“… They give it to you straight around here and when you get to Elland Road, the home of Leeds United, it has that vibe about it: visitors welcome and might be slaughtered. There’s no cheese club in this corner of English football, no stadium skywalk tour or adjoining sports village. Ninety minutes in the West Stand feels more and more like a dare. It is one of the best stadiums in England, in the sense that you don’t get this any more, not at the top of the game. It is Leeds’ comfort zone and no one else’s. …”
The Athletic

“Time-wasting. By all accounts, a massive waste of time… or a means to an end by which a football team can win a match. There have been several high-profile examples this season of what has felt like inexorably painful bouts of time-wasting. Players dropping to the ground one, two, even three at a time in the closing stages of matches, ‘keepers taking an age with goal kicks… it’s felt extremely common. Because it is common. It basically happens in every single match — and that’s nothing new. …”
The Athletic

“Football has a money problem. Rather than being shaded by money trees, the health of the modern game is being antagonised by the very fabric of its ecosystem. Footballers, fans and clubs are all pawns in the money plays of billionaires and nation-states, attracted by the cash flow of the industry. Without them, without their money, this sport which we schedule our lives around looks like a stranger. …”
Football Paradise

“Kenilworth Road is easy to miss when walking along Dunstable Road, a hub of shops and restaurants to the west of Luton’s town centre. It shows itself at the top of the adjoining streets but is soon hidden again by the houses that man-mark three of its four sides. Luton Town’s home is small enough to be concealed by houses, yet with just one more Luton win, in the Championship play-off final against Coventry City at Wembley this weekend, it will be staging Premier League football. …”
The Athletic
The Athletic: How much is the Championship play-off final worth? Coventry and Luton battle for ‘biggest financial prize in football’

“Coventry City is a win away from a return to the Premier League after beating Middlesborough 1-0 on aggregate in the EFL Championship playoff semi-final. A win against Luton, who were promoted to League One in the 2017/18 season alongside Coventry, in the final dubbed as ‘one for the romantics’ by Coventry manager Mark Robins, would see his team reach England’s top division just 5 years on from promotion out of League Two. Reaching the final is an incredible achievement in its own right, and these are the tactics that got them there. …”
Breaking the Lines

“When Aston Villa’s push for Europe started to gain serious momentum six weeks ago, the only question was which competition could they qualify for. Somehow, finishing in a top-four spot and playing Champions League football in September was still on. The difficulty was that however slender the six points between themselves in sixth and Newcastle United in fourth place felt, what was to come — a brutal set of remaining fixtures as well as rivals catching up on their games owed — was always likely to leave Villa lagging behind. …”
The Athletic (Video)

“This is a defence of Kenilworth Road, not that it really needs it. Scarcely has the home of a football club needed additional defences less than the fortress-like stadium belonging to Luton Town. A trip there always promises a rowdy atmosphere, character in spades and a healthy dose of fear for the opposition. Following their 3-2 win on aggregate over Sunderland in the Championship play-off semi-finals this week, a tie where the Kenilworth Road faithful played their part dutifully in the second leg, Luton are one win away from the Premier League after a 31-year top-flight absence. …”
The Athletic (Video)

“It has to be one of the worst jobs in football. The lucky few are fortunate enough to be called by their first name. The majority are just known as ‘fourth’. One or two, spelt out in reports submitted to the Football Association, are called c***s. Either way, the job description should come with a warning that you are pretty much guaranteed to spend an hour and a half being harangued for decisions which almost always have nothing to do with you. …”
The Athletic

“After losing just three league games in last season’s title-winning campaign, Trabzonspor have endured a dismal and disappointing defence of their first Super Lig title in 38 years. In the ten months separating their league title win with the eventual departure of manager Abdullah Avci, Trabzonspor lost nine league games – more than Avci lost in both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons. This run was made to look all the worse with Galatasaray racing ahead with a record winning streak in the Turkish Super Lig and leaving the likes of Trabzonspor in the dust. …”
Breaking the Lines

“On any given Saturday, there are hundreds of thousands of football supporters with somewhere to be. They fill trains, cars and buses on journeys intersecting the country, feeding the habit they have neither the wish nor ability to abandon. It is the national obsession that continues to strengthen its grip and this, undeniably, is its boom era. For all that the Premier League has achieved in its 30 years, this season is set to be the first time on record that the average top-flight game has attracted more than 40,000 in English football history. …”
The Athletic

“In 2014 Peter Lim became the majority shareholder at 6 time La Liga champions Valencia. His arrival was initially celebrated, but after years of financial turbulence, the fans are demanding his exit to preserve the club’s future. What happened to Valencia? Why did it turn so toxic so quickly? What happened to their best players? And what happened to their new stadium? Reuben Pinder explains. Illustrated by Marco Bevilacqua.”
YouTube

“Brentford have scored over 30 set-piece goals since the start of the 2021/22 season, only Liverpool and Manchester City have scored more set-piece goals in that time. And those two teams have taken a lot more set-pieces. Ability from the dead ball is fundamental to their success. So how have they become so good at set pieces? Jon Mackenzie explains. Henry Cooke illustrates.”
YouTube

“I like to think that everything in life is a metaphor. Things can be broken down into comparisons, and when it comes to the game of football, we can spend entire lives trying to find our positions on the pitch. There’s the big, powerful centre forward. So tall and imposing that you can sense their presence in a room. Off the pitch, they could be singers, actors, social media influencers, or something else. In short, they’re people that thrive in the spotlight and want more of it. …”
Football Paradise

“Today, Brighton and Hove Albion are a model of how a football club should be run. They punch above their weight. They unearth excellent players. And they play watchable football. But it hasn’t always been the case. Seb Stafford-Bloor charts their rise from nearly collapsing as a football club. Craig Silcock illustrates.”
YouTube

“Only six goalkeepers have ever scored a Premier League goal. It rarely happens, but when it does, it’s usually in the most dramatic of circumstances. We look back at each of those goalkeepers to score in the Premier League. …”
The Analyst (Video)