What paper do you read for Football?

invincibleirish · 10-03-2008 05:48AM #1

so simple question, which newspaper does it for you when it comes to football? mine is the Gruadian,admittedly the paper is more famous for its middle class Liberal politics then its Football coverage, but its writers like Kevin McCarra and its regular features on some of the more obscure subjects within the game do it for me. also their online football presence and contributors like Rafa Honigstein and Sid Lowe in particular really are brilliant.

Honourable mention to the Daily Telegraph and Henry Winter, who if you believe 442 magazine is the best football writer in the game.

on the irish scene, despite lifting its UK Football coverage from the Guardian, the Irish Times, when its not covering Leinster schools rugby, has some decent interviews and writers, the Laurent Blanc interview on Saturday was great (though im not sure whether the interview was conducted by an IT staffer or taken from another newspaper). i havent picked up the Irish Independent or The Examiner for a long while though their coverage always was rather second rate.

As for the Tabloids, i personally care little for their sensationalist football coverage and 50 word match reports, but when i was a teenager i picked up the Mirror from time to time and Harry Harris (i think ) was their main football man, so if i had to pick a Tabloid i'd pick that one!

Xavi6 · 10-03-2008 06:00AM

Love reading Henry Winter's stuff, whether in FourFourTwo or online. Writes excellent articles and is the kind of writer I'm aspiring to be. Also a big fan of James Richardson for Italian football and Graham Hunter for the Spanish stuff.

Of the Irish there's not a lot I ever read with great interest apart from the columns by the likes of Dunphy and Giles. Don't have much time for the Paul Hylands of the world really.

Tabloids are great for the transfer rumours and that. Everybody likes a sensational story about a big name coming to their club. However when it comes to features and opinion pieces I hate the standard of journalism, particularly from the likes of Oliver Holt. Absolute rubbish.

zuchum · 10-03-2008 06:03AM

I read the Guardian. Entertainining,interesting,and funny,and always have the stories and ignore the bs. Also,the Football Weekly Podcast is immense. And the Minute-by-minutes are the third best thing behind seeing a game live and seeing it on the telly. Barry Glendenning is an absolute hero.

I also read football 365 sometimes if I'm bored...never venture near the tabloids,you'll only be disappointed...

EDIT: I just remembered,although the Irish Times Reports are lifted from the Guardian, if Tom Humphries ever writes about football(or anything,for that matter),it's usually brilliant.

invincibleirish · 10-03-2008 06:24AM

not technically a newspaper per se but the NY Times online have a football section called Goal that covers the game, the two things i like about it are firstly, their coverage of US football, not just scores and analysis, but of the games actual development in the US, try searching online with an interview given by the MLS commissioner a few months ago (im too lazy to find the link) its a fascinating read.

Secondly its great to read about the game in Europe from a north American perspective, the arrogance of the european clubs & fans in particular is evident when euro events are discussed.

RE: Henry Winter is an excellent writer, though i have little time for Brady or Dunphy these days, but thats just on a personal level, i dont find Bradys articles, like the one in todays Tribune, much interesting i think its difficult for him to give interesting insights or perspectives when he always on TV anyway having to compete with Giles & Dunphy, i havent read anything From Dunphy in a long while.

Barry Glendenning, whilst he can be funny, i find in the podcasts he has that attitude of "its Ireland its always ****e ho ho ho" which in fairness we all say, but it sounds poor up against what the pod guys have to say, in particular he has mentioned about how awful the domestic game & league is in Ireland is and doesnt elaborate on it, but sure what do i know im just a begrudger.

_blank_ · 10-03-2008 10:02AM

The Star probably has the best eL coverage, but I don't buy it.

Pat Dolan? I could do without his "opinions" tbh.

ibh · 10-03-2008 10:08AM

I read the Indo everyday. Don't really get much time to sift through any other papers. I like Daniel McDonnell(think thats his name..), who writes some good stuff Re Ireland internationals. I also really like reading anything by James Lawton (although i imagine his articles are syndicated from The Guardian or some other paper).

Green Giant · 10-03-2008 11:09AM

The Examiner. Love the Champions pullout and their all-round coverage is excellent.

Nalz · 10-03-2008 11:13AM

DesF wrote: »

Pat Dolan? I could do without his "opinions" tbh.

I really dispise him. I hear the The times is good, but I read whatever is around at home on the weekends, varies from the star to the indo

_blank_ · 10-03-2008 11:13AM

Trilla wrote: »

I really dispise him.

Not as much as me dude, not as much as me.

Vokes · 10-03-2008 11:17AM

The Sunday Times when i get a chance. Also squarefootball.net.

Mr Alan · 10-03-2008 11:19AM

Brian Reade who writes in the Mirror on Saturdays usually writes excellent articles. Always worth reading, usually the only thing in that paper that is.

Xavi6 · 10-03-2008 11:21AM

Mr Alan wrote: »

Brian Reade who writes in the Mirror on Saturdays usually writes excellent articles. Always worth reading, usually the only thing in that paper that is.

Not a fan of the Sun then?!

Mr Alan · 10-03-2008 11:24AM

Xavi6 wrote: »

Not a fan of the Sun then?!

The S*n would not be my paper of choice, correct.

LuckyLloyd · 10-03-2008 12:00PM

Irish Times / Guardian.

An Citeog · 10-03-2008 12:11PM

Mr Alan wrote: »

Brian Reade who writes in the Mirror on Saturdays usually writes excellent articles. Always worth reading, usually the only thing in that paper that is.

He's actually the most biased and sensationalist football writer I've ever come across. Unsurprisingly, most of his stuff has a pro Liverpool slant. Guessing that's why you like him!:p

Mr Alan · 10-03-2008 12:17PM

Hes scouse, and he's sound. Not why i like him though.

He writes excellent pieces, which personally i dont find sensationist at all.

He is a "proper" match-going football fan which is more than can be said for most journos, although this does sometimes lead to him writing a lot of his articles about Liverpool, i don't ever really feel he is biased.

He is old school. Old school = Good.

Jagera · 10-03-2008 12:25PM

I rarely read the papers at all, but normally the indo would have been my choice. Soccernet.com is where i read 90% of football stuff, however i'm not sure if the OP was only interested in print media, but there you go anyway.

As for reading about footie, depends what you're after really, normally i stick to scores, match reports, and any high impact stories. i just can't be ar5ed reading 'insight' type stores about the state of various facets of the game. particularly now that i'm seeing blip-all football in this timezone..

i did like listening to giles on newstalk. dunno if h's still up to that or not.

as for the Sun, i'm way to high brow for that rag from pages 1-2 and 4 onwards.

ROCKMAN · 10-03-2008 12:43PM

Was a fan of " The Star " still am to a lesser degree.
A couple of month back "she who must be obeyed " started buying The Daily Mail (30c at the time ) but I must say have been impressed with their sport coverage , very good. Some good articles by Matt Barlow and Joe Callaghan.

Xavi6 · 10-03-2008 12:49PM

ROCKMAN wrote: »

Was a fan of " The Star " still am to a lesser degree.
A couple of month back "she who must be obeyed " started buying The Daily Mail (30c at the time ) but I must say have been impressed with their sport coverage , very good. Some good articles by Matt Barlow and Joe Callaghan.

Ugh the ultimate wimmins paper. Feckin pregnancy supplements, goodwill stories, new age diets.....horrible, horrible stuff. I feel for you.

ROCKMAN · 10-03-2008 01:04PM

Xavi6 wrote: »

Ugh the ultimate wimmins paper. Feckin pregnancy supplements, goodwill stories, new age diets.....horrible, horrible stuff. I feel for you.

but my skin has never felt soooooo good.:D:D

OhNoYouDidn't · 10-03-2008 02:00PM

Green Giant wrote: »

The Examiner. Love the Champions pullout and their all-round coverage is excellent.

this would be the pullout that has a 'fans' section on the English Premier Division and the Bolton contributor has never been to a game. :rolleyes:

Unearthly · 10-03-2008 02:04PM

The Star Mondays

Andy Gray, Pat Dolan and Dunphy columns:cool:

_blank_ · 10-03-2008 02:07PM

Unearthly wrote: »

The Star Mondays

Andy Gray, Pat Dolan and Dunphy columns:cool:

:eek::mad:

Good god

Unearthly · 10-03-2008 02:09PM

DesF wrote: »

:eek::mad:

Good god

Pfffft

I like reading his opinions, doesn't mean I agree with them however

SectionF · 10-03-2008 02:43PM

I find that a lot of print sports journalism, and football journalism, outside of straight match reporting, is laughably self-important, over-written, and tediously repetitive. Think Damien Richardson let loose, and you're just about there. Related to that is the usually wholly undeserved worhshipping of individual hacks, sorry, 'writers'.

While the II and the IT have one or two good individual reporters covering Irish football, no Irish newspaper properly serves the game here, other than the redtops (see other thread for class distinctions in Irish sport). Most of them simply re-print British football coverage, or ape it.

leninbenjamin · 10-03-2008 03:10PM

I read the Irish Times, which is basically the Guardian in it's football reporting. I will read the Sunday Times the odd time too, but i think it's been slowly but steadily declining into the realms of tabloidism. The Telegraph makes it's way in here the odd time too and it contains some damn good articles in it now and again. especially memorable is the prediction from their sports editor at the start of the season that Arsenal would win the league, but Man City would get relegated.

I tend not to read the match reports much though, as invariably I've already seen it on the telly or read about it on the net. Opinion and editorials are what i read mainly.

DrumSteve · 10-03-2008 03:24PM

On a saturday i'd prob read brian reade's column its usually pretty good(and i am a pool fan)

oliver holts stuff during the week is too repetitive for my liking.

Oh and whatever happened to martin samuels column in the news of the world? i miss wiping my arse with it

:D:D

Charlie · 10-03-2008 04:41PM

Anyone watch Sunday Supplement on Sky Sports? Depending on the weeks line-up, there can be some journos on. However, can't stand Brian Woolnough who hosts it.

At least they gave Jimmy 'foreigners are killing the English game' Hill the boot.

stick-dan · 10-03-2008 05:21PM

Barely ever read the star or the mirror, only do in the event that i have missed the sky sports on the tube during the weekend but that dont happen to often....Seeing as we are talking about proper newspapers here we won't even be considering the "**n". Suppose you can't even call it a newpaper really more of an incorrect rumour mill....
The examiner at times i find to be good...Got to love 4-4-2 though..proper mag there even if it aint a tabloid or broadsheet..

invincibleirish · 10-03-2008 07:05PM

Yes 442 is the beesknees, although paying 7 euro a pop for a magazine always grinds my gears.

if we want to move away from papers to actual football literature, then Brilliant Orange is the best football book i ever read (guess which magazine serialised it!)

cson · 10-03-2008 07:35PM

Lawton in the Independent can be very good sometimes. He does dive into Sensationalism on some topics though. In our own Indo, Daniel McDonnell isn't the worst you could read.

What paper do you read for Football?

Comments