The England B Team Football Podcast

Don’t call it a comeback; much like ourselves, many famous footballing icons have came back when you least expect them. Like an ex sending you a “Happy New Year! :)” message, a return to familiar territory can be a risk and a comfort. So from Mourinho and Drogba to Ramos and Peter Thompson, we look at our favourite footballing comebacks, and what makes the romance of it all so great. The England B...

We pit our obscure football knowledge against each other thanks to our friends over at The Football Game Co. How many forwards who played for Aston Villa can you name in 7 seconds? Does Adam Lallana count as a striker? And how did we forget Neil Mellor!? If you fancy a copy of the game, remember to use our code ENGLANDB20 for a tasty wee discount.  Cheers, Joe and Gareth x IG: @EnglandBTeamPo...

This summer’s European Championships are coming to our adopted country of Germany, so join us as we discuss how football is coming home, the eternal dark horses of Croatia, how the Germans will line up and a few tips for those of you travelling to Köln for the games. Cheers, Joe and Gareth x IG: @EnglandBTeamPod, @garethhoustonflute and @joefutbol96 TikTok: @englandbteampodcast,@joefutbol96 and @g...

Remember way back on August 9th when we predicated what was to come for this Premier League season? Well, here at the England B Team, we don't shy away from responsibility. So join us as we hold our hands up and admit where we might have went a little wrong (and in some cases, even a little right) as we look back at our predictions and another Premier League Season. Cheers, Joe and Gareth x IG: @E...

The rules are simple; a combined, All-Time XI from Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland. A maximum of 4 players from each nation, and a minimum of 2.  Some names on this list have picked themselves (Georgie Best, we’re looking at you) however others had us arguing a bit (Robertson at left-back!?) Give it a go yourselves and let us know what you’d do differently. Cheers, Joe and Garet...

From Vollborn to Hradecky, to Kirsten and Havertz; Bayer 04 have never been short of a World-Class player or 2. But can we fit them all into an All-Time Greatest Eleven? With Gareth taking the more historic route, and Joe opting for the club’s recent success; we’ve built our own individual teams of the finest players Die Werkself has ever had.  (We might have to come back and update this list...

Gareth Southgate is, in almost every measurable sense, England’s most successful manager. On this episode, we’re looking at common criticism of Southgate, and debunk them one by one.  We look at how Didier Deschamps faced identical issues as France manager yet proved the nay-sayers wrong, and the historic role of the English Media in lambasting their National Managers.  We’re firmly Team...

The tradition of a team song for the FA Cup Final was a great one; images of uncomfortable players in a recording studio, headphones on, joined by a local pop star are iconic. But where did the tradition actually start, and when did it officially end? From the 1970s hit “Blue is the Colour” right through to Arsenal’s Hot Stuff and the infamous Anfield Rap; we take a look at the FA Cup Final Song t...

From Shevchenko at Chelsea, to Nacho Novo at Glentoran; nobody is ever prepared for a football flop. But what causes a player to "flop"? And is the term overused? This week we take a dive into the factors contributing to a player's underperformance, and what the criteria are to be considered a flop. Cheers, Joe and Gareth x IG: @EnglandBTeamPod, @garethhouston_flute and @joefutbol96 TikTok: @engla...

Welcome back to Season 2 of The England B Team Podcast! We’ve got a new set of threads as we gear up to take this podcast to the next level in 2024.  But to kick the New Year off, we’ve got a topic very close to our wee adopted German hearts; Crazy German Goalkeepers. From Oliver Kahn getting arrested three times in one day for speeding (in 2 different countries) to Jens Lehmann taking a chai...

To celebrate making it all the way to Episode 10, we've taken a more personal approach to this week's episode; today we're talking about Football Moments that changed our lives. We'll talk about our own experiences (similar events but very different outcomes) as well as some of our listeners favourite moments from The Beautiful Game. Champions League finals, German mega derbies and throwing up on...

In this mini-episode, we take a look at Chelsea's tumultuous start to the season and some of the reasons behind it, including transfer policy, tactics and injuries. We also chat about the slim glimmer of hope that remains for the future. If you have any questions, football trivia or topics you want us to discuss (or if you just wanna swing by and say hi), here's all our socials; IG: @EnglandBTeamP...

We took a look at all the things that are making Xabi Alonso's Werkself the hottest team in Europe at the moment. We analyse the return to form of Jonathan Tah, the depth of the midfield, Florian Wirtz's standout role and everthing else that's making Bayer 04 tick. If you have any questions, football trivia or topics you want us to discuss (or if you just wanna swing by and say hi), here's all our...

One of football's greatest rivalries, or overhyped hysteria from the British tabloids? England v Germany has always had a media furore surrounding the fixture, but today we're gonna take a look at a more positive side. Being 2 adopted Germans, we'll be discussing our combined England and Germany team from our lifetimes (late 90s - present.) The two-man goalkeeper debate was fierce but spoiler aler...

From Geordie Best, to Freddie Ljunberg, via Rudi Völler and Abel Xavier; this week we take a look at the history of football's most famous haircuts. Players have came a long way since Bobby Charlton's comb-over, so join us as we trace the path through the turning point of Italia '90, right up to the modern day, with our favourites along the way. If you have any questions, football trivia or topics...

It's the topic we've been saving up for (or tentatively avoiding) as Chelsea fans; this week we're taking a look at the Todd Boehly era of Chelsea FC. Firstly, we'll be looking all the way back to May 2022 and the feelings we both had towards the new era beginning at Stamford Bridge. We'll then analyse how it's went so far, including a look at the transfer policy (including how the money spent and...

On this week's episode, you'll all have to let us indulge ourselves, as we discuss something that's became very close to our hearts; Bayer Leverkusen. In these uniquely positive 50 minutes, we'll be going through all the things that have led to us falling hopelessly in love with Die Werkself. From the fan scene and history of the club, to their romantic European adventures and nearly moments, we w...

In this week's episode, we're getting stuck in to the topic of sponsorship in football. Firstly, we chat about the history of shirt sponsors, and then some famous cases where two rival teams shared the same shirt sponsor, as well as the benefits/negatives attached. We then take a look at our own favourite, all-time shirt sponsors, before wrapping up with a chat around the impact gambling/betting s...

This week, we take a look ahead to the upcoming 2023/2024 Premier League season, and give our predictions for every single team. Where will they finish? Have they done enough in the transfer window? Will they improve on last season's place? We also give some tips for surprise outfits such as Villa and Bournemouth, and one of us has tipped Chelsea (!) to win the league. If you want to hear about a...

This week we take a deep dive into the economical differences between the Premier League and the Bundesliga, and the cultural effects related to it. Joe also takes us through an academic paper he wrote on TV sponsorship in the two leagues, whilst Gareth goes head first into the German 50+1 rule of club ownership. We also have another go at some Wikipedia football career challenges (no prizes for g...

This week, follow us down a rabbit hole as we take a look at the imaginary header during the tunnel walk. Where did this phenomenon go, and are developments in sports science and psychology responsible for it's demise? We also take a look at famous footballing superstitions, and ask whether or not they're a force for good. If you have any questions, football trivia or topics you want us to discuss...

Come and get to know us as we introduce ourselves and the England B Team Podcast (including that title!). We also take a look at one of football’s budding relationships; Chelsea and Bayer 04 Leverkusen.  Running Order: 0:00 Introductions 23:20 Wikipedia Career Path Trivia 1 24:38 - Wikipedia Career Path Trivia 2 26:54 - Wikipedia Career Path Trivia 3 28:32 - Wikipedia Career Path Trivia 4 29:...