David Harrison looks back on the life of Bertie Mee – a truly unique achiever
On February 18, 1939, a young man, barely out of his teens, pulled on Mansfield Town’s No 11 shirt and ran on to the Vicarage Road pitch, to make his third League appearance. Fifty years on, he was again observing that same expanse of muddy turf, only by now operating as the home club’s first-ever paid director.
October's friendly between France and Algeria ended up providing the opposite of the symbolism its organisers had hoped for, writes Alan Duncan
October 6 was supposed to herald a new era in the complex world of Franco-Algerian relations with the first ever football friendly between the two nations. Yet it may now be better remembered as the day France was confronted with a deeper social unease that will not simply disappear with the blow of a whistle.
How is the League of Wales losing out on television coverage to Welsh rugby? Paul Ashley-Jones finds out
If you were to believe all you hear, there is far too much football on TV. Even the most dedicated of fans is in danger of overexposure, apparently. But not in Wales. Yes, we get ITV’s Premiership and Champions League coverage and, if you’re prepared to subscribe, you can access the football overload weighing down most of the rest of the country.
David Stubbs reviews Mike Bassett: England manager as Ricky Tomlinson takes England to the World Cup
So, England’s manager has had a heart attack during the qualifying stages of the World Cup, to be held in Brazil. In a smoke-filled room at FA headquarters, the powers-that-be realise that for want of better applicants, they must approach Norwich City manager Mike Bassett (Ricky Tomlinson) for the England job. They need one win from their last three games to qualify. However Bassett, whose tactical nous doesn’t appear to extend beyond blustering about pressure, commitment and 4-4-2, very nearly makes a balls-up of it.
The "referee crisis" fuelled by television exposure that should just be ignored
As in so many other respects, people often look back on the 1970 World Cup as a golden age of refereeing. Do you know, not a single player was sent off, they will tell you. Not like now, when games are persistently ruined by referees desperate to get into the limelight, imposing absurdly over-fussy regulations.