Sport

Respected King Louis, Watching Manchester United beat West Bromwich Albion on Saturday was a pleasant surprise – I was actually enjoying the match! The side-passes no longer seemed an excuse to keep possession, rather appeared to be a calculated ploy to open up the congested midfield; Rooney’s lack of shooting at goal did not trouble me as long as he linked up with Carrick, Mata and Martial; passing back to the goalkeeper was not a sign of unwillingness to play forward. In fact, it meant the birth of a new attack. Maybe, just maybe, I’m starting to get the philosophy – something of an acquired taste. Having Daley Blind at centre-back now makes sense. He is, after all, the modern-day playmaker in your book. Rooney not racking up goals should not be a worry as long as he is not breaking...

Dear Fabian, We have deliberately taken our time before writing you this letter because we are loathe to make any rash statements that we may later regret, even once, let alone twice. It's been a while now since you completed your messy, faith-destroying move to Manchester City and ensured your new status as Villa Park's public enemy No.1. But those 'Delph You Snake!' banners, those Facebook clips of fans burning replica shirts bearing your name, those mocking memes on social media all could have been avoided if only you had not laid it on so thick. If only you had not tried to trumpet yourself as the second coming of commitment, if only you had not awarded yourself the loyal seal of approval. You could have gone to Manchester City with your reputation intact had you not...

Dear Eden, We fans, know you’re going through a tough phase at the moment. But hey, which professional footballer hasn't been there? All footballer’s have a bad phase in their career. That doesn’t mean the fans will stop believing in them. There is no reason as to why the player should stop believing in himself as well. It’s how you, as a player, back yourself and don't lose hope. It’s how the fans stand by the player and cheer him through the good and the bad. Not only footballer’s, every person has a tough time and it’s all about how that person fights back to overcome it. Well, that’s what we fans are doing Hazard. We still believe in you. We are still waiting for that old Hazard to be back. We miss that Hazard who would single-handedly dribble past player after player and create...

Steve McClaren is yet to win a game since taking charge this summer, and the midweek cup exit has done nothing to improve the atmosphere around the club. In the wake of Newcastle 's disappointing defeat by Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup, the club's managing director has reached out to fans. Steve McClaren is yet to win a game since taking charge this summer, and the midweek cup exit has done nothing to improve the atmosphere around the club. But Lee Charnley, in an open letter to supporters, has called for unity. Charnley wrote: "We made a pledge to communicate more effectively with you and when we did so, we were aware this must be the case through thick and thin, in the bad times as well as the good." He added: "There is no hiding from the fact that this has...