Newly appointed Steaua Bucharest coach, Dorinel Munteanu, left, will have to get used to the close attentions of club owner Gigi Becali Photograph: Mihai Stetcu/AP
One of football’s greatest fallacies is that continuity is in itself a good thing. When Sam Allardyce left Newcastle after 24 matches, a host of pundits repeated the observation that Sir [...]

The loyalty of supporters should see clubs through these difficult financial times. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/Guardian
Ever since the Premier League boomed into life in 1992, fuelled by Sky’s millions, stubborn prophets of doom have warned it is a bubble that is bound to burst. More measured observers wondered if clubs would be particularly vulnerable to a [...]

Ivan Ljubicic celebrates his win over Nikolay Davydenko. Photograph: Matthew Stockman/Getty
It was a long day of clay-court action in the men’s singles at the French Open on Saturday. A series of five-set matches provided plenty of time to enjoy the drawn-out rallies that are a feature of tennis’s slowest stage. Or is ”enjoy” the right [...]