Michael Bailey

Norwich City under Liam Manning: conceded 70% of their goals in the second-half. Norwich City under Philippe Clement: have just got ten league games without conceding a second-half league goal, the first time they've done this in 66 years. #ncfc 🔰

NEW: FIFA cuts $100m+ from operating budget for World Cup this summer as it prioritizes target of redistributing 90% of revenues across global football. But with huge burden on U.S. taxpayer + record pricing for fans, the cuts are raising eyebrows. nytimes.com/athletic/71036…

100 days to go to the World Cup. Lots of questions. Me, and about a billion other Athletic writers, have answered 100 of them here. nytimes.com/athletic/70594…

■ How big is the World Cup? ■ Is FIFA really introducing mid-half commercial breaks? ■ Why don't we know the full schedule yet? ■ What is the situation with Iran? To mark 100 days to go to the 2026 World Cup, our writers answer 100 questions about this summer's tournament. Whether you're a beginner wanting to know the basics or a dedicated fan needing the latest on the teams and the tickets, we've got it covered. 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/70594…

Who are you most excited to see at this summer's World Cup? With 100 days to go, we asked 100 members of staff at The Athletic to answer that question. They were encouraged to not all pick Lionel Messi (three still did), and quite surprisingly there were also two votes for Endrick. We've got reps from World Cup debutants Cape Verde, Curacao and Uzbekistan, as well as ageing superstars plotting their Last Dance and rising stars wanting to make their mark... 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/70810…

@SydneyfcVince Hey Vince, hope all is good. Looking to DM you, if you could possibly give me a follow to do so?

Australian radio reacting to this Michael Dickson punt exactly how I'd expect.

Clubs in the English Football League are set to vote on plans to expand the Championship play-offs to six teams at an extraordinary general meeting on March 5. The proposal would follow a similar format to the National League play-offs, with the team that finishes fifth playing the eighth-place team and sixth meeting seventh in one-off ties at the home ground of the higher finishing club. The winners would then progress to a two-legged semi-final tie against the teams who finished in third and fourth, before the final at Wembley for a place in the Premier League. The aim is to reduce the number of meaningless games towards the end of the season, add two more high-profile games to the calendar and give more clubs a shot at promotion. More from @PJBuckingham nytimes.com/athletic/70364…

Mohamed Toure is the first Norwich City player to score a hat-trick on his full debut for 40 years (since David Hodgson in 1986) and the first to score a hat-trick on his full league debut for 60 years (since Laurie Sheffield in 1966) #ncfc 🔰🇦🇺

Sam Field 🪄 Brilliant goal. What an improvement. Kind of nice seeing an Australian fly at Norwich too. 💚💛

3 - Mohamed Touré is the first player to score a hat-trick on his first start in England's top four tiers since Jesse Lingard in September 2013. Strewth.

At his worst, Omar Bogle was taking 18 or 19 sleeping pills every night. “It was just crazy, my usage was ridiculous. I was completely blacked out, I’d wake up and I wouldn’t even remember the conversations that I’d had with people the night before." Bogle is not an isolated example — one expert warns that “most clubs have got at least three or four people who are taking sleeping pills on a regular basis.” @TBurrows16 on football’s sleeping pills problem. 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/69852…

And if you want to read up on how it all went @TheAthletic … nytimes.com/athletic/live-…

I’ve been lucky enough to watch live and cover some incredible sporting events and occasions during my career. Today was right up there with the best. What an incredible, exhilarating day in Melbourne. My heart was pounding on those final points for Djokovic-Sinner tonight.

That is from @TheAthletic — and these are from me. Wonderful event.

What a night for @ScorchersBBL — and in front of an Optus Stadium cricket record 55,018 crowd. The power of the @BBL — and another chance to wonder where its future lies… nytimes.com/athletic/68888…

🇺🇸 Sources: After a heated meeting with Norwich City sporting director Ben Knapper and head coach Philip Clement... it appears that Josh Sargent has played his last game for the club. Sargent was seen visibly upset. One source says there was a comment made regarding Sargent's family which was the last straw. He continues to train with second team as he pushes for transfer to Toronto FC. TFC & Norwich continue negotiations.

Ex-MLS coach Adrian Heath thought the offer of a coaching job in Saudi Arabia could be a logical next career step. Instead, it led to the former Everton player being kidnapped in Morocco, held at knifepoint, and left fearing for his life. @PaulTenorio with an extraordinary exclusive. 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/69856…

Since Philippe Clement took over, Norwich City have the 7th best record in the Championship, and the 3rd best away from home. Only Sheffield United have scored more Championship goals than the Canaries during that period #ncfc 💚💛🇧🇪

Cricket in January! Good cricket too.