Many fans at Old Trafford have spent the past week rueing Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision to allow two of the club’s finest youth players to leave the club last year. Although questioned at the time, these decisions are under the spotlight again. Last weekend, Ravel Morrison put in a match-winning display for West Ham after […]
Football
Willian signing will test Mourinho’s mettle
Upon his return to Chelsea, Jose Mourinho recognised he had inherited a young, talented but unbalanced squad. Signing Willian from under the noses of Tottenham is undoubtedly a coup, but it remains to be seen whether he was the right signing at a time when owner Roman Abramovich is tightening the purse strings to adhere […]
Competition to host international sporting events has lost all credibility
It is idealistic to believe that politics and sport can ever be separated and the competition to host a major international event will always be fraught with intrigue. But when the months and years leading up to these heralded events spark such widespread anger, the manner in which the bids are selected needs to be […]
Everyone wins as Courtois’ loan is extended
So often in the football transfer market, deals are made with an element of compromise. Even the elite sometimes have to turn their attentions elsewhere after failing to land their preferred target. For example, when Neymar signed for Barcelona rather than their rivals Real Madrid, their efforts were redirected to make Gareth Bale their desired […]
The Special One not especially happy to be back
Jose Mourinho doth protest too much. Despite announcing on his return that he was now ‘The Happy One’, the adulation of the Chelsea fans is insufficient consolation for a manager who is widely believed to have sought the Manchester United job. When he talked last season of leaving Madrid to return to the Premier League, […]
Will money buy Ranieri happiness this time around?
Most football managers dream of their club being bought by a wealthy owner or consortium. Certainly, few get the chance to spend a war chest in excess of £100m to improve their squad. Yet even those who have the opportunity to do so often find the experience unfulfilling. After taking Chelsea into the Champions League […]