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      Chris Hughton appointed new Nottingham Forest manager after Sabri Lamouchi’s ‘cruel’ and ‘classless’ sacking

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      CHRIS HUGHTON took over as Nottingham Forest’s new boss after Sabri Lamouchi was brutally axed by controversial owner Evangelos Marinakis.
      And the former Brighton and Newcastle manager was given an early warning that failure will not be tolerated as he was rushed in with indecent haste.

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      Sabri Lamouchi was brutally shown the door by Nottingham ForestCredit: PA:Press Association

      Even Forest fans were stunned and embarrassed by the callous nature of the Frenchman’s sudden demise, just four months after Lamouchi signed a new two-year contract at the City Ground.
      The club’s official website broke the news that the deal had been terminated, shortly after 6:15pm in a blunt statement which amounted to just 18 words .
      “Nottingham Forest can confirm that the contract of head coach Sabri Lamouchi has been terminated with immediate effect,” it stated.
      Forest did not offer one word of thanks to the 48-year-old Frenchman – who missed out on a play-off place on the final day of last season – in a move even their own fans described as ‘cruel, classless,’ and ‘callous.’

      Within minutes of revealing Lamouchi had been axed Forest used the same forum to announce Hughton (61) as their new boss.
      That mirrored the speed with which Lamouchi arrived at the City Ground when he was appointed 18 minutes after Martin O’Neill’s sacking in June 2019.
      This time, the Frenchman was the fall-guy after a disastrous start to the season which has left Forest 22nd in the table following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Bristol City.
      The club statement said. “Nottingham Forest are delighted to announce the appointment of Chris Hughton as the club’s new manager.

      “Hughton joins the club with a wealth of managerial experience, leading both Newcastle United and Brighton to promotion from the Championship and going on to establish both teams in the Premier League.”
      The former Spurs and Republic of Ireland defender will be under no illusions he must repeat those promotion-winning campaigns with Forest or face the consequences as he becomes the club’s 13th manager in less than 10 years.

      Leeds complete £16m Raphinha transfer from Rennes as 23-year-old rapid winger signs four-year contract More

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      Premier League clubs braced for £500m reduction in TV money – before effects of coronavirus pandemic are factored in

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      PREMIER LEAGUE clubs have been warned they face a further cut in TV income — even without the cost of the pandemic.
      The 20 top-flight clubs were landed with paying a £330million rebate to broadcasters.

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      Norwich City hosted a trial run for hosting fans last month, since scrapped by the GovernmentCredit: PA:Press Association

      And the tender for the next three-year deal from the 2022-23 campaign goes out later this season.
      But  broadcast analyst Claire Enders suggests hopes of matching the current  deal, worth £5billion over three years, are unfeasible.
      Instead, Enders believes clubs must steel themselves for a £500m reduction.
      She said: “The last auction was post-peak, the takings were down and we expect that to continue.

      “Sky and BT overpaid for rights in the past and BT has suffered a  decline in its value.
      “Now the UK sports broadcasters are trying to think about reducing their rights costs.
      “Auctions are emotional affairs and in the past, BT has always blinked and written a  cheque. But they are now in a stronger position and both companies can afford to offer less.
      “The next auction could lead to a five-ten per cent decline in the rights values in the UK.” 

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      PL chief Richard Masters has pledged to get fans have in stadiums as soon as possibleCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      DIDIER DROGBA has the support of Fifa in his bid to become the new head of Ivory Coast football.
      The former Chelsea striker was ruled out of the race for allegedly failing  to meet the election requirements of official endorsers.
      But Fifa chiefs have stepped in to demand the  elections do not take place unless ‘The Drog’ is allowed to run.

      It comes as under-pressure Fifa president Gianni Infantino sent out a clear signal he is prepared to move the organisation from their Zurich headquarters and back to the original home of Paris.
      Infantino was in the French capital yesterday to meet President Emmanuel Macron and announce “the principle of  opening a Fifa office in Paris” next year. 
      And the message will not have been lost on the Swiss prosecutors  currently investigating Infantino’s secret  meetings with the  country’s former attorney general.

      Transfer Deadline Day – catch up on all the biggest transfers from the summer More

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      Man Utd in transfer deadline day panic mode… it’s either too little, or much too late

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      THERE IS something rather unbecoming about a deadline-day scramble for players.
      Particularly when your name is Manchester United.

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      Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is without the major signing he dreamt of this autumnCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Jadon Sancho was the clear priority at Old Trafford but did not arriveCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      It signals desperation. A bit like Harry Maguire trying to track Harry Kane.
      It does not look any better when the supposed ‘stellar’ arrival Edinson Cavani had his deal held up due to ‘image rights’.
      Just the image United needed when the abiding one in most of the fans’ heads is still of a pathetic 90 minutes at Old Trafford as they were hammered 6-1 by Tottenham on Sunday.
      After only three league games, the rush for reinforcements that boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer called for back in August already seems too late.

      When they arrive on deadline day the time to integrate them into the side is already lost.
      As it is, they will join a squad already in panic mode.
      Full-back Alex Telles, 27, who arrived tonight from Porto in a £15.5million deal will know what I mean when he lines up alongside Maguire and Victor Lindelof in a fortnight.
      Hopes that a pursuit of Cavani, 33, would signal ambition were quickly dismissed.

      Past his best, injury prone and hardly in demand having last played in March.
      Yes, he was a very good player — 341 goals in 556 club games tells you that.
      But just 35 games played in the last two years and only seven league starts last season for Paris Saint-Germain scoring four, suggests something else.
      It suggests they are getting more Radamel Falcao than Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
      This after a fruitless quest to land one of the brightest young stars in Europe in Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
      A bid that floundered much like their summer pursuit of Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona back in the summer of 2013 that ultimately derailed David Moyes before a ball had been kicked.

      Either United simply have an inability to get deals over the line or clubs are genuinely being unreasonable in their demands.

      You can look at this in two ways. Either United simply have an inability to get deals over the line or clubs are genuinely being unreasonable in their demands.
      Initially Porto wanted £10m more for Telles despite the fact he has only a year left on his contract.
      The days when United clicked their fingers and clubs simply laid down and had their tummies tickled are long gone.
      Ambition spreads beyond the traditional powerhouses. Just have a look at the current Premier League table. Despite being serial sellers in the past, Dortmund have put together a side to make a serious challenge for the Bundesliga and do not need the money right now.
      Let us not forget it was only a few months ago that United were seemingly back on track with a plan for the future.
      Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Maguire looked solid in a back-four that chalked up more clean sheets than any other club in Europe’s five main leagues last season.

      They conceded 36 league goals, Manchester City conceded 35 and Liverpool 33.
      Bruno Fernandes was being compared to Eric Cantona as the catalyst that could inspire this new young team that was being built.
      Meanwhile the famed academy had brought through another great talent in 19-year-old Mason Greenwood.
      Alongside Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, United had a dynamic front three that scored 62 goals between them last season.
      The team was the best of the rest after Liverpool and City and reached three semi-finals.
      They ended the season on a 14-game unbeaten league run. There is no doubt they ran out of steam by the time they lost to Sevilla in the Europa League semi-final but that was their 61st game.

      They had a break of just 34 days between that game and the opening day defeat to Crystal Palace.
      In that time Maguire found himself arrested by the Greek police, while in the first international break Greenwood was kicked out of the England squad for breaching strict team protocol.
      Now these are just a few facts that I am placing in United’s defence.
      What they are guilty of is standing still when they need to push on with three signings earmarked early on to be done quickly when last season closed.
      Donny van de Beek was a good acquisition at £40m, why he has not started one of the first three league games is another matter.
      The plans for the long-term ‘reboot’ are still in place as their pursuit of two 18-year-old wingers proved.

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      Can Alex Telles revamp United’s ailing defenceCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Edinson Cavani could end up being more Radamel Falcao than Zlatan IbrahimovicCredit: PA:Press Association

      They negotiated all day for Uruguayan Facundo Pellistri from Penarol who has been tracked by all Europe’s top clubs.
      Meanwhile they have been watching Atalanta’s Amad Traore for three years and are convinced of his potential.
      Yet after three years they only just got him signed as the clock ticked towards the deadline.
      There lies the problem.

      Man Utd complete £37m transfer for 18-year-old Amad Traore from Atalanta as Solskjaer looks to future talent More

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      England aces Ben Chilwell, Jadon Sancho and Tammy Abraham breach Covid rules at party 36 hours before Three Lions duty

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      ENGLAND stars Ben Chilwell, Jadon Sancho and Tammy Abraham have been filmed attending a packed birthday party ahead of today’s squad meet-up.
      The football stars were in a gathering of about 20 friends and family, clearly flouting strict Covid-19 laws.

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      Birthday boy Tammy Abraham dancing among guests on Saturday

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      Abraham folds over laughing as Chilwell grins at the camera

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      Singing Sancho belts out a tune as his face mask hangs around his chin

      With all three due to play against Wales on Thursday, it is feared they have put the national team in jeopardy.
      There seemed to be little social distancing at Saturday’s surprise bash for Abraham’s 23rd birthday.
      The party at his London mansion came just 36 hours before the trio report for England duty. 
      One reveller said: “It was a great party. We wanted to do something nice for his birthday. But maybe we didn’t think it through.”

      Coronavirus laws ban people from mixing in groups of more than six, with fines of up to £10,000.
      Footage from the party, following Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Crystal Palace in which left-back Chilwell scored, circulated on social media. One video shows Chilwell, 23, laughing with team-mate Abraham after spotting him chatting to a blonde.
      Striker Abraham is filmed alongside his girlfriend, Leah Monroe, as a group of about 20 sing Happy Birthday.
      Borussia Dortmund winger Sancho, 20, with a mask around his chin, is seen dancing in a crowd.

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      Chelsea team-mates Abraham and Chilwell on the pitchCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Jadon Sancho plays as a winger for Borussia DortmundCredit: Rex Features

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      The footballers’ breach of Covid rules comes as a headache for Gareth SouthgateCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      The FA examined footage and said there will be no change to the England team at this stage.
      There has been no reaction yet from England boss Gareth Southgate with players due this morning at St George’s Park, Staffs.
      Stars will be tested for Covid-19 and stay in an isolation bubble before the Wembley friendly.

      Southgate left two other young stars, Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood, out of the squad for breaching Covid protocols with two Icelandic beauties last month.
      A source close to Abraham said of the party: “He genuinely had no idea it was going to happen. He and Sancho didn’t drink alcohol.

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      Abraham and Chilwell at the birthday bash

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      The party was held at Abraham’s plush London mansion 

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      Sancho was among a group of about 20 singing Happy Birthday

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      Jadon Sancho was also filmed dancing in a crowd

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      A source close to Tammy Abraham said the party was a surprise to him

      “It was family and very close friends only — and they even did temperature checks on arrival.”
      Abraham said: “I arrived home to find a small surprise gathering.
      “Though I was totally unaware this was planned, I would like to wholeheartedly apologise for the naivety shown for the organisation and attending of this gathering.
      “All I can do now is learn from it, apologise to everyone and ensure it never happens again.”

      Gareth Southgate hits back at Jose Mourinho and insists it’s Tottenham’s job to look after Harry Kane for England
      GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk More

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      Furious Southgate to tell England stars to stop embarrassing themselves after Sancho, Abraham & Chilwell’s Covid breach

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      FURIOUS Gareth Southgate will tell his England players to stop embarrassing themselves.
      Tammy Abraham, Ben Chilwell and Jadon Sancho were pictured breaking Covid rules by going to a party – despite six people being the limit of socialising.

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      England’s Chelsea duo Tammy Abraham and Ben Chilwell were at the party, breaching the rule of six

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      England’s Borussia Dortmund attacker Jadon Sancho was also at the gathering

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      Three Lions’ boss Gareth Southgate says his players must adapt to the situationCredit: Rex Features

      Southgate will hammer home the point to the players at a team meeting at St George’s Park ahead of Thursday’s match with Wales.
      Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden broke lockdown rules in Iceland by inviting two women to their hotel.
      Southgate was already planning to address his squad that includes several uncapped and inexperienced players.
      The England boss will not “read the riot act” to his players but will warn them firmly they have to behave.

      All the players will be tested for coronavirus today before having a light training session because so many players were in Premier League action yesterday.
      ‘STRANGE ENVIRONMENT’
      Last week Southgate said: “I guess what I would say is that players who have worked with us for a long time know how we operate and know that we won’t duck decisions.
      “What we found in the last camp was lots of new players coming in so I think that maybe as a reminder when you have got lots of new players that you have to be a little more… not assuming that people are going to understand how you work and pick it up from the rest of the group.
      “In what we are dealing with at the moment the interaction with the group is more difficult.

      “Players are not allowed to sit so long together and chat.
      “It’s hard for senior players to mentor younger ones in quite the same way because we are having to sit in masks all the time, we can only sit together for 15 minutes.

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      England axed Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood after they broke lockdown rules by inviting girls back to the team hotel in IcelandCredit: Reuters
      “We are having to socially distance. It’s a really strange environment and not so easy for players coming in.
      “But I think always, you have to work at culture. It never is embedded forever, Its constantly evolving.
      “The team group is constantly evolving as players come and go.
      “So you have always got to keep affecting that, keep addressing that and we will discuss the shirt, what it means to wear the shirt and some reminders on how we work but that’s not a case of reading the riot act.
      “That’s a case of asking the players what sort of team they want to be involved in and be a part of and I think they have shown so many positives over the last years but we had not been together for 10 months.

      “We addressed some of that last time round but obviously when something like what has happened has happened we have to revisit that.”
      England face Wales in a friendly before Nations League matches against Belgium on Sunday and Denmark three days later.
      Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Buyako Saka, Harvey Barnes and Dean Henderson  are hoping to win their first caps.

      England footballers Ben Chilwell and Jadon Sancho filmed at surprise birthday party for Tammy Abraham More

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      Three Lions stars Ben Chilwell, Tammy Abraham and Jadon Sancho flout Covid rules 36 hours before England duty at party

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      ENGLAND stars Ben Chilwell, Tammy Abraham and Jadon Sancho have been filmed attending a packed birthday party ahead of today’s squad meet-up.
      The footballers were in a gathering of about 20 friends and family, clearly flouting strict Covid-19 laws.

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      Birthday boy Tammy Abraham dancing among guests on Saturday

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      Abraham folds over laughing as Chilwell grins at the camera

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      Singing Sancho belts out a tune as his face mask hangs around his chin

      With all three due to play against Wales on Thursday, it is feared they have put the national team in jeopardy. There seemed to be little social distancing at Saturday’s surprise bash for Abraham’s 23rd birthday. The party at his London mansion came just 36 hours before the trio report for England duty. 
      One reveller said: “It was a great party. We wanted to do something nice for his birthday. But maybe we didn’t think it through.”
      Coronavirus laws ban people from mixing in groups of more than six, with fines of up to £10,000. Footage from the party, following Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Crystal Palace in which left-back Chilwell scored, circulated on social media. One video shows Chilwell, 23, laughing with team-mate Abraham after spotting him chatting to a blonde.
      Striker Abraham is filmed alongside his girlfriend, Leah Monroe, as a group of about 20 sing Happy Birthday. Borussia Dortmund winger Sancho, 20, with a mask around his chin, is seen dancing in a crowd.

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      Chelsea team-mates Abraham and Chilwell on the pitchCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Jadon Sancho plays as a winger for Borussia DortmundCredit: Rex Features

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      The footballers’ breach of Covid rules comes as a headache for Gareth SouthgateCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      The FA examined footage and said there will be no change to the England team at this stage.
      There has been no reaction yet from England boss Gareth Southgate with players due this morning at St George’s Park, Staffs. Stars will be tested for Covid-19 and stay in an isolation bubble before the Wembley friendly.
      Southgate left two other young stars, Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood, out of the squad for breaching Covid protocols with two Icelandic beauties last month.
      A source close to Abraham said of the party: “He genuinely had no idea it was going to happen. He and Sancho didn’t drink alcohol.

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      Abraham and Chilwell at the birthday bash

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      The party was held at Abraham’s plush London mansion 

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      Sancho was among a group of about 20 singing Happy Birthday

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      Jadon Sancho was also filmed dancing in a crowd

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      A source close to Tammy Abraham said the party was a surprise to him

      “It was family and very close friends only — and they even did temperature checks on arrival.”
      Abraham said: “I arrived home to find a small surprise gathering.
      “Though I was totally unaware this was planned, I would like to wholeheartedly apologise for the naivety shown for the organisation and attending of this gathering.
      “All I can do now is learn from it, apologise to everyone and ensure it never happens again.”

      Gareth Southgate hits back at Jose Mourinho and insists it’s Tottenham’s job to look after Harry Kane for England
      GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk More

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      West Ham are blowing everyone away as David Moyes’ switch to 5-4-1 works wonders in Leicester and Wolves thrashings

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      WEST HAM aren’t just blowing bubbles — they’re blowing teams away in the Premier League thanks to a system that’s got them flying high.
      It may have taken them a while to get it right but David Moyes and his men are thriving following a return to a 5-4-1 formation.

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      West Ham ran riot away at Leicester on Sunday as they eased to a 3-0 victoryCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      They have now had two clean sheets in a row after just one in their previous 20 Premier League matches.
      And in those last couple of games they have had 31 per cent and 37 per cent possession — but scored seven goals.
      With the 5-4-1 set-up — which Moyes used in his first spell — they have got pace to get forward to support Michail Antonio really quickly.
      That’s what they did against Wolves last week.

      They sat back and just countered really well to grab a 4-0 win — and they did exactly the same on Sunday as they won 3-0 at Leicester.
      They defended with 6½ and attacked with 3½, with Tomas Soucek doing a bit of both.
      They had a back five with Declan Rice sitting and Soucek occasionally getting forward.
      But it was mainly Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen supporting Antonio, who was magnificent playing against three central defenders.

      When West Ham are playing a team where they are expected to dominate possession, things will have to change, with them probably switching to a 3-4-3 — but the same personnel can be used.
      But their next three matches are Tottenham away, Manchester City at home and Liverpool at Anfield — and 5-4-1 could work well for those games.
      They played 4-2-3-1 at home for their first game, losing 2-0 to Newcastle, and changed to the 5-4-1 system at Arsenal — and it seems to have worked really well for them.
      There is a certain irony that they have found this winning formula when Moyes is having to self-isolate.
      Fans might ask why it has taken so long to put their faith in the system again.
      But that is football — it is just maybe after they got beaten by Newcastle, they went to Arsenal wanting to be defensively sound and still a real threat on the counter-attack.
      It worked so well, they have stuck with it and it looks like they are on to a winner.

      West Ham clinch £4m transfer for Vladimir Coufal as they sign Slavia Prague right-back on three-year deal More

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      Lionel Messi is a God but the current mess Barcelona are in shows even he may be running out of miracles

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      THINGS are bound to look better after a 4-0 victory.
      I’m not talking about West Ham’s against Wolves, although that certainly brightened our start to the season.

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      LIonel Messi decided to stick around at Barcelona – but it might just be for one more seasonCredit: AFP or licensors

      No, it was Barcelona’s against Villarreal.
      In Catalonia at least, Barca are regarded as the biggest club in the world, the best-supported club in the world — with the best player in the world.
      The fact they failed to win LaLiga last season, they haven’t won the Champions’ League in five years, lost a fortune and two managers in a few months and that Lionel Messi was set to go elsewhere a few weeks ago is considered by millions of supporters to be temporary and misleading.
      That may well be. But even the current Barca are regarded by the owners as a mess brought about by the policies of the people who voted them onto the board.

      Because, as you may well know, the club is owned by the fans.
      This is both a strength and a weakness.
      Strength is the democratic connection between supporters and the club; weakness can be in overall management structure.
      No fewer than 11 of 21 directors have left in recent times.

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      Ronald Koeman is the new man in the Barca dugoutCredit: Reuters

      In the immediate post-Pep Guardiola years, the team maintained their success rate, winning LaLiga repeatedly and the treble in 2014-15.
      This was quite a feat for Josep Maria Bartomeu, who was appointed emergency president in 2014 before being elected two years later.
      Neymar’s sale to Paris Saint-Germain in the same year coincided with a change in fortunes.
      Soon the erosion was to become a landslide.
      And there is no doubt that the ageing team was badly mishandled. Led by Messi, the veteran players oozed power.
      Managers came and went — Gerardo Martino, Luis Enrique, Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien.

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      Messi is sticking aorund for another year, then tipped to join Manchester CityCredit: AFP or licensors
      Players did the same and nearly £1billion was spent on no fewer than 28 of them.
      Neymar broke away from the famous MSN formation, departing for a world-record £200m, and now Luis Suarez has gone to Atletico Madrid, leaving only the unhappy Messi.
      Most of us would be happy on a reputed £600,000-a-week but the great Argentinian knows a slump when he plays in it.
      He already seems determined to leave at the end of his contract next year and he will re-start his career at 34, possibly with mentor Guardiola at Manchester City.
      Like Sir Alex Ferguson, Guardiola has the ability to re-create champions.
      Bartomeu said he will not stand for re-election next year, deserting new boss Ronald Koeman, once renowned as a free-kick scorer during six seasons at Barca.

      As a manager of nine clubs, including Southampton and Everton, free kicks are about all his teams have won.
      And this Barcelona is no free kick of a job. He has been chosen, I suspect, to be the tough guy Bartomeu requires.
      The haste and lack of appreciation with which Suarez was hustled away to Atletico is Koeman’s statement.
      Messi was so upset he claimed his mate was ‘thrown out.’
      Messi is a God in Catalonia but he is running short of football miracles.
      Barcelona’s dependence on him may have become a deadweight and it is certainly possible that a new president will have a clearer view once he goes. More