Football analysis by Mark Payne
Mark Payne is a journalist currently living in Sydney, Australia. He is a weekly correspondent for ESPN's online service and a contributor to a host of business, travel and lifestyle publications.
It is certainly not business as usual when the best way to view a Manchester United match is via the ‘minute by minute’ report. Sadly, the club’s reputation for swashbuckling football that takes the breath away is looking misplaced at the moment. It seems to be de riguer to score and concede several billion goals every time [click to read more]
Ouch. I have barely been able to leave the house for two days. Going to work has been unavoidable and extremely unpleasant. This is not the first time United have been beaten by a large score since I have been watching, not even the first time we’ve been handsomely beaten by City, but for some [click to read more]
Perspective is important when assessing anything. Although it is hugely important to be fully involved in the business at hand, it pays to be aware of what happens elsewhere in the world. To be perfectly frank, fans of other sports look at football and laugh their arses off at the diving of our players. It [click to read more]
The capacity that some people have for hypocrisy never ceases to amaze me. In a week when the shameful England rugby team have crashed out of a world cup in disgrace, half of the country is up in arms about Wayne Rooney misplacing one kick in anger. The lack of perspective required to endorse these [click to read more]
Let’s face it. A lot of the joy in following a sports team is found in barracking the opposition’s fans. Don’t ask me why, but there is a lot of fun to be had in poking fun at members of the other tribe. I like to think that United fans tend to do this with [click to read more]
This article could start with the words; “At the moment, our treatment room must resemble the beach landing in Normandy – players’ arms flailing around and field medics frantically trying to issue the right medication to each of them. This ain’t great because on Tuesday we play in the Champion’s League.” However, that is the [click to read more]
There were pretty absurd games all over the place in the Premier League this weekend. It was like a collective practical joke of comedy misses, own goals and Fernando Torres. Blows were traded on both sides of the North-West vs London divide and I suspect most of us fans feel a lot older this Monday [click to read more]
It is hard to describe the set of emotions you feel when you first realise that somebody is complete pillock. Should this person be a close friend, there is a mixture of disappointment and sadness, perhaps a feeling of responsibility for it all. On the other hand, when that person in Manchester City chairman Garry [click to read more]
This is officially the match where it became impossible to remain calm about what United can achieve this season, and it is only the third league game. For years now it has been a stock-in trade of United fans to mock those who over-celebrate in August, “come back in May” we always say. But after [click to read more]
The best time to face a Redknapp side is generally just before the transfer window closes. This season, as usual, Harry is playing another game of brinkmanship with his chairman and as such, Modric was out of the line up for Old Trafford and the 23 stone Rafael Van der Vaart started. United are having [click to read more]