When Saturday Comes | The half decent football magazine

Quality Control

John Duerden says that despite an influx of money across the continent, clubs and governing bodies remain haphazard in their organisation

“A team that has scored just one goal in four matches has eight points. I am simply too amused to try and find an explanation to this,” said Uzbekistan’s Olympic coach Vadim Abramov of United Arab Emirates’ resurgence in the qualifying group. Amusement was not the general reaction after the worst of the wildly varying standards of professionalism in Asian football were revealed once again.

Sunday, April 1st, 2012 - The Archive

Penalty Goals

Awarding spot-kicks from open play breaks the law of cause and effect, argues Ian Plenderleith

Since being appointed manager of Iraq last August, Zico has repeatedly made it clear that his principal aim is to guide the troubled nation’s football team to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil. Despite being well positioned to lead the 2007 Asian champions to the tournament in his homeland, the 58-year-old has discovered that winning over the Iraqi media is a more complicated issue.

Thursday, March 1st, 2012 - The Archive

Remote control

The Iraqi media have been critical of Zico’s managerial performance and his reluctance to live in Baghdad, writes Sam Green

Since being appointed manager of Iraq last August, Zico has repeatedly made it clear that his principal aim is to guide the troubled nation’s football team to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil. Despite being well positioned to lead the 2007 Asian champions to the tournament in his homeland, the 58-year-old has discovered that winning over the Iraqi media is a more complicated issue.

Thursday, March 1st, 2012 - The Archive

Awards in absentia

John Duerden looks ahead to the Asian Player of the Year award ceremony and the controversial selection process involved to determine the winner

The annual Asian Player of the Year award ceremony held every November should be one of the highlights of the continental football calendar. While even close followers of football in the East would struggle to name the past five recipients, all know the controversial criteria that determine who can, or rather who cannot, win.

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 - The Archive

Popularity test

A series of fortunate events helped Al Sadd secure a highly unlikely victory in the Asian Champions League, as John Duerden reports

The celebrations didn’t rival those from December last year, when Qatar was named host of World Cup 2022, but Al Sadd’s victory in the 2011 Asian Champions League has been painted as a triumph against the odds – inside the tiny peninsula at least. Elsewhere on the continent, however, the surprise was not a welcome one. All agree that the final itself was a thrilling affair. A crowd of 42,000 packed into the Jeonju World Cup stadium in South Korea to see local team Jeonbuk Motors host the west Asians.

Sunday, January 1st, 2012 - The Archive

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Stories

Quality Control

John Duerden says that despite an influx of money across the continent, clubs and governing bodies remain haphazard in their organisation

Penalty Goals

Awarding spot-kicks from open play breaks the law of cause and effect, argues Ian Plenderleith

Remote control

The Iraqi media have been critical of Zico’s managerial performance and his reluctance to live in Baghdad, writes Sam Green

Awards in absentia

John Duerden looks ahead to the Asian Player of the Year award ceremony and the controversial selection process involved to determine the winner

Popularity test

A series of fortunate events helped Al Sadd secure a highly unlikely victory in the Asian Champions League, as John Duerden reports