Ranks FC - A Football Podcast

Hello Rank Squad! Champions League Takeaway returns, as we take a look at the games that saw the first four teams book their spots in the quarter finals of the UCL.  We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with Leipzig - discussing why Leipzig will see this is a massive opportunity missed, how Real Madrid got away with one without anyone in the box, and a look at the bi...

Hello Rank Squad! Today we're taking a look at some of the most important and influential players who could be departing the Premier League this summer, for a variety of reasons. We walk through a couple of bona fide Premier League legends, some big names who might be a little bit past their peak right now, and some crucial cogs who could be tempted away by the lure of trophies or bigger names.  F...

Hello Rank Squad! It's time for the weekly excerpt from our Monday Postbox episode on Patreon, where we take questions from our community to look back across all the action from the weekend just gone.  This is the segment on the Manchester Derby, where Phil Foden took centre stage once again to light things up as Manchester City beat Manchester United 3-1 - City's Stockport sensation trumping Unit...

Hello Rank Squad! You've been asking for more specific rankings, so we took it upon ourselves to deliver - this week's episode takes a look at the players across Europe who play in the centre of the park, and tries to rank them as to who's the best in the business - across three categories: Defensive Midfield, Attacking Midfield, and good old Central Midfield.  It ignites a few strong debates - bo...

Hello Rank Squad! We wanted to share with you an excerpt from our Monday Postbox episode on Patreon, on which we take questions from our community to look back across all the action from the weekend just gone.  This is the segment on the Carabao Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea, where Virgil van Dijk's late header got Jurgen Klopp's farewell trophy tour off to the perfect start. We discuss...

Hello Rank Squad! Champions League Takeaway is back with a bang, as we take a look at the second set of First Leg Round of 16 fixtures across both Tuesday and Wednesday nights.   We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Arsenal's 1-0 loss to Porto - discussing the significance of Porto's gameplan halting Arsenal's goal rampage, the remaining question marks over Arsenal's comparative infancy ba...

Hello Rank Squad!  This week, we've decided enough time has passed for us to examine the deals that took place in the summer, and see which clubs made the best value signings before this season started. We kick things off in England, where Dean discusses a midfielder who ended up at West Ham United, Tottenham's goalkeeping sensation, and the man who makes it all tick for Aston Villa, as well as so...

Hello Rank Squad! MLS is back this week, and we wanted to pay homage to that fact by dropping a special preview show as a bonus episode. Ranks FC MLS Correspondent Owen Murray joins Jack live from the West Coast to give you a brief lowdown on what you need to know ahead of the season beginning on Thursday.  We discuss the teams who have made the smartest moves in this off-season, as well as those...

Hello Rank Squad!   Champions League Takeaway is back with a bang, as we take a look at the first Knockout games of the season - across both Tuesday and Wednesday nights! We start with Wednesday’s action, looking at Bayern's loss to Lazio - talking Lazio's defensive doggedness giving them a real chance, Bayern's lack of ability to get their most crucial players into the game, and why regardless of...

Hello Rank Squad!  There's a few big managerial vacancies opening up this summer - Barcelona and Liverpool in particular - and there's also signs that there could be openings at Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Juventus and more.  So we decided to take a look at five managers who have had impressive campaigns, and who might be on the wishlists of a few of Europe's giants - Sebas...

Hello Rank Squad!  The January window has been and gone, and it's time to turn our attention to the return of continental European football - with the Champions League returning next week. We break down our rankings of every team in the competition and their chances of lifting that famous trophy in May, starting with outsiders Copenhagen and working our way through to the big hitters - holders Man...

Hello Rank Squad! The January transfer window has SLAMMED SHUT, so we thought it was an opportune time to take a look back through the deals that went down, even in a quiet window; and pick out our favourite ones.  Dean picks three deals from the Premier League - Gio Reyna to Nottingham Forest, Timo Werner to Tottenham Hotspur, and Claudio Echeverri to Manchester City ; whilst Jack heads to the co...

Hello Rank Squad! This transfer window has been a funny one across the board in many ways - we've seen the Premier League's financial dominance of the market fall by the wayside, and a quieter one all round take place across Europe. So, in regards to that, we've decided to eschew our usual Deadline Day preview episode in favour of something looking a bit further forward - to working out who could...

Hello Rank Squad! The whole gang's back together as Dean and Jack are joined by our Rank God  Sam Tighe, who, we're delighted to say, has just become a father for the first time. Today we're talking about various things you need to watch out for on the week leading up to Deadline Day. Dean starts us off with three big names who could yet sneak their way into a move: Karim Benzema, Aaron Ramsdale,...

Hello Rank Squad, It's time for a little twist on a Ranks FC classic in today's podcast - we're taking a look at six players who desperately need a move for the sake of their careers, for varying reasons and in different situations.  Dean picks three players from the Premier League - Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale, Everton's Ben Godfrey, and Manchester United's Anthony Martial; whilst Jack takes on thre...

Hello Rank Squad! We're back with a new series that will run throughout January, ranking the five hottest transfer rumours that have been floating around this week, and examining them in some forensic detail. In this first episode we take a look at rumours surrounding Borja Mayoral to Arsenal, Conor Gallagher to Tottenham, Evan Ferguson to Chelsea, Michael Olise to Manchester United, and Jordan He...

Hello Rank Squad! It's the biggest story of the January transfer window, so we thought it deserved its own episode - Kylian Mbappé and what the future holds for potentially the best player in the world right now. In this podcast, our own Transfer Guru Dean Jones examines five potential places where Mbappé could be plying his trade next season.  We examine the romantic ideal of AC Milan, the idea o...

Hello Rank Squad!  We're back in a New Year with  new content for you all, and today we're going to take a look at the seven teams who led their respective leagues as the clock ticked to midnight on New Year's Eve - wondering whether they can hold onto that spot come the end of this season.  We give each of them a percentage chance of doing so, and discuss the fortunes of Liverpool, Sporting, Baye...

Hello Rank Squad! It's a slightly belated drop from us this week, but with the January window just days away from opening, we thought it was high time to take a look at some of the rumours that are flying around, and for Transfer Guru Dean Jones to give some insights on how likely they are to happen, whilst Jack adds some thoughts on how each of the players would fit into their rumoured new destin...

Hello Rank Squad! It's an important topic on today's Ranks FC, discussing the new proposals that have surfaced for a European Super League after a ruling by the European Court of Justice that both they and UEFA have claimed to be a victory. This standoff doesn't seem to be going away, so Rank God Sam Tighe joins Jack to break it all down. After UEFA's processes last time round were deemed to be an...

Hello Rank Squad!  We're into the festive spirit here at Ranks FC and we thought we'd do something a little bit different for a laugh today. Dean has been trawling the four corners of the internet to find some of the most interesting and potentially controversial takes that he could discover - that were still worthy of discussion.  We talk about whether Evan Ferguson could truly reach levels simil...

Hello Rank Squad! We're here on a Monday to drop you a bonus podcast, looking back at the Last 16 draw in the Champions League and examining how we see each of the eight ties at this point in the campaign. We pick some early favourites, make some predictions, and answer some questions from our brilliant community regarding the teams involved; whilst looking at the matchups from a draw that is perh...

Hello Rank Squad! It’s time for the last Champions League Takeaway of 2023, and the last ever one discussing the group stages as we know them, with the format set to change next year. And there's plenty to get through! We start with Wednesday’s action, with three big takeaways on whether Newcastle were right to throw caution to the wind, why PSG are struggling to score goals right now, and how Bar...

Hello Rank Squad! Just ahead of some of the winter breaks kicking in across Europe, and at the end of a few of the 'summer leagues', we thought it would be a good time to take stock of who is leading the way in the scoring charts. We discuss the fun history of the European Golden Boot (or European Golden Shoe if you prefer), why it was cancelled for a few years, and explain the slightly complicate...

Hello Rank Squad! It's Dean's birthday, so we're doing his favourite thing - talking about transfers. Today, the Transfer Guru looks at five Premier League clubs who need to address glaring needs in January, and looks at some viable and rumoured options for each of them. We take a peek at Newcastle's goalkeeper situation, Arsenal and Fulham's No. 9 hunt, as well as Tottenham's and Liverpool's sear...