Arsene Wenger at Monaco: Usually bridesmaids and a bitter war with Bernard Tapie
Brilliant article from Dominic Fifield on Arsene Wenger's ultimately frustrating period at Monaco, in which he claimed the League title in his first season and then spent year's in the shadow of Marseilles, whose dodgy chairman Wenger utterly despised. Bernard Tapie was eventually jailed in the mid-90s for bribery.
Mike Atherton on the anger brewing in Irish cricketers at this World Cup
Published eight days ago but definitely worth a look. Former England captain and the UK sports writer of the year in 2014 takes the long view on the growth of Irish cricket (referencing the sport's wild popularity here in the 19th century) and rails against the ICC's craven hostility to the team.
Simon Kuper on whether Louis Van Gaal is lost at Old Trafford
Dutch/English football writer and Soccernomics author Simon Kuper articulates how, for the first time in his coaching career, Louis Van Gaal is genuinely lost.
Shady deal behind FIFA granting broadcast rights to Fox for the 2026 World Cup
11 years out from the 2026 World Cup, FIFA made a deal granting broadcast rights to Fox and Telemundo with no initial explanation and no bidding process. General Secretary Jerome Valcke was surprisingly frank on the topic.
Fred Cogley on Ireland's last back-to-back victory in the Six Nations
RTE's Rugby Show looks back on the Ireland's (shared) Five Nations success of 1983, which followed the outright victory of 1982. Of course, if shared victories carried into the present day, the 2006 and 2007 would represent Ireland's last back-to-back championship wins, but Cogley is insightful on the nature of the Ireland team back then...
See also: 13 Motions We Would Love To See Brought Before GAA Congress This Week
Balls Remembers The Harrowing Day Ireland Drew With A Mountain Top
