View From The Bridge

The position of manager at Arsenal has been a cursed one ever since Arsene Wenger’s retirement. Those who have followed the great Frenchman have seen nothing but mediocre performances and mid table finishes behind the likes of West Ham. Despite initial excitement, the addition of Mikel Arteta hasn’t brought any additional glory to London’s north end and has managed only two 8th place finishes and a FA cup trophy. Now for a mid-table team this would be acceptable, but for a side who is supposedly within the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’, it hardly stands up against the achievements of Arsenal’s rival clubs. The need for change is severe, but the next manager to run through the gauntlet will certainly have their hands full.  As of now, there are two big name managers on the market, Antonio Conte and Zinedine Zidane. Both men have had great success in their managerial careers, combining for 15 trophies between them, but in terms of style and philosophy they couldn’t be more different....

For as long as most can remember, Lewis Hamilton has retained his title as the king of the Formula One grid and until recently it’s a position that has remained unchallenged. For this very reason, the F1 community has placed Hamilton on an elite pedestal next to the likes of Michael Schumacher and Aryton Senna and if the world ran by the numbers, you couldn’t really mount much of an argument. Alongside an impressive resume of other broken records, Hamilton has led 5,126 laps out of a possible 15,588 in cars that make others look like horse-drawn carts. This distinct advantage over the rest of the field is something that Hamilton has grown with throughout his Formula One career, first starting as Ron Dennis’ wunderkind before moving to become the centre piece of Toto Wolf’s Mercedes empire. Now, I’ll be the first to admit, Hamilton is a great driver and when combined with a car that leans on every possible rule violation, its a recipe for a multiple time world champion. However, what ha...

Right now isn’t exactly the best time to admit to being a Spurs fan. No manager, no European football, stuck behind West Ham, and now at risk of losing their one and only hope of retaining any sort of dignity from the 2021 Premier League season. In an interview that has since gone viral, Harry Kane stood for a chat with Gary Neville and discussed his desire to move past Spurs and start clearing off some of the cobwebs of his very empty trophy cabinet. However, this isn’t something we haven’t seen before and in my mind will undoubtedly end with Kane remaining in the number 10 shirt at Spurs for the foreseeable future.  There’s no question that Harry Kane is a world class talent and has the price tag to match. Any big club that want the chance at signing Kane are going to have to liquidate a serious amount of Bitcoin in order for Spurs to let him go and is valued at around £77 million according to data from the CIES Football Inventory. At 27 years old and arguably coming off his best...

With 4 races down and 18 to go, the 2021 Formula One season looks as it’s going deliver on it’s promise to bring back exciting motorsport. From front to back, the F1 back is filled with interesting driver matchups that aim to entertain right up to the chequered flag - a blessing compared to the 1 lap exhilaration that F1 fans have grown accustomed to over the last few years. However, whilst the racing certainly is fast, team principles patience isn’t and therefore some interesting driver changes are already appearing on the horizon - F1’s “Silly Season” has officially begun.  Over the winter break, the main story in F1 was Lewis Hamiltons contract, which remained unsigned until only a month before 2021’s inaugural race in Bahrain. Unfortunately for most, it seems Lewis is here to stay, winning 3 out of the 4 opening races and opening the door to Toto Wolf for a 2-year contract extension which would keep him in the lead Mercedes until 2023. Whilst this does all kinds of good for Ham...

When Leicester City were promoted back in 2014, few thought they would be in the position they are today. After winning the Premier League title in 2016, they have managed to keep a small piece of that winning tradition alive with 4 straight seasons with winning records and a place in the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ looming. Unfortunately, these zero to hero stories are few and far between in modern day football as it seems the club with the biggest wallet is ultimately the club that is constantly extending it’s trophy case. However, Leeds United’s return to the top flight of English football has a small chance of returning some of that simple wonderment that has been missing since Leicesters magical title run, and with a quick look at some of the numbers, it’s not even that far fetched.  So before you ask - no I am not a Leeds or Leicester fan. But what I am a fan of is the underdog and in the last decade, you’d be hard pressed to find a better underdog story than that of Leicester...

Like it or not, modern football clubs are a business. In order for them to stay afloat and keep fans happy, money needs to be generated and is mainly why the Premier League remains the place to play for many of the worlds top footballers. Although it was met with a lot of heated opposition, the introduction of the Super League was just an extension of this - another way for big clubs to make big money. To many’s relief the plans were overturned and at this point the Super League lays in tatters. However, this act of so called ‘greed’ from team owners has opened them up to a world of abuse from their very own fans, the worst of which occurring between Manchester United fans and the Glazer family. Now, no matter how angry these fans may be, it is not excuse to cause more harm than good.  I realise I may have angered a few people just through the title of this very article, as for many, it isn’t ’just a football club’. However, the attacks that occurred between Manchester United fans ...