FA Cup replays have been scrapped in changes to the competition’s format ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. The news comes amid concerns over the congested nature of the football calendar, with all replays to be removed from the first round. Previously, there had been no replays from the fifth-round onwards. Football League sides had opposed the abolishment of FA Cup replays with the potential to miss out on high-revenue ties against clubs higher up the pyramid, though the chances come alongside an agreement between the FA and Premier League for greater support of the lower leagues.   Premie ..read more

We’ve picked out some of the best and funniest tweets from Football Twitter over the past week.  Yet another masterpiece from Bryan’s Gunn.  Got the nod pic.twitter.com/V1w6lzHFdR — Bryan’s Gunn (@bryansgunn) April 11, 2024 Athletic Club won their first trophy in over 40 years – and they celebrated in some style on the River Nervion in Bilbao.  Bilbao is having a party. There's something extra special about one-club football cities. pic.twitter.com/Vf9VrkztNx — Euan McTear (@emctear) April 11, 2024 Spectacular. Who needs an open top bus? pic.twitter.com/RgL5Ra6te9 — The Sp ..read more

Fantasy Premier League has a way of turning your average, workmanlike top-flight footballers into beloved cult heroes.  You see, millions are battling for the highest rank possible every single season and that’s often achieved by having the best available players in your team. But a limited budget means you can’t always have the cream of the crop on your team. FPL managers have to be smart and find hidden gems, bargain buys and unfancied players who will give them the edge over their competitors. These footballers tend to be forgotten by everyone else, but remembered and immortalised as ..read more

Premier League clubs have unanimously voted to introduce semi-automated offside technology into the division next season. At a meeting between the 20 top-flight teams on Thursday, each of the Premier League clubs voted in favour of implementing the technology in the 2024/25 campaign.   Semi-automated offsides are already used in various competitions, including the Champions League, while a version of the technology, using a chip embedded inside the match ball, was implemented at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It will also be used at Euro 2024 in Germany this summer. The decision of the clu ..read more

We’ve picked out some of the best and funniest tweets from Football Twitter over the past week.  Just when you need your barber to come in clutch, he pulls out a Raheem Sterling level clanger.  Me: "I've going to a big event tomorrow" My barber: pic.twitter.com/lxjiuPXqHx — Deng (@UTDDengv2) April 2, 2024 Money well spent.  I enjoyed the first few levels of this but then it started to go really, really weird. pic.twitter.com/o7wM1XGtju — Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) April 2, 2024 Remembering the three-way Premier League title races Why did Alan Shearer ever do to him? Do ..read more

Football photography has managed to capture some of the most memorable and iconic moments in the sport’s history in ways that have imprinted on our minds for the rest of our lives.  There is something enchanting and alluring about great sports photography, and football has been able to produce enough incredible moments that we could make a hundred lists over of the best football photos ever taken. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so we’ve picked out some of the greatest Premier League images of the noughties, in chronological order, for your perusal. Part one of this ser ..read more

The new England kit has, regrettably, been front and centre of the interminable culture war this week.  Political leaders, pundits, keyboard warriors and columnists who haven’t written an original thought in years have all waded in, offering their tuppence on this confected quarrel. Nike, you see, had the temerity to alter the St. George’s cross and stick it on the collar of the new jersey. It was, in their words, a “playful update” to “unite and inspire”, but judging by the reaction on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, not in the way they hoped. A playful update to t ..read more

Liverpool were desperate to get Michael Edwards back at the club, and looking at his track record, it’s easy to see why.  The 44-year-old was previously at the club for over a decade, and for much of that time he was a highly successful sporting director. “He is credited with building an industry leading football operations team, marrying a data led approach with scouting and intelligence to revolutionize the organization’s recruitment, player trading, squad planning and major football led decision making,” Fenway Sports Group said in their statement announcing Edwards would be their new ..read more

Liverpool booked an FA Cup quarter-final tie at Manchester United as an inexperienced Reds side beat Southampton 3-0 on a memorable night for the club’s academy. Jurgen Klopp named six academy graduates in his starting XI as Liverpool combatted the absence of several senior names and saw his youthful side repay that faith in style. Lewis Koumas marked his senior debut with the opening goal, as the 18-year-old jinked inside and fired a deflected effort into the bottom corner. Southampton had had the better openings across the opening 45 minutes, but Liverpool took control after the break. &nbs ..read more

The Emirates FA Cup quarter-final draw has been made with the remaining teams learning their opponents for the next round. Manchester City’s defence of the competition continued with a 6-2 win over Luton on Tuesday, a fixture that saw Erling Haaland score five times. Pep Guardiola’s side’s reward is a home clash with Newcastle, who eliminated the Citizens from the League Cup earlier in the campaign. There’s the potential of a Manchester United vs Liverpool FA Cup tie in the last eight, should both teams come through their fifth-round ties with Nottingham Forest and Southampton respectively on ..read more