Tom Arnold

Heseltine Institute Annual Lecture 2025: Football and the City Exploring the role of football clubs in driving regeneration, uplifting communities and sustaining our connection to place.

Just 2 weeks to go until our 2025 annual lecture! Join us for a fascinating discussion on football's relationship with Liverpool, its economy and its people, featuring Keiran Maguire (Associate Professor in football finance) at @liverpooluni.bsky.social and more. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/heseltine-...

This brand based in Accrington made an exact replica of that shirt a couple of years ago. Sadly a very limited run and I didn't manage to get one. www.trickett-england.co.uk

I'm at Conservative conference next week with @instituteforgovernment.org.uk talking integrated settlements, local growth plans, fiscal devolution and probably a bunch of other stuff.

City’s relationship with football in spotlight at Heseltine Institute Annual Lecture - University of Liverpool News City’s relationship with football in spotlight at Heseltine Institute Annual Lecture

It's October, which means our annual lecture is this month! Marking Everton's move to a new stadium and Liverpool's 20th top flight title, we focus on the deep and complex relationship between football and the city. Join us on 21 October @liverpooluni.bsky.social news.liverpool.ac.uk/2025/10/01/c...

The River Mersey in the sunshine.

Relieved that the weather has played ball in Liverpool for conference. Last year I attended an event where the politician on the panel arrived late and was so wet that he looked like he’d just stepped out of the River Mersey.

Big Coat Season getting shorter every year. Sad.

A small dog wearing goggles.

Took Kasper to a physio today where he had to wear safety goggles due to some kind of laser being used, so please enjoy this photo of him looking like a WW2 fighter pilot.

I’m not sure either, think this might be him.

The revival of the moustache and mullet combo is really remarkable. I blame the Australian men’s cricket team.

I have enjoyed embracing the slightly wider trouser in the last couple of years but they’re not quite the puddle draggers I was wearing in the early 00s.

I think they've been back in for quite a while! It's when they're back out again that I'll really start to feel my age...

First week of term campus fashion observation: we may be approaching peak big trousers. The wheel of trouser may soon turn and in 3-4 years everyone will start dressing like The Strokes again.

Sign him up @lancscricket.bsky.social

"I always win a trophy in my second full season mate" (holds League One play-off trophy aloft)

I know by their nature reshuffles are disruptive but ditching McMahon seems really daft. He’s leading on a bill that‘s just passed second reading, dealing with tricky local government reorganisation, has worked the brief for several years and is widely regarded as doing a pretty good job.

Radical right accommodation really does not work.

New paper out with this exceptionally talented team
@katharinalawall.bsky.social @robjohns75.bsky.social @drjennings.bsky.social @sarahobolt.bsky.social @zachdickson.bsky.social @danjdevine.bsky.social & @jack-bailey.co.uk

doi.org/10.31235/osf...

What I'd give for a Wasilewski in this team.

New Leicester City signing Julian Carranza holding a Leicester shirt with 'Carranza 2026' on the back.

@footballcliches.bsky.social Julián Carranza has just signed on loan for Leicester, with the news accompanied on the LCFC website by this image. The year the loan ends on the back of the shirt - are we having this? Surely the date on the shirt thing should be reserved for contract renewals?

Looks like a Hollyoaks baddy, I like him already.

David Cameron, 2015: "Britain and Twitter - they are not the same thing”.

Funny you mention Blur, because isn’t that what they did as well? The final 3 albums before they split up first time round weren’t exactly packed full of Britpop bangers. The first single off 13 was 8 minutes long and featured a gospel choir!

I think (though I'd never ask) this is my parents. Doubt they disagree with very much Farage says, but they find him uncouth.

Manchester was pretty bad in the immediate post-Covid era but has hugely improved in the last couple of years.

Labour to revive Northern Powerhouse Rail project Starmer and Reeves expected to announce move before Labour conference, with aim of boosting backbench morale

Will wait to see detail on this before getting too excited, given Northern Powerhouse Rail has come to mean anything from ‘Shinkansen style network enabling travel between Liverpool and Hull in 12 minutes’ to ‘electrification of one mile of the Transpennine’. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Mayor Steve is very much a thing.

Certainly the best series in England since 2005. The quality of cricket was better then I think. Probably the greatest ever test team were (just) on the decline, while England were building to becoming the best in the world. But for pure entertainment and drama this series isn't far behind.

Definitely the best home series since 2005 - possibly even better.

There is nothing quite like it.

This has been the best test series in England since 2005 I think. 2009, 2015 and 2019 Ashes all had their moments but there’s been drama almost every day in this series.