Has Peter Reid’s departure from Coventry spelt the end of his managerial career? The real puzzle, Andy Dawson argues, is how he has been allowed to work so long

Peter Reid is not a criminal. He has never boiled a child, nor has he masterminded an elaborate bog­us pyramid selling scheme. But if he had, it is unlikely that the resulting hurt would be comparable to the distress and anger his decisions and actions in the past decade or so have caused people. Well, maybe apart from if he was a child-boiler. His recent miserable reign at Coventry City, mercifully brought to an end by Monkey Heed himself, should ensure that he will never manage a football club again. Like the existence of a global al-Qaida network, the idea that Reid is a competent football manager is a myth.

Read more…

Gillingham chairman Paul Scally is up in arms at Charlton’s attempts to win fans on his patch, aided by the launch of a bus service. Haydn Parry reports from the Kent Badlands

“It goes against the grain of ethics, custom, practice and principles in the business in which we oper­ate. They will be sorry for this behaviour.” That was the reaction of Gillingham chairman Paul Scally to neighbouring Charlton’s ongoing plans to enlarge their fan base in Kent. The Addicks recently expanded their community scheme into the county as part of the club’s “Target 40,000” campaign, a bid to attract more supporters, including those in the Medway area in which Gillingham are based. Since January, supporters can travel to The Valley to watch Charlton’s home matches courtesy of a special coach service and Gillingham is now one of 30 pick-up points visited by the “Valley Express”.

Read more…

Half a century after moving into their rivals’ San Siro ground, Inter could be about to leave AC Milan’s terrible grass for pastures new. Matt Barker explains the thinking

The two Milanese clubs have shared the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, better known as the San Siro, since Inter moved in during the summer of 1948. The stadium, built in 1926, is frequently held up as a shining example of successful ground-sharing, yet both clubs regularly complain about the state of the pitch (replacement grass has to be flown in from Germany, though the proposed introduction of a syn­thetic pitch next year may solve the problem) and both are keenly aware of the potential long-term fin­ancial gains from having their own stadiums.

Read more…

Everton and Liverpool are not going to build a ground together. Unless they do. Mark O'Brien reports on the amicable bickering that unites the Merseyside rivals

Given the proximity of Anfield and Goodison Park, it’s not surprising that the idea of a communal stadium for Merseyside’s big two has been suggested on many occasions, despite the objections of both sets of supporters. Until recently, though, it’s been nothing more than a pipe dream, something to fill a slow news day in the local papers, but with Everton’s plans to move to a state-of-the-art arena at the King’s Dock in tatters and Liverpool’s proposed new 60,000-seat ground beset by ever-rising construction costs, the idea of a Scouse San Siro finally began to get some serious consideration towards the end of 2004.

Read more…

Whatever happens to Diego Maradona, the people of Naples will still love him and the city is the first European destination for a travelling exhibition about him, as Paul Virgo reports

Today Diego Maradona is an obese, emotionally fragile, addiction-ridden wreck. Which is very sad. But it also makes it easier for England fans to drop the 1986 World Cup grudge and allow themselves to ap­preciate his genius. Anyone wanting to completely purge their soul of rancour can pay a visit to M10, an exhibition devoted to his life, currently in Naples.

Read more…