John Williams was down and his team were out in Istanbul. What happened next hasn’t solved all Liverpool’s problems, but certainly eased the pain

Six minutes. Think about it. What, exactly, can you do in six minutes? Run a bath, perhaps. Take that welcome half-time pee break – or, if you’re watching at home, make a nice cuppa. Or else cruise eBay for that oh-so-difficult-to-find special gift? It will probably take about six minutes for you to read this article – though you might consider doing it just a little more carefully than that. Six short minutes. They can easily disappear, even while you think. Or else while you dream.

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You've got to be in it to win it, as Rob Murfin reports

On Tuesday February 1, football fans in 195 countries logged on to the internet as FIFA initiated the ticket sales procedure for next summer’s World Cup. Ten months before the finals draw, with only the hosts Germany guaranteed to be in the competition, applicants were invited to choose from a list of numbered matches, with the date, kick-off time and venue predetermined, but with no idea which of the world’s teams they would end up watching.

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Steve Menary on the new meaning of "end to end" football

“End-to-end stuff for 90 minutes” is a fixture in cliched match reports, but may not be for much longer as some clubs are replacing crumbling grounds with stadiums that do not have the four sides.

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Lies, death threats, mysterious disappearances and a Nigerian youngster at the centre of a transfer wrangle between two of England's biggest clubs. PJ Bakke explains

When Lyn’s Nigerian starlet John Obi Mikel signed for Manchester United a week after turning 18 in a deal worth up to £7 million, everything appeared rosy. The player posed delightedly in his new team’s shirt; Atle Brynestad, who bought the Oslo club for 10p six years ago, recouped some of the money he’s put into the club since; and United had snatched one of the world’s brightest talents from right under Chelsea’s nose. But within ten days the story moved from sport to the front pages with police chases, mysterious disappearances and accusations of death threats.

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Tom Davies gives us our regular update on clubs in crisis

There will doubtless have been knowing shaking of heads in various parts of the country over recent developments at Cardiff City. Debts of around £30 million have come to light and plans for a new home on the site of the nearby athletics stadium at Leckwith have struggled to get off the ground.

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