2012 has been a great year for football writing, quasi football writing and anti-football writing. Here are just some of the best examples I’ve read in the last 12 months. Some may have more literary merit than others, but all are great for different reasons. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Has the transfer market become self aware? by Andi Thomas for The FCF – http://thefcf.co.uk/2012/01/25/transfer-market-aware/10781/
Muamba: underneath the sensationalism is a genuinely positive story for football, at last by Michael Moruzzi for Regista Blog – http://www.regista-blog.com/2012/03/can-we-make-the-positive-response-to-muamba-last/
AFC Wimbledon: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart by Jamie Cutteridge for The Real FA Cup – http://therealfacup.co.uk/2012/04/21/afc-wimbledon-the-pains-of-being-pure-at-heart/
Rafa’s Chelsea: A Journal by Rob Brown for The Carvalho Peninsula – http://carvalhopeninsula.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/rafas-chelsea-journal.html
Coming up for air by Charlie Anderson for The Carvalho Peninsula http://carvalhopeninsula.tumblr.com/post/36841269534/coming-up-for-air
12 ways in which Fulham are ace by Max Grieve for Magic Spongers – http://magicspongers.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/12-ways-in-which-fulham-are-ace.html
The Danger of Mob Mentality by Ally Moncrieff for Balls, Boobs and Blow http://ballsboobsandblow.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/the-danger-of-mob-mentality/
Robin van POINTLESS by Magic Spongers http://magicspongers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/robin-van-pointless.html
#34 – Emmanuel Frimpong by The 100 Worst People on Twitter http://100worstpeopleontwitter.tumblr.com/post/31332813011/34-emmanuel-frimpong
Nobody wins QPR ping-pong tournament by John Foster for Four Four Two
Gary Neville’s punditry is the best, but others need to raise their game by Michael Cox for The Guardian – http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/nov/27/gary-neville-punditry-sky-bbc
Antisemitic chants are sickening – and West Ham fans must show they care by Jacob Steinberg for The Guardian – http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/nov/26/west-ham-antisemitic-chants-sickening?CMP=twt_gu
The Trial Of John T by Greg Theoharis for Dispatches from a Football Sofa http://dispatchesfromafootballsofa.com/2012/02/05/the-trial-of-john-terry/
Scott Murray on Cesar Luis Menotti’s Triumph by Surreal Football – http://surrealfootball.com/post/34700950575/scott-murray-on-cesar-luis-menottis-triumph
An idiot’s guide to the Ballon d’Or shortlist by Tom Adams for Eurosport – http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/idiot-guide-ballon-d-shortlist-090448634.html
New advert for the Premier League is actually a terrible ‘advert for the Premier League’by Nick Dunmore for Fisted Away– http://fistedaway.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/new-advert-for-the-premier-league-is-actually-a-terrible-advert-for-the-premier-league/
Paul Jewell and the further decline of Ipswich Town – by Gavin Barber for The Two Unfortunates – http://thetwounfortunates.com/paul-jewell-and-the-further-decline-of-ipswich-town/
Manchester United And Liverpool, Still Suffering From Their 2009 Hangover by Callum Hamilton for SB Nation – http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2012/9/22/3372736/manchester-united-and-liverpool-still-suffering-from-their-2009
Return of the rascal king by John McGee for Bring me the head of Keith Mincher – http://www.keithmincher.com/return-of-the-rascal/
Soccer under the Swastika: Football’s forgotten Holocaust victims by Kieran Dodds for In Bed With Maradona – http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2012/9/17/soccer-under-the-swastika-footballs-forgotten-holocaust-vict.html
The whistleblower left out in the cold by James Horncastle for Eurosport http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/pitchside-europe/whistleblower-left-cold-164804765.html
2016-17: The Season in Review by Rob Langham for The Two Unfortunates http://thetwounfortunates.com/2016-17-the-season-in-review/
My First Game for Manchester United by Robin van Persie’s inner child for Ruud Gullit Sitting on a Shed – http://rgsoas.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/everton-vs-manchester-united-as-it-happened/
Why ‘Vile’ Football Can Look Olympics In The Face by Jack Howes for The Daisy Cutter– http://www.thedaisycutter.co.uk/2012/08/why-vile-football-can-look-olympics-in-the-face/
The Last Championsby Juliet Jacques for The New Statesman– http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/lifestyle/2012/07/last-champions
Pele Confidential 