
“Pretty much everyone in Harrogate knows where Gareth Southgate goes for coffee. Somewhere less refined, less discreet, less, well, Harrogate, this sort of information might be regarded as an open secret. In this corner of North Yorkshire, it is closer to common knowledge, the sort of thing that it would be a little gauche to discuss. The former England manager, now a freshly minted Knight of the Realm, is a familiar sight at the cafe in question, a bustling, sunlit spot not far from the town’s famous Royal Baths. … His other regulars disagree, just a little, on how often Southgate visits. Micah Richards, the ex-England international turned barrel-chested television personality, puts it at ‘every other day’. Danny Mills, the former Leeds and Manchester City defender, thinks that might be a bit of an exaggeration. Both, though, accept that Southgate’s presence and their own is sufficiently familiar to be unremarkable. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Daily Archives: January 12, 2025
La Liga Gets Younger, Spain Gets Stronger: Spanish Football’s Homegrown Youth Revolution Explained
“… Twelve years may be a long time by its basic definition, but in international football? Try telling England fans that constitutes a long wait. For Spain, there would be no prolonged drought, no pining for an unrepeatable generation, and no arduous, decades-long reinvention of both style and type of footballers. Though the likes of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta might never come along again, nobody was spending much time looking to the sky with their palms out. … Of the 715 minutes of football they played across the tournament, very few of which were against lower-ranked nations, they were behind for just over 33 of them. Spain were rarely hit, never mind knocked down. …”
The Analyst
What a Clasico Supercopa in Jeddah tells us about the relationship between Spain and Saudi Arabia
“Today’s Spanish Supercopa final between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah is the most visible symbol of a fast-developing link between Spanish football and Saudi Arabia. Now in its fifth year, the ‘Saudi Supercopa’ is considered by some as the cherry on top of a mutually beneficial relationship. As well as hosting one of Spain’s major knockout competitions, nine Spanish players are currently registered with Saudi Pro League (SPL) sides. The highest profile is La Roja’s Euro 2024-winning centre-back Aymeric Laporte at Al Nassr, and former Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez at Al Qadsiah. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
2024-25 FA Cup, 3rd Round Proper: location-map, with fixtures list & current league attendances.
“The FA Cup is the oldest football tournament in the world. The 2024-25 FA Cup is the 144th edition of the tournament. The FA Cup Third Round is when the teams from the top 2 divisions in England – the Premier League, and the EFL Championship – join the competition. The 20 Premier League teams and the 24 Championship teams join 20 other lower-leagues teams. …”
billsportsmaps
W – FA Cup, W – 2024–25 FA Cup
