Christoph - writer and editor

Eternal Bauer – Bauer Eternel

These days tickets to see Red Star at the time-honoured Stade Bauer are hard to come by. The team sit comfortably on top of the league with a five-point cushion over second-placed Niort Chamois. The game vs Nîmes was a sending-off for one the oldest stands in European football still in use: it dates back…

Some light among the gloom

For weeks, I’ve been thinking about packing it in: this blog has had its time, it’s never been a big thing, more on the side with a particular look on football of someone who has lived and played in three countries, wrote a book about it and often felt that football is a lot of…

Crisis? Crisis! Magdeburg in freefall

More than a third of the season have been played and Magdeburg look not convincing. The moment this began came during the match against Schalke 04 in September. The team of Christian Titz were cruising to victory and were already 2-0 up after 30 minutes when Schalke suddenly scored. It swung the momentum the other…

Walking into a Minefield

October 7, 2023, was a dark day. Hamas attacked Israel on an unprecedented scale. The attack has drawn condemnation from all corners as it highlighted the nature of this organisation and their intentions: destroy their neighbouring country. In football, this attack has left traces as well. Fans and players alike have voiced their opinions. However,…

it’s only a tap-in

The finish by Marcus Dinanga looks easy but the movement involved more than 30 passes – 37 to be precise – and saw 10 players touching the ball at least once. Observers of football of a certain age will remember a previous instance. During the group stages of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Argentina…

Defensive Frailties

Followers of the 2. Bundesliga know that Magdeburg are a team to watch – that is when they are allowed to play, their idea of play is breathtaking. It is positive football that puts the emphasis on playing, passing and movements of the players. It is a joy to watch. However, this joy turned into…

Club Culture

Manchester United once was a club feared for their on-pitch resilience and ability to turn around matches late, i.e., in injury time. The departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 was a landmark moment in the club’s recent history. In the ten years since he left the managerial role, United have won four trophies; in the last ten years with Ferguson, there were 18 titles! Of course, not all this is related to Ferguson, but for most of the transfers he got it right.

What a difference a decade makes! Within a year, the club has to deal with two players who are alleged to have attacked their partners/girlfriends. And although the case against Mason Greenwood was dropped, there will always be a residue remaining – on both sides. The latest are accusations against Anthony, a Brazilian player whom United signed in 2022. He faces allegations of physical attacks by his girlfriend.

It is indicative of the culture at the club, one is inclined to say. A culture of scouting that seems to give little attention to the personal development of future players. Of course, there is never a guarantee that nothing ever happens – it is, however, an unfortunate coincidence that two players in a relatively short time span at the same club have problems of this sort.

The club have to look after themselves, first and foremost, of course. That is why Greenwood’s contract was terminated. The same scenario is likely to happen in the case of Anthony. His national team, Brazil, have dropped him over the issue and United are once more under pressure for all the wrong reasons.

a few words to think about

England may not have won the World Cup at the Women’s World Cup this year but their coach, Sarina Wiegman was named coach of the year in Monaco at a ceremony held in late August 2023. After receiving the award she politely asked if she could say a few words. And those words were remarkable.…

Red Star’s new shirt a reference to club’s history

The Parisian club Red Star have chosen to create their new shirt for the 2023/24 season with the help of artificial intelligence. OFFICIEL ! Le Red Star dévoile ses nouveaux maillots 2023/24.Pour dessiner ces maillots, Kappa et le Red Star ̀… ' , à partir d'images d'archives du club.Qu'on aime ou qu'on n'aime… pic.twitter.com/6TBU7mNGCA— Actu…

Not my game (anymore)

Barely a week is passing during this summer transfer window without news of some daring transfer proposal from a Saudi Arabian football club. It appears that ever since Cristiano Ronaldo has signed for Al-Nassr FC, his colleagues have followed suit. The latest arrivals are Karim Benzema, Sadio Mané, N’Golo Kanté, Jordan Henderson and Steven Gerrard.…