If you were to put Antonio Conte’s career on trial, his character witnesses would include Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. The venerable Manchester United manager wasn’t afraid to rid himself of a player to whom he took a disliking,…

Spending astronomically to sign players is now the transfer market norm. According to Transfermarkt, the Premier League spent just shy of £1.4 billion before their window closed. With the UEFA window open until 2 September, La Liga…

Club legend Gary Neville retired in 2011. Manchester United did not replace him for seven years. Then they bought two young right backs in as many summer windows. Over the initial seven years, United tried to replace GNev with in-house options. Rafael…

When Manchester United dragged their heels after the summer transfer window opened, supporters erupted. Claiming they’d reached their limit with the club’s American owners, fans quickly organized the #GlazersOut campaign. They garnered…

It’s become so easy to outrage an entire populace. Both the Trump and Brexit campaigns managed it. Their blatant lies angered people who knew the facts and riled up supporters who desperately wanted those facts to go away. Once truth…

Serie A bears a striking resemblance to playground football. Bear with me. I’m not disparaging Lega Calcio’s quality at all. Nor am I taking a dig at all the ugly name calling and crude mimicry that rains down from the stands although…

Alexis Sanchez made his name with Udinese in Serie A. The young Chilean's flash on the wing complemented Antonio di Natale's consistency in the box. He earned a move to Barcelona but soured on the Nou Camp after just one season. Moving…

Robert Evans was a legendary Hollywood producer for Paramount Studios. His fingerprints can be lifted from dozens of Hollywood’s best films, including Rosemary’s Baby, Love Story, The Godfather and Chinatown. In his autobiography,…

When he first arrived England in 2004, Jose Mourinho anointed himself “the Special One”. Time has mercilessly beaten and reduced that nickname to a rusty old signpost. Tongue-tied and shoved forcefully into the job market by…

Managers getting snubbed is a popular phenomenon in football. It’s endured by even the most decorated of personalities. One gaffer who recently received the cold shoulder is Jose Mourinho. In the aftermath of Santiago Solari’s nightmare…

Manchester United are the Premier League’s Jeremy Corbyn. They don’t ignore anti-Semitism or have ties to terrorist organizations and sympathizers. Nevertheless, the Red Devils lean too far to the left and, while they shouldn’t…

At this point, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should adopt a Scottish terrier, name him Toto, go to sleep, and wait for a tornado to transport the Carrington training complex to Oz. His Manchester United squad need brains, heart and courage. Especially…

Goals win games; defence wins titles. Recently, the adage metamorphosed into an argument on how to play the game rather than the intended lesson in maintaining a proper tactical balance. Keeping clean sheets is important. Opponents can’t…

Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers blows his whistle reluctantly. He’s even more reticent about booking players. All that paperwork, I guess. Whatever his reasons, Kuiper’s forbearance makes for a fluid game. Juventus began their Champions…

Both by design and demand, the influx of foreign managers to the Premier League bring with them a new brand of football. Some implement their tactics successfully. Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte rewrote the record books. Other managers struggle.…