http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/what-happened-to-old-traffords-first-superstar-sandy-turnbull-1814687.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/what-happened-to-old-traffords-first-superstar-sandy-turnbull-1814687.html <p> Almost a century ago, a new sports stadium, regarded as one of the wonders of the Edwardian age, opened just outside the city boundary of Manchester. A large crowd, "quite 45,000, perhaps 50,000" according to the Manchester Guardian, overwhelmed the municipal tramways service on the opening day and swarmed across Trafford bridge "in taxis, costers' carts, coal lorries and all strange manner of things on wheels". </p> News & Comment Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/davies-claims-to-be-victim-of-red-card-ploy-1816617.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/davies-claims-to-be-victim-of-red-card-ploy-1816617.html <p>He may have committed 153 more fouls than any other player in Premier League history but Kevin Davies, the Bolton Wanderers striker, insists he is the victim of a deliberate attempt by opposition managers to get him cautioned or sent off.</p> News & Comment Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/neil-warnock-gordon-browns-a-great-host-but--he-could-have-laid-on-some-cake-1816621.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/neil-warnock-gordon-browns-a-great-host-but--he-could-have-laid-on-some-cake-1816621.html ]]> <p>Amy and I had one of those typical family conversations on Monday night, where you catch up with the day's events. "Done anything interesting, Dad?" she said. "Nothing much, I just nipped in to No 10 and had a chat with the Prime Minister." She thought I was joking. And still does. As if. Hopefully, she'll believe me when she sees the picture.</p> News & Comment Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/chelsea-v-manchester-united-the-key-battles-1816405.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/chelsea-v-manchester-united-the-key-battles-1816405.html ]]> <p> It's first against second in the Premier League this weekend as Chelsea entertain Manchester United. </p> News & Comment Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:11:42 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/manchester-united-top-25-best-supported-clubs-in-europe-1816245.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/manchester-united-top-25-best-supported-clubs-in-europe-1816245.html ]]> <p> Manchester United are officially the best supported club in Europe, beating the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to the crown. </p> News & Comment Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:18:53 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/mark-fleming-gourlay-gambles-with-fans-feelings-1815579.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/mark-fleming-gourlay-gambles-with-fans-feelings-1815579.html ]]> <p>Ron Gourlay's idea of selling the name of their Stamford Bridge ground to the highest bidder is a brave plan. It risks alienating supporters who fear it will provide ammunition to rival fans, who say Chelsea have no history. However, it is a proposal that does make commercial sense. </p> News & Comment Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/ian-herbert-europa-league-would-be-no-disaster-for-liverpool-1815582.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/ian-herbert-europa-league-would-be-no-disaster-for-liverpool-1815582.html ]]> <p>Steven Gerrard will take some convincing that the Europa League has any merits. He once described its predecessor, the Uefa Cup, as "nothing special, an ugly kid brother compared to the handsome Champions League."</p> News & Comment Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-arsenals-brilliance-casts-a-shadow-on-anfield-road-1815580.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-arsenals-brilliance-casts-a-shadow-on-anfield-road-1815580.html ]]> <p>The nightmare of Liverpool was always going to provide this week's most riveting drama in Europe. What we couldn't know, though, was that it would be put into quite such tortured perspective by somebody else's dream. Arsenal's, that is.</p> News & Comment Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/kroenke-arsenal-takover-q-amp-a-1815402.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/kroenke-arsenal-takover-q-amp-a-1815402.html ]]> <p> American tycoon Stan Kroenke has moved a step closer to launching a formal takeover by taking his stake in the club's parent holding company to controls 29.9% - just short of the 29.99% mark beyond which he would be forced to make an offer for the remaining shares. Here, we take a look at what this all means for the future of the Gunners. </p> News & Comment Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:33:51 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/warner-returns-england-world-cup-bid-handbag-1815223.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/warner-returns-england-world-cup-bid-handbag-1815223.html ]]> <p> FIFA vice-president Jack Warner is returning a handbag given to his wife by England's 2018 World Cup bid because he says it has become "a symbol of derision, betrayal and embarrassment". </p> News & Comment Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:55:13 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/storrie-charged-with-tax-evasion-1814738.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/storrie-charged-with-tax-evasion-1814738.html ]]> <p>Peter Storrie, the chief executive of relegation-threatened Portsmouth, has been charged with tax evasion over a 2003 transfer deal, Britain's Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) confirmed yesterday.</p> News & Comment Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-andy-cole-column-i-know-rio-ndash-and-i-know-he-will-prove-his-critics-wrong-1814743.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-andy-cole-column-i-know-rio-ndash-and-i-know-he-will-prove-his-critics-wrong-1814743.html ]]> <p>The best footballers will always manage to find a way out of a slump, and Rio Ferdinand, without doubt a world-class player, will do just that. I know what it's like to be on the end of whipped-up furore about form, and since I also know Rio well, I find some of the nonsense being spouted about him – that he can't do this or that any more, that his place in South Africa is threatened – deeply depressing. </p> News & Comment Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/simon-rice-is-mike-ashley-a-sadomasochist-1814664.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/simon-rice-is-mike-ashley-a-sadomasochist-1814664.html News & Comment Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:30:49 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/giving-the-name-away-stadiums-named-after-sponsors-1814651.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/giving-the-name-away-stadiums-named-after-sponsors-1814651.html ]]> <p> Newcastle today re-branded their stadium as the sportsdirect.com @ St James' Park Stadium. </p> News & Comment Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:59:42 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/portsmouth-chief-executive-storrie-charged-with-tax-evasion-1814632.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/portsmouth-chief-executive-storrie-charged-with-tax-evasion-1814632.html ]]> <p> Portsmouth Football Club chief executive Peter Storrie was formally charged with tax evasion today. </p> News & Comment Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:39:52 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/newcastle-reveal-new-stadium-name-1814618.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/newcastle-reveal-new-stadium-name-1814618.html ]]> <p> Newcastle today joined the trend of stadium sponsorship rights by revealing a new name for their famous ground. </p> News & Comment Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:52:14 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/pair-admit-dalglish-grenade-plot-1814556.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/pair-admit-dalglish-grenade-plot-1814556.html ]]> <p> Two men have admitted their part in a plot which saw a hand grenade left outside the home of football legend Kenny Dalglish. </p> News & Comment Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:14:41 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/curbishley-tipped-for-return-to-football-1814452.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/curbishley-tipped-for-return-to-football-1814452.html ]]> <p> Alan Curbishley has been tipped to make a swift return to football after he won his claim against West Ham for constructive dismissal. </p> News & Comment Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:17:14 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/curbishley-in-line-for-1632m-payout-from-west-ham-1814062.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/curbishley-in-line-for-1632m-payout-from-west-ham-1814062.html ]]> <p>West Ham United tried to sue Alan Curbishley for £2m – the initial cost of replacing him with Gianfranco Zola – it emerged yesterday after the former Hammers manager won his case for constructive dismissal.</p> Premier League Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/proud-rooneys-take-baby-kai-wayne-home-1813817.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/proud-rooneys-take-baby-kai-wayne-home-1813817.html ]]> <p> There were smiles all round today when Wayne and Coleen Rooney emerged from hospital with their new baby. </p> News Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:09:24 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/platini-wants-to-protect-english-clubs-from-debt-1813772.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/platini-wants-to-protect-english-clubs-from-debt-1813772.html ]]> <p> UEFA president Michel Platini has outlined plans to "protect" English teams from spiralling debts. </p> News & Comment Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:19:18 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-ancelotti-can-show-benitez-the-value-of-nurturing-confidence-1813663.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-ancelotti-can-show-benitez-the-value-of-nurturing-confidence-1813663.html ]]> <p>You may believe that savaging Rafa Benitez has become an issue for the League Against Cruel Sports but sometimes it is too easy to get these things out of perspective. We are, after all, talking about someone who will benefit by roughly £20m if he should lose his job.</p> News & Comment Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/referees-under-fire-again-after-redcard-record-1813669.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/referees-under-fire-again-after-redcard-record-1813669.html ]]> <p> The former top referee Jeff Winter hopes the weekend's record number of red cards in the Premier League will not be repeated. The red mist descended on the top flight this weekend, with eight players sent off on Saturday and Birmingham's Barry Ferguson dismissed on Sunday. </p> News & Comment Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/where-wenger-won-how-arsene-reached-1000-1813508.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/where-wenger-won-how-arsene-reached-1000-1813508.html ]]> <p> Arsenal's victory over Tottenham this weekend saw Arsene Wenger reach the milestone of 1000 Premier League points since he took charge of the Gunners. </p> News & Comment Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:40:24 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/capello-to-unveil-ramsey-tribute-1813340.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/capello-to-unveil-ramsey-tribute-1813340.html ]]> <p> England coach Fabio Capello will unveil a sculpture of World Cup-winning boss Sir Alf Ramsey at Wembley on Friday. </p> News & Comment Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:15:30 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-benitez-the-forwardthinker-must-stop-overlooking-clear-and-present-dangers-1813217.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-benitez-the-forwardthinker-must-stop-overlooking-clear-and-present-dangers-1813217.html ]]> <p>Outside Anfield on match days they sell T-shirts adorned with Rafael Benitez's face and the catchphrase "Rafa is boss. This is a fact, no?" It is a take on his unique brand of English but also it references Rafa's peculiar brand of logic, especially the forward-planning to which he so stubbornly adheres.</p> News & Comment Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/robin-scottelliot-welcome-to-the-parallel-universe-of-club-tv-channels-1813245.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/robin-scottelliot-welcome-to-the-parallel-universe-of-club-tv-channels-1813245.html <p>This will come as news to most of you – something of a first for this column – but one day last week was Didier Drogba day. Not sure which; Monday perhaps. He's a Monday sort of person, accompanied all over the pitch by his own dark cloud and always finding something to trip him up. It was Chelsea TV that commemorated DD-day, which actually makes it sound as though he belongs on page 3 with a speech bubble coming out of his head: Didier thinks the postman should get back to work. Unfortunately, it costs £6 a month to subscribe to Chelsea TV and so, despite a root down the side of the sofa which unearthed Dean Ashton and 17p, the events of the Drog's Day will have to remain unreported here.</p> Reviews Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/outside-the-box-online-club-ebbsfleet-face-drop-as-23000-members-log-off-1812837.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/outside-the-box-online-club-ebbsfleet-face-drop-as-23000-members-log-off-1812837.html <p>The man who was behind the innovative experiment last year in which 32,000 online members of <a href="http://MyFC.com" target="new">MyFC.com</a> all over the world paid £35 each to become the owners of the Conference club Ebbsfleet United for a season is refusing to accept defeat despite a fall in numbers to 9,000. That led to budget cuts, with the club in serious danger of relegation after all but five members of the squad managed by Liam Daish left last summer. MyFC's Will Brooks told OTB: "I'm very proud that we've managed to clear around £600,000 of club debt, but very disappointed that 20,000-plus members vanished. However, we are working on a new model where fewer members pay more. For example, 3,000 members paying £10 a month could sustain the club." A club with players called Sherlock and Holmes can surely solve the problem.</p> News & Comment Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-last-word-the-fletcher-of-football-must-pay-for-crimes-1812860.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-last-word-the-fletcher-of-football-must-pay-for-crimes-1812860.html ]]> <p>"Alexander Chapman Ferguson, you are an habitual referee abuser, who accepts FA charges as an occupational hazard – and who presumably accepts touchline bans in the same casual manner. We therefore feel constrained to commit you to the maximum term allowed for these offences: you will go to the stand for a few games."</p> News & Comment Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/playing-with-injuries-has-hurt-ferdinands-form-claims-agent-1812143.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/playing-with-injuries-has-hurt-ferdinands-form-claims-agent-1812143.html ]]> <p>Rio Ferdinand has aided and abetted his own fall from grace according to his agent Pini Zahavi, who has claimed the Manchester United defender's dip in form is down to the fact he has been ignoring injury problems to continue playing.</p> News & Comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/lucas-the-boos-at-anfield-were-my-worst-moment-1812145.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/lucas-the-boos-at-anfield-were-my-worst-moment-1812145.html ]]> <p>Lucas Leiva cannot suppress a smile when he is reminded of the moment, 18 minutes into the game against Manchester United on Sunday, when he clattered into Paul Scholes, won the ball and played in Dirk Kuyt who almost scored. It was the moment that said Lucas was not going to be pushed around. </p> News & Comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-cash-is-king-when-future-of-a-fallen-footballer-hangs-in-the-balance-1812146.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-cash-is-king-when-future-of-a-fallen-footballer-hangs-in-the-balance-1812146.html <p>Wigan Athletic chairman and benefactor Dave Whelan shouldn't take this personally but he may find that the moral outrage which prompted him to instantly sack his newly imprisoned striker Marlon King has not automatically made him the white knight of football.</p> News & Comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/strachan-aims-to-get-middlesbrough-off-to-a-screamer-1812151.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/strachan-aims-to-get-middlesbrough-off-to-a-screamer-1812151.html <p>Gordon Strachan's first game in charge of Celtic could not have veered further off the rails, a 5-0 embarrassment by the unheralded Czech side Artmedia that, in the goldfish bowl of Glasgow football, raised immediate doubts over his tenure. He failed to win either of his debut games when at Coventry or Southampton, his other managerial stopovers, which cannot inspire those of a superstitious nature at this most supernatural time of year. </p> News & Comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/playing-advantage-gives-wider-benefits-1812153.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/playing-advantage-gives-wider-benefits-1812153.html <p>Martin O'Neill's verdict on Peter Walton's penalty award against Aston Villa last Saturday appeared to imply the decision was questionable. </p> News & Comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/neil-warnock-now-this-is-how-to-celebrate-a-win-over-the-gunners-ndash-a-nice-cup-of-tea-1812152.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/neil-warnock-now-this-is-how-to-celebrate-a-win-over-the-gunners-ndash-a-nice-cup-of-tea-1812152.html <p> Everyone's telling me how good Arsenal's kids are. Well, we beat them last week, 7-6. OK, it was at under-nine level, which is eight-a-side, but it still meant a lot to my lad William, who was making his Crystal Palace debut. </p> News & Comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/football-in-brief-trapattoni-overlooks-sunderlands-reid-for-world-cup-playoff-1812150.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/football-in-brief-trapattoni-overlooks-sunderlands-reid-for-world-cup-playoff-1812150.html <p> Republic of Ireland: Coach Giovanni Trapattoni once again left out midfielder Andy Reid when he yesterday named his squad for next month's World Cup play-off against France. </p> News & Comment Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-premier-league-weekend-preview-1812050.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-premier-league-weekend-preview-1812050.html ]]> <p> The big clash of the weekend sees Harry Redknapp take his Tottenham side to the Emirate's stadium to face Arsenal. </p> News & Comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:32:29 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/disgraced-king-plans-to-join-new-club-1812009.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/disgraced-king-plans-to-join-new-club-1812009.html <p> Disgraced footballer Marlon King will be signed by another club when his jail sentence is finished, his agent insisted today. </p> News & Comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:17:50 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/arsenal-v-tottenham-the-ten-best-north-london-derbies-1811948.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/arsenal-v-tottenham-the-ten-best-north-london-derbies-1811948.html ]]> <p> This weekend Tottenham make the short trip to Arsenal for the north London derby. </p> News & Comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:57:46 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/king-set-to-appeal-guilty-verdict-1811894.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/king-set-to-appeal-guilty-verdict-1811894.html ]]> <p> Marlon King is reportedly preparing to appeal against his conviction and 18-month prison sentence for sexual assault and actual bodily harm. </p> News & Comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:30:08 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/messi-and-ronaldo-lead-world-player-shortlist-1811888.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/messi-and-ronaldo-lead-world-player-shortlist-1811888.html ]]> <p> Reigning FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo is in the running to retain his title after being named on a 23-man shortlist for this season's award. </p> News & Comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:17:24 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/america-back-in-love-with-becks-1811539.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/america-back-in-love-with-becks-1811539.html ]]> <p>Sometimes it is hard to disagree with Victoria Beckham's suggestion that her husband is Goldenballs. As if the century of England caps, the Champions League success with Manchester United, and the <i>La Liga</i> triumph with Real Madrid were not enough, David Beckham is now on the brink of transforming the one part of his career which appeared to be a failure, his sojourn in the Los Angeles Galaxy midfield.</p> News & Comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-now-the-end-is-near-for-gaffeprone-tigers-gaffer-1811543.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-now-the-end-is-near-for-gaffeprone-tigers-gaffer-1811543.html ]]> <p>The former Hull City chairman Paul Duffen recently said of his manager Phil Brown that the jibes about him being "Mr Perma Tan" were, in his view, bordering on "racism". "He has never been on a sunbed in his life," he said. As Duffen saw it, Brown was just a "guy with olive skin" who people had wrongly made an assumption about because of his personality.</p> News & Comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/king-jailed-for-breaking-womans-nose-1811711.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/king-jailed-for-breaking-womans-nose-1811711.html ]]> <p>Premier League footballer Marlon King was jailed for 18 months yesterday for groping a female student and breaking her nose after she spurned his advances in a London nightclub.</p> Crime Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/guilty-king-faces-jail-term-1811443.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/guilty-king-faces-jail-term-1811443.html ]]> <p> Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has confirmed Marlon King will never play for the club again after he was jailed for 18 months today. </p> News & Comment Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:22:29 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-andy-cole-column-world-cup-is-not-beyond-reach-of-welbecks-talents-1810958.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-andy-cole-column-world-cup-is-not-beyond-reach-of-welbecks-talents-1810958.html ]]> <p>Danny Welbeck has got the ability to go all the way. His lively display and opening goal for Manchester United in their League Cup win at Barnsley on Tuesday was the latest impressive contribution in a fledgling career and I know Sir Alex Ferguson thinks he is good enough to have an outside chance of gate-crashing England's World Cup squad.</p> News & Comment Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/teenagers-behind-united-trouble-1810960.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/teenagers-behind-united-trouble-1810960.html ]]> <p>Manchester United fans are blaming a dangerous new "firm" of supporters associated with the club for the looting of a food kiosk during the Carling Cup fourth round game against Barnsley at Oakwell that will result in a Football Association investigation.</p> News & Comment Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-most-embarrassing-defeats-in-sport-1810906.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-most-embarrassing-defeats-in-sport-1810906.html ]]> <p> Real Madrid were stunned by third-tier minnows Alcorcon last night in what must be regarded as one of the most embarrassing defeats in sport. </p> News & Comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:33:57 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/davenport-on-assault-charge-after-stabbing-incident-1810890.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/davenport-on-assault-charge-after-stabbing-incident-1810890.html ]]> <p> Premier League footballer Calum Davenport denied today that he assaulted a woman during an incident in which he was stabbed in both legs. </p> News & Comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:30:24 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/blackburn-contain-swine-flu-threat-1810753.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/blackburn-contain-swine-flu-threat-1810753.html ]]> <p> Blackburn believe that the swine flu outbreak within the club is under control. </p> News & Comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:53:02 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/stoke-team-in-emergency-landing-plane-drama-1810750.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/stoke-team-in-emergency-landing-plane-drama-1810750.html <p> Stoke were involved in flight drama on their return from Portsmouth last night when their private plane had to make an emergency landing at Gatwick Airport. </p> News & Comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:46:44 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/fa-to-investigate-barnsley-crowd-trouble-1810739.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/fa-to-investigate-barnsley-crowd-trouble-1810739.html ]]> <p> The Football Association have confirmed they are investigating reports of crowd disturbances at the Carling Cup tie between Barnsley and Manchester United at Oakwell last night. </p> News & Comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:38:16 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/win-vip-tickets-to-bolton-wanderers-v-chelsea-1810325.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/win-vip-tickets-to-bolton-wanderers-v-chelsea-1810325.html ]]> <p> The Independent has teamed up with 188BET, principal sponsor of Bolton, to offer you the chance to win one of three pairs of luxury tickets to the Premier League clash between Wanderers and Chelsea on Saturday. </p> News & Comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:39:25 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-most-notorious-spitters-in-football-1810310.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-most-notorious-spitters-in-football-1810310.html ]]> <p> Footballers were today warned to stop spitting amid fears of spreading swine flu. </p> News & Comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:35:14 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/swine-flu-warning-to-spitting-soccer-stars-1810290.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/swine-flu-warning-to-spitting-soccer-stars-1810290.html <p> Footballers were today warned that spitting could increase the risk of spreading swine flu as players at two Premier League clubs were struck down by the virus. </p> News & Comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:59:23 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/fergusons-referee-runins-1810235.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/fergusons-referee-runins-1810235.html ]]> <p> Sir Alex Ferguson today admitted to the charge of improper conduct following comments suggesting referee Alan Wiley was unfit. </p> News & Comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:16:21 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/bolton-confirm-swine-flu-cases-1810188.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/bolton-confirm-swine-flu-cases-1810188.html <p> Bolton manager Gary Megson has revealed that members of his own squad have suffered with swine flu, but is not worried about the virus spreading between players on the pitch. </p> News & Comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:05:45 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-why-the-fa-has-to-give-ferguson--a-taste-of-the-hairdryer-treatment-1809971.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-why-the-fa-has-to-give-ferguson--a-taste-of-the-hairdryer-treatment-1809971.html ]]> <p>What are we going to do with Sir Alex Ferguson? No, let's be more precise. What is football, and what passes for its authority, going to do?</p> News & Comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/fa-lets-ferguson-off-hook-after-latest-rant-1809979.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/fa-lets-ferguson-off-hook-after-latest-rant-1809979.html ]]> <p>Sir Alex Ferguson will escape any Football Association punishment over his comments about the referee Andre Marriner following Manchester United's defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. The United manager is already awaiting a date for a personal hearing over his attack on referee Alan Wiley's fitness this month.</p> News & Comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/allardyce-weve-definitely-spread-swine-flu-to-chelsea-1809980.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/allardyce-weve-definitely-spread-swine-flu-to-chelsea-1809980.html ]]> <p>Sam Allardyce yesterday made the remarkable claim that his Blackburn Rovers team had passed on a contagious strain of swine flu to Chelsea after the Premier League refused to give dispensation to clubs to postpone fixtures if their players had become infected with the illness.</p> News & Comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/winners-of-the-premier-league-sack-race-1809758.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/winners-of-the-premier-league-sack-race-1809758.html ]]> <p> Rafael Benitez looks to have fended off the calls for his head following victory over Manchester United. </p> News & Comment Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:40:10 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-no-end-in-sight-to-the-desolate-walk-through-anfield-of-broken-dreams-1809454.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-no-end-in-sight-to-the-desolate-walk-through-anfield-of-broken-dreams-1809454.html ]]> <p>Back Rockfield Road, Liverpool, L4, should be one of the most evocative football streets in Britain because, as you walk down it, the most famous piece of any stadium anywhere in England looms into view. That is The Kop, more than 100 years old, sitting practically at the end of the street.</p> News & Comment Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-benitezs-clarion-call-reinforces-thin-red-line-1809456.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-benitezs-clarion-call-reinforces-thin-red-line-1809456.html ]]> <p>Give it to Rafa Benitez, we must. On arguably the most critical day of his football life, he created an extraordinary emotional response – the kind that used to be routinely called down from the heavens by the founder of the empire which has been shaken to its foundations in recent weeks.</p> News & Comment Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/liverpool-chief-stands-by-benitez-1809269.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/liverpool-chief-stands-by-benitez-1809269.html <p> Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow insists Rafael Benitez's job is safe even if the Reds do not win the Premier League this season. </p> News & Comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:27:13 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/outside-the-box-santanas-out-of-africa-and-hosts-look-to-have-no-chance-1809030.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/outside-the-box-santanas-out-of-africa-and-hosts-look-to-have-no-chance-1809030.html <p>A strong showing by the host nation always enlivens any international tournament, but eight months before next summer's World Cup finals South Africa's prospects look dismal after a run of such bad results that coach Joel Santana has just departed. A Fifa ranking of 85th in the world – between Mozambique and Haiti – is Bafana Bafana's lowest for 15 years. They failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations in January and eight defeats in nine games meant the end for Santana, who had been strongly criticised for refusing to recall Blackburn's Benni McCarthy to an attack short of goals. Recriminations started even before Friday's appointment of Carlos Alberto Parreira, with allegations that the former president of the South African federation, Molefi Oliphant, was recommended to hire Luiz Felipe Scolari in April 2008 but chose Santana instead. Had he secured Scolari, of course, Chelsea would not have done so that summer...</p> News & Comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-last-word-the-good-kop-will-tell-benitez-when-time-is-up-1809052.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-last-word-the-good-kop-will-tell-benitez-when-time-is-up-1809052.html ]]> <p>It's not much of a debate when one side is making all the arguments and the other is simply shaking their head and saying, over and over, "In Rafa We Trust". But that is Liverpool Football Club, for you. And the game should not want it any other way.</p> News & Comment Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-pray-ronaldo-avoids-the-dark-slide-of-footballs-most-troubled-geniuses-1808239.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-pray-ronaldo-avoids-the-dark-slide-of-footballs-most-troubled-geniuses-1808239.html ]]> <p>Flowers will next week be laid at the resting place of Manuel Francisco dos Santos in the working class district of Pau Grande in Rio de Janeiro on the anniversary of his birth 76 years ago. Meanwhile on this side of the Atlantic, Cristiano Ronaldo will be advised, realistically and legitimately or not, to heed the story of a man whose memory still inspires cult-like fervour and millions of regrets.</p> News & Comment Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/football-in-brief-premier-league-ties-up-new-deal-with-barclays-1808242.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/football-in-brief-premier-league-ties-up-new-deal-with-barclays-1808242.html <p>The Premier League and Barclays have agreed a new three-year title sponsorship deal worth £82.25m to top-flight clubs. The new deal, agreed yesterday, has come after league officials initially rejected a lower offer from the bank. Barclays has sponsored the Premier League since 2004 and its current three-year contract, which expires next year, was worth £65.8m.</p> News & Comment Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/dutch-show-designs--on-english-traditions-1808243.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/dutch-show-designs--on-english-traditions-1808243.html <p>The Land of Total Football is worried. It needs a Martin Keown.</p> News & Comment Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/neil-warnock-another-fine-mess-that-the-men-and-women-in-black-have-got-us-all-into-1808244.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/neil-warnock-another-fine-mess-that-the-men-and-women-in-black-have-got-us-all-into-1808244.html <p>It has not been the best of weeks for officials, and while I've every sympathy for Michael Jones, of "beach ball goal" fame, I'm not so understanding of our ref at Leicester, the five-official fiasco at Fulham, and the teacher who took charge of Amy's hockey match. </p> News & Comment Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sing-when-youre-winning-when-footballers-venture-into-the-recording-studio-1808132.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sing-when-youre-winning-when-footballers-venture-into-the-recording-studio-1808132.html ]]> <p> A video of Cristiano Ronaldo in the recording studio emerged this week, featuring him singing covers of songs by Barry White and Julio Iglesias. </p> News & Comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:56:45 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/premier-league-agrees-huge-new-barclays-deal-1808085.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/premier-league-agrees-huge-new-barclays-deal-1808085.html <p> The Premier League and Barclays today agreed a new three-year title sponsorship deal worth £82.25million to top-flight clubs. </p> News & Comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:45:54 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-ten-best-manchester-united-v-liverpool-encounters-1807274.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-ten-best-manchester-united-v-liverpool-encounters-1807274.html ]]> <p> Manchester United make the short trip to Anfield this Sunday to face Liverpool in a mouth watering fixture. </p> News & Comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:01:47 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-reals-recipe-lacks-true-ingredients-of-success-1807453.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-reals-recipe-lacks-true-ingredients-of-success-1807453.html ]]> <p>For once the mug-shot pursued by the roving cameras at the Bernabeu was not that of Cristiano Ronaldo, injured and ineffably bored, but Florentino Perez, the man who swears that football success, like everything else in life, is just a matter of having the right price.</p> News & Comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/barnes-says-bankruptcy-order-due-to-oversight-1807456.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/barnes-says-bankruptcy-order-due-to-oversight-1807456.html ]]> <p>John Barnes has applied to have a bankruptcy order against him annulled after the chaos of his departure from Tranmere Rovers led to it being issued at court in his absence. His embarrassment about the order has been compounded by suggestions that he filed for bankruptcy, but he told <i>The Independent</i> yesterday that the order had been issued because he failed to answer a court summons on 14 October. </p> News & Comment Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/benitezs-best-buys-and-rafas-rejects-1807108.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/benitezs-best-buys-and-rafas-rejects-1807108.html ]]> <p> One of the enduring criticisms of Rafa Benitez's management is that while his first choice team is capable enough, his squad is too thin – hence the fear that without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, the team has little chance. </p> News & Comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:05:45 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/storrie-astonished-at-tax-evasion-charge-1807042.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/storrie-astonished-at-tax-evasion-charge-1807042.html ]]> <p> Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie today insisted he will clear his name after being charged with tax evasion, claiming he was on his honeymoon at the time the alleged offence took place. </p> News & Comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:28:31 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-andy-cole-column-the-sign-says-this-is-anfield-the-heart-says-this-is-it-this-is-what-its-all-about-1806708.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-andy-cole-column-the-sign-says-this-is-anfield-the-heart-says-this-is-it-this-is-what-its-all-about-1806708.html ]]> <p>Manchester United versus Liverpool is the greatest rivalry in English football, bar none, and you don't need to be a player who was involved at the heart of it for years, like me, to realise that. </p> News & Comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-rafa-show-is-ready-for-the-final-curtain-1806709.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-rafa-show-is-ready-for-the-final-curtain-1806709.html ]]> <p>If there was any mystery to the question now being asked in open panic on Merseyside, the situation might not seem quite so hopeless. Unfortunately there isn't. We know well enough, and have done so for some time, the answer to "What's it all about, Rafa?" It is almost entirely about Rafa, and no team has prospered long term under such egocentric control. </p> News & Comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-managerial-sack-race-1806578.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-managerial-sack-race-1806578.html ]]> <p> Managers are never too far away from the sack in football, and this season is certainly no different. </p> News & Comment Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:34:47 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/how-liverpool-fare-without-gerrard-and-torres-1806520.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/how-liverpool-fare-without-gerrard-and-torres-1806520.html ]]> <p> Liverpool have been accused of being over-reliant on their star duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, and with both struggling for fitness the Reds are currently on their worst run of defeats since 1987. </p> News & Comment Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:37:03 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/barnes-plays-down-bankruptcy-1806519.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/barnes-plays-down-bankruptcy-1806519.html ]]> <p> John Barnes insists his bankruptcy is due to a "tax oversight" which he is now dealing with. </p> News & Comment Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:20:43 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-greatest-playboys-in-sport-1806016.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-greatest-playboys-in-sport-1806016.html ]]> <p> Newly crowned Formula One world champion Jenson Button has a reputation as something of a playboy. </p> News & Comment Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:51:21 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/ryanair-and-aer-lingus-hike-world-cup-flights-1805880.html http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/ryanair-and-aer-lingus-hike-world-cup-flights-1805880.html <p> Airlines were accused last night of shamelessly ripping off football fans by hiking their fares to Paris for the Republic of Ireland's World Cup play-off against France next month by more than 1,000pc. </p> News & Advice Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:26:12 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/police-called-after-gascoigne-headbutted-bouncer-1805866.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/police-called-after-gascoigne-headbutted-bouncer-1805866.html ]]> <p> Police were called to a snooker club after former football star Paul Gascoigne allegedly headbutted a bouncer. </p> News & Comment Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:55:43 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/blatter-wants-to-extend-fifa-presidency-1805849.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/blatter-wants-to-extend-fifa-presidency-1805849.html ]]> <p> FIFA President Sepp Blatter will seek to stay in charge of world soccer's governing body after 2011 because of the raft of new initiatives he wants to push through. </p> News & Comment Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:22:03 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/larsson-to-retire-at-end-of-season-1805847.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/larsson-to-retire-at-end-of-season-1805847.html ]]> <p> Striker Henrik Larsson will retire at the end of the season, his club Helsingborg have announced. </p> News & Comment Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:11:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/chris-mcgrath-serie-a-no-longer-making-the-grade-1805656.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/chris-mcgrath-serie-a-no-longer-making-the-grade-1805656.html ]]> <p>He's out there somewhere. Perhaps he's making a rare field trip, inscrutable behind his shades, bouncing across some wasteland of rock and sand to see where his men are gouging minerals from the earth's crust. What is he thinking, as he stares through the blacked-out windows, ignoring the sycophantic prattle of the nervous site manager? Is he wondering about his new jet, his new yacht, his new seraglio? Or is he asking himself what is the point of all this dough, if he can have all these things, and still feel so stale?</p> News & Comment Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-is-it-cliques-or-cycles-whats-up-at-anfield-1805666.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-is-it-cliques-or-cycles-whats-up-at-anfield-1805666.html ]]> <p>In the last days of his Liverpool regime, Gérard Houllier would cite shots on goal and possession percentages as his team's form petered out with defeats to the likes of Southampton and Fulham. Like an old general recounting the scenes of his most famous battles, there was something defeated about Houllier – an inevitability about his sacking that came in 2004.</p> News & Comment Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-strangest-ever-goals-1805555.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-strangest-ever-goals-1805555.html ]]> <p> Sunderland's Darren Bent watched in delight during the match against Liverpool this weekend as his tame shot deflected off a (Liverpool) beach ball and past the bewildered Pepe Reina. </p> News & Comment Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:46:46 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/beach-ball-referee-demoted-to-championship-1805527.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/beach-ball-referee-demoted-to-championship-1805527.html <p> Mike Jones, the referee who incorrectly awarded Darren Bent's goal for Sunderland against Liverpool on Saturday, will not officiate in the Premier League this weekend. </p> News & Comment Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:42:11 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/windass-announces-retirement-1805515.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/windass-announces-retirement-1805515.html ]]> <p> Dean Windass has officially announced his retirement as a professional footballer. </p> News & Comment Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:49:48 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-mcclarens-twente-top-the-table-to-add-shine-to-tarnished-reputation-1805106.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/sam-wallace-mcclarens-twente-top-the-table-to-add-shine-to-tarnished-reputation-1805106.html ]]> <p>If it were any other English manager whose club were top of the Dutch first division, we would be consumed with excitement. But the English coach at the top of Dutch football is Steve McClaren. And McClaren's problem is that some people refuse to let him leave the past behind. </p> News & Comment Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/west-ham-play-down-latest-talk-of-takeover-1805120.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/west-ham-play-down-latest-talk-of-takeover-1805120.html ]]> <p>West Ham are treating with caution a pledge by an American-led consortium to buy the financially-troubled club for £100m. The club have indicated that they have only had the briefest of contact with the Intermarket Group, led by Wall Street financier Jim Bowe. </p> News & Comment Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/chris-mcgrath-beckham-award-bad-for-our-health-1804228.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/chris-mcgrath-beckham-award-bad-for-our-health-1804228.html <p>Not a bad line that, from Fabio Capello. But it didn't quite do justice to the situation. Naming David Beckham as man of the match at Wembley on Wednesday was not "like Obama getting the Nobel Peace Prize after eight months". It was like David Beckham getting the Nobel Peace Prize. And while you are about it, you might as well throw in a Purple Heart, Pulitzer and Palme d'Or, as a job lot.</p> News & Comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/riskaverse-teenagers-create-need-for-speed-1804233.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/riskaverse-teenagers-create-need-for-speed-1804233.html <p>If the youngsters are any guide football is increasingly becoming a game in which the avoidance of risk is paramount, the consequence of which is a growing emphasis on speed, of thought and movement.</p> News & Comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/how-are-we-ever-going--to-manage-1804238.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/how-are-we-ever-going--to-manage-1804238.html ]]> <p>Stop! Stand still!" Sixteen players come to a halt, eventually, as I march out towards the penalty area. They turn expectantly, waiting for my pearls of tactical wisdom. I hope I look confident and knowledgeable. In reality I'm in a state of rising panic as I think to myself: "What do I say here? Who do I start with? Then what? Blimey. I bet Arsène Wenger never feels like this."</p> News & Comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/neil-warnock-crouch-and-england-try-hard-but--i-much-prefer-the-thrills-of-die-hard-1804237.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/neil-warnock-crouch-and-england-try-hard-but--i-much-prefer-the-thrills-of-die-hard-1804237.html <p>It's Wednesday night, I'm watching England, and I'm gradually dozing off. I saw Peter Crouch score, but after that I just couldn't get into it. I thought, "I can't waste my night on this", and started channel-flicking, as you do. I spotted Die Hard 4, starting at nine o'clock. What did I do? Yes, I turned over. I have to say, I really enjoyed watching Bruce Willis saving the world again.</p> News & Comment Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/triesman-given-2018-bid-warning-1803871.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/triesman-given-2018-bid-warning-1803871.html ]]> <p> England's 2018 World Cup bid leaders have been warned that more effort needs to be made to get the campaign back on track. </p> News & Comment Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:33:06 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-ten-best-world-cup-shocks-1803328.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-ten-best-world-cup-shocks-1803328.html ]]> <p> There have been some surprises already during the qualification process for the 2010 World Cup. </p> News & Comment Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:01:34 +0100