Yeah, the more I think about this, the more it feels like a rather negative portent - things do definitely feel slightly fragile in the UK womens' football space. (big missteps - like, just... not scheduling to take advantage of the men's international break _at all_ - aren't helping here)

I guess it's a good thing for Portsmouth that there is an international break in the WSL2 because... well, this isn't good. Also, uh, does anyone know what actually happens here? The Sandwich cup is not the most transparent competition, ngl... www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/news/2025/oc...

Yeah, it's an ACL tear. This seems to be a profoundly cursed season for Liverpool, ngl. #WSL www.liverpoolfc.com/news/marie-h...

Anyway, on the actual highlights... how... how did Villa not score? (I mean, props to Leicester for not panicking to boost Villa's chances, but, seriously, how?) www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsSu...

Watching the WSL Highlights for Aston Villa vs Leicester and, uh, it's not the WSL 2 (though this _is_ on the WSL given the vid description is wrong); the attacks shown were mostly Aston Villa (and the saves Leitzig)... and _the video itself_ says both teams already have "one win apiece".

Y'know, I get why they do "Player of the Match" shortlisting/voting mid-game[1], but feels very odd when, like, a _lot_ of football happens in the last 30 minutes. E.g. it meant Jess Park wasn't in contention for POTM against Everton this week. [1] ... okay, I think it's press logistics, mostly.

Can't say Bright retiring is a _massive_ shock, given she'd already spoken of a complete lack of Euros FOMO and a desire to focus on club football, but I still feel a little sad about it www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

On the one hand, if Arsenal play like they did today, Leicester might actually get something from them at the KP. On the other hand, I will most likely be at that match (season ticket holder), so I'd have to properly watch a game where Arsenal are playing like they have today. #WSL #ARSBHA

A lot of the reasons Liverpool are relegation( playoff) contenders are of their own making, but wow are they also profoundly unlucky. #LIVMCI #WSL

Ngl, it almost feels like Arsenal are lucky that Brighton weren't able to get one back there - there's a few times where they've felt almost complacent in terms of the build-up and it feels like it could easily still be punished. #WSL #ARSBHA

Okay, so, I was mostly following rather than watching, but, again... #AVLLEI #WSL

Little something I wrote for @thehalfwayline.bsky.social on Villa, LCL and Leicester playing with a front two and what this might mean for other teams in the WSL ✍🏻💭

... I know "Tony Blair met Epstein while PM" is literally true, but as a headline describing "Mandelson pushed for a meeting in 2002, invoking Bill Clinton constantly, and also Blair rejected an earlier meeting" it's not exactly neutral? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It's a boost to UK govt messaging that this is the line when it's acc yet more "central govt knows best" (tho adding economic growth as a factor is fine - it being compulsory is the one way it'd be allowed), but also... They should tie in the World Cup, come on. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Two years after 7 October and the kidnap of my parents, hate is in fashion. For all our sakes, we need compassion | Sharone Lifschitz

... Ngl, I can't say I buy that _anyone_ not on the right used Charlie Kirk as a generic 'disappointed' reaction image. Especially when the alt-text they wrote was supplied, and didn't mention disappointment or owt, but _did_ mention that the photo was from right before he was shot. Like. Come on.

... Ngl, I can't say I buy that _anyone_ not on the right used Charlie Kirk as a generic 'disappointed' reaction image. Especially when the alt-text they wrote was supplied, and didn't mention disappointment or owt, but _did_ mention that the photo was from right before he was shot. Like. Come on.

every headline after 2022 that mentions the Queen should be legally have to have "(no not that one)" after it

As someone who was a Young Tiger (or whatever the kids' scheme was for the Tigers) back in the early 00s, this one hurts, ngl: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-...

So, uh, that was very messy and I think I will take a point there thank you very much. (I do think an issue Leicester has is hesitancy in front of goal and it was really on show today ngl) #LEIEVE #WSL

Good news for West Ham women - this week they're merely "winless" whilst _Liverpool_ gets the "pointless" from BBC Sports. #WSL

Y'know it's a good thing I'm not in a position to properly watch Man City vs Arsenal, because I am also not really neutral enough enjoy that last 10 mins of drama (I'm sure it's great for an actual neutral, brilliant for a Man City fan, but...) #WSL

Tommy Robinson posted a neo-Nazi blog that accused me and my fellow Jews Jack Straw and Barbara Roche of conspiring to flood the UK with immigrants.

Okay, so can we agree that "Progress with Unity" is a terrible name for a stadium (not least for being "the P-U stadium")? #WSL

Oh what in the Men's Hundred is that decision to cut to a mid-game interview. Why does the BBC keep doing stuff like this? (at least it was a short one...) #WSL #MUNCHE

... okay, so Chelsea might regret that their attack circa 12' was so wasteful. 1-1, game on! #MUNCHE #WSL

How... how did Kaptein get to the ball there?! I mean. I saw the replay, I could see 'how', but still: _how_?! #CHEMUN #WSL

Today has definitely been a day where I learned some _bleak_ stuff about the sheer extremity of antisemitism in the UK and elsewhere.

... okay, so, I kind of assumed that the whole "delay Reputation (Taylor's Version) until I get the masters back and render the whole thing moot" thing was to avoid having to release Reputation again, but from what I'm hearing the new TSwift vibe is certainly not 'avoiding Reputation 2.0'.

One understated impact of the Truss weeks is minor ex-MPs being bigged up as a "former Minister" to fluff up their Reform defections when, like, come on being a junior minister for <2 months barely counts, lay off it. (this post brought to you by Sarah Atherton. Yeah, I had to look her up, too.)

.... okay, so, if Murillo wasn't visbily so injured that he probably hurt himself worse with that grapple/slam he would've gotten at a yellow there, right? (hoping for the best etc etc but how... how did he get away with that?) #NFOMID #UCL

You don’t actually have to both sides this. The Jewish community in the UK is not the Israeli government. You can just condemn the murder of two British Jews killed in their place of worship and you don’t have to say a single other thing.

Not sure how old this plastic bag is but Gateway supermarkets have been around since the 1960s. In 1990 they began to be rebranded as Somerfield. Exposed by shifting sands and found during one of our recent beach cleans. #plasticarchaeology #Anthropocene

If you at the same time are changing the rules retrospectively and pulling the rug out from under people, you can't argue cogently against doing the same thing in the exact same policy area, you just end up going 'it's bad because [bad word]', which is not an argument.

Gonna write about this soon but when people are complaining about people having to enter the UK on small boats across the world's busiest shipping lane and then being detained by the state with no leave to work, they are complaining about immigration restrictionism. This is what "success" looks like

Starmer's decision to use the language he did in his May speech (before a period dominated by negative immigration coverage), doubling down all summer with "legitimate concerns" was a huge misstep. They own a sizeable portion of the ugly consequences of that.

... sticking a mic in the Chelsea end sure has been... a choice. It does sound like West Ham fans are still trying to cheer their team on even through that, but it is hard to get a read on it! #WSL #WHUCHE

Well, uh, at least the headline no longer calls West Ham "pointless"? #WSL

Bit harsh, this, from BBC Sports #WSL

Let people go offline.

If you need an app to use something it is not accessible because fundamentally people should not be required to be digitally literate to do basic functioning in society.

Oh, I guess West Ham finally settled on Nuno last night, that explains the timing #EPL www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Incredible timing from the Grauniad on this, though. He must presumably have been in the "you're sacked" meeting within, like, an hour of it going live at the latest.

I don't think anyone is surprised at Graham Potter being sacked, per se, but... why _now_? (I mean, I guess it gives whoever is even left to act as coach a couple of days with the team but, like... why not act sooner?) #EPL www.whufc.com/news/club-st...

Wow the football gods must _really_ be determined to ensure that Leicester never lose at West Brom #EFL www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

this is an extraordinary canary in the coal mine

Wow someone should tell Keir Starmer!

Ngl, I am a little bit awe of how Keir Starmer keeps finding ways to fall lower in my estimation. A Labour Prime Minister - a _Labour_ Prime Minister! - writing op-eds in the Telegraph talking about how the previous Labour government was too liberal.

For whatever it’s worth: “AP journalists inside Gaza saw no immediate evidence of Netanyahu's speech being broadcast on phones there.”

We, the Liberal Democrats only official women's group, wholeheartedly stand by the amazing Woman that Cllr Chris Northwood is. She is an inspiration to many within the party with her dedication to the party and her constituents. She is a very deserving winner.