A Sticker's Worth 500 Words

The William Cecil/Paul Bearer hybrid we never knew we needed.

354: Pavel Srnicek, Newcastle United, Merlin’s Premier League 97 Official Sticker Collection The 1990s are back everyone. For many of us this could be some of the best news we’ve had in a while. After all, according to this blog at l...

On this day in 1968 Pavel Srnicek was born.

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Born in Czechoslovakia, played for clubs in Italy, Portugal, England as well as his home country but, deep down, Pavel was a Geordie. Sadly passed away in 2015.

#BanikOstrava #NUFC #SWFC #football

98: Chris Sutton, Blackburn Rovers, Merlin’s Premier League 98 Official Sticker Collection Today Mat Jolin-Beech takes a look at man who speaks his mind and has forged an impressive media career after a stint in the SAS, albeit the...

Happy Birthday to Chris Sutton - hope he's had a good one!

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Mat Jolin-Beech on strong opinions and small horses.

#NCFC #BRFC #ChelseaFC #Celtic #BCFC #AVFC #EFL #PL #SPL #football

16: Lucas Neill, Australia, Topps Match Attax Trading Card Game, England Collector Binder Emlyn Jones takes us to a land down under today with a look at a former Socceroos skipper and the behind the scenes tension that goes with ...

Happy Birthday to Lucas Neill - hope he's having a good one!

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Emlyn Shepherdson-Jones on beef in the pasta aisle.

#Australia #Socceroos #MillwallFC #BRFC #WHUFC #EvertonFC #EFL #PL #football

151: Clint Dempsey, Fulham, Topps Match Attax Trading Card Game, 2009/10 Since October 2023 Joey Barton has had a fair amount of time on his hands. Never one to shy away from sharing his views the former Fleetwood...

Happy Birthday to Clint Dempsey - hope he has a good one!

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Manny Hawks on spitting bars.

#NewEnglandRevolution #SeattleSounders #MLS #FulhamFC #THFC #PL #UEL #USMNT #WorldCup #football #soccer

168: Youri Djorkaeff, France, Panini World Cup France 98 Today Mat Jolin-Beech takes a look at a World Cup and European Championship winner who scored over 200 goals in spells in his native France,...

Happy Birthday to Youri Djorkaeff - hope he has a good one!

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Mat Jolin-Beech on Big Sam's Galactico project.

#BWFC #BRFC #PL #Grenoble #Strasbourg #Monaco #PSG #Ligue1 #InterMilan #SerieA #Kaiserslautern #Bundesliga #NYRB #MLS #France #WorldCup

572: Aaron Connolly and Dom Ballard, Leyton Orient and 630: Joel Pereira and Kelvin Abrefa, Reading and Panini EFL 2025/26 Sticker Collection It’s amazing what a global pandemic, several boxes of old football stuff and Peter Fear ’s curtains can do but, 399 posts after an attempt t...

Here is our 400th post.

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Started a blog six years ago, finally managed to get to a match seven weeks ago. League One is what it's all about.

Thanks to anyone who has given us their time since we started.

#EFL #League1 #LOFC #ReadingFC #football

359: Barry Bannan, Sheffield Wednesday, Panini EFL 2025/26 Sticker Collection Our 399th post comes from Mat Jolin-Beech and goes some way to explain his absence from our upcoming 400th post. In the past Mat has given u...

#ICYMI: Last push for Mat Jolin-Beech's look (sort of) at Barry Bannan.

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Come for a midfield stalwart. Stay for obscure metro lines.

#AVFC #DCFC #BlackpoolFC #LUFC #CPFC #BWFC #SWFC #MillwallFC #PL #EFL #Scotland #football

Utterly pointless and led to square root of fuck all. Still emulated in playgrounds across the world.

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298: Steve Bruce, Manchester United, Merlin’s Premier League 95 Sticker Collection Every March schools and nurseries across the UK and Ireland celebrate World Book Day. As well as providing children and young pe...

Finally it's time to pay tribute to the greatest footballing author of all time: Steve Bruce.

The former #GillinghamFC #NCFC and #MUFC defender may be the best crime writer since Conan Doyle.

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139: Sergio Ramos, Spain, FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, Panini Official Licensed Sticker Album Bastards hold a special place in our history. From William the Conqueror to Eva Peron via every senior officer in the Napoleonic Wars accor...

Bastards in literature have always provided drama and intrigue.

Who can hold a candle to the Bastard's Bastard Sergio Ramos and his career for #Spain, #RealMadrid and #Sevilla?

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17: Terry Butcher, England, Match 2000 Millennium Collection “I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, straining upon the start. The game’s afoot; follow your spirit, and upon this charge cry ‘God...

The captain's armband can similarly weigh heavy on the arms of #England skippers.

Terry Butcher, however, harnessed his inner Henry V to get the #ThreeLions to the #WorldCup.

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39: Ulises de la Cruz, Aston Villa, Merlin’s F.A. Premier League 05 Official Sticker Album, Autograph Edition Emlyn Jones brings us a truly epic tale today which leans heavily on the work of Homer and liberal use of the strikethrough function. In the...

It's a big old burden when your folks give you a literary name.

Thankfully Ulises de la Cruz more than lived up to his on his journey from #Ecuador to #AVFC via #Hibs.

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57: Lars Leese, Barnsley, Merlin’s Premier League 98 Official Sticker Collection It’s been over seventeen years since my GCSE English Literature exam and I have to confess I have little to no memory of it. I do remember t...

Some footballers write poetry. Some inspire it.

Lars Leese of #BarnsleyFC got the creative juices going when he arrived at Oakwell (sort of) from #BayerLeverkusen

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14: Theo Walcott, Arsenal, Topps Match Attax Trading Card Game, 2009/10 Shortly before the birth of our son my wife and I were told by a number of helpful friends and family members that we would find lots of tim...

In the world of children's literature there are plenty of questionable #football stories.

Former #SaintsFC, #Arsenal and #EvertonFC forward Theo Walcott got a bit autobiographical in his offerings.

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396: Dave Kitson, Reading, Merlin’s F.A. Premier League Official Sticker Collection 2006/07 Our third post to celebrate our fourth anniversary comes from Emlyn Shepherdson-Jones (yes, he got married and went all Gary Taylor-Fletche...

It was recently revealed that former #ReadingFC, #SCFC, #Pompey and #CUFC striker was 'The Secret Footballer'.

Some of us were suspicious a while back...

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151: Clint Dempsey, Fulham, Topps Match Attax Trading Card Game, 2009/10 Since October 2023 Joey Barton has had a fair amount of time on his hands. Never one to shy away from sharing his views the former Fleetwood...

Today is #WorldBookDay so it seems right to celebrate some of football's authors and literary inspirations.

Starting first with #USMNT and #FulhamFC hero Clint Dempsey - playmaker and poet.

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163: Robert Rosario, Norwich City, Pro Set English League 1990/91 Today Richard Allinson takes on a request post on behalf of the ever-friendly landlord at Twitter’s excellent Football Tavern . The pub’s ma...

Happy Birthday to Robert Rosario - hope he has a good one!

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Rich Allinson on making a name for yourself.

#NCFC #Wolves #PUSB #NFFC #CarolinaDynamo #CharlestonBattery #EFL #PL #USISL #MLS #football #soccer

If someone could invent a time machine, travel back and just pick him first for one playground kickabout we might be spared any more of his effluent.

David Squires on … Gianni Infantino’s accomplishments in 10 years as Fifa supremo Our cartoonist on a decade of magic moments in the big job for world football’s leading ‘man of the people’ * Buy a cartoon | David’s favourite work of 2025 * And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now Continue reading...

David Squires on … Gianni Infantino’s accomplishments in 10 years as Fifa supremo

Ivarov wouldn't save the fifth pen of a shootout before scoring the winner in the Masters Cup. Kelsen dealt in drama.

71: Damien Duff, Blackburn Rovers, Merlin’s Premier League 99 Official Sticker Album In the face of growing scientific evidence that smoking might be bad for you back in the 1930s the moneymen at Wix Cigarettes decided that d...

Happy Birthday to Damien Duff - hope he has a (pretty) good one!

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Manny Hawks on the power of advertising.

#BRFC #ChelseaFC #NUFC #FulhamFC #MelbourneCity #SRFC #Shelbourne #EFL #PL #ALeague #LeagueofIreland #Ireland #WorldCup #football

229: Toby Alderweireld, Belgium, Panini UEFA Euro 2020 Kick Off, Adrenalyn XL Among the many things in our lives that we have little to no control over the time we are born has to be pretty high up the list. As the fat...

Happy Birthday to Toby Alderweireld - hope he has a good one!

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Manny Hawks on a golden generation.

#Ajax #Atletico #SaintsFC #THFC #AlDuhail #RoyalAntwerp #Eredivisie #LaLiga #PL #QSL #ProLeague #Belgium #WorldCup #Euros #football

91: Josh McEachran, Chelsea, Panini Adrenalyn XL Champions League 11/12 Mat Jolin-Beech steps away from his usual hunting ground of the Old Trafford circus to head south to the, arguably, even more farcical scene...

Happy Birthday to Josh McEachran - hope he has a good one!

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Mat Jolin-Beech on the West London revolving door policy.

#ChelseaFC #CFC #SCAFC #Boro #WatfordFC #WAFC #Vitesse #BrentfordFC #MKDons #OUFC #BRFC #PL #EFL #Eredivisie #football

359: Barry Bannan, Sheffield Wednesday, Panini EFL 2025/26 Sticker Collection Our 399th post comes from Mat Jolin-Beech and goes some way to explain his absence from our upcoming 400th post. In the past Mat has given u...

Our new post from Mat Jolin-Beech on mercy dashes, ruptured tendons and Barry Bannan (a bit).

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Clearly big in Taiwan.

#AVFC #DCFC #BlackpoolFC #LUFC #CPFC #BWFC #SWFC #MillwallFC #EFL #PL #Scotland #football

176: Lee Carsley, Derby County, Merlin’s Premier League 99 Official Sticker Album Today Mat Jolin-Beech takes a look at a midfield stalwart who more than made up for his lack of hair with his commitment on the pitch. Rathe...

Happy Birthday to Lee Carsley - hope he has a good one!

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Mat Jolin-Beech on midfield steel.

#DCFC #BRFC #PUSB #EvertonFC #BCFC #EFL #PL #Ireland #WorldCup #football

500: Paulo Futre, West Ham United, Merlin’s Premier League 97 Official Sticker Collection There are lots of things that spring to mind when one thinks of Harry Redknapp. Some might think of his early days at AFC Bournemouth where ...

Happy Birthday to Paulo Futre - hope he has a good one!

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Manny Hawks on wheeling, dealing and squad numbers.

#SportingCP #Porto #Benfica #PrimeiraLiga #Atletico #LaLiga #Marseille #Ligue1 #Reggiana #ACMilan #SerieA #WHUFC #PL #UCL #football

108: Joe Allen, Wales, Panini UEFA Euro 2020 Official Licensed Sticker Album, Tournament Edition Prior to the Reformation the number of holy days, or holidays, in Britain is believed to have numbered somewhere between forty and sixty per...

#ICYMI: A last push for Manny Hawks on Joe Allen.

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Featuring the Reformation, industrialisation and some chickens and eggs.

#SCAFC #LFC #SCFC #EFL #PL #Wales #Cymru #Euros #WorldCup #football

211: Emmanuel Adebayor, Manchester City, Topps Match Attax Trading Card Game, 2009/10 The return of fans to football stadiums was a sight to behold on the opening weekends of August and there is no doubt that the added edge of...

Happy Birthday to Emmanuel Adebayor - hope he has a good one!

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Manny Hawks on celebrating in style.

#Metz #Monaco #Ligue1 #Arsenal #MCFC #THFC #CPFC #PL #RealMadrid #LaLiga #IstanbulBasaksehir #Kayserispor #SuperLig #Togo #WorldCup #AFCON