Call us negative if you must (no, go on), but we feel obliged to record the worst football feats of the century before it’s over. Cris Freddi opens the series with an assessment of its most heinous fouls

No shortage of material in this category. We've all got our nominations and it becomes a question of which to leave out. One that gets in without much argument was perpetrated in Manchester United’s Champions League match against Feyenoord in 1997, when Paul Bosvelt crashed his studs into Denis Irwin’s calf, a really dangerous foul. Sándor Puhl, who didn’t even show a yellow card, was dropped from the rest of the competition as well as France 98, missing the chance of becoming the first referee to take charge of two World Cup Finals.

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Padraig McKenna charts the moves in the botched takeover and flotation of Forest which have left the club in such a parlous state.

In autumn 1996 Nottingham Forest were approaching a crisis. Brian Clough was gone and we had already, briefly, dropped down into the First Division. The club was surviving largely due to the willingness of the banks to increase the overdraft regularly.

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Ian Ladyman explains why Nottingham Forest have found themselves incapable of breaching the growing gap between the Premier League and the First Division

Looking back on what is likely to be a short stay in the Premiership, Nottingham Forest fans will wonder just when it all went wrong for their floundering club. They will have to look back further than this season to find the answers.

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Cyril the Swan falls for the dark side of the media as AS Thomas reports

I know a young boy who is paralysed from the neck down after a horrific road accident. He currently resides at Swan­sea’s Singleton Hospital and is a Swans fanatic. In fact the local press recently had pictures of him being vis­ited by some of the players and the now-famous mascot, Cyril the Swan. At the time he was pro­­mised by the club that should he want Cyril to come up for his birthday, then it would be arr­anged. 

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A tale of football, betrayal and a kangaroo. Sam Beckwith reports on the peculiar case of Bohemians Prague

British fans looking for a second home in Prague could do much worse than visit Bohemians’ D’olnicka stadium. The stadium – Bohemians’ home since 1932 – fits your image of a classic football ground – the crowd is squeezed right up against the pitch, creating a good atmosphere even if the attendance doesn’t often top 4,000. There’s a large grandstand to one side, and vociferous support from the terrace behind the goal. But the chance to see a game there could already be gone, as Bohemians fans face some unattractive, but familiar, aspects of the modern game – cold-blooded redevelopers, and an enforced move from their home.

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