Book reviews | When Saturday Comes

Dancing on ice

Aleksander Goryunov is concerned about Skonto Riga, struggling against economic downturn and a huge sporting rival

The end of April saw the reigning Latvian champions Skonto Riga, managed by the former Southampton striker Marians Pahars, host leaders Metalurgs. Over 800 fans turned up at the 10,000-capacity Skonto Stadium to witness a dominant performance by the visitors. With the home team 2-0 down we were treated to the surreal sight of the 30-odd Skonto ultras behind the goal “doing the Poznan” in the near-empty ground. It will take much more than this to inject some life into Latvia’s most successful club.

Thursday, July 21st, 2011 - Book reviews

Emergency relief

As Justin McCurry reports, one football club is playing a small role in helping north-east Japan recover from national tragedy

For weeks after the double natural disaster that devastated Japan’s Tohoku region on March 11, it looked as if the J-League season would be brought to a premature end for the first time in its 19-year history. The earthquake badly damaged grounds belonging to three clubs, while Vegalta Sendai were counting the cost in dead or missing supporters – victims of the ensuing tsunami.

Thursday, July 21st, 2011 - Book reviews

Caucasus calling

Saul Pope looks at a rising challenge to the traditional elite of Russian football, with plenty of money and some famous faces

Since its creation in 1992 Moscow sides have largely dominated the Russian top flight, winning 14 of 19 league titles and taking the lion’s share of second and third places. Lately, this stranglehold has been broken somewhat by Zenit St Petersburg and Rubin Kazan. However, this season two teams from the North Caucasus – the scene of wars and insurgency for much of the last two decades – aim to upstage them all.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - Book reviews

Boom and bust

Dermot Corrigan looks at how foreigners bearing gifts are being viewed with increasing suspicion by struggling clubs in La Liga

The fantastically wealthy foreign club owner was until recently unknown in Spain, where clubs have generally either been member-owned, dominated by local businessmen or, most commonly, a mixture of both. Then, last June, Qatar’s Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani bought Málaga, promised to sign at least five new players immediately, announced plans for a new 65,000-seat stadium and predicted Champions League glory within a few seasons.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - Book reviews

Keeping a promise

Though lavish spending dominates the headlines, John Duerden thinks structural development is changing the Chinese scene

Talk of a “new dawn” in Chinese football would have fans rolling their eyes, so often have they heard it before. This time, though, the talk of money in the local game doesn’t revolve around bribes or betting, but investment in star players in the top tier and, more importantly, funds found for grassroots and youth football.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - Book reviews