Arriving at the back post

James Rodriguez once again finds himself secluded from the footballing world and searching for a new opportunity after Rayo Vallecano called an end to his five-month spell in the Spanish capital, which in total culminated 136 minutes. This feeling has been a far too regular occurrence in the past five years for one of the current game’s purest and underappreciated entertainers. After falling out with Zinedine Zidane, the Colombian seemed to embark on a pitstop tour, and on many occasions, it was as quick as an F1 tyre change. Directly after being cast away by Real Madrid due to Zinedine Zidane’s hard shoulder, he reunited with Carlo Ancelotti and Everton, which at the time seemed like the wildest of fever dreams. And for some Toffee fans, it must have seemed like a fantasy the way he started in Merseyside, but James’ hopefully start dwindled and his appearances on the pitch were sparse, as Ancelotti went back to Madrid and Rafa Benitez came in. Qatar was next and less than a year later...

From the English fourth division to the Belgian top flight, Max Dean is unfazed by most challenges thrown at him. Max Dean has a bravery and confidence that is often rare in youngsters, in any walk of life. Especially those who have been on a journey similar to Dean’s. He was raised in Ormskirk, a quiet market town 10 miles north of Liverpool and only a 30-minute drive to Everton’s Goodison Park, the team Dean supported and played for 11 years when growing up. His journey as a player for the Toffees ended abruptly at the age of 16 when he was let go, although his love for the club remained strong, with the striker in the crowd for the 2023-24 Merseyside Derby win at Goodison Park. At Everton he was competing with the likes of Lewis Dobbin and others from the year above but when he wasn’t deterred by an emotional rejection. Leeds United were interested in the Englishman and despite missing two first-half penalties in his trial against Sheffield United, the two goals he scored after the ...

Emma Hayes’ final bow at Stamford Bridge did not end the way it was meant to, but like most great shows there was one common antagonist. Chelsea were perfectly set up heading into the second leg after Erin Cuthbert struck the sole goal in Barcelona to hand the Spanish giants their first home defeat in five years. It was a moment that boosted the hope of potentially seeing Hayes’ final game as manager of Chelsea being a Champions League final in Bilbao. And for the second leg, the 16 players in blue could not have done much better but in the end, found themselves inches away from progressing against Barcelona. The Blaugranes have shown that they are often the team that have been able to turn the fine margins in their favour, especially Ballon D’or winner Aitana Bonmati. She was the superstar in this Champions League semi-final and shone brightest on a field full of superstars. The Spanish technician buzzed around the pitch and crept into spaces that caused Chelsea issues. On...

The African Cup of Nations had it all. From goalkeeper despair to penalty-saving heroics, forgotten names in the game are shining amongst some of the world’s best, but a lot of that has been covered. Ivory Coast were the victors but their journey to lifting the trophy was scattered with chaos, despair and then eventual joy, but it was a beautiful end for the host country. The Elephants were among the favourites to win the competition, but it wasn’t a tournament for the bigger nations on the continent. In fact, it was one to forget for most of them. Tunisia and Algeria departed at the group stage , but the biggest collapse would have been Ghana, and the players were left to know how disastrous their campaign was. Delali Phrank Awutey was covering The Black Stars at the event, and after Chris Hughton’s side bottled their two-goal lead against Mozambique, the Ghanaian press was not impressed. From a press point of view, it allows journalists from African countries to get cl...

The non-league side that have used relegation to battle back and are now aiming for Wembley. Lincoln United’s FA Vase match against Hallam is more than just a game it signifies the incredible turnaround the club has had since last year’s relegation. The 2022/23 campaign was tough for all involved in United and after a few near misses in previous years, the Whites finally saw their five-year stay in the Northern Premier League come to an end. Normally it is two teams that are relegated to the United Counties League Premier North division but after losing their Inter-Step Play-Off against Avro the Whites have succumbed to step five. FULL TIME ⚽️❌ Full Time and it ends in heart break for The Whites, we are relegated. The Management and players put their all into trying to stay up and we can’t thank them enough. We go again. One club. #TheWhites pic.twitter.com/naBHzPHljS — Lincoln United FC (@LincolnUnited) April 29, 2023 Sam Wilkinson joined the club halfway through last season ...