Occupy the Pitch

Heroes Never Actually Fly: How Rui Costa is Ruining Benfica

Once a local icon, Rui Costa's presidency of the Portuguese giant is the latest cautionary tale in how not to run a football club

22 hrs ago • 

Jack Mckeever

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September 2025

Vicious History: How Football is Reacting to the Genocide in Gaza

Does football have the capacity to make a difference? And will it really ever be able to do enough?

Sep 20 • 

Jack Mckeever

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June 2025

Breathing Space: The Story of The Newsletter So far

Reflecting on a fantastic first season, confronting the FIFA Club World Cup, getting hyped for the women's Euros and taking a break

Jun 21 • 

Jack Mckeever

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2

May 2025

Money Doesn't Talk Around Here: An Insider's Guide to 1. Heidenheim 1846

The final newsletter of the 2024/25 season is a fascinating, wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation with two German football lifers

May 24 • 

Jack Mckeever

2

The Playlist | April 2025

Nirvana, noise, art-pop, quiet tension, Richard Yates' literary universe and lots of new bits feature on this month's playlist

May 3 • 

Jack Mckeever

April 2025

This Roaring Renaissance: England's Lionesses v Belgium

A match report on England women's rampant victory of Belgium in early April, plus an interview with a true follower

Apr 19 • 

Jack Mckeever

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1

The Playlist | March 2025

Highlights(/nostalgia) from the Skate 3 soundtrack and new bits from Sabrina Carpenter, Squid, Moor Mother, a blissed out classic and more

Apr 1 • 

Jack Mckeever

March 2025

Windows and Souls: Two Female Poets on Football

Exploring two incredible, wide-ranging poems about the planet's most beloved sport from some remarkable contemporary voices

Mar 23 • 

Jack Mckeever

2

The Playlist | February 2025

Featuring Springsteen, loads of spacious electronic music, Yo La Tengo, 2025's best pop song so far and loads more

Mar 2 • 

Jack Mckeever

2

February 2025

Keep on Paddling: A Day Out at Bristol Rovers

Part Two of my exploration into the history of maybe south-west England's most historic football club

Feb 27 • 

Jack Mckeever

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1

Kings of the Underdog Spirit: Visiting Bristol Rovers, Part One

An interview with the football journalist and lifelong Bristol Rovers fan, Luke Maunder

Feb 15 • 

Jack Mckeever

2

The Playlist | January 2025

Featuring FKA Twigs, Jimmy Eat World, Kano, 90s revivalism, latin prog-rock escapism, a resurgent post-metal banger and more

Feb 1 • 

Jack Mckeever

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