By Manchester United’s standards, 2014 was a disappointing calendar year for the English Premier League club. 2015 went only slightly better, but the club went through the entire month of December without a win, crashing out of the Champions League, a competition where the Red Devils were considered perennial title contenders not long ago.

2016 has started much better for the club, especially when one solely looks at the results. They began with a win over Swansea, before needing a late penalty to see off Sheffield United in the third round of the FA Cup – the stage where all EPL & Championship clubs enter the competition. It wasn’t a convincing performance by any means, but in the Cup’s single-elimination format, any kind of win will do. United followed that result with an entertaining 3-3 draw at Newcastle; the Red Devils were unlucky to not get all three points, but they did get three against Liverpool, in a rivalry where results always matter, regardless of the teams’ fortune in a given season.

Saturday, however, brought a 1-0 loss at Old Trafford to Southampton, in a game where United seemed bored and uninterested in winning. Fans are casting much of the blame at manager Louis van Gaal, who has drawn criticism for his dull style of play at Old Trafford. Players are reportedly just as frustrated as the fans, and following Saturday’s loss the manager said supporters were right to boo him. This pattern has been going on for several months this season, with the Dutchman once admitting earlier in the campaign that he is concerned about job security. However, when asked a similar question Saturday, he gave a defiant No comment-esque reply. The question seems to be will United management let van Gaal see out the rest of the season, or will they make a change mid-year just like they did with David Moyes two years ago?

The other debate is who would replace van Gaal as the full-time manager. Former legend Ryan Giggs has been serving as an assistant, and many supporters would like to see him in charge one day, but the Welshman may want to consider taking a job at a lower-level club and work his way up before becoming the manager at Old Trafford. It’s no secret that Jose Mourinho has long wanted United’s manager; in another world, he would have succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. This weekend, the Portuguese wrote a six-page letter detailing how his desire to manage United hasn’t wavered, and how he’d be willing to abandon his “park the bus” tactics in favor of the club’s traditional attacking style of play.

Manchester United is next in action at Derby County in the fourth round of the FA Cup. A win there would not only end United’s nasty recent habit of early Cup exits in even-numbered years, but could persuade management to let Louis van Gaal at least finish out the season. That mentality could change depending on how the club performs in February – including the Europa League tie with Midtjylland – but right now all eyes are on the matchup with the Rams.

Do you think Louis van Gaal will be sacked before the season’s end? Leave a comment below!

Those in Switzerland look to Roger Federer. Those in Spain look to Rafael Nadal. Depending on the generation, those in the United States, looked to John McEnroe, or Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Most nations have produced tennis idols for compatriots to root for with little difficulty, as very few players in the sport personify a “villain” role on purpose, let alone embrace it. For Australians, their most popular tennis player this century has been Lleyton Hewitt, whose singles career ended Thursday with a loss to David Ferrer.

Hewitt represented a new form of tennis role model for Australians in the way that John Newcombe, Rod Laver, and others had for previous generations. He didn’t possess any sort of brash behavior or arrogance that would’ve made him a “love-to-hate” figure for American or European followers. He did, though, have a signature look wearing a baseball cap backwards with long hair, making him recognizable to most casual fans.

On the court, he may not have been the most decorated tennis player in history, but did well enough to win two majors – the U.S. Open in 2001 and Wimbledon the following summer. He reached the finals of two more Grand Slams – the 2004 U.S. Open and 2005 Australian Open. While he could never win his home Grand Slam, he remained, and will continue to remain, a hero of Australian sport.

Thursday’s second round match against David Ferrer represented a celebration of sorts for the Adelaide native. Hewitt provided multiple classic shots while donning a baseball cap worn backwards, even though the long hair is long gone. In the end, however, Ferrer showed even though he’s not much younger, the Spaniard is in the form of his life, cruising to the third round in straight sets. Recognizing the importance of the moment, however, Ferrer was extremely cordial to Hewitt, at some times apologetic during his post-match interview that he had to be the one who ended Hewitt’s singles career.

Australian Open executives handled the occasion brilliantly, as well. Usually it’s the winner who speaks last, but Hewitt had the last word, while a tribute video from current giants like Federer, Nadal, and Andy Murray congratulated the two-time major champion. ESPN3’s feed also showed a poignant moment of Hewitt walking out of Rod Laver Arena with his three children, through the walkway to the locker room, with a closing shot of his likeness on a door with the phrase, “Thanks, Mate!”

Lleyton Hewitt is still in the men’s doubles competition; he and fellow Aussie Sam Groth will face Henri Kontinen & John Peers in the second round Saturday. But he’s more remembered for his feats in singles play, where the future looks bright for Australian men. Two of the nation’s biggest up-and-comers – Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic – have already worked their way up to the point where they each receive seeds at Grand Slam tournaments. Although Kyrgios lost his third round match Friday, Tomic has an opportunity to set up a Round of 16 showdown with Andy Murray. Both players looked up to Lleyton Hewitt for the past decade, and now it’s their turn to be the face of men’s tennis in Australia.

That’s the impact of Lleyton Hewitt. Fans worldwide thank him for the memories.

All-star games in professional sports leagues are tricky to begin with; one of the key criticisms being that if a game is held mid-season, there’s a chance that a star player will be injured, which would impact his team’s playoff chances. This year, the NHL is attracting controversy to its All-Star Game for a different reason.

The big story this season is the Arizona Coyotes’ John Scott being selected to play in the game. As this SB Nation article explains, Scott isn’t a household name among most NHL fans, so partially out of a desire to annoy NHL executives, they selected Scott to serve as one of the captains. The controversy took a new twist when the veteran learned on Friday he would be not only be traded to the Montreal Canadiens, but his new club assigned him to their AHL affiliate, making him ineligible for the All-Star Game.

However, the news earlier this week was that Scott would have his ASG eligibility re-instated, meaning he will be captains for one of the teams. Going back to the SB nation article, originally he shared executives’ lack of enthusiasm for the idea, but slowly warmed up to being an All Star, and getting a chance to realize that will be a unique opportunity for him and his family.

The whole situation brings this question to light: are All Star Games nothing more than popularity contests? Had John Scott already been a household name among hockey fans, the NHL would not have had a problem with the result, as it was their idea to have a fan vote. The league has been trying to promote itself to new fans with promising ideas, but their initial action to disregard the fan vote puts a severe limit on the amount of credibility they could’ve gained. If something like this happens next year, how will the NHL react to that occurrence?

The NHL All-Star Weekend will be held the final weekend of January in Nashville. Instead of one traditional game, each of the four divisions will have an 11-man roster, competing in 3-on-3 games to determine which division wins the ASG Final. Scott, having been on the Coyotes’ roster during the fan vote, will captain the Pacific Division.

In any collegiate sport, being the top-ranked team in the country means a lot of pressure to perform well. That pressure is easily evident in college basketball, where several teams are ranked #1 throughout a year; some reach that ranking multiple times in the same season.

Monday saw Oklahoma receive the #1 ranking in both major Division I basketball polls following a Kansas loss the previous week. The Sooners fell that evening at Iowa State, the third time this season a top-ranked has lost in Iowa. Earlier in the year, Northern Iowa stunned North Carolina, followed by Iowa edging Michigan State in a Big Ten rivalry. The Sooners came into Monday’s game with the Cyclones off a tough home win over West Virginia; had the Mountaineers won in Norman, WVU would’ve had a legitimate argument to be ranked #1. Now a new #1 will be announced next Monday, with all eyes focused on whether or not that team can stay atop the rankings for more than a week.

Monday also saw a major upset in Division II basketball as Concord upset the top-ranked team, West Liberty. The Hilltoppers have been the standard-bearer of the Mountain East Conference, but the Mountain Lions enjoyed a quick start against WLU in Athens, West Virginia. The Hilltoppers did rally to go into halftime on top, but Concord rallied for a 108-93 win that will mean a new top-ranked team in Division II next week. It could also prove to be a pivotal step for Concord, who just missed out on a berth in last year’s Division II Tournament; this might be the spark leading to a run that puts the Mountain Lions in this year’s tournament.

The story of rotating top-ranked teams is a drastic change from the main plot line of the 2014-15 basketball season; would Kentucky be able to go undefeated throughout an entire season? As it turned out, that wouldn’t be the case, but it was a fun story for neutrals to follow. This season, the story is the supposed “curse” of being #1, as the sport is now two months away from March Madness. How many more top-ranked teams will fall between now and March?

Coming into this week, West Virginia men’s basketball had not won against a top-ranked team in more than 30 years. That changed Tuesday night, as the Mountaineers defeated #1 Kansas 74-63 in Morgantown. It’s the third straight home win for West Virginia over the Jayhawks, an impressive feat considering the fact that Kansas continues to be the standard-bearer for Big 12 men’s basketball.

What makes it unique is the circumstances of the last two matchups at the WVU Coliseum. The game in 2015 came in the midst of a snowstorm that affected nearly the entire Mountain State, canceling school in some areas for a whole week. Tuesday brought another snowstorm; though not as severe as last year, it was enough for schools to either have a delayed start or an early dismissal. A very unique coincidence given the WVU-Kansas matchup both evenings, but it is indeed a coincidence.

With Tuesday’s win, West Virginia is the last remaining Big 12 team yet to lose in conference play. Their only loss of the season came at the Jimmy V Classic in New York City, where they were in control against Virginia late in the first half, until the Cavaliers pulled away in the second to win. Apart from that game, the Mountaineers were rarely tested until their meeting with the Jayhawks, where they proved they are a force to be reckoned with.

Next for West Virginia: a trip to Norman and second-ranked Oklahoma. The Mountaineers have not won in Norman since joining the Big 12, but the opportunity still remains; very rarely has one team played the top two teams in the country in the same week. Even if the Mountaineers fall Saturday, it’s likely they’ll find themselves in the top ten of both major basketball polls come next Monday.

As for Kansas, they can look at the degrees of success other Mountaineer opponents have had since playing WVU. Marshall, for example, had a poor start to the season even before the Capital Classic loss to the Mountaineers; the Thundering Herd have since opened Conference USA play on a win streak, albeit all their games so far have been at home, where they generally have more success. Virginia Tech took the lessons learned from a December 30 loss to WVU and began ACC play with two straight wins – including a win over in-state rival Virginia – although the Hokies did lose convincingly to Duke. How the Jayhawks respond to Tuesday’s outcome will have a big impact on what happens February 9 when West Virginia pays a visit to Lawrence.

Is this the year West Virginia breaks through and becomes a true Big 12 contender? The jury is still out for this season, but all signs indicate that may be the case in the near future.

Starting with the 2006-07 college football postseason, the Big Ten has been a punching bag of sorts when it came to significant bowl games. In the 2006 regular season, Ohio State & Michigan closed the campaign against each other in a battle of the top two ranked teams in the country, and the game indeed lived up to the hype. But the Wolverines, then Buckeyes, both struggled mightily in their BCS bowl games.

Last year was a bounce-back for the league, starting first and foremost with the Buckeyes winning the national title. Ohio State rallied to beat top seed Alabama, before running away from Oregon in the national championship game. But Michigan State, the other Big Ten team in the New Year’s Six, earned a win over Baylor in the Cotton Bowl. Several other teams had good showings in New Year’s Day bowl games.

This season, 10 of the 14 teams made bowl games. Two of those – Minnesota & Nebraska – made it despite going 5-7 in the season, but the lack of eligible teams from other conferences allowed the Golden Gophers and Cornhuskers to get in. To their credit, both teams took full advantage, winning their games.

Meanwhile, three teams – Iowa, Michigan State, and Ohio State – were selected for New Year’s Six games. The Buckeyes, left out of the playoff after a loss to the Spartans, dominated from start to finish in a 44-28 Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame. In what turned out to be the final collegiate game for many Buckeye stars, closing the year in this fashion provided a nice consolation prize.

The Hawkeyes and Spartans – who faced each other in the Big Ten Championship Game – did not fare as well. League champion Michigan State was shut out convincingly by Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, where the Spartans began 2015 with a win over Baylor. Part of this was the Crimson Tide’s determination to not make the same mistakes they committed in last year’s Sugar Bowl, but the Spartans looked outmatched for much of the contest. Had Connor Cook’s one pass late in the first half gone for a touchdown instead of an interception, would the game have shifted dramatically? Maybe in terms of the final score, but Alabama, behind Heisman winner Derrick Henry, showed they were the better team on the field that given night.

Iowa came agonizingly close to the College Football Playoff, meaning their Rose Bowl matchup with Stanford offered an opportunity for redemption. But on the very first play from scrimmage, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey caught a touchdown pass on a play that symbolized how the rest of the afternoon would play out. After a perfect regular season, the Hawkeyes’ gut-wrenching end will leave the team asking themselves how to rebuild and get ready for 2016.

The other Big Ten bowl results: Wisconsin edged USC in an exciting Holiday Bowl, while Michigan dominated Florida in the Citrus Bowl in the same manner as Ohio State’s win. On the flip side, Tennessee – one of those teams that in another world would’ve won the SEC with the way their games went – ran over Northwestern in the Outback Bowl. Penn State did lose to Georgia in the TaxSlayer Bowl, but the Nittany Lions nearly pulled off an improbable comeback that gives the team hope for 2016, even with several key players leaving early for the NFL Draft.

So the Big Ten finishes the 2015-16 bowl season 5-5. But the two facts that cannot be overlooked; two blowout losses in New Year’s Six games, one of them a playoff semifinal, coupled with two of the wins coming from 5-7 teams, means it could be a long offseason before the conference gets a chance to repair its image.

In one sense, the 2015 Ohio State Buckeyes football team achieved one of its goals set when it began presesason camp; they’ll be spending the postseason in Glendale, Arizona.

However, it won’t be at the time of year the Buckeyes were hoping for.

Instead of playing on January 11 in the second College Football Playoff championship game, Ohio State will be in the Fiesta Bowl New Year’s Day against Notre Dame. It’s a rematch of the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, where the Buckeyes beat the Fighting Irish 34-20 in the final edition of the bowl game played at Sun Devil Stadium.

Speaking of that change, it’s one that affected the Buckeyes in trips to Arizona. Ohio State won the Fiesta Bowls in 2003, 2004, and 2006 (winning the national championship as well in ’03), with all of those games played in Tempe. They returned to the state for the 2007 BCS National Championship, at the new University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale (this was the first year of the BCS adding a separate championship game) . That night did not go well for Buckeye fans, as Urban Meyer and Florida took the title in a 41-14 win that began the SEC’s streak of championships. Ohio State also lost the 2009 Fiesta Bowl to Texas, as the Longhorns scored a late touchdown to win 24-21.

The game from a decade ago was the final collegiate game for many Buckeye stars, including some players – notably A.J. Hawk & Santonio Holmes – who would go on to success in the NFL. New Year’s Day 2016 will mark the final appearance for players such as Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, and Cardale Jones, who will enter the NFL Draft in the spring.

The unique story about the 2006 game featured Hawk facing his eventual brother-in-law, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn. Friday’s unique story features Urban Meyer going against the Fighting Irish for the first time. Meyer was a former assistant in South Bend under Lou Holtz & Bob Davie, so the emotions will be running high for the Ashtabula, Ohio native.

If the Buckeyes do go on to win, there will be inevitably be discussion over whether 2015 can be considered a “good season.” Their last-second field goal loss to Michigan State denied them a chance to repeat as Big Ten and national champions, but the resiliency of this team showed itself in a 42-13 win over Michigan to close the regular season. A win Friday means a 12-win season for the fourth consecutive year, and would provide momentum going into the 2016 regular season. In that sense, 2015 would indeed be a successful year for Ohio State, as they prepare for another run at the title next year.

The big sports story Thursday was the decision of Chelsea and manager Jose Mourinho to part ways after a disappointing start to the new season. The decision comes days after a loss to current Premier League leaders Leicester, the Blues’ ninth of the season; Mourinho’s departure was not a firing, but rather a decision of mutual consent, which may explain why this happened several days following Monday’s match, instead of the next day.

It’s been quite a career for Jose Mourinho so far. Born in Portugal, one of his first jobs in soccer was serving as a translator for Bobby Robson when the Englishman became the manager at Barcelona. His first managerial gig came at Benfica – one of the top clubs in Portuguese history – although he resigned after only nine games. Only when he arrived at Porto in 2002 did he become a household name. The Dragons went on to win the UEFA Cup in 2003, and then the Champions League the following year; his touchline run at Old Trafford remains a legendary image in the competition’s recent history.

Mourinho arrived at Stamford Bridge the first time in the summer of 2004, leading the Blues to two straight Premier League titles. Domestic success, however, didn’t carry over to the Champions League, and after a tough start to the 2007/08 season, Mourinho left through mutual consent. He found success with Inter Milan in Italy and a degree of success Real Madrid in Spain, before returning to Stamford Bridge in 2013.

As for the club, they’ve had many managers since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003. That said, this could be a blessing in disguise for the club, who’ve done very well under interim managers. After Mourinho left the first time, Avram Grant guided the club to its first-ever Champions League Final, where they lost to Manchester United on penalties. The following year, Guus Hiddink helped Chelsea win the FA Cup and did very well steering the players through their controversial semifinal exit in the UCL. Three years later, Roberto di Matteo navigated Chelsea to a first European Cup triumph before Rafael Benitez guided the club to a Europa League title as interim manager the following year.

Former striker Mateja Kezman has said Hiddink told him he’ll return to Chelsea, as the club heads into its heavy end-of-the-calendar year schedule. How the club does going into 2016 will have a big impact on whether or not the Blues can be legitimately concerned about the threat of relegation, just one year after winning the title.

What’s next for Mourinho, as well? In the past, he’s said he’s wanted to be the manager at Manchester United, and Louis van Gaal is walking a very thin line right now at Old Trafford. Is this perhaps the best opportunity for Mourinho to join the Red Devils if LvG does leave?

Who do you think will be the next Chelsea manager, and which club will Jose Mourinho land at? Leave a comment below!

It’s near the end of another calendar year for Manchester United, with the club in the middle of yet another season. The Red Devils returned to the Champions League after a one-year absence, but the return was ultimately a frustrating one.

Manchester United was drawn into a group with PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow, and Wolfsburg, and the club did not cruise through as they had in previous stages. Going into their final group game at Wolfsburg, United needed at least a draw or a PSV loss to qualify for the knockout rounds. After taking the lead, the Red Devils lapsed multiple times on defense, eventually losing 3-2, while PSV beat CSKA, meaning Wolfsburg & PSV will head to the last 16.

Now United head to the Europa League, which the club may see as beneath them – exactly the view they took in 2012. The Red Devils lost three of four games in the competition that year, going out tamely in the Round of 16. The magnitude of that disappointment may have been overshadowed by the final day of the 2011/12 Premier League, but having been used to success, it was still unusual for fans to see them bow out of European competition in that manner.

Manchester United return to Premier League play this weekend, at Bournemouth, one of the three teams promoted from the Championship at the end of last season. On paper, Louis van Gaal’s club would win comfortably, but they would also have won their Champions League group fairly comfortably as well. Bournemouth will come into this match with loads of confidence, having won at Stamford Bridge in the previous matchday. Granted, Chelsea’s play has been one of, if not the, biggest shock of the Premier League season so far, but not many clubs can say they have a road win against the defending champions, especially a newly-promoted club. Even if the Cherries do go back to the second tier after one season, being able to say they beat Chelsea and Manchester United in consecutive games will be something players can hang their hats on.

For the Red Devils, they haven’t lost a Premier League match since October, but they’ve had a string of dull draws since the setback at Arsenal. Bournemouth would seem like the ideal opponent for United to get their season back on track, especially with the FA Cup on the horizon. Van Gaal has had to deal with many injuries to his squad, including new ones from Tuesday’s match in Germany. But if United do get three points on Saturday – in a game that will be aired on network television in the United States – it might be enough to get the club back into mounting a serious title challenge.

Can United recover from this most recent Champions League disappointment? Saturday’s result will provide the first indication of whether fans should look ahead to next season, or not give up on this campaign.