Tom Reynolds

1 month ago | bbc.com | Tom Reynolds

Image source, Reuters"To find beauty in ugliness is the province of the poet. The most beautiful defeat of my career."Acclaimed English novelist Thomas Hardy and former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. At first glance, not obvious kindred spirits. But Hardy's thoughts - and Mourinho's hard-line pragmatism - actually make the origin of the above lines ambiguous: a post-match quote or a poet's postscript?

1 month ago | bbc.com | Tom Reynolds

Published5 minutes agoIt is early 2010 in northern Italy. The Champions League knockout stages are under way and Inter Milan are preparing to travel to Stamford Bridge with a one-goal first-leg lead to their name, following a 2-1 triumph in the San Siro a few weeks earlier. Inter manager Jose Mourinho should be worrying about how to protect that slender lead against his former employers.

Jan 30, 2024 | bbc.com | Tom Reynolds

What is it really like to play under 'genius' Guardiola? The second half of a new four-part Sporting Giants podcast series about Pep Guardiola has dropped on BBC Sounds - and it offers a fascinating insight into the second half of the career of the all-conquering Manchester City boss. The first two parts focus on the 53-year-old's glittering career firstly as a player - and then, most notably, as a manager with Barcelona.

Jan 29, 2024 | bbc.co.uk | Tom Reynolds

Last updated on .From the section European FootballA decision in time sends history down two very different tracks. In 1998, a Hollywood film starring Gwyneth Paltrow catapulted the term 'Sliding Doors' into popular lexicon. Ten years later, football had its own Sliding Doors moment. In the summer of 2008, Barcelona - managed by Frank Rijkaard - were a club stalled and set to fall. A second trophyless season in succession had ended with Barca third in La Liga and suffering ignominy at the Bernabeu.

Jan 15, 2024 | bbc.co.uk | Tom Reynolds

Sign up for notifications to the latest Insight features via the BBC Sport app and find the most recent in the series. The Atacama Desert, Chile. The driest non-polar desert on earth. Average annual rainfall? Under a millimetre, with some regions waiting decades between sparse showers. The temperature swings from 30C in the day to below freezing at night. It is a region so barren and devoid of life that Nasa regularly uses it to simulate and practise for their landings on Mars.