United are not the only major team to have sacked their manager this week. Christmas and early new year have barely passed us and the spirit of goodwill has certainly bypassed football management! With the changes at Celtic and Chelsea also producing a tidal wave of disappointment in some quarters and joy in others, it leads me to question again what really makes a good manager or coach in this da...
United are not the only major team to have sacked their manager this week. Christmas and early new year have barely passed us and the spirit of goodwill has certainly bypassed football management! With the changes at Celtic and Chelsea also producing a tidal wave of disappointment in some quarters and joy in others, it leads me to question again what really makes a good manager or coach in this day and age. The game has changed dramatically since my era, when management was about total control, encompassing all football matters. Clubs now, whether big or small are, without much doubt, running a system where managers have morphed into two different roles - a director of football, and a first-team coach. Because of that, most clubs now just require the first-team coach to do what it says on the can, which is to coach the first team. All other responsibilities outside that job are now down to the director of football. So, what is needed today to be successful, as a first-team coach at a top club? Firstly, you have to win games! Also, as we've seen with what has happened at United and Chelsea, your relationship with the director of football must be absolutely bulletproof - for many reasons, but again more so for the coach's benefit. They have to trust the recruitment of the club's players, understand the club's identity and produce a strong bond between all the different departments on the football side, such as the academy or medical staff specifically, that can affect their success. By doing so, you build a club where, from the top end to the bottom, everyone understands that they are all in this process together. That enables the club to become a winning club, but for that to happen there are as many things that you need to get right off the pitch as well as on it. Those are the challenges for whoever does get the job at Old Trafford, and anywhere else. Tony Pulis was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday said the leader of a separatist movement in Yemen “fled” to an unknown location after saying he would travel to the kingdom for negotiations over the future of southern Yemen. A statement from Maj General Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, represents the latest twist in tensions between it and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), backed...
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday said the leader of a separatist movement in Yemen “fled” to an unknown location after saying he would travel to the kingdom for negotiations over the future of southern Yemen. A statement from Maj General Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, represents the latest twist in tensions between it and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), backed by the United Arab Emirates. Al-Malik said the council’s leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, had been due to take a flight to Saudi Arabia. But while other council officials took the flight, he said al-Zubaidi did not. “The legitimate government and the coalition received intelligence indicating that al-Zubaidi had moved a large force – including armoured vehicles, combat vehicles, heavy and light weapons, and ammunition,” al-Malki said. Al-Zubaidi “fled to an unknown location.” There was no immediate comment from the council, known by the acronym STC. The confusion over al-Zubaidi’s whereabouts came as the Saudi-led coalition said it had undertaken “limited pre-emptive strikes” in Yemen to stop the UAE-backed separatists from expanding the conflict. Domestic sources and sources within the STC reported more than 15 strikes in the province, the birthplace of al-Zubaidi. Following the developments, the Saudi-backed presidential council stripped al-Zubaidi of his membership and referred him to the public prosecutor on charges including high treason, state news agency SABA said. The decision, issued by the council chair, Rashad al-Alimi, accused al-Zubaidi of inciting armed rebellion, attacking constitutional authorities and committing abuses against civilians in southern Yemen. For years, the STC has been part of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. The feud between the UAE and Saudi Arabia has fractured a coalition originally created to fight the Iran-aligned Houthis, who are still the dominant military force in Yemen. The Houthis seized the Yemeni capital of Sana’a in 20...
Is a Welsh accent a help or a hindrance in The Traitors? 12 hours ago Share Save Charlie Buckland BBC Wales Share Save BBC/PA Fiona, 62, from Swansea, has been accused of coming across as "less perceptive" than she actually is Spoiler warning: This article contains details of the first three episodes of the new series of The Traitors. The turn of the New Year came with a new series of The Traitors...
Is a Welsh accent a help or a hindrance in The Traitors? 12 hours ago Share Save Charlie Buckland BBC Wales Share Save BBC/PA Fiona, 62, from Swansea, has been accused of coming across as "less perceptive" than she actually is Spoiler warning: This article contains details of the first three episodes of the new series of The Traitors. The turn of the New Year came with a new series of The Traitors and, to no surprise, plot twists are leaving viewers on tenterhooks. In the ultimate double bluff, the show added an ingenious new twist, a secret fourth traitor whose identity has not even been revealed to viewers - marking the most significant format change since its launch in 2022. With all but one player left scratching their heads, speculation has been soaring among eagle‑eyed viewers - with some heads turning to Welsh contestant Fiona. "So far I've played this dotty little Welsh woman. They'll just see me as a little bit clueless," local government officer Fiona, 62, from Swansea, admitted. "But never underestimate a woman of a certain age," she chuckled to the camera. From hiding their jobs, to secret relationships and faking Welsh accents, many contestants have trialled strategies in the past to gain people's trust. But with one Welsh contestant already banished - is Fiona's Welsh accent a help or a hindrance? Hugo, originally from Cardiff, now living in London as a barrister was banished on the third episode Former contestant Andrew Jenkins, from Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf, believes Fiona's "ditsy" character could be intentional and she may even be taking inspiration from previous beloved traitor, Amanda Lovett. "There is a subconscious bias really," said Andrew, "she [Fiona] is a bit older and, naturally, people may tend not to look at her as much as a threat, she's quite motherly. "She just comes across as a bubbly and lovely, caring person." No-one suspected Amanda, 57, who is also from Swansea, for her bubbly and warm personality in series 1, as she succe...
Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Annabelle Droulers host a special edition of 'Bloomberg Tech: Asia' at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, featuring one of China's rising stars, Deep Robotics. Plus, an exclusive interview with Samsung on their latest AI developments and outlook for the year ahead. (Source: Bloomberg)
Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Annabelle Droulers host a special edition of 'Bloomberg Tech: Asia' at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, featuring one of China's rising stars, Deep Robotics. Plus, an exclusive interview with Samsung on their latest AI developments and outlook for the year ahead. (Source: Bloomberg)