K is for Kieran

Kieran is a character who, from an inspirational point of view, has many fathers (which is ironic, as I think most people would agree that he’s a bit of a bastard). I’d like to categorically state that Kieran is not modelled on any one particular person; he’s an ama...

Apparently Samuel Taylor Coleridge was the last person who could claim to have read every book ever published; after that, there were simply too many books in the world for the feat to be possible. A few years ago (before I grew a beard) I was told I had an uncanny likeness to Coleridge, and while I...

J is for Joao. Joao was always going to be an important supporting character in Foul and Fair. I knew that I needed someone to be a catalyst for rapid improvement in the Swifts, and a new assistant coach seemed just the thing to challenge some of James’ habits and practices. When I first conce...

I is for Inclusion

One of the most contentious topics for grassroots football coaches is what you do with the less-gifted players. I’ve heard managers defend their practice of always picking their strongest line up by saying that the others have to earn a place, to improve to the point where t...