Ken Early: All VAR does is annoy everybody while delaying everythingWrong refereeing decisions cannot be eliminated from football because most of the time wrongness is a matter of subjective perceptionMon Jan 27 2025 - 06:00
Ken Early: Denis Law one of the very best in the days when players were the only ones who matteredFootball now increasingly subject to the influence of forces that never appear on the pitchMon Jan 20 2025 - 06:00
Ken Early: If Mikel Arteta really loves Arsenal’s players, he should let them playGabriel Jesus’s injury and another unconvincing performance by Kai Havertz underlined how badly Arsenal need a new forwardMon Jan 13 2025 - 06:00
Ruben Amorim’s anger in Liverpool augurs well for Manchester UnitedSunday’s Premier League match at Anfield suggested there could be some sense to selling Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real MadridMon Jan 06 2025 - 06:00
Ken Early: The pursuit of calm, running from risk and Euro nationalism mark a mixed year of footballMoments of magic being sapped from the game as managers opt to cut out risky businessMon Dec 30 2024 - 06:00
Liverpool enjoy Spurs’ farcical nonsenseAnge Postecoglou needs to review his risk-and-reward calculationMon Dec 23 2024 - 06:00
Flash of inspiration from Amad casts Amorim’s dropping of Rashford and Garnacho as a masterstrokeUnited manager’s faith in Amad Diallo helps secure a memorable Manchester derby victory over struggling CityMon Dec 16 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Ireland set to vie with Hungary for the role of potential rival to group top dogs in World Cup qualifiersIf Irish football has been subsisting on the poverty line, Hungarian football has had billions pumped into itFri Dec 13 2024 - 22:28
Ange Postecoglou seems more concerned with his own brand than with Tottenham’s resultsGreat managers such as Alex Ferguson and Jurgen Klopp understood the difference between rhetoric and realityMon Dec 09 2024 - 06:00
Arne Slot has gotten Liverpool excited by showing them they can get even betterMohamed Salah talking about his contract shows he wants to stay at Anfield - but notice the silence from Trent Alexander-ArnoldMon Dec 02 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Manchester United’s current crop will struggle to adjust to Amorim’s systemThe new manager has a crystal-clear idea of how his side should play but he lacks the players to make that vision a realityMon Nov 25 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Naive Ireland need to remember this pain and at least learn to whingeIreland’s second-half capitulation against England again exposed this team’s fatal lack of gamecraftMon Nov 18 2024 - 06:00
Liverpool must think Mamardashvili is something very special if they believe he’s better than KelleherEvan Ferguson at one end and Caoimhin Kelleher come up with big plays, alongside a regen of Craig BellamyThu Nov 14 2024 - 22:56
Ken Early: Arsenal once looked eager and energetic but have now become too scripted and controlledJust moments after taking the lead, and with half an hour still to play, Arsenal looked like they were already trying to kill the gameMon Nov 11 2024 - 06:00
Damien Duff’s unwavering belief in Irish football has elevated the whole leagueThe fact that one of Ireland’s best ever players has immersed himself in his Shelbourne role shows a real faith in the value of the domestic gameMon Nov 04 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Worst night of Mbappé’s club career as Barca steal the showFrench striker endured a nightmare outing, caught offside eight times, as Barcelona ended Real’s 42-game unbeaten league run in spectacular styleMon Oct 28 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Liverpool and Chelsea showcase ‘S**t on a Stick: 2024 edition’Arne Slot says he has only changed a few small details since taking over from Jürgen Klopp - so why does it already feel like a different club?Mon Oct 21 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Unless execution improves, Ireland will not be qualifying for anything for a while Bodies on the line defending can only take this team so far as Ireland offer more gifts to grateful GreeksMon Oct 14 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Robbie Brady gives Ireland fans another night to remember in HelsinkiHeimir Halgrímsson’s side showed plenty of character to bounce back from half-time deficit to claim first competitive win of 2024Thu Oct 10 2024 - 22:16
Ken Early: Nations League games offer Ireland a chance to liberate ourselves by embracing football failureLet us dream of a place beyond desire, beyond hope, where nothing that happens to our team can hurt us any moreWed Oct 09 2024 - 20:05
There is an obvious solution to Man Utd’s managerial woesKen Early: The club’s denial of reality has been repaid by its worst ever start to a Premier League seasonMon Oct 07 2024 - 06:00
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are disgustingly accomplished, with a hint of Tony PulisTottenham getting about €117 for Harry Kane seemed like a lot of money until they spent more than half that on Dominic SolankeMon Sept 16 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Relegation beckons for Ireland as the booing gets louderNil-all at half-time was already a big improvement on the last time Greece were here in October 2023. Then Ireland lost whatever semblance of control they had in midfieldWed Sept 11 2024 - 06:00
After Jack Grealish scored, it appeared that football was ultimately just a joke at Ireland’s expenseEngland dismissed Ireland while producing one of the most one-sided periods of play ever seen at the Aviva StadiumMon Sept 09 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: It seems evident that Hallgrímsson sees Ireland much as Trapattoni, O’Neill and McCarthy didThe new manager signals a return to a pragmatic first principlesSat Sept 07 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Manchester United fans losing patience as familiar flaws are evident again Three games and two defeats into the new Premier League season and the choice to keep ten Hag already looks unwiseMon Sept 02 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Miserable Chelsea could almost put you off footballClearlake Capital are presiding over an extravagant mess at Stamford BridgeMon Aug 19 2024 - 11:19
Ken Early: The Premier League is back and it needs Manchester City not to win it more than everOwners, lawyers, referees and other once-extraneous things have now dominate conversation as much as on-field actionFri Aug 16 2024 - 14:32
Ken Early on Euro 2024: Spain take the trophy but nobody wins in modern-day blame gameThere was plenty of fun and the best team won, but the tournament also laid bare the impact of social media on the game and its increasingly burnt-out playersTue Jul 16 2024 - 06:00
Spain show the world what football is all about. For England, the wait goes on Euro 2024: Oyarzabal’s late winner gives Spain deserved victory over Southgate’s sideSun Jul 14 2024 - 22:40
Ken Early: How can Southgate have made this many mistakes, and still gotten England to the final?England have ranged between dull and bad, in contrast to Spain who always look clever, lively and inventiveSat Jul 13 2024 - 06:00
Watkins seals final place for England in performance light years ahead of early roundsEuro 2024: Aston Villa striker finds the net in the 90th minute to knock out the NetherlandsWed Jul 10 2024 - 22:08
Lamine Yamal stars as Spain make Euro 2024 final dazzling every step along the wayWhen the moment came when France needed to chase goals, they didn’t quite know what to do after being defensive all tournamentTue Jul 09 2024 - 22:17
Ken Early: Toni Kroos castigated after tackling tough subject carefully. That’s social media for youThe Germany midfielder found himself in the centre of a storm because of controversial comments he didn’t makeMon Jul 08 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Nobody can explain how Southgate has again guided England to the last fourSwitzerland had outplayed England for long periods during their Euro 2024 quarter-finalSat Jul 06 2024 - 19:45
Ken Early: England braced for finely-tuned Swiss machine unbeaten since Yakin-Xhaka peace deal Three Lions likely to adopt Switzerland’s 3-4-2-1 formation for Euro quarter-final after Swiss eased past four-man-defence ItalySat Jul 06 2024 - 06:00
Mikel Merino strikes late for Spain to end German’s Euro adventureSpain’s coach Luis de la Fuente has blushes spared after taking off Lamine Yamal and Nico WilliamsFri Jul 05 2024 - 21:10
Disorganised chaos beats organised chaos as Turkey end Austria’s Euro 2024 dreamIn Leipzig, Austria came up against maybe the only supporters louder than them, and a team that plays with equally wild energyTue Jul 02 2024 - 22:26
Ken Early: If Ronaldo was Joe Biden then Roberto Martinez was his JillPortugal goalkeeper saves all three penalties to break Slovenian heartsMon Jul 01 2024 - 23:08
Ken Early: Jude Bellingham wills incoherent England past Slovakia on sheer shameless self-beliefEnglish stumble into the Euro 2024 quarter-finals after extra-timeSun Jun 30 2024 - 20:09
Switzerland expose Italy’s lack of talent to dump defending champions outMurat Yakin’s talented and hard-working side beat Italy almost at walking paceSat Jun 29 2024 - 19:13
Ken Early: Nationalism takes you to peculiar places … especially at Euro 2024‘Serbian, Romanian and Albanian fans have all displayed flags showing maps of the “Greater” versions of their countries’Sat Jun 29 2024 - 06:00
Chaotic off the pitch but a success on it - Ken Early’s review of the Euro 2024 group stagesSpain shine as England labour to progress, with Austria and Switzerland making the most of their limited squadsWed Jun 26 2024 - 19:50
Austria’s outstanding win over the Netherlands changes shape of the tournament Ralf Rangnick’s young, hungry side storm past the Dutch to secure top spot in Group DTue Jun 25 2024 - 19:28
Italy equalise in last minute to leave Croatia facing cruel exitZaccagni’s spectacular strike in Leipzig could result in Luka Modric’s final major championship gameMon Jun 24 2024 - 22:31
Germany overcome complacency to top group with late Füllkrug strikeSwitzerland led game for a long period before they were stung by a simple centre-forward’s goalSun Jun 23 2024 - 22:15
Ken Early: To travel by train for Euro 2024 is to see a textbook case of neoliberal capitalism’s endgame Letter from Plattform Eins: At least nobody can deny there is a lot of amusement to be had from reading people vent online about Germany’s rail serviceSat Jun 22 2024 - 06:00
Ken Early: Alexander-Arnold bluff catches Southgate cold in dour Denmark drawSticking with the Liverpool full-back in midfield suggested, falsely, that England’s manager knew why he picked him in the first placeThu Jun 20 2024 - 20:21
Toni Kroos runs the show as Germany become first team to confirm qualification for last 16Rather than a reborn Golden Team, Hungary looked like a typical tournament minnow with slow players just trying to stay aliveWed Jun 19 2024 - 19:31
Turkey beat Georgia in a Euro 2024 match of feverish, hysterical chaosJoyous occasion as the teams ran back and forth like lunatics, responding in kind to an extraordinary atmosphereTue Jun 18 2024 - 19:44
