Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

The last time Kenny Dalglish stood in the Goodison Park dugout as Liverpool manager, he knew he was only days away from leaving a job that would ultimately take 20 years to get back.

Dalglish watched impassively as Liverpool carelessly cast aside the lead four times to draw in an FA Cup that has taken its place in Merseyside derby folklore for events on and off the pitch.

It was Wednesday, 20 February 1991. Dalglish had already made up his mind to quit and events at Goodison Park - where he later admitted his trademark decisiveness deserted him during the game - only confirmed the decision in his own mind.

The next morning, broken by the pressures of an entire career spent dealing with the stresses of football at elite levels with Celtic and Liverpool - and the burden of guiding the Anfield club through the tragedy of Hillsborough and its emotional aftermath - he informed then chairman Noel White and chief executive Peter Robinson of his decision to resign.

Dalglish on the Friday morning and it appeared an iconic Liverpool figure had concluded his career at the club where he won eight league titles as player and manager, claimed the European Cup three times and won the Double in his first season as player-manager.

Read the rest of this entry

Carlos Tevez's Manchester City career has appeared to be at an end before. This time, amid acrimony and in Munich, and despite , it is.

was a shameless rejection of his most basic responsibility as a professional footballer.

In exchange for a contract reportedly worth Β£250,000 a week, the very least City should expect from Tevez is an agreement to play for the team and their supporters when requested by the manager.

And yet, with City in trouble in this proved beyond him. Mancini called on Tevez's services with 35 minutes still remaining, but said the Argentine was unwilling to respond.

Read the rest of this entry

Roberto Mancini - with fruit pastilles in one hand and Mario Balotelli in the other - savoured the taste of knowing Manchester City can win ugly as well as with beauty.

Sharing his favourite sweets with right-hand man Brian Kidd was just about the only pleasure Mancini enjoyed against obdurate Everton until Balotelli showed the other side of this peculiar footballing beast by proving the catalyst for victory.

Such was the relief around Etihad Stadium whenthat Mario, whose loved ones might even accept he can be a bit moody, who has wanted to embrace him warmly by the throat on several occasions since his signing.

City have taken accolades for the finesse of performances such as the , but title challenges are not built on style alone. Mancini's side also needed to prove, to themselves as much as outsiders, that they could demonstrate persistence when faced with stubborn opponents intent on stifling their skills.

Read the rest of this entry

Craig Bellamy's previous life at Liverpool is best remembered for his attempts to improve his golf swing by on a team bonding exercise on the Algarve.

Bellamy's willingness to make life difficult for colleagues and opponents alike has been central to the narrative of his eventful career. So it was no surprise that he was at it again in the plush new surroundings of The Amex Stadium in Brighton on Wednesday.

The Wales striker tormented opponents Brighton with a goal and - and this time it was Β£35m Andy Carroll who may just be the team-mate feeling under the cosh.

On a night when the biggest cheer from Liverpool's fans came at the start of after six months out with a groin injury, there was plenty of applause for the player who thought his Anfield career was over for good when he was sold to West Ham United in 2007.

Read the rest of this entry

Crazy. Chaotic. Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas showed a commendable command of understatement after a game that offered comfort to the connoisseur and hope to the hopeless.

It was in keeping with the twisted logic of that Villas-Boas seemed more satisfied in defeat than the pursed-lipped Sir Alex Ferguson in victory.

This says much for Ferguson's standards but also for a Chelsea performance that offered plenty of encouragement to their young, but highly self-assured, manager.

Read the rest of this entry

found a swift solution to one problem surrounding - whether he is as successful in curing the major difficulty faced by 's remains to be seen.

Villas-Boas smiled as he announced an investigation into an interview Torres gave in Spain, which quoted him as making about the speed of his older Chelsea team-mates, was over.

The search for the and Spain goes on and will continue when in the Premier League on Sunday.

A visit to the champions and Chelsea's main title rivals should be a perfect fit for a Β£50m striker, but stark statistics tell the tale. Torres has scored once in 23 appearances for Chelsea, a brutal contrast to 81 goals in 142 games at Anfield.

At Liverpool Torres was the player you could almost hear as well as see reducing defenders of the highest quality, to rubble. On one memorable night when , one Spanish journalist reacted to another devastating run with the words: "He is like a golden bullet."

Read the rest of this entry

Emirates Stadium

Arsene Wenger puts all his stock in style - but only the substance of this desperately needed victory would do for Arsenal against Swansea.

Wenger says he could write a book about a summer he jokingly claims prepared him for a journey to Hell. At least he had a happy, not to mention lucky, tale to tell as Arsenal got their first win of the season.

This was hardly heavenly, indeed for long periods in the second half it was ugly, but it was sweet relief from the football firestorm that engulfed the Gunners in the

Arsenal's manager has spent much of the early weeks of a traumatic season cursing his ill-fortune, so he grasped gratefully at the break offered when Swansea's excellent goalkeeper Michel Vorm inexplicably hurled a clearance against Angel Rangel just before half-time.

The rebound fell invitingly for Andrey Arshavin, and on such narrow margins games are won and emotions around a club can change.

Read the rest of this entry

Wembley

England took one step forward towards Euro 2012 by but two steps backwards from the promise and hope hinted at in the impressive

If Robert Earnshaw had applied a striker's finish rather than a fly-half's when lifting the ball over the bar from only five yards late on, then England's trip to Montenegro for their final qualifier may have taken on an even more hazardous appearance.

Instead, Earnshaw's hopeless late miss allowed Ashley Young's first-half goal to give England a generous reward for a stodgy, shapeless performance and leaves them needing a point in Podgorica to reach Poland and Ukraine.

Read the rest of this entry

Fabio Capello's new relaxed manner does not extend to the golf course or throw-ins, but the man known in Italy as "The Iron Sergeant" for his hardline approach is showing a willingness to bend after last year's sorry summer in South Africa.

If England's team displayed a changing face during the on Friday, then the players also detect a shift in the demeanour of arch-disciplinarian Capello as they close in on a place at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.

Capello's guard as the hard taskmaster has not dropped completely, though, as the squad discovered when a flash of that volcanic temper erupted behind closed doors at a deserted Wembley on Monday during preparations for .

The catalyst for Capello's fury was a failure to obey orders over a throw-in. A minor detail to many - but bordering on insubordination to the Italian as it was a fault clearly pointed out at Sunday's team briefing to discuss the few flaws which were on show in Sofia.

Read the rest of this entry

Sofia

Fabio Capello is nearing the end with England - so it was with some irony that he flew out of Sofia in the small hours accompanied by the growing sense that he is overseeing a fresh start.

Capello's tenure is scheduled to conclude at Euro 2012 and coupled with Wales' victory against closest rivals Montenegro, makes it increasingly likely he will spend next summer in Poland and Ukraine.

And while the victory must be placed in the context of just how poor Bulgaria were in front of their own support in the Vasil Levski Stadium, there was a freshness about England's faces, tactics and team selection that hinted at a shift in emphasis.

Frank Lampard represented the unwitting symbol of change, dropped after 86 caps, the first time England had started a competitive game without the Chelsea midfield man or Steven Gerrard since the World Cup quarter-final against Brazil in 2002, and only earning his 87th as a late substitute with the game won.

Read the rest of this entry

Sofia

Storm clouds were banking up on the hills behind the in Sofia - but Fabio Capello adopted a brighter outlook as England trained ahead of Friday's Euro 2012 qualifier in Bulgaria.

Manchester United's Chris Smalling drew noises of appreciation from his England colleagues for a flamboyant piece of footwork, while Old Trafford team-mate Phil Jones was barking out orders in a manner that belied his 19 years.

Capello spent Thursday giving serious consideration to playing both of Sir Alex Ferguson's young pair against Bulgaria as England seek to establish a firm foundation to take them towards Poland and the Ukraine next summer, although Bolton's Gary Cahill may yet gain consolation for missing out on a move to either Spurs or Arsenal by winning a fourth cap.

Μύ

England's visit here has hardly grabbed the undivided attention of Sofia's population. Only 15,000 are expected to file into a stadium with a capacity of nearly 44,000, but the new young talent emerging into Capello's ranks has captured the imagination of 4,000 visiting supporters expected to file into the Bulgarian capital.

Read the rest of this entry