Football Daily | In the English football zodiac, 2025 is the Year of the Eagle

"At the risk of denouncing the family name, football has become a bit of an emotional vampire. At its worst, modern football is a cesspit of bile, hype, nonsense, hot air and yellow tickers. But every time we think enough's enough and it's time to change our name to Tiddlywinks Biennially, something happens to remind us why we wanted to be called Football Daily in the first place."

"In the English football zodiac, 2025 is the Year of the Eagle. Crystal Palace won the FA Cup, the first major trophy in their history, followed that with the Community Shield and are now, after beating Liverpool thrillingly on Saturday, the only unbeaten team left in the Premier League. On Thursday they will make history when they play Dynamo Kyiv in their first match of Tin Pot's league stage."

"With pre-emptive apologies to fans of Brighton for what is about to happen to their mouthful of tea, Palace are currently top of our patented and entirely worthless Model Club Table. It's nothing to do with algorithms, in either sense: we scribbled our table on the back of a vape box, and Palace's abundant charm lies even more in the breadth of human experience both direct, even for the neutral, and vicarious than their ability to buy low and sell stratospheric."

"The team that ran Liverpool ragged in the first half at Selhurst Park cost 135.5m to assemble. That's less than Mancheste no, we're not going there, this is a rare, celebratory edition of Football Daily. Adam Wharton alone would fetch close to 135.5m were he to be sold to well, any club in the world, because he's good enough to fit seamlessly into every single one of them. Wharton's un-English virtues are one of the things Football Daily loves most about Palace."

Modern football often feels toxic and hyperbolic, but Crystal Palace's recent achievements have rekindled genuine enthusiasm. The club secured its first major trophy by winning the FA Cup, followed by the Community Shield, and remains the only unbeaten Premier League team after a thrilling win over Liverpool. Palace now face Dynamo Kyiv in their first Champions League group match, marking a historic milestone. A playful Model Club Table ranks Palace highly due to their human appeal rather than analytics. The squad cost 135.5m to assemble, reflecting astute transfer dealings. Adam Wharton stands out as an exceptionally valuable and adaptable talent.

Read at www.theguardian.com