Reviews from When Saturday Comes. Follow the link to buy the book from Amazon.
Everton takeover hits difficulties. Neil Wolstenholme reports
A year has passed since Bill Kenwright announced his consortium, True Blue Holdings, had reached agreement to acquire Peter Johnson’s 68 per cent stake in Everton for a knockdown £20 million. Joy was unconfined as Everton, inspired by Don Hutchison, routed Sunderland 5-0 on Boxing Day at a sold-out Goodison Park.
As the Real Madrid star picks up European Player of the Year, Phil Town explains why they're still not happy in Portugal
“An act of justice!” declared the new Portuguese sports minister, José Lello. He might have been describing his appointment in place of Armando Vara, forced out following a scandal involving public funds. But he was, of course, talking about Luis Figo winning the Golden Ball, the European Player of the Year award organised by France Football.
Stockport County fans thwart Maine Road move. Dave Espley explains
The saga started with a press conference called by Stockport County chairman Brendan Elwood at the end of November. Open-mouthed local journalists were told that the board – without having consulted the fans, of course – were thinking of applying to Manchester City Council to take over Maine Road when City moved to the new Commonwealth stadium in 2003.
Tottenham wasted ten years under the stewardship of Alan Sugar, says Adam Powley. But there is no guarantee his successors will be any better
It says something about the sentimentality of football fans that when Alan Sugar called it quits at White Hart Lane, Spurs supporters were in conciliatory mood. Having finally seen the man so long identified with the club’s decline speak in such an apparently convincing manner about his “sad failure”, many felt a tinge of regret at his decision. Even Save Our Spurs, the pressure group most readily identified with opposition to Sugar, paid generous tribute to his tenure at the club.
As Ipswich revel in their role as the nation's sweethearts and Norwich flounder, Gavin Barber reflects on their sudden change of fortunes
What were you doing on August 22? If you are an Ipswich fan, you were probably watching a thrilling draw with Manchester United. If you support Norwich, you were most likely searching for a reason to miss your team’s 0-0 draw with Bournemouth in the Worthington Cup. This stark illustration of the current disparity between the two teams didn’t go unnoticed by either set of supporters. Since then, of course, Ipswich’s astounding Premiership form and City’s further struggles have only made it more marked.