The Game Football Podcast

All the talk is Ange Postecoglou could be on his way out of Tottenham. Not so fast says Martin Samuel…he might have done better than you think. Could a Europa League win - especially if its over Man Utd - change the narrative? Whoever is in charge next season Spurs are unlikely to be in 15th place again. But for the promoted clubs, what do they have to do to stay up? The gulf in wages, playing staff and finances is bigger than ever. Is it fair? What are the challenges on and off the pitch facing the teams coming up. And the conclusion of our top five all time premier league midfielders debate. Gregor and Jonny have a list… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All the latest from the nail biting EFL with Tom Clarke and Gregor Robertson. Congratulations to free scoring Leeds and rock solid Burnley who are both heading to the Premier League. How will they fare in the topflight? In the play offs many of the contenders are losing games. At the bottom of the Championship its wins all round for Luton Plymouth and Derby. Could it be a record total getting relegated? League One looks a little more settled. But League Two is remarkable, Carlisle are defying gravity and still have a chance of survival, at the top almost nine teams are still in it…two to go, all to play for. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leicester are relegated, would they have fared better if they had stuck with Steve Cooper? Manchester United, fresh from a thrilling European come back crashed back to earth with a home defeat to Wolves. Would they have fared better if they had stuck with Ruud Van Nistelrooy? While Amorim lost momentum, Mikel Arteta maintained it at Arsenal but was the cost of a potential Bukayo Saka injury worth it? Hamzah takes a closer look at Brentford and in particular Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo. The two front men have made the loss of Ivan Tony barely noticeable. Lastly the start of the greatest ever Premier League midfielders debate…what is the right question to ask? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was Arenal’s win in Madrid a coming-of-age performance for Mikel Arteta’s side? After beating the fifteen-time champions Real Madrid what chance do they have against in form Paris Saint Germain? Is it best defence against best attack? Declan Rice shone in both games against Real, is he now one of the best in Europe? Domestically, Virgil Van Dijk has followed Mo Salah in signing a new contract with Liverpool…could they cap the week by winning the league this weekend? And Newcastle are now third, could they be title contenders next season or do they need to strengthen? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cliché alert: A week is a long time in football. Nothing stays the same for long in the championship, Leagues One and Two Leeds were sinking, now they are top. Wycombe had fallen away now they're back and Walsall were top for 119 days, they've now lost ten in a row but are still third - just. As for the bottom, where do we even start!? Tim Clarke and Gregor Robertson round up all the latest from a gripping round of EFL fixtures and dare to ask - what happens next? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are on course for their worst ever Premier League seasons. Do both now need massive re builds on and off the pitch? Or are they just a small change away from challenging at the top again? Both have eyes on winning a European trophy but will that make any difference to clubs sitting fourteenth and fifteenth in the table? Meanwhile, Forest and Chelsea are showing signs of nerves in their pursuit of the Champions League places whereas Arsenal are only focused on Europe. Will Arsenal and Villa do it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid their best performance under Mikel Arteta? At its heart was a dominant display from Declan Rice, topped off by two outstanding free kicks. Have you ever seen better? And where did Rice’s overall performance leave his England position? A six, an eight, a ten? How do Arsenal approach the second leg, sit back and defend or go for more goals? Could that be their biggest challenge? Bukayo Saka showed his calibre as he terrorised a star studded Real team and Miles Lewis Skelly once again showed confidence beyond his years. For Villa it was a tough night albeit against an exceptional PSG side. Did Emi Martinez’s antics help or hinder his team? Is the tie over or could it be a famous night at Villa Park in a weeks’ time? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Crunch time’, ‘the pressure is on’, ‘squeaky bum time’… call it what you like now is when it matters. The EFL is an edge of the seat ride. Tom Clarke and Gregor Robertson cover all the latest from the EFL. In the Championship Leeds started the week on top, dropped to second and now sit in third - are they about to live up to their tag of blowing it?. Burnley started third and now sit on top. It is all change in the play off places too, with West Brom and Coventry dropping out for Middlesborough and Bristol City. All have tough run ins to come. So, who will finish in the box seats? In League One Wrexham have finally opened a small gap on Wycombe, but with a squad which can bench two first choice strikers in Mullin and Palmer is it really a surprise? Walsall in League Two have dropped like a stone in recent weeks and now find themselves clinging on to third place. In the play off’s teams as far down as ninth are still involved, and they all have to play each other. What a league! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is there something ‘off’ this season? Run away leaders Liverpool lost, but Arsenal had already dropped points, and relegation was sorted out weeks ago. Yet Villa could win the Champions League, Newcastle won a trophy for the first time in seventy years, and Forest could be back in Europe. So, a great season or just a poor one? Gregor thinks the regular fate of promoted sides going straight back down is becoming a problem for English football. The team discuss all that a woeful Manchester derby, Liverpool contract talks and a look ahead to a huge week for Arsenal and Villa in the Champions League. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If ever a game highlighted the problems of VAR it was the Merseyside derby. There is universal agreement that James Tarkowski’s tackle on Alexis Mac Allister was a red card and Liverpool’s winning goal had what ‘appeared’ to be a clear offside. So, what went wrong? Gregor Robertson – fresh from a referee’s course – tries to shed some light. Jose Mourinho is grabbing headlines again… but for all the wrong reasons. On the pitch, Forest are not faltering, far from it, they have their eye on Arsenal in second. Ipswich get a rare win, and is Marcus Rashford back to his best? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Forest, Villa and Palace all through it’s a varied FA Cup semi final line up…but does the presence of Manchester City have an inevitable fell to it? Alyson Rudd thinks not. Had Bournemouth been more bold they may well have beaten City and Palace and Forest both have the swagger to do so. Can you name a cool right back that has played in the Premier League? Apart from Trent Alexander Arnold the team are struggling. But there are plenty cool left backs. And finally, it’s prediction time, who will finish from 2nd to 7th in the Premier League? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All the very latest from an enthralling EFL with Tom Clarke and Gregor Robertson. With eight games to go the EFL is far from over. In the Championship the top twelve teams still have an eye on the play offs. At the very top which of the top three will falter? At the bottom will Derby’s renaissance last? In League One Wrexham are grindingly resilient, but Wycombe and Richard Kone are going nowhere. The play off’s look sewn up bar one spot, but with four or five teams fighting for it. League Two Walsall who have been strong all season have stalled badly. At the bottom…Carlisle are in dire straits… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It looks like Trent Alexander Arnold is off to Real Madrid. Where does that leave Liverpool? Does it mean Salah and Van Dyke might now stay? Alexander Arnold’s numbers from right back are unique, can he be replaced and what is his best position? England will have two players playing at the Bernabeu, surely that is a good thing? Speaking of England…Martin Samuel thinks Thomas Tuchel may not have a competitive game until July 9th 2026! What can he learn in the meantime? And it’s FA cup weekend, who do the panel want to win it and who do they think will win it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thomas Tuchel’s first game is out of the way…it wasn’t memorable. Did anyone learn anything from it? Did they lack leadership, is Lewis Skelly a left back for years to come? The team pose the important question; is a lot of international football crap? If it is, how does a manager prepare a team for bigger fixtures once you reach the knockout stages of a tournament? Hamzah watched the under 21’s and saw much promise for the future; Gregor watched Scotland and saw none. Gregor has also been following former players on a referee training course. It was eye opening, the rules are not always as they may appear… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Thomas Tuchel’s England squad a step forward or a step back? The selection of Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker with the omission of younger talent has raised a few eyebrows. He doesn’t have much time to assess his squad either, with only twenty-four training sessions ahead of next years world cup. Who will play this Friday and what can the new manager learn. What of England’s last manager Gareth Southgate, following his high profile Dimbleby lecture, what is next…a job in football or outside of football? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Newcastle United won their first domestic trophy in 70 years. what does it mean to the club, the city and its fans? A well-deserved win on the pitch what happens now, is it a one of off or the first of many? And the awkward question, does the Saudi backing in any way tarnish the achievement? For Liverpool it was their worst week of the season, knocked out of the Champions League and losing a cup final. Could it derail their season? Surely not…? Elsewhere Fulham are still chasing Europe; Arsenal vs Chelsea failed to inspire…what on earth is wrong at Chelsea? And what a week for Dan Burn, scores for his home town team in a winning cup final and gets an England call up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is this why VAR was brought in, for a ‘perfectly good penalty’ to be ruled out? It may be in the letter of the law, but what about the spirit? Real Madrid are through, again. Some are sick of it…shouldn’t they be winning in style instead of grinding it out? Villa await Liverpool conquerors PSG, will Emery work his European magic? After the break, the panel review Manchester United’s new stadium plans. A two billion pound Eiffel tower of the north, or a two billion pound circus? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All the latest from the EFL as Gregor and Tom look at the top and bottom of the Championship and the best from Leagues One and Two. It was a very spikey set of fixtures in the Championship as Leeds finally ended their seventeen game unbeaten run. But Sheff Utd and Burnley didn’t fully capitalise despite “throwing everything at it” in their respective draws. The play offs are equally tight with West Brom, Coventry and Bristol all falling over themselves trying to cement their place. At the bottom, Derby and Luton refuse to give up…are seven or eight teams still in the relegation fight? After the break a look at Grimsby and Barrow in League Two and a managerial change in League One Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arsenal stumbled – again. Manchester United were average – again. So, which teams do deserve the prime time 4pm Sunday slot? Spurs v Bournemouth put on a good show at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Bournemouth are a swash buckling side, will they be able to hold on to their star players? For Ange Postecoglou, the path to making something of this season is getting narrower, are the players still playing for him? Nottingham Forest notched a “seismic” win against top four rivals Man City. Has anyone done better transfer business and might they have three players in the next England squad. Talking of Champions League…what’s the point of getting into it if you don’t’ do anything in it…? Alyson met up with David Brookes who has recovered from stage two Hodgkin's lymphoma. And, is it time to feel sorry for Erling Haaland..? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paris Saint Germain were amazing…they just weren’t quite as good as Alisson Becker. Liverpool’s one nil win in the French capital was largely down to the outstanding performance of their goalkeeper – have the panel ever seen better? What did PSG do to test Liverpool more than any other side so far this season? Arsenal are all but through, but would they rather play Real or Atletico Madrid next? Villa could well face Liverpool next, if they do, could Emery work his European magic? Gregor has been to Naples to see ‘the other Scotsman’ Billy Gilmour – he was very impressed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.