News Headlines

John Crace: The life and times of a football widow

For 25 years of marriage, John Crace's long-suffering wife, Jill, has had a rival for his affections – his favourite team It was our 20th wedding anniversary and I had responded to my wife's many hints – no, make that threats – by taking her to Barcelona for a long weekend. A...

Young pretender has the master in his sights

When Sir Alex Ferguson was appointed manager of Manchester United in November 1986, Andre Villas-Boas had celebrated his ninth birthday the previous month and was, by his own admission, too "in love" with his hometown team of Porto to pay much attention to the latest attempt by one of English...

We are starting again but I will not give up on youth, says Wenger

Arsene Wenger believes that Arsenal are "starting again" this season, after the summer losses of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. This new cycle has started earlier than Wenger had hoped – in his view Arsenal were still "a team on the up" last season. But after a disappointing spring and a...

Ferguson: 'At 32 I was managing East Stirling. My players were on about £5 a week'

There are Scottish roots in both of the football managers, 36 years apart, who will contest the most compelling fixture of the season tomorrow at Old Trafford. While Sir Alex Ferguson's need no embellishment, those of 33-year-old Andre Villas-Boas derive from Largs, the west Scotland coaching...

James Lawton: Victory over United can buy Villas-Boas time to shape his destiny under ruthless owner

If things go quite as well as Andre Villas-Boas hopes at Old Trafford tomorrow afternoon we may be seeing rather more than the season's first serious dispute of power. We might, give or take the possible interventions of Manchester City, be seeing battle lines drawn for quite a bit of the rest of...

Gary Neville: 'The idea he is always ready to let someone have it, is wrong'

Sir Alex Ferguson is easily misunderstood. When the Manchester United manager suggested in Lisbon this week that Wayne Rooney couldn't entirely be compared with Pele because "he's white, completely white," the Portuguese press corps struggling with his Glaswegian accent thought he was talking about...

Mancini wants City to win ugly – like United

Roberto Mancini wants his Manchester City side to mimic the ruthlessness of neighbours United. City's attempt to balance competing in both the Premier League and Champions League begins tomorrow with a trip to Fulham, and Mancini believes that an ability to win even without playing well – as...

King ready to meet Redknapp's target and earn new Spurs deal

Ledley King is confident that this season will not be his last at Tottenham. The defender, who joined Spurs in 1998, is in the final year of his contract and manager Harry Redknapp has said he must play at least 20 games to earn an extension.

Perez presence brings swift end to La Liga's financial revolution

The Spanish revolution looks like being still-born after an attempt to introduce greater parity in television income largely evaporated.