Dominic Fifield

“Why Vince? I’ve waited all my life to talk about this…” 🎶Billy Corkhill, Vince Hilaire Freddie Flintstone and Fred Astaire🎵 An interview with Jon Marsh (@deepoking) of The Beloved on Hello, #CPFC and how a Palace icon ended up in a cult hit song theathletic.com/2708716/2021/0…

Keith Andrews was favourite to be the first Premier League manager to lose his job this season following his elevation from set-piece coach to head coach at Brentford. Now, with a few games to play, the club are level on points with west London neighbours Chelsea and Fulham - and Andrews is in consideration for manager of the year. He talks exclusively with @OliverKay about Brentford, set plays, authenticity and the “bus stop in Hounslow” that could compete in Europe next season. nytimes.com/athletic/72400…

“Enjoy every second. It’s been a long time coming and the waiting has undoubtedly made this more meaningful.” @MattWoosie spoke to Coppell, Butterfield, Jedinak, Kember and Riihilahti about what a European semi-final means to #CPFC's ex players/managers nytimes.com/athletic/72295…

RT @TheAthleticFC: Jose Mourinho is Real Madrid president Florentino Perez’s favoured candidate to replace Alvaro Arbeloa as head coach. M…

How Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea reign fell apart in 107 days: ▪️ Splits in the dressing room ▪️ Some stars unsettled by Maresca “walking out” ▪️ “Nice guy” but communication & training criticised ▪️ Well respected by club execs ▪️ Rosenior told the squad he felt “vulnerable”

It is official - Wolves will be a Championship team next season. When Rob Edwards lost his first seven league games before the January transfer window, the club’s fate was effectively sealed and they had a level of unwanted clarity. Brazil international midfield duo Joao Gomes and Andre are regarded as certain to depart, potentially for big fees, and others are likely to leave too - while the future of breakout star Mateus Mane remains in the balance. ✍️ @SteveMadeley78 and @CWeatherspoon_ 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/72072…

After eight years in the Premier League, Wolves are down. They, like everyone else, have known it was coming for a long time. If nothing else, it has given them time to prepare for what comes next. @TheAthleticFC w/@SteveMadeley78 nytimes.com/athletic/72072…

@MattOfTheSouth Yup!

Oh Michael Olise…

My father first took me to Crystal Palace when I was four. The last time we watched a game together was a draw against Bournemouth almost a year ago but, while the football was forgettable, we cherished the shared experience. My dad, Andy, passed away over the Easter weekend. He was 71. On Sunday, I returned to those seats for Palace’s game against Newcastle with the matchday programme, a Mars bar and a cup of tea to keep me company — mirroring my dad’s routine for all those years. He would have loved Palace’s winner in stoppage time at the end. @MattWoosie on what it meant to him watching Palace with his dad. 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/71928…

England captain Ben Stokes admits he must work in ‘a different way’ with Brendon McCullum nytimes.com/athletic/71935…

“If you think you won’t get any help and don’t have a role in April, you shouldn’t be in the team.” Jack Leach, Somerset The state of spin bowling in England, told through the eyes of three bowlers at different stages of their careers ✍️@Paul_Newman66 nytimes.com/athletic/71662…

The ball was bundled into the net at the far post and the visiting supporters went wild. While the celebrations continued, I was sitting 136 miles away, in a dark corner of a TV studio in west London, fearing the worst. As the video assistant referee (VAR), I had spotted three

"It really is not as easy as you think it is." Graham Scott, who worked in the Premier League for more than a decade, debunks three myths about being a referee, including fans wanting consistency, officials not being held accountable and the 'clowns' running VAR.

@MartinH4 Agreed! Felt like a proper occasion. And a proper tie. Appropriately enough, it prompted a proper performance

@domfifield It is very strange isn’t it. Wonderful, but still very strange. Also, I think that the first match I have enjoyed in Europe since the first game vs Dynamo. Maybe I could get used to it…. :) :)

Even with all the usual caveats, that was pretty special. Never thought I would see #CPFC thump a side like Fiorentina. Wonderful to see

The imprisonment of Imran Khan: ‘It’s hard to know, in the dark hours, what he’s going through’ Brilliant, this, by @NickMiller79 nytimes.com/athletic/71638…

Imran Khan has been in prison - solitary confinement, an 8x10 cell - in Pakistan for almost 1,000 days. This is a long read on why, for which I spoke to his sons, @Kasim_Khan_1999 & @1Sulaimankhan, his sister Aleema, David Gower & others. Free to read. nytimes.com/athletic/71638…

On Saturday, a League One side travel to play Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals - but why are Port Vale called Port Vale when it isn't even a place? Or is it? @domfifield explains how an obscure 19th-century wharf on the Trent and Mersey Canal gave its name to an area in the Staffordshire Potteries, and subsequently to a football club. nytimes.com/athletic/71603…

Haseeb Hameed on life outside the Bazball bubble: ‘The ambition to play for England will always be there’ Interview for @TheAthletic ahead of the new season nytimes.com/athletic/71575…

Ollie Robinson on England: ‘I’ve not done myself any favours. It’s up to me to force myself back in’ A chat with the new @SussexCCC captain ahead of today’s start to the @CountyChamp season nytimes.com/athletic/71575… via @NYTimes