Cripes, it was sack-o-rama on Monday, Ruben Amorim and Wilfried Nancy both put out of their misery when Manchester United and Celtic decided to part company with them. Amorim left United “with one of the worst statistical records of any manager in the history of the club,” writes Ken Early, but in the end, it was “all the mad stuff he never could seem to stop saying” that did it for him. Truth is, “the job sucked the life out of him”, as it did to his nine (temporary and permanent) predecessors.
His sixth defeat in eight games since his appointment, the last against – of all people – Rangers, did it for Nancy. Celtic, says Ewan Murray, is a club “staggering around in the dark” and Nancy’s appointment “was a symptom of that”. Martin O’Neill returns for another interim spell having filled in before the French man succeeded Brendan Rodgers last month.
One vacancy looks set to be filled – Liam Rosenior has “verbally agreed” a contract to take over as Chelsea’s head coach, replacing yet another gaffer now on the dole: Enzo Maresca.
Also in football, Malachy Clerkin asks “how’s that Fifa Peace Prize going, Gianni?” “The US president has spent the month since receiving his award demonstrating to Gianni Infantino and the world that he is the war-mongerer in chief,” he writes. “The stain of that award will”, he says, “linger down the generations”.
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In rugby, John O’Sullivan hears from Leinster forwards coach Robin McBryde ahead of Saturday’s Champions Cup meeting with their old buddies La Rochelle, while Owen Doyle gives his thoughts on the need for changes to rugby’s laws – but not ones that are rushed in.
In Gaelic games, Gordon Manning talks to St Brigid’s joint-captain Paul McGrath (not that one) following the Roscommon champions’ victory over Scotstown in their All-Ireland club football semi-final at the weekend.
And Philip Reid takes us on a spin around the world of golf in his Different Strokes column, among his newsie bits the return to action of Shane Lowry – he’s playing in that indoor Tomorrow’s Golf League thingumajig in Florida this week, before heading for the UAE for the DP World Tour’s Dubai Invitational.
TV Watch: There’s more from the Africa Cup of Nations on 4seven today, namely Algeria v DR Congo (4pm) and Côte d’Ivoire v Burkina Faso (7pm). Later, there’s a bit of a Premier League relegation scrap, West Ham at home to Nottingham Forest (Sky Sports, 8pm).
