Miguel Delaney
@migueldelaney.bsky.social
Chief football writer at the Independent. Author of 'States of Play'
Pinned
‘States of Play’ is out today in paperback, featuring new material and a brand new chapter on football in the age of autocracy and billionaires, with focus on Gianni Infantino’s relationship with Donald Trump and the new Manchester United.
geni.us/StatesOfPlay
geni.us/StatesOfPlay
Video on Amorim, whether call was right, what next (Carrick then Glasner?) but also the big Q - the dysfunction of Ratcliffe's United
He empowers this head coach structure but his reasons for hiring Amorim by definition made him more than a head coach
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px45...
He empowers this head coach structure but his reasons for hiring Amorim by definition made him more than a head coach
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px45...
United look to Glasner, amid big questions about what next
YouTube video by Independent Sport
www.youtube.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Video on Amorim, whether call was right, what next (Carrick then Glasner?) but also the big Q - the dysfunction of Ratcliffe's United
He empowers this head coach structure but his reasons for hiring Amorim by definition made him more than a head coach
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px45...
He empowers this head coach structure but his reasons for hiring Amorim by definition made him more than a head coach
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px45...
In my free Monday newsletter
- United basically decided before yesterday
- Amorim touches on PL shift, and what is called "football by LinkedIn"
- the unhappiest PL ever?
- Rosenior likelier to take charge weekend rather than Wednesday
Sign up here:
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
- United basically decided before yesterday
- Amorim touches on PL shift, and what is called "football by LinkedIn"
- the unhappiest PL ever?
- Rosenior likelier to take charge weekend rather than Wednesday
Sign up here:
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter
Packed with snippets of behind-the-scenes gossip and updates from Miguel Delaney's reporting trips, subscribers will have a backstage pass as he covers the 2025/2026 season, the 2026 World Cup and mor...
www.independent.co.uk
January 5, 2026 at 4:25 PM
In my free Monday newsletter
- United basically decided before yesterday
- Amorim touches on PL shift, and what is called "football by LinkedIn"
- the unhappiest PL ever?
- Rosenior likelier to take charge weekend rather than Wednesday
Sign up here:
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
- United basically decided before yesterday
- Amorim touches on PL shift, and what is called "football by LinkedIn"
- the unhappiest PL ever?
- Rosenior likelier to take charge weekend rather than Wednesday
Sign up here:
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
The Amorim situation - and Maresca - also lay bear a classic tension in 21st-century football, which is how much power a head coach has v a football leadership
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
How Man United can finally break their cycle of doom after Amorim sacking
The United hierarchy face a huge question after binning Ruben Amorim just 14 months into his Old Trafford tenure, writes Miguel Delaney, and their next move will define Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ownership
www.independent.co.uk
January 5, 2026 at 1:12 PM
The Amorim situation - and Maresca - also lay bear a classic tension in 21st-century football, which is how much power a head coach has v a football leadership
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Yesterday might have been Amorim’s last words at United but he was aware he could be facing up to final days after the football leadership spoke on New Years Day
Obstinacy cost him - but this is now INEOS United’s third big decision going wrong in a row
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Obstinacy cost him - but this is now INEOS United’s third big decision going wrong in a row
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
How Man United can finally break their cycle of doom after Amorim sacking
The United hierarchy face a huge question after binning Ruben Amorim just 14 months into his Old Trafford tenure, writes Miguel Delaney, and their next move will define Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ownership
www.independent.co.uk
January 5, 2026 at 1:11 PM
Yesterday might have been Amorim’s last words at United but he was aware he could be facing up to final days after the football leadership spoke on New Years Day
Obstinacy cost him - but this is now INEOS United’s third big decision going wrong in a row
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Obstinacy cost him - but this is now INEOS United’s third big decision going wrong in a row
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Manchester United want Glasner - likelier to go permanent in summer
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Man Utd identify top candidate to replace Amorim as club favour summer appointment
United’s INEOS owners will assess names who were on their manager shortlist back in the summer of 2024
www.independent.co.uk
January 5, 2026 at 11:27 AM
Manchester United want Glasner - likelier to go permanent in summer
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Has Amorim provoked his own departure at Man United?
YouTube video by Independent Sport
youtu.be
January 5, 2026 at 9:58 AM
United appoint Amorim as head coach
It's official! Read the club statement here...
www.manutd.com
January 4, 2026 at 8:49 PM
Got back from Fulham for the last 10 minutes of this and it was basically a game Chelsea - if still a slightly tepid Chelsea - repeatedly breaking City's press. They were often through in two moves.
January 4, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Got back from Fulham for the last 10 minutes of this and it was basically a game Chelsea - if still a slightly tepid Chelsea - repeatedly breaking City's press. They were often through in two moves.
A game at Fulham of fine margins... and very wide margins,
Slot perhaps said a lot more than intended when discussing Reed's equaliser, and it says a lot about Liverpool right now
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Slot perhaps said a lot more than intended when discussing Reed's equaliser, and it says a lot about Liverpool right now
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
The warning Liverpool ignored to underline Arne Slot’s alarming issue
Fulham 2-2 Liverpool: After taking the lead in stoppage time through Cody Gakpo, the Reds ignored a recurring problem, gifting Harrison Reed the space to rifle a shot into the top corner and ensure th...
www.independent.co.uk
January 4, 2026 at 7:05 PM
A game at Fulham of fine margins... and very wide margins,
Slot perhaps said a lot more than intended when discussing Reed's equaliser, and it says a lot about Liverpool right now
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Slot perhaps said a lot more than intended when discussing Reed's equaliser, and it says a lot about Liverpool right now
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Slot says the space for Reed's winner was due to the set-up for facing throw-ins and set-pieces this season.
January 4, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Slot says the space for Reed's winner was due to the set-up for facing throw-ins and set-pieces this season.
Slot:
"I would love us to create more. My philosophy of football hasn’t changed from previous seasons, but we have to do it with the players we have available."
"I would love us to create more. My philosophy of football hasn’t changed from previous seasons, but we have to do it with the players we have available."
January 4, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Slot:
"I would love us to create more. My philosophy of football hasn’t changed from previous seasons, but we have to do it with the players we have available."
"I would love us to create more. My philosophy of football hasn’t changed from previous seasons, but we have to do it with the players we have available."
Wirtz goal allowed as Premier League uses thicker lines to give attacker benefit, and specifically to avoid offsides by small number of millimetres.
January 4, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Wirtz goal allowed as Premier League uses thicker lines to give attacker benefit, and specifically to avoid offsides by small number of millimetres.
January 4, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Wirtz goal allowed as Premier League uses thicker lines to give attacker benefit, and specifically to avoid offsides by small number of millimetres.
Kick-off at Fulham delayed by 15 mins due to a medical emergency at the ground.
January 4, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Kick-off at Fulham delayed by 15 mins due to a medical emergency at the ground.
A beautiful if freezing day in west London
January 4, 2026 at 2:26 PM
A beautiful if freezing day in west London
2026 could be the most seismic year in English football history - the best and worst of times
A World Cup win, and the City case finally ending?
OR - like a lot of modern football, it could just be those same stories replaying
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
A World Cup win, and the City case finally ending?
OR - like a lot of modern football, it could just be those same stories replaying
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
This is the year where football might finally witness the unthinkable
From Manchester City’s charges and Arsenal’s title challenge to Donald Trump’s World Cup and England’s bid for glory, 2026 is unlikely to be just another year, writes Miguel Delaney
www.independent.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 12:32 PM
2026 could be the most seismic year in English football history - the best and worst of times
A World Cup win, and the City case finally ending?
OR - like a lot of modern football, it could just be those same stories replaying
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
A World Cup win, and the City case finally ending?
OR - like a lot of modern football, it could just be those same stories replaying
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Maresca leaves Chelsea with Rosenior to come in
There had been increased scrutiny since September, but all of this escalated in the last week
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
There had been increased scrutiny since September, but all of this escalated in the last week
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Enzo Maresca leaves Chelsea in shock exit as Blues line up potential next manager
Chelsea have parted company with Enzo Maresca after a rapid fallout between the manager and the club’s hierarchy. The club have already begun making contingency plans, with Strasbourg’s Leroy Rosenior...
www.independent.co.uk
January 1, 2026 at 12:28 PM
Maresca leaves Chelsea with Rosenior to come in
There had been increased scrutiny since September, but all of this escalated in the last week
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
There had been increased scrutiny since September, but all of this escalated in the last week
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
It is a World Cup year.
January 1, 2026 at 12:03 AM
It is a World Cup year.
FA face headache as fans with most caps face difference of thousands in World Cup tickets, due to “alarming” restrictions
Latter games badly undersubscribed
FA still publicly silent
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Latter games badly undersubscribed
FA still publicly silent
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
‘Alarm bells should be ringing’ at Fifa as England fans snub World Cup ticket prices
Guidance from the England Supporters Travel Club has revealed that allocations for World Cup matches from the quarter-finals to the final are currently undersubscribed
www.independent.co.uk
December 30, 2025 at 2:36 PM
FA face headache as fans with most caps face difference of thousands in World Cup tickets, due to “alarming” restrictions
Latter games badly undersubscribed
FA still publicly silent
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Latter games badly undersubscribed
FA still publicly silent
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Reposted by Miguel Delaney
2025 - a year when football seems to somehow allow things to keep getting worse, despite the game itself often being at its most uplifting - from Palace to Parrott
It was like every great moment had some drab postscript
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
It was like every great moment had some drab postscript
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Against the glory, 2025 was the year football battled for its soul
The year of the underdog, with historic successes for Crystal Palace and Newcastle, contrasted with the political edge to Fifa’s World Cup, writes Miguel Delaney
www.independent.co.uk
December 29, 2025 at 12:05 PM
2025 - a year when football seems to somehow allow things to keep getting worse, despite the game itself often being at its most uplifting - from Palace to Parrott
It was like every great moment had some drab postscript
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
It was like every great moment had some drab postscript
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
2025 - a year when football seems to somehow allow things to keep getting worse, despite the game itself often being at its most uplifting - from Palace to Parrott
It was like every great moment had some drab postscript
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
It was like every great moment had some drab postscript
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Against the glory, 2025 was the year football battled for its soul
The year of the underdog, with historic successes for Crystal Palace and Newcastle, contrasted with the political edge to Fifa’s World Cup, writes Miguel Delaney
www.independent.co.uk
December 29, 2025 at 12:05 PM
2025 - a year when football seems to somehow allow things to keep getting worse, despite the game itself often being at its most uplifting - from Palace to Parrott
It was like every great moment had some drab postscript
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
It was like every great moment had some drab postscript
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Reposted by Miguel Delaney
📚 My 🔝 non-fiction book of 2025 is @migueldelaney.bsky.social’s ‘States of Play’
📚 And my 🔝 novel of 2025 is Yael Van Der Wouden’s ‘The Safe Keep’
📚 And my 🔝 novel of 2025 is Yael Van Der Wouden’s ‘The Safe Keep’
December 23, 2025 at 10:33 AM
📚 My 🔝 non-fiction book of 2025 is @migueldelaney.bsky.social’s ‘States of Play’
📚 And my 🔝 novel of 2025 is Yael Van Der Wouden’s ‘The Safe Keep’
📚 And my 🔝 novel of 2025 is Yael Van Der Wouden’s ‘The Safe Keep’
I find I cannot get into this new Amadeus simply because it's not F Murray Abraham.
December 22, 2025 at 7:46 PM
I find I cannot get into this new Amadeus simply because it's not F Murray Abraham.
Football Supporters Europe:
"Following significant pressure from supporters, FIFA has partially relented on its ticket price structuring. This shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and without proper consultation"
bsky.app/profile/migu...
"Following significant pressure from supporters, FIFA has partially relented on its ticket price structuring. This shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and without proper consultation"
bsky.app/profile/migu...
December 16, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Football Supporters Europe:
"Following significant pressure from supporters, FIFA has partially relented on its ticket price structuring. This shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and without proper consultation"
bsky.app/profile/migu...
"Following significant pressure from supporters, FIFA has partially relented on its ticket price structuring. This shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and without proper consultation"
bsky.app/profile/migu...