<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Clubs Archives - Free-Football.TV</title> <atom:link href="https://www.free-football.tv/category/clubs/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://www.free-football.tv/category/clubs/</link> <description>Breaking News right from the field. Live Scores, Legendary Matches and Reviews</description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 30 May 2024 12:28:43 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5</generator> <image> <url>https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/cropped-FreeFootball_logo-09-32x32.png</url> <title>Clubs Archives - Free-Football.TV</title> <link>https://www.free-football.tv/category/clubs/</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <item> <title>Brighton and Hove Albion History – Introducing the Team</title> <link>https://www.free-football.tv/brighton-and-hove-albion-history/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jill Williams]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 27 May 2024 08:24:52 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Clubs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Premier League]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.free-football.tv/?p=5533</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Brighton and Hove Albion, or simply Brighton as football fans like to call it for short, has emerged as an unexpected powerhouse in English football. Seen as a lower-tier club for many years and a team that will forever be fighting to either preserve their Premier League status or try and gain promotion to the</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/brighton-and-hove-albion-history/">Brighton and Hove Albion History – Introducing the Team</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Brighton and Hove Albion, or simply Brighton as football fans like to call it for short, has emerged as an unexpected powerhouse in English football. Seen as a lower-tier club for many years and a team that will forever be fighting to either preserve their Premier League status or try and gain promotion to the EPL, Brighton has done all doubters wrong and showed that they are a much bigger club than everyone thinks.</p> <p>While the history of Brighton and Hove stems back 122 years to the past, the club has only gotten the attention it needs in recent years. Of course, this coincided with all the latest successes the club’s been having.</p> <p>But what makes the Seagulls so interesting to watch and talk about? We decided to take a closer look at a club and a city that may be primarily known as a vacation spot for British people but is now becoming a major football club. Let’s check out Brighton and Hove Albion’s history and how this club came to be.</p> <h2>Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. History & Formation</h2> <p>The club came to be in 1901 but under the name Brighton & Hove United. The name didn’t stick around for long and the club changed it to Brighton & Hove Albion, which remains unchanged till today. Immediately after its establishment, the club took its place in the Southern League, instead of the defunct Brighton & Hove Rangers.</p> <p>They played there during the next 19 years before receiving an invitation to become a part of the newest Football League’s Third Division. But it was during those 19 years when Brighton won their first and only major trophy. In 1910 they defeated Aston Villa to lift the FA Charity Shield trophy, which back then was contested between the champions of the Football League and the Southern League.</p> <p>After making a switch to the regional division in 1921, they played there until the 1957/58 season. By winning the title they also gained promotion to the Second Division. They remained there until 1962 when they were unfortunately relegated. Unfortunately for them, they suffered back-to-back relegations and slipped into the fourth division for the very first time in their history in 1963.</p> <p>Luckily for them, they didn’t stick around in the Fourth Division for too long. The very next year they won the title and went back up. In 1972, they finished second in the Third Division, securing their place back to Second Division after quite a long time.</p> <p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-5535 size-full" title="Brighton's History" src="http://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Brighton-and-Hove-Albion.jpg" alt="Brighton and Hove Albion history" width="700" height="302" srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Brighton-and-Hove-Albion.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Brighton-and-Hove-Albion-300x129.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p> <h3>Near Obliteration of Brighton & Hove Albion</h3> <p>During the late 80s and throughout the 90s, the Seagulls went through one of the most tumultuous times in their history. The 1987 season saw them relegated to Division Three, from which they bounced back the very next season. In 1991, they lost their chance in the promotion playoff by losing to Notts County. Things got even worse as from near promotion they actually suffered yet another relegation the very next year.</p> <p>In 1996, the club went another step back and ended up playing in Division Three. It was at the same time that the club’s financial woes started to emerge. The club resorted to selling their home stadium, Goldstone Ground, in an attempt to relieve some of the financial problems that they were having. It was then that Dick Knight, a lifelong fan, took control of the club. That season, Brighton escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth.</p> <p>The sale of their own home stadium would haunt them for years. At first, they would play at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium, before securing a lease to Withdean Stadium in 1999. It was only in 2011 after the Tony Bloom takeover when the Seagulls finally got their own stadium. The new chairman managed to secure the necessary funding, making Falmer Stadium finally a reality for Brighton.</p> <h3>Promotion to the Premier League</h3> <p>After appointing Chris Hughton as manager in 2014, things started looking better for the Seagulls. In the very same season, he saved the team from relegation. The very next season, he started building a team that would contend for the top.</p> <p>In the 2015/16 season, Brighton went on a 21-game unbeaten run, a record for both the club and the league. Unfortunately for them, they missed an automatic promotion spot due to a goal difference. After having to play in the promotion play-offs semi-finals, they suffered defeat from Sheffield Wednesday, ultimately ending their dream of promotion.</p> <p>But the very next season was finally when their dream of playing in the Premier League came through. During the 2016/17 season, Brighton was the best club in the league and got a chance to play in the top flight for only the second time in history. After nearly dropping down into the Conference in 1997, Brighton came to play in the big show where they always wanted to be.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-5537 size-full" title="Footall History of Brighton & Hove" src="http://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Brighton-football-history-Image.jpg" alt="Brighton's Footall History" width="700" height="430" srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Brighton-football-history-Image.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Brighton-football-history-Image-300x184.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p> <h2>Brighton’s History in the Premier League</h2> <p>It is safe to say that things didn’t go easy for Brighton in the Premier League. During their first four years there, they mainly battled to preserve their place there. This would also spell the end for Chris Hughton, the man who brought them there. His replacement would be <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.com/graham-potter/profil/trainer/23954">Graham Potter</a> in 2019.</p> <p>Potter helped the club rise steadily and established their familiar style of football. He would help the Seagulls finish 9th, which was their best positioning in the top flight at the time. He would also help promote a number of talented players, as under him Brighton became known for developing astounding talents. Unfortunately, Brighton could not keep their talents for long but would manage to make an astounding profit with each new player they sold.</p> <p>Excellent results meant Potter leaving for Chelsea, with Roberto De Zerbi continuing from where he left off in 2022. The Italian manager, who was known for his successes with Shakhtar Donetsk, would launch the Seagulls even higher. During the 2022/23 season, Brighton would finish 6th and for the first time in their history <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65704321">qualify for a European competition</a>.</p> <p>De Zerbi’s time at American Express Stadium would end only a year later. He managed the Seagulls through a successful Europa League campaign and helped them finish 11th in the Premier League.</p> <h2>Record Departures in Brighton’s Football History</h2> <p>What the club became known for in recent years was buying players for cheap, and selling them off for enormous prices. This type of politics did not only help the team rise, it helped them get financial stability as well as results. The players they brought in have helped the club achieve enormous success. But after ending their time with the club, they departed for enormous fees.</p> <p>These are some of the names that grew at Brighton and went on to bigger clubs eventually, with some even becoming one of<a href="https://www.free-football.tv/most-expensive-transfers/"> the most expensive transfers in Premier League history</a>.</p> <ol> <li>Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for £100m</li> <li>Marc Cucurella to Chelsea £56m</li> <li>Ben White to Arsenal for £50m</li> <li>Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool for £35m</li> <li>Yves Bissouma to Tottenham for £25m</li> <li>Leandro Trossard to Arsenal for £21m</li> <li>Robert Sanchez to Chelsea for £20m</li> </ol> <p>And the club is not stopping there. The most recent names who have already made a name for themselves in Brighton are the 19-year-old Irish striker Evan Ferguson and the fast-paced Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma. Besides them, Simon Adingra, Julio Enciso, Carlos Baleba, and Facundo Buonanotte are players who are making waves.</p> <h2>Brighton and Hove Albion Badge History</h2> <p>Brighton’s original crest was a bit more traditional compared to the modern version that we have today. The team’s logo incorporated two coats of arms from both twin cities Brighton and Hove and was placed on an ornate shield.</p> <p>However, during the 70s the club became known as the Dolphins. A blue crest with a dolphin was created, but the nickname and the badge were used for only three years. It was actually during a match against the rival Crystal Palace when they switched to the Seagulls. The rival supporters were shouting “Eagles, eagles,” the nickname of their club. Brighton supporters came back at them with “Seagulls, seagulls.”</p> <p>The chairman liked it so much that he decided to rebrand the club. A new crest came to be in 1977 which saw a soaring seagull placed on a blue field, with the name of the club right above it. The same badge exists even to this day, with minor upgrades made.</p> <p>As far as the Brighton and Hove Albion kit history, it hasn’t had any dramatic changes. The club started with their traditional blue and white colours. However, during the 70s they wore all-white, and in the 80s they switched to royal blue. However, they switched back to both blue and white and have kept the same kit colours even to this day.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/brighton-and-hove-albion-history/">Brighton and Hove Albion History – Introducing the Team</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Introducing: Everton FC!</title> <link>https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-everton-fc/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jill Williams]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2023 11:08:25 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Clubs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Interesting facts]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://13.53.80.232/?p=5044</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Everton football club may today be only known as that lesser club from Liverpool. But a long time ago, Everton was the dominant club from Merseyside, and they were the ones making waves in the English top tier of football. In fact, the Toffees hold a record of being the most stable team in the</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-everton-fc/">Introducing: Everton FC!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>Everton football club may today be only known as that lesser club from Liverpool. But a long time ago, Everton was the dominant club from Merseyside, and they were the ones making waves in the English top tier of football. In fact, the Toffees hold a record of being the most stable team in the first division of English football.</p> <p>They have been playing in the top flight for 121 seasons so far, missing only four years in the top flight. The Toffees are one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888 and have been there for 70 years running at this moment.</p> <p>However, they nearly came close to breaking that streak last year. Unfortunately, they are still one of the clubs tipped for relegation this year, and unless they improve something, the streak might soon come to an end. With talks of a takeover and new funds being pumped into the club, the Toffees finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.</p> <p>A legendary club deserves a thorough breakdown on its own, which is why we are here to talk about it today.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Everton’s Early History and Foundation</h2> <p>Believe it or not, Everton’s original name was St. Domingo’s, as the members of the congregation wanted to play sports. But the name stuck for only a year. The club soon came to be Everton after the area they dwelled in. It also allowed other people outside the congregation to participate and play for the club.</p> <p>Everton’s original home ground was Anfield. Yes, you heard it well. Everton originally played in an open field in the southeast corner of Stanley Park, which would one day become the home ground of their biggest rival, Liverpool.</p> <p>In order for them to become a professional club, they needed a proper field to play on. They managed to convert the stadium in seven years’ time into a proper facility which could house 20,000 people in attendance.</p> <p>In 1888, Everton became one of the founding members to establish the first professional Football League in England. The Toffees needed only two years to win their first league title in 1890 and soon after lifted their first FA Cup in 1906.</p> <p>Unfortunately, disagreements with the landowner went awry. This caused Everton to eventually move from Anfield in 1892, only a year after winning their first title. The Toffees found their new home at the north side of Stanley Park. At the stadium which they occupy and hold dear until today, Goodison Park.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="700" height="467" class="wp-image-5046" title="History and Foundation" src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Everton-FC.jpg" alt="Everton’s Early History " srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Everton-FC.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Everton-FC-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Everton Accidentally Created Their Biggest Rivals</h2> <p>As is usually the case, the biggest football rivalries emerge after a disagreement between two friendly sides. Feuds within a club usually cause it to break down, resulting in two clubs which would become bitter rivals down the years. Actually, a similar thing happened in the creation of Liverpool FC.</p> <p>After the Toffees won their first league title, President John Houlding got into a conflict with the Orrell family, where they rented their current Anfield ground. In 1885, Houlding bought the ground from Orrell and then rented it to Everton FC. accusations emerged about him having both a personal financial and political agenda with this purchase.</p> <p>John Orrell, who still owned the land beside Anfield, tried to run a road through the main stand to increase access to the land. It prompted Everton FC to buy the adjacent land and own both of them if they were to continue playing there. Houlding then refused to offer the club a contractual rental lease, which led to all kinds of disagreements.</p> <p>Houlding then tried to hijack the club in an attempt to incorporate within another company. Since Everton were still playing at Anfield and occupying a position in the Football League, Houlding wanted to take the status of Everton by forming another club. In the end, the Football League refused to recognise his new company as Everton. This prompted him to create Liverpool F.C. and Athletic Grounds Ltd in 1892, or as we all know it today – Liverpool FC.</p> <p>The distrust created between Everton FC and Houlding prompted the club to move from Anfield to Goodison Park. The Toffees played their last game at Anfield in April 1892 against Bolton and incorporated a new company named Everton Football Club Limited in June 1892.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="420" class="wp-image-5047" title="Everton Introduction" src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Everton-FC-Club.jpg" alt="Everton Football Club " srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Everton-FC-Club.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Everton-FC-Club-300x180.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Everton’s Trophy Cabinet</h2> <p>Everton needed only two years in the First Division before they would become champions. They won their first title during the 1890-91 season and then their first FA Cup in 1906. They got to their second title during the 1914-15 season. However, their reign came down due to the outbreak of World War I.</p> <p>It was in 1925 when the club brought in the legendary Dixie Dean. He helped them capture the title in 1927-28. However, internal struggles resulted in relegation for the first time in the club’s history in 1929-30. The Toffees made a quick turnaround by first winning Division Two and immediately after Division One in 1931-32. The next year saw them lifting their second FA Cup and Charity Shield trophies.</p> <p>Since then, Everton would go on to win five more league titles. They also added three FA Cup trophies and seven Charity Shield wins. They even won their first European trophy in 1984-85. It came by defeating Rapid Wien by 3-1 and winning the Winners Cup title.</p> <p>Unfortunately for the Toffees, since 1995 and the Charity Shield win, the club hasn’t won any silverware. They remain a stable top-tier club, with their biggest success finishing fourth in the Premier League during the 2004-05 season.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Everton Player Records</h2> <p>When it comes to player records, the Welsh international Neville Southall tops most of the lists for the Toffees. The legendary goalkeeper made 751 appearances for Everton, 578 of which were in the league. He played between 1981 and 1998 for the club. Another goalie, Ted Sagar, comes close to him. He made 463 league appearances during the 1929–1953 period.</p> <p>As far as scoring goes, the legendary Dixie Dean is the all-time best goalscorer for Everton. He scored 383 times during the 1925–1937 period. The only player who comes close to him is Graeme Sharp. He played 11 years for the club (1980–1991) and scored 160 goals.</p> <p>Dixie Dean holds a unique record, an unbreakable one. He scored 60 goals in a single season during 1927–28.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Everton vs Liverpool Rivalry</h2> <p>The Merseyside Derby is the longest-running football rivalry in England, dating back to the 1962–63 season. The conflict began much earlier than that. The two clubs literally reside beside each other, being that Anfield and Goodison Park are separated only by Stanley Park.</p> <p>However, the Merseyside Derby is also referred to as the “friendly derby.” Being so close to each other and stamping from the same cities, a lot of people who support the rival clubs actually come from the same family. The rivalry pits friends against one another. But does not cause hatred and segregation, as is the situation with some other derbies in England.</p> <p>The 1984 League Cup final at Wembley came to be the Friendly Final. The supporters in the crowd were not separated from each other. In fact, supporters from both sides sat throughout the entire stadium, not causing a problem or any turmoil.</p> <p>At the moment, there have been 242 games between the two in various competitions. Liverpool has 98 wins as opposed to the 67 that Everton has managed. 77 games ended without a winner.</p> <p>Since the establishment of the Premier League, the Merseyside Derby has happened 62 times. The Reds are the dominant side in that sense as well, with 27 wins, compared to 10 that Everton managed. The Toffees were able to get to 25 PL draws, though.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Everton’s Takeover</h2> <p>It recently came to light that Everton will be getting new owners. With the deal between Farhad Moshiri and the Miami-based 777 Partners all but confirmed. The main step was the agreement with the club’s majority shareholder. Pending the regulatory process, the outcome will come to light.</p> <p>New management might breathe new life into the club. Everton was struggling financially recently to make ends meet. The club needed to sell most of its assets and top players without bringing in decent substitutes. The club’s most recent biggest departure, Richarlison, went to the Spurs for £51 million.</p> <p>Fans are hoping that the takeover might do the same for them as it did for Newcastle. Things are still up in the air, and further information will determine the outcome. The current financial landscape of the club still needs resolution.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-everton-fc/">Introducing: Everton FC!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Introducing: Newcastle United!</title> <link>https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-newcastle-united/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jill Williams]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 15 Sep 2023 11:09:01 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Clubs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Interesting facts]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://13.53.80.232/?p=5022</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Newcastle United FC, a name that resonates with passion, heritage and football fervour. The club was founded back in 1892 in the Heart of Newcastle upon Tyne. Since their creation, they have etched their name into the annals of football history. Learn more about the club, starting with their early history to the club they</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-newcastle-united/">Introducing: Newcastle United!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>Newcastle United FC, a name that resonates with passion, heritage and football fervour. The club was founded back in 1892 in the Heart of Newcastle upon Tyne. Since their creation, they have etched their name into the annals of football history. Learn more about the club, starting with their early history to the club they are today.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">About Newcastle United FC</h2> <p>Newcastle United, affectionately known as the Magpies, are a renowned football club from the vibrant city of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Their starting days reach as far back as 1892.</p> <p>In their long history, they have won four top-flight league titles and six FA Cup championships. Their trophy cabinet also includes one English Super Cup trophy, and one Inter-Cities Fairs Cup championship. They were also relegated several times, so their list of achievements includes four second-tier English football championships.</p> <p>Their iconic black and white stripes have become synonymous with the North East, and their passionate fan base. The so-called Toon Army is among the most devoted and dedicated fan base in the world of football.</p> <p>But how did Newcastle become one of the most prestigious football clubs not only in England, but also worldwide? Let’s find out by starting from their early history and see how they evolved into the club they are today.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="369" class="wp-image-5026" title="About Newcastle United FC" src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Introducing-Newcastle-United-Image-Full.jpg" alt="Introducing Newcastle United" srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Introducing-Newcastle-United-Image-Full.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Introducing-Newcastle-United-Image-Full-300x158.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure></div> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Early History – The East Prevails</h3> <p>The origin of the club can be traced back to 1881, when the Stanley Cricket Club formed a football club. The club changed its name to Newcastle East End FC in 1882. Soon after, Rosewood FC of Byker merged with Newcastle East End soon after, and the club moved to Heaton.</p> <p>In 1882, Newcastle West End FC started as the West End Cricket Club. In 1886, this club moved to St James’ Park. However, their short-lived history only lasted for a decade before the club ran into financial difficulties.</p> <p>The East and West quickly became rivals in the Northern League. While the East End had great success and became a professional football club, West End hit a brick wall. As they ran into financial trouble, they approached East for a potential takeover.</p> <p>In the end, West End was dissolved, with a large chunk of its players and staff joining Newcastle East End. This successfully merged the two clubs and saw East End take over the lease on St. James’ Park in 1892.</p> <p>In honour of the merger, the club finally adopted a new name. Among the numerous names considered, such as Newcastle Rangers, Newcastle City, and City of Newcastle, Newcastle United had the most significant symbolism. It signified the unification of the two teams.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">First Glory Years and Dominating the Top League</h3> <p>The first promising year in the club’s history was in 1903/04, when the team had numerous promising players. The team went on to dominate the top English league for close to a decade.</p> <p>In this period, the Magpies won three titles, in 1904, 1906, and 1908. Despite their success in the national league, they couldn’t get their hands on a double and lost several FA Cup finals.</p> <p>Their first FA Cup trophy came in 1909/10 after losing in the finals in 1905, 1906, and 1908. Furthermore, they lost again in the following year against Bradford City.</p> <p>The second FA Cup trophy got into their hands in 1924 when they beat Aston Villa for the title. Three years later, in 1926/27, the Magpies got their fourth top English league title.</p> <p>However, soon after their great success in both the national league and cup, they ran into problems. Newcastle dropped into the second league at the end of the 1933/34 season after 35 years at the top.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Recovery Years</h3> <p>After their relegation in 1933/34, the Magpies continued to struggle. They were almost relegated to the third level of football in the 1937/38 season. However, the war allowed them to regroup, and they returned to the top after the 1947/48 season. </p> <p>After returning to the top, Newcastle United added three more FA Cup titles in just five years. However, once again, after taking the trophies in the national cup, the club ran into problems again. The Magpies were relegated again after the 1960/61 season with Charlie Mitten as the manager.</p> <p>The leadership of Joe Harvey, former player, took some time but brought Newcastle back to the top again. In 1967/68, the club qualified for European competition for the first time. After that, they won the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup with a win over Hungary’s Ujpest in the final.</p> <p>In the years that followed, up until 1992, the club had its ups and downs. They reached the FA Cup final again in 1974, but dropped into the Second Division in 1978.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Entertainers of the Premier League</h3> <p>Newcastle’s return to the top flight league in 1993/94, was another significant event. With Keegan at the front, the club got their nickname, The Entertainers, from Sky Sports. Keegan’s attractive football wasn’t just for show, as he took the club to two runners-up finishes in the top league.</p> <p>In one of the matches between Liverpool and Newcastle, the Magpies lost the title after a 4:3 loss. The game at Enfield is, for many, <a href="https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/liverpool/feature/the-top-10-football-matches-of-all-time_502408.html">one of the greatest matches</a> in Premier League history.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Mike Ashley Era</h3> <p>One of the more significant eras of the club was under Mike Ashley. After the change in ownership, the club brought back Kevin Keegan in 2007/08. However, due to countless changes and disruptions from the club board, Keegan left in 2008.</p> <p>Soon after, under Joe Kinnear, or rather Alan Shearer as interim manager, Newcastle dropped to the Championship. Chris Hughton took over only to take the club back into the Premier League.</p> <p>His successor was Alan Pardew, who had his ups and downs but overall an average five seasons at Newcastle. His biggest success was finishing 5th and ensuring a place in the Europa League. However, no other success came from Pardew, so the fans campaigned to get Alen to leave.</p> <p>Again, unfortunately for the club, Rafael Benitez, who took over after Steve McClaren, couldn’t keep the club afloat. Another relegation for Newcastle was another disastrous event under Mike Ashley. Nonetheless, they made a return only after one season.</p> <p>Benitez left the club despite having an offer for a new contract with the Magpies in 2019. After Benitez, Steve Bruce came in as the manager, on a three-year contract.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Newcastle Under PIF</h2> <p>Finally, Mike Ashley, after countless terrible years at Newcastle, sold the club in 2021. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media bought the club for £305 million. The PIF holds around 80% of all shares.</p> <p>The new owners mutually agreed with Steve Bruce to leave the club. Eddie Howe came in as the replacement, and the club finished 11th in his first season. However, his second year at the club saw much more success, as the Magpies finished 4th, and got a spot in the Champions League. Their best results in decades.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stadium</h2> <p>Throughout the long history of Newcastle United, their home venue has been St. James’ Park. It is the oldest and largest stadium in North East England, but the 8th largest in the Premier League. The stadium’s seating capacity is 52,305 seats.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rivalries and Derbies</h2> <p>In addition to having some of the most passionate football fans in the world, Newcastle also has some ferocious rivalries. While it has been some time since we last saw these derbies, we are certain once we see them again, they will have lost no severity.</p> <p>For example, one of their derbies is with Sunderland, with whom they compete in the Tyne-Wear derby. It also ranks as one of the <a href="https://www.90min.com/posts/the-best-derbies-in-english-football-ranked">biggest derbies in England</a>. It features two of the biggest clubs in the region fighting for more than three league points. Newcastle also have a big rivalry with Middlesbrough in the infamous Tyne-Tees derby. </p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Newcastle Today and Their Future</h2> <p>Eddie Howe continues to lead Newcastle after finishing 4th in the 2022/23 season. The club secured a fourth-place finish, but could have easily finished one spot higher or one lower. In 38 games, the Magpies won 19, ended 14 in a draw, and only lost four.</p> <p>With these more or less impressive results, they had 71 points, only four behind third-ranked Manchester United. At the same time, Liverpool was four points behind them. Newcastle ended their last two games in a draw, which would have secured them third place if they had managed to win them.</p> <p>By finishing in fourth spot, Newcastle earned a spot in the Champions League. Of course, with participation in the biggest European competition comes more funding. Combined with the new owners from Saudi Arabia, the Magpies have the potential to grow.</p> <p>We can expect to see Newcastle more often in the Premier League top. They definitely have the opportunity to secure their fifth title, if they play their cards right.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-newcastle-united/">Introducing: Newcastle United!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Introducing: Manchester United!</title> <link>https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-manchester-united/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jill Williams]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:33:43 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Clubs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Interesting facts]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://13.53.80.232/?p=4971</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The “Red Devils” may be the nickname of a few football clubs and national teams, but there’s only one team bearing this name and boasting worldwide popularity so big that it cannot in any way remain unspoken of. This is the club whose trophy cabinet is wide and large. I mean, do 20 domestic league</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-manchester-united/">Introducing: Manchester United!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>The “Red Devils” may be the nickname of a few football clubs and national teams, but there’s only one team bearing this name and boasting worldwide popularity so big that it cannot in any way remain unspoken of.</p> <p>This is the club whose trophy cabinet is wide and large. I mean, do 20 domestic league titles, 21 Community Shields, three Champions League titles and many other trophies ring a bell? You should know by now that I’m talking about Manchester United.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Who Are the Red Devils?</h2> <p>Almost one and a half centuries ago, in 1878, the club named Newton Heath appeared on the English horizon. Not so long after, the Red Devils as we know them today became Manchester United. Many fans refer to this club as Manchester Utd and Man Utd.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Stadium</h3> <p>Before Old Trafford became their home, United used to play on North Road during the first 15 years after their foundation. They switched locations in 1893 and played as a home team on Bank Street.</p> <p>17 years passed before the Red Devils finally settled and decided to make Old Trafford their lifelong stadium. Old Trafford’s capacity has changed several times since its construction.</p> <p>The capacity reached its final peak in 2006 as it could seat 76,212 people but was later reduced to its final number of 75,957 seats. In 2007, there were 76,098 visitors at Old Trafford, which set the record for the highest number of spectators.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Official Crest</h3> <p>The inspiration for the first version of the Manchester United crest came from the official coat of arms of the Manchester City Council. The only thing that remained on today’s Man Utd crest is the sailing ship.</p> <p>The main part of the crest nowadays is the Red Devil, which appeared from the club’s nickname. Manchester Utd picked red as their official colour back in 1902, and it’s still something that symbolises this team up to this day.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="374" class="wp-image-4975" title="Foundation Red Devils" src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Introduction-Manchester-United.jpg" alt="Manchester United Introducing " srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Introduction-Manchester-United.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Introduction-Manchester-United-300x160.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">First Days and the Mid Twentieth Century</h2> <p>Once the Red Devils appeared on the radar, they became members of the regional football league after playing some unofficial matches in the first couple of years.</p> <p>However, they achieved full independence by joining the First Division in the 1892/93 season. United barely avoided liquidation in 1902. Luckily, the four businessmen invested in this club changed its name later and saved it from the winding-up order.</p> <p>The Red Devils became part of the First Division in 1906 after being runners-up in the Second Division the same year. They won this league for the first time in 1908 and 1911 for the second time.</p> <p>In the early 1930s, the Red Devils once again avoided bankruptcy, as James W. Gibson’s investment saved the day. After World War 2, Manchester Utd got a new manager, Matt Busby.</p> <p>Busby took control over this club’s transfers and training, which led to this team ending up in the second spot of the First Division table three years in a row (1947, 1948, 1949) and winning the FA Cup in 1948.</p> <p>United won two consecutive titles in 1956 and 1957 and was the first English team to play in the European Cup at that time. The following season was one of the worst for this club because of the terrible Munich air disaster.</p> <p>The aeroplane carrying Man Utd players failed to take off and crashed on the runway, resulting in 23 deaths and many injuries. After this accident, Jimmy Murphy arrived at Old Trafford in order to replace Busby.</p> <p>The signings of some new players, including George Best, meant better results for United. The Red Devils lifted the First Division trophy in 1965 and 1967, as well as won the European Cup the following season.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="467" class="wp-image-4973" title="Red Devils Events" src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Manchester-United.jpg" alt="Manchester United Key Events" srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Manchester-United.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Manchester-United-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Late Sixties, Seventies & Mid Eighties</h2> <p>Manchester Utd didn’t really shine during the 1960s and the most part of the 1970s. They ended up in the eighth place in the first division in 1969.</p> <p>United’s not-so-great performance continued during the 1970s until they reached the FA Cup final in 1976 but lost to Southampton. The Red Devils did the same one year later and once again couldn’t win the FA Cup trophy.</p> <p>This time, it was Liverpool that beat them. Two years after (1979), another Man Utd attempt at winning the FA Cup ended in failure, as Arsenal got the better of them. Finally, the Red Devils won this cup on two occasions (1983 and 1985) with the major help of their coach, Ron Atkinson.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Legendary Sir Alex Ferguson Epoch</h2> <p>One of the best football coaches ever, Sir Alex Ferguson, was appointed in 1986. The club didn’t have many great results at first. There were even some rumours that Ferguson would be dismissed then.</p> <p>Yet, this coach proved that his expertise was second to none during some major events in the 1990s. First, United won the FA Cup in 1990. This club became the European Cup trophy holders the same season.</p> <p>Manchester United also competed in the League Cup final twice, in 1991 and 1992, losing the first but winning the second final. In the year of 1993, the Red Devils won their first Premier League title, which was their first domestic league title since 1967.</p> <p>Just a year later, Man Utd was the best team in the Premier League, as well as in the FA Cup. This meant that United won their first “double”. Their glorious performance continued as the Fergusons’ men won the second double in a row.</p> <p>At the end of the 1996/97 season, the Red Devils added yet another Premier League trophy to their collection. Amazingly, Manchester United became the first Premier League club to win the “treble”. What this meant was that United won the Premier League, along with the FA Cup and the Champions League.</p> <p>Their victory in the Champions League final over Bayern Munich is considered one of the <a href="https://uk.style.yahoo.com/day-1999-manchester-united-amazing-050000989.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKXBKLx0so9mo9eSW3Z8nXU4K8Y4_5gy0H10M-SblCUmzU-xGCab5N-ELMrREcHEwPbpCLboBZra4sCANaoPpUGr3yHjtPUqlmCozSzQasTbU4hhHSG39PZF6Eb_ie4XWz_zfCFSJzjU0LLIvdqdroIkRttupc1nH4OyXlRsbXJp">greatest comebacks in the history of football</a>. This wasn’t the final stop for the Red Devils. The next competition that awaited them was the International Cup, which they also won after defeating Palmeiras by 1:0.</p> <p>Since the team from Greater Manchester also won the domestic league trophies in 2000 and 2001, they became the fourth club to win the Premier League title three consecutive times.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Second Champions League Title, Other Trophies & Top Players</h3> <p>After finishing the 2001/2 season as the third-ranking team, United regained the title in the 2002/23 season. The Red Devils went on to bring the FA Cup silverware home in 2003.</p> <p>One of the most spectacular events in the modern era for this club was winning their second Champions League title as they <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/may/21/championsleague.manchesterunited6">beat Chelsea by 6-5 after penalties</a> in 2008. This was the most recent Champions League title won by this club.</p> <p>During this period, United also won the Club World Cup and League Cup. The entire Sir Alex Ferguson era was marked by some amazing players. Some of them are Solskjaer, Giggs, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy, Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and many more.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ferguson’s Retirement & Latest Events</h2> <p>Several years before Ferguson’s retirement, the Red Devils sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80 million. In mid-2013, Manchester United’s legendary coach announced his retirement.</p> <p>He was replaced by David Moyes, whose not-so-well results got him sacked soon after. Van Gaal took over and led this club to another FA Cup title. The Red Devils dropped the ball in many events that followed.</p> <p>It was only after Jose Mourinho became the manager in 2016 that this team got back on track and won a couple of trophies. More specifically, Man Utd won the EFL Cup, Community Shield and Europa League.</p> <p>United did play one FA Cup final after this but lost to Chelsea by 1:0. This is why they brought their ex-player, Solskjaer, to Old Trafford. Since 2018, this team hasn’t won a single major trophy, except for the EFL Cup.</p> <p>The Red Devils were part of the Europa League finals but couldn’t overpower Villarreal on penalties in 2021. As Solskjaer didn’t turn out to be the best choice for United, he resigned in late 2021.</p> <p>Micheal Carrick became a short-term manager until Rangnick took command of the team. Less than half a year passed before Erik ten Hag took charge of Manchester United. The Dutch coach has been the official manager of the Red Devils ever since.</p> <p>It was under ten Hag that United won the EFL Cup trophy in late February 2023. This title still remains one of Man United’s greatest achievements in the last eight years.</p> <p>Nowadays, the team hopes to find a way to reclaim its old glory and form. The Man Utd officials state that their main focus is on key transfers, which ten Hag and his assistants are looking forward to.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-manchester-united/">Introducing: Manchester United!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Introducing: Manchester City FC</title> <link>https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-manchester-city-fc/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jill Williams]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 27 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Clubs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Interesting facts]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://13.53.80.232/?p=4904</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Manchester City came a long way from being a lower-league club to eventually becoming a Champions League winner. City was not always the world-beater they are today as they had to overcome a lot to get to where they are. The takeover helped a lot, but their case is rather unique as they built their</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-manchester-city-fc/">Introducing: Manchester City FC</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>Manchester City came a long way from being a lower-league club to eventually becoming a Champions League winner. City was not always the world-beater they are today as they had to overcome a lot to get to where they are. The takeover helped a lot, but their case is rather unique as they built their club patiently and eventually became one of the most dominant clubs in Europe.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">A Little Bit of History</h2> <p>Manchester City was founded in 1880 but officially came to be known as Manchester City seven years later. Their first major accomplishment came in 1899 when they managed to win the Second Division and finally got promoted to the First Division, which was the highest tier of English football back then.</p> <p>The Citizens won their first major piece of silverware in 1904 when the won the FA Cup beating Bolton Wanderers in the final. They finished second on the table and narrowly missed out on the League Cup in the same year. Nevertheless, they became the first club from Manchester to win a major trophy, something that they rub into their neighbours from the red side of Manchester even to this day.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="650" height="259" class="wp-image-4907" title="Manchester City FC" src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Introducing-Manchester-City-FC.jpg" alt="Introducing Manchester City FC" srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Introducing-Manchester-City-FC.jpg 650w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Introducing-Manchester-City-FC-300x120.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" /></figure></div> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">From First to Second Division</h3> <p>During their early days, Manchester City became an established member of the English First Division. However, their first trip back to the Second Division happened in 1901, when they dropped down but immediately came back up.</p> <p>This sort of thing would happen a few times for them as they dropped down in 1908, 1925, 1949, 1962, and 1982. Luckily for them, each time, they didn’t stay down for long. The longest they spent in the Second Division was three years on two occasions.</p> <p>In those early days of the Citizens’ history, the club also won the First Division twice. First time in 1936 and then another time in 1967.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">City in the Premier League</h3> <p>In 1992 the Premier League was established as the top tier of English football. Back then, it still needed to reach the popularity that it has gained today, but it was still one of the more popular and best leagues in Europe.</p> <p>Manchester City started off as an established league member, but truthfully a mediocre club. They were neither a title contender nor a relegation candidate. But they were able to go by without any significant problems.</p> <p>Until 1995, when they were relegated to Division 1. Things got even worse two years after that, as in 1995, they were playing Division 2 football. Man City would then dig deep and manage back-to-back promotions to get back to the Premier League yet again in 2000/01. They went back one more time the very next year, but came back again and since then have been a stable Premier League contender.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Takeover</h2> <p>The main point in Man City’s history is the famed takeover of the Abu Dhabi United Group. In 2008, City were in a very bad financial position. The owner back then, Thaksin Shinawatra, who had become the owner of the club only a year prior, had his assets frozen due to political issues.</p> <p>It opened up the doors for the Abu Dhabi United Group to swoop in and make a bid for the club. Their<a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2008/0905/p25s10-woeu.html"> £200 million bid</a> was accepted immediately, making Man City one of the richest clubs in the world.</p> <p>The takeover did not only marked the end of City’s financial woes, it meant that the club was able to finally make wider strides and even challenge for the Premier League title. </p> <p>The first major signing was former Real Madrid striker Robinho. Kolo Toure, Carlos Tevez, Gareth Barry, and Emmanuel Adebayor followed suit. As far as the staff goes, Roberto Mancini was added to replace the former manager Mark Hughes and immediately helped City to a fifth-place finish.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The City Era</h2> <p>Ever since the famed takeover, Manchester City became the most dominant club in England. They won their first title in 2011/12 thanks to a spectacular last-minute goal from Sergio Aquero. City were down versus Sanderlend 2:1, which also meant that they would lose the title race. But two quick goals in extra time from Edin Dzeko and Aguero in the space of two minutes meant that Man City would become the EPL champions.</p> <p>City did not stop there and continued to add titles. After relinquishing the first place to their rivals Manchester United, they retained the title in 2013/14. It was also the first title of Pep Guardiola’s reign at the Blue side of Manchester. However, Pep needed some time to settle down and went three years without a title in England.</p> <p>Between 2017 and 2022, Guardiola won five out of six titles with City. He got the team to such a level that no other team was able to compete with them. But all this time the trophy that they wanted the most eluded them. You know which one we are talking about.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Treble Winning Season </h2> <p>Last season Manchester City became only the second English club to win a treble. After their town rivals Manchester United did in 1998/99, City were able to do the same.</p> <p>Everything started with the addition of Erling Haaland. The towering Norwegian came for just <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11679/12632988/erling-haaland-man-city-confirm-signing-of-borussia-dortmund-striker-in-51m-deal">£85.5 million from Dortmund</a>. He went on to break the Premier League single-season scoring record by bagging 36 goals. In total, he scored an incredible 52 goals in all competitions during the entire length of the season.</p> <p>Guardiola also changed his tactics. It included moving John Stones into the midfield. Also, he had to let go of Joao Cancelo and loan him out to Bayern Munich.</p> <p>First, they broke down Arsenal in the race to the Premier League title by chipping the points margin between them in each match week. Then they defeated Manchester United in the FA Cup final by 2:1.</p> <p>Finally, the cherry on top and the crown jewel of the season was lifting the Champions League trophy. They outlasted Inter Milan and managed to win thanks to a Rordi banger 1:0.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Man City’s Top Goalscorer </h2> <p>We mentioned Haaland’s record-breaking season last term. But he is not the first name to rise so much interest in the Blue side of Manchester. Before Haaland, there was Sergio Aguero, currently the top Manchester City scorer of all time.</p> <p>The Argentine forward was able to score 260 goals in 389 appearances for the club. The second player on the list is Eric Brook, who scored 177 goals between 1928 and 1940. He also needed a lot more games to do so. He performed this feat after playing 494 matches for the Citizens.</p> <p>The list also contains one of the current City players, Kevin De Bruyne, who is 13th all-time. He has scored 96 in 353 matches after coming in during the 2015 season. </p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Future of Manchester City</h2> <p>Pep Guardiola’s plans are not going to change significantly for the coming season. It is actually scary to think that City have the strength to win the treble yet again if not even a quadruple.</p> <p>City will be gunning for their fourth Premier League title in a row. They have lost their long-term captain in Ilkay Gundogan and one of their attacking options in Riyad Mahrez. But have enough in their squad to compensate for those losses. Mateo Kovacic will fill in the midfield gap. While the addition of Josko Gvardiol, which is still not complete but could very be soon, will strengthen the City’s defence marginally higher.</p> <p>The same thing goes for the Champions League. Pep finally got to taste a win, and he wants more. He knows how to adapt and if things start to go awry at the start of the season. He will most likely make the necessary changes to adapt to the competition.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-manchester-city-fc/">Introducing: Manchester City FC</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Introducing: Liverpool FC</title> <link>https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-liverpool-fc/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jill Williams]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 13 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Clubs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Interesting facts]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://13.53.80.232/?p=4865</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Do you love the English Premier League? Are you a fan of one of the clubs that made history so many times that everyone knows how legendary they are? Does the nickname “the Reds” sound familiar to you? Or, maybe, you’ve heard of the song called “You’ll Never Walk Alone”? That’s right. I’m here to</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-liverpool-fc/">Introducing: Liverpool FC</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>Do you love the English Premier League? Are you a fan of one of the clubs that made history so many times that everyone knows how legendary they are? Does the nickname “the Reds” sound familiar to you? Or, maybe, you’ve heard of the song called “You’ll Never Walk Alone”?</p> <p>That’s right. I’m here to tell you about Liverpool FC, the club that won the Champions League numerous times. The team that lifted the Super Cup trophy as many as three times. One of the football clubs with players who became the best individuals in the history of this sport, many of which went on to become great coaches, too.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Where It All Began</h2> <p>Liverpool came into existence in the late 19th century, i. e. in 1892. The Reds pushed its town rivals, Everton, to Goodison Park, after which Anfield became their official stadium.</p> <p>In its earliest days, Liverpool’s squad featured players from Scotland picked by their manager, John McKenna. Not long after the foundation, the Reds won their first league trophy in 1901 and did it again in 1906, with Tom Watson as a manager.</p> <p>Under his management, Liverpool also reached the FA Cup finals in 1914 but lost to Burnley by 1:0. Several years later, the Reds took the Championship League trophy two times in a row (1922 and 1923).</p> <p>It was more than twenty years before Liverpool won another league title. In 1947, George Kay led the Reds to another domestic league trophy. During the following decade, the team from Merseyside played one Cup final but was defeated by Arsenal.</p> <p>It got even worse for this club as they got relegated to the Second Division in 1954. Keeping their heads up, the Liverpudlians did a great job getting back on the right track at the end of the 1950s.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="350" class="wp-image-4868" title="Liverpool Football Club" src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Liverpool-FC.jpg" alt="Introducing Liverpool FC" srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Liverpool-FC.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Liverpool-FC-300x150.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Returning to the First Division and Achieving Success</h2> <p>The good results came soon after. In other words, Liverpool returned to the First Division in 1962. Two years later, the Reds put another trophy on their shelf as they won this domestic competition.</p> <p>The age of success continued for the Liverpudlians, as they won their first FA Cup trophy in 1965. The Reds went on to lift another First Division trophy in 1966. They also played in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final but were beaten by Borussia Dortmund.</p> <p>In the 1970s, Bill Shankly’s great guidance yielded even more success. The club won the domestic league and the UEFA Cup in 1973. The Reds also added one more FA Cup trophy to their title collection in 1974.</p> <p>Shankly was succeeded by Paisley as the official Liverpool manager a year after. During his management, Liverpool won as many as 20 different trophies.</p> <p>It won another domestic League title and the Cup double in 1976 and continued its streak in 1977 by winning the League title and the European Cup for the first time. Even more, the Reds won yet another European Cup title in 1978 as well as an additional League title in 1979.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Period Before, During, and After the Two Disasters</h2> <p>With the new manager, Joe Fagan, Liverpool won three titles in one season in 1983. The year 1985 was when the Reds got to the European Cup finals and faced Juventus. Before the beginning of the event, Liverpool’s fans crossed the fence separating them from Juventus’ fans and started running towards them.</p> <p>The retaining wall fell down due to enormous pressure, and 39 fans were killed. This incident was later recorded as the Heysel Stadium disaster. This whole thing resulted in Liverpool’s ten-year ban from playing in European competitions, which was later reduced to six years.</p> <p>All the other English clubs were also banned from playing in these contests for five years. Aside from this disaster, the Liverpudlians gained much success in those years. Kenny Dalglish was in charge of managing the Reds when they won two FA Cups and three titles in the domestic league.</p> <p>In 1989, Liverpool had the same number of points as Arsenal at the end of the League season. The whole story behind Liverpool’s success in those years seemed shady due to another huge disaster.</p> <p>I’m talking about one of the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-47697569">biggest sports incidents</a> in the history of Great Britain. It happened during the semi-final FA Cup match between Liverpool and Sheffield. The official police officer commander allowed large crowds to enter the stadium using exit gate C.</p> <p>This ended in the pens’ collapse and many fatal injuries and immediate deaths. Dalglish resigned from his manager position soon after the incident. The club appointed Graeme Souness instead. He led the Reds to the FA Cup title in 1992.</p> <p>In 1995, Liverpool won the Football League Cup under Roy Evans’ coaching. Another remarkable success that the Reds achieved was in 2001. Liverpool won three major titles, which are UEFA Cup, League Cup, and the FA Cup.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Rafael Benitez Era</h2> <p>Benitez arrived in Liverpool in 2004. Not many months later, Liverpool had an outstanding performance that resulted in winning one of the greatest trophies in the history of this club, that is, the Champions League trophy.</p> <p>The whole CL 2004/2005 was amazing, with the unbelievable final game where the Reds beat AC Milan after the penalties. Afterwards, Liverpool contested CSKA Moscow in the Super Cup and won by 3:1.</p> <p>The following season, the Liverpudlians once again showed their true potential and reached the Champions League finals once again. It was a rematch that they played with Milan.</p> <p>Only this time, they didn’t beat their old rivals but gave in and lost by 2:1. In the years that followed, Liverpool’s biggest success was reaching the Champions League semi-finals in 2008 and 2010.</p> <p>In the meantime, the Reds also had a CL quarter-final match in the CL they couldn’t win in 2009. As much as they were successful in the Champions League at that time, their Premier League performance wasn’t very good.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Period of Lower Form</h2> <p>After Rafael Benitez left, Liverpool brought in Roy Hodgson, whom the Reds’ ex-manager, Kenny Dalglish, quickly replaced. The Liverpudlians were part of the Europa League competition in 2011. But they only got to the round of 16.</p> <p>The Reds were the trophy-holders in the League Cup in 2012 and partakers in the Europa League in 2013, where they couldn’t go further than the round of 32.</p> <p>They ranked second at the end of the Premier League season in 2014 and played in the group stage of the Champions League. Unfortunately, the club from Merseyside didn’t make it past the early stage and went to the Europa League competition. Not going too far, the Reds lost the round of 32 match.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jurgen Klopp and Great Results</h2> <p>After Klopp showed up, things began to look up for Liverpool. First, the Reds had a few massive wins on the way to the Europa League finals in 2016. They didn’t win the trophy, but they surely won the sympathy of their fans after so much time.</p> <p>The Liverpudlians also took fourth place in the 2016/2017 Premier League season. This meant that they also played in the Champions League in season 2017/2018.</p> <p>During that CL season, Liverpool knocked out clubs like Manchester City and had a spectacular comeback against Barcelona, which they eliminated after compensating for the three-goal deficit. Still, the Reds lost to Real Madrid in the finals.</p> <p>Just one season later, Liverpool took another trophy in one of the most prestigious football club tournaments in the world, the Champions League. The Reds beat <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/divock-origi-mohamed-salah-champions-league-liverpool-goals-b2349387.html">Tottenham by 2:0</a>. The same year, the Liverpudlians won the Super Cup after getting better of Chelsea on penalties.</p> <p>In late December 2019, Liverpool won the Club World Cup after triumphing over Monterrey and Flamengo. One of the most successful moments during this era for the Reds was also winning the Premier League title in 2021.</p> <p>In addition, the Merseyside club took part in the 2021/2022 Champions League season and played in the finals. Real Madrid was just slightly better than them (1:0). The same team won over the Reds in the Champions League round of 16 in 2023.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What’s to Come?</h2> <p>Currently, Liverpool is preparing for the 2023/24 season. As far as the transfers go, the Reds have two new players, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai. There are, of course, some rumours regarding the newcomers to this club, too.</p> <p>One of them is that Barcelona’s talent, Malcolm, could join the Liverpudlians. Another speculation is that Marcos Llorente may also come to Anfield. Many news agencies also report that Liverpool supposedly made bids for Levi Colwill, who currently plays for Chelsea.</p> <p>With Klopp still being the manager, the Reds aim to bring back the old glory to Anfield. The German coach said himself a couple of times before in several interviews that his main goal was to forget about the past, fit the new players in the squad, and focus on new events.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-liverpool-fc/">Introducing: Liverpool FC</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Introducing: Chelsea FC</title> <link>https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-chelsea-fc/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jill Williams]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 22 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Clubs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Interesting facts]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://13.53.80.232/?p=4812</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>According to many experts’ opinions, some clubs from the English Premier League belong to the category of the strongest, top-performing, and most popular clubs on the planet. One of those teams is Chelsea. The Blues, or the so-called Pensioners, together with clubs such as Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City and Tottenham, are one of</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-chelsea-fc/">Introducing: Chelsea FC</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>According to many experts’ opinions, some clubs from the English Premier League belong to the category of the strongest, top-performing, and most popular clubs on the planet. One of those teams is Chelsea.</p> <p>The Blues, or the so-called Pensioners, together with clubs such as Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City and Tottenham, are one of the most well-known football clubs, not only in England but also in the whole world.</p> <p>This club was founded more than one century ago. During this period, it went through many changes and phases. Few people can argue that this club’s history and tradition are not interesting.</p> <p>As a club that won two Champions League titles and was a runner-up once, Chelsea has lots of things to be proud of. Additionally, this club is no stranger to winning other top-notch competitions like Super Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup, Club World Cup, Europa League, etc.</p> <p>With such performances, Chelsea didn’t lack titles in domestic leagues and tournaments, either. Plus, there are many superstar players that wore the Chelsea shirt.</p> <p>Most of them are known and popular across the globe and boast different awards, ranging from the Premier League Golden Boot all the way to the Player of the Year awards.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Early Days</h2> <p>One hundred eighteen years ago, Chelsea was founded in West London. Ever since then, the Blues have played at Stamford Bridge. And yeah, they are called the Blues because they have played in blue uniforms ever since the club’s founding.</p> <p>Chelsea’s away kit is white with dark-coloured socks. Their third kit has changed a couple of times in the past. The most recent one appears to be somewhat orange and golden.</p> <p>After Chelsea started playing its first professional football matches, it soon got to the First Division. The First Division was the name of what we today know as the Premier League.</p> <p>The Blues also competed in the FA Cup. They were the finalists twice, first in 1920 and then in 1932. Interestingly, this club went through its modernisation phase starting in the 1950s.</p> <p>After the legendary player Ted Drake became the manager of this club, Chelsea entered its modernisation phase. First, the Blues changed their crest. They switched from the Pensioner crest to the one containing the club initials.</p> <p>It was not long before this club changed its crest once more. It was in 1953, and the Blues put the lion symbol as their official logo. In the early 1960’s Chelsea got its new manager, Tommy Docherty.</p> <p>During this era, the Blues were contestants in some prestigious European tournaments, too. In fact, they got far in the FA Cup and League Cup but didn’t win the titles. The following decade was very important for this club, as it won the major trophies.</p> <p>First, the Blues lifted the trophy in the FA Cup after putting their new coach, Dave Sexton, in charge. On top of that, Chelsea won the final match against Real Madrid and earned the Cup Winners’ Cup title.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="389" class="wp-image-4815" title="Chelsea FC Introduction" src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Introducing-Chelsea-FC.jpg" alt="Introducing: Chelsea FC" srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Introducing-Chelsea-FC.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Introducing-Chelsea-FC-300x167.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">80’s and 90’s & the Roman Abramovich Era</h2> <p>The 1980s were a time of struggles for this team. They got into a financial crisis and played in the Third Division. The following decade was a bit better for the Blues. In the meantime, they got back to the First Division.</p> <p>The Pensioners hired and sacked a few coaches along the way. The biggest success here was winning one domestic and two international cups. In other words, Chelsea won the League Cup, as well as the Cup Winners’ Cup and Super Cup in 1998. In 2000, the Blues won the FA Cup.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Success After Abramovich’s Arrival</h3> <p>This team witnessed one of the best periods after the Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich, bought them. As Chelsea was also facing a financial crisis back then, the Russian didn’t spend much money buying it.</p> <p>Once he finally took over the club, he soon brought Jose Mourinho there. Under Mourinho, Chelsea won its first back-to-back league championships in 2005 and 2006. They also won two cups, the FA Cup and the League Cup, both in 2005 and 2007.</p> <p>Under Avram Grant, who was the coach for Chelsea in 2008, the Pensioners even reached the Champions League finals. However, they lost to Man Utd. Later on, in 2009, the Blues won another FA Cup.</p> <p>Once Carlo Ancelotti got the job as a coach, he led Chelsea to both the FA Cup and Premier League trophies in 2010. In 2012, it was Robert Di Matteo who coached the Pensioners. With his guidance, Chelsea won one of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/29/manchester-city-chelsea-champions-league-final-match-report-kai-havertz">the most elite football club competitions</a>, the Champions League.</p> <p>The Blues won over Bayern Munich after a penalty shootout. Only one year later, the Pensioners won another tournament, which is also thought of as very important in Europe among experts and fans, i.e. the Europa League.</p> <p>Several years after that, Antonio Conte was appointed by the Pensioners as their coach. In 2017, Chelsea won another Premier League title and became the FA Cup champions, too. In the year that followed, the Blues’ new coach, Sarri, replaced Conte.</p> <p>That season, Chelsea went far and played in the League Cup finals but was defeated by Man City. Still, the Pensioners lifted the Europa League trophy for the second time after beating Arsenal in the finals.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Success Under Tuchel & Abramovich’s Decision to Put Chelsea Up for Sale</h3> <p>Not long after Sarri left the club, the Blues’ legend, Frank Lampard was brought to the Blues’ headquarters. Yet, Lampard was not very successful as a coach. Chelsea quickly responded to this by employing Thomas Tuchel. The year 2021 was very successful for Chelsea.</p> <p>First, they were the FA Cup runners-up after losing the final match to Leicester by 1:0. But they once again won the most popular and well-liked football club competition this year, that is the Champions League. The Blues went on to win the Super Cup after getting better of Villarreal on penalties.</p> <p>Even more, this club won the Club World Cup as they also overpowered Palmeiras by 2:1. In 2022, due to a political situation, Roman Abramovich decided to sell Chelsea. He wrote off the debt that this club owed him and started preparing it for the new ownership.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Getting a New Owner (Todd Boehly)</h2> <p>In May 2022, Chelsea officially <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11668/12620985/chelsea-takeover-todd-boehly-completes-4-25bn-takeover-as-roman-abramovich-era-ends">got the new owners</a>. It was Todd Boehly, Hansjorg Wyss, Clearlake Capital, and Mark Walter who became the new owners of the Blues. The club announced that some club officials would step down and that some new faces would take their positions from then.</p> <p>For instance, Bruce Buck was no longer chairman of this club after June 30, 2022. Similarly, Peter Cech quit being the technical and performance adviser. Marina Granovskaia also left her position as sporting director.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Season 2022/23</h2> <p>Following the new ownership, Chelsea didn’t really get back on its feet after it faced very big changes. Just like every Premier League season, the Pensioners played 38 matches. Unfortunately, the Blues only won 11 games only.</p> <p>Just the same, they had 11 no-winner encounters. The real sign this club still needs lots of improvement is the fact that they lost as many as 16 matches in the 2022/23 Premier League season and ranked 12th.</p> <p>Speaking of the goal difference, Chelsea also dropped the ball as they scored 38 but allowed 47 goals. Taking the 12th spot on the table means that the Pensioners will not be part of any European contests in the season 2023/24. The last time this happened was the season 2016/17.</p> <p>In the FA Cup, the Blues were eliminated by Man City after losing by 3:0 in the third round. When it comes to the European tournaments, Chelsea had a very good start. They were part of Group E. The Pensioners won four out of six games.</p> <p>This team tied one game with Salzburg (1:1) and lost one match to Dinamo Zagreb by 1:0. In total, Chelsea got 13 points and was the top-ranking team in their group, leaving clubs like Milan behind.</p> <p>The Pensioners continued their journey in the playoffs, where they first faced Dortmund. The Blues were beaten by the Germans in the first game by 1:0. In London, Chelsea scored two goals and allowed none, which meant that they would advance to the following round.</p> <p>The quarterfinal round confronted this club with Real Madrid. Despite all their efforts, the Pensioners couldn’t get past Los Blancos. They lost both encounters by 2:0, after which they were knocked out from this season of the Champions League.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Future of Chelsea</h2> <p>After one year, there are not many things which Chelsea’s owners should be proud of. However, the people who are in charge of making the most important decisions have promised to give their best and bring this club back on the right track.</p> <p>Before all else, the Blues are thinking of bringing the ex-PSG and Tottenham coach, Pochettino, to Stamford Bridge. In fact, the Pensioners have already had some changes in their headquarters.</p> <p>For example, they appointed Chris Jurasek as the director. He will make sure that everything runs smoothly outside of the pitch. The Blues are also working on building their scouting team, and they have already employed Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, who will be responsible for recognising and bringing new talents to the club.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-chelsea-fc/">Introducing: Chelsea FC</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Introducing: Arsenal FC</title> <link>https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-arsenal-fc/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jill Williams]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 10:08:27 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Clubs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Interesting facts]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://13.53.80.232/?p=4791</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Arsenal Football Club is a top-flight English club based in Islington, London. The club started in 1886 under a different name but soon became the Arsenal you know today. Find out more about the club from their first days to the club they are today in this article. About Arsenal FC Arsenal are one of</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-arsenal-fc/">Introducing: Arsenal FC</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>Arsenal Football Club is a top-flight English club based in Islington, London. The club started in 1886 under a different name but soon became the Arsenal you know today. Find out more about the club from their first days to the club they are today in this article.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">About Arsenal FC</h2> <p>Arsenal are one of the most successful clubs in England, specifically third when it comes to the number of titles. The idea behind the club came from fifteen fellow munitions workers. The workers of the Royal Arsenal Factory in Woolwich organised the club under a different name in 1886. Arsenal’s nickname, the Gunners, derives from their origins and is a suitable epithet.</p> <p>Today, they are still one of the top clubs in the Premier League. In their trophy cabinet, you will find 47 trophies. So how did they come such a long way and become one of the most popular clubs worldwide? Let’s find out by starting from the first days of the club.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="407" class="wp-image-4794" title="Introduction Arsenal FC " src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Arsenal-Football-Club.jpg" alt="Arsenal FC Introduction" srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Arsenal-Football-Club.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Arsenal-Football-Club-300x174.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure></div> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Early History</h3> <p>As mentioned earlier, the club was created in 1886 by a bunch of Royal Arsenal munitions factory workers. However, the club was originally formed by David Danskin and his coworkers under the name Dial Square Football Club. The name originated after the workshop in the heart of the Royal Arsenal facility.</p> <p>However, the name didn’t hold long, as the club changed their name to Royal Arsenal in January 1887. Their first home ground was Plumstead Common, but they spent most of their time playing at the Manor Ground.</p> <p>In its first years, the club won several trophies, such as the Kent Senior Cup and the London Charity Cup. These are the only county association trophies of the club. Finally, in 1891, Royal Arsenal became the first London club to go professional.</p> <p>After going onto the professional scene, the club had another name change, as they renamed to Woolwich Arsenal. They started in the Second Division and advanced to the First Division in 1904.</p> <p>However, despite the promotion, the club was in severe financial trouble for years. Finally, the club went bankrupt in 1910. In 1913, they went back to Second Division and moved to the new Arsenal Stadium in Highbury.</p> <p>After a controversial promotion to the First Division, things were looking brighter for the club. Soon, they began dropping the ‘The’ from their name and became the Arsenal we know today.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="394" class="wp-image-4796" title="Arsenal FC Early History " src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/History-Arsenal.jpg" alt="Early History Arsenal FC" srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/History-Arsenal.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/History-Arsenal-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Bank of England Club: Herbert Chapman Years</h3> <p>The new home and playing in the First Division were just the boost the club needed. However, it was the influence of Herbert Chapman, who took over as manager in 1925, that revolutionised the club. You can say that Chapman built an entirely new Arsenal.</p> <p>In this period, Arsenal won their first FA Cup in 1930 and League Championships in 1930 and 1932. After Chapman’s tragic death in 1933, Joe Shaw and George Alisson continued the good work. However, after their reign, the club went into a slow decline up until 1996.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Arsene Wenger Era</h3> <p>The Arsene Wenger years are the most prolific years of the club. Wenger’s career was defined by money efficiency and transfers, fitness practices, attacking football, etc. By bringing in players from his homeland, such as Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, Wenger won numerous trophies.</p> <p>Some of the notable trophies from Wenger’s period are the following:</p> <ul> <li>Three Premier League Titles (1997, 2001, 2003)</li> <li>Seven FA Cup Trophies (1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2016)</li> <li>Seven Community Shield Titles (1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2017)</li> </ul> <p>While Wenger’s Arsenal didn’t win any European trophies during his tenure, they reached the finals of the 2015 Champions League. Their run was stopped near the summit, as they lost to Barcelona (2:1) in the finals.</p> <p>Wenger’s success was mainly around domestic competitions. His dominance was displayed the most in 2003 when they earned the title of <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/arsenal-invincibles-how-wengers-2003-04-gunners-went-a-season-without-defeat/1xkm3tgyvsbjj1wzrewhqz0liu">The Invincibles</a>. To this day, many consider this to be the best Premier League team ever. Arsenal broke the record for the most unbeaten games run at the time.</p> <p>They won the Premier League without a lost game. Their winning streak started on the 7th of May, 2003, and ended on the 24th of October, 2004. Arsenal went on a streak of 49 unbeaten games, which to this day remains the national record.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Stadium History: From Highbury to Emirates</h3> <p>In summary, Arsenal, as we know them today, had a few home grounds in their history. Their original stadium was Plumstead Common. However, they spent the majority of their time at the Manor Ground in Plumstead. Between 1890 and 1893, they played at the Invicta Ground.</p> <p>Finally, in 1913, when they moved, their stadium was the Arsenal Stadium, or Highbury as many know it. The stadium was their home ground for over 90 years before they finally moved to the Emirates Stadium.</p> <p>While the stadium was renovated several times in its long history, it couldn’t accommodate the football boom at the time. The capacity of the stadium was around 57.000 until the renovation. Highbury had to be converted to an all-seater stadium due to Premier League regulations, reducing its capacity to 38.419.</p> <p>This is when the idea behind the Emirates first popped up, around 2000. The idea was to build a high-capacity stadium in Ashburton Grove which could hold around 60.000 fans. After some issues, the construction was complete in June 2006.</p> <p>The name of the stadium comes from the sponsors, Emirates Airlines. The stadium stands are the North Bank, Clock End, East Stand, and West Stand. The official capacity of the stadium is 60,704.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Post Wenger Struggles</h3> <p>Despite not having a lot of achievements in international football, Arsenal prospered under Arsene Wenger. While the final years of the French manager were not quite the best, it was even worse once he left. Arsene Wenger departed Arsenal in 2018.</p> <p>Unai Emery came after Wenger and became the head coach in May 2018. In his first season, Arsenal finished the Premier League in 5th place. The same season, they reached the Europa League finals, where they lost 4:1 to Chelsea.</p> <p>While we can’t say Emery’s season was a disaster, it was not quite what everyone expected. The club let Unai Emery go as manager and took Freddie Ljunberg as interim head coach.</p> <p>Finally, Mikal Arteta took over as the new head coach on the 20th of December 2019. Soon after, the club changed Arteta’s position from head coach to manager. Many consider Arteta to be the figure Arsenal needs. And he certainly has brought the club to the heights it deserves.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rivals and Derbies</h2> <p>Coming from London, Arsenal expectedly has a lot of neighbouring rivalries. Their longest and deepest rivalry is with the neighbouring Tottenham Hotspurs. You might know the derby as the North London Derby. It is one of the fiercest derbies in English football.</p> <p>At the same time, Arsenal also has a West London Derby against Chelsea. As both are very prominent clubs of the Premier League, expectedly, the derbies are notorious for their ferocity.</p> <p>Encompassed from all sides, Arsenal also rivals Crystal Palace, familiar as the South London Derby. While it is not as popular as the North London Derby, it is still quite important to Arsenal fans.</p> <p>Lastly, while it is not a city derby, a special kind of rivalry exists between Arsenal and Manchester United. The rivalry dates back to when both clubs were competing for the Premier League title in the 2000s.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Arsenal Today</h2> <p>After taking over in 2019, Mikal Arteta is progressing slowly and improving the situation in the club. In the first season, he finished 8th, which is the lowest finish since 1994/95. However, Arteta managed to secure another, and the club’s 14th FA Cup trophy that year.</p> <p>The next season was another struggling period for the club and Arteta, but there were signs of improvement. In 2021, they finished in 5th place, and got a spot in the Europa League. However, this was still not the best Arteta could do at the club. His biggest success would come next season.</p> <p>In 2021, many thought Arsenal could go all the way in the Europa League. After a successful Group Stage, Arsenal started to struggle in the playoffs. Namely, after the draw against Sporting away, it should have been an easy win at home. However, Sporting surprised them and dropped them from the competition after a penalty shootout in London.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">(Un)Successful 2023 Premier League Season</h3> <p>Arsenal’s most successful season in the Premier League recently was the 2022 season. The Gunners started the season quite successfully, winning almost all their games. Many thought the club resembled the 2003 Invincibles crew. However, at the finish line, the dream started to crumble.</p> <p>Arsenal lost a few crucial games, including their game against their biggest rival for the championship, Manchester City. The loss against the Citizens was the final nail in the coffin for the Gunners, as they practically lost the title at that point.</p> <p>In the end, after chasing Arsenal the entire season, the defending champions Manchester City managed to keep the throne. It was a devastating outcome for Arsenal after having the lead the entire season.</p> <p>Nonetheless, Arsenal should be happy with what they have achieved this season. After years of struggle, they have finally reached the top of the Premier League table. They are once again the competitive club they were once. Moreover, second place on the Premier League table comes with great rewards.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Mikel Arteta: Back in the Champions League</h3> <p>Despite failing to secure the Premier League title, Arsenal finished the season with an even <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2023/04/28/pep-guardiola-says-arsenal-should-be-delighted-with-finishing-second-18692431/#:~:text=Pep%20Guardiola%20feels%20Arsenal%20finishing,wait%20for%20Champions%20League%20football.">more important prize</a> in their hands. Namely, by finishing second, Arteta’s team are finally back in the highest European competition, the Champions League.</p> <p>Arsenal have been longing for the day they return to the strongest football competition in Europe and worldwide. The second place on the Premier League table, however disappointing, comes with a great honour.</p> <p>While we are yet to see how the Gunners will fare against the strongest clubs in Europe, they are definitely on the right track. The upcoming season guarantees to be a success for the club. They have the players, the mindset, the funds, and everything they need to compete once again in the strongest international competitions.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/introducing-arsenal-fc/">Introducing: Arsenal FC</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Everything You Need to Know About Luton Town!</title> <link>https://www.free-football.tv/everything-you-need-to-know-about-luton-town/</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jill Williams]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2023 12:30:17 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Clubs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Interesting facts]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://13.53.80.232/?p=4764</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>If you ever start to think that the magic behind football is gone, think about Luton Town and them finally qualifying for the Premier League. After being stranded all the way down to the conference level, switching back and forth between League 1 and League 2, establishing themselves as a Championship team, the Hatters finally</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/everything-you-need-to-know-about-luton-town/">Everything You Need to Know About Luton Town!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>If you ever start to think that the magic behind football is gone, think about Luton Town and them finally qualifying for the Premier League. After being stranded all the way down to the conference level, switching back and forth between League 1 and League 2, establishing themselves as a Championship team, the Hatters finally made their dream come true and qualified for the first time for the Premier League.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Championship Playoffs</h2> <p>Luton Town actually finished the regular part of the season in third. Setting them off to the Championship playoffs and a matchup against <a href="https://www.safc.com/">Sunderland</a>. The Black Cats are miles away from that stable Premier League that they once were. But they still had the history and the name to be the favourites in some people’s eyes.</p> <p>Sunderland won comfortably at home, setting a comeback to the Prem. But they didn’t count on Lutton coming back at home field and winning 3:2 on aggregate.</p> <p>They needed to face Coventry City in the final, a team that saw Premier League football last time in 2011. No matter who won, both Luton’s and Convetry’s journeys would have been considered a Cinderella story. Yet, Luton were the luckier of the two, achieving promotion through penalties.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="467" class="wp-image-4766" title="Luton Town Championship Playoffs " src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Comeback-Luton-Town.jpg" alt="Championship Playoffs Luton Town" srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Comeback-Luton-Town.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Comeback-Luton-Town-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure></div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Luton’s Cinderella Story</h2> <p>It was only nine seasons ago that Luton were a part of the National League, the fifth tier of English football. They have spent five long years there and started their ascent without daring to dream of making it to the Premier League.</p> <p>They spent four years in League 2 and only a single season in League 1. Allowing them to dare to dream that they could someday make it. However, traversing the Championship proved a much more formidable task for them.</p> <p>They barely competed in their first two seasons, finishing 19th and then 12th. The very next season showed significant signs of improvement as they finished 6th but failed to make it through the playoffs as they lost to Huddersfield.</p> <p>But then came this season, where the Hatters finished in third, their highest Championship ranking to date. The rest is history, as Luton will play for the first time in the Premier League in their history.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="467" class="wp-image-4769" title="Luton Town All You Need to Know " src="http://13.53.80.232/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Luton-Town-All-You-Need-to-Know.jpg" alt="All You Need to Know Luton Town " srcset="https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Luton-Town-All-You-Need-to-Know.jpg 700w, https://www.free-football.tv/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Luton-Town-All-You-Need-to-Know-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">From Non-League to Premier League</h2> <p>Luton’s promotion comes with yet another happy story, and that is one of Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu. He has become the first player to make it from non-league to Premier League football. More so, he has done it all with the same club.</p> <p>After failing at West Ham, the DR Congo national team player found his home at Luton. He stayed there through their lows and is definitely deserving of the heights. He even captained his side for a short stint in the promotion playoffs game.<br />The Hatters’ first-choice captain, <a href="https://www.transfermarkt.com/tom-lockyer/profil/spieler/207742">Tom Lockyer</a>, fell to injury early on in the game. Leaving Mpanzu to lead his team for the remainder of the game. Achieving promotion was a dream come true for him, especially with the club that has been there for him throughout his career. He hopes that he will be able to represent them in the Premier League. And help them stay up for as long as he can.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.free-football.tv/everything-you-need-to-know-about-luton-town/">Everything You Need to Know About Luton Town!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.free-football.tv">Free-Football.TV</a>.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> </channel> </rss>