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Damian McBride

@dpmcbride.bsky.social
266 followers 107 following 40 posts
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I know we’ve only got ourselves to blame, but from a ‘growing the game’ perspective, I wonder if the WSL will reflect on the wisdom of giving Arsenal the toughest start in the league and killing our title chances by the first week of October, given how much they've relied on us to drive attendances.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
It is the first win in the knockout rounds since the 1966 final against a country with a bigger population.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Here's the final Top 25 average attendances in English league football for 2025-26. For the third year running, The Arsenal are the only club with two teams on the list, with Arsenal Women up from 21st to 13th after a full year at the Emirates. Could they overtake the Chelsea men's team next season?
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
With this title, Arsenal join Liverpool as the only English clubs to have been top flight champions in eight different decades. Man United and Everton are next on the list with titles in seven different decades. That's what you call having a history.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
This beautiful piece of writing by @poorlydrawnarsenal.com is so much more beautiful to read now Arsenal have done it. The Arteta story doesn't happen without Kieran Tierney, Emile Smith Rowe, and Granit Xhaka. They deserve this moment just as much as the players in this year's team.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
It is so sad – and explains a lot about this season – that the Arsenal XI which started against Barca in last year’s UWCL final have never been on the same pitch since. Nor have the XI which took the lead in that game. And now – with Beth and Katie leaving – they won't ever have the chance again.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Twenty years ago today, we saw one of this century's most unforgivable acts of cultural vandalism, as HBO declined to renew the actors' contracts for a fourth season of Deadwood. The greatest written TV show in history, cut down in its prime.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Arsenal were just too honest for their own good in that game, especially with that referee. Stina has to stay down here, and her team-mates need to get straight in the ref's face, force her to take another look at the whole incident, the way Lyon did to get their penalty.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
I bow to no-one in my appreciation of Emily Fox, but when she gets shoved over in her own six-yard box, she needs to stay down until the ref calls a foul or stops play, not get up and carry on. If she stays down, there's no corner and no second goal. It may be admirable but it's not smart.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
When Lewis Ambrose said on the Arseblog this week, 'If Gyokeres scores in every game between now and the end of the season, we'll all be very happy', I did immediately think: 'hold on, one thing does not necessarily mean the other'.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
How did this go from a Chelsea throw-in ten yards inside their own half to a free kick inside Arsenal's, either side of the Bompastor red card?
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Only 4th March, but Arsenal have already played the same number of games they played in the whole of their 2021/22 season. Here is how their records for the two sets of 45 games compare.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Thank you Jamie, always a brilliant listen, and we're lucky to have you and Tim doing it.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
As a colourblind man, I have to say I am very relieved we were wearing the white kit today.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
The latter is already happening. Every government transparency release is now leading to dozens of identical automated requests for e.g. the agenda, briefing notes, minutes, etc. for every declared ministerial meeting, each one of which still needs to be processed, even if the material is exempt.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
Indeed. "Did you feel sickened after fully celebrating two goals yesterday that were then ripped away from you? Do you want to feel that way on such a regular basis that you won't ever fully celebrate again? Welcome to VAR." At the very least, if we must do this, let's do an NFL-style review system.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
For the #arsecastextra, @arseblog.com and @gunnerblog.bsky.social, if a magic genie granted you a wish to finish above one club this season, who - right now - would you choose?
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Reposted by Damian McBride
John Muller @johnspacemuller.com · 18/09/2025
The quotes confirm what we all feared, every 38-year-old dude in America listens to Arsenal podcasts
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
Vicky Lopez must drive her team-mates absolutely mad.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
Just thought you might want to know what the 'legal definition' is, as opposed to what you were presenting as the 'usual definition'.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
That was the year that Robson & Jerome dominated the best-selling singles chart, spending a combined eleven weeks at No.1 with Unchained Melody and I Believe, compared to just one for Oasis from the releases of Some Might Say, Roll With It, and Wonderwall.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
The Top 25 teams in English football in terms of average home attendance over the course of the 2024/25 league season. For the second season running, Arsenal are the only club to have two teams in the list.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
Outside of the top four, are there any current WSL players who've particularly impressed you this season that you'd like to see us go after to raise the quality of our squad and challenge for the first team, in the way that Daphne von Domselaar did last summer.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 27/04/2025
Walking round the house this evening singing cup final songs, it occurred to me that 'We're the famous Arsenal, and we're going to Wembley' is a nice fit for 'She's the famous Mariona, Mariona Caldentey'. That may come in handy during the merry month ahead.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Semi against French champions? Final against Barcelona? Joint trophy parade?
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
It'll be the 60th anniversary of Cathy Come Home next year; this is not a new thing.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Chelsea may be cruising to an invincible WSL title, but facts are facts: if it wasn't for Emily Heaslip's dodgy penalty decisions vs Arsenal and Kirsty Dowle's fastest whistle in the west vs City, Renee Slegers' red army would now be top.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
If it was all square in the last minute of the Champions League final, and everyone was fit, which of the current squad would you want: (a) running through one-on-one with the keeper; (b) standing over a penalty; and (c) taking a free-kick 25 yards out (either side of goal you prefer)?
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
I was down a Dick Cavett rabbit hole on YouTube last night, and it struck me how much he looks like your man Martin McCann from Blue Lights.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 09/02/2025
At the age of 56, Vinny Samways remains the youngest man alive to win the FA Cup with Tottenham.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
This is clearly right, but Kerolin coming on for Park also felt like City going for broke, and I thought - in that context - it was brave of Renee to take off KCC, trust Lia to run the midfield on her own, and keep all of our goal threat on the pitch.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
You can't start a haiku like that and not give us the rest.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
You're absolutely right, of course, but nevertheless - after you said this - it was nailed on that we would lose today thanks to a shit decision that VAR would have overturned.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
When I first saw this headline, I thought it said 'Kemp's fury', which is just about plausible, and would have made a much more enjoyable story.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 25/12/2024
One of the big practical differences the Mrs Duffy moment made was preventing GB from ambushing Cameron on VAT at the final debate - 'I'm standing here and ruling out an increase in the standard rate of VAT in the next Parliament, will you do the same?' - which had been the plan pre-Rochdale.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
The united and spontaneous 'Waaaayyyy' that follows the breaking of a glass, the lights going out, or someone falling on their arse, at any British gathering of any size.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
The stockpile is around 250m tonnes now, but just nine years ago, it stood at more than 286,642 tonnes. And that attrition is due to 'environmental factors', not the stockpile being used.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
By my count, Alex Burghart will be the 39th person to appear at the despatch box at PMQs since the once-a-week era began in 1997, and Rayner vs Burghart will be the 21st different PMQs match-up since the 2015 election (a good indicator of turmoil). There's still never been an all-female match-up.
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Damian McBride @dpmcbride.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
30 years old next March that quote, 30 years old!
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