The fracas at Manchester United was supposedly all about José Mourinho demanding respect but upstartery is a lot of what makes sport greatIs there a more elastic concept in modern football than “respect”? There certainly isn’t a more self-regardingly irritating one. Endlessly demanded, its absence or insufficiency endlessly condemned, “respect” is mostly a ball game for people too insecure to settle things with a ball game.Various instances of disrespect are held to have been committed at Old Trafford on Sunday, both during and in the wake of Manchester United’s defeat to Manchester City. By way of recap: there was some loud music, some milk, some pinching and scratching, and the Daily Mail surreptitiously repurposed its biannual Alma Tunnel graphic for...
For all the soul-searching about the English game’s institutional failings, the mood might be very different if Alex Ferguson had left Manchester United for England in 2002It is probably not a date many people have inked into their pocket diary. But last week brought the 10th anniversary of the last time Michael Owen scored for England, the Chester goal ace bagging twice in a 3-0 trouncing of Russia as Steve McClaren’s golden lions sent a war cry across the bows of Euro 2008 qualification Group E, and a quiver of fear through the pigeon-chest of continental Europe itself.Except of course it didn’t quite work out like that. England were good against Russia at the FA’s excitingly matt-grey new Wembley, an...
Faced with the club missing out on Champions League football again, Manchester United’s manager makes the point that it is harder to buy successDoes José Mourinho have a point about power being divided in the Premier League, or is the manager of Manchester United simply trying to get his excuses in early?United still have a job on their hands to crack the top four this season, let alone get back to winning titles, and should a third season in four arrive without achieving Champions League football questions are going to be asked about the effectiveness of his stewardship in the light of all the money spent. Perhaps in anticipation of that scenario, Mourinho has just observed that winning anything in...
The struggles to replace Sir Alex Ferguson is a cautionary tale that ought to be heeded by those who want Arsène Wenger to leave ArsenalIt probably won’t surprise anybody who has followed the life and times of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to know that when he was rich enough to afford the house of his dreams in Malmo – a mansion, painted pink, “as big as a castle” – it didn’t particularly bother him that somebody was already living there. Ibrahimovic, as you may have gathered, is not short of self-confidence and turned up one day with his partner, Helena, to knock on the door and introduce himself. “We’re here because you’re living in our house,” was one way to break the...
Defeat would draw parallels with the last season United went out of Europe by Christmas, facing a backlash many thought would cost Alex Ferguson his jobUnderwhelming results on both domestic and European fronts. An ageing, totemic club captain creating unwanted headlines. Controversy over the public criticism of players. A megalomaniac, authoritarian manager some observers believe to be past his sell-by date and in danger of losing the plot. To say that Manchester United are anywhere near crisis point as they fight for their survival in the Europa League would be overstating the case but it is noteworthy that the side preparing for Thursday’s crucial match against Feyenoord does have plenty in common with the most recent version of the club...