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A Fond Farewell
Published on 2011-07-25 07:39:00
“When small men attempt great enterprises, they always end by reducing them to the level of their mediocrity.”- Napoleon Bonaparte (rather fitting).As the title indicates, regrettably, this post marks the end of Polly's Pause for Sport. After a very enjoyable 18 months I feel as though the blog has run its course and, with new posts being almost non-existent of late and as other obligations currently consume much of my time, now seems like a logical time to bring the curtain down on this lit [..] > read more
Paid Mercenaries: Footballers forcing the hand that feeds them
Published on 2011-06-08 05:55:00
I watched Rambo 4, I read the latest words from Carlos Tevez... the reasoning and inspiration behind this blog is not hard to figure out.Sympathy for footballers is something that is often hard to come by. They are getting paid obscenely large wages to do something that many of us would declare to be 'our dream jobs' and thus their moans and groans usually fall on deaf ears, no more so than when it is concerning their private lives. I for one have little interest in the seedy details of what the [..] > read more
My Favourite Premiership XI: Stephen Fallows
Published on 2011-06-05 05:30:00
Apologies for the lack of blogging recently. Works on my documentary about racism in football is consuming much of my time but I intend to begin posting far more regularly upon its completion. In the mean time, Stephen Fallows has kindly contributed the latest piece for the 'My Favourite Premiership XI' series. You can follow Stephen on Twitter or visit his excellent website which showcases his various artistic talents. > read more
VEST-IVAL: A Festival of Football, Music and Comedy
Published on 2011-05-19 07:11:00
Something slightly different for this latest post. I was informed about an upcoming festival this weekend which will be raising money for charity - including Football Action. So I thought I would do my little bit to help raise some extra awareness and support for this great idea for an excellent cause...Top Radio One DJ Annie Mac and legendary British Band Toploader have confirmed they will be headlining a new ‘VESTIVAL’ of music and football at Jimmy’s Farm (of BBC 2 fame), near Ipswich o [..] > read more
My Favourite Premiership XI: Sam, The 15-Year Old Gooner
Published on 2011-05-15 09:31:00
For this week's My Favourite Premiership XI we have Sam, aka the 15-year old Gooner. Sam is one of the best young writers around and can be found writing for www.column10.com, www.twofootedtackle.com and his own site – http://15yearoldgooner.blogspot.com. Be sure to follow him on Twitter too.As a young Arsenal fan, it’s difficult to put together a Premier League XI without the majority being those who played in the “Invincibles” season. However, I shall give it a try. There’ll still be [..] > read more
Football Players Who Excel at the Felt
Published on 2011-05-13 12:16:00
Poker has been popular for many decades but it’s grown dramatically in recent years, with its popularity rising in part because of some of the high-profile athletes and celebrities taking to the poker tables, with many sponsored by poker websites. Most stars merely dabble at the poker tables, such as Nelly and Matt Damon playing a few events at the World Series of Poker each year, but others such as Jen Tilly and Shane Warne have made real efforts to improve their poker games. Of all the cross [..] > read more
An Interview With Ben Cohen
Published on 2011-05-11 09:53:00
*This interview was originally conducted for and featured on sport.co.uk* Last month I had the opportunity to speak with 2003 Rugby World Cup Winner Ben Cohen. Ben's contract with Sale Sharks has not be renewed and as such he is without a club (although this interview was conducted when there were fixtures remaining in the season). The winger, who is 3rd on England's all-time top try scorers list, talked to me about his past, his future and why he is yet to be convinced by Martin Johnson and the [..] > read more
My Favourite Premiership XI: Rob McCluskey
Published on 2011-05-08 06:53:00
Time for another instalment of the Sunday series 'My Favourite Premiership XI'. This week it is the turn of Rob McCluskey to give us a line-up of all the players he has admired over the past two decades. Rob can usually be found writing at www.epltalk.com and you can also follow him on Twitter.I always wonder how to pick these things. I’m never sure if I want to pick a team that I feel would work in a system or if I should just pick a team of all my favourite players for sentimental reasons. I [..] > read more
An Interview With Peter Shilton
Published on 2011-05-05 09:04:00
*This interview was conducted for, and originally featured on, sport.co.uk* A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to interview footballing legend and England's all-time most capped player Peter Shilton. The goalkeeper who played 125 times for England and made over 1000 club appearances took time to talk about his illustrious playing career, his brief foyer into management, Joe Hart's future and gives advice for all aspiring goalkeepers.Having made 125 appearances for England and over 1000 club a [..] > read more
Darwinism in Action: The need for footballers to evolve
Published on 2011-05-02 05:51:00
*The piece originally featured on sport.co.uk* The average length of the modern footballer's playing career is between 15 and 20 years. Most breakthrough around the age of 18 and then continue to play until the age of 33, or in some cases later. Players will naturally have a period in which they are said to be in their 'prime' – at time when they are at their physical and technical peak.Sustaining success, as an individual, across the span of 15 years is a very difficult challenge and is [..] > read more