David Walsh
Sunday Times
His special report on December 18 on Gareth Southgate's future as England manager was based on his unique and unrivalled knowledge of the manager. It offered new details on the World Cup campaign and the team's exit, and set the agenda in the wake of England's World Cup exit. Less than 48 hours later, Southgate and the FA confirmed he would be staying on - as Walsh had predicted. His interview with the wife and children of former Ireland rugby captain Fergus Slattery about how one of that country's greatest ever players had been reduced to a shadow of the man he was by early onset dementia (and the role rugby may have played in that) was a riveting, emotional read. Only someone who had gained the family's trust could have written it. His column on the case of Caster Semenya set out the arguments of a difficult and divisive topic in a sensitive manner but did not shy away from coming to an important conclusion.