Football Ramble

18 years of this daft little podcast. All of it - every last episode - has been for this day to arrive: the fully-formed, gloriously-conceived FIFA Club World Cup! Marcus, Andy, Jim and Pete cast their eyes over the tournament and - shockingly - Pete declares that he's excited. Chris Martin has 'fixed' him, to be fair. Plus, el grande rato speaks Spanish and looks at a trophy at his Real Madrid un...

There are just 364 days until the World Cup kicks off in the Azteca Stadium. It's a good job there's nothing else overshadowing it this time... Marcus, Jim & Vish assess the the runners and riders for the competition in one year's time, and take a look at how England are shaping up twelve months from the tournament. Please fill out Stak's listener survey! It'll help us learn more about the con...

Turns out Thomas Tuchel is the bravest boy of all. A 4-4-2 tribute act, even when it doesn’t suit this team or opposition? RULE BRITANNIA! Seriously though, what on Earth was that? Marcus, Jim and Vish try to work out what Tuchel’s plan is after a humbling defeat to an excellent Senegal side, as several England players did themselves no favours. Plus, Crystal Palace and Lyon play out the final sce...

We all remember Jesse Marsch looking a little out of his depth while guiding Leeds United towards Premier League relegation. Well, it seems you can't keep a good man down. Now manager of Canada, he's made some extraordinary suggestions about a potential poisoning of his players. But before that, Marcus, Jim, Pete & Vish discuss Spurs' sacking of Ange Postecoglou with Thomas Frank set to replac...

Portugal have lifted the Nations League once more! Bobby Martínez's boys edged it on penalties in a fighting performance that well and truly puts them in the mix for next summer. Marcus, Vish, Pete and Jim react to that – and England's definitely convincing not at all worrying 1-0 win over Andorra. Elsewhere, it was Slicker by name, not by nature, for Scotland in their 3-1 defeat to Iceland – but...

Not everyone can be a headline grabber. While the usual suspects have lapped up the plaudits, some have been quietly brilliant in the background – so how about we put them in the Ramble sun? Marcus, Andy & Vish offer up their unsung heroes! Plus, could Chelsea emerge as the 'little horse' for the Premier League title next season? And if we could switch any result in football history, what woul...

Vindication – at last – for Marcus Speller and the Nations League! Spain and France had a nine-goal punch-up last night and what can only be described as an incredibly post-season number of shots (40). Marcus, Jim, Andy and Vish discuss the game and turn their eyes to England's meeting with Andorra tomorrow, who – incidentally – are perhaps the only team in world football who might miss out on qua...

It was another defeat on home soil for Germany and their moustachioed detective Julian Nagelsmann. This time, in the biggest competition of all... Marcus and Luke jump on the mics after a thrilling (well, at least for one man) start to the finals of the Nations League which featured some inspired Bobby Martinez substitutions and what can only be described as a confusingly functional Cristiano Rona...

**SPOILERS: If you haven't yet listened to yesterday's Jack's Encyclopaedia title decider, go check it out! The start of this episode contains spoilers and rumboggery...** Marcus, Vish, Pete and INTERPOL's most-wanted Jim Campbell discuss Crystal Palace's UEFA dilemma which might require them to just start an entirely new European trophy. Meanwhile, Manchester City might have just signed the next...

It’s all come down to this, ladies and gents. The grand finale of the greatest quiz in football podcasting! It’s an opportunity for Marcus, Luke or Vish to write themselves into Football Ramble folklore. To become a legend. To prove their worth. To take home the coveted Jack’s Encyclopaedia trophy. It’s all on the line. Let’s be having you! Please fill out Stak's listener survey! It'll help us lea...

Low-scoring Inter win, was it? … Wait, what? Marcus, Luke, Jim and Pete recap a truly glorious PSG performance that was basically the emotional equivalent of watching your dad getting beaten up by a runaway freight train. But the performance of the night? Clive Tyldesley seamlessly shepherding IShowSpeed into touch. Class is permanent. After this elaborate warm-up act, we unveil your definitive gu...

All is not well in the Manchester United camp and now Bruno Fernandes could be on his way out of the club. Could they really be sliding towards a proper relegation battle next season? Marcus, Luke & Andy debate that, plus should the Premier League be reduced to 18 teams? And is it time for Daniel Levy give big Ange the boot? Find us on  Bluesky ,  X ,  Instagram ,  TikTok &...

It's time for Inter's chiselled old warriors to do battle with PSG's whippersnappers. But first of all everyone, here's Linkin Park with "the sights and sounds of the Champions League"! Oh joy. Marcus, Luke, Jim and Andy give their music opinions and some football opinions ahead of the Champions League final – plus there's more reflections on Chelsea's Conference League win, respect for Chris Wood...

It was all going so well for Manuel Pellegrini and his band of merry former Premier League men. Isco was stroking the ball around midfield. Chelsea's youngsters were charging around to no avail. And Alan Pardew was shaking his fist at his telly. But then Cole Palmer decided that was enough. Pete and Andy look back on Chelsea's Europa Conference League triumph, which featured a Palmer masterclass,...

The Prem might be over, but Aston Villa are not letting up in their pursuit of justice following the howler referee Thomas Bramall made against Morgan Rogers at the weekend. Luke tells Marcus, Jim & Pete why he would have given the game to a more experienced referee (ahem David Coote) while Pete compares Manchester United to a vacuum box. And we get an update from Gianni Infantino in... IShowS...

It’s that time of the season again, ladies and gents! The one where we dig out the predictions we made back in August and find out just how little actually played out the way we thought it would. Marcus, Luke, Pete & Vish are here to look back at the 2024/25 Premier League season through the lens of optimism, gut instinct, and the very occasional spot-on call. Find us on  Bluesky , ...

Goodbye 2024/25 Premier League, it was real. Hello Manchester United post-season tour in Malaysia! Marcus, Luke, Pete and Vish look back on the final day, which had lots of permutations but - for Aston Villa - ended up being decided by two quite simple things: Emi Martinez losing his mind and the referee losing his, too. Elsewhere, Nuno Espirito Santo will face the wrath of Marinakis as Nottingham...

Tottenham have only gone and done it! 17 years later, there’s a new addition to the trophy cabinet. Meanwhile, Arsenal are patting themselves on the back for finishing as runners-up in the Premier League and giving the Champions League a proper run. But who’s really had the better season? Marcus, Luke & Jim wade into that diplomatic minefield - plus, was Thomas Tuchel right to recall the Saudi...

Well, congratulations everyone, we’ve made it: the final weekend of the Premier League season is here. Marcus, Luke and Jim are here to answer the league's only remaining question: would you rather be stuck in a lift with Nathan Jones or Alan Pardew? We do find time to preview the race for European places, with so many permutations it’s like a scene from the third Matrix film. Plus we look ahead t...

Tottenham Hotspur have won the Europa League. Yep, you read that right. And don't say Ange Postecoglou didn't tell ya! Marcus and Jim react off the back of a (let's be honest) rather scrappy Europa League final. But it's a year of ending trophy droughts, so what might that mean for England next summer? Now we're talking. Find us on  Bluesky ,  X ,  Instagram ,  T...

Marcus, Jim, Andy and Pete look ahead to a truly seismic Europa League final between Man United and Spurs, which boils down to two bald men fighting to the death over a £100m comb. Before that though, we’ve got a couple of last night’s victory laps from Kevin De Bruyne and Crystal Palace to pore over - it seems Omar Marmoush has gladly took up the “smash bangers in from thirty yards” mantle. Plus,...

Football football football dum dum dum. Now you go, Harry! Marcus, Pete and Vish review Harry Kane's sped-up rendition of Sweet Caroline at Bayern's trophy parade. It went about as well as you'd expect. Elsewhere, there's the small matter of Arsenal securing Champions League football. But how do they avoid second place again next season? Vish thinks there's only one answer. Plus, after José Mourin...

My giddy aunt. Oli Glasner and his boys have bloomin' well done it, even if they do have the referee to thank. Never a red, eh? Marcus, Vish & Pete break down what was an astonishing FA Cup final, and give credit to a tiny magician for sprinkling that magic on the Wembley turf. Find us on  Bluesky ,  X ,  Instagram ,  TikTok  and  YouTube , and email us here:&nbsp...

It’s FA Cup final day, ladies and gents. And what an opportunity for Oli Glasner’s men! If Crystal Palace pull it off - and let’s face it, the neutrals are all in - where would it rank among the greatest underdog triumphs in football history? Marcus, Luke & Andy dig into that - plus, who should Chelsea target to fix their goal drought and which ageing star do we most want to see make a Pr...

Can Crystal Palace cap off their impressive season with a historic cup win? Marcus, Luke, Andy and Pete wonder if the stars may just be aligning for Glasner’s Gang. Plus, can Pep Guardiola resist the urge to deploy some mad cup final tactics and play Kevin de Bruyne at left-back? Or will the lawyers pitch up on the Wembley touchline and deliver the verdict on those 115 charges two minutes before k...