Piece written for The Guardian’s Comment is Free section on the renaming of Newcastle United’s St James’ Park:

“The rebranding of St James’ Park is another slap for Newcastle fans; Supporters fear Newcastle United’s owner, Mike Ashley, is using the club as a billboard to advertise his Sports Direct chain”.

It was all going so well. Perhaps too well, with hindsight. The announcement that Newcastle United’s ground, St James’ Park, is to be renamed the Sports Direct Arena has shattered the fragile truce between the football club’s supporters and its owner, Mike Ashley…

Read the full story on the Guardian website.

You can read more Newcastle United posts here.

Football Guardian

Fictional footballers are usually goalscoring centre forwards, but surely no position lends itself to the drama of fiction better than the heroic role of the goalkeeper. Goalkeeper Magazine presents ten of the best goalkeepers from books, comics, films and TV shows:

Ronnie Blake (Goalkeepers Are Different): Esteemed sportswriter Brian Glanville’s Goalkeepers Are Different was published in 1972 by Puffin and aimed at younger readers, but it’s a must-read for goalkeepers of all ages. The book tracks the progress of young keeper Ronnie Blake as he establishes himself between the sticks at fictional first division side Borough, competing against the best teams and players of the era. It feels like an authentic glimpse into the life of a goalkeeper in the early 70s, set in an evocative world of studs, mud and sideburns, and regarded by many as the best football book ever written…

Read the full story in issue four of Goalkeeper Magazine.

Football Goalkeeper Magazine