“Ha sido un gran honor”

Barecelona ha echado a Rijkaard. Santi, en el quinto comment acá da en el clavo.

El senyor Laporta té molt per apendre com a persona i com a profesional del senyor Rijkaard. Espero l’any que vé tenir jugadors minimament implicats amb el projecte. Sr.Rijkaard MOLTA SORT EN EL TEU FUTUR!

Catenaccio

A beautiful game is for 24 hours in the newspapers; a result stands forever.

Trap’s first press conference. The rest of the story is here.

Intelligence And Rationality

But switch on ‘Match of the Day’ on a Saturday night, and who is the manager who talks the most intelligently, rationally and without hyperbole? Who has an authority and a presence that commands and demands your attention? Who has assumed the mantle of a managerial statesman within a very short period of joining that rag-tag band of winners and losers?

John Inverdale writes in praise of Roy Keane here.

Who’d Have Thought it?

Trap to manage Ireland.

Munich

The minute I walked into the middle of it, it was obvious that something special was happening. The whole operation was geared towards youth and by putting so much talent in the one place, Busby was able to foster a unique sense of togetherness that spread throughout the club. Busby had won successive titles with a team whose average age was 21 or 22 when Munich happened. As subsequent events proved, he had another one and maybe two teams in the system.

John Giles writes about Manchester United, the Munich disaster and Matt Busby here.