It’s early in the second half of the Champions League Final, 2005, AC Milan, having assumed complete control, stroke the ball around, three goals to the good, victory assured. Then, out of the blue, Steven Gerrard plants a looping header into the Rossoneri net. He hurries back to the centre circle, sensing a seminal moment. Four minutes later, as Liverpool draw level, his instincts are vindicated. So, how to explain the phenomenon of Liverpool in Istanbul? How could a game, that was so one-sided, be so radically transformed? As ever, there are clues to explain this puzzle. Reports of Milanese […]

It’s the penultimate weekend of the Premiership season and Manchester United are hosting struggling West Bromwich Albion. Halfway through the second half, Giggs and Fortune combine to provide a gilt edged opportunity for Kleberson. The despondent Brazilian shoots wildly over. It’s just one of many golden chances spurned by the United forwards, to leave the fans confused and frustrated and the manager visibly embarrassed. It seems to be their season in summation. More goal attempts than any other Premiership team, yet only Blackburn and Southampton have converted a smaller percentage. One of the features of this campaign of underachievement has […]

It was recently reported that the inspirational Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been inviting members of his squad to deliver the motivational team-talk prior to kick off. This is an astute move by Mourinho. The benefits of this strategy are that it causes his players to have to think about their personal motivation. It also makes them consider their colleague’s motivation. It creates instant leadership. It builds trust. It empowers his players. It increases personal confidence. It makes the team-talk fun. So, if your manager invites you to address the team next Saturday, here are some key ingredients to draw […]

The food fight at the end of the latest ‘match of the century’ generated more tabloid hyperbole than the typically fraught events on the pitch.Whilst removing pizza and soup from his suit would have proved a minor inconvenience to Sir Alex Ferguson, he would have taken satisfaction at the lack of self control demonstrated by Arsenal in defeat. In the psychological shoots-out which have come to characterise these games, it is a clear victory for the United boss and informs him that his main protagonist can still be got at. Unlike those in the Champions League, many teams in the […]

The food fight at the end of the latest ‘match of the century’ generated more tabloid hyperbole than the typically fraught events on the pitch.Whilst removing pizza and soup from his suit would have proved a minor inconvenience to Sir Alex Ferguson, he would have taken satisfaction at the lack of self control demonstrated by Arsenal in defeat. In the psychological shoots-out which have come to characterise these games, it is a clear victory for the United boss and informs him that his main protagonist can still be got at. Unlike those in the Champions League, many teams in the […]

It’s the last twenty minutes of England’s open World Cup qualifying match in Vienna and David James has had another goalkeeping moment to forget. The Austrians can sense weakness. A minor World Cup upset is looming and the English press are poised to write Sven’s obituary. It’s at key times like this that on-field leadership is called for. Captain, David Beckham, however, has become meshed in the webs of diffidence and anxiety which have increasingly discomforted him. Three days later, Terry Butcher broaches the question that many online gossipers have been asking for some time, ‘How many great games has […]

It’s play off semi-final Monday at the Stadium of Light. The dramatic penalty shoot-out has finished. Defeated Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy is seething; he directs his anger at a plastic bucket; his dream of leading the Wearsiders back to the Premiership is over for now. McCarthy has just witnessed the sixth Sunderland penalty. And Jeff Whitley is the man to incur the manager’s wrath. Whitley, in an attempt to outwit Crystal Palace keeper Nico Vaessen, has fluffed his spot kick. Vaessen saves easily. Palace score and win. The Black Cats are out. Whitley joins a long, notorious line of penalty […]

Millwall have just defeated Sunderland in the FA Cup semi-final. On the pitch, the Lion’s emotional, eccentric chairman Theo Paphitis is being interviewed. Suddenly, sprinting towards him, is his feisty manager, Dennis Wise. Wise grabs him, hugs him, slaps kisses on him. It is genuine and even dignified. True bonding. You couldn’t imagine Wenger and David Dein cavorting in this unfettered manner, but the incident is indicative of the powerful spirit that runs like a silver thread through the New Den. A greater test awaits Wise at the Millennium Stadium. Will his young charges freeze on the day? The evidence […]

Troubled Nottingham Forest, feeling the inglorious pull of Division Two, lose Hart, and issue an eleventh hour call for Joe Kinnear. Save us, is the plaintive plea! As with many new coaches, his impact is immediate, turning defeats into draws with last minute goals. Forest’s pretty, precise passing game is now imbued with a sense of purpose, spirit and energy. The footballing present is forever shaped by the generations who have gone before. The ghosts of managerial innovators who moved the English game on lurk, Ramsay’s work ethic and 442; Revie’s copious note taking; Shankly’s religious credo; Clough’s arcane art […]

It’s moments after champions Arsenal and, more specifically, Thierry Henry have put troubled Leeds United to the sword in a Friday spectacular at Highbury. The Frenchman is dutifully collecting another man of the match award, and seems slightly distant and pre-occupied. Sky’s Clare Tomlinson is asking the questions and wants to know if the Player of the Year is experiencing the best form of his career. ‘I don’t know and I don’t want to know’ snaps the Frenchman. It is as if to dare to be self-analytical, for a moment even, would somehow pierce the sheath of perfection he has […]