Golds and Goals sports moments: Has Jose run his course at Man Utd?

So many sports happenings, so little time – but we’re here to help. Yahoo News Singapore picks the top sporting moments of this past week, and tries to make sense of what had happened.

1. Man dis-United as Special One flounders

Jose Mourinho does not do long-term football development. He is a manager who comes into a club, motivates his players to give their all, works them extra hard for one or two years, wins plenty of trophies, and then leaves in a huff as the players grow sick of his demanding style.

He is probably the main reason why there are talks of a crisis at Manchester United now, as the illustrious club suffered a shocking 3-1 defeat by West Ham United on Saturday (29 September). Already with three losses after seven games, it is the Red Devils’ worst start to an English Premier League season, as the 13-time champions languish in 10th place and nine points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

What was more galling to United fans was the way their team capitulated. Lifeless and bereft of ideas, it was a far cry from their title-winning squads’ never-say-die intensity. And Mourinho cut a sullen figure on the sidelines, unable to cajole his players to battle back from a two-goal deficit against the Hammers.

Is “The Special One” losing the support of the dressing room after three years at the helm? His ongoing public spat with Paul Pogba may seem justified given that the French midfielder is hardly influential in most games, but his expensive signings such as Alexis Sanchez, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof have flopped badly. Adding to these woes is his mistrust of young players like Marcus Rashford, and it all seems like a toxic environment at Old Trafford right now.

Former United favourite Gary Neville tweeted on Sunday that “it’s not the manager, it’s the lack of football leadership above him. They are bouncing all over the place with no plan”. Not surprisingly, fans are in a deep gloom at the team’s disarray. Rival fans, though, are gleefully adding fire to the flame on social media:

2. Mercedes team order ruins F1 race

Lewis Hamilton is probably the best Formula One driver of this generation. His Mercedes GP team are one of the most dominant teams this decade, and his teammate Valtteri Bottas is one of the nicest guys in the F1 paddock.

All these factors led to an unsavoury finale at the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday, as Mercedes orders a race-leading Bottas to let Hamilton – the overall leader in the drivers’ standings – overtake and take maximum points from the race.

Fans booed at this blatant team order, Hamilton was embarrassed by his win, and Bottas cut a disappointed but resigned figure amid awkward scenes on the podium. But Mercedes got what they wanted: Hamilton is a comfortable 50 points ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel with five races remaining in the season.

Yet, this is precisely why F1 continues to annoy sports purists. Team orders are not banned by F1, but they almost always leave a bad impression all around, as they go against the spirit of competition. If the new American F1 owners wish to revive the flagging popularity of the sport, they need to take a long hard look at whether team orders are turning fans away.

3. Fitting final putt for Ryder Cup win

To Asian golf fans, it must be hard to appreciate the Ryder Cup, which was played in France last week and won by Team Europe. Firstly, it is a team event, unlike most regular tournaments which are of the individual stroke-play format. Secondly, Asian golfers do not play in the event, which is traditionally Team Europe v Team USA. So it is always jarring to see wild celebration scenes among fans and golfers at the Cup, when it is such a distant and unrelatable event.

Nevertheless, the Ryder Cup offers a fascinating look at golfers when they play as a team, as compared to their usual individual pursuits. Some golfers flourish, like Sergio Garcia or Ian Poulter. Surprisingly, golf greats like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson flounder in this format. Maybe they are not wired to be team players.

Even if you are not an avid golf fan, you can appreciate one of the most befitting final shots of any golf tournament, as Team Europe’s Alex Noren lands the final point for his winning team with a monstrous putt:

4. LeBron James gets ready for his close-up

The 2018/19 National Basketball Association (NBA) season is still more than two weeks away, but teams have already began their pre-season game schedules, as they prepare for the upcoming six-month-long grind.

But there is no doubt who the biggest spotlight will be on: LeBron James in his new Los Angeles Lakers jersey. The three-time NBA champion left the Cleveland Cavaliers for LA’s showbiz glitz and incessant media glare, and he will have his work cut out to lead an exciting but inexperienced Lakers team to the playoffs, let alone the NBA title.

James’s every move will be analysed from all camera angles. Already the media is going gaga over his first points for his new team – a long three-pointer against Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Who cares if it was an inconsequential pre-season game – the @KingJames era is officially underway in LA.

5. Albirex dominance raises eyebrows again

Albirex Niigata (Singapore), a satellite football team from their Japanese parent club, ended their triumphant Singapore Premier League season with a 2-1 win over Warriors FC at Choa Chu Kang Stadium on Saturday (30 September).

This is the third straight year they have won the top-tier league title in Singapore, and they have extended their dominance by going unbeaten through the 24-match season and finishing a record 23 points more than runners-up Home United.

Again, questions will be asked of the declining standard of Singapore football, and of the rationale in having a predominantly-Japanese team in the country’s domestic league. Will the rest of the league be too demoralised to even bother trying to catch up with Albirex, or will they be spurred on to try and emulate Albirex’s professionalism and success?