The secret history of black football in the UK

The excellent Pitch Invasion blog explores the little-known history of Arab and African players in British football. Beginning with Arthur Wharton (right), who played for a slew of clubs including the indomitable Preston North End of the 1880s, the piece profiles a number of other colourful characters who graced the mud-and-thunder pitches of the UK. These include Hassan Hegazi - the Egyptian who made his name at Dulwich Hamlet before turning out for Fulham in 1911 - and Tesilimi "Thunder" Balogun - the Nigerian who signed for Peterborough in 1955 on the condition that the club also find him an apprenticeship in printing. We often think of the 1970s and 1980s as the era when the colour barrier was truly crossed, when the likes of John Barnes overcame the racist stupidity of their own supporters. But spare a thought for the unsung figures of the past, who had to make do in a footballing world that was very much black-and-white.

And we're back

ta geeza

Yes, the moment you've all been waiting for... like Lazarus, HumbleFootball has pushed aside that rock of seasonal writer's block and now rises from the dead to breathe life into your summer ennui.

Expect regular updates and musings, transfer anti-speculation, our own brand of North London Euro2008 coverage and much more. Watch this space!

HF is in love

That's right. HumbleFootball just wants to make clear that, no matter what happens in today's clash with manure, we love the current team and that we have nothing but faith and confidence in Wenger's tots. Give what you've got and don't worry about the result.

Arsenal 3 Sunderland 2

Note: Humble Footballers waving scarves directly to the left of the goal after Van Persie scores.
Note 2: Sunderland fan with Tourettes. You can't see him, but he made our day with his incomprehensible jibber-jabber and red-faced random swearing.

Arsenal-Sunderland pregame

Haute-cuisine

Good morning! It's an overcast and cold Sunday as the HumbleFootball team prepares to head up the Balls Pond Road to the Grove for today's clash with Sunderland. Expect northern grit and snarl. Expect a sluggish and nervous start from the boys in red. Expect flashbacks to last year of trenches dug into the attacking half. Expect us to sneak a goal towards the end. Expect the away support to chant "inger-land, inger-land, inger-land". Expect the home support to reply: "Are you Ireland in disguise?" Don't expect good veggie sausages when you stop for breakfast at the Arsenal Cafe on Blackstock Road.

Reason # 1829 to hate Usmanov

He's a nose-picker.

Cheryl explains Ash's little mistake

Cheryl 'Titus' Cole describing why Ashley went to Chelsea instead of Real Madrid (wow! what great options) - "Why should all my dreams and aspirations be shattered for the sake of his career? It would have meant that I'd have had to give up my career, which I wasn't prepared to do". Too right really. Ashley is rubbish anyway.