Author: Martyn Green

Helenio Herrera and the Birth of Italian Football

Published on by Martyn Green

“Clown and genius, buffoon and ascetic, rogue and model father, sultan and faithful husband, swaggering fool and quiet achiever, delinquent and competent, megalomaniac and health fanatic. Herrera is all of the above and more.” So said Italian football journalist Gianni Brera in 1966, as Herrera took Inter to their third Serie A title in four years, a spell that also brought two European Cups. The Argentinian, by this stage, had already changed football in completely unrecognisable ways, and put in place practices that echo through to the modern game. He was perhaps the first modern manager.

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The Professor: Why Ralf Rangnick could lead a Revolution at Manchester United

Published on by Martyn Green

“The Revolution wasn’t only televised, it was broadcast live.” This is how Uli Hesse introduces new Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick in his book Tor! The Story of German Football. It is a good way of thinking about the former Schalke and RB Leipzig boss, and as with any revolutionary, he was initially met with scepticism, scorn and savagery by the establishment he planned on usurping. After all, the highlight of Rangnick’s playing career might well have been turning out for Southwick in Sussex County League while he studied in Brighton. Who’s laughing now?

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El Divino Manco – The One-Armed Wonder

Published on by Martyn Green

Winning the World Cup is the pinnacle of any player’s career. So few get the chance to even play in the competition, let alone win it, that the feeling is preserved just for the rarefied few, whose magic has lit up the global game. But only one side can claim the be the first World Cup winners, and when Uruguay romped to the title (scoring 15 goals in just four games), their final goal was scored by a one-armed man.

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Should We Introduce Pre-Qualifying?

Published on by Martyn Green

Following England’s 10-0 demolition of San Marino over the international break, there have been questions asked over the value of these kinds of fixtures, and whether the micro-nations should have to pre-qualify in order to join the Qualification groups with the nations that stand a realistic chance of reaching the main event. I’m sure Harry Kane very much enjoyed his four goals, taking him past Jimmy Greaves in the England scoring charts, but really shouldn’t those goals be a thing of the footballing past?

The short answer, the TL:DR, is no.

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Did Football Really Start the Balkans Wars?

Published on by Martyn Green

Football can be a serious business. It has repercussions for livelihoods, communities, even entire countries. Winning or losing can affect the mood far more than should be possible for something that is “only a game”. But what about when football goes beyond moods, or jobs? What about when it threatens peace? What happens, when football starts a war?

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Norway are on the Edge of History. Can they Achieve Greatness?

Published on by Martyn Green

As we head into the international break, Norway are optimistic. They haven’t been to a World Cup since the 1998, and haven’t had this much confidence in a side since a halcyon period in their footballing history where they performed well in 1938 and at the 1936 Olympics, where they beat hosts Germany. But they are beginning to believe that maybe, just maybe, this is their time. A win against Latvia, and a draw against the Netherlands, should see them into the playoffs for World Cup Qualifying. A slip up by Turkey will make that easier. And the playoffs are a lottery. Unlucky and they will have to get past Portugal or Spain. But if the draw goes their way they might end up with a much simpler proposition – Finland, or Ukraine, or Scotland. And with this group of players, nothing is impossible.

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A Casual Affair

Published on by Martyn Green

Corinthians were perhaps the most famous of the early amateur sides. They were founded in 1882, to provide players for the nascent England team who had developed a habit of losing to Scotland. Within four years they provided nine players to the England side, and later provided the entire selection. They beat the ‘Invincibles’ of Preston in 1889 and still hold the record for Man Utd’s worst ever defeat. Their greatest legacy comes in South America, where Corinthians of Brazil, one of the continent’s most successful sides, was set up in response to a tour by the English amateurs. In the 1930s, they combined with Casuals to become Corinthian-Casuals, who still play in the Isthmian League to this day.

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The (Original) Italian Stallions

Published on by Martyn Green

In 2021, Italy broke the record for the longest unbeaten run in international football. It has been an incredible period since their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, not suffering defeat between 10th October 2018, and their Nations League Final defeat to Spain on 6th October 2021, including a record-breaking run of clean sheets, and, as we are all too aware, the winning of a major trophy. A goalless draw against Switzerland seems an anticlimactic way of celebrating the achievement, but it will stand in the record books, for a while at least. What makes the achievement even more spectacular is the scrutiny, the pressure, and the expectation of the whole of Italy that this team carried with them.

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The Forgotten Man: England’s Greatest Mistake?

Published on by Martyn Green

When we look back at the great tactical innovators of the game, certain names crop up time and again. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are held up as heirs to a footballing genius laid down by Bill Shankly, Arrigo Sacchi, Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff. For a certain type of football fan, Helenio Herrera and Karl Rappan are idols. But there are very few who have had the impact and legacy of and Englishman, mostly forgotten to history, by the name of James Hogan.

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