Dianne Millen explains why the northernmost stadium in the Scottish Premier League can still be an intimidating venue, even 16 years after Alex Ferguson left, along with the glory days

Fortress Pittodrie. Not the only thing which Alex Fer­guson, who more or less invented the concept, took with him when he went: like many things about Aber­deen, it has declined in recent years, although nine con­secutive home victories last season in a storming run to Europe saw the idea briefly, poig­nantly revived.

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Dan Brennan looks at the shifting rivalries in Moscow, heavily influenced by the secret policeman taking his ball away

Moscow is probably second only to London in its surfeit of local derbies. The Russian capital cur­rently provides six premier league sides and, one blip aside, has been the home of the champions of the nat­ional league since it was formed a decade ago. There is a generally accepted hierarchy among the city’s teams, based on success, tradition and support, that reads: Spartak, Dynamo, CSKA, Torpedo-Luzhniki, Lokomotiv and Torpedo-ZIL. But this does not tell the whole story, which is one of ever-changing fortunes influenced by political machinations.

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Tim Springett wonders why Kevin Davies has gone downhill after a promising start to his career, and if it is already too late to do something about it

All the talk in Southampton concerns James Beat­tie’s prospects of earning an England call-up. Yet five years ago Kevin Davies was seen not only as Saints’ brightest hope but one of England’s. Now, however, he languishes in the reserves, his copious ability dimmed by a seemingly insurmountable crisis of confidence. He has gone from being an international star in the making to the scrapheap by the age of 26. How – and why – has this happened?

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Having a bad season? Worried that things couldn't be much worse? Cheer yourself up with some schadenfreude as Graham Lightfoot looks back on Sheffield Wednesday's darkest hour

Sheffield Wednesday’s fall from grace over the last few years has been more plummet than decline. Ask any supporter under the age of 30 to name their worst ever season and our most recent campaigns in the Na­­t­ionwide League would undoubtedly figure. Wed­nes­day­ites with the odd silver hair curling out from under their blue and white bobble hat will have mem­ories of darker days. In the 1970s, for the first time that most of us could remember, we would have to grudgingly admit that Sheffield United were actually a better side than us.

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Having a bad season? Worried that things couldn't be much worse? Cheer yourself up with som schadenfreude as Roberto Gotta looks back on AC Milan's darkest hour

AC Milan had to wait a long time for their tenth title, and with it the gold star that permanently adorns the red and black shirts. But it all came good in 1978-79 – three points ahead of the surprise challengers, un­beaten Per­ugia, and seven in front of the hated Juventus. The fol­lowing year they finished third, but were then relegated in the fall-out from the Totonero betting scandal, some Mi­lan players (led by goalkeeper and notorious racing enthusiast Enrico Albertosi) having conspired with others to fix results. But, as a teen­age Milan fan, I felt strangely unconcerned. Iconic mid­fielder Gianni Rivera had retired so this was a chance to rebuild and come back much stronger. Going down for the first time in the club’s history was not going to be a disaster – but it turned out to be even worse.

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