Rob Fielder Profile picture
Author of The Complete History of the World Cup and The Complete History of the European Championship.
Jun 5, 2021 10 tweets 3 min read
Ahead of Euro 2016 I picked the 10 greatest games in the history of the tournament for @thesetpieces Here they are in chronological order starting with Yugoslavia - France from 1960:
thesetpieces.com/world-football… West Germany - Yugoslavia from 1976:
thesetpieces.com/world-football…
May 31, 2021 40 tweets 14 min read
It’s 60 years (or at least it should have been) since the very first European Championship so who would like a run down of the 60 greatest players in tournament history? I have tried to strike a balance between new and old but given the vast expansion of the competition since 1996 it is a list rather dominated by more recent names and faces.
Apr 19, 2021 8 tweets 2 min read
Really important point about this. JP Morgan are not ‘financing’ this deal as in paying for it. They are lending the ESL the money, to be paid back with interest over the long term. The clubs are not receiving ‘new’ money. They are taking a loan secured on future TV revenues. What’s more, the finances of this whole endeavour are slightly precarious. The clubs are talking about getting €4bn a year in TV money. With 20 clubs participating that’s €200m each which is less than lots of the top teams get already.
Apr 19, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
Actually hard to see how any of this could possibly be resolved by August. So many potential ramifications to untangle. Not just the questions over whether clubs can be thrown out of their domestic competitions. What about any TV/prize money for this season? Can that be withheld? If the teams leave the PL, what happens to the TV deals already in place? Do Sky/BT have to pay full whack for a league without the big stars?
Apr 19, 2021 4 tweets 1 min read
I’ve never been one of the ‘Against Modern Football’ brigade, pining for a past which never really existed. I absolutely love the Champions League and the elite competition it brings. However, the idea of a closed shop Super League is absolutely abhorrent. The willingness of those involved to destroy the entire game, just to make more money for themselves is truly disgusting. The game isn’t perfect at present but this is completely the wrong way of looking to improve it.
May 4, 2020 101 tweets 35 min read
Who fancies another trip down memory lane? Imagining a list of the 100 best players in the world from 16 years ago, May 2004. 100. Diego 🇧🇷
Santos - Midfielder
It might be too early to say but given his talent, Diego looks set to be the next great Brazilian playmaker. Brimming with imagination and no little confidence he has set the league alight already.
Dec 7, 2019 101 tweets 34 min read
It’s about this time of year that various publications start to come out with their list of the 100 best players in the world. So I thought I’d wind the clock back 30 years and imagine what a list in 1989 might have looked like. 100. Lajos Détári 🇭🇺
Olympiacos - Forward
Has not really lived up to the hype since his £4.5m move to Greece but possesses huge talent. A set-piece expert, he’s looking to recapture the form that so impressed during his spell at Eintracht Frankfurt.