Phil Greene

A final reminder that if you enjoyed this thread, and are in a position to do so, please consider making a donation to Gaza Sunbirds to aid their vital work gazasunbirds.org

Secondly, for the first time, there is no oral history or long read on a Golden Era Simpsons episode. Online media must truly be on its arse

Two observations from me. Firstly, can we all collectively agree on a single preferred social channel by this time next year? Coposting this on Twitter nearly killed me.

So, after more than 100 pieces and having to rewind and rewatch entire episodes of Black Doves and The Agency, we've reached the end of this year's Best Stuff I Read list. The thread will stay pinned at the top of my profile until New Year's Day, when we start the 2025 list

The Fall of Man: a Christmas short story by Donal Ryan From Tidings: An Anthology of New Irish Christmas Stories, edited by Seán Farrell and published by Lilliput Press

And finally, the last piece on this year's list. He wrote my favourite book of the year too, as it happens. A typically gorgeous short story from Donal Ryan www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...

This column is worth €250 million annually to the Irish economy The FAI and GAA got on board with the must-have sports accessory of 2024 – the Economic Impact Report.

Another writer to take up a decent amount of real estate on this year's list is
@gcooney93.bsky.social and the last entry here is a doozy, on sports' attempt to quantify its value to the economy www.the42.ie/economic-imp...

Inside the fallen stronghold: Damascus erupts in joy as regime is swept away But euphoria is tempered by chaos as people overrun symbols of the former regime

The fall of the Assad regime barely felt real earlier this month, such was its swiftness. Stunning on the ground work from Malaika Kanaaneh Tapper www.ft.com/content/9cd6...

Brian Fenton: The highs and lows of a decade in blue The Dublin footballer talks about his decision to retire at 31 and the emotional toll of saying goodbye to the game he loves

As a Kildare man, news of Brian Fenton's retirement was music to my ears. For my money he's the very best player of their entire golden period. Some absolutely deadly stuff in here with @mickfoley76.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/sport/gaa/ar....

David Squires on … the Fifa Man’s plan to make Saudi dreams come true Our cartoonist looks at the hard work that has gone on at the football factory to pave the way for a Saudi Arabia World Cup

Kind of hard to believe that Gianni Infantino is proving himself to be even worse than the last fella to have his job, but it's definitely looking that way. Brilliant recent one from @davidsquires.bsky.social on the FIFA Man www.theguardian.com/football/pic...

Sport may be a blunt tool of social change, but it’s time to take a stand against Israel | Jonathan Liew As the bombardment continues in Gaza, bodies such as Fifa and the IOC have evaded taking a stand. But fans’ solidarity with Palestinians is growing and should not be ignored

He's been on the list a fair few times this year but maybe @jonathanliew.bsky.social's most important appearance is his last www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/n...

Katie Taylor still feels worth writing about After a week in which boxing writers witnessed their own extinction, Taylor and Amanda Serrano transported us to a bygone era.

Katie Taylor went deep into the well once again to defeat Amanda Serrano last month. Gavan Casey was as brilliant as you'd hope about the great woman, as well as finding time to fit in some occupational existential dread www.the42.ie/katie-taylor...

Three days with the true believers who won’t let Bigfoot die After decades without conclusive evidence, surely there aren’t people still holding out hope. Right?

Just a great yarn here from Imogen West Knights, who went to a sort of Davos for Big Foot enthusiasts www.ft.com/content/5a80...

Merchant's Quay are doing some vital work in helping those in addiction, in the middle of a homelessness crisis. @patrickfreyne.bsky.social went to speak to the people offering and accessing the services t.co/R34SSOXE1l

At home with Dave Webster: The tears, laughter and pain of a 17-year LOI career - and hope of first Cup Final The 42 visits Drogheda United defender and his family – with a hilarious FaceTime cameo from a friend – for a revealing insight into their story.

The big @davidsneyd.bsky.social FAI Cup Final piece is an absolute institution on this list and the 2024 effort did not disappoint, with Drogheda's Dave Webster www.the42.ie/dave-webster...

Inside the Ruthless, Restless Final Days of Trump’s Campaign “What’s discipline got to do with winning?”

These type of tell-alls from campaigns are usually staff washing their hands of a losing side. That all this could be going on and Trump still win is instead a complete indictment of the Dems candidate, campaign and general existence www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

‘I couldn’t cry over my children like everyone else’: the tragedy of Palestinian journalist Wael al-Dahdouh The long read: After his wife and two of his children were killed in Gaza, Al Jazeera journalist Wael al-Dahdouh became famous around the world for his decision to keep reporting. But this was just th...

Not too many words to describe this piece by @nesrinemalik.bsky.social with Wael al Dahdouh, please just read it www.theguardian.com/world/2024/o...

The most vital investigative, shoe leather reporting on this entire list; @tylerparker.bsky.social went to the LA Clippers' new arena to use the jacks www.theringer.com/nba/2024/10/...

Paul Kimmage: ‘I know how to sit on a horse and f**king ride. I struggle to do anything else’ – Davy Russell It might seem absurd to liken these interviews to the Sport of Kings, but that’s often how they feel. There’s a start, a middle, and an end, and some fences to be jumped.

While I didn't exactly need to be convinced of the likely quality of the book in the same way as I did with Johnny Sexton, Paul Kimmage was every bit as good with Davy Russell It's an, ahem, robust chat m.independent.ie/sport/paul-k...

Child's play - josimarfootball.com A joint investigation by Josimar and Bellingcat has found that 1xBet, official betting sponsor of FC Barcelona, PSG, Serie A and CAF, is organising and giving odds on hundreds of thousands of games pe...

@josimarfootball.bsky.social are doing the consistently most thorough, dogged reporting in football. This might be their maddest investigation yet, on 1XBet and their live betting infrastructure josimarfootball.com/2024/10/21/c...

The tragic death of George Baldock in Greece: Loss and confusion after ‘one of the darkest days’ ‘I’ve never felt like this before’. In Greece, team-mates, colleagues and friends of George Baldock struggle to come to terms with a tragedy

One of the most tragic footballing stories of 2024 was the death of George Baldock. @stujames.bsky.social wrote a great piece on a dreadful situation www.nytimes.com/athletic/585...

Ian O'Riordan went to speak to Stephen Roche and Roche, em, had some stuff to say. This one just kept getting better and better, a new favourite line basically every paragraph t.co/HZtEkUXnPg

Excessively an @theathleticfc.bsky.social piece, and specifically excessively an @footballcliches.bsky.social piece and all the better for it. Wonderful stuff at the Subuetto World Cup www.nytimes.com/athletic/582...

'There hasn’t been a single day when I haven’t been looking forward to that' - 25 years of TG4 From humble beginnings compiling Spanish soccer highlights, TG4′s GAA coverage has changed everything.

Absolutely gorgeous stuff from Declan Bogue on a quarter of a century of GAA coverage on TG4 www.the42.ie/tg4-micheal-...

‘Do I wish I could take it back? Of course. There are many moments I wish I could take back...’ – Johnny Sexton meets Paul Kimmage In the beginning, before the World Player of the Year award and the two Grand Slams and the four Six Nations championships and the four European Cups and the six league titles and the 118 Irish caps a...

The biggest compliment I can pay this Paul Kimmage interview with Johnny Sexton is that it convinced me that the book was worth getting and wouldn't just be another vapid rugby bio. Kimmage the master m.independent.ie/sport/rugby/...

Goodbye, Coliseum On loving and losing the Oakland A’s

I will never understand how American sports teams can just be picked up and moved wholesale to a totally different place. That happened this year to the Oakland Athletics and Ellen Cushing went to say goodbye at their last home game. Brilliantly evocative stuff www.theatlantic.com/family/archi...

A typically wonderful interview from @malachyclerkin.bsky.social up next, with Meath's Cillian O'Sullivan living with MS t.co/w9eBA8hgYi

Can Pro Sports and Drag Queens Coexist? A Mill Town Finds Out. A gay couple embraced inclusion after buying an English rugby team. To their surprise, the fans bought in, too.

@rorysmith.bsky.social typically writes brilliantly about football, and is a regular on these lists. Earlier this year, he wrote brilliantly about rugby league and drag queens in the the north of England www.nytimes.com/2024/10/01/w...

John Oliver Is Still Working Through the Rage The host of ‘Last Week Tonight’ talks about what he’s learned in the ten years of making the show and why he doesn’t consider himself a journalist.

It's funny, John Oliver is on television and all over our timelines literally every week with his show but you rarely hear from him in any great depth, nor talk about himself. Great interview www.nytimes.com/2024/09/28/m...

Five hours of pints with Paul Heaton: ‘We’ve got distracted. Let’s get back to the album’ He topped the charts in the 80s and 90s, became a nobody, and is now filling arenas again. On a pub crawl in Manchester, Heaton discusses inebriation, insecurity – and why he doesn’t rip off his fans

No piece on this year's list as is affirming, joyous or just as fun as this, on the piss with @paulheatonsolo.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/music/2024/s...

My day as Harrogate Town’s assistant manager Daniel Storey gets VIP access throughout the day of Harrogate's home game against Doncaster Rovers - and even sits on the bench...

@danielstorey85.bsky.social s in the midst of a brilliant project to visit all 92 English football league clubs. His piece on his stint as Harrogate Town assistant manager is particularly deadly inews.co.uk/sport/footba...