Euro 2012 Final – Match Stats
Statistics kindly provided by Opta.
The Soviet Union and its Successor States in the European Championship and Asian Cup
The first European Championship, held in France in 1960, was won by the Soviet Union who would go on to reach the final a further three times. This summer, the competition will be played in one of the Soviet Union’s fifteen successor states for the first time as Ukraine co-host with Poland. This represents a … Continue reading
Four iconic European Championship goals
Pictorial tributes to some special goals from European Championships past. T-shirts with designs based on these images can be found in the brand new On Goals Scored shop. Antonín Panenka – Czechoslovakia v West Germany – 1976 – video Marco van Basten – Netherlands v USSR – 1988 – video Paul Gascoigne – England v … Continue reading
How much can England rely on Rio Ferdinand and John Terry?
One of the many questions that hang over the England team going into this summer’s European Championship is how well their two senior centre-backs will be able to hinder the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović and Karim Benzema. John Terry and Rio Ferdinand are coming to the beginning of the end of their careers and are facing, … Continue reading
Everton just hate starting over
If there’s one certainty about the Premier League that’s more acknowledged than the fact that Everton finish seasons better than they start them, it’s that they start them worse than they finish them. These lines show the progression of David Moyes’ side’s points total in the last seven seasons (including 2011-12 so far). Points are … Continue reading
That’s how you’re gonna beat em, Craig. They keep underestimating you.
In my mind, Craig Bellamy’s career has been very cyclical. It seems that he is being repeatedly underappreciated when playing for larger clubs. After signing for Coventry in the summer of 2000, his career has panned out something like this: 1. Performs well at a “small” club (one that is neither in the Champions League nor … Continue reading
Real v Barça v Ronaldo v Messi
La Liga is, has been and, for the foreseeable future, will be a two-horse race between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The contest to win the league’s golden boot is also dominated by one pair: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Why not combine the four parties into a four-horse face? Ronaldo and Messi are entered into … Continue reading
Not so bad once you’re up? The fortunes of teams promoted to the English top flight
There was once a time when a club could make an impression on the upper reaches of the top flight soon, or even immediately, after being promoted. The below graphic charts the fortunes of teams in their first, second and third seasons after promotion from the English second tier over the last forty years. You … Continue reading
City Six Tee
Umbro have put the above design of mine on a T-shirt. It recalls Manchester City’s 6-1 win over Manchester United in anticipation for their upcoming meeting in the third round of the FA Cup. It makes up the eleventh entry in the “12 Tees of Christmas” of their excellent Tee Shop, but has tragically sold … Continue reading
Football Faces 1: What is a bubble coat?
I’m very happy to present the first post on On Goals Scored by a guest contributor. This is the work of Kay; a Newcastle United and Júbilo Iwata supporter who likes to draw (among other things) the intriguing faces of those blokes that tell footballers what to do. As an avid but unlearned watcher of … Continue reading
On Goals Scored 