Chris King

[Matt Loveitt @mattloveitt]

Nominations are in for Ipswich Towns player of the month

#efl #eflawards #ipswitchtown #coventrycity #pusb

[Football Tweet ⚽ @Footballtweet]

Happy birthday to the not so boring legend James Milner, who turns 40 today.

Run it back to him naming his isolation XI during COVID. 😂

[Chris King @cpking93]

@CallMeStat How on earth do you get these stats there great !

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

The image of a triumphant Scott McTominay tearing across the pitch at Hampden Park clutching a corner flag adorned with Scotland’s Lion Rampant emblem. Unforgettable. The sight of Harry Wilson holding the match-ball after his hat-trick for Wales. Memorable. Club football is wonderful, often technically and tactically better, but international football brings astonishing drama, especially on the judgement day of the World Cup qualifying group stage. Nights like these mean the world.

Elite club football storms back this weekend, eager to reclaim the headlines, and Liverpool-Forest, Newcastle-City, the North London Derby and other club collisions will swiftly seduce the gaze back the Premier League’s way. But these last few days, including Troy Parrott’s pyrotechnics for the Irish in Hungary, have been a welcome reminder of the compelling nature of international football and why it will always command such attention.

Look at the scenes online of celebrations in the bar at Dublin airport as screens showed Parrott’s third goal going in; drinks taking off, strangers hugging, a man doing a jig of joy between chairs with his suitcase wobbling behind him. Dublin Airport changed its Twitter bio to Troy Parrott International Airport 🦜. Two arrivals from Budapest declared Troy Parrott tattoos.

Few events unite a nation like a national team doing well. Work-places today will be abuzz with chatter about the patriot games, conversations perhaps even involving those not obsessed by the game but caught up in the excitement. Kids will be inspired by those leading their countries to the World Cup. Having games on terrestrial television adds to that connection. Viewing figures will be substantial.

International football is special. Look at the faces of the Scotland players, gilded with glee. International football is special because its players playing for the shirt, not money. Scotland’s players were running on pride and adrenalin, fuelled by belief in their manager and buoyed by the belief of their fans.

By added time, Scotland were staging their own Goal of the Month competition against Denmark. They had the game finally won with Kieran Tierney’s worldie three minutes into added time, 3-2, game over, passports ready, doors to manual. Kenny McLean could easily have headed to the corner flag and run down the clock but he decided to shoot from the halfway line. And score. Spectacular icing on an already special cake.

It's special for these players because all had suffered setbacks in their career. Andy Robertson rejected by Celtic - too small, apparently - but always big on determination and now celebrating his 90th cap. Craig Gordon not playing for his club but playing for his country – at 42. Tierney not making it at Arsenal but now making it to a World Cup. Scott McTominay unwanted by Manchester United but now unleashing Zico overheads.

Parrott’s not had the easiest journey towards the limelight; those spells on loan in the EFL, that failure to convince Spurs, and moving on. Now an Irish legend. Brennan Johnson hasn’t won over Spurs fans completely but he’s just starred in a 7-1 epic Wales performance.

International football is special because a manager has to address squad weaknesses with his coaching not with a cheque-book. Even then, such is the squeeze on training time, he must work his magic in meetings and with selections and in-game changes. They create cultures and buy-ins from players. So Steve Clarke brings on a left-back at right-back and Tierney scores a screamer with his left foot. Clarke builds a culture. He cares deeply about the team, his players and the country, and people respond to that.

Craig Bellamy was missing important players, facing opponents who had conceded only three goals in seven qualifying games, and Wilson, Johnson and Co promptly put seven past North Macedonia. Would Clarke or Bellamy be considered for major Premier League jobs? No. But Clarke is off to the greatest show on earth, the World Cup. Bellamy may not be far behind him.

Both could be pitting their wits against Carlo Ancelotti, Thomas Tuchel and Didier Deschamps as the world tunes in. Knowing Scotland’s luck they’ll get drawn with Spain, Croatia and Italy. But, who cares for now, they’re on their way to the USA. International football's special because of the prize at stake, a place at the World Cup. It really does mean the world.

[Chris King @cpking93]

@reluctantnicko Pardon 🤣🤣🤣

[The 44 ⚽️ @The_Forty_Four]

Brighton have got the pele regen wtf is going on here… 🤯

First half hat-trick…

[Chris King @cpking93]

🥶

[Ipswich Town @IpswichTown]

Pledge your allegiance.

[joe @joeb_itfc7]

we are so back #itfc

[D4🇺🇸🇧🇪 @D4KAComps]

What PSG will do to Spurs in a month shouldn’t be televised man

[Clive Martin @clive_mart1n]

Over the years I’ve gotten used to the surreal battles of Soccer Aid, but Bella Ramsey chasing down Nemanja Vidic is really sending me

[The 44 ⚽️ @The_Forty_Four]

FOOTBALL IS MORE THAN JUST A GAME😍🥲

11 months ago Harry Jolley 13, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. 4 rounds of chemo and a stem cell transplant later, he played his first game back today

Last game of season, a win needed to stay up. Harry came on for the final 5 mins, the score line 3-3. With his first touch, Harry scores the winner to make it 4-3

[Joe Gilmore @Gilology]

Nah this ai stuff has gone too far 😭

[The Masters @TheMasters]

Poppy McIlroy converts the lengthy putt on No. 9! #themasters

[Racing TV @RacingTV]

Never change Jerry 😂 @Dominos_UK

[T G J @thatguysjokes]

Me in my back garden attempting to recreate them Declan Rice free kicks

[the racing newsletter @equinties]

When all the Cheltenham acca’s are down on day 1:

[Ipswich Town @IpswichTown]

🔊 Bring the noise.

#IPSBHA

[Henry Winter @henrywinter]

Darren Ferguson is a professional football manager whose job is to chase results not romantic headlines. Of course, it would have been lovely, all emotional and a media dream if he’d sent Tyler Young on at Goodison to share the pitch with his father Ashley, and share a little piece of FA Cup history. But not with the Posh pushing for an equaliser. Ferguson did what was best for his team not what was best for the media.

Tyler’s 18 and has played only 27 minutes for the club (in the Football League Trophy). Ferguson would probably have been similarly criticised if he’d sent on such an inexperienced player when he had stronger options. Everton’s second did not arrive until the 97th minute. That effectively ended the tie, which lasted another two minutes but Ferguson had used all his subs by then.

The narrative is inevitably given a further twist by Darren having been picked by his father, Alex Ferguson, for Manchester United as a teenager but it’s often forgotten that Darren was highly regarded as a young midfield player. He was a serious option to start. Brian Clough and Nottingham Forest, as well as Tottenham Hotspur, pursued him. Ferguson senior was certainly not the type to make selection decisions based on sentiment. And his son is clearly the same, and rightly so. Last night was a competitive game, not a testimonial jolly. #pufc

[The 44 ⚽️ @The_Forty_Four]

9 DARTER FOR DAMON HETA🤯🤯🤯

ABSOLUTE SCENESSSS🔥🔥🔥

[Ipswich Town Foundation @ITFCFoundation]

Ahead of Christmas, we're giving away a signed, match issue Conor Chaplin shirt from Town's win over Spurs last month.

To enter, follow @ITFCFoundation, like and repost this post by 12pm tomorrow - good luck!🤞