
“The Premier League title has long since been won and the battle to avoid relegation was also decided weeks ago, leaving the fight to qualify for European football in 2025-26 as the major outstanding issue of this season. As the 20 clubs of the domestic top-flight prepare to wrap up their league campaigns over the next week, including Sunday’s 10-game final day, The Athletic’s team of experts have been voting in our annual end-of-season awards. These cover the Premier League, the Championship and also the big competitions in Europe. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Daily Archives: May 22, 2025
Did Soccer Originate in Scotland? New Claim Draws Jeers in England.

The site of Anwoth Old Kirk, or church, in Scotland, built in 1627, and its soccer pitch. “Since the mid-19th century, England has been widely accepted as the birthplace of modern soccer. The sport’s lineage is commonly traced back to mob football, a violent and chaotic game popular in the British Isles during the Middle Ages. Hundreds of players from neighboring hamlets would separate into two teams, lock themselves into an enormous scrum and struggle blindly for control of a circular object, often an inflated pig’s bladder. The drunken pushing, kicking and pummeling could last for hours, even days, and had no time limit. The only set rule: weapons were prohibited. …”
NY Times

The pastor, Reverend Samuel Rutherford, ordered that a line of stones be placed to stop “foot-ball” from being played there on Sundays.
Long throws are in vogue in the Premier League – Rory Delap and Stoke will be proud
“The defining moment of Stoke City’s 10 years in the Premier League came on November 29, 2008. They were playing Hull City at home, whose defender Kamil Zayatte had just played a backpass to goalkeeper Boaz Myhill. Myhill was immediately closed down by two Stoke attackers, so the standard clearance up the pitch was not an option. There wasn’t a short pass on. The next most logical choice was to go sideways and put it out for a throw — not ideal, but it would have dealt with the immediate issues. After all, how dangerous can a throw-in really be? But Myhill stopped, hesitated, stuttered, regretted every one of his life decisions that had led him to this point, weighed up his options… and kicked it out for a corner. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
How Postecoglou perfected Tottenham’s defensive setup to win the Europa League
“There will be many memories of Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League triumph, the club’s first trophy in 17 years. One of them will be the change in tactical approach during the knockout stages, which saw Spurs become a more ruthless and efficient team. … The biggest “moment” of last night’s match fell Tottenham’s way, when Brennan Johnson put them in the lead towards the end of the first half, but it was the ‘good organisation’ and ‘clear game plan’ provided by Postecoglou and his staff that guided them to victory. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
