Lots of people have said nice things about David Coleman since the BBC put him out to grass. Harry Pearson isn't one of them

Trying to decide who is the best football commen­tator of all time is clearly a pointless exercise, on a par with arguing over who is the better looking, Kevin Phillips or Phil Stamp. Nevertheless, the news that the BBC will not be renewing David Coleman’s contract has provoked just such a debate and a recent convening of the Radio 5 sports panel, among others, unanimously declared the sep­tuagenarian gurgler from Stockport the greatest ever.

Read more…

Tottenham wasted ten years under the stewardship of Alan Sugar, says Adam Powley. But there is no guarantee his successors will be any better

It says something about the sentimentality of football fans that when Alan Sugar called it quits at White Hart Lane, Spurs supporters were in conciliatory mood. Having finally seen the man so long identified with the club’s decline speak in such an apparently convincing manner about his “sad failure”, many felt a tinge of regret at his decision. Even Save Our Spurs, the pressure group most readily identified with opposition to Sugar, paid generous tribute to his tenure at the club.

Read more…

Update on clubs in crisis

The crisis at Port Vale took a an unexpected twist over the holiday period, when controversial director Charles Machin resigned amid an acrimonious exchange of views with chairman and major shareholder Bill Bell, hith­erto seen as a staunch ally. Vale had al­ready made headlines this season thanks to Mach­in’s bizarre demand of man­ager Brian Horton that he fill in regular questionnaires on each player, and had also ad­mitted they were using their yellow away strip more fre­quently because they could not afford to replace the home kit if it wore out. Other festering sores include the ungracious sacking of John Rudge in 1999 (and legal aftermath) and the club’s long-standing failure to complete the Lorne Street Stand at Vale Park.

Read more…

Stockport County fans thwart Maine Road move. Dave Espley explains

The saga started with a press conference called by Stockport County chairman Bren­dan El­wood at the end of November. Open-mouthed local journalists were told that the board – without having consulted the fans, of course – were thinking of applying to Manchester City Council to take over Maine Road when Ci­ty moved to the new Commonwealth sta­dium in 2003.

Read more…

Steve Parish takes a look at the Manchester City chairman

Distinguishing features Prosperous businessman, nice sober suits. Not exactly self-effacing, but knows how to keep a low profile.

Read more…