Welcome to hell, sorry Hull.

"We lived the dream”

Is what former Leeds United chairman Peter Ridsdale now rather infamously stated as his Elland Road empire crumbled around him. We’ve all heard the stories of the expensive pet fish in the office and Seth Johnson’s ridiculous wages but the long and short of it was that Leeds borrowed too much money and built up too high a wage bill, with no guarantee of funds to service the debt let alone pay it off.

Their dramatic decline should have been seen as a lesson to other clubs thinking of putting that next big transfer on the plastic. In this time of austerity, sensible fiscal management is the order of the day.

Adam Pearson seems like the sort of chairman who would follow such a policy – he has his head screwed on. He left Hull two years ago with no debt, a million in the bank, and a new shiny stadium. He has returned this week to find all his good work undone through two years of financial anarchy.

Read the rest of this entry.

Mersey Misery

To say the past few weeks have been tough for Merseyside’s two Premier clubs is putting it lightly.

Something must have been put in the water round Liverpool way as players of both Liverpool and Everton have been dropping like flies. Those who remain have been charged with maintaining the same high standards, and you have to say they have flattered to deceive.

Liverpool, perhaps more infamously, have lost six out of their last seven, have dramatically reduced their Premier League title race odds, are staring Champions league elimination in the face and are out of the Carling Cup. Everton lie a lowly 14th place, were thumped 5-0 by Benfica in the Europa League and have also been comprehensively dispatched from the League Cup.

Read the rest of this entry.

Net closes in on Phil Brown

He was given a stay of execution by his new chairman but I still fear Phil Brown’s days are numbered.

Adam Pearson returned to the club two years after his departure, replacing Paul Duffen, who saw the club join the Premier League under his tenure but also accrue alarming levels of debt at the same time.

Pearson immediately backed Brown ahead of a crucial clash with Stoke next Sunday but refused to confirm whether he would stay on further, saying:


Read the rest of this entry.

The clock is ticking for Hull

After a decade in relative anonymity at the wrong end of the English football league pyramid, you would think Hull City fans would be enjoying their spell in the limelight. But given the worrying nature of the headlines over the past few weeks, you could forgive them for wishing for a return to the peace and quiet of the lower leagues.

Uncertainty that stretches from the dressing room to the boardroom has seen the chairman Paul Duffen resign and new man (or should that be old man?) Adam Pearson return. Pearson immediately backed beleaguered boss Phil Brown, although his statement cloaked a subtle warning that a bad result against Stoke could be curtains for the former Derby boss.

Read the rest of this entry.

PMP Competition - Win A 'You're The Boss' DVD and Football Manager 2009

Yes its that time again - a new PMP competition is upon us!

We have a copy of Michael Sheen's new DVD, 'Your the Boss' to give away to one lucky PMP reader.

Fresh from his critically acclaimed portrayal of the legendary Brian Clough in The Damned United, BAFTA nominated actor Michael Sheen presents a highly entertaining look at some of the most memorable football bosses of all time along with the highs, lows, and just the plain bizarre!

Don't worry, if you aren't a winner of the DVD we also have a copy of Football Manager 2010 to give away - the world's greatest management sim returns and is better than ever!

To be in with a chance of winning just answer the following question:

'The Damned United' was a film about Brian Clough's short and infamous spell at which English club?

Send your answers with your name to postmatchpint(at)gmail(dot)com

The competition is open to UK residents only and closes on Sunday 8th November. The winners will be contacted for further details by email.

Good luck!


Michael Sheen Presents You’re The Boss is available on DVD on 9 November, courtesy of Warner Home Video

Football Manager 2010 is released on PC, Mac and PSP on Friday 30th October. Football Manager 2010 – The Greatest Job on Earth

Everton’s Painful Wait

To say it was a week to forget for Evertonian’s is an understatement.
Three games, three defeats, 10 goals conceded and a casualty list befitting a small battlefield, it is no wonder Toffees fans are wearing concerned expressions at the moment.

What makes it more galling for Blues fans is its predictability and familiarity. This time last year they were actually three points worse off, without a win on home soil and dumped out of Europe and the League Cup. This had come off the back of a frustrating summer where Moyes was hamstrung in the transfer market and had to be content with a clutch of last minute deadline-day signings.

Fast forward to the summer of 2009 and things began to take a familiar path.

Read the rest of this entry.

AC Milan1994

For this weeks offering I thought we would re-visit one of the all time great sides. AC Milan, under the guidance of a certain Fabio Capello, swept all before them in the early 90s. That included an emphatic Champions League win over Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium in Athens on May 18 1994, a game which is often considered to be one of the greatest ever performances by a side in the Champions League.

Not that the preparation to the game was befitting of such a great side. Legendary Italian defenders Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta were both suspended, while UEFA’s three foreigner rule meant Capello was forced to leave out a trio of world class players in Florin Raducioiu, Jean-Pierre Papin and Brian Laudrup.


Read the rest of this entry.

Football Filtered #18

Hello and welcome to the latest look at what as been passing through the Football Filter this week.

The managerial merry-go-round looks set to get a kick-start as twitchy chairman hover their fingers over the trigger. One of those managers under pressure is Hull’s Phil Brown. But after his heroic Premier League survival last year is Brown the victim of raised expectations? JUST FOOTBALL takes a closer look.

The haves and the have nots have been highlighted this week. First off Arsenal announced pre-tax profits of £45.5m, with match-day revenue exceeding £100m for the first time.

The figures have been digested and assessed over at Soccerlens.
Liverpool could also be in the money with rumours of a Saudi Prince wanting to invest in the club, THE INDEPENDENT has all the details.


Read the rest of this entry.

Hot air clouds Black Cats' progress

Just as the referees’ apparent lack of fitness stole the headlines in the aftermath of Sunderland’s last game, their latest encounter – and encouraging performance – was lost amongst the furore surrounding that red balloon.

Journalists, match officials, and former referees were left to scramble through the rule book to work out whether the goal should have been chalked off, as confusion reigned at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Read the rest of this entry.