Articles from When Saturday Comes. All 27 years of WSC are in the process of being added. This may take a while.
It would be unimaginable in the Premier League, but in League 1 a promoted side are challenging at the top. James Eastham reports
French football fans must have wondered what the fuss was about when Birmingham City went on a 12-match unbeaten run from October to January. In Ligue 1, there’s a newly promoted club challenging for the championship.
Johanna Breen explains a battle of names, colours and mascots following the bankruptcy of one of Prague's most popular clubs
Observers of the Czech Republic’s Gambrinus Liga will have noticed that two clubs in the Czech league’s top division lay claim to remarkably similar green kangaroo logos and both go by the name of Bohemians.
As supporter initiatives gain popularity across Europe, plans are afoot for one of Italy's biggest clubs. Vanda Wilcox explains
Not a season goes by in Italy without a handful of clubs going bust, and a big name or a glorious history are no protection, as Napoli, Parma and Fiorentina can all testify. Serie A is struggling to retain players and prestige in the face of increasing Spanish and English competition and debts are growing out of control. Now fans are trying to organise a new model of ownership, azionariato popolare (popular shareholding) – an Italian version of supporters’ trusts. Assistance has already been offered by Supporters Direct Europe, the UEFA-funded group which aims to promote good governance and sustainability in clubs across Europe.
Nonsensical immigration rules and poor administration are holding back football across east Africa. Steve Bloomfield reports
McDonald Mariga should have been the first Kenyan to play in the Premier League. The fact he now finds himself playing for Internazionale means no one should feel too sorry for him. However, the failure of Manchester City to sign him on transfer deadline day highlights the problem with Britain’s immigration rules for football – rules which are holding back the development of the game in east Africa.
Dear WSC
I was very interested in the letter (WSC 276) discussing the topic of the Duckworth-Lewis of football that is stoppage time. Are there any WSC readers who are aware of stoppage allowance for cheating ball boys? I attended Colchester v Southampton in December 2009. The home side took a two-goal lead before the Saints slowly clawed their way back into the game. However, our momentum was thwarted by a series of ingenious defensive set-pieces that can only be attributed to hours of practice on the training ground. They went like this: ball goes off for a Saints throw or goal-kick, ball boys strategically placed around the ground retrieve the ball in exaggerated slow motion or, if the pressure was really on, then not at all. One very clever set-piece saw the ball rest at the feet of the ball boy. He then sat motionless on his stool causing Kelvin Davis to have to race 20 yards to retrieve the ball. Should the fourth official have added stoppage time to thwart this cunning plan? And have any other away teams been subjected to such coaching genius?
Tony Cole, Leigh on Sea