Michael Bailey

The Athletic FC's 25/26 Season Awards 🏆 Live now ⤵️ twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Tonda Eckert authorised a “contrived and determined plan” to spy on opponents in a “deplorable approach” that led to Southampton's expulsion from the Championship play-offs. #SaintsFC Full story by @PJBuckingham @TheAthleticFC nytimes.com/athletic/72983…

Exclusive: Southampton have lost their appeal and the players have been informed. #SaintsFC Full story w/ @mjshrimper @TheAthleticFC nytimes.com/athletic/72938…

“Unai Emery, mate… genius.” After Aston Villa won the Europa League - their first trophy in three decades - @J_Tanswell tells the inside story of how their season was turned around by a manager who is now immortalised in club folklore. ▪️ Crucial talks with Morgan Rogers ▪️ Complete faith from hierarchy ▪️ Doubling down on principles ▪️ Flight times changed by Unai Emery ▪️ Minimal celebrations after Champions League qualification ▪️ Extra player bonus for Europa League win 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/72892…

The inside story of ‘Spygate’ and how it left the EFL in chaos: 📱 Incriminating WhatsApps by Southampton boss Eckert 👀 Analyst was supposed to watch Boro train a second time 🥸 Eastleigh disguise used to monitor Ipswich 🎄 Christmas Eve operation to snoop on Oxford 😡 Players left furious at club’s handling of affair 🐅 Hull anger at disruption to Wembley plans 📃 Saints feel punishment is disproportionate, confident over appeal nytimes.com/athletic/72930…

NEW @TheAthleticFC Southampton players exploring their options regarding legal action against the club if the English Football League’s verdict to expel them from the Championship play-off final is upheld. Potential loss of earnings etc etc. nytimes.com/athletic/72922…

22 years in the waiting, 6 years in the making: the title is Arsenal’s again. The squad gathered at Colney to watch tonight’s game, as they became champions. Here’s how #AFC won the #EPL - a title not simply won, but engineered. @TheAthleticFC 🔴⚪️🏆 nytimes.com/athletic/72914…

■ Switching into dad mode when getting home after games ■ The surprise of a private plane laid on as a treat by the chairman ■ Soundtrack of Oasis, Taylor Swift and Vengaboys in the dressing room ■ Coping with 'the worst feeling I've had' in football Welcome to life as an EFL footballer. Over the past four months, The Athletic has spent time with Millwall captain Jake Cooper and his family - at his home, the evening before a match, at the training ground and on his way to saying his goodbyes the day after missing out on the play-offs. This is what it is like to be pursuing the Premier League dream - and to have it end in heartbreak. 📝 @TBurrows16 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/72727…

Do Real Madrid players simply do what they want? Carlo Ancelotti doesn't think player power is an issue at the Bernabeu… 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲. 𝗔𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗹****. Read @AdamCrafton_'s exclusive interview here ⬇️ 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/72684…

On this day in 2016 🗓️ This video was uploaded to the internet. It led to this song being played relentlessly at nightclubs, bars and stadiums around the world. And it all started with a Wigan fan in his bedroom.

Jose Mourinho is Real Madrid president Florentino Perez’s favoured candidate to replace Alvaro Arbeloa as head coach. Multiple sources, speaking anonymously as they did not have permission to comment, have told The Athletic that the decision on who will become Madrid’s next coach is being driven by Perez. That is in contrast to the hiring of Alonso to replace Carlo Ancelotti at the end of last season, a process which was led by Madrid’s general manager Jose Angel Sanchez, but given the green light by Perez. Perez wants to rebuild a project that has fallen into disrepair, with Madrid set to end a second consecutive campaign without winning a major trophy such as La Liga, the Champions League or the Copa del Rey. The president is now the main supporter of bringing back Mourinho, but some other voices within the club are opposed. More from @David_Ornstein and @MarioCortegana 🔗 nyti.ms/4cD47ha

Twists, late surprises, end of season party vibes. And that’s just this week’s OTB pod 🥳 @Ryan_Livermore, @zoevfmorgan, @dan_brigham and I hail Toure, get the Mo v Makama debate going, anoint Liam Giggs & solve the ChatGPT Get Banged mystery #ncfc 🎧 podfollow.com/1890848253

Mohamed Toure is the first player in Norwich City's history to score two hat-tricks in his first ten appearances for the club #ncfc 💚💛🇦🇺

▪️ Record losses of £1.6bn, a rise of 43% in a year ▪️ £4bn losses over 7 years ▪️ Only four clubs — Liverpool, Bournemouth, Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace — managed a profit without asset sales to owners @CWeatherspoon_ looks at the troubling state of Premier League club finances after the 2024-25 season. 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/72043…

In the past 24 hours, the Saudi Public Investment Fund has sold its star-studded Al-Hilal soccer team and left LIV Golf's funding in question, while another Saudi group pulled out of Tom Brady's flag football league. A clear shift in global strategy. nytimes.com/athletic/72016…

“Misled”, “taken advantage of”, and “scammed”. @HenryBushnell investigates why fans are feeling this way after the latest World Cup tickets controversy.

Need a pre-derby fix? Just want to enjoy the fact that the world hasn’t ended? OTB is the new On The Ball podcast (we’ve really gone out there with the name), so if you enjoyed that then please re-subscribe, because nothing else about it has changed! 🎧 pod.fo/e/3f7f8b

“Hard not to feel scammed.” By now, the word is out - World Cup tickets are eye-wateringly expensive. But some buyers have noticed an extra sting. Despite purchasing Category 1 tickets, a redrawing of multiple stadium seating maps has led to confusion and frustration that they didn't get what they paid for. @HenryBushnell investigates ⤵️ 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/71756…

“They were the worst minutes of my life.” Having just turned 18, Jamie Mitchell looked like becoming a Premier League star with Norwich City. But in the lead up to Christmas 1994 he was subjected to a ritual humiliation in the dressing room that left him psychologically scarred — and his career derailed. Mitchell opens up about his traumatic experiences to @JordanC1107, and explains why he has founded an organisation to support young players navigate their own challenges. 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/70861…

…and on Spotify here! ⬇️ open.spotify.com/show/26rDN5Q4x…