Liverpool want fans to keep singing as they lose 4-0, then say nothing as they charge more
The club seems to be saying: your job is to keep singing for us even as we lose 4-0, then shut your mouth when we charge you more
Ken Early: Chelsea’s model would work if it wasn’t reliant on human beings
At Stamford Bridge, it seems the manager needs to be more attuned to board morale than player harmony
Ken Early: ‘Why won’t Ireland score?’ – Six-year-old fan at Aviva sums up the eternal mystery
But goalless draw against North Macedonia shows glimpse of future Irish talent despite World Cup hurt
You have to wonder if the Ireland players were affected by people totally losing their heads
The emergence of the self-aware, self-memifying crowd has been an unfortunate development for Irish national team fan culture
Ken Early: Ireland’s loss to Czech Republic leaves us in a Kafkaesque nightmare
There’s little point raging at Ryan Manning, Finn Azaz, Alan Browne, Hemir Hallgrímsson or any other individual
This Ireland team gave everything in Prague. It wasn’t enough
Ireland let their grip on this game slip in the first half by giving away a penalty
Ken Early: Ireland may want to avoid penalties in the home of Antonín Panenka
Scorer in 1976 Euro final has seen penalty technique copied worldwide, and Czechs have shootout record
Ken Early: Caution and stop-start play are taking all the fun out of football
Arsenal’s boring, risk-averse game backfired spectacularly against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final
Ken Early: Hallgrímsson is staying until Euro 2028. But it isn’t all good news
Contract extension reflects faith in long-term project as squad faces defining week
Ken Early: When the Liverpool crowd sound like they’re in Lidl, it’s time to check out
The fans are fed up with Slotball, and the team play as if they just want it to be over quickly
Ken Early: The ‘world’s biggest football reporter’ reveals the value of saying nothing
The world’s biggest ‘football reporter’ reveals the value of saying nothing
Ken Early: Infantino unlikely to reflect on World Cup host US attacking participant Iran
Fifa chief has never been afraid to risk a little embarrassment in pursuit of what he wants
Ken Early: How do you solve a problem like Tottenham Hotspur?
Years of mistakes are coming together as Spurs stumble towards Premier League trapdoor
Ken Early: Why football has boycotted Russia but not Israel – yet
Ireland would face serious consequences for deciding not to play against Israel. That doesn’t necessarily mean they shouldn’t refuse
Ken Early: Liverpool succumbed to a familiar hysteria in late collapse against Manchester City
The Reds have built a squad according to a schizophrenic ethos that combines crypto-bro extravagance and self-defeating stinginess