My Sporting Lowdown

by Chris Blackpool have one of the most interesting stories in world football, and one of the worst if you're a fan of the Tangerines. A fairy-tale rise under Ian Holloway, the pain of relegation, the frustration of poor ownership, all contribute to what has been a remarkable undulation. Having lost a club legend Jimmy Armfield recently, it got me thinking about the club and the incredible results they achieved during their single season in the Premier League, and although it feels like yesterday, it was 8 years ago! I also wanted to talk about the club's segregation under the Oystons, and now the future without them. But first, here is the eleven which started Blackpool's most notable match in the Premier League, a 2-1 win at Anfield against my beloved Liverpool. Although only 8 at the time, I was well into football and I knew the aberration the club was going through at the time, with the wrongful appointment of Roy Hodgson and the steady stewardship of Kenny...

by Chris Hello and welcome to the return of The Sporting Lowdown. Now as you know its been a dry January blog-wise since the mayhem of the advent calendar and Christmas time. It does seem like another year has passed since then with the weather 'n' all that, but here we are, the first of February, fresh from a fantastic transfer window full of drama and twists in multiple tales. We began the window with the news that the transfer saga would finally close after such opprobrium for Virgil Van Dijk in a crazy transfer worth £75m. Of course, what a deal that will be for Southampton, if you cast your eyes very narrowly on the fee, but the long-term impact the towering Dutchman may have at Anfield for me will be worth every measly penny of that fee. The Merseyside derby came along, and he immediately established the fact that he will never ever have to buy a drink in Liverpool again, after he thumped home an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain corner to win it for the Reds. Liverpool h...

by Chris Welcome to the nineteenth edition of the Sporting Lowdown advent calendar! This will be continued until the 24th December so any requests for my opinion will most likely be included in the 24 and in the future. Now people have their reasons for being bald. Some by medical disruption, and some by choice, but this clearly has no effect on their footballing ability. Here are three of the very best we've seen in the PL era. If you want me to do more of these slightly more bizarre pieces then do let me know, and if you have any more suggestions for the best bald players there is always a possibility for a part 4! 7: Jose Manuel 'Pepe' REINA His eight years in the Premier League with Liverpool were undoubtedly the best of his career. The Spaniard, son of former Atletico Madrid and Barcelona 'keeper Miguel Reina, made his first team debut in 2000, after becoming yet another product of the famed La Macia academy. He made h...

by Chris Welcome to the eighteenth edition of the Sporting Lowdown advent calendar! This will be continued until the 24th December so any requests for my opinion will most likely be included in the 24 and in the future. So after 69 matches of domestic domination, Celtic finally lost, and in style as Hearts smashed them 4-0 on Saturday. 16 year old Cochran slammed in from long range to put the Jambos ahead, swiftly followed by Northern Irishman Kyle Lafferty drilling in from distance also. David Milinkovic hit a double in the second half to secure Celtic's demise for the first time in Scotland since Ronny Deila was in charge. So who were the heroes who dominated Scottish football for so long? Here are two of the key men over the past two years, and this will culminate in more pieces in the near future. It's easy material guys, come on! ;) Mikael LUSTIG The 6 foot 2 inch right back was an essential piece in Brendan Rodgers's invincibles jigs...

by Chris Welcome to the seventeenth edition of the Sporting Lowdown advent calendar! This will be continued until the 24th December so any requests for my opinion will most likely be included in the 24 and in the future. Now people have their reasons for being bald. Some by medical disruption, and some by choice, but this clearly has no effect on their footballing ability. Here are three of the very best we've seen in the PL era. If you want me to do more of these slightly more bizarre pieces then do let me know, and if you have any more suggestions for the best bald players there is always a possibility for a part 4! 10: Aaron MOOY A very new addition to the league's list, Aaron Mooy has been an essential part of David Wagner's shock start for Huddersfield which sees them sit comfortably on 21 points, and scored twice recently in a very impressive 4-1 win away at Marco Silva's Watford. The Aussie began his career in New South Wales at the NSWIS, befor...