“It’s only banter!”

“It’s only banter”. Banter, banter, fucking banter. Anyone who uses the could be placed in a category anywhere between a fool and a racist. A word so socially acceptable among cretins that it is now believed by some to be a moral justification for almost anything, from mocking a rivals’ poor league position to starting a race-hate war.

Update…

Hello all, and sorry for the complete lack of updates over the last few months at Modern-Football.co.uk. For the near future, here at MF will unfortunately be few and far between; but the site should resume almost normal service in early 2012. However, the reasons for the site’s short hiatus can now finally be revealed…

New Art: The Passmasters and The Black Spider

Two new pieces of art completed this week, with a split Xavi Hernandez and Paul Scholes piece created at the request of Hayden Shaw, entitled “The Passmasters”; and another of the great Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin for Karl Smout, entitled “The Black Spider”.

Homophobia rears its Ugly Head again…

Saturday was set up to be a great day. The rain had subsided early on, and the sun had decided to put on its hat and head out for the day. Despite a cold and strong breeze reminding us that we are still heading steadily to the mildness of October, it was still a great day to watch football.

Art Store NOW OPEN!

Finally, the Modern Football Art Store has arrived!

Powered by Etsy, the new store will be selling off all of the Los Revolucionarios pieces, as well as some other gems. Prices for the Los Revolucionarios pieces are prices at a fantastic £15 plus postage and packaging. But don’t hesitate, as there is only a limited number in the set!

What’s in a Name?

 Last week, numerous journalists around the country went into uproar as it was announced that my club, Leicester City’s stadium was being changed from the ‘Walkers Stadium’ to the ‘King Power Stadium’. “It’s selling the soul of football”, many claimed; as those cringe-worthy of words “Nothing is sacred in football anymore,” repeated like a broken record on Twitter timelines and opinion blogs up-and-down the country. But come on; are the journalists just very desperate for something to write about in the off-season, or is it really that big of a deal?

Are There Any Good Guys Left?

When I was younger, I looked up to Ryan Giggs. Being left-footed, stuck out on the left-wing and with the name “Ryan”, there wasn’t really many others who I could emulate whilst playing on the local park; and it wasn’t long before the nickname “Giggsy” stuck. For me, he was still someone I could look towards and admire as I got older – even if I wasn’t a Man United fan. Ryan Giggs was one of the good guys.

The “Poznań” and the Death of the Goal Celebration?

Many say that the removal of terracing has caused the atmosphere in top and second-tier football stadia to fade, and in many ways I agree. But is there a new threat ready to kill off the soul of English football?

Kraków’s Forgotten Team

If you know your Polish Football, you will know of Wisła Kraków and Cracovia, the two biggest sides in Poland’s second city. But until the mid 1990’s there was a third team; a team that in the 1950’s could claim to be European Champions!

ART: Maradona v Belgium

This painting is taken from the famous image of Diego Maradona playing for Argentina in a game against Belgium. It is painted onto a 16″x20″ canvas board.