Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Don't tell him I said this, but Mark is consistently the smartest voice in any room he's in talking about sport and children's place in it - and of course, the FAI wouldn't let him within an ass's roar of whatever flaming pile of stinking garbage their current "youth development" plan is. 031
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 30/09/2026New article in the Irish Examiner The illusion of professionalism - when football system designed to serve children starts serving itself Systems don’t rise to the level of their goals, they fall to the level of their design. www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer...irishexaminer.comThe illusion of professionalism - when football system designed to serve children starts serving itselfSystems don’t rise to the level of their goals, they fall to the level of their design. 051
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 26/09/2026The only only sportsman and the only real man among them, standing head and shoulders above the cowards in the squad, the coaching staff and the FAI. This is how simple it is to do the right thing. 114738
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Man City - www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYBj...youtube.comClip from The Damned United - Brian Clough's first day as Leeds ManagerYouTube video by Sony Pictures Releasing UK 000
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDRajan Naidu 📎 Ⓥ @rajannaidu.bsky.social · 25/09/2026The Irish people will soon make up their own minds as to whether they are, or they are not, in favour of the Apartheid regime of Israel's settler colonialism, ethnic cleansing, infanticide, genocide, collective punishment of the Palestinian people, wanton destruction www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...amnesty.orgEurope: Israel’s participation in the UEFA Nations League is a betrayal of Palestinians, football's own rules and human rightsDespite clear evidence that Israel’s football association continues to support illegal settlements, Israel men’s football team will participate in the UEFA Nations League this autumn. 001
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Spineless and ignorant, but the corporate cult of administration just rolls on 012
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 18/09/2026David Courell must resign. #stopthegame 13616
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 18/09/2026"Boycotts are powerful. Unilateral boycotts are ineffective" - David Courell . Please remind this idiot what Mary Manning and the Dunnes Stores workers achieved 294
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Welcome to Sweden, and the election nobody won - how hope is in short supply, despite an apparent win for the red-green bloc after four years of far-right chaos. philipoconnor.com/welcome-to-s... 1198
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDthatgirlinsb @34thparallel.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Protesters at the Irish Open. shitler’s international golf links and hotel Doonbeg, Ireland. Thank you, Doonbeg! 564213484652
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDRichard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Statement from President Connolly: We are in a world facing the existential threat posed by war and climate change, both of which are inextricably interlinked. I conveyed the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted. 501273363
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 12/09/2026... is continue to state the facts and report what I see on the ground. The reason I do so is because I have read the books, visited the places & seen the graves of Nazism's victims. I am not afraid for myself. I am afraid for Sweden. So I'll say it one more time: No pasarán. Not now. Not ever. 0437
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 12/09/2026In 1933, a retirement home for Jewish people opened at Lützowstrasse 48/49 in Berlin, a place for them to live their remaining days in dignity. In 1939, it was taken over by the Nazis, who turned it into a propaganda office for HItler's Schutzstaffel - better known as the SS. (1/n) 24337
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 11/09/2026When neoliberalism collapses into fascism - How Sweden lost its soul – and stopped being Sweden www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comHow Sweden lost its soul – and stopped being Sweden | Martin GelinIn 2022 my country entered a new era of cruelty. It will take more than one election to get the old, tolerant Sweden back, writes Swedish journalist Martin Gelin 001
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Sweden has already done this btw - hard/far-right is lobbying the hard of thinking with their "great replacement" horseshit, and idiot politicians are swallowing it whole. 1115
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 07/09/2026A useless, spineless, gormless piece of shit. 2314
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Un. Fucking. Disputed. #KatieTaylor 1251
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Katie Taylor is Ireland's greatest-ever athlete, and I'm so thankful she gets to walk away on her own terms. A warrior, a winner and a woman whose pride in her country and her sport was never in doubt or besmirched. We will never see the likes of her again. 314719
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Football administration and governance in Ireland is not fit for purpose, and as always it is the most marginalised people and teams that suffer. 121
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDThe Journal @thejournal.ie · 02/09/2026Fontaines DC have announced a second date at Slane Castle after tickets for the band's first gig were met with “overwhelming demand”. jrnl.ie/7149756jrnl.ieFontaines DC announce second Slane Castle show - and the pre-sale starts right nowA second gig at the venue has been announced for Sunday 27 June. 021
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDSally Hayden @sallyhayd.bsky.social · 30/08/2026One of the most horrific stories I’ve ever reported was published this weekend. Please, everyone privileged in this world, read it and really think about what it means not to have freedom of travel. www.irishtimes.com/life-style/p...irishtimes.com‘It was day 13 or 14 when people started dying’: More than 200 set sail for Europe. Only 36 survivedA harrowing story of death and survival on the Atlantic migration route from west Africa, ‘the deadliest in the world’ 4253139
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 30/08/2026These people are clowns! They should start a new gene of "political" music and call it POPulism @philipoconnor.bsky.social 000
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 29/08/2026Is there Something I should know? @philipoconnor.bsky.social 100
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 28/08/2026By no means a royalist, but Norway's king was built different. A lot of my Norwegian friends are queer, and his support for that community, especially when they were being attacked, was invaluable to them. This speech from 2016 is one I'll never forget. 1448
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Rayan Cherki cost Manchester City £82.5m less than Florian Wirtz cost Liverpool 021
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDAndreas Lindh @andreaslindh.bsky.social · 27/08/2026This is a good outside perspective of the Swedish parliamentary far-right turn, and as a bonus you'll also get @philipoconnor.bsky.social with the most awesome Irish dialect you'll ever hear. 172
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 27/08/2026We used to be neo-Nazis but we're all right now- Why Sweden is a warning for Ireland's future. Great and insighful pod with @philipoconnor.bsky.social and the Free State crew open.spotify.com/episode/6xab...open.spotify.com‘We used to be neo-Nazis but we're all right now’ - Why Sweden is a warning for Ireland's futureFree State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning · Episode 073
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 25/08/2026A great singer, songwriter, artist and person. One of the best to ever do it. Rest in peace, Dolly. 1362
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 25/08/2026As I point out in this piece, Harris and his government with say all the right things, but they won't actually do anything. Meanwhile, a 17-year-old was murdered with a sword in school in Sweden by a fellow student who lionised mass murderers on TikTok. philipoconnor.com/irelands-fai...philipoconnor.comIreland’s failure to regulate social media is killing our childrenFlanked by police officers, representatives from the local municipality opened by speaking of the town’s horror at what had happened, and thanked the emergency services and law enforcement for their lightning-quick efforts that surely averted further bloodshed. 032
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 23/08/2026@philipoconnor.bsky.social Make a band bigger The Mansionmartins bsky.app/profile/phil... 000
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Konstens lyckosamma slump. Artist unknown ;-) 010
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Our coaching practices reflect historically situated ways of thinking. A key problem is that analytical distinctions (Spider/radar charts, separation of technical, tactical, physical, psychological) can be mistaken for distinctions that exist in reality. footblogball.wordpress.com/2026/08/17/3...footblogball.wordpress.comReflecting on worldviews and their legacy in shaping sports trainingWorldview: an often-unspoken set of assumptions about reality that shapes what we notice, what we regard as meaningful evidence, how we explain behaviour and which explanations we consider valid (1… 001
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDTG4 @tg4.bsky.social · 15/08/2026Bonn óir buaite ag Kate O'Connor i gCraobhchomórtais Lúthchleasaíochta na hEorpa in Birmingham 🥇 29527
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDMentalt handikappat boskap @toebias.bsky.social · 13/08/2026Sverigebilden British man with dementia told to leave Sweden after losing migration case "The state’s interest in regulated immigration outweighs Horace Mason’s interest in continuing to reside” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...theguardian.comBritish man with dementia told to leave Sweden after losing migration caseHorace Mason, 74, who has lived in Sweden for 25 years, faces being deported after court ruling 2329
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 13/08/2026It is looking like 5 out of 5 Norwegian clubs will have reached the play-offs in UEFA’s three club competitions! Bodø/Glimt & Viking – Champions League, Lillestrøm – Europa League, Brann &Tromsø – Conference League footblogball.wordpress.com/2026/07/01/f...footblogball.wordpress.comFactors shaping the success of Norwegian sportNorway has consistently performed at a very high level in international sport, particularly in winter sports and endurance disciplines, despite having a relatively small population of just over fiv… 000
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Fuck this fascist shithole - and anyone who thinks it will be better when the fascists are kicked out of power in a month is dedluding themselves, as the main opposition are just as bad. No pasaràn. 1286
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Article on the Irish football/soccer debate in last Thursday's @irishexaminer.bsky.social "We need to critique the dominant ‘production’ narrative that increasingly shapes the youth football discussion." 021
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 10/08/2026Did a workshop and the closing key note for the Austrian FA at their coach education conference in beautiful Saalfelden near Salzburg. Some great questions and discussions. 000
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 19/07/2026JFK moment- where were you when Ted Lasso introduced Justin Bieber? 001
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 18/07/2026We did a Book chapter earlier this year with Argentinian national team coach/analyst Matias Manna - reframing how football analyses can be understood and applied. A shift from a conventional detached observer toward a “Linking Coach” a relational facilitator of shared understanding within the team. 112
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDPhilip O'Connor @philipoconnor.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Flew home from Vancouver yesterday, went to bed at 2330 and slept for 12 hours - haven't had a full day off since May, and my alleged "smart watch" tells me that sleeping for that long was "excessive". So if anyone wants a smart watch, you'll find it somewhere on the green in front of our house ... 0171
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDGeorg @georghaas.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Thanks Mark! I like the scientific backing of the multi-sport approach. Makes totally sense looking at the famous multi-sports Dirk Nowitzki (who was also excellent in tennis) or Bastian Schweinsteiger (alpine skiing). 021
Reposted by Mark O'Sullivan PhDGeorg @georghaas.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Friedrich Merz und Aki Watzke müssen jetzt ganz stark sein. Die Norweger sind im Sport so gut, und jetzt festhalten, obwohl (weil 😉) bei Kindern "...scores and rankings stay off limits." Keine frühen Eliteakademien, kein Ergebnisdruck. Nur Spaß und viele Sportarten ausprobieren. 3143
Mark O'Sullivan PhD @markstkhlm.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Build patience into childhood rather than urgency -Haaland spent the next eight years involved in handball, athletics and cross-country skiing as well as football. Norway’s handball setup reportedly wanted him before he chose football at 14. www.theguardian.com/football/202...theguardian.comNo league tables, no trophies: how Norway made sport fun for kids – and built a football team that beat BrazilThe country’s model prioritises joy while offering youngsters choice – and Erling Haaland’s World Cup exploits show that it works 121