The words with which Jason Collins begins his eloquent announcement to the world of sport are simultaneously simple and courageous: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay." He claims he wishes he "wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying "I'm different"":...

On 15 April 1989, Liverpool played an FA Cup semi-final at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium. As the match began, drunken Liverpool fans boorishly stampeded their way into an already overcrowded enclosure, causing a lethal crush. As fans, gasping for air poured their way onto the pitch, the inebriated hooligans pickpocketed from...

When England exited the Euros it was an acoustic cover of Linkin Park's 'In the End'. When the tournament as a whole finished, we got a curious Imogen Heap rendition of 'Thriller'. As Wimbledon came to a conclusion that was, from a British perspective, drenched in cripplingly inevitable disappointment, we...

Euro 2012 is over, and Spain, predictably, sauntered to a defence of their title, and a third successive major international tournament win. As they progressed to a semi-final clash with Iberian neighbours Portugal, expending little effort as they dominated everyone put in front of them, the universal admiration with which...

A ball has yet to be kicked, and already Euro 2012 has become the most controversial football tournament in recent memory. After a Panorama documentary for BBC highlighted the horrendous racism and fan violence endemic within Ukraine, UK government ministers have followed their German, Dutch, and Austrian counterparts in boycotting...

Just over a fortnight after being handed the England job to a collective 'meh' from just about everyone, Roy Hodgson has been thrust into making what will undoubtedly be one of the defining decisions of his tenure; his squad selection for the European Championships. And, with a couple of key...

During Sunday afternoon's match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford, Ashley Young was accused of taking a dive. During the first half, as he broke into Villa's penalty area, he was clipped by defender Ciaran Clark; Clark tried to get his leg out of the way, but...

Sir Alex 'S'Ralex' Feguson just knows what it's about; "It was a long night. We had to persevere and in the end we got our rewards for it. The goals came so late, which typifies the history of the club."

For fans of Manchester United, last night's 2-0 win...

On Friday, the Egyptian football team al-Masry were suspended from competition for two seasons. The ban was the national football authority's response to the explosive riots in which 74 people lost their lives following the side's February match against Cairo rivals al-Ahly. News of the ban was met with yet...

I'll be up-front with you. I'm a Liverpool FC fan; that's why perhaps writing an article about our cross-Stanley park rivals, Everton, on the day of the Merseyside Derby, may not be the greatest idea. However, I've always thought of myself as a relatively unbiased fan; both in terms of...

At the end of Saturday's match at the Hawthorns against West Brom, Chelsea, having lost for a seventh time this season, and with recent form of just three wins in the last 12 games were drifting.

Not just drifting away from a rejuvenated Arsenal, who, with Robin van Persie scoring...

Liverpool FC's second period under Kenny Dalglish has thus far mimicked the relationship between a petrol-head and his first car; it's stopped and started, sometimes cruising and looking like reaching top speed, only to stutter to a stop with tedious inevitability, but in spite of this, he still loves the...

The record will show that Fabio Capello, with a win percentage of 66.7%, is one of England's most successful managers ever. For anyone who has followed the national side over the last four years, those figures serve to mask what has been a reign characterised by mismanagement, disappointment and controversy.

Wednesday 9 February 2011 in Copenhagen. England are protecting a 2-1 lead in a friendly match against Denmark. With starting captain Frank Lampard taken off at half-time, Ashley Cole took the armband for the second half. However, at 83 minutes he too is substituted. He looks around, with his look...

There was a time when a dip into any Premier League line-up would produce a veritable smorgasbord of stars who you'd not only want to cheer to victory, but could imagine sharing a pint with; Gazza waving mock yellow-cards at referees, Vinnie Jones taking no nonsense ( even grabbing the...

"I have cried every day for two years. I took an overdose and, when that didn't work, I tried to hang myself." Words which alarm in both their tragic content and disarming honesty. More surprising than the words themselves though is the source; former footballer, Dean Windass.

Giving in an...

During ITV 1's coverage of Sunday afternoon's FA Cup clash between Manchester City and Manchester United, something commentator Clyde Tyldesley said got me to thinking. As United's captain Patrice Evra took a throw-in, he was showered with abusive language and gestures from the City fans. Tyldesley then commented that "Abusing...

The announcement of Kim Jong-Il's death on Monday morning will undoubtedly have gotten you thinking. Some of you will have considered the geopolitical implications of passing of the 'Dear Leader' of the world's youngest nuclear state. Others will have contemplated the financial impact as the South Korean markets plummeted. Some...

Manchester City's starting line-up against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night cost upwards of £160million to assemble. Yet it wasn't enough. Despite a 2-0 victory, Napoli's victory over Villereal meant that the English side were unable to make it out of their Champions League group, and instead will be banished to...

On Saturday, Blackburn Rovers, powered by their burly Nigerian striker Yakubu, claimed a vital 4-2 victory over Swansea. But, as is becoming a familiarity when watching the Lancastrians this season, the post-match focus was not on the 22 men on the pitch, but on one man in the dugout, and...