“Born in Gjakovë, Kosovo on 25th December 1971, Besnik Hasi started his football career at Liria Prizren (then a team playing in the Superliga of Kosovo), before moving to many different clubs in Balkan leagues, and then in 1994, found as he recalls his 2nd home: Belgium. In 1994 he signed for the KRC Genk, where he played 141 games, winning the Belgian Pro League and Belgian Cup once each.” Outside of the Boot

“Whilst the rest of Europe anxiously awaits the decision on Greece’s financial future, the nation’s football clubs are trying their best to prepare for another league campaign. Unfortunately, it is becoming harder to entice players to head to southern Europe, such is the uncertainty that surrounds both the country and its football, meaning more stars are looking east rather than risk the financial uncertainty in southern Europe. Last season saw Greek football reach its lowest point. There was a surge in crowd violence, including wild scenes before February’s Panathinaikos-Olympiakos derby as visiting coach Vitor Pereira, formally of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli, was chased from the pitch by angry PAO ultras, whilst one fan was killed before a derby game in Crete.” Football Pink

“British football has a prolonged and uncomfortable history with hooliganism. From 1960 to the 1990s, that destructive culture of criminal behaviour spread dramatically to the extent where violence, fights and rioting became common both outside and in stadiums. Reducing it required a massive operation involving the deployment of more policemen, identifying and banning culprits and restructuring stadiums.” backpagefootball

“How to sum up Tottenham Hotspur’s last season in words – Harry Kane, 5-3 win over Chelsea, runners-up, fifth again or maybe even young talent. However you look at it, it’s been interesting. But what’s lacking? It’s not a goalscorer that’s for sure and it definitely wasn’t a lack of depth, yet something was missing. Now I could write and write, making you read a big anti-climaxing paragraph of what Tottenham need but instead I’m just going to come out and say it…they need a captain.” backpagefootball

“Hamzaoğlu was born in in Greece but after spending 7 years on the west side of the Aegean sea, Hamzaoğlu had to move to Turkey with his family due to problems caused by the Cyprus dispute. The family moved to İzmir following a few traumatic weeks of uncertainty on the road and young Hamza managed to settle quickly in his new city. At the age of 14, he put together a team in his neighborhood and coached the team for local matches. This got him noticed by various local football men. Hamza Hamzaoğlu was always crazy about football, and he played for 8 different clubs including boyhood love Galatasaray.” Outside of the Boot

Tactical Philosophy: Garry Monk
“Garry Monk’s Swansea journey began back in 2004 where the team was playing in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. His first season saw the Welsh side get promoted and the rise to the Premier League followed. Playing under the likes of Roberto Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup, Monk played through times of possession based success and his own management style was only going to go one way. Having played during Swansea’s first major trophy under Laudrup, Monk witnessed how to bring success to a mid-table side, and this high-pressing, possession based game came be heavily seen in Monk’s Swansea side.” Outside of the Boot

“The 4-3-3 formation is designed to both gain control of the central midfield whilst also allowing for variety in attack. It is common for one of the three midfielders to operate as a defensive midfielder whilst the two remaining midfielders have more responsibility in attack. The 3 attackers are often split into two wingers (LW and RW) and 1 striker; the wingers do have some defensive responsibility though and if they are ignored then it can cause plenty of problems when out of possession.” Outside of the Boot

“The 4-1-2-1-2 formation is a variation of the standard 4-4-2 and there are two versions of this formation. In both versions, the back 4, central defensive midfielder, the central attacking midfielder and the two strikers stay the same. The main difference is the role of the two extra midfielders. In one variation, they play as wide midfielders and in the other, as central midfielders. This slight difference in positions has a large impact on the roles of the other players and the team’s overall style of play.” Outside of the Boot

“… The book, translated by David Doherty, is very good but it is as much about its author, Hugo Borst, as it is about Van Gaal. Its success is largely dependent on whether the reader can find Borst as interesting – as engaging, as irritating, as quotable, brilliant, monstrous and human – as his subject. The answer to that changes from page to page – yes, no, maybe, no, yes, maybe, no, no, Jesus no, no, maybe. It’s like reading about a match that goes into extra time and endless mucky replays, between Borst and Van Gaal or, more accurately, Borst and Borst. Borst, the Van Gaal lover versus Borst, the Van Gaal hater; Borst, the man who wants to be Van Gaal’s best friend versus Borst, the man who wants to annihilate Van Gaal; Borst, the gobshite, versus Borst, the astute, passionate, sometimes brilliant, football writer. It’s a great game for the neutral. But those of us who love our football know that there is no such thing as neutrality.” Guardian

Louis van Gaal: the liberal, the enemy and… err, the poet
“He finds enemies when they are not there. There was a falling out between Louis van Gaal and his biographer, Hugo Borst, seven years ago when the former was coach at AZ Alkmaar. Van Gaal accused Borst of giving away his mobile phone number. Borst took exception. Things were never the same between the pair, who had been close, and Borst’s highly entertaining work is not flattering.” Independent

amazon – O, Louis: In Search of Louis van Gaal

“It’s funny how just an idea for a book can make you think differently. In this one, Roger Domeneghetti looks at how the media and football are now almost always intertwined and linked and how they can both dominate our lives. We all remember the Prime Minister talking about David Beckham’s metatarsal, right? Of course we do, it was reported as huge news! I’ve read many a football book, I love reading about different aspects of our beloved game. Yet no book has sent me nostalgically back to the classroom like this one. That is in no way a criticism, I adored my history lessons and this book is a bit like learning from a wonderful historian that can get you thinking of ancient times and relating it to the present day. In the opening chapter it dispels the myth that football was born in England, nope instead it origins probably started in China around 225BC, not many football books will take you to the Tsin Dynasty.” The Footy Blog

amazon

“Every year in the Premier League, around November (though increasingly it seems earlier), the press starts to talk about the ‘sack race’. In this time, it is not uncommon to see headlines like ‘X is one bad result from the sack’ or ‘Loss in game against Y could spell end for Z’. The focus on results has always seemed slightly odd to me. What if manager X inspires a great performance only to lose against the run of play? Should he be sacked? Conversely, if the team puts out the worst performance of the season but manage to scrape a point (or three), should that really influence your decision to sack the current boss?” Statsbomb

“Football in the Middle East has grown but perhaps not fast enough. It has emerged as another place for Europe’s elite to finish their careers at but what about transfers the other way? Strict work permit regulations have thwarted the efforts of numerous Middle Eastern footballers looking to ply their trade in Europe. Hamoudi Fayad has a look at the state of affairs.” Outside of the Boot

“Charlton’s season ended with half the club’s support applauding one of their favourite strikers, celebrating his successful end to the season. In the final game of 2014/15, celebrations at The Valley echoed the League One victory of 2012. Then, the Addicks cantered to the title with a grand title of 101 points – driven on by the management of Chris Powell and the forward presence of Frenchman Yann Kermorgant, alongside Bradley Wright-Phillips. The future looked bright for Charlton then. Sadly, issues of funding and ownership got in the way with no real investment in the successful squad. Come the winter of 2014, a new owner came along in the form of a Belgian businessman named Roland Duchatelet. Armed with his own ideology of how things should be done, a host of foreign imports replaced established stars on the sidelines and on the pitch. Kermorgant, perhaps considered too old for a long-term contract, was sold to Bournemouth and Chris Powell was sacked as the team struggled at the foot of the table.” The Football Pink