The football editors diaries

A warm welcome to the world of the football editior!!!

These pages will be dedicated to the beautiful game. Every angle and aspect covered of the stories grasping the attention of the footballing nation wherever and whenever they may be....

Hello and thank you for being part of a new beginning! You are looking at the inaugural pages of The Football Editor's Diaries. My name is Thane Macdonald and I have been a fan of football for the last 30 something years ( despite the best efforts of my father who is a staunch egg-chasing fan!!).... Firstly I shall give air to my allegiances. I was born and bred in Hereford and as such am first and foremost a Hereford United fan. (C'mon you Bulls!) I have also followed Liverpool for over 26 years as they were flying high when I was at an influential age and as such, class myself as a fully paid up fan of the Reds. Truthfully however, I predominantly class myself as a fan of football. I will, and have watched every form and level of the game and class myself as something of a purest. I love the game. Schoolboy level, women's, non league, Sunday league, pro and international games, domestic and foreign competitions.

As for my playing days, they are confined to the leagues and years of my schoolboy era.

My main motivation for creating the subsequent pages are many but here are a few. I, like many others don't agree with the vast majority of opinion and articles that circulate in the media. Football magazines are 60% adverts and marketing. The comment is usually weak and aimed at 14 year old schoolkids and any interview with 80% of footballers are again aimed at younger audiences. The prices of these magazines also seem slightly on the high side and are apparently still climbing! (My pages are free!!) A lot of what you read, whether it be the written press or online is very dry and predictable. Agendas and allegiance dominate opinions and you get no sense of drama, atmosphere or anything tangible to whet your footballing palette. So many sports writers have been to thousands of games as neutral observers and as such, the magic of the occasion is lost in bland, minute by minute match reports.

I will offer the occasional match report although the bulk of content will be article based.

Football is my passion. It is one of the few things that makes my heart beat faster and makes me feel alive. A burst of adrenaline, the excitement, the anticipation and the total and all consuming spectacle of a game, be it at the stadium or on the TV is infectious.

This summer has been the worst I can remember for a long time... It has both confirmed and prompted me to the realisation that for my own sanity I need an outlet for my particular brand of footballing Vodka. The Champion's league final back in May feels like it happened an eternity ago. I have had withdrawal symptoms. My mood over the last two weeks has been like that of a man in a deep depression. I have seriously lost my motivation at work and the boredom at home is unbearable!! The meager offerings of a Confederations Cup played by players who were absolutely knackered from a long hard season was little comfort. I even sank so low as to watching the Zayton Cup!! Needless to say it was the equivalent of a cocaine addict snorting a line of talcum powder........

In the next few articles ( which I will publish every Sunday by the way ), I will be recapping the Champions league final and asking is this the weakest Man Utd team for 10 years? Money in football, ( aka Man city ) coupled with clubs going into administration : Does it make sense? Articles on grassroots football and are academies worth the money clubs pay for them? Non-league clubs, and the league cup : does anyone care?? The England team and do foreigners make the Prem look better than it is? This summer's Confederations cup and the question of too many games. Are English players worth the money they are paid in wages ( no England bashing!!! just honesty and integrity!!! The answer might surprise you )? Where now for the Welsh team and Team GB for 2012? All this and much more to come..........

For fixtures and results you will need to go elsewhere. A million others out there are already doing it. Only articles and comment will be featured on these pages along with the odd, selected match report. If you have something you would like to comment on or perhaps an article you would like to submit to the Editor, please feel free to post a comment below or get in touch. Let me know what you think.........

Finally and on the above point....I am not a professional sports writer!!! I have had a couple of articles published but apart from an A in English GCSE and a passion for the game, that's me! I am totally independent and do not work for any other sports outlet or publication. What you see written here is exclusive!! So if you like what you read please continue your support, become a fan etc ....Thank you for supporting me on my first entry and see you next Sunday. If you really want to push the boat out... bookmark this page!!!

NEXT SUNDAY :: The transfer market and Man City : A match made in heaven? ALSO : Is this season's Man Utd team the weakest for a decade???