Why Manchester United’s Worst Season Might Be Exactly What They Needed
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Why Manchester United’s Worst Season Might Be Exactly What They Needed

Some of you will look at this article and say it is pure delusion. How can this author write an article that even suggests something positive when everything is in turmoil? The club is a disaster; staff are losing their jobs, and Manchester United will finish their lowest ever Premier League finish. How can anything…

arteta stats xg
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How Stats Are Warping the Way We Watch Football

You’d be surprised how many opinions about a footballer’s performance now hinge on a number between 6.3 and 8.1. No context, no nuance, just a number. This is what happens when apps like Sofascore and FotMob go from being helpful tools to being the entire conversation. The overreliance on football stats is not just changing…

Kerlon Football Manager Wonderkid
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Forgotten Wonderkids of Football Manager: Where Did It Go Wrong?

There’s a strange joy in finding a wonderkid on Football Manager before anyone else knows their name. That rush when you sign a 16-year-old for peanuts and five seasons later he’s bagging goals in a Champions League final. Football Manager has a knack for spotting talent long before it breaks through. Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney,…

Jose-Mourinho-Tactico-Tacticos
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Football Tacticos and the Death of Football Conversation

“You see, they’re in a 3-2-5 in possession, inverted full-backs creating the box midfield. But out of possession, it’s more of a 4-2-2-2, with the wingers engaging the second phase in a hybrid press.” Now, read that again and ask yourself, what have you actually learned? The rise of Football Tacticos – those self-styled tactical…

Damien Duff Shelbourne
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Damien Duff and The Growth of the League of Ireland

It’s November 1st, and Shelbourne have just taken the lead against Derry City. “Duffer, Duffer, Duff-er-er-er” screams from the lungs of the travelling Shels’ fans, to the tune of The Cranberries ‘Zombie’. 250 kilometres south, the same chant is ringing around Tallaght Stadium by the Block E Boys and travelling support of Waterford FC as…