Beginning to wonder / feel that Slot is just another Brendan Rodgers* (without the self-aggrandising). A good coach but not a great one; unable to elevate the team when plans need changing and proper tactical intervention is needed. *Or Roy Evans, if you're as old as I am.

Christmas means 1 thing I really (REALLY) look forward to: gift guides everywhere. Loved them so much that I created my own football-focused version on Cultured Football last year. And yes, it’s back. From tomorrow: 5 themed guides across week, starting with stocking fillers.

No need for Black Friday to get discount on Cultured Football: it will always be for free. Five great football articles from the previous seven days, hand picked and delivered to your inbox each week. Subscribe if that sounds like something you'd like. www.cultured.football

Words of wisdom from a great of football's past...

Something of a weird request: anyone know of pins / metal manufacturers who do pins of players? Similar to what Badges 4 The Match do but for other clubs? Ideally people who are not club specific. Would love to feature some in my gift guide on Cultured Football.

FSG decision to walk away from Getafe was understandable. But that doesn't diminish frustration about lack of progress. Something I wrote about the feeling of inertia behind their multi-club search. PS - Not an anti-FSG rant. substack.com/profile/8095...?

Wisdom from a legend of the modern game.

Last December on Cultured Football we ran a 5-day football-themed gift guide. Since then I’ve been collecting ideas for this year’s edition but I’d love to include more. If you’ve seen anything great (or make something yourself), please do drop me a message.

Words of wisdom from a footballing great...

Liverpool very much 2nd best. Midfield getting over-run & City getting too much room. Both goals coming from player in possession not being pressed immediately. High of Madrid game showed how well Liverpool can play. Sadly, consistency not there. Feel top 4 has to be ambition this time round.

Finally did something I’d been planning for months: published a book extract on Cultured Football. Huge thanks to Mat Guy for letting me feature Among the Minnows. It a beautiful reminder of why we love the game and well worth reading. www.cultured.football/p/book-extra...

Forest sacking Nuno to replace him with Postecoglu was a weird move. Mind, not as weird as when Fiorentina opted to sack Gigi Radice to put Aldo Agroppi in his place. And, for the sake of Forest fans, hopefully not as disastrous. substack.com/@paulgrech/n...

Latest Cultured Football explored how the game’s soul keeps shifting, from London’s commercial derbies to Ghana’s broken football dreams, from Frankfurt’s fearless wonderkids to Las Palmas captain who beat cancer twice. Featuring @kimischilling.bsky.social www.cultured.football/p/cultured-f...

It’s a year since I launched my paywalled newsletter. A massive thank you to everyone whose annual subscription recently renewed and to everyone who signed up in the last 12 months. I love writing whatever I like. And it’s never too late to join the party: www.andrewbeasleyfootball.com/subscribe

One of the most welcome foreign additions to this year’s Serie A didn’t come from overseas but the Serie B. One with a story that deserves to be known. www.cultured.football/p/serie-a-at...

Cesc Fàbregas on the bench. Keira Knightley in the stands. A €2,600 matchday package by the lake. Como 1907 is turning luxury into a football strategy. Not one for football purists, but few locals are complaining. Me for @tirofootball.com . tmgitalia.net/posts/2025-1...

Another downside of Liverpool’s current form is the rise of Liverpool watchalongs in my timeline. Maybe (probably) it’s age, but I find the performative rage exhausting and troubling. Especially when I see fans mimicking it during games. www.cultured.football/p/the-perfor...

At least Kerkez has made a couple of good runs behind the defence. Should have done better on both occasions but, still, silverlinings.

Very tepid half by Liverpool. Some flashes but not much to write home about. Frankly, playing like a team which doesn't know each other. That's if I'm being generous. If not, I'd say that they lack fight, intensity and desire.

Cultured Football #230 featured article on: Unsalted Bread Rivalry. Enzo Francescoli. Vinícius Jr Gamble. xG Is Rubbish. Bus-Driving Coach. www.cultured.football/p/cultured-f... Cultured Football: football writing that cuts through the noise. #CulturedFootball #FootballWriting #SoccerEssays

From hostel lobbies to rooftop bars, from New York to Sicily, table football is everywhere. But few know its origins trace back to the Spanish Civil War and the remarkable life of Alejandro Finisterre. A story of play, exile, and resilience: www.footballheritage.co.uk/table-football

This, as they say, is a test of Liverpool's title credentials. One they are failing miserably. Palace could / should be out of sight. Play is too slow, little movement amd predictable. Isak barely involved. Wirtz not much more. Will be hard to turn around.

Called by many names, table football feels timeless—yet its origin is anything but. Born from the ruins of the Spanish Civil War, one man transformed suffering into invention, creating a game that would outlive him. Me for @footballheritage.bsky.social www.footballheritage.co.uk/table-football

Undeserved win tbh but you take them any way they come. Burnley have plenty to feel hard done by. Not sure that was a second yellow and stupid penalty to give away. Second game in a row that's happened for them too.

Not a good half by LFC. Burnley defended very well but not being overly troubled. Liverpool's play not fluid enough with too many passes that lead to nowhere. Massive improvements needed.

Football thought for a Monday evening…

A (heavy) defeat today but the London City Lionesses are a bold experiment: a women’s club with no men’s side to lean on. No brand halo, no ready-made fanbase, no safety net. Can they build success from scratch & prove women’s football can thrive on its own terms? I truly hope so.

“Bayern and Bochum. Nürnburg and Schalke. Karlsruhe and Hertha. How did these fanbases become famous friends?” Via @culturedfootball.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/bundesle...

If international football isn’t your thing, check out last week’s Cultured Football: ⚽ Injury panic ≠ smart signings 🇪🇸 Primera RFEF preview 🐟 Grimsby Town & community pride 🤝 German fan friendships 🏟️ Inside RB Leipzig Read here: www.cultured.football/p/cultured-f...

A rather stale first half although Arsenal were the better side. Liverpool not clicking going forward. Too often the wrong pass getting made. Wirtz not yet up to speed with English game.

Here’s what last week's Cultured Football served up 🕵️ The mystery X account that “won” the transfer window 🔄 Transfers that looked right but went wrong 🇮🇹 Serie A & B previews 🎬 Eva Longoria’s play in Mexican football 🇩🇪 Werder Bremen’s crisis www.cultured.football/p/cultured-f...

How to sum up that half? Up till the goal, Liverpool couldn't string two passes together. Crazy tackle by Gordon who probably got too caught up. Still, remember when Liverpool went down to 10 men two seasons back...

Spent some time playing around with Linktree this morning. Surprisingly versatile. linktr.ee/culturedfoot...

Last week’s Cultured Football went well beyond season previews: ⚽ PL sense check 🍺 Beer, football & community 🪄 Magician of Serie A 🇪🇸 LaLiga rookies to watch ⭐ Coppa Italia’s forgotten winners Bonus reads on Balkan talent, Evan Ferguson & Ligue 1. www.cultured.football/p/cultured-f...

Sometimes I stumble on a story that I can’t let go of, one too often overlooked. So I write it myself. Vado FC never reached Serie A yet their crest bears a star, a symbol usually reserved for giants. Why? Me on ‪@footballheritage.bsky.social‬ www.footballheritage.co.uk/vado-fc-echo...

Liverpool not yet clicking which is to be expected given so many new faces. Some flashes have been really promising though. Bournemouth have picked up from there fine showings last season.

The Premier League is back but, if you JUST CAN’T WAIT… here’s Cultured Football: ⚽ Subs & squad depth 🇪🇸 Spain’s wild Segunda 🏆 Championship’s thrill factor 🎵 The world’s most beautiful football song (no, not YNWA!) 🇳🇴 Nordic stars in Portugal www.cultured.football/p/cultured-f...

Some players aren’t undone by form or injury but by timing. João Félix’s decline is the latest gifted technician out of place in a game with no room for flawed artists, only systems. mib-raven-newsletter.beehiiv.com/p/jo-o-f-lix...

Now that the work laptop’s off, settle into the weekend with fine football writing: ⚽ League One to Azerbaijan 🎨 João Félix 🌏 Asian talent 🔥 Pre-season angst 🏟️ Non-league growth 💚 Beauty of Real Betis joy Read: www.cultured.football/p/cultured-f...

As a Liverpool fan, I'd love to sign Isak. That said, I'm very uncomfortable by what's happening around him. Having been hurt & frustrated when others unsettled our star players (Torres, Suarez, Coutinho) don't want it on another set of fans.

Final call for Cultured Football #222 From Berlin’s graffiti wars to Ekitike at Liverpool, preseason myths, street football’s influence & Paris FC’s quiet rise: 5 links, no paywalls, all meaning. Catch up before the next drop: culturedfootball.substack.com/p/cultured-f...

Four years ago, Florian Neuhaus was being linked to Liverpool as Germany’s next great midfield hope. Today, he’s facing the drop to 2. Bundesliga. A story of talent, timing, and how fickle football can be. www.cultured.football/p/florian-ne...

The surest sign that I'm not a miserable old git is that I REALLY don't like the new Liverpool away kit. Especially the Liverbird on a red background. And, having lived through the 2007-ish era on which the home kit is inspired, not too sure I'm that happy to be reminded of it!

Any good 2 Bundesliga previews doing the rounds?

From DME Academy to Leganés to RB Leipzig, Yan Diomande's journey has been anything but straightforward. But this is exactly the kind of under-the-radar move Leipzig specialise in. A ball-winner with a sharp mind, now set for a bigger stage. substack.com/@paulgrech/n...?

This is turning into an exodus...

This week’s Cultured Football hits different. It opens with a tribute to Diogo Jota that's less about stats, more about presence. Plus: kit history, trialist pressure, record PL loans, and why football needs space to breathe. Free to read ↓ www.cultured.football/p/cultured-f...

I wonder; how does a club recover from a tragedy like that of Diogo Jota? What do they do? There's no playbook they can follow.

When someone I admire passes away, I always think of the words featured on a Liverpool banner of the early 2000s. None more so than today.

Has there ever been a player who played as few times for Liverpool and leaves as widely loved as Nat Phillips? A modern day cult hero. God speed, sweet prince.