Davy Millar explains why drastic action may be needed to shake up football in Northern Ireland
In what is becoming a time-honoured tradition, the Irish League season entered the final stretch with talk of reorganisation in the air. Towards the end of April, Premiership strugglers and First Division high-fliers were still unsure whether they had been putting in unnecessary effort as haggling continued over proposals to increase the size of each division.
Gary Oliver examines the latest row over the entry requirements for the Scottish Premier League
It is almost 40 years since Falkirk’s record loss, an 11-1 trouncing by Airdrie. But that margin of defeat was equalled on March 31 when they were defeated 10-0 by the Scottish Premier League, the clubs in the top division voting unanimously to bar Falkirk from next season’s SPL.
Germany always manage to fluke their way through tournaments undeservingly. Or not, says Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger
Oliver Neuville, the speedy Leverkusen winger who was so desperately out of form, pulled the ball back and Christian Ziege hit it first time. It was the Germans’ first serious shot at the Dutch goal, in fact their first half way ambitious foray into the opponents’ box. It also levelled the game at 1-1, as Edwin van der Sar failed to narrow the angle properly.
Dear WSC
Why is Juninho (and any other Brazilian for that matter) referred to as a “samba star”? We don’t call Spanish players “tango stars” or Italians “tarantella stars”. Dennis Bergkamp has never been a “clog dance star” and I haven’t heard Everton fans heralding Joe-Max Moore as their new “hoedown star”. I wonder what foreign journalists call English players. “Morris dance stars” perhaps?
Nigel Ball, Middlesbrough
If Howard Wilkinson has his way, professional coaches in England will eventually have to obtain an official qualification. Bernd Huck explains how the system works in Germany
Karlheinz Riedle never wanted to be a coach. But when Mohamed Al-Fayed sacked Paul Bracewell and asked Riedle to take charge at Craven Cottage, he agreed to do the Fulham owner a favour. “But only for a short time, because I’m really not the coaching type.”