The quarter-finals of this season’s European football matches will live long in the memory. Roma, Red Bull Salzburg and Marseille all progressed when almost everyone thought their chances were over. Juventus nearly joined them, before Cristiano Ronaldo’s late penalty dashed the Old Lady’s dreams. The four ties involving these teams saw 34 goals scored over […]
Sport
England’s strikers a cause for concern
As Britain faces temperatures as low as -15°, England manager Gareth Southgate will be warmed by the form of Harry Kane. The Tottenham striker is closing in on becoming the first Premier League player to reach 40 goals in a top flight season since Cristiano Ronaldo achieved the feat a decade ago. Delve deeper though, […]
Moura must buck trend to become a success
Much like their north London rivals, Tottenham seldom sign players in the January transfer window. Yet this winter both clubs have splashed the cash. While it is Arsenal’s frenetic activity which has understandably drawn the most attention, Tottenham’s £23m deal for PSG player Lucas Moura carries its own sense of intrigue. Long considered to be […]
Mourinho clutching at straws
The 54-year-old Manchester United manager has an enviable record of winning the domestic league in his second season in charge of every team he has coached since 2002. In pre-season this achievement was used as powerful evidence that Jose Mourinho would replicate the feat for a fifth time and bring the title back to Old […]
Premier League clubs playing it safe
The appointment of Alan Pardew as West Brom manager and the imminent arrival of Sam Allardyce at Goodison Park shows a dismal lack of creative thinking by the respective clubs’ owners. I’ve previously written about why the former England manager shouldn’t even have been considered for the Everton job, but the club have rapidly downgraded […]
Big Sam not the man
Past behaviour is widely considered to be the best indicator of future performance. It’s for this reason that Premier League clubs at the wrong end of the table consider replacing their manager with someone with a proven ability to drag the club away from relegation. The likes of Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis have made […]