It has been a surreal few weeks for history-making Silkmen after stunning Crystal Palace in the third round of the FA Cup

It's been a huge year for British sport: the Lionesses roared to victory in the Euros this summer, the Red Roses won the Women's Rugby World Cup and Lando Norris won Formula 1 drivers' championship.   In such a record-breaking year across the sports, who deserves to be crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year? This year's contenders are: Hannah Hampton, Chloe Kelly, Ellie Kildunne, Luke Littler, Rory McIlroy and Lando Norris.   Andrew Butler is joined by The Observer's Assistant Sports Editor Jess Hayden, alongside sports reporters Jessy Parker Humphreys and George Simms, as they go head-to-head to debate who deserves to take home SPOTY.   Vote for who you think should win here: https://www.smartsurvey.com/t/observersport/    **We want to hear what you think! Email us at: newsmeeting@observer.co.uk  Follow us on Social Media:  @ObserverUK on X  @theobserveruk on Instagram and TikTok @theobserveruk.bsky.social‬ on bluesky    Host: Andrew Butler   Producer: Amalie Sortland   Executive Producer: Rebecca Moore   To find out more about The Observer:   Subscribe to TheObserver+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free content Head to our website observer.co.uk  Download the Observer app – for a listening experience curated by our journalists  

Is the solution to the mystery of avoiding relegation simply hire David Moyes?

The debate around alcohol’s place in cricket is doomed to repeat because no one involved actually wants to change it

Australian Open final victory over Novak Djokovic makes Alcaraz youngest man to complete the career grand slam

The world No 1’s loss to a resurgent Elena Rybakina ended her 11-match run without dropping a set

Whatever happens in Sunday’s final, Djokovic’s success here has burnished his golden record

National politics have always run deeply in sport, but bids to protect themselves from controversy shouldn’t stand in the way of morality

The tournament’s innovative 1 Point Slam was a great success, but attempts to continue pushing limits have left Melbourne Park feeling overcrowded

The 24-year-old has gone through more trials and tribulations than most would in a lifetime – but her hard work is paying dividends

Winning the Australian Open would send the Kazakhstani to third in the world, a position he increasingly seems to deserve

Every year, 25,000 fans flock to Australia for the ‘ultimate Elvis tribute artist contest’

Former British No 1 believes a ‘reset’ can lift her up the rankings

The Australian Open’s new curtain-raiser delivered epic drama, and made an amateur a millionaire

Monetising hard-earned popularity is no longer a safe strategy, as the self-styled “people’s champion” discovered after slipping from Ally Pally adoration

“With five months until England’s next Test, Stokes will wallow in the pain and damage, recover and rebuild.”

Teams have figured how to beat them, so what exactly is to be gained from the coach staying on?

Jacob Bethell’s century shows way for the future – but Australia close on a commanding position

Hosts flog poor bowling attack to close 134 runs ahead on 518-7

Imagining an England team without the batsman is a chilling thought – but it’s one we’ll have to get used to very quickly

The fifth Test could see Australia assert their dominance or England claim a battling 3-2 series ending