Michael Walker

Carrick's position appeared under serious threat following Sunday's 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth. www.nytimes.com/athletic/772...

Charting a week in the West Bank with settler attacks, demolitions and roadblocks www.channel4.com/news/chartin...

The England international was the winner of the inaugural European Footballer of the Year award, which became the Ballon d'Or, back in 1956 www.nytimes.com/athletic/771...

The pressure is building. Sign now: weownit.org.uk/StopTheBailout

Shamrock Rovers retain their crown as rivals fail to seize opportunity

When Middlesbrough click . . . 5-1 at Bolton. Top of the Championship. Kim Hellberg has been Boro head coach for less than a year. The USMNT players sharing a house and a Premier League dream at Middlesbrough www.nytimes.com/athletic/750...

Considering the level of Poznan, that’s a mediocre effort and result from Sunderland. Sloppy. Need a big tightening up for Leeds on Sunday.

In his first interview since being sacked by Manchester United in 2024, the Dutchman opens up on his time in charge of the club www.nytimes.com/athletic/770...

Duncan Ferguson announced as new manager of Glentoran on a 'multi-year' contract.

Celtic brushed aside 4-1 by Benfica on a Thursday night in Lisbon, win 7-1 at home to Hearts on a Sunday. Celtic inhabit parallel football realities. Need to be pushed in latter to improve in former. But Hearts’ “passing” pathetic. Embarrassing performance. Celtic 4 pts clear at top.

Was at Glentoran beating Carrick Rangers at the Oval a couple of weeks ago. Didn’t see Duncan Ferguson walking down Dee St.

"Growth in turnover has not translated to consistent profitability, even in the Premier League, as there has been a 50-fold increase in wages costs in the top flight, 16-fold in the Championship, nine-fold in League One and seven-fold in League Two." Average loss in PL now £44m per season.

That’s a big goal from Noah Sadiki and a big win for Sunderland. Means focus isn’t on referee, thankfully.

Celtic return to Lisbon to play Benfica in the Europa League 60 seasons on from the night they changed the face of European football forever www.nytimes.com/athletic/766...

How Ukrainians survived an escape from hell during Russian siege

The Argentina international said that the 2-0 Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid was a “mirror for the club”. www.nytimes.com/athletic/768...

Middlesbrough: vibrant, creative, precise and Lankshear gets another. Yet prone to those lapses. Needed three goals to win at Stoke having been dominant. “Rollercoaster” football as Hellberg said. But up to 2nd. Only 36 games to go.

City hosted the first Monday night football for the Premier League's 'whole new ball game'. Now, 34 years on, it is a whole new game again www.nytimes.com/athletic/766...

Impressed by Brighton's calmness on Sat. Nimble, creative, versatile players such as Ferdi Kadioglu. Exposes the physicality argument a bit. Palace at home on Sunday.

We finished this series yesterday. Do read it if you'd like. Off to write about something else now. I'm sure we'll be back

Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News

In part three of our series, we look at how City were able to spend astonishing amounts on transfers across nine years www.nytimes.com/athletic/766...

Michael Walker: Liverpool v Manchester City is no longer simply a football match

FT Sunderland 0-2 Brighton. Clinical Brighton keep up the pace. Third in PL & impressive. Down to 10 for 40 mins but no panic. Personified by Gross. S’land quite good in 1st half but not in 2nd.

17 murdered in Zaporizhzhia today. 22 in Pryluky a couple of days ago. 33 in the Kramatorks buses. Over just a week. After 9/11, America could have probably understood what is large-scale terrorism. 25 years afterward, their administration is happy to sponsor it. Dark, dark times.

Gateshead Football Club can confirm that a sale agreement has been reached in principle with American based private investment company, Flacks Group, subject to Independent Football Regulator approval. Full statement 👉 ow.ly/sFIj50ZWnkL

Racing’s true greats are obvious and dual Arc winner Daryz isn’t one of them

Regis Le Bris good on Man City: "Football has rules on and off the pitch. You have to respect those rules. When they are broken, you should have consequences, otherwise it’s not fair, and we want fair competition." Also revealed Dan Ballard will miss Nov internationals. Big blow for DB, NI & S'land.

🚨 EXCL: Everton put up for sale by The Friedkin Group. #EFC owner already seeking investment but now ready to exit if/when right buyer emerges. TFG plan to maintain full support in meantime after stabilising club + completing stadium move 🚨 @theathleticfc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/767...

The first chapter of a four-part series explains the genesis of Manchester City's 'sham' spending - and the numbers behind it www.nytimes.com/athletic/766...

Anne Carson addresses René Descartes' famous sentence cogito ergo sum, I think, therefore I am. “But if you look at the sentence, it says: dubito ergo cogito, ergo sum. ‘I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am’. www.instagram.com/louisianalit...

"People are describing that ‘you guys changed our life’. I mean, what does that mean?" A treat to interview Mikel Arteta and try to get a grasp of what goes on inside his world. On olive trees, ideas, curiosity, club culture and healing the poison in his veins. www.nytimes.com/athletic/766...

"In this building lived and worked journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Killed 7 October 2006"

🚨 BREAKING: Tonda Eckert given suspended 6wk ban by Football Association after investigation into ‘spygate’ scandal. 33yo Southampton head coach also handed fine having been charged with bringing game into disrepute. No #SaintsFC punishment @theathleticfc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/762...

‘Protestant and proud’ Young Spencer: Meet the Shankill Road’s answer to Kneecap

Conte on what he's learned from guiding some of Europe's biggest clubs to success, and why he is eyeing a return to the Premier League www.nytimes.com/athletic/765...

Middlesbrough’s 150 year anniversary match today. Juninho’s back at the Riverside.

His supporters say he is a hero, a moral crusader who was brave enough to shine a light upon football's shadowy hinterlands www.nytimes.com/athletic/609...

Ceadach O'Neill made a short but significant 4th Northern Ireland appearance in the 3-0 win against Ukraine in Slovakia. It ends one debate. O'Neill will play for NI, not Rep of Ireland. Focus may shift to how Michael O'Neill's NI are developing. P. Charles, Atcheson, Donley all again impressive.

In today's Observer, my exclusive interview with Sir Alex Ferguson about the games of his life...

Ceadach O'Neill made a short but significant 4th Northern Ireland appearance in the 3-0 win against Ukraine in Slovakia. It ends one debate. O'Neill will play for NI, not Rep of Ireland. Focus may shift to how Michael O'Neill's NI are developing. P. Charles, Atcheson, Donley all again impressive.

Tennis balls were thrown onto the Aviva Stadium pitch on Thursday night but a decent game of football broke out too www.nytimes.com/athletic/765...

After a tumultuous year, with managerial changes and play-off final heartbreak, Scott has rebuilt the squad with promotion again the target www.nytimes.com/athletic/758...

Irish football's ongoing eligibility question, Arsenal's Ceadach O'Neill & the Irish FA's evolving Academy system. www.nytimes.com/athletic/763...

Very good obituary of Sandro Mazzola in today’s Guardian by Richard Williams.

Nine years of wrongdoing - as laid out in the independent commission's damning judgment - disfigured English football www.nytimes.com/athletic/764...

The game went ahead, Ireland won - but that doesn't even start to tell the history and controversy of Sunday's match www.nytimes.com/athletic/763...

"Of course. We can do what we want.” That's the line, in the hacked emails published by Der Spiegel in 2018, that sums up the sense of entitlement that fuelled Manchester City's cheating under this ownership. Column for @theathleticfc.bsky.social #MCFC www.nytimes.com/athletic/763...

Ken Early: Why the discomfort over Israel fixtures? Because we know our position is a fudge