced coaches from the lower-leagues.
4 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Practice Imperfect
Being paid to play football all day might sound like a great job to most of us, but for many players training sessions are seen as an unbearable chore.
3 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Scotland 2 England 2
The original international fixture has diminished in stature over the years and this time – just two days after a general election and amid heightened security – there is little bile between rivals at Hampden as the hosts try to salvage their hopes of, finally, reaching another World Cup.
8 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Focus On Mick channon
Raised in a rural village on Salisbury Plain, football became an outlet for a young Mick Channon after his elder brother died in a tractor accident.
2 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Inside Job
They often go unnoticed, existing simply to get you from A to B, but coach drivers are privy to all sorts of behind-the-scenes information.
5 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Sticking Together
Keep your eyes peeled and you will notice a new phenomenon of global football culture sweeping the streets.
4 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Money Talks
The era of Chinese clubs paying huge transfer fees for star players may be over, with the government wanting them to focus on youth development.
3 min |
August 2017
When Saturday Comes
Laptop Crashes
The hostility towards managers in Scotland who do not fit the tried-and-failed formula of ex-player is holding back the country’s development.
3 min |
October 2017
When Saturday Comes
Urgent Announcement
With so much football on TV these days we are in danger of running out of commentators
4 min |
October 2017
When Saturday Comes
Preston North End 1 Reading 0
Preston have been the model of consistency over the past couple of seasons and, despite the surprise loss of their well liked manager over summer, a string of encouraging results under new boss Alex Neil mean the mood at Deepdale remains upbeat. Reading, meanwhile, are trying to shake off the slump that often follows play-off final defeat
7 min |
October 2017
When Saturday Comes
Official Complaint
The powers of referees have changed a lot over the years. However, as this man in the middle from Germany attests in the first of a two-part feature, it can still be a struggle to control players at grassroots level.
4 min |
October 2017
When Saturday Comes
Java Script
For a long time Indonesia has been a top destination in south-east Asia for stars hunting a final payday. However, many of the moves do not end well
3 min |
October 2017
When Saturday Comes
Focus on albert Quixall
Focus on albert Quixall
2 min |
September 2017
When Saturday Comes
Stock Exchange
A star on his debut aged 15, John Bostock is now 25 and has played for ten different clubs – but he says that experience has made him stronger, and he is finally settling down abroad.
3 min |
September 2017
When Saturday Comes
Phoenix Nights
Having dropped into France’s regional amateur fifth division, supporters of Strasbourg stuck with their club and now they are back in the top flight.
3 min |
September 2017
When Saturday Comes
Axe To Grind
Brazilian clubs are no strangers to managerial sackings but two recent dismissals have been notably harsh, highlighting a lack of long-term vision.
3 min |
September 2017
When Saturday Comes
Room With A View
Hampden Park
3 min |
January 2018
When Saturday Comes
Not In The Script
ARSENAL FILM
3 min |
January 2018
When Saturday Comes
Out Of Place...
After another unsuccessful qualifying attempt Martin O’Neill is under pressure, while a poor Republic of Ireland squad is only getting weaker
3 min |
January 2018
When Saturday Comes
Uncomfortable Truth
At the end of April Sheffield United surprised many people by re-signing Ched Evans, who, following a retrial, has now been found not guilty of the rape charge for which he spent two-and-a-half years in prison.
3 min |
June 2017
When Saturday Comes
Flushing Meadow
Amid the anger at the stadium’s sale, wild rumours of future plans and disagreements over whether Leatherhead was too far for an indefinite period of groundsharing (there was a banner), Kingstonian’s final game at Kingsmeadow snuck up on many, K’s fans or otherwise.
3 min |
June 2017
When Saturday Comes
Top dogs
Easter weekend in Hamburg and, at a large kulturhaus called Kampnagel, one of the more inclusive football tournaments is starting.
3 min |
June 2017
When Saturday Comes
VAR fetched
Video technology was hailed as the saviour of football, until the next day when it was a shambles. Maybe the change we really need is in the culture of blaming the referee.
4 min |
March 2018
When Saturday Comes
Enigma code
It was in October 2010 that Rio Ferdinand wrote an open letter in support of England’s ultimately doomed World Cup bid.
3 min |