Man City were playing in European competition 20 years ago, and Steve Parish remembers the days well
Fenerbahce? Who? There I was, just started working for British Rail in 1968, cheap Continental travel in prospect and Man City in the European Cup (“we’ll frighten Europe”© Malcolm Allison) and who do we play? Some Turkish team no-one’s heard of. Blow that, I thought. I’ll wait for the next round and go to Munich, or Madrid or Lisbon. A year later…
The 1997 Copa America was, well, breathtaking. Brian Homewood tells the story of the tournament
The organization was weird, the refereeing was at best inept and the helping hand given to the host nation was outrageous, but it was still better than watching the Czech Republic and France playing to a goalless draw after extra time.
Dear WSC
Surely the insouciant arrogance with which David Elleray slithers to cover up his mistakes cannot be unconnected with his day job? Who remembers a school teacher who ever admitted to getting something wrong? Of course, as a servant of the privileged classes, Elleray performs his role with a polished charm, his eyes glinting like a demented pterodactyl. But beyond this saurian resemblance, I can’t be the only person to notice that the penalty he gave against Sean Dyche, for obstruction outside the area, was a carbon copy of the dreadful decision he gave against Frank Sinclair when he came shoulder to shoulder outside the box with the dying swan of the Ukrainian ballet, Andrei Kanchelskis, in the 1994 Cup Final. It’s time this man was confined to the playing fields of Harrow.
Martin Humphrey, London SW4
Sara Gilmore explains why the latest attempt to deal with the aftermath of the Bosman Ruling may prove to be in the best interests of the bigger clubs but a disaster for the rest
Currently if an out-of-contract English player wants to be transferred to another club then a fee is still payable. This might not be the case for much longer.
Brighton's survival hopes were boosted by a unique event at the Goldstone Ground. Kevin Bartholomew reports
At the time of writing, Brighton’s future is being decided in protracted negotiations between chairman Bill Archer and consortium leader Dick Knight. Meanwhile, the appointment of new manager Steve Gritt to what was described in the press as “the worst job in football” has resulted in a dramatic improvement in the team’s fortunes.