France forward Steve Savidan has the chance to cement his place in Raymond Domenech’s squad. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images
“Imagine if it works. Imagine if I hit two goals just like I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a kid. Where’s the risk in trying? If I don’t fit in, I’ll toddle back to where I [...]

Andy Reid scores for the Republic of Ireland against Cyprus in 2004. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Here’s a good way for a manager to generate public interest in a humdrum international friendly: make an incendiary decision, one that hints at spite and hypocrisy and will almost definitely impact on the team’s long-term welfare.
Giovanni Trapattoni’s omission of [...]

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images
Spurs. To paraphrase Edwin Starr, what are they good for? A laugh has been the short answer for most of the season, though in their new incarnation with Harry Hotspur at the helm they have already improved on absolutely nothing. On Wednesday night they scored the goal [...]

Katie Price attempts dressage as celebrity culture reaches its surreal apogee. Photograph: Doug Peters/Empics
Let’s start with an earth-shatteringly original and profound observation: we live in an age where the cult of celebrity has got ever so slightly out of hand. No longer are we allowed to watch Family Fortunes unencumbered by someone from Hollyoaks who [...]

Danny Care. Photograph: Ross Land/Getty Images
Martin Johnson did not exactly pick his moment when he turned up in Swansea on Sunday to watch the previously all-conquering England Under-20s in the junior world championship final against New Zealand.The England team manager’s hope for some relief after running up a huge telephone bill finding out what was [...]

Paul Ince during MK Dons’ promotion-winning season in 2007-8. Photograph: Paul Currie/Action Images
Leicester City have failed in an attempt to recruit Paul Ince as their new manager. The Leicester chairman, Milan Mandaric, made an official approach to the MK Dons owner, Pete Winkelman, last week but the move was decisively rejected by the newly-promoted League [...]