Latest articles by Jon Spurling
Review: Expected Goals by Rory Smith explores football's relationship with data - from scepticism to full-scale implementation
Delving deeper into football's increasing fascination with numbers and statistics
8 genuinely brilliant FA Cup replays that truly prove how worthwhile they are
FA Cup FA Cup replays are widely regarded as dull affairs and an unnecessary extra game in the calendar, but over the years there have been some incredible fixtures
Ranked! The 10 worst sides ever to appear at a World Cup
FIFA World Cup Sure, Qatar aren't great… but how do they compare against? West Germany’s filthy crew, England’s fake gold and the team that conceded 10 goals in one game?
The best Liverpool vs Arsenal games EVER: Andrey, King Kenny & Anfield '89
Premier League Jon Spurling dishes the dirt on more than 50 years of classics between the Gunners and Reds
9 goal celebrations that went badly wrong
Lists Andros Townsend cheesed off Cristiano Ronaldo with a "Siu" celebration - but the joy of finding the net can soon turn to despair, as Jon Spurling recalls
10 times footballers went AWOL – starring paintballing, weddings and dead grandmas
Lists Harry Kane hasn't reported to training - but at least Nuno knows where he is. Unlike this lot...
10 of football's weirdest initiation ceremonies
Forget a warm welcome - signing for a new club often involves scorched clothes, inappropriate swearing and toilet brushes...
When Manchester United won their first 10 games – and still gifted the title to Liverpool
Ron Atkinson's Manchester United set off like a train – but went badly off the rails as their bitter rivals steamed past them. Jon Spurling blows the dust off the history books
11 of the feistiest and funniest manager-journalist meltdowns
Funny Managers and the press have never got on brilliantly. Some managers have taken things a step too far, mind – like the one who punched a mic man on the nose...
8 teams who saw their seasons ruined by international breaks
Lists An injury to a key player in a meaningless friendly can completely derail a club’s year – or even a player’s career
8 times England team-mates had major bust-ups
Lists Alan Shearer and Michael Owen are just the latest to prove that international duty isn't always the place for making friends
10 superb stand-ins who came in and shone unexpectedly
Lists No Alisson, no problem? As Liverpool face a stretch without their first-choice keeper, fans can take heart that players called upon as replacements sometimes turn out to be just fine
Laurent Koscielny and 6 other club captains who cocked up a pre-season
Laurent Koscielny The French defender tarnished his reputation with Arsenal fans by refusing to travel to the US – but he's not the only skipper who's caused problems in a summer
8 players who were bigger than the club (or thought they were, anyway)
Lists Neymar is apparently trying to choose his next club as he desperately seeks an exit from PSG. Jon Spurling unearths some other footballers who morphed into Charlie Big Potatoes
Fiiiiight! The 5 best all-English European matches
UEFA Champions League Tottenham and Liverpool will face off in this year's Champions League final, while Arsenal and Chelsea could yet replicate that in the Europa. Phwoar indeed: history suggests there could be fireworks...
10 World Cup star signings... who turned out to be total failures
Lists Before Premier League clubs leap to sign Croatian full-backs, Russian midfielders or French starlets, beware the miserable flops bought on the strength of fine World Cup performances
10 players and managers who REALLY fell out
Lists Maurizio Sarri and Kepa Arizzabalaga's tiff has dominated headlines this week – but this is just the latest in a long line of disagreements. Jon Spurling on more instances of the top man and his stars really not getting along...
10 of football's most amusing protests: sit-downs, hunger strikes... and a deckchair
Lists Jon Spurling selects a handful of players who showed dissent without barking at a referee
9 football players who went on the run when their transfer requests were turned down
Lists At least Leicester's Riyad Mahrez never went to these lengths – Jon Spurling on the players who did a runner, featuring errant texts and rotters in the reserves
FourFourTwo's 100 Greatest Footballers EVER: No.19, Bobby Charlton
FFT 100 Greatest Tireless running and thundering shooting prowess from the man who brought glory to Man United and England
10 of football's weirdest unveilings (ft. Becks, Brazilians and Best)
Jon Spurling picks out some of football's most memorable reveals, including one that had Fergie frothing with fury
10 players who really weren't liked by their team-mates
Lists Jon Spurling selects a handful of outcasts who weren't too popular in the dressing room
