Author: Martyn Green

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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This is Paris: August ’21

Published on by Martyn Green2 Comments

Record French Open Champion Rafael Nadal trains at the level of intensity that he uses in matches. He’s one of the few who put that much effort into training, with the received wisdom that you need to manage your exhaustion levels, be careful of injuries, and keep some freshness. 75% intensity is usually considered high. But when it comes down to the crunch, when Nadal has to dig deep and find that extra 2%, he knows its there. That’s why he’s won so many titles. It’s also, presumably, why he gets injured so much.

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This is Paris: Preseason 2021

Published on by Martyn Green1 Comment

Steve is looking sheepish as I make my way into training. He’s been avoiding me all week, and quickly darts up to the boardroom where I suspect he has locked the door. The youth team debacle means that there are just 23 players in the entire club, and I have almost no resources to add to them. Still, Jose Alcocer comes in to fill the vacant coaches position. He has great all round stats and can make a real difference on the training pitch. I select Charly Paquille from a list of applicants to be my Assistant. His first piece of advice is to switch Damien Durand from his favoured Inverted Winger position to an out and out winger. I may have made a mistake.

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