Tom Simmonds

Midweek Muse: Gareth McAuley’s marauding spirit in the Premier League era

February 28, 2017

Buccaneering centre-back Gareth McAuley notched his seventh goal of the season against Bournemouth on Saturday, helping the Baggies reach the magic 40-point mark which nearly [...]

Midweek Muse: Orient Express – How Leyton Orient found unpredictable momentum for promotion glory in 1988-89

February 8, 2017

Crisis club Leyton Orient have the unwanted distinction of being the only club in the English football league not to win a single point in 2017 so far. The Os have gone from [...]

Midweek Muse: Classic Seasons – The 1992-93 Second Division; Glamour on the Floor Below

February 1, 2017

Normally, seasons in which teams run away with divisional titles are seen as being dull due to whoever wins them being a foregone conclusion. There was not a bit of it in the [...]

Midweek Muse: Survival of the Swans – 4 Ways Swansea City Can Beat Drop

January 25, 2017

Swansea City’s unlikely 3-2 win over Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday means that it is probably not too hyperbolic to describe their league form under new boss Paul [...]

Midweek Muse: Former England manager Graham Taylor’s Impossible Job made even harder by misfortune

January 18, 2017

Luck was not on ex-Three Lions boss Taylor’s side but the failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup and the Impossible Job documentary, which followed the fruitless [...]

Midweek Muse – Why Wycombe’s fourth round FA Cup draw is not so magical

January 12, 2017

The viral video which showed the Wycombe Wanderers squad celebrate after the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup handed them a trip to White Hart Lane became the big [...]

Midweek Muse: Cowley success taking Lincoln to the top

January 4, 2017

With the National League title race looking to be one of the tightest yet, there is one manager who is looking to take his side all the way to the Football League. Tom [...]

Midweek Muse: Arsenal’s latest struggles echo a familiar routine fixed in their mentality

December 23, 2016

A week is a long time in football, and nobody will be feeling the chill of that geriatric cliché more than Arsenal fans right now. Somehow, they have contrived to fall 9 [...]

Midweek Muse: How will English clubs fair in Champions League last 16?

December 14, 2016

Monday’s Champions League round of 16 draw brought about some intriguing fixtures for the English clubs still involved. Tom Simmonds takes an immediate look at them. [...]

Midweek Muse – How an uninspiring FA Cup third round draw risks TV broadcasters favouring big clubs.

December 7, 2016

There is an air of desperation about the protestations of the media outlets who broadcast the FA Cup to ensure the competition remains ‘special’ and ‘magic’, despite [...]