Michael Cox (journalist)

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Michael Cox (born 1988[1]) is a British journalist and author who provides football analysis for the UK branch of The Athletic.[2] He created the website Zonal Marking about formations and tactics in association football.[3][4][5]

Writings[edit]

Under the moniker "Zonal Marking with Michael Cox", he has regularly contributed to The Guardian[6] and ESPN.[7] Cox has written about his coining of the term "inverted winger" in 2010, to describe football managers selecting right-footed wingers on the left, and vice-versa, which has since passed into football-tactics parlance.[8]

For the duration of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Cox wrote for The Independent newspaper.[9][needs update]

Cox featured regularly on The Guardian Football Weekly Podcast[10] and appears frequently as a pundit on The Totally Football Show.[11]

He has written a book about the history of tactics in the Premier League called The Mixer.[12][13][14][15][16] Cox created a podcast called The Mixer with Marcus Speller which coincided with the release of the book and over a few episodes chartered the history of the Premier League position by position.[citation needed] Cox second book produced by HarperCollins is an examination of the evolution of modern European football and is entitled ‘Zonal Marking: The making of modern European football’.[17]

Awards[edit]

At the 2015 football blogging awards he was nominated, alongside Gary Lineker and Piers Morgan, as 'best football influencer'.[18] He was runner up for the 2013 world soccer talk 'best blogger' award.[19] Zonal Marking won best website at the 2011 Football Supporters Federation Awards,[20] and was nominated again in 2012.[21] At the 2013 FSF awards, Zonal Marking was nominated for the best independent website.[22]

Personal life[edit]

His teams are Kingstonian FC and Arsenal FC. He studied at Bristol University and although his first love was cycling, Cox has commented that he was always committed to football journalism.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ https://www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2020/10/intelligent-football-michael-cox-and-rise-tactical-analysisis/[dead link]
  2. ^ Kay-Jelski, Alex. "What to expect from The Athletic UK". The Athletic. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Vox in the Box: Michael Cox". Thesetpieces.com. 27 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Interview: Michael Cox, Zonal Marking". Tomwfootball.com.
  5. ^ "Zonal Marking – Soccer Politics / The Politics of Football". Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Michael Cox". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  7. ^ "Tactics & Analysis Blog - ESPN FC". Espnfc.com.
  8. ^ Cox, Michael (2 January 2024). "Inverted full-backs? It's time to bring back the phrase 'half-back' instead". The Athletic. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  9. ^ "World Cup 2018: How football stands on the brink of becoming the national sport of the new Australia". The Independent. 16 June 2018. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Real Madrid and Juventus a class apart - Football Weekly Extra". Theguardian.com. 4 May 2017.
  11. ^ "Goalkeeping gripes, defensive walls, and Spurs look to end their Wembley wobbles - Totally Football Show". Thetotallyfootballshow.com.
  12. ^ "Beyond 4-4-2: Michael Cox on 25 years of Premier League tactics". Inews.co.uk.
  13. ^ Marc Iles. "New book details how Sam Allardyce helped change the Premier League's tactical landscape at Bolton Wanderers". The Bolton News. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  14. ^ "Suhrith Parthasarathy reviews The Mixer: The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines by Michael Cox". The Hindu. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Secrets of the Premier League and European football". The Economist.
  16. ^ "How Arsene Wenger changed defending: Extract from Premier League tactics book The Mixer". Skysports.com.
  17. ^ "Zonal Marking by Michael Cox - Hardcover". HarperCollins. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Football Content Awards - Created to recognise & award the best football content". Football Content Awards. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  19. ^ "2012-13 EPL Awards Winners Revealed: The Best of the Premier League Season". World Soccer Talk. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  20. ^ "The FSF Writers Awards in association with Cult Zeros". Fsf.org.uk. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  21. ^ "The FSF Writers Awards 2012". Fsf.org.uk. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  22. ^ "FSF Awards 2013 - Suarez and RVP go head-to-head". Fsf.org.uk. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  23. ^ "Football This Weekend: The Big Interview: Michael Cox Of Zonal Marking". Footballthisweekend.blogspot.com. 28 May 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
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