The Iraqi media have been critical of Zico’s managerial performance and his reluctance to live in Baghdad, writes Sam Green
Since being appointed manager of Iraq last August, Zico has repeatedly made it clear that his principal aim is to guide the troubled nation’s football team to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil. Despite being well positioned to lead the 2007 Asian champions to the tournament in his homeland, the 58-year-old has discovered that winning over the Iraqi media is a more complicated issue.
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Thursday, March 1st, 2012 - The Archive
Steve Menary on how the Great Britain team will have a past triumph to live up to when they take part in the Olympics this summer
A century is a long time for any side to wait to reclaim a trophy that once seemed their own. But should Great Britain’s controversial Olympic team win gold in London this summer, that will be the gap between their titles. Great Britain won the first proper Olympic football event – and the first proper international tournament – in 1908. They had home advantage and faced mostly weak opposition in the six-team tournament. Holding on to the title four years later was surely the GB side’s finest achievement.
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Thursday, March 1st, 2012 - The Archive
Monaco were Champions League regulars a decade ago but now they are trying to avoid consecutive relegations, writes James Eastham
Eight years ago Monaco reached the Champions League final. They are now battling against relegation to France’s semi-professional third tier. It is a familiar story of decline. Since Didier Deschamps quit as coach 16 months after that European summit against Porto, a succession of managers, directors and presidents have been turfed out or walked away. Each has taken with him a blueprint for success that either failed or was dropped before coming to fruition.
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Thursday, March 1st, 2012 - The Archive
A stalwart defender has made a startling confession to the Norwegian press about how retirement affected him, writes Lars Sivertsen
“Depression and the emptiness after the end of my career was probably the main reason. I was 35 years old and an injury deprived me of a life on the top shelf overnight. My status disappeared.” Such confessions are becoming sadly familiar.
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Thursday, March 1st, 2012 - Book reviews
Martin Pilkington on former England winger Stuart Ripley, who began an unusual post-football career when he took up law at college.
Some footballers stay in the game when their playing career ends, others break into a whole new world. Stuart Ripley, who started out at Middlesbrough, won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers and was capped twice for England, has managed to do both. Ripley is now a solicitor working in Manchester with the major law firm Brabners Chaffe Street.
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Thursday, March 1st, 2012 - Book reviews