Derek Rae
@RaeComm
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⚽️ Commentator: Lead @ESPN Bundesliga comm, DFL world feed, La Liga/ESPN, FIFA 19/20/21/22/23 video game & #EAFC24/25. Contact: [email protected]
Joined February 2009
In that other place where the sky is blue, same nickname if anyone is interested.
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Love Lionel Messi. Who doesn’t? He has given the game so much. But was he the best footballer in the world over the last year? You be the judge.
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To argue that managing Bournemouth is a bigger job than Rangers would be like arguing that Augsburg is a bigger one than Ajax, or that Alaves is bigger than Benfica. Objectively it’s nonsense but if you never come out of the Premier League bubble to see what else exists. .
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If you’re watching Türkiye-Portugal today, please don’t get angry at commentators or presenters for the way we pronounce „Türkiye.“ .They no longer wish to be referred to as „Turkey“ & I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s not up to non-Turks to impose a name on a country that’s unwanted.
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Imagine beating Portugal in such dramatic fashion & then having to wait 10 minutes on the pitch to find out if it was enough. Pure tension. My view of the on pitch Korean celebration. Love how it builds to a crescendo. #KoreaRepublic
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Very sad news. The legendary Gerd Müller has passed away at 75. We use the word greatness loosely sometimes but no one greater than Müller. 566 goals in 607 games for Bayern, a record 365 Bundesliga goals. 68 in 62 for West Germany. You‘ll be missed, lieber Gerd. #RIP.
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Germany’s Leon Goretzka on the excitement enveloping the Euros from a German point of view. “It is nice to once again have 82 million people who think they’re the coach of Germany, rather than 82 million virologists.” :-).
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Interesting to hear non-Bundesliga fans warn actual Bundesliga fans of the dangers of not copying leagues like the PL. The majority of German fans simply like going to football & actually don’t like what they see as a watered down atmosphere elsewhere.
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Fairly stunning developments here first reported by @FabrizioRomano & now backed up by other reputable sources. Not many had David Raum going to Leipzig.
Excl: RB Leipzig are in advanced talks to sign David Raum from Hoffenheim on permanent deal. Negotiations are at final stages, here we go soon. 🚨⚪️🔴 #RBLeipzig. Top fullback set to join Leipzig in the next days, after many clubs asked for him in the last months.
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The World Cup used to be simple. A country hosts it & the football world goes there. Personally think 2030 should be held in South America to mark the centenary, nowhere else. But now everything seems designed to be as complicated as possible for fans.
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It’s also why English football is much more expensive to attend & why English media colleagues marvel at Dortmund & Frankfurt atmospheres. Not everything can or should be for sale.
Uli Hoeneß: "I'd be totally in favor of 50+1 being abolished. In England, every Premier League and Championship club is linked to a company, country or oligarch. That's why they're so far ahead of us internationally" [@LVZ]
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Why German football is different. Freiburg have confirmed they will not allow their logo to be used side-by-side with that of DFB-Pokal Finale opponents RB Leipzig in the creation of official scarves or other items for purchase. No official reason given.
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1/ Going to start the day with a thread about Leon Goretzka’s comments to Welt am Sonntag. As you may know, Goretzka is a socially engaged footballer. He & Bayern teammate Joshua Kimmich in the early phase of the pandemic started the “We Kick Corona” initiative.
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Instead of pointless, expensive macho bids for the 2030 World Cup, it would be nice if FIFA would do the simple thing & acknowledge their own history. 100 years on from the first one in Uruguay. Who wouldn’t get behind a South America bid including URU? History.
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When you haven’t seen each other in nearly 3 years, there’s nothing like an early Aberdeen haddock & chips supper at home with your dad. “Recht fine.”
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The Bundesliga may trail the Premier League in the super rich stakes, but a reminder that what’s happening in Newcastle is not allowed to happen at a German club. Worth bearing in mind. As BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said recently, German football will continue down its own path.
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There’s no way to comment on this without someone having a go but, personal view: .- England‘s decision to postpone left Scottish ⚽️ with little choice alas. - You can show respect while still attending ⚽️. Don’t cancel one of the few weekly activities to give people joy/release.
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A Kicker report shows the cheapest tickets at Bundesliga venues for the new season. As low as €13 at Mainz & Union, while the most expensive of the cheapest, Dortmund & Stuttgart at €18.50. And your local public transit to/from game always included.
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If you “cringe” at people having the time of their lives, with smiles on their faces, without causing harm, then I’m not sure what the issue is. Spoke to many German friends yesterday here who love the Scottish fans.
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Just imagine if the EU had said “it would not allow” the UK to have a referendum on staying a member. He would have called them all the names in the world. Are all unions equal? Whatever your views are on independence, do you want politicians using language like Mr Hubristic?.
If I become PM, I won’t allow a second Scottish independence referendum. People stated views clearly in 2014, so there should be no second vote. Nicola Sturgeon should spend more time improving public services in Scotland, and less time grandstanding
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Inspired by Eintracht Frankfurt & their fans, a little piece on German fan culture for today’s #BackGardenBundesliga
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If any Scottish friends are in Köln or heading to the city.- Always order Kölsch.- Embrace the Stange, the small glass. Always served cold. - The Köbes (waiter) will come around regularly with a huge Kranz of new ones & mark down how many you’ve had. - Never need to go to the bar.
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Eintracht Frankfurt president Peter Fischer live on the pitch on RTL while being kissed by one Eintracht fan. “Now to the final against Glasgow. Traditional team against traditional team. Tremendous!”.
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Good news for fans coming here to Germany for the Euros. An agreement has been reached with the local transport authorities so that a match ticket will also serve as a regional transport ticket from 06:00 on matchdays until 18:00 next day. Important info below though. 1/2.
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Don‘t usually get too personal on here but punching the air in delight with the news that my 85 year old dad in Aberdeen got a call today to say that he can go & get his first dose of the vaccine tomorrow. Fingers crossed the USA can match Scotland‘s pace.
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Seeing a lot of new follows from Rangers fans & of course many Eintracht followers. Would it help your enjoyment of the build up to the final if I to provide a daily update (in English & German respectively) on what’s happening with each team? Happy to do it if there’s interest.
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One of the many reasons why fans become attracted to German football is that they quickly see this kind of price gouging can’t happen. Football is for everyone, not just wealthy people. Atmosphere reflects that. Community, not capitalism on speed.
Inter Miami season ticket holders got renewal forms/info for 2024 season today. Prices doubled, tripled from this year from people I have spoken to so far. #MessiEffect.
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My last game at this World Cup. Thanks to everyone who has been in touch throughout.
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1/ Thread: On the back of yesterday‘s Newcastle news, it might be helpful to explain to fans of Premier League clubs why their counterparts in Germany don’t view the football world in the same way. Why being bankrolled is not the goal & why both leagues will remain different.
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1/ This story needs a thread so stay with it. VfB Stuttgart has revealed one of its star players, Silas Wamangituka, has been playing under a false name. They say he has been “a victim of machinations of the part of his former agent.”.
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Marco Rose tells ZDF. “Marco Reus came to me at one point and said coach let’s play 4-2-3-1 because Frankfurt are playing differently with 4-1-4-1 and I said OK, if the captain senses that on the pitch then we’ll do that and I like that. Self responsibility.” #BVBSGE.
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Little note ahead of Hungary-Portugal. US viewers on ESPN may hear 1 or 2 names pronounced differently than norms in the Anglo world. Conscious decision on my part. Always strive to be as true as possible to how a name is said by the player himself & his compatriots. #HUNPOR.
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Have only heard good things about Gio Reyna on the attitude front in Dortmund. Teammates heartbroken for him after the injury setbacks last season. Club has been judicious re his game time, working him back in but Edin Terzic conscious of not overdoing it. #USMNT.
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Perhaps I’m too close to the Bundesliga way of thinking but why does Jadon Sancho not get close to the England team? Possible I’m overrating him due to familiarity but have a feeling if he were already a Premier League player, he would be in there.
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Listen, I know there are both supporters of Scottish independence supporters & those who favour the U.K. union who follow me. Whatever way you lean, important to record that an estimated 200,000 attended this march today. Significant number in a country of 5 million.
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Approached a French-Moroccan player who had played in 🏴 & 🏴. As always, introduced myself. Told me how he & his family pronounced his name (he had grown used to hearing it said wrongly in 🏴.) I used what he told me on air. Next meeting, he said thanks of behalf of his family.
“When commentators pronounce names expertly correctly it does my head in.”. “It might be right but nobody says that!”. “Just say it how it’s meant to be said in this country!” 🗣. @talkSPORTDrive on pronouncing players name expertly. 👀🔥
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This is a silly debate. London based TV companies supposedly representing the whole UK, decided years ago not to invest in Scottish football. Prior to there was a negligible gap. Nothing organically better about English football, or organically inferior about Scottish football.
“HAS ANYONE SEEN SCOTTISH FOOTBALL?! BANG AVERAGE!” 😳. “#Celtic are fourth tier, they can’t even get into the Europa League!”. “The reality is that Scottish football is light-years behind.” 👀. Jason Cundy wasn’t impressed with Celtic’s #UCL campaign…
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Scottish fans are planning a 2km bagpipe march in Köln-Müngersdorf next week when they face Switzerland. It has been agreed with the authorities & will feature 30 bagpipe players. Toilets & food stations will be set up along the route which starts at the Technologiepark S-Bahn.
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1/ Jim McLean, since non Scots who follow, will be less familiar with him, deserves a thread. One of the truly great tacticians in world football in the 70s & 80s. I’ve heard this time & again from greats who played under him. “Wee Jim” was ahead of his time in this respect.
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Imagine if the USA had prioritized public transport rather than the almighty car all those decades ago.
LA Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig is having a difficult time adjusting to life in Los Angeles. He prefers cities that are not as dependent on car travel. His life off the field has been boring since arriving last summer. (Rut Vilar, Catalunya Radio) #LAGalaxy
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The legend Fatih Terim, Galatasaray coach. #Covid_19.
Fatih Terim has been diagnosed with coronavirus 😫. And that’s why the Premier League it any other league WILL NOT return with or without fans during the Coronavirus outbreak . You can’t risk a manager/player/coach/staff getting diagnosed and potentially dying.
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As with everyone who has #COVID19, wishing Prince Charles a speedy recovery. But it’s perfectly legitimate to question why he & advisors thought it wasn’t reckless to decamp to Balmoral this past weekend, at a time when Scottish govt advice (or common sense) said otherwise.
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Did anyone ever think they would see a 50 game unbeaten run in all competitions from August-May by a team in a top European league? And could anyone have imagined it would be a team that had never before won its own domestic title? Leverkusen at the high altar of ⚽️ history.
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Can’t talk about Fergie without referencing what he did before ever arriving at Manchester United. Sorry 5 Live Sport but what he did in Aberdeen amounts to a lot more than “the rest.”.1 Euro Cup Winners’ Cup.1 Euro Super Cup.3 Premier titles.4 Scottish Cups.1 Scottish League Cup.
🏆 13 Premier League titles,.🏆 2 Champions League titles,.🏆 5 FA Cup titles,.🏆 4 League Cup titles,. and the rest. The most successful manager in British football history 👏. Happy 80th Birthday, Sir Alex Ferguson 🥳🎂. #bbcfootball #SirAlexFerguson #MUFC.
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What’s amazing is how virtually no Irish history is (still) taught in the UK: not even the history that overlapped. For anyone who has read independently about that period in Ireland, Connolly was a figure of substance but it‘s as though there’s a 🤷🏼♂️ of “who’s that then?”.
“Who’s your political hero?”. “James Connolly, an Irish socialist republican”
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If you’re a Dortmund fan that whole sequence seems unjust. Highly debatable pen, Havertz missed at first time of asking & Chelsea players encroached first. A fan of any team would feel aggrieved.
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Eintracht fans in the Nordwestkurve with a message for „Kohle“ (money) Muani. “Money doesn’t alter someone’s character. It just exposes it.”.
Die #SGE Fans mit ihrem Statement in Richtung Randal Kolo Muani! #Eintracht @SPORT1 #SGEKOE #KoloMuani
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NEW: Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich will miss the rest of the year due to a lung problem. Kimmich tested Covid positive 2 weeks ago. The Germany intl hasn’t played since 6 Nov due to first being deemed a close contact (as unvaccinated) & then testing positive. His quotes follow below.
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My oldest friend, now a doctor in Singapore, gave me the lowdown on life there now. Most aspects normal amid effectively zero Covid. However no travel & yes masks/distancing/hygiene/respect. Sounds familiar to those of us who follow @devisridhar. In the west, we wanted it all.
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Scotland fans heading to Stuttgart.- order local delicacies, Maultaschen (dumplings) or Spätzle (south west pasta) especially with lentils & sausage. - vineyards even in the city itself.- Stuttgarter Hofbräu always good beer.- Try the Biergarten am Schlossgarten for ⚽️ watching.
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For Bayern & Liverpool fans this is not just your average departure/arrival. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge‘s emotional farewell to Thiago. I’ve translated the whole thing in various parts below. But watch the German version for context as you read it.
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By way of comparison, German clubs (normally themselves in warm weather training mode at this time of year) unanimously decided to forgo such extravagances knowing it wouldn’t exactly be setting a good example. What were Celtic thinking here?.
Celtic confirm that one of their players has tested positive for Covid-19 after the club returned from a training trip to Dubai.
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BT Sport in Scotland have excelled in realising Sco football is about every club, not just 2. Celtic & Rangers will always attract most fans but to constantly sell it around 2 clubs is to miss the essence of the game. Makes no sense either. No potential for growing the product.
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A few have asked me today what 🇩🇪 50+1 rule entails. A great quote from BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke. “A German fan traditionally has close ties to his club. And if he has the feeling he’s no longer treated as a fan, but a customer, we’ll have a problem.”.
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Maybe a Scottish view of the world but a general election on 4 July is a bit strange! For English friends, who might not know, it’s right when most Scots traditionally go on holiday. It would be akin to asking England to vote on 4 August in peak holiday season. Would that happen?.
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View from an outsider on the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The tournament really would benefit from:.- being played just once every four years as with the Euros. - being staged in a country other than the USA (which would also help the USA experience something different.) .Just my opinion.
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Domenico Tedesco who criticised the Leipzig atmosphere last week, said this to RTL about Ibrox & whether it affected RBL. “The atmosphere contributed its part. I have to say it was the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced in a stadium anywhere. It was crazy, electrifying.” 1/2.
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Doesn't matter how it happened. The fact is, Scotland has a team in CL group stage for the 2nd year running. This Scot is happy about that.
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Tweeted earlier about German match ticket prices & the affordability principle. Seriously will never understand why some see high, inflated prices in other countries as something to somehow boast about & marvel at. Do we only want wealthy people to experience ⚽️?.
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@SimonWilliams81 When a country makes an official statement about it, at the very least it’s good manners not to call them what they don’t want to be called.
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Maybe the fact that I haven’t lived in the UK for a few years is what makes this quite staggering to me. Suspending all TV channels & playing classical music was something that happened in the former USSR when Brezhnev and Chernenko died. Maybe it‘s what UK people want. Not sure.
England women’s international against France has been taken off BBC TV tonight after Prince Philip’s death. They’ll show this holding graphic instead on the channel with BBC 4 programming suspended. Game is still going to be live on the BBC website
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Today’s country is Nigeria, whose distinctive shirt I enjoyed having on for a recent @FOXSports PR day. Interested in hearing from fans of @NGSuperEagles on Gernot Rohr, his team, tactics, strengths, weaknesses, anything you like. Will come back later with own views.
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As a Scot or Scottish resident who qualifies to vote, you can legitimately be in favour of or opposed to independence. But why are they wheeling out an MP for a southern English constituency whose party‘s world view has been rejected by the majority of Scots since the 1950s?.
Nicola Sturgeon should be worrying about drug deaths not another referendum. @CPhilpOfficial says people in Scotland don't want #indyref2. #KayBurley UF
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Often asked why I spend so much time talking about German ⚽️ on here. Quite simply because it‘s what I enjoy & hope you might enjoy it, too. Culturally to me it’s unbeatable & lucky at this point in my life to make it the main part of what I do. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
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Always get puzzled by the obsession over the Premier League goalscoring record. Was the old English Division 1 in any way inferior? Did football only start in the early 90s?.
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Youngest players ever to hit 50 Bundesliga appearances mark:.1. Giovanni Reyna BVB (18 years/287 days).2. Kai Havertz B04 (18 years/307 days).3. Timo Werner VFB (18 years/351 days).4. Julian Draxler S04 (19 years/5 days).5. Christian Pulisic BVB (19 years/68 days).
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Anyone who travels in Germany to watch football knows the benefit of free local public transport for fans as part of the match ticket. Is it beyond the wit of Scottish football to do the same? Makes such a difference.
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When MLS fans knock Scotland (their right, but my right to throw it back.).🏴 has a similar population to Colorado, S Carolina. Imagine one of those states with 2 huge clubs on a 🌍 scale, several others who draw 12-13,000 weekly, highest ⚽️ attendances per capita & a ⚽️ culture.
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It’s time Scotland did more to sell itself as the home of football (along with England.) For some reason we let England claim this alone but in international terms, we are as old as England (without both there is no international ⚽️.) Early spread of the game owes much to Scots.
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Friday shoutout to the #FIFA21 community. I know many of you are playing the game more than ever in these uncertain times. Privilege to be your commentator. Stay safe and have a great weekend. @EASPORTSFIFA.
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1/ There will be some Scots supporting England. There will likely be many more supporting Italy. Odd? Not really. In ⚽️ terms (as opposed to geopolitical), they are independent countries. In the oldest of all intl sporting rivalries, you don’t generally support your rivals.
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BREAKING: Jesse Marsch to become the next head coach of RB Leipzig after a whirlwind 24 hours. Twists & turns in this since the announcement of Julian Nagelsmann‘s departure for Bayern. At one point, Oliver Glasner appeared to have overtaken Marsch in the pecking order.
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When someone on Twitter says “no one cares about women’s football” what they actually mean is “no one should care about women’s football because I don’t care about it.” Response to 🏴 qualifying for Women’s World Cup suggests plenty care.
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Can remember a time when Scottish teams didn’t ever feel the need to issue a CLUB Statement. We were all the better for it.
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I liked what @IrvineWelsh once said about voting. If you‘re doing well financially, vote to help those who are not. If not, vote for people trying to make society better. When super rich people tell you to vote for far-right parties, they’re doing it for themselves, not society.
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My match sheet for #DENFIN. Regular followers know this is my system for every game at every level. Began writing 4 weeks ago & a case of adding daily. More to add later before final highlighting. Someone in the the hotel asked me if it’s in Finnish :-) #DEN #FIN #UefaEuro2020
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It’s a small team that produces the Bundesliga on ESPN. We all live & love German football & it’s not a stepping stone to anything else. It’s simply what we enjoy covering above all else.
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Hasn’t quite hit me yet that my country is actually playing in a major tournament & I’m commentating on them. Other commentators from other countries almost take that for granted. Could never have imagined when I did my first 🏴 tournament in Italy in 1990, it would be this way.
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Watched it from Stuttgart but very clear that Scotland & Köln are - as I’ve always imagined - just a very good match for each other.
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Wir müssen sicherstellen, dass diese Verbindung zwischen Köln u. Schottland für die Ewigkeit so bleibt.
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Yesterday was hard. News of Grant’s passing at dawn ahead of the quarter-final came as a jolt. I’ve lost count of the numbers of times he got in touch to say how much he enjoyed a particular commentary & he did the same for countless others in the media. Generosity personified.
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Sad commentator habits. Packing every Bundesliga sheet from games going back years just so I have them for reference. Never know when a line I found on a player 5 years ago might come in handy at the Euros :-)
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His name is Jesse Marsch & it’s striking that in Germany, criticism focused on how the team performed. And have we never seen huddles before?.
👀 “I’m not sure about their huddle in the middle of the pitch…”. 😬 “I know he doesn’t want to be Ted Lasso, but do it in the changing room.”. 😳 “It was so cringe!”. Gabby Agbonlahor was not having #LUFC’s post match huddle yesterday…
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Listening to a couple of podcasts about the Wrexham story in the USA. Struggling to understand why anyone would be upset about it or threatened by it? Like the ⚽️ you like! World is depressing enough.
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