Author Archives: Peter Stokes

To the casual observer, soccer supporters might appear to constitute a kind of undifferentiated mass, a gathering of people (male, by and large) strangely mesmerized by a sport commonly featuring score lines as seemingly absent of drama as 2-1 and … Continue reading →

When these two teams last met in the Premier League back in mid-October, Queens Park Rangers was sitting comfortably at mid-table with 9 points from eight matches while Chelsea held third place with 19 points, just three points off league … Continue reading →

As a Chelsea fan, I woke to the best news of 2012 on Sunday when I read on Facebook that Chelsea had announced, only a few minutes earlier, Andre Villa-Boas’s departure and Roberto Di Matteo’s appointment as interim manager. Watching … Continue reading →

Losing, as every soccer fan knows, hurts. But losing streaks are far worse. Watching our teams stumble through a run of bad games becomes almost unbearable. The pain is searing. We feel personally affronted, gaping at the last minute set-piece … Continue reading →

Soccer is a family matter in our household. My lovely wife will eagerly watch two or three English Premier League matches with me every weekend. My 12 year old son will check in on scores between sessions with FIFA 11. … Continue reading →