Blogs | Simon Barnes

Mar 6, 2015

Evans-Cisse spitting spat exposes football's glaring flaws

A spitting contest. Just what football needs to improve its reputation. You can always rely on football to stoop that little bit lower than you expected. Papiss Cisse of Newcastle United and Jonny Evans of Manchester United, who later protested his innoce

Feb 26, 2015

Joseph is the devil England have been craving

An honest England side have been searching for the heir to Jason Robinson for nearly a decade. Step forward Jonathan Joseph, writes Simon Barnes

Feb 19, 2015

Beware the Dead Cat Bounce at Aston Villa

Tim Sherwood is the latest manager charged with arriving during a season and turning a team around. But is any reversal of fortunes actually real, asks Simon Barnes

Feb 12, 2015

Rugby's big beast problem is spiralling out of control

Concussion problems are rightly causing alarm in elite rugby as stronger, fitter and faster human wrecking-balls spin the game out of control, writes Simon Barnes

Feb 9, 2015

Celebrating Harry Kane's rare talent - the art of goalscoring

The emergence of talented young Englishman Harry Kane should be celebrated - along with the art of goalscoring, writes Simon Barnes

Feb 6, 2015

Six Nations: England's arrogance sparks spiky parochialism

England's are in a mess but their arrogant approach to the Six Nations still re-ignites bitter local rivalries, writes Simon Barnes

Feb 1, 2015

Why Murray and Djokovic need more emotional training

Tennis is the most exhausting of spectator sports because of the emotions involved, writes Simon Barnes, so imagine how tough it is for the players

Jan 26, 2015

Venus and Serena Williams: It's time to get sentimental

The Williams sisters are battling to face each other in the Australian Open semi-finals and, Simon Barnes writes, it's time to get sentimental about them

Jan 22, 2015

United on a Friday? Why the FA Cup's no longer worth it

The game has become nakedly and unashamedly about cash, with the FA Cup little more than one of its poor relations, writes Simon Barnes

Jan 16, 2015

It's time for Murray to fill his glass and conquer the world

The glory days are just around the corner for the British No.1, so long as he takes a glass-half-full approach to his game, writes Simon Barnes

Jan 13, 2015

Neuer rather than Ronaldo should have won the Ballon d'Or

Goalkeeping is a disregarded art, writes Simon Barnes, but Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer could change that and deserves to compete with Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi

Jan 5, 2015

Why darts players are perfect athletes

Sport is about survival of the fittest, but that doesn't mean survival of the strongest. Success is down to being best suited to the job at hand, argues Simon Barnes

Dec 30, 2014

Three World Cups, Ronaldo envy and a battle of the wallets

It may look like a soft year for sport but the rugby, cricket and women's football World Cups will be competing to light it up, writes Simon Barnes in his 2015 preview

Dec 19, 2014

Sport in 2014 - left in the gutter or looking at the stars?

Sport ultimately leaves you in the gutter or looking up at the stars, writes Simon Barnes, as another year filled with brilliance and despair comes to an end

Dec 15, 2014

Bolt's brilliance is why no-one should lose faith in athletics

Track and field needs a clean-up after the Russian doping allegations but, writes Simon Barnes, it would be short-sighted to give up on it as dirty and beyond redemption

Dec 10, 2014

Liverpool fail to bring a legend back to life

Memories of Olympiakos 2004 ran riot across Anfield last night, but that was not enough to thrust Liverpool into the last 16 of the Champions League, writes Simon Barnes

Dec 5, 2014

Steven Gerrard was great but will have to accept he's like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Ryan Giggs ... past it

It may not be much fun for the defiant Steven Gerrard but he should accept his footballing mortality and settle for being wonderful not great, writes Simon Barnes

Dec 1, 2014

England's 'just enough' won't be enough at the World Cup

Stuart Lancaster's England side are thoroughly decent in many respects but a lack of verve will leave them short at next year's home World Cup, writes Simon Barnes

Nov 25, 2014

Crisis managers Wenger and Rodgers face the 'If' test

The advice of Rudyard Kipling should be heeded by the Arsenal and Liverpool managers ahead of their big Champions League challenges, writes Simon Barnes

Nov 17, 2014

Federer's farewell stage will be hardest of brilliant career

The third age of Roger Federer came to an end in London on Sunday and the fourth age began but, asks Simon Barnes, how will he say his final farewell?

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Writer Bio

Simon Barnes was Chief Sports Writer at The Times and UK Sports Columnist of the Year in 2001 and 2007. He writes about a wide variety of sports for ESPN.co.uk, as well as ESPNFC.com and ESPNcricinfo. He has written more than 20 books including The Meaning of Sport and three novels. On Twitter he is @simonbarneswild