The Footy Tales

 The Saudi backed takeover of Newcastle United, yes, the controversial £305 million purchase which marked the end of Mike Ashley's 14 years reign at the St. James' Park sparked much debate last year. Human rights groups were strongly against such a takeover while the Newcastle fans were over the moon. And why wouldn't they be? They are a set of fans who have seen it all, from being title contenders at one point in their history to being relegated, and now struggling to stay up, its safe to say thee set of fans have endured a lot. It was no surprise that the Magpies faithful were overjoyed, visibly wearing masks of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, when the deal of the takeover went through. Newcastle United Football Club became the wealthiest club in the whole world, and along with their finances, their ambitions also skyrocketed. The new owners promised to take the club back to the Champions League.  But things don't improve overnight in football. Since the takeover, N...

  Hi everyone, how are you doing? Hope you are absolutely in the best shape and rearing to go and shine in 2022. Its special, after all its a new year, a World Cup year. Yes, the FIFA Men's world cup takes place this year in Qatar. The mere mention of the world cup is so special to any football fan, the passion, the drama, the joy, the tears and all the sacrifice one makes to make their country proud in front of the whole world is something I can just admire. 2022 is also special for me because it marks 8 years of me being a dedicated football fan. Yes, THAT world cup in Brazil, 2014, was enough to make a 12 year old me fall in love with football. It was one of the best tournaments in recent memory, with the suspense continuing till the final match itself. Mario Goetze putting the ball in the net in extra time broke a million hearts, but it made another million dance with joy. Here's me reflecting on my journey as a football fan since then, and I feel many of you can relate wit...

Where is Erling Haaland headed to?  "I just want to play football." These were the words of Erling Haaland after his team's 5-1 win against Bundesliga rivals Freiburg SC. Haaland, making a return after a long injury lay up was under intense pressure both on and off the pitch. Speaking to Norwegian media house Viaplay after the match, Haaland said, "The last six months I have chosen not to say anything out of respect for Dortmund, but now the club has started to press me into making a decision. "All I want to do is play football. But they press me about my future, so that means I have to make a decision soon." Pressed on whether that means he could announce his next destination soon, Haaland added: "That is what they [Dortmund] want. It means things will happen now. They have started to put a lot of pressure on me, and I have to accept that ... so now is the time to get things started." Haaland says he feels "pressured". REAL MADRID Are y...

 I love watching football, be it club football, age specific tournaments, or even international football. Truth is football came into my life at a time I was really down bad and it sort of became my savior, my motivator, my source for happiness. As someone who watches most matches live, it was obvious for me to tune into the 33rd AFCON going on at the moment in Cameroon (if you wanna know more about the AFCON read my blog). When I started watching I was full of excitement and hope, after all I was going to watch a new tournament, new countries, new players of whom I had never heard of, new styles of play and the new tactics I was gonna get exposed to....it was like a wet dream for me. But since I've watched a few matches, I'll be totally honest here.....I really didn't enjoy it that much. I mean, sure I wasn't foolish enough to expect European level of football, but still a part of me was really hoping for real entertainment. That not being the case, here are my thought...

 Modern football is a tactical game. For the spectators, it might be just another game of football, but for the manager and his players, it is nothing short of a game of chess. The players are the pawns, with some being as powerful as the queen, and the manager is the one controlling every movement and decision. The goalkeeper protecting the king, that is the goal. This battle for supremacy has spiraled down the ages through the brilliant minds of genius coaches who revolutionized the game with their uniqueness. Today I'll be discussing about some of the most popular formations throughout the world in this day and age. If you are already familiar with these formations, you still might want to read on. I will only be talking about the formations here, and not the different styles of play which is unique to each manager. So sit back and enjoy; The 4-3-3 The 4-3-3 is by far the most popular formation and is used by a number of coaches throughout the world, both for its simplicity and ...