Virgil van Dijk is leader of the flying Dutchmen, Kosovo are on the verge of something special and a fed up Britt abroadWhen Gareth Southgate needed to turn the tide against Croatia at the World Cup, his options were limited by a lack of forward players on England’s bench. It was difficult for Southgate to alter the flow of the game and it was unsurprising to see his side run out of steam. Yet England have continued to progress since then and offered an indication of their greater strength in depth when they reached the Nations League finals at Croatia’s expense. What a difference it made for Southgate to introduce Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard and Jadon Sancho after Andrej Kramaric...
Montenegro and Serbia’s historic meeting, unhappy memories for England and the Republic of Ireland, and Georgi Petkov’s international return – at 42Twelve years after Montenegro achieved independence and 11 years after they were formally recognised by Fifa, they meet Serbia for the first time. The match is, according to goalkeeper Danijel Petkovic, the biggest in the nation’s history. After two games the teams are level on points at the top of Group C4, adding competitive edge to an already spicy encounter. Serbia are far from full strength: Crystal Palace’s Luka Milivojevic is one of several players to have dropped out of the squad since the World Cup after falling out with the manager, Mladen Krstajic, while the captain, Nemanja Matic,...
Scotland flew to the 1978 finals on a wave of hype before reality hit but the win over Holland will be remembered for generations“My name is Ally MacLeod, and I am a born winner!” And we all know how this story pans out.Let’s cut the man some slack, though, for he wasn’t quite the congenital loser he’s usually painted as. True, the high-water mark of his playing career as a willowy, crowd-pleasing left winger – a man-of-the-match performance for Blackburn Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup final described as “magnificent” by this paper – earned him nothing more than personal plaudits and a runners-up medal after a comprehensive 3-0 defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers. But there were notable achievements when he...
Scottish FA’s failings are exposed by decision to bring in McLeish from the cold to manage the team for a second timeAny search for ill will towards Alex McLeish within Scottish football would be a tough one. Although unanimous sentiment towards football managers is an impossibility, those who have dealt professionally with the 59-year-old will generally report on a thoroughly decent, charismatic, clued-up individual. McLeish’s knowledge of global football is understated and an exception to the notion that detail is the domain of younger coaches.McLeish has 77 Scotland caps. When faced with downsizing at Rangers he returned seven trophies – including a domestic treble – and progress to the last 16 of the Champions League. Success with Birmingham preceded as...
The Northern Ireland manager is due to hold talks over the Scotland job and must choose whether to leave behind his home nation for less lucrative terms but apparent advantagesOnly those fortunate enough to have encountered the scenario will understand. It is one not confined to football. The prospect of another job seems wholly attractive amid a rising sense of career stagnation, despite lauding from an employer.Then the notion becomes a reality. Stick or twist? Retain adulation and a safe role or disappoint those you have worked alongside to step into a position which in theory carries more esteem if less money. Related: Scottish FA to open talks with Michael O’Neill over vacant manager’s job Continue reading...