
IN FREEZING cold weather conditions on a Thursday night amid the post-Christmas and new year lull, you could forgive a football stadium for not being at its best, but somehow, even in the most testing times, Goodison Park always turns up.
It continues to do so despite the Everton FC of recent years playing some of its worst football since a notoriously bad spell in 1994. At times, it might even have been worse.

The captain’s emotional performance in Argentina’s win over Venezuela had all the markings of a farewell. But if history is any guide, the legend may not be done just yet, writes JAMES NALTON

As football grapples with overloaded calendars and commercial pressure, the Mariners’ triumph reminds us why the game’s soul lives far from the spotlight, writes JAMES NALTON

JAMES NALTON takes a look at the German league’s move to grow its audience in Britain, and around the future of football on TV in general