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New studio, no difference

wsc299 Simon Tyers reviews the BBC’s change of studio and whether it has made any difference to Match of the Day

Whisper it, for fear of TV columnists suddenly finding themselves surplus to requirements in these financially straitened times, but viewers of highlights shows don’t really care about what happens for much of each programme. As long as the action is plentiful and well edited – and the bits in between don’t inspire mass acts of seppuku – you can by and large get away with it.

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Conflicting views

wsc299 The military’s presence in football is over the top

Now that Colonel Gaddafi has left us, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has no rival as the UK media’s favourite international hate figure. He cemented this position last month with startlingly crass comments about racism in football. Racist abuse between players on the pitch, he declared, should be forgotten about at the end of the match and resolved with a handshake. Coming as close as he ever has to admitting a mistake, Blatter then sought to “clarify” his comments, but the damage had been done.

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Star struck

wsc310Alex Anderson enumerates the different ways clubs symbolise their trophies and the confussion it can generate

During the TV coverage of the Premier League’s finale last season, I was puzzled that Manchester City had three stars on their jerseys when they were going for their third title. It turns out that the stars are purely decorative, not above the City crest but part of it. I am no longer confident about what’s symbolised by any stars sewn onto any jersey.

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Breno Vinícius Borges

wsc307A struggle to adjust to life abroad and cope with a career-threatening injury led to a dramatic fall from grace for one young Brazilian star, as Paul Joyce recounts

When Bayern Munich signed Breno Vinícius Borges for €12.3 million (£9.6m) in December 2007, they appeared to have landed a major coup. The 18-year-old central defender had just been voted “Discovery of the Year” by journalists after helping São Paulo FC to become Brazilian champions. Already an Under-20 international, Breno had been nominated captain of Brazil’s 2008 Olympic team by national coach Dunga.

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The life of Brian

wsc299 Harry Pearson reviews the latest biography of Brian Clough, that includes an analysis of the great manager’s approach to tactics

Just as evangelical Christians are supposed to address difficult situations with the words “What would Jesus do?” there is an apparently burgeoning legion of football folk who react to any player-related crisis at a club by asking: “How would Cloughie have handled this?”

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