Football Ramble

Tell you what, there’s nothing quite like playoff limbs™ - even if Sunderland’s Dan Ballard struggled to get his shirt off after netting a 120th minute-winner. Marcus, Jim, Luke and Vish check in with the latest after another dramatic night in the Championship! We also celebrate the best collab we’ve seen in modern football: Brazil x Carlo Ancelotti - but why now? And will he be a success? Plus, J...

Did somebody call for a Tuesday treat? European finalists Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United continued to provide us with performances worthy of a European trophy as they fell to home defeats against Crystal Palace and - checks notes - West Ham United - respectively. Marcus, Jim, Pete & Vish dig into that and celebrate Fulham finally opening their swimming pool! Marcus is still waiting fo...

We’re in Glasgow! Marcus, Jim, Vish and Pete retreat to their man cave to discuss one of the busiest football weekends we’ve had in quite a while - but not before we rate some of Newcastle’s legendary nightlife spots from our weekend jolly. It turns out we weren’t the only show in town this weekend after Newcastle pushed Chelsea aside, and Arsenal were spurred on by Trent Alexander-Arnold getting...

Marcus, Luke and Andy wave Tottenham and Man United into the Europa League final with a simple question: does the fact that one of these basket cases will qualify for the Champions League make a mockery of the Europa League? And what needs to be done to address the imbalance in the Conference League?   Elsewhere, we explore the unique reasons behind players becoming club legends and after a c...

Well, would you look at that - Gareth Southgate’s version of Manchester United made it to the Europa League final, where they’ll face Ange’s boys after their own unusually composed performance. Marcus, Vish, Jim and Pete pick through that confusing conclusion and look ahead to some spicy weekend action on today’s blockbuster Preview Show! We wonder if Newcastle can get the job done against Chelsea...

Marcus and Luke bid farewell to Arsenal’s Champions League challenge after a game that summed up their entire season: impressive and eye-catching in places, but missing that final... oomph.  Speaking of oomph, the lads praise a deadly PSG performance and wonder if they’ll finally reach the top of their mountain, 13 years after they begun the climb. Just Inter to overcome now, lads…  Our...

My giddy aunt, that was quite the spectacle last night. A thirteen-goal thriller across the two legs?! That’s what football do to ya. Marcus, Luke, Andy & Vish are here to ponder on what might be the greatest two-legged game in football history. Plus, Luke explains why it's okay for Trent Alexander-Arnold to want a move to a bigger rat ball, Andy offers a 90s reference that even catches Marcus...

Pete stops burning his Trent Alexander-Arnold shirt long enough to join Andy and recap a weird stalemate between Nottingham Forest’s mildly stoppable force and Crystal Palace largely movable object. They do find time to enjoy more sparkling Eberechi Eze form - even after he was seen moonlighting as a chess grandmaster over the weekend - and wonder where both he and Morgan Gibbs-White could end up...

Marcus, Luke and Pete jump into the studio after Arsenal’s latest wobble, which could condemn them to third place in what's been a two-horse Premier League title race. Never mind, PSG this week lads!  Elsewhere, Man United do another lol and can we attribute Cole Palmer’s great performance to Chelsea’s new relationship with a Dubai-based property developer? Their press release certainly says...

Arne Slot and his merry men got the title over the line, but how does his (and his pal Jürgen Klopp’s) Liverpool rank among the Premier League title-winning sides of old? That’s the nice, uncontentious topic Marcus, Pete & Vish are discussing today. Gulp... Plus, after Jonás Gutiérrez was spotted busking in Newcastle city centre, who makes our garage band of rock-and-roll footballers? Our tour...

Enjoy your chilled wine and nice food, but leave the football to us lads. The words of Vithushan Ehantharajah, who can - AT LAST - bask in his smugness this season after another impressive Man United performance in Europe. Marcus, Pete and Andy join Vish to hail Harry Maguire's transformation into prime Cafu. Elsewhere, Spurs win but Andy explains why the Bodø/Glimt upset is very much alive. Plus,...

Pete and Andy catch their breath after a truly unhinged Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Inter - and guess who was strutting his stuff in the middle of it all? That’s right, the dapper of royals himself, Lamine Yamal. Andy explains why Yamal is better than Messi was at 17, but also why he both loves and questions Hansi Flick’s kamikaze tactics. Plus, after UEFA’s Instagram gets ha...

Did you see that first 20 minutes from PSG last night? Bloody Nora. Marcus, Luke, Vish and Jim - fresh from the Emirates - react to PSG's dominant display against Arsenal and their tiny but somehow unstoppable midfield. Can Arsenal turn things around? Not with tifos like that, they can't... Elsewhere, Brazil press their big Carlo Ancelotti button who's primed and ready to join Fizzer in his Speedo...

Jimmy Campbell, are you quaking in your boots? Luis Enrique's PSG are coming to town. They've already taken the heads of Liverpool and Aston Villa. How can the Gunners put a halt to the English batterings? Jim tells Marcus and Luke why he's expecting a very different game to their previous meeting in October. Elsewhere, the mighty National League South title race is decided and a Ho...

Liverpool have done it! They’ve won the Premier League and their 20th top flight title. It’s party time on the red side of Merseyside. Marcus, Luke, Jim and Pete look back on Liverpool’s incredible season and the surprisingly chill Dutchman at the heart of it all. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace’s remarkable display at Wembley gets us head-clapping and Man City fans show their lawyers how to do the pozn...

Welcome back to the Premier League, Leeds and Burnley! So nice of you to join us for the year... Seriously though, with the gap between the Premier League and the Championship bigger than ever, what can the promoted sides do to extend their stay in the Premier League? Marcus, Luke & Pete give their thoughts on that, plus does Jamie Vardy regret turning Arsenal down back in 2016? We’re going on...

With Jamie Vardy's exit confirmed, there's only one question on Marcus, Luke and Pete's lips today... what's next for his lookalike? It's FA Cup semi-final weekend! The lads look ahead to two huge showdowns at Wembley. But there's also plenty of excitement (and excrement) down in non-league. Just listen and it'll all make sense... We’re going on tour! Get your tickets now: https://footballrambleli...

Hold your horses Liverpool fans, this title fight is still on! You've got to go back to Anfield and get something. And I tell you what, they only need a point against Spurs... Jean-Philippe Mateta's late equaliser wasn't quite enough to secure the Reds the title today, but Vish tells Pete why he thinks it'll give them great confidence heading into their FA Cup semi at the weekend. Elsewhere, Vish...

Manchester City, eh? They’ve got themselves back on the straight and narrow with three wins on the bounce, including a big one last night against Aston Villa. Marcus, Luke and Andy are here to react to that and some important news about the Premier League's Danny Glover. Elsewhere, after Jamie Vardy's candid, Red Bull-fuelled tirade on social media, Luke tells Marcus and Andy why Ruud van Nistelro...

The pressure was on for Nuno's men. They'd lost their last two games. They were down in seventh. Nuno himself (probably) had a crafty cig outside the stadium before kick-off. And yet they picked up a HUGE win at Spurs to return to third in the Premier League! Marcus and Vish react to a big night in Nottingham Forest's unlikely hunt for Europe and Tottenham Hotspur's equally unlikely hunt for 17th...

It was the full range of emotions in the Premier League this weekend: Leicester City fans reflected on their relegation, while Vish was able to savour Man United’s survival. He joins Marcus and Jim to marvel at a crushing Aston Villa display which keeps the race for the Champions League spots very interesting, while Fulham politely let Chelsea stay involved too. Plus, Trent Alexander-Arnold did a...

We're not actually JUST talking about Man United for today's opening question. It turns out Marcus, Jim and Andy thinks there's big rebuilds all over the place in the Prem, not least over in East London. A cheeky Andy Carroll loan deal, anyone? Another listener asks if Real Madrid's woeful exit and PSG's impressive progress in the Champions League suggests that Kylian Mbappé is the problem and the...

Man United pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in European football history last night. And you know who was the architect of it all? Harry Maguire. Marcus, Jim and Andy - who was at Old Trafford - try to figure out what on earth happened in those seven minutes of extra time and how.  Plus, Spurs turn sensible, Jacob Murphy makes his claim for a spot in Marcus Speller’s heart, and Jurgen...

Despite a William Saliba mid-game software update and a Bukayo Saka penalty malfunction… Arsenal have bloody done it! Luke and Vish react to a comfortable night for Mikel Arteta’s men at the Bernabeu and explain why this is already his greatest achievement as a manager to date. Plus, Declan Rice gets compared to a cricketer (and not by Vish, actually) and we wonder just how Real Madrid flopped so...

Ohhh, Villa! Marcus, Luke, Jim and Vish recap one of the craziest European games you’ll ever see, as Unai Emery almost Europa League’d his way past PSG and into the Champions League semi-finals. But, the biggest shock of the night? Barcelona’s shorts. No wonder they lost comprehensively at Dortmund (still went through, tho). Elsewhere, FIFA’s latest Ponzi scheme crumbles at the slightest inspectio...