Nick Ames
@nickames82.bsky.social
European sports correspondent, the Guardian
Declan Rice: best player in Europe, for the best team in Europe. It’s still early *but* - it would take something (else) new and unusual to leave Arsenal empty handed this season: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Declan Rice cranks up volume to show he is Europe’s best player right now | Nick Ames
The driving force behind the continent’s standout team resembled four players in one as Arsenal put their old nemesis Bayern Munich to the sword
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Declan Rice: best player in Europe, for the best team in Europe. It’s still early *but* - it would take something (else) new and unusual to leave Arsenal empty handed this season: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Reposted by Nick Ames
Valerenga, in Norway, want anti-doping rules changed after an extraordinary case that saw a player in their women’s team test positive for a stimulant that came from an artificial pitch’s rubber crumb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Vålerenga call for anti-doping changes after artificial pitch causes footballer to fail drug test
Vålerenga have called for anti-doping regulations to be strengthened after a player in their women’s team was found to have ingested a banned stimulant from rubber crumb in a pitch
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Valerenga, in Norway, want anti-doping rules changed after an extraordinary case that saw a player in their women’s team test positive for a stimulant that came from an artificial pitch’s rubber crumb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Valerenga, in Norway, want anti-doping rules changed after an extraordinary case that saw a player in their women’s team test positive for a stimulant that came from an artificial pitch’s rubber crumb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Vålerenga call for anti-doping changes after artificial pitch causes footballer to fail drug test
Vålerenga have called for anti-doping regulations to be strengthened after a player in their women’s team was found to have ingested a banned stimulant from rubber crumb in a pitch
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Valerenga, in Norway, want anti-doping rules changed after an extraordinary case that saw a player in their women’s team test positive for a stimulant that came from an artificial pitch’s rubber crumb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Reposted by Nick Ames
Sindre Walle Egeli's first taste of English football was heartbreaking: at seven, he travelled to Anfield but found family's tickets were fake. Now he aims for better memories at Ipswich. Interview with Norway's highest youth scorer & Championship record signing: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
‘I wouldn’t compare us’: Sindre Walle Egeli, the Ipswich teenager who has outscored Haaland
Record scorer for Norway’s age-group sides tells Nick Ames about his World Cup hope, being frozen out at 15 and fake tickets heartbreak at Anfield
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Sindre Walle Egeli's first taste of English football was heartbreaking: at seven, he travelled to Anfield but found family's tickets were fake. Now he aims for better memories at Ipswich. Interview with Norway's highest youth scorer & Championship record signing: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Sindre Walle Egeli's first taste of English football was heartbreaking: at seven, he travelled to Anfield but found family's tickets were fake. Now he aims for better memories at Ipswich. Interview with Norway's highest youth scorer & Championship record signing: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
‘I wouldn’t compare us’: Sindre Walle Egeli, the Ipswich teenager who has outscored Haaland
Record scorer for Norway’s age-group sides tells Nick Ames about his World Cup hope, being frozen out at 15 and fake tickets heartbreak at Anfield
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Sindre Walle Egeli's first taste of English football was heartbreaking: at seven, he travelled to Anfield but found family's tickets were fake. Now he aims for better memories at Ipswich. Interview with Norway's highest youth scorer & Championship record signing: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Reposted by Nick Ames
This week has been an antidote to power club football. Make do and mend teams, full of faulty parts giving their people a night or two of glorious delirium.
November 18, 2025 at 10:30 PM
This week has been an antidote to power club football. Make do and mend teams, full of faulty parts giving their people a night or two of glorious delirium.
Hope the "thank goodness the Premier League is back!!" takes are kept to a minimum this week – the past few days has been football at its best & purest.
November 18, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Hope the "thank goodness the Premier League is back!!" takes are kept to a minimum this week – the past few days has been football at its best & purest.
Can the public really tell this? Or are they simply force-fed it 24 hours a day?
Asked how happy Keir Starmer is that Tommy Robinson is now backing his asylum plans, his spokesman replies that "the public can tell that the pace and scale of illegal immigration is out of control..."
"We must restore order... or we will lose public consent for giving refuge at all".
"We must restore order... or we will lose public consent for giving refuge at all".
November 17, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Can the public really tell this? Or are they simply force-fed it 24 hours a day?
Some of these WCQ ties have been quite brilliant – one of the best weeks in calendar living up to its reputation. DR Congo, an enigma for so long, have outplayed a woeful Nigeria and deservedly won on penalties to reach March play-offs. Should be favoured to get through what will be a real mixed bag
November 16, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Some of these WCQ ties have been quite brilliant – one of the best weeks in calendar living up to its reputation. DR Congo, an enigma for so long, have outplayed a woeful Nigeria and deservedly won on penalties to reach March play-offs. Should be favoured to get through what will be a real mixed bag
Reposted by Nick Ames
No fairytale for Graham Potter just yet. Report from Geneva: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Sweden into playoff after losing Graham Potter’s first game in Switzerland
Sweden will try to qualify for next year’s World Cup via the playoffs after losing Graham Potter’s first match as coach 4-1 in Switzerland
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:50 PM
No fairytale for Graham Potter just yet. Report from Geneva: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
No fairytale for Graham Potter just yet. Report from Geneva: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Sweden into playoff after losing Graham Potter’s first game in Switzerland
Sweden will try to qualify for next year’s World Cup via the playoffs after losing Graham Potter’s first match as coach 4-1 in Switzerland
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:50 PM
No fairytale for Graham Potter just yet. Report from Geneva: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
It's gone a little under the radar but Kosovo have had a stunning qualifying campaign. They've made the play-offs by winning in Slovenia and have a genuinely decent chance of getting through them. Utterly inconceivable a decade ago.
November 15, 2025 at 9:49 PM
It's gone a little under the radar but Kosovo have had a stunning qualifying campaign. They've made the play-offs by winning in Slovenia and have a genuinely decent chance of getting through them. Utterly inconceivable a decade ago.
Reposted by Nick Ames
Graham Potter and Sweden - no pressure, but also all the pressure: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Graham Potter poised to restore Sweden’s spirit and aim for World Cup
The timing was just right for coach to return to his roots and get batch of superstars firing in time for a qualifying playoff
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Graham Potter and Sweden - no pressure, but also all the pressure: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Graham Potter and Sweden - no pressure, but also all the pressure: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Graham Potter poised to restore Sweden’s spirit and aim for World Cup
The timing was just right for coach to return to his roots and get batch of superstars firing in time for a qualifying playoff
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Graham Potter and Sweden - no pressure, but also all the pressure: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
This largely has the effect of disengaging people from competitions that are (1) worth watching and (2) rather *need* the engagement. Current – growing – level of atomisation does not serve either the fans or the sport.
funny week of football television viewing. I have the usual tv subscriptions. Quite fancied some women's CL but not enough to subscribe to Disney+, sorry. Quite fancied some men's WC qualifiers but not enough to *pay-per-view* on Amazon Prime, sorry. How many different things should we need?!
November 14, 2025 at 2:10 PM
This largely has the effect of disengaging people from competitions that are (1) worth watching and (2) rather *need* the engagement. Current – growing – level of atomisation does not serve either the fans or the sport.
FA throw their weight behind international tournament qualifying revamp: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
FA pushes for new tournament qualifying format amid fears process is stale
The FA has thrown its weight behind plans to revamp the European qualifying format for major international tournaments amid fears the process has become stale
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:05 AM
FA throw their weight behind international tournament qualifying revamp: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Reposted by Nick Ames
Well, this is quite a serious allegation. I do hope the BBC shows true impartiality and investigate whether or not some of its Board members are systemically biased. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
BBC board member with Tory links ‘led charge’ in systemic bias claims, say insiders
Sources say Robbie Gibb amplified criticisms of Trump, Gaza and trans rights coverage, and had ‘a lot of oxygen in the room’
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:34 AM
Well, this is quite a serious allegation. I do hope the BBC shows true impartiality and investigate whether or not some of its Board members are systemically biased. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
They eventually won the league by 13 points - only one defeat all season. Won’t see much else like it.
Mjällby have just won the Swedish league with three games left - and they haven’t simply won it, they’ve absolutely ripped it up. No asterisks or sugar daddies here, just the best story European club football will produce all year. From August, this is their tale: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Mjällby making minor miracles in an extraordinary Swedish football story
The former third-tier club with no financial muscle from a remote municipality of 14,000 inhabitants are leading the country’s top flight
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:01 PM
They eventually won the league by 13 points - only one defeat all season. Won’t see much else like it.
Reposted by Nick Ames
A wild ride that left everyone back where they started: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
De Ligt snatches last-gasp draw for Manchester United in chaotic finale at Spurs
A goal deep into added time from Matthijs de Ligt salvaged a 2-2 draw for Manchester United after goals from Mathys Tel and Richarlison had threatened a late victory for Tottenham
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:26 PM
A wild ride that left everyone back where they started: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
A wild ride that left everyone back where they started: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
De Ligt snatches last-gasp draw for Manchester United in chaotic finale at Spurs
A goal deep into added time from Matthijs de Ligt salvaged a 2-2 draw for Manchester United after goals from Mathys Tel and Richarlison had threatened a late victory for Tottenham
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:26 PM
A wild ride that left everyone back where they started: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
If you read anything this weekend, make it this by @barneyronay.bsky.social - www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Silence over Sudan: why do Manchester City’s owners get away with so much?
Two midweek matches in England had a backdrop of war and geopolitics, but only one drew large protests
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:44 AM
If you read anything this weekend, make it this by @barneyronay.bsky.social - www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Reposted by Nick Ames
Inside Villa Park, everyone stuck to football. Outside, a palpably disquieting undertone was kept in check. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Maatsen and Malen help Aston Villa avoid more controversy in win over Maccabi Tel Aviv
Ian Maatsen and Donyell Malen scored in each half to give Aston Villa a comfortable 2-0 Europa League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv after hours of protests outside the stadium before kick-off
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Inside Villa Park, everyone stuck to football. Outside, a palpably disquieting undertone was kept in check. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Inside Villa Park, everyone stuck to football. Outside, a palpably disquieting undertone was kept in check. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Maatsen and Malen help Aston Villa avoid more controversy in win over Maccabi Tel Aviv
Ian Maatsen and Donyell Malen scored in each half to give Aston Villa a comfortable 2-0 Europa League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv after hours of protests outside the stadium before kick-off
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Inside Villa Park, everyone stuck to football. Outside, a palpably disquieting undertone was kept in check. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Not to downplay the much bigger issues but, from what I've seen in the last couple of hours outside Villa Park, the proliferation of YouTubers and influencers has given the police as much trouble as anything else.
November 6, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Not to downplay the much bigger issues but, from what I've seen in the last couple of hours outside Villa Park, the proliferation of YouTubers and influencers has given the police as much trouble as anything else.
Reposted by Nick Ames
It was always going to be all about a right-back: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Bradley shuts down Vinícius and shows Liverpool he can be right-back for future | Nick Ames
Real Madrid’s world-leading winger was nullified by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s possible successor at Anfield
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:18 AM
It was always going to be all about a right-back: www.theguardian.com/football/202...