Football
Why have the Rolling Stones not been cancelled?
Dante’s Beach, Ravenna I was on my way to buy a bougainvillea from the plant shop with my middle son,…
The wolves are at my door
Dante’s Beach, Ravenna I was at the wheel of the Land Rover Defender on the mile-long dirt track that leads…
Don’t feel sorry for Argentina
It keeps on happening, the passing of sporting titans. First Garfield Sobers and now Kevin Keegan, a couple of the…
I’m sick of ‘plastic’ football fans
Last week I watched a clip of Ian Wright explaining why it meant so much to him, as a black…
Thank God for Thomas Tuchel
Here’s an interesting question: had Thomas Tuchel been Portugal’s manager rather than England’s, would he have picked Cristiano Ronaldo to…
The World Cup is evil
I tried to think, Pointless-style, of two of the countries least likely to be participating in the world kicky-ball nonsense.…
Whoops, I’ve given my children a gambling problem
The problem with my gambling, Caroline has always maintained, is not the fact that I nearly always lose. I only…
Pity us poor Celtic fans
Although the past few footballing weeks have been dominated by the convulsive conclusion to Arsenal’s season – and the upcoming…
Who cares if cricketers drink?
Cricketers Have Beer, Shock: well, who knew! This wretched incident in some joint in Chelsea involving Ben Stokes and Gus…
Might England just do it in the World Cup?
The World Cup has never been just a football tournament. Even if we don’t realise it at the time, it…
I’ll be praying for Arsenal’s God squad
Looking forward to the World Cup? I do hope so. You can complain and say that a gargantuan tournament without…
Undeniably stirring: Dear England reviewed
James Graham has said in interviews that he regards Gareth Southgate as ‘a hero for the ages’. Even if he…
How Rupert Murdoch destroyed the innocent enjoyment of watching sport
Since the emergence of Sky Bet in 2001, the ‘casinofication’ of sport has ensured that innumerable ‘micro-events’, along with major fixtures, are now firmly in the grip of gambling
Declan Rice is an island of decency in modern football
As all but the most tribal fruitcases would agree, Arsenal’s Declan Rice is an island of decency in the rather…
Letters: it’s hard to undo dumbing down
Tales from the City Sir: Simon Jenkins’s article on Liverpool Street Station (‘Horror storeys’, 9 May) is inaccurate, and an…
I admit it: I was wrong about the Premier League
Yes, of course, one sometimes yearns for the old days. The friend who, appearing in court on a charge of…
Would W.G. Grace recognise the game of cricket today?
The leisurely long-format game once so dear to the English has been transformed by television and T20 into a highly professionalised global sport that has effectively become football
The highs – and low lows – of supporting QPR
At the beginning of the current football season, I thought there was a real chance that QPR would get promoted.…
The lost brilliance of football’s Pink ’Un newspapers
If you can remember Pink ’Un newspapers and the days when FA Cup shocks really were shocks, then God bless…
Can Arteta hold his nerve?
The second half of the Premier League season is brimming with stories and subplots. Hundreds of players are hoping to…
Another year without an Oscar
With the close of 2025 I crowned a tumultuous year in which I got married, moved house and saw Evelyn,…
Don’t blame Ben Stokes
So what was the best bit of this dispiriting Ashes series? Lucky you if you’ve found one, but for me…
I’ve been duped by the Toby hoaxers
Going to see QPR on Boxing Day has become a tradition in the Young household – and not because we…
Is bet365 punishing me for being a peer?
On my way to the QPR game against Hull last Saturday, I was astonished to discover that Ladbrokes had made…
Scotland’s win showed the beauty of international football
Scotland have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. I can hardly believe that I…
