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EAGLES FLY AGAIN

Described as “a feel-good final” at kick-off by commentator Adam Summerton, last night’s Tin Pot decider between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano could scarcely have been more gloopy. It was a match contested by two clubs that serve as the beating hearts of their respective working class suburbs, while acting as symbols of local identity in different capital cities dominated by the Death Star gravity of superpowers such as Real Madrid or Chelsea. Needless to say, the romance ended there, as Crystal Palace’s vastly superior financial heft ensured they made off with their third trophy in 12 months, further cluttering a silverware cabinet that until last year’s FA Cup final win had consisted solely of a solitary Kent Senior Cup and some thick dust. While both teams were punching above their traditional weight, Palace’s plucky Spanish opponents struggled to lay a glove on the eventual winners and Rayo’s 102-year wait for a trophy goes on. Far from being angry with their team, the tens of thousands of Bukaneros present took Jean-Philippe Mateta’s knockout blow on the chin with commendable stoicism. “I know no greater victory than to be with you in defeat,” read the banner they unfurled within seconds of the final whistle. It was small wonder so many of their players were blubbing salty tears.

Elsewhere in the stadium, the post-match scenes were a heady mix of Sarf Lahndan wide-boy swagger and ruthless Teutonic efficiency, with Oliver Glasner straddling the gap with a celebratory belly-slide across the Red Bull Arena turf that was even more surprising than the backflip his star player, Adam Wharton, recently produced from his locker. “He has got to be one of the best managers Crystal Palace have ever had,” tooted Wharton, who is quite clearly the best midfielder England’s Geopolitics World Cup squad doesn’t have. “He has made a massive difference for how the club looks at competitions. We are not just looking to stay in the Premier League and be in Europe, we are looking to win and be as high as possible.” When hacks enquired if the Austrian might consider changing his mind and staying at the club for the Bigger Vase tilt previously denied to them by the combined forces of Nottingham Forest and Uefa, Glasner answered with an emphatic no. “I said to the players after the FA Cup, go and get what you deserve – [Bigger Vase],” he parped. “Now with a one-year delay, the club, fans, players, sometimes you have to take a road around and now Crystal Palace is where it should be.”

At the end of a season that was as turbulent as it was successful, where they go from here is anyone’s guess. Palace are reported to have offered Glasner’s gig to Andoni Iraola, a manager who first made his name at Rayo Vallecano. Newly promoted Frank Lampard’s Coventry City’s Frank Lampard is rumoured to be second on their wish-list should the Spaniard turn them down. Having seen their club lose players as gifted as Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Marc Guéhi in the past 12 months, Palace fans can almost certainly expect a massive summer scramble for the services of – off the top of Football Daily’s head – Mateta, Wharton and Maxence Lacroix. We’ve almost certainly overlooked a couple of other prized assets that could form part of the next exodus but rest assured, the sharks from far bigger, less successful clubs won’t.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Football is for the fans. We stand together in support of the tradition of European club competition finals being shown free to air and urge TNT to honour this tradition by making the [Bigger Cup] final free to watch for millions of fans, as it always has been. This is bigger than any one club or match. This is about putting fans first. There is still time to make the right call” – the Football Supporters’ Association joins Keir Starmer in calling for the big shindig in Budapest to be made free to air.

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

While she’s busy investigating Fifa, NY Attorney General Letitia James should probably take a look at NJ Transit’s $105 train ride to MetLife? After all ‘no one should be manipulated into paying sky-high prices for seats’ - especially when it’s a commuter train (normally $12.90)” – George Smith.

Most hilarious Football Daily ever (yesterday’s edition)! Two good knee-slappers, including ‘sending people emails they are desperate to receive and read’ and Noble Francis’s opinion of his level of pedantry. Keep up the good work. Can we try for three in the next edition?” – Steve Mintz (and, surprisingly, a few others).

In the penultimate game of the club season we were treated to a triple post-hit which gave commentators and pundits alike the opportunity to share their outdated exclamations that the ball has hit the woodwork. It has not. It has maybe hit fibre plastic, probably aluminium, but most definitely NOT wood! It may be pedantic but it is irritating week after week that we/they get it wrong!” – Jeremy James (and no others).

For those 1,057 of us who are going to take no notice of the coming Trump/Infantino money-making fest and watch the cricket instead, perhaps for the duration you could try to include an alternative non-GWC related item every day. If you could put it first (noted – Football Daily Ed)“ – Bob Cushion.

If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … George Smith. Consider this your punishment, Phil. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING

Get your ears around the latest episode of the Football Weekly podcast, with a look back at the Tin Pot final and a preview of PSG v Arsenal in the Bigger Cup decider.

FLASH GORDON

When David Hopkinson, Newcastle’s chief suit, says his club will only sell players “on our terms”, he really means it. Not content with making Liverpool wait all summer to pay £125m for Alexander Isak last year, Hopkinson and Newcastle are now ready to sanction the £69.3m sale of Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, with a medical in the works. It’s a move that has raised eyebrows for a few reasons, with all due respect to the England winger. Firstly, while Gordon can be electrifying on his day, a return of six Premier League goals and two assists this season is solid but hardly spectacular. The 25-year-old did muster 10 goals in 12 Bigger Cup appearances, although four of them came in one game against – checks notes – Qarabag. The other aspect to the transfer is how it might be received in England’s GWC squad given Barcelona have seemingly passed up on a permanent swoop for Marcus Rashford, Gordon’s main national team rival, for around a third of the price. Oh to be a fly on the wall. 

NEWS, BITS AND BOBS

Steve Clarke has written Steve Clarke all over a new four-year contract extension as Scotland manager, meaning he will remain in place until the 2030 World Cup, potentially making him the longest-serving Scotland boss.

Amid mounting interest in Eli Junior Kroupi, Rayan and Alex Scott, Bournemouth are uber-determined to hang on to their talented trio beyond this summer’s transfer window.

Tottenham are edging closer to agreeing a deal with Scotland full-back Andy Robertson following his emotional departure from Liverpool.

Uefa is yet to take action against the integration of clubs from illegally occupied parts of Ukraine into Russia’s football system despite coming under pressure from the Ukrainian Association of Football.

Fifa head-honcho Gianni Infantino has praised Football Australia for “reuniting old soccer and new football” in a surprise video message, as the country’s federation deals with financial turmoil, currently on track to lose AU$5m in 2026.

And Adam Wharton trumpeted that he would not “sit here and cry” over his omission from Thomas Tuchel’s GWC squad after another standout performance in Crystal Palace’s Tin Pot triumph.

 MOVING THE GOALPOSTS

 “Our unity defined our team”: how Portugal’s tiny Torreense made it into Women’s Bigger Cup. As told by Júlia Belas Trindade in the latest edition of our sister newsletter.

RECOMMENDED SUBSCRIBING

Sign up for The Recap, our weekly roundup of editors’ picks, featuring highlights from our sport coverage over the past seven days and delivered to your inboxes first thing every Sunday morning. Don’t miss it. 

STILL WANT MORE?

“Having come so close three times on the bounce I felt these guys needed it.” Sol Campbell chats to Donald McRae about Arsenal’s title win, their Bigger Cup final chances and Thomas Tuchel’s England selections.

Luis Enrique is embracing the chaos of preparing PSG for the Budapest showpiece after the Parisians’ relative stroll to another Ligue 1 title, writes Raphaël Jucobin.

Hungary’s rich football heritage makes Budapest an ideal Bigger Cup final host, but the competition is poorer for being too much of a closed shop, argues Football Daily’s World Cup-winning colleague Philipp Lahm.

The Serie A 2025-26 season awards are in, with Nicky Bandini handing out the gongs. Spoiler: there is plenty more love for Scott McTominay.

And two more of our red-hot Geopolitics World Cup team guides have dropped. Get yourself clued up on South Korea and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

MEMORY LANE

17 November 1993: With 1990s football fashion being all the rage at the moment, who better to showcase some top, top coaching outfits than, erm, Archie Gemmill and Pete Edwards at Nottingham Forest back in the day.

TO BYŁ PRACOWITY DZIEŃ!