I was talking about the World Cup with a younger colleague at work recently, and I couldn’t help but smile at how differently we spoke about the same game. When I was growing up, football language was raw, urgent, and shouted straight from the terraces. You’d hear things like “Man on!”, “Get stuck in!”, “Put your foot in!”, or the classic “Clear it!”. If the ball was anywhere near danger, someone would bellow “Get rid!” or “Stick it in row Z!”. It was blunt, instinctive, and everyone knew...

The level of negativity directed at Arsenal has become one of the most striking features of modern football culture. Every week, the club seems to attract a volume of criticism, mockery and hostility that goes far beyond normal rivalry. Yet psychological research suggests that this constant pressure could have an unexpected effect. Instead of weakening a group, external hostility can strengthen internal unity. Studies by Craig Parks at Washington State University show that groups under threat...

For Sunderland supporters, one truth is obvious: no one on Wearside would ever cheer for Newcastle in Europe. The rivalry runs too deep, too bitter, too defining. But the question becomes more complicated when we look beyond the Tyne–Wear divide. Where do Sunderland fans stand when it comes to clubs like Liverpool or Arsenal playing abroad? And more broadly, when did English fans stop backing each other in Europe? In the 1960s and early 1970s, there was still a sense of national pride when...