Many of you know that I’m a passionate Football fan, and I very much enjoy writing about the Beautiful Game. Over the past decade or so, I have become increasingly fascinated by the history of sport, and of soccer in particular. I wanted to write more on the subject, but felt Another Kind Of Mind was not quite the right space for that. Instead, I started something that is.

So, if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been for most of 2018, may I direct you over to my new project…

And Still Ricky Villa… is a blog about football. All sorts of football – everywhere and everywhen. And it’s not just me who is involved – we’d love to hear from football fans who would like to write for us in the future. Have a look here for more details if that sounds like you.

So far, we have mostly covered World Cup stuff, but there are a number of new posts in the pipeline, including pieces on the strangeness of goalkeepers, the new Spurs stadium (of course), and lots of spooky stuff for Halloween (seriously, you’d never believe the number of major football clubs that claim a resident ghost or two!).

Incidentally, the blog’s name comes from a very famous piece of commentary by the BBC’s John Motson on an equally famous FA Cup final goal, which was scored by the legendary Spurs player Ricky Villa in 1981 (see the video below – it’s a real treat of a goal, I promise!). This is one of my earliest football memories, and one of the reasons I am a Spurs fan to this day. Seemed kinda apt, really…

It’s come to McKenzie. What a good tackle by Graham Roberts. And now Galvin. Spurs have got… two to his right and Galvin wants to go on his own. Villa…. AND STILL RICKY VILLA! What a fantastic run. HE’S SCORED! Amazing goal for Ricky Villa! – John Motson

We welcome writing and images from fans of all clubs, anywhere in the footballing world – we’re here for the game, not the rivalries. If you’d like to contribute to And Still Ricky Villa, feel free to get in touch! You can find loads of ideas for articles here, or pitch us something over on our Twitter account.