“Even the best defences don’t press high all the time. Sometimes they hardly do it at all. Like a veteran boxer backing against the ropes, a lot of the best pressing sides spend long stretches of the game crouched in a mid-block, tightening ranks in midfield while they wait for the right opening to come out swinging. Players watch for a ‘trigger’, their cue to burst forward and catch the team in possession off guard. They may plan to spring a ‘trap’, luring the ball toward some designated area where the defence will snap shut on it, but the most important principle in pressing tactics is an underappreciated third T: tempo. …”
The Athletic

“Uday Hussein was a sexual sadist, drug addict and psychopath – but he was also the man in charge of Iraqi sport, especially Iraqi football, which he ran using torture, theft, extortion and murder. This is his story, his lengths to control Iraqi football, and how he was brought down. Written by James Montague. Illustrated by Philippe Fenner.”
YouTube

“There is a painkilling drug in football that is described as ‘Evil’. It is feared within the game, and can be highly addictive. It will be added to the banned substance list, leaving many players in a race against time to wean themselves off it. This is the story of Tramadol’s use in football. Written by Daniel Taylor. Illustrated by Marco Bevilacqua.”
YouTube

“… Eighth-tier side Ramsgate (from the Isthmian League South East Division) beat 5th division/National League side Woking, 2-1, at Ramsgate’s ground, Southwood Stadium, in Ramsgate, on the northeast coast of Kent. There was a packed crowd of 3,000 there, which exceeded the ground’s capacity by 500. Woking took an early lead, with a goal in the 13th minute. But Ramsgate equalised in the 40th minute, when Canterbury, Kent-born GK Tom Hadler boomed a long 70-yard goal-kick that London-born MF Tijan Jadama deftly trapped, on the fly, then bundled in {see photos and captions below.} Ramsgate took the lead for good in the 72nd minute, when former Man Utd MF Lee Robert Martin scored, on a nicely played set piece from a corner kick. …”
billsportsmaps
W – FA Cup

“Football loves new ideas. Novel tactical trends, unusual players, and changes in coaching approach. But what are the ideas going out of fashion? Which tactics are heading for extinction? Duncan Alexander and Nick Miller write. Craig Silcock illustrates.”
YouTube

“Time and time again, radio football commentary has engaged me in the game like no other medium. My infatuation with it was actually born from my environment rather than personal interest. I will never forget the long family car journeys as a kid—my brothers and I crammed into the back of our car, fighting for leg space as we endured the hours of motorway to some random holiday destination. More often than not, my dad would tune the radio into whatever football match was being broadcast on local or national radio to pass the time, and to most likely have some relief from the jam-packed, overfilled, and usually too hot or cold family car. Looking back now, I realise that I would also use the football commentary as an escape through the commentator’s words. …”
Football Paradise

“Welcome To Wrexham’s eagerly awaited season two finale hits the screens this week. If the rest of its second series is anything to go by, an episode simply titled Up The Town? is likely to be a cracker as we reach the climax of a thrilling title race that will go down as an all-time classic. Those supporters who lived and breathed every second of last season’s titanic National League title tussle between Wrexham and Notts County will tune in knowing the result. But, that’s unlikely to prevent the myriad of emotions experienced six months ago once again bubbling to the surface, meaning there will be tears as well as cheers in households from Llangollen to Los Angeles. …”
The Athletic (Video)