Think you know your #football? @philipmicallef.bsky.social knows more than most & he's written about it in this one fantastic volume of his 100 best stories from decades as a #journo. Read Quote, Unquote. (P.S. It's on a special #holiday price). www.fairplaypublishing.com.au/products/quo...

Looks like the next World Cup final will have a halftime show, FIFA says. The ‘soccerisation’ of football continues.

Meet our #authors. @philipmicallef.bsky.social is a 'veteran' #sports journo who has 'been there, done that' in relation to most big #football events. His two books include his 100 best stories & a biography of 1974 #Socceroo. We love both. 😊📚⚽️ www.fairplaypublishing.com.au/collections/... #booksky

Happy Australia Day everyone. We certainly can do things a bit better but it’s still a great country and I’m so lucky and privileged to call it my home for the last 44 years.

Atalanta fall behind in Bergamo v Juventus. Big test of their mettle.

What a game! Western win it 4-3 at the death. @aleaguenews.bsky.social

Victory respond with another cracking goal to lead 3-2. @aleaguemen.bsky.social

What a brilliant counter-attack from Western United. This is a seriously good football A-League match.

Enjoying this @aleaguemen.bsky.social match between Victory and Western. As I have often said, the competition standard is pretty decent. There are two or three poor sides but most teams play the type of football that deserves better crowds.

Happy New Year everybody. And please be careful this NYE.

It’s that time of the year so here are my football tips for 2025. A) Socceroos forced into WC playoff. B) Melb Victory win A-League. C) @Liverpool land UCL/EPL double. D) Atletico Madrid win La Liga. E) Harry Kane snares a trophy. F) Manchester Utd survive relegation scrap.

Wishing all my friends, acquaintances and followers a merry and safe Christmas. And let’s remember that it feels much better to focus on the things that unite us rather than on those that divide us (not an original quote but I like it).

A perfect #Christmas gift for #youngadults! 'Making It...Or Not' by Amy Schembri dives into the real and relatable highs and lows of a professional football career. Not hitting bookstores until 01/25, but you can get it from us right now.

This is a replica of AC Milan’s first logo 125 years ago.

From John Aloisi to Cortnee Vine, be inspired by 'The Goals That Changed Australia'. Give your kids a bit of #football #history this #festiveseason - and be inspired once again by our game yourself! A read that oozes excitement, #backstories, and passion on every page.

It seems to me - and I could be wrong - that the football family has not embraced @bsky.app yet. If this platform is meant to be an alternative to the other cesspool we should work harder to get more football people and organisations involved.

True story: Mbappe and Salah both miss a penalty in the same match. @uefachampions.bsky.social

Liverpool far too good for Real atm … but Madrid being Madrid … @uefachampions.bsky.social

As much as I love the @champions.bsky.social I cannot for the life of me warm to this new format. The previous eight-group event had its critics but was so much more interesting.

It’s time to think about Christmas gifts. For something different, why not buy someone something rare - the autobiography of a player who was world champion with Switzerland and Southeast Asian champion with Thailand. Available from @fairplaybooks.bsky.social , Amazon, Kinokuniya and more

Four years ago Diego Maradona left us. The interview he gave me in Sydney will stay with me for ever. It forms part of my book Quote Unquote via @fairplaybooks.bsky.social

I can guarantee that this book would be a good Christmas present for anyone interested in the Socceroos’ history.

When @seriea.bsky.social is good it’s captivating and exhilarating; when’s it’s bad it’s just unwatchable. Today’s Milan v Juve fell into the latter category. So many fans ripped off.

What a brilliant counter-attack from the Wanderers. @aleaguemen.bsky.social

Looking forward to the Sydney derby in the @aleaguemen.bsky.social. It usually delivers and it needs no gimmicks to sell itself. Bring it on!

Well done! Proud and privileged to have played a little part.

Next level stupidity.

Ok I realise the A-League is struggling but was very surprised to find no word on the Sydney derby in the Herald today. Sign of the times or just negligence?

A bit late with this. Fully agree with Rodri’s view that Messi is the greatest footballer but to say CR7 has little natural ability is rather crass. Goodness me!

Upcoming #book events. (1) Pop-up shop with 5 authors 26/11 to 01/12, Sydney; (2) Launch of 'The Goals That Changed Australia' on 02/12, #Sydney; (3) Launch of 'Making It Or Not' on 07/12, #Melbourne; (4) @manlywritersfest.bsky.social in March 2025. www.fairplaypublishing.com.au/pages/events

I’m enjoying @bsky.app but the hundreds of NFL and NBA posts on my TL are annoying. How can I get rid of them? I’m not interested in American sport.

Australia’s display today a bit better than last week’s but I would not get too carried away. This is a poor team. #socceroos

A word about why we moved to Blue Sky 🦋. As a small, independent #publisher, we've lost a couple of thousand followers across our business-related accounts, so any new followers here are welcome. 🤗 #books #writing #literarylife

#FIFA #SouthAmericanQualifiers are back! Enjoy the #jogobonito while reading 'Tales of South American Football' to immerse yourself in the rich history & vibrant culture of the game in the continent! www.amazon.com/Tales-South-... #Messi #Maradona @mmmarivantine.bsky.social‬ @lm10brasil.bsky.social

'Ladies First' was the second of two #Olympics history books we published in 2024. This is about the first Australian team ever to win a #GoldMedal, the Hockey team back in 1988 in #Seoul ...when sport was different/good/better (you decide). By Ashley Morrison. 🏒🥇🐨📚

me watching Bluesky's user count grow by another million in a day hello and welcome to all 19M of you! 🥳

Sports BlueSky! Quote post (or copy paste) with your favourite teams: #AFL - Bombers #ALeague - Sydney FC #BBL - Sixers #NBL - Kings #NRL - Tigers #MLB - Nah #NBA - Spurs #NFL - Dolphins #NHL - Islanders

A man came up to me at breakfast this morning, knew of my background and started talking about the parlous state of the Socceroos. He said “everything fell apart when they closed down the institute”. I did not disagree. #socceroos

Another #football fiction, another cracking read about a young Aussie surfer dude discovered in an exhibition match by the #WestHam manager, who is offered a contract on the spot. What could possibly go wrong? By P.J. Laverty.

Cheers, Chris.

American soccer fans might like to know that my book ‘Noddy, the untold story of Adrian Alston’ deals prominently with the Australian World Cup striker’s stint with Tampa Bay Rowdies, who were once among the main rivals of big guns New York Cosmos. It is available via @fairplaybooks.bsky.social

You can then “pin” the feed so it appears at the top of your profile page and home. This I found useful

The @socceroos.bsky.social image is such that every match they play captures the attention of hundreds of thousands of fans. Yet criticism can be too harsh when things are not right and too exuberant when things go well. Why is this? Are we too demanding and do we get easily carried away? Discuss.

Hello I’m Philip Micallef from Sydney. I used to be an avid user of Twitter but am sick of what it has become. I hope Bluesky is a much better and more civilised medium.