"He's like a robot-built striker - just does everything exactly as you're supposed to." The goals and numbers speak for themselves... Why isn't Erling Haaland being considered as a serious contender to win the Ballon d'Or? 🏆 @TheAthleticFC | @TimSpiers | @jj_bull

Plenty of managers are known for a possession-based style of football and take pride in their appearance. A plethora of them have a ginormous ego. Well, pretty much all of them. But none of the above seem to be castigated as much as the head coach of Leicester City, Russell Martin. So why is he the subject of a walking culture war? 📝 @TimSpiers 🔗 nyti.ms/4BjVmms

🚨BRAND NEW SHOW🚨 @acjimbo, @danielstorey85, @jj_bull & @TimSpiers got together on a Sunday night for you 🫡 😱 Brighton - scarily good? 🫤 Arsenal - why so slow? 🤔 Wirtz - was he any better? piped.video/watch?v=QMagdZdk…

CBS has plenty of pundits capable of doing forensic interviews. On Tuesday’s evidence, Peter Schmeichel is not one of them. While Amazon’s Gabriel Clarke expertly handled Lisandro Martinez’s outburst in Madrid, Schmeichel’s interview felt like United’s in-house PR. It dealt CBS a harsh lesson in the art of the post-match interrogation. 📝 @TimSpiers nyti.ms/4dxQwI4

Sky Sports is in a bind over the Manchester City judgment. If its commentators and pundits say the club’s Premier League matches are meaningless then it devalues its own product, an unfortunate situation given it coughed up a significant chunk of 2023's £6.7billion record TV rights deal. Go soft on the seriousness of the situation, however, and it will be accused of being a corporate stooge. No wonder Super Sunday made for awkward viewing. 📝 @TimSpiers 🔗 nyti.ms/47fAgIc

In South Korea, Asian Games champions can be a cause for celebration - and controversy. Some gold medal winners, including Tottenham’s Yang Min-hyeok, have provoked fury by gloating over receiving military service exemptions. This is how sport, culture and patriotism have collided to create a very bitter row. 📝 @TimSpiers 🔗 nyti.ms/4yIHssm

- Who is playing in the 9th tier? - Which two players are team mates again in Africa? - Who has retired and is travelling the world? Wolves 2017/18 - where are they now? Featuring @barrydouglas03 #wwfc patreon.com/Wolvespod/posts/…

Portugal won again on Sunday night but the narrative was all about a man who wasn't playing: Cristiano Ronaldo. Will they ever be able to move on from him or are they stuck in a Ronaldo doom loop? @TimSpiers reports from Porto ⬇️ 🔗 nyti.ms/4zi0CVV

🚨THURSDAY POD!🚨 @acjimbo, @tomwfootball, @TimSpiers, @liam_twomey & @mjshrimper have some things to discuss 🎙️ ⚖️ What next for Man City & the Premier League? 🇵🇹 Cristiano walks out! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Gordon's alive piped.video/watch?v=lhRvAyPF…

Declan Rice and Cole Palmer have both withdrawn from the England squad due to 'load management' reasons — a phrase that has drawn curiosity from some quarters. @TimSpiers explains exactly what load management is and how clubs go about controlling it during intense periods for players. 🔗 nyti.ms/4iDsLl8

Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur's £1bn stadium and it’s unnervingly quiet. There is a buzz around the ground as thousands of people rush to make kick-off, but no chanting, no shouting, no singing, no anticipation. A lone man in his thirties with bloodshot eyes yells, “Come on you Spurs”. He is drunk and an anomaly. The boos are what generate the headlines but what hits you harder is the silence. What has happened to Spurs? @TimSpiers heads to Tottenham for the latest instalment of Our League. 🔗 nyti.ms/3SSCHNi

After waiting 15 years for a Black Country derby win at Molineux, here's 59 mins revelling in a wonderful sunny Sunday in Wolvo 🧡🖤 #wwfc patreon.com/Wolvespod/posts/…

Blues away reviewed Jackson T, how bad in context? Bertrand Traore we like It's @PoddyWolves with @NathanJudah #wwfc patreon.com/Wolvespod/posts/…

Back by unpopular demand it's The Athletic's Transfer Rankings 🥳🎉🍾 Around £3.5bn spent on 154 humans 👍 Come for the order of predicted usefulness, stay for the agreeable comments @TheAthleticFC nytimes.com/athletic/7553333…

- A spanking at West Ham - Spent under £10m on new players - Still, good news about Fosun's profit margins 😊 Late night deadline day subscriber special with @NathanJudah on the @PoddyWolves #wwfc patreon.com/Wolvespod/posts/…

Just when you think the Premier League could not get any madder... the 20 clubs go and spend around £3.44bn between them on 154 players. So, of course, we have ranked every single one of them. Here's @TimSpiers' list, from worst to best... nyti.ms/463yusT

New weekly podcast series on @TheAthleticFC 'What If...' explores football's sliding doors moments and imagines alternative realities This week - football without Pep With @MissEmmaPaton and @Jon_Mackenzie 🎙️🔗 pod.fo/e/5a049e

🚨MONDAY POD!🚨 @acjimbo, @tomwfootball, @TimSpiers & @FelipeCar got together on Sunday night to discuss: 🤩Fabulous Fernandes 💪If Chelsea can challenge Arsenal 😭Same old Spurs? 🤔Is there a Van Dijk problem? piped.video/live/K8jxxlb2op0

An unusual concept to get your head around - Wolves are winning football matches. Review of the 4-1 victory over Stoke and some transfer thoughts ahead of Tuesday's deadline with @NathanJudah @PoddyWolves #wwfc patreon.com/Wolvespod/posts/…

🚨SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE!🚨 @acjimbo, @tomwfootball, @TimSpiers & @FelipeCar will be taking in the Premier League weekend🤩 Two defeats out of two for Spurs - will it be the same for Man United?😬 Join us live on YouTube at 7:30🎥✍️ piped.video/live/K8jxxlb2op0