Michael Walker
@mwalkerfoot.bsky.social
Freelance football reporter at The Athletic and Irish Times. NUJ. FWA.
FT Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal. Scene at the final whistle of a dramatic, engrossing 106 minutes. Sunderland are third, Arsenal top but the clean sheet record is over. Some occasion.
November 8, 2025 at 7:42 PM
FT Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal. Scene at the final whistle of a dramatic, engrossing 106 minutes. Sunderland are third, Arsenal top but the clean sheet record is over. Some occasion.
Hearts 3-1 Celtic. The end of Brendan Rodgers last match as Celtic manager. Came in after and gave a measured press conference, but this has been a deteriorating relationship. A surprise but not a surprise.
October 27, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Hearts 3-1 Celtic. The end of Brendan Rodgers last match as Celtic manager. Came in after and gave a measured press conference, but this has been a deteriorating relationship. A surprise but not a surprise.
It’s dreich, really dreich, but this could be a day when Hearts throw a different light on Scottish football.
October 26, 2025 at 12:03 PM
It’s dreich, really dreich, but this could be a day when Hearts throw a different light on Scottish football.
FT Middlesbrough 1-1 Wrexham. Visitors smart, organised, good following. Boro pedestrian 1st half, better with Browne, Conway on. Hackney industrious, headed equaliser Att: 30,046.
October 25, 2025 at 4:19 PM
FT Middlesbrough 1-1 Wrexham. Visitors smart, organised, good following. Boro pedestrian 1st half, better with Browne, Conway on. Hackney industrious, headed equaliser Att: 30,046.
Sheffield Wednesday as they were once. In the last season of the old First Division.
October 24, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Sheffield Wednesday as they were once. In the last season of the old First Division.
Bill McCracken: the greatest Irish and Newcastle United player of them all? Probably. Delighted to get a copy of Paul Joannou’s new biography of the forgotten brilliant thinker, a man The Guardian called “the Irish Mephistopheles”.
October 1, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Bill McCracken: the greatest Irish and Newcastle United player of them all? Probably. Delighted to get a copy of Paul Joannou’s new biography of the forgotten brilliant thinker, a man The Guardian called “the Irish Mephistopheles”.
FT Sunderland 1-1 Aston Villa. Sunderland didn’t park this in the game despite being down to ten men. Villa slow and a bit odd but Sland kept going, disciplined & deserved the point.
September 21, 2025 at 7:08 PM
FT Sunderland 1-1 Aston Villa. Sunderland didn’t park this in the game despite being down to ten men. Villa slow and a bit odd but Sland kept going, disciplined & deserved the point.
FT Newcastle United 1-0 Wolves. Nick Woltemade scores on his debut. He might think NUFC prob better than Germany at minute. Wolves decent in spells. Guimaraes & Schar smart again.
September 13, 2025 at 4:09 PM
FT Newcastle United 1-0 Wolves. Nick Woltemade scores on his debut. He might think NUFC prob better than Germany at minute. Wolves decent in spells. Guimaraes & Schar smart again.
FT Burnley 2-0 Sunderland. All three promoted clubs have their first win. Turf Moor jubilant. Burnley managed their way through this and Josh Cullen’s goal changed flow of play. S’land lacked thrust second half.
August 23, 2025 at 5:44 PM
FT Burnley 2-0 Sunderland. All three promoted clubs have their first win. Turf Moor jubilant. Burnley managed their way through this and Josh Cullen’s goal changed flow of play. S’land lacked thrust second half.
FT Middlesbrough 1-0 Swansea. Rob Edwards excited by win in his first game in charge, neutrals less so. Smog v Dogg never really got going. Two teams with recruitment work to do in coming weeks. Dael Fry, or Mr. Fry as the tannoy said, got the goal.
August 9, 2025 at 5:14 PM
FT Middlesbrough 1-0 Swansea. Rob Edwards excited by win in his first game in charge, neutrals less so. Smog v Dogg never really got going. Two teams with recruitment work to do in coming weeks. Dael Fry, or Mr. Fry as the tannoy said, got the goal.
FA Cup: Whitley Bay 0-1 Heaton Stannington. Att: 786.
August 2, 2025 at 5:42 PM
FA Cup: Whitley Bay 0-1 Heaton Stannington. Att: 786.
Shelbourne 1-0 Linfield. Champions League qualifier first leg. Both sides will feel they won. Tense, tight game. Sets up next week’s second leg in Belfast.
July 9, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Shelbourne 1-0 Linfield. Champions League qualifier first leg. Both sides will feel they won. Tense, tight game. Sets up next week’s second leg in Belfast.
If you like Scottish football - and good writing - @nutmegmagazine.bsky.social continues to score. Produced beautifully in print and online. Big LoI content in latest issue.
June 27, 2025 at 10:56 AM
If you like Scottish football - and good writing - @nutmegmagazine.bsky.social continues to score. Produced beautifully in print and online. Big LoI content in latest issue.
June 18, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Excellent, funny book launch for Paul Ferris latest at the Live Theatre, Newcastle.
May 28, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Excellent, funny book launch for Paul Ferris latest at the Live Theatre, Newcastle.
Wild, wild noise and hysteria as Sunderland react to Dan Ballard’s later than late equaliser to take them to Wembley. Outplayed by Coventry on the night but Ballard and a few others were immense.
May 13, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Wild, wild noise and hysteria as Sunderland react to Dan Ballard’s later than late equaliser to take them to Wembley. Outplayed by Coventry on the night but Ballard and a few others were immense.
Just great to read Hugh McIlvanney in The Observer on a Sunday again.
March 23, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Just great to read Hugh McIlvanney in The Observer on a Sunday again.
FT Linfield 2-0 Glenavon. Not a classic. But Linfield a step closer to regaining Irish League. V questionable penalty award at 1-0.
March 15, 2025 at 6:37 PM
FT Linfield 2-0 Glenavon. Not a classic. But Linfield a step closer to regaining Irish League. V questionable penalty award at 1-0.
Friday night lights. Shelbourne v Cork City
March 14, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Friday night lights. Shelbourne v Cork City
FT Newcastle United 1-2 Brighton. Football is a game of errors, they say. Two hours of end to end play riddled with mistakes finishes with Brighton through & Anthony Gordon out of the League Cup final. Danny Welbeck last off.
March 2, 2025 at 4:29 PM
FT Newcastle United 1-2 Brighton. Football is a game of errors, they say. Two hours of end to end play riddled with mistakes finishes with Brighton through & Anthony Gordon out of the League Cup final. Danny Welbeck last off.
The last time Tottenham Hotspur were relegated.
January 26, 2025 at 4:09 PM
The last time Tottenham Hotspur were relegated.
Sunderland 2-2 Plymouth Argyle. Complacent from hosts. No fluke, Argyle deserved their point and it could have been all three. Sunderland far too defensive in first half especially. Trai Hume played well. Boos at end.
January 25, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Sunderland 2-2 Plymouth Argyle. Complacent from hosts. No fluke, Argyle deserved their point and it could have been all three. Sunderland far too defensive in first half especially. Trai Hume played well. Boos at end.
Was privileged to be at the unveiling of Denis Law’s statue in Aberdeen in November 2021. At the reception afterwards this flag was on the back wall. Farewell to a true great of the game.
January 17, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Was privileged to be at the unveiling of Denis Law’s statue in Aberdeen in November 2021. At the reception afterwards this flag was on the back wall. Farewell to a true great of the game.
Finished this today: a brilliant piece of work from David Peace. Moving, human, historic.
January 13, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Finished this today: a brilliant piece of work from David Peace. Moving, human, historic.
FT Sunderland 1-0 Portsmouth. Unconvincing home win against poor opponents down to 10. Lack of subs from Le Bris odd - Aleksic decent when he came on.
January 5, 2025 at 5:01 PM
FT Sunderland 1-0 Portsmouth. Unconvincing home win against poor opponents down to 10. Lack of subs from Le Bris odd - Aleksic decent when he came on.