By Paul Nicholson
November 18 – With the US national team floundering at the bottom of their final World Cup qualifying group and looking increasingly uncomfortable with the ball at their feet with every game, they could do worse than send their players to one of the TOCA Soccer centres for some intensive ball work.
By Samindra Kunti
November 18 – Belgium’s oldest club Antwerp has dismissed sporting director John Bico after just one turbulent month as the club’s sporting director.
November 17 – England captain Wayne Rooney has “unreservedly” apologised to interim England manager Gareth Southgate after pictures emerged showing him at a wedding while on international duty.
By Samindra Kunti
November 11 – Neymar and Phillipe Coutinho starred in Brazil’s comprehensive 3-0 win against Argentina in Belo Horizonte. The result leaves Argentina in danger of missing out on Russia 2018.
November 8 – Home-grown players continue to be on the decline across Europe while foreign imports have reached a new high. That is the latest sobering conclusion issued by the CIES Football Observatory on the profile of players active in 31 top European leagues.
November 4 – Andre Villas-Boas has been named manager of Chinese Super League team Shanghai SIPG in succession to former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson who has left after two years in charge.
November 3 – Many would argue he has got off lightly given past misdemeanours but Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been banned for one match and fined £58,000 after being charged for two separate offences.
November 2- Jose Mourinho’s troubled start to his return to English football has taken another downward spiral after the Manchester United manager was handed a second charge in a week by the authorities, this time following his dismissal during Saturday’s 0-0 draw at home to Burnley when United had a record 37 shots at goal.
November 1 – There are more players progressing into first team squads in Europe’s top leagues from Real Madrid and Ajax than any other clubs in Europe. Real Madrid have trained 41 players now playing at Big-5 league clubs.
By Samindra Kunti
October 31 – It has been a busy week for Belgian George Leekens (pictured) who is returning to Algeria as national team coach just days after being sacked by his club Lokeren.
October 28 – Marseille have named Andoni Zubizarreta as their new sporting director as American owner Frank McCourt starts a revamp of the club.
October 28 – He’s only been back in English football for less than half a season but the self-styled Special One has already fallen foul of the officials.
October 27 – He is hailed as the brightest and most sought-after manager of his generation but has now suffered his worst ever winless streak of six games in all competitions.
October 25 – Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will once again go head to head to win the Ballon d’Or after both were named in the list of 30 nominees for the 2016 award.
October 26 – Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said at the weekend that his club would not “want to bring some 10- or 11-year-old to Munich like the English do…You could almost speak of kidnapping with them and I would have moral reservations about that.” For Bayern it seems that recruitment begins at 24.8 years old.