Josh Bland

That's certainly something I have my eye on - a lot appeals about a season or two of League One (provided we don't get sucked in of course).

The Hawthorns: Where love goes to die A season of hating to hate the club I love.

A rant from close to the heart.

It's in a bruising season to support #wba, I wanted to get something off my chest.

Some words on our revolting squad and how their apathy not only threatens our connection to the club we love, but what it means to be Albion.

joshbland.substack.com/p/the-hawtho...

The “Critical” Need for a Critical Heritage Studies of Sports Abstract. This article highlights the potential of critical heritage studies (CHS) as a useful tool for sports historians to develop their research at the intersection of contemporary sporting culture...

🚨PUBLICATION ALERT: My new piece through
@illinoispress.bsky.social , drawing on my PhD research to
my vision for the potential and utility of critical academic research on sports heritage.

Follow the link below to access!

scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/jsh/arti...

The Football Tourism Paradox Is it possible to authentically experience another football culture?

Super piece on #footballtourism from the ever-excellent @joshbland13.bsky.social.

I think about this a lot. And will think about it more on the plane as I fly to #Naples next weekend... 👀🏟🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹

#groundhopping #Italy #SerieA

joshbland.substack.com/p/the-footba...

Conquering the Palace: Macclesfield’s Perfect Giantkilling Josh breaks down the meaning of the greatest FA Cup shock of all time

A few words on the cultural significance of Macclesfield's remarkable victory yesterday.

Reflections on the Cup, continuity and the importance of narrative to the tapestry of English football.

Read here: joshbland.substack.com/p/conquering...

@fanseurope.org "call on FIFA to immediately halt PMA ticket sales, engage in a consultation with all impacted parties, and review ticket prices and category distribution" 👏 www.fanseurope.org/news/stateme...

A World Cup Draw Hate-Watch Some off-the-cuff reactions to FIFA's feature-length extravaganza of slime

Last night I watched the World Cup draw as a prisoner of curiosity. I was served up a spectacle that was sickening even by FIFA's standards.

Some furious words on Infantino, Trump and FIFA's continued defilement of the world's purest cultural moment.

Here: joshbland.substack.com/p/a-world-cu...

I go pretty hard at a loud minority of Coventry fans who have been defending the extortionate prices their club charges. I hope the sensible majority can recognise this isn’t an anti-Coventry article! It’s anti-exploitation.

Why I'm boycotting Coventry City (a) A rambling rant on ticket prices, corporate greed and exploitation

Ahead of Albion’s visit to Coventry at the weekend, I’ve put together a cantankerous old rant about one of the biggest threats to football culture as we know it: rising ticket prices.

It’s a story of short sighted exploitation vs. collective responsibility.

open.substack.com/pub/joshblan...

An Ode to Bovril Paying tribute to a constant meaty companion to my footballing life

I've taken some time out of the gruelling process of writing up my PhD to put together a silly article about the place of Bovril in my heart and in football culture.

Please feel free to enjoy: joshbland.substack.com/p/an-ode-to-...

An Unexpected Love Letter to Edgar Street Josh has an unforgettably authentic experience on a last-minute trip to Hereford

A bit of light reading as you head to a game today!

A few weeks ago I visited Hereford FC's Edgar Street for the first time. I absolutely loved it.

A few words on hodge-podge homes, authenticity and the dying charm of "proper grounds"...

joshbland.substack.com/p/field-note...

The Telegraph Rayner tax scandal - £40k tax dodge - Statement Angela Rayner dodges £40,000 stamp duty Deputy Prime Minister reduces tax bill for Hove flat by declaring it as her main residence [Photo: Angela Rayner pictured at the weekend in Hove, where she has just bought a flat Credit: Dan Charity/The Sun on Sunday] Robert Mendick Chief Reporter. Amy Gibbons Political Correspondent 29 August 2025 8:57am BST

The Telegraph Money > Property > Second homes How to avoid tax on your second home From stamp duty to council tax, shield your wealth from Labour's tightening net [Photo of houses around a bay - Areas such as Cornwall have added a premium to council tax bills for second homes Credit: iStockphoto] Fran Ivens Senior Money Writer 29 August 2025 1:21pm BST

On the same day in the Telegraph:

Melvyn Bragg has been one of the last standard-bearers for a really important, and unfashionable, idea: that good conversation, between people who really know their stuff, on complex or difficult subjects, can be fantastic radio - and that the national broadcaster should do this.

I hope it endures.

A Century and a Quarter of Home As The Hawthorns celebrates its 125th anniversary, I reflect on what makes my home ground such a special place...

Today The Hawthorns turns 125.

It's tough to summarise what my footballing home means to me, but I've tried.

This is a tribute to a veritable cathedral of English football, and an examination of how grounds are defined by continuity and the memories within.

joshbland.substack.com/p/a-century-...

A Century and a Quarter of Home As The Hawthorns celebrates its 125th anniversary, I reflect on what makes my home ground such a special place...

Great piece by @joshbland13.bsky.social marking 125 years of The Hawthorns #wba

open.substack.com/pub/joshblan...

Is there magic in the EFL Cup? Ask Grimsby Town “THE magic of the FA Cup” is a phrase regularly heard, usually when the football calendar approaches the new year and teams from the top two tiers of English football enter the old competition. T...

Thrilled to feature in @jdnalton.bsky.social's excellent article in The Morning Star.

More chat about Grimsby, Man United and my research on the vital role of football clubs in post-industrial towns.

Read here: morningstaronline.co.uk/article/ther...

Yeah I'd be delighted!

...in terms of finding out more. I think the best thing to do is look up on the Cambridge site! It's got more info/links to publications there!

www.arch.cam.ac.uk/staff/josh-b...

Thanks so much Sarah! So I've been working with three clubs - Newcastle United, the Mariners and Horden Community Welfare FC. Clubs of different sizes, but all bound by a post-industrial context. I've spent a lot of time in all three communities and have come to love them all... (1/2)

The Real Big Fish Last night isn’t about Manchester United’s declension. It's about Grimsby Town’s ascension.

Another brilliant piece on Substack by @joshbland13.bsky.social and the REAL story of Grimsby's victory over Man United

open.substack.com/pub/joshblan...

Couldn’t agree more.

Thanks so much Chris!

Thanks Bruce!

The Real Big Fish Last night isn’t about Manchester United’s declension. It's about Grimsby Town’s ascension.

I've spent the last three years researching Grimsby Town FC for my PhD.

So in the wake of last night, I wanted to write a piece on what makes #GTFC such a special club, and what Manchester United can learn from the supposed "little fish" of English football.

joshbland.substack.com/p/the-real-b...

Football fans will see Nigel Farage’s branded kit for the cynical move it is The pale blue strip is unlikely to become Reform’s version of the Maga hat.

I've been thinking a lot about the Reform UK football kit launch and what it says about the place of football culture in UK politics.

This piece in @uk.theconversation.com asks if Reform can become the party of the football supporter.

Spoiler: I'm skeptical.

theconversation.com/football-fan...

Thanks so much Dave ❤️

Football fans will see Nigel Farage’s branded kit for the cynical move it is The pale blue strip is unlikely to become Reform’s version of the Maga hat.

My mate @joshbland13.bsky.social wrote this. It's excellent

theconversation.com/football-fan...

Football fans will see Nigel Farage’s branded kit for the cynical move it is The pale blue strip is unlikely to become Reform’s version of the Maga hat.

A much-anticipated debut in @theconversation.com for me today!

Some writing on Nigel Farage's "Reform FC" football kit launch, and why Reform's attempted exploitation of football's cultural capital may not go to plan...

Read here: theconversation.com/football-fan...

I’m not sure about talented but thank you so much! I think my first article was about Neymar (then at Santos) and about how he was never going to amount to anything 😬 not sure how history will judge that!

Hope you’re keeping well!

Getting there! Writing up as we speak, should be submitted within 3 months or so! Cannot wait to have it done and move on to pastures new to be honest...