A very warm welcome to the European Football Dugout
The aim of this website is to provide in-depth knowledge, information and opinion about
all aspects of top-level European football – and to get you, the reader, involved in
stimulating discussion and debate on all the hot topics of interest on that subject (and
maybe even some lukewarm or cold ones too).
This is not a rolling news site. There are plenty of those around already. The European
Football Dugout will periodically take great pleasure in informing you about some
treasured fact or figure – or even a fabulous story – that no one else will know about, but
its chief purpose is to offer insight and independent expertise gained from over 30 years
in the business – mainly through a regular blog that will preview and review the big
matches and major competitions as well as analysing and assessing the events and
personnel that are making the headlines.
One thing this site will not do is jump on any mass media-fuelled bandwagon. It will not
carry any banal quotes from managers or players. Nor will it seek to imitate that growing
band of clown-pundit provocateurs who shout their mouth off in voguish clichés about a
subject of which their knowledge is at best sketchy, at worst grossly ill-informed (as a
Leicester City fan – yep, got that one in early – I’m getting rather weary of
that motley crew).
I am hoping that some of you – perhaps many of you – are familiar with my name and
my work given that I have been the General Editor of the European Football Yearbook
for the past three decades. You can read a potted history of that publication here and
indeed find out a bit more about yours truly here.
The focus of this website will mainly be on the Champions League, Europa League, the
World Cup, the Nations League (yes, I’m a fan) and – when it comes around – the
European Championship, but if something elsewhere catches my eye or tickles my fancy,
I’ll pass comment on that too.
There are places for you to leave your own views and opinions. Don’t be shy but, of
course, please choose your words with care and don’t be offensive. I very much look
forward to sharing the floor of the European Football Dugout with you.
Mike Hammond
