He was the force behind a quarter-century of Manchester United success. But while Sir Alex Ferguson is lauded as a hero of the club, his influence on their demise is equally telling.
The death of a still-young sporting hero brings with it breathy accolades and gauche clichés, but it also delivers a strange sense of disbelief and bafflement for the fans left behind.
Tenacity got him to the top of the soccer world, but parental devotion played a huge part – it was in recognition of this that Craig Johnston’s illustrious career prematurely ended.
The churn of sporting memoirs sees multitudes published and just as quickly forgotten, but the 1976 diary of Millwall FC midfielder Eamon Dunphy stands out for its honest insights.
A confounding failure to recognise risk, despite numerous warnings, remains at the heart of the Bradford City stadium fire that claimed 56 lives four decades ago.
Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at Tottenham Hotspur is not fitting the Australian manager’s usual script of stubbornness, borne out by brilliance and eventual vindication.
The Christmas truce of 1914 was a moment of shared humanity during the early months of the Great War, but the role of soccer in it has been wildly exaggerated.
