Articles from When Saturday Comes. All 27 years of WSC are in the process of being added. This may take a while.
Although standing at football matches is forbidden, Ashley Shaw disapproves of the thuggish stewarding at Old Trafford
When eye-witness accounts talk of scuffling in the stand between stewards and supporters, it is a clear sign that all is not well at Old Trafford.
Thursday 1 The FA say that they will ask for more World Cup tickets when they meet tournament organisers later this month. At present only 20% of tickets for each match are to be given over to fans from the two teams involved. Man Utd fan representatives demand a meeting with club officials after some supporters were ejected for standing up during the Boxing Day match with Everton. “The brutality of some of the security staff has gone beyond a joke,” says a spokesman for United’s Independent Supporters Association. Hearts miss a chance to go back to the top of the Scottish Premier after bottom of the table Hibs come back from two down to draw 2-2.
Friday 2 Celtic get their first league win against Rangers in eleven matches, 2-0 at Parkhead. Rangers’ lead at the top is now down to a point. Paul Gascoigne may be in trouble again after responding to the barracking of Celtic fans as he was warming up by pretending to play the flute in an Orange march style (he’ll plead ignorance again, you watch).
USA v Iran may not be the greatest match at this summer's World Cup, but Mike Woitalla hopes it will help to end political hostility
To be considered as soft on Iran has been the kiss of death in American politics since Jimmy Carter’s presidency crashed with a failed attempt to rescue 52 US hostages, who were held for 444 days in Tehran. But Iranians could have felt some relief had Bob Dole defeated Bill Clinton in the 1996 presidential election. Comic relief, that is. Pronounce or spell “Dole” in the Persian language (Farsi) and it comes out as “penis”. (Not that the White House dick has stayed out of the news, but that’s another story).
It's been a long time since Austria had a national team worth shouting about, but Mark Brownlow believes the country are looking forward to the World Cup
Until recently, your typical Austrian fan would approach an upcoming international fixture with an air of subdued pessimism. Strong opponents were “too good for us”, while weaker opponents might always turn out to be “another Faroes”. About halfway through the World Cup qualification, as Austria’s chances grew rosier with each passing game, the sweeper in my Sunday league team whispered to me confidentially: “I hope we don’t qualify – we’ll only embarrass ourselves."
Brazil may always have a reputation for fancy flicks and tricks, but Cris Freddi believes they have added a more physical element to their play in recent generations
Throughout their World Cup history Brazil have been torn between their traditional image of ‘the beautiful game’ and a compulsive need to match the Europeans at getting stuck in. It is surprising to discover which of the two has come out on to.