Leeds’ planned trip to Myanmar highlights the malarial atmosphere of the modern game, yet Dallas Tornado’s 1967 world tour may remain football’s most unfathomable odysseyBy the time you read this column, ideally, it will have been overtaken by fast-moving events involving Leeds United and the Myanmar regime accused of ethnic cleansing and multiple human rights abuses. However, at the time of going to so-called press, Leeds had delightedly announced they had booked a two-match tour of Myanmar, with planned friendlies in Yangon and Mandalay. The games were due to take place shortly after the domestic campaign ends, with the players apparently “very excited for the chance”. As rewards for a season go it tends toward the idiosyncratic, though some Leeds...
Wanderers return to the Premier League has been built on a sprinkling of exceptional talent, an inspiring manager and a strong squad ethic – plus a little help from Jorge MendesWolverhampton Wanderers are back in the big time and, really, the only surprise is that it has taken this long to get here. For the past two years, Wolves have explicitly worked towards promotion and the end product on the pitch is a team decorated with a handful of luxuries, one that will prove a welcome addition to the top flight. However, moans and groans concerning their relationship with the super-agent Jorge Mendes have not only become tiresome but linger like a bad smell. For Wolves, it is only the...
Mick McCarthy leaves the Portman Road club in far better shape than when he arrived but that was still not enough for some fansAfter announcing two weeks ago that he would be leaving his post at the end of the season, Mick McCarthy could be forgiven for thinking Ipswich fans might finally give him a break. An increasingly toxic atmosphere has permeated the fabric of Portman Road in recent seasons and the unsustainable mutual antipathy of a hardcore section of supporters and their manager meant a parting of company was quite obviously best for all concerned.Having finally got what they wanted, those in the stands could have contemplated the good times – and there were good times – under a...
With a win in Friday’s Championship clash all but guaranteeing a top-flight place, it’s worth considering how much reaching the Premier League means to every employee at a clubWe’ve been wowed by the brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo and blown away by Liverpool’s performance against Manchester City but this week’s crucial games aren’t over yet. The Champions League quarter‑finals may be only at half-time but in the Championship there is a match that is about more than a trophy because it has the potential to change the lives of the players, backroom staff, the kitman and even the tea lady.Cardiff v Wolves on Friday night is a huge game, where the victor is all but guaranteed a place at the top...
Footballers have a reputation for treating mid-season breaks as a jolly but, handled responsibly, they can galvanise a squad for the challenges aheadThese past few days have been full of talk of “who’s on the plane, in the departure lounge and on the beach” with regard to players involved in international friendlies and hopeful of going to the World Cup finals this summer, but the same period is crucial to those involved in the bottom half of the Premier League and the promotion-chasing hopefuls in the Championship.Most if not all of the clubs in the top half of the Premier League will be left with only a handful of players who are not on international duty but at Brighton and some other...