A view of Old Trafford, home ground of Manchester United. Anthony Devlin
Anthony Devlin
“United are making their first visit to Kazakhstan to play a routine Europa League group game against FC Astana, 3,700 miles from Old Trafford, in a city that is closer to Beijing than Manchester. From a football perspective, Nur-Sultan is as far from home as United could possibly be within the Uefa orbit, but it is a fixture that sums up where the team and club are right now. Miles from where they want, and expect, to be, playing in a secondary competition while Europe’s elite — of which they were once a leading member — contest the Champions League.”
Paul McGrath making his Ireland debut against Italy in 1985. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
“He’s still not someone to knowingly call attention to himself, but I sense Paul no longer hates that reflection he sees in the mirror. True, he’ll probably never see the hero you and I see when Paul McGrath walks into a room. But his head doesn’t seem filled with self-doubt and anguish anymore. The greatest footballer to have played for this mixed-up little country finally looks and sounds at home here.”
Jim Gavin has said farewell to the Dublin set-up. Oisin Keniry / INPHO
Oisin Keniry / INPHO / INPHO
“The immediate question is whether — by leaving his position — Jim Gavin has precipitated the end of the Blue Empire that he was so essential in creating, or whether he believed that in order for that Empire to renew itself, a new leader was needed. The answer to that question lives in the future. What can be said about the past is that no GAA manager has overseen the kind of success that Jim Gavin has overseen. Others have won more titles than him — but none have matched the zenith of his achievements.”
Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer during their time at Leeds United. INPHO / Allsport
INPHO / Allsport / Allsport
“Bowyer did not play in Valencia because he had been banned by Uefa after television cameras caught him stamping on an opponent in the first leg… Woodgate, meanwhile, was nursing what the club described as an ankle injury, which had kept him out for the previous three months. The symptoms included dramatic weight loss, hollowed cheeks and dark rings appearing beneath his eyes. Nobody ever saw him limping because, in truth, there was no ankle injury. It was just easier for Leeds to explain it that way rather than admitting the real reason for his absence, which was that the threat of prison had left him falling apart.”
Sol Campbell was appointed manager of Southend United in October. Steven Paston
Steven Paston
“Does it give him any scintilla of satisfaction, any extra ounce of motivation, to know there are so many people praying for him to trip up? ‘But that happens in life,’ he says. ‘It’s normal.’ Respectfully, I tell him, I beg to differ. Were I to lose my job, I’d probably get a few dozen people gloating on Twitter but that would be the end of it. Were he to get sacked, or relegated, there are thousands of people who would take a weird, macabre pleasure in it. Probably the same people who sing songs about him dying, or pursue him with homophobic taunts. The irrational animosity out there for Sol Campbell is not – whatever else you could call it – normal.”
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How everything fell apart at Manchester United and more of the week's best sportswriting
“United are making their first visit to Kazakhstan to play a routine Europa League group game against FC Astana, 3,700 miles from Old Trafford, in a city that is closer to Beijing than Manchester. From a football perspective, Nur-Sultan is as far from home as United could possibly be within the Uefa orbit, but it is a fixture that sums up where the team and club are right now. Miles from where they want, and expect, to be, playing in a secondary competition while Europe’s elite — of which they were once a leading member — contest the Champions League.”
– For ESPN, Mark Ogden writes the inside story behind Manchester United’s downfall.
“He’s still not someone to knowingly call attention to himself, but I sense Paul no longer hates that reflection he sees in the mirror. True, he’ll probably never see the hero you and I see when Paul McGrath walks into a room. But his head doesn’t seem filled with self-doubt and anguish anymore. The greatest footballer to have played for this mixed-up little country finally looks and sounds at home here.”
– The Irish Independent’s Vincent Hogan on Paul McGrath as the Irish football legend turns 60.
“The immediate question is whether — by leaving his position — Jim Gavin has precipitated the end of the Blue Empire that he was so essential in creating, or whether he believed that in order for that Empire to renew itself, a new leader was needed. The answer to that question lives in the future. What can be said about the past is that no GAA manager has overseen the kind of success that Jim Gavin has overseen. Others have won more titles than him — but none have matched the zenith of his achievements.”
– In the Irish Examiner, Paul Rouse examines the tenure of departing Dublin senior football manager Jim Gavin.
“Bowyer did not play in Valencia because he had been banned by Uefa after television cameras caught him stamping on an opponent in the first leg… Woodgate, meanwhile, was nursing what the club described as an ankle injury, which had kept him out for the previous three months. The symptoms included dramatic weight loss, hollowed cheeks and dark rings appearing beneath his eyes. Nobody ever saw him limping because, in truth, there was no ankle injury. It was just easier for Leeds to explain it that way rather than admitting the real reason for his absence, which was that the threat of prison had left him falling apart.”
– Daniel Taylor of The Athletic looks back at the boozy night that brought down Leeds United (€).
“Does it give him any scintilla of satisfaction, any extra ounce of motivation, to know there are so many people praying for him to trip up? ‘But that happens in life,’ he says. ‘It’s normal.’ Respectfully, I tell him, I beg to differ. Were I to lose my job, I’d probably get a few dozen people gloating on Twitter but that would be the end of it. Were he to get sacked, or relegated, there are thousands of people who would take a weird, macabre pleasure in it. Probably the same people who sing songs about him dying, or pursue him with homophobic taunts. The irrational animosity out there for Sol Campbell is not – whatever else you could call it – normal.”
– The Guardian’s Jonathan Liew sits down with Southend United manager Sol Campbell.
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