Reviews from When Saturday Comes. Follow the link to buy the book from Amazon.
After again falling to win promotion, Charles Ross looks at the reasons that Wolves continue to underachieve despite Sir Jack Hayward's financial muscle
"There's been too much sloppiness and too much disregard for money. They've thought the Golden Tit – me – would go on forever. When I see some of the players we've bought who haven't performed, haven't had the commitment, overpaid, got their sports cars… they've let the fans down, let me down…"
QPR were a Premier League club not so long ago, but Dave Thomas outlines the poor decisions that have cost the club dear
According to April’s Sky TV Guide, the clash between Sunderland and QPR on Good Friday is not only important to the home side (“desperate to return to the Premiership after the disappointment of last season’s relegation”) but also to Rangers, who “after replacing Stewart Houston (sic) with Ray Harford … are chasing promotion, too.” With, at the time of writing, half a dozen games left to avoid the ignominy of a second relegation in three years, that’s going to be some chase. Given the amount of money poured into getting Rangers back into the Premiership, it’s surprising that the Fraud Squad haven’t been called in to investigate yet another season of woeful underachievement. After 13 years in the top flight, during which time a points-for-finishing-position table would have seen QPR seventh, Rangers finally paid the price for having a rich kid owner/chairman, Richard Thompson, who could reel off scores and League positions at the drop of a hat, but didn’t understand the difference between running a club in businesslike fashion (good) and running it as a business (not good).
Not only has he insulted Crystal Palace's foreign players, but Ron Noades has made some odd decisions about how to run his club. Tim Crabbe hopes the outspoken chairman can turn things around
I’m on holiday, trying to avoid news of further embarrassments for Crystal Palace. But even three thousand feet up the Alps there are rumours circulating that Palace’s would-be chairman Mark Goldberg has been seen with Terry Venables and Paul Gascoigne. A television report on the story includes clips of Ian Wright, John Barnes and, God forbid, David Platt. Later news from the home front includes a 6-2 thrashing at Chelsea, the appointment of Attilio Lombardo as manager and growing rumours that this former employers Juventus are to take a 10 per cent stake in the club. The fact that we now have an Italian speaking manager with a Swedish translator might give Rodney Marsh and George Best something to joke about on Sky but it doesn’t bother me. Here’s why.
Graeme Jamieson pays tribute to Andy Goram, a goalkeeper who has reached the top of his profession despite his penchant for pints and pies
For Sale: One used goalkeeper, slightly soiled by tabloid press. World-class reactions with recently installed dead man’s ligament. No fee.
Despite having a rich history that includes Gordon Banks, Cris Freddi wonders if England is currently going through a dry spell in producing top-class goalkeepers
As far as I can see, this is the first era in which managers would rather go abroad for an erratic has-been like Bernard Lama than develop a young keeper who is likely to sod off as soon as his contract is up. Blame Bosman. They all do.