Matthew Chandler, Author at SQaF | Sports Quotes and Facts

5 Opening Weekend Premier League Fixtures That Turned Out to Be Absolute Classics

The start of the new Premier League season is always an exciting time as clubs up and down the country begin to plot their survival bid, quest for Europe or title challenge. Manchester City proved in 2018-19 how vital a strong finish is, winning their last 14 league games to snatch the title away from Liverpool by a point, but it’s just as important to start well, and build momentum right from the offset. Here we take a look back at five classic matches from the first round of top-flight …

The 10 Strangest Premier League Transfers Of All-Time

With such unprecedented levels of money in the Premier League, it is little wonder that a fair amount of it has gone to waste on some dodgy deals. Here are the ten most head-scratching transfers involving top-flight clubs in England since the inception of the Premier League in 1992: 10. Cuco Martina (Southampton to Everton, Free, July 2017) After a decent first season at Goodison Park, Ronald Koeman was clearly intent on preparing Everton for a serious assault on the top four. Hefty fees were shelled out; £30 million for …

How Forest Green Rovers Have Become The World’s Greenest Football Club

When Dale Vince was appointed as chairman of Forest Green Rovers in late 2010, one of his first acts was hardly the most orthodox. Vince, a green energy tycoon and owner of electricity company Ecotricity, wasted little time in making his mark on the club’s menu, banning the players from eating red meat and the sale of all meat products at the New Lawn, the club ground. Since then, Vince’s crusade to make the Gloucestershire club as green as possible has gone from strength to strength, with food options, pitch …

The Ridiculous Record That Shows Just How Unlucky Liverpool were in the 2018/19 Premier League

Take every iconic image associated with Liverpool’s Champions League win over Tottenham on Saturday. The 750,000 flooding the city streets to welcome home their heroes, captain Jordan Henderson in tears hugging his father at full-time, or Georginio Wijnaldum’s phone falling off the parade bus, for instance. Then amplify them by at least ten and you can imagine the sort of scenes had the Reds pipped Manchester City to the Premier League crown last month, to mark their first league title since 1990. It seems nonsensical to even suggest that Liverpool …

The 10 Coolest Football Shirts of All-Time

There’s a definite drawback to new kit releases becoming an annual event in a football club’s calendar for the most part – it’s hard to keep reinventing the wheel. How many different shades of red can Adidas keep coming up with for Manchester United? How many versions of black and white stripes can Puma keep delivering for Newcastle? If your team plays in white, how long can your kit manufacturer get away without adding any semblance of colour? Often, it’s thinking outside the box that pays off. It can fall …

50+1 Rule: Why Fan Ownership is So Important to German Clubs

The 50 + 1 rule is preventing them from financial ruin. But how viable would it be for the English game? There’s a great deal to admire about German football. The safe standing, the raucous atmospheres at full stadiums, even the simple pleasure of taking your beer to your seat in the ground with you. But another which shouldn’t go unmentioned is the ownership models of its clubs. Whereas the Premier League seems to wallow in a deeper pot of riches each year, the Bundesliga is regulated in such a …