I am not a big football fan, but I was intrigued by an article in this week’s Economist newspaper, ‘A Country of Two Halves’, which argues England’s beautiful game has gone south. The article contends that although the four clubs based in Manchester and Liverpool are still forces to be reckoned with, outside those cities, northern clubs are in decline and southern clubs are in ascendency. An accompanying graphic shows the final positions for northern football clubs in the E