@TheSopranosClub It’s “ok” love/hate is the next best thing to the sopranos in my opinion. Much better than kin , this city is ours etc - mr inbetween also excellent
A final piece of advice from Holly Butcher - written the day before she passed away from cancer at just 27:
“It’s a strange thing knowing you’re going to die young.
At 26, I thought I had time…
To fall in love.
Start a family.
Grow old.
But cancer doesn’t care about plans.
Now, I understand how fragile life really is. Every single day is a gift, not a guarantee.
I’m not writing this to scare you. I’m writing to remind you: really live.
Stop stressing over little things. Be kind to your body- move it, nourish it, stop criticizing it. One day you’ll wish you had appreciated it.
Go outside.
Look at the sky.
Feel the sun.
Just be.
Spend less time chasing “stuff” - more time making memories. Don’t skip moments with people you love.
Laugh more.
Write a note.
Tell someone you love them.
Complain less.
Give more.
Helping others brings more joy than anything you can buy.
Be present.
Put your phone down.
Show up - really show up.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You don’t need a perfect body, or a perfect life.
Just follow what makes your heart light up. Say no to what drains you. Make changes when you need to.
And please - donate blood. I wouldn’t have had that extra year without it. And that year gave me memories I’ll hold close… forever.
Thank you for reading this.
Live your life well.
And maybe… we’ll meet again someday.”
Holly 🩷
Repost & share Holly’s important advice. ❤️
FIRST ACADEMY WIN OF THE SEASON 🤩
Tries from Alfie Woods, Riley Dunn and a brace from Josh Guynan see us defeat the Black and Whites 🙌
🌍 OTC Europe LLP | #UpTheRobins🔴⚪️
@angus_young61 Doesn’t help that the car park company keeps wrongly trying to fine people £100. Happened twice to me in last couple of months so stopped parking there.
For any footballer who is genuinely serious about becoming a professional, the truth is simple: there is no big secret. Talent matters, of course, but it’s only part of the equation. What truly makes the difference is willpower, discipline, and relentless dedication...call it what you like, but without it, a long career at the top level simply isn’t possible.
Look at Seamus Coleman. At nearly 38 years old, he still speaks about his commitment to training and maintaining high standards every single day. That level of dedication doesn’t fade...it defines longevity.
There’s a growing obsession with pouring hundreds of millions into state-of-the-art sports facilities, as if elite players are manufactured by architecture and price tags. Football investors, in particular, love to unveil these massive projects with the same promise: this investment will pay for itself by producing top-tier talent. It sounds compelling, but it fundamentally misunderstands how player development actually works.
Elite players aren’t the product of pristine buildings or exclusive complexes. They emerge from repetition, freedom, and access, thousands of unstructured hours with the ball, often in small, tight spaces, long before they ever set foot in a high-performance center. By the time a player reaches one of these facilities, most of the real development has already happened.
If investors truly understood this, their strategy would look very different. Instead of concentrating resources into a single, expensive hub, they would decentralize access. They’d build dozens, hundreds, of small, free, local pitches embedded in communities. Places where kids can show up anytime, play without barriers, and fall in love with the game on their own terms.
Because the real lever isn’t luxury, it’s volume, accessibility, and environment. The next generation of elite players won’t come from marble-floored academies. They’ll come from the streets, the cages, and the small-sided pitches where the game is played constantly, creatively, and without permission.
There was a race for babies who could only crawl. lil girl came ready to crawl like the others… but suddenly she stood up for the first time and walked to the finish line.
And the sweetest part? None of the other moms complained. They just cheered and celebrated the moment. 🥹
I am doing another sporting parents workshop this weekend.
I've been running these for 35 years — long before sports parenting became a thing people talked about.
One of my favourite parts is the PARENTING POINT SCORE — a simple self-reflection quiz I run with every parent group.
No judgement. No wrong answers. Just honest reflection.
Here are three questions from this weekend's session. Answer them honestly — then let me know your score in the comments.
This is fantastic from @hullfcofficial.
No players at elite level without the voluntary endless hours that everyone at all amateur clubs puts into giving us the next superstar. 👏👏👏👏👏