The hostile takeover of English football
From the row over Premier League regulation to Hollywood investors, the national game has never felt more distant from its…
ByFootball
Dive into the world of football with our collection of columns, articles and longer-read features.
David Peace’s footballing saints
The novelist laureate of English football succumbs to hero-worship in his reimagining of the Busby Babes’ tragic demise.
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Unfamiliar managers and radical new hair – but it’s the same old Prem
Welcome to a wonderful new season.
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I am a natural sportsman while sedentary
The more tennis and football I played, the worse I got.
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Only football can puncture a nation’s joy so absolutely
Also this week: Why Frank Skinner is the best person to watch the beautiful game with, and what the sanctification…
By Spain dashed English dreams, but there were other Euros winners too
Keir Starmer, Denzel Dumfries, and pubs did remarkably well during the tournament.
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Southgatism will endure
Left conservatism is a winning politics for Starmer, Southgate and our times.
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Don’t compare men’s and women’s football
They are different entities. But one is not less important than the other.
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Euros Diary: Only England can cause this much hurt
“Dave? Is it coming home?” they asked me. But football has a way of puncturing a nation’s joy in an…
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England defeated: another glorious failure
This nation is left with no choice but to memorialise our losses as victories.
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Will England love the real Jude Bellingham?
He’s not the national hero you want him to be.
By England are rubbish again, but I make my own Euros entertainment
We are paying for building our players up too much. God, it is so depressing.
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Can Starmer and Southgate both triumph this summer?
Football and politics have become more entangled than ever.
By The mission for our lads at the Euros? To save the nation’s pubs
An early exit from the Euros for England and Scotland could finish off Rishi. But it’s our poor old publicans…
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The theatre and the misery of VAR
The refereeing technology has made football a better TV sport – and ruined the live game.
By A dramatic Premier League finish – plus Postecoglou, pin-ups, and a distinguished pigtail
Man City win again, but at least I can produce a shock in my end-of-season awards.
By Even now, I still fantasise about being a footballer
I’d have little chance at Man City, but Spurs? No problem. I am sure my tortoise could get a game…
By Why would Jürgen Klopp leave Liverpool? Let me count the (made up) ways
His decision to leave was so sudden, something must have tipped him over the edge.
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A requiem for Jürgen Klopp
As commanding as he was modest, the Liverpool manager brought greatness to the game. His departure is hard to bear.
By Most of football’s changes have improved the game – but not VAR
Let me count the ways in which football has reinvented itself since 1848…
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