waroffutbol

  A few Scottish internationals have been actually England -born and managed to shine in the FIFA World Cup. Scotland finally returns to the FIFA World Cup ending their 28-year wait this year. The Tartan Army boss, Steve Clarke , knows they have to improve their team before the kick off to end their negative record in the final round. Scotland has never been able to progress from the group stage in their world cup campaign. This year they hope to do things differently. Unfortunately, Scott McTominay and Co are seeded in a fairly tough group with Morocco , Haiti and Brazil.  Steve Clarke’s men are in need of more prolific forwards in the squad following the not-so-satisfactory form of their attacking lines. Che Adams just scored two goals in the qualifiers while Lyndon Dykes or Lawrence Shankland only netted once each. Such a disappointing record if they aim to advance further in North America later. Thus, when Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes was eligible to switch sides to Scotla...

  Top managers rarely make a leap of faith by taking charge of the minnows in international football and succeed.  Being the top manager is always synonymous with the high demands from the clubs and foreign national teams. The big teams are always more preferable for those top figures as it suits their ambition. They are also accustomed to huge pressure and expectations.  However, some others take more unpopular options by taking the leap of faith with the minnows. Such is never easy, especially considering their lack of modern facilities, local bureaucracy, or, even worse, a limited number of talents. It is a huge challenge they have to face from time to time.  Recently, one of the minnows which could potentially qualify to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Indonesia, has just dismissed Shin Tae-Yong, who is considered one of South Korea’s top managers. He was the former South Korean national team boss in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where they crushed the defending champi...

  Not many football managers’ son who follow their footsteps in the dugout and gained success at the top flight. The story of father and son in football has been dominated in the playing career or the father in the dugout and the son on the pitch. Yet, when it comes to the managerial career, such is rather hard to find, especially regarding the success in the top tier competition. The legendary manager, Brian Clough does have a son, Nigel, who follows his footsteps bytaking managerial career. Unfortunately, Nigel Clough’s spells on the sideline are barely close to his father’s glorious one. He mainly spent his career in the lower level sides. The current Mansfield Town, a third tier team in English football, previously took charge of Burton Albion twice, Derby County and Sheffield United while competing in the Championship, or the second tier. The same thing goes to Sir Alex Ferguson’s son, Darren. He mostly spends his managerial career at the second and third tier leagues. T...

  Several Balkan managers have been able to thrive at the European elite clubs. Balkan managers seem to be overlooked today. There have been very few of them who manage to thrive at the top level.  Recently, AS Roma has appointed Ivan Juric to replace Daniel de Rossi. The Croatian boss is a surprising name since he has yet to win any silverware. However, Juric’s stint with Hellas Verona and Torino didn't go unnoticed. Yet, taking charge of the midtable sides is entirely different from being at the helm of an elite team as Roma. Giallorossi is keen on returning to the Champions League, something that even the Special One, Jose Mourinho, could not achieve, despite winning the UEFA Conference League, their first continental trophy, in 2021.  Unfortunately, Roma’s campaign in Europe has already been dented by a shocking loss to Sweden’s Elfsborg in the Europa League this week. Juric might not be under pressure yet, but the former Crotone boss needs to turn things around...