After years of young Asian players being discarded so readily by clubs, Matthew Brown explains why the next generation just might be the real deal
Jimmy Khan was 14 and full of hope when he signed associate schoolboy forms for Blackburn Rovers. “There we were standing in the office of the chief scout when in walked Howard Kendall, who was the club’s player- manager at the time. I’ll never forget his exact words. ‘What’s this then? Am I witnessing the signing of the first Asian football star?’”
Recent spats at the New Den have put the club's fans back under the microscope, but Lance Bellers explains why things are different this time around
Hooliganism would appear to be back at Millwall. Recently we have had Man City players supposedly “too frightened to go for a winner”, City fans kept in for an hour after the final whistle for their own safety and Fulham players confronted on the pitch by home fans. Same old story in south-east London? Well, yes and no.
Andrew Turton finds out more about the solid, if unspectacular, chairman at the Bluebirds
Distinguishing Features Tall, handsome and immaculately turned out. The local press always pictures him staring trance-like into the distance, apparently dreaming of the Premier League. Dream on, Samesh.
A Cinderella story gives welcome exposure to the fledgling American competiton, writes Nick Patience
Although the championship game of the third season of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the US didn’t quite go the way most observers thought it would, you won’t hear any complaints from the soccer authorities, who are still struggling to get widespread recognition for a sport that ranks fifth at best in most sport fans’ eyes.
A Danish superstar's decision could kick off a worrying trend in modern football
It doesn’t look like Gareth Barry will ever get the chance to measure his skills against Brian Laudrup. The rain that washed out Chelsea’s game against Aston Villa on October 31st, and Laudrup’s decision to quit Chelsea just two months into a three-year contract, meant the 17-year-old was spared that particular examination. But nevertheless the recent histories of the two players are linked. Their respective transfers, both in the news this month but at opposite ends of the price range, offer hints about the way teams may have to be built in the future.