With Premier League sides horse-trading their best young talent, there is no chance of another Class of 92 todayHow to establish a football dynasty? For decades, the orthodox, long-range formula was to establish excellence within the youth team, recruit complementary talent, and facilitate those with club values within their veins to set standards, to help run the dressing room for a manager.European football’s greatest teams have almost always laid their foundations on youth systems – Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan bedrocked by Milanello-hewn defenders, Johan Cruyff and his fellow Ajax graduates, the Bayern Munich team led by Franz Beckenbauer – all followed the template. Continue reading...
Clubs are judged when players are accused of a crime but it is also true that football fails in its duty of care to young menAnother day, another note of horror. Another reminder that football has unconquered issues with how it cares for and guides its young men. And for Manchester United, another note of disaster when it comes to employee management, public relations and general preparedness for the vicissitudes of modern life.Not least when those vicissitudes have been flagged up since early June, when the first public complaint of domestic abuse was made against Antony, marquee signing of the club’s latest new era. Continue reading...
Fly-half reveals much in his new book, not least the preference for pragmatists over visionaries that still holds England backDanny Cipriani’s new autobiography Who Am I? has been causing a bit of a stir, even in a busy week for rugby. Suffice to say, if the former England fly-half had represented his country as successfully and frequently as he says he chatted up the nation’s women, his caps record would never be beaten.The line that really hit the spot, however, had nothing to do with his – how to put this best – lively personal life. Forget the “squad” rotation details serialised in The Times and focus instead on Cipriani’s thoughts about why England were so reluctant to pick him....
The opening round of the 2023 season brought surprise wins, more goals and encouraging signs for some teamsSome round one results came as no surprise. Reigning premiers Melbourne ran over the top of Collingwood to open the season while powerhouses North Melbourne were characteristically methodical against St Kilda down in Hobart. However, some unexpected outcomes have raised hopes that the competition is finally beginning to settle in the post-expansion era. Continue reading...
Selecting Justin Thomas as a wildcard because of his previous exploits and popularity is a risky strategy that could backfireZach Johnson’s experience of team environments did not originate in golf. Until the age of 18, he was an avid footballer. A striker, he says. “I had a good left foot for a rightie. I was the set‑play guy; corner-kicks and free‑kicks.” Individual sport soon took over, Johnson’s career elevated by two major wins, but one assumes memories from the dressing room lingered.The coming weeks will see typical, contrived nonsense spouted about the importance of Ryder Cup captains and, as is even more the case, their deputies. It is possible to be a disastrous leader of men in this context but...