The Game

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd. Liverpool got the win they needed over Everton but it didn’t come without some controversial moments. Divock Origi scored his annual Liverpool goal - but do we actually know how good he is? (00:00) Burnley have got themselves out of the relegation zone since Sean Dyche departed - but what’s changed? (12:51) Arsenal beat Manchester United as...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft. Manchester United have a new manager as Erik ten Hag will take over in the summer until at least 2025. What kind of job does he have on his hands and what does he need to turn things around? (00:00) Arsenal showed they’re up for a fight for fourth place with a 4-2 win over Chelsea on Wednesday night. After two goals, is Eddie Nketia...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino. Liverpool are into the FA Cup Final at the expense of Manchester City. Did Pep Guardiola overthink it again? (00:00) Jurgen Klopp’s side are still on for the quadruple - but will they actually win it? (12:15) Chelsea are Liverpool’s opponents at Wembley for the second time this season. Did Crystal Palace play into Thomas Tuchel’s hands...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Ian Hawkey. Chelsea started well but came up short against Real in their Champions League second leg. What changed to swing things back into Real’s favour? (00:00) Villarreal will take on Liverpool after they knocked Bayern Munich out. Why is Unai Emery so good in Europe and Constantin Eckner joins us to discuss where next for Bayern (14:02) Manchester...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Paul Hirst and Alyson Rudd. The battle of the top two teams in the Premier League really was a battle - did Liverpool play it right by being more aggressive and who does the 2-2 draw favour most? (00:30) Aston Villa are struggling for form with four losses in their last 5 matches. What’s up with Steven Gerrard’s side? (26:14) Arsenal came unstuck at home t...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Jonathan Northcroft and Ian Hawkey. Chelsea came unstuck against Real Madrid as Karim Benzema scored back-to-back Champions League hat tricks. Is there any way back for Thomas Tuchel’s side? (00:00) Villerreal stunned Bayern Munich in the other game on Wednesday night. Is Unai Emery a tactical genius? (15:10) Atletico didn’t impress in their loss at Manchester City. S...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd. Brentford stunned Chelsea and Thomas Tuchel was stunned by Alyson’s question about Christian Eriksen after the final whistle (00:30) Tottenham have made it back to fourth place with a comprehensive thrashing of Newcastle. How much of their recent good form is down to the January signings? (15:55) Do Everton realise how much trouble they’re...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd. Gareth Southgate changed things around and gave us a chance to see more of players including Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling against the Ivory Coast. Does that game affect who might make the World Cup starting XI? (00:30) Jude Bellingham has been widely praised for his impact on the side. Is he in line for a starting place or has he been...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Tom Roddy and Tony Cascarino. England won their first friendly of the international break - but what did we learn from the 2-1 win over Switzerland? (00:30) Conor Gallagher looked good in midfield, but will he get a fair chance with the other players England have in the middle? (15:04) Wales will have to wait until the summer to find out if they’ll play in...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Jonathan Northcroft and Molly Hudson. England are preparing for their friendlies during this international break - but how many players are already untouchable in the starting XI? Will Harry Maguire’s place be in doubt given his bad form? (00:30) One of the first names on the England team sheet is Declan Rice and it’s been reported this week that West Ham...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Roddy, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino. Crystal Palace blew Everton away to set up an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea. What’s the secret to their success and how much of an influence has Patrick Vieira been on their development? (00:00) Everton’s fortunes haven’t exactly turned around since Frank Lampard took over. Does the former Chelsea boss already regret acce...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Ian Hawkey and Martyn Ziegler. Chelsea joined Liverpool and Manchester City in the quarter finals of the Champions League after victory in Lille. Ian Hawkey reflects on the win fresh from the Eurostar while Hugh continues to be frustrated by Manchester United (00:00) Juventus are also out of the Champions League. Was it another Unai Emery masterclass or di...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Matt Dickinson and Matt Lawton. Elland Road erupted when Leeds scored an added-time winner against Norwich. With Patrick Bamford back - are Leeds about to ‘do a Newcastle’ and accelerate away from the bottom three? (00:00) Watford got a much-needed win at Southampton over the weekend. Does Roy Hodgson’s team have what it takes to stay up? (08:36) Alyson i...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Ian Hawkey and Tom Roddy. Real Madrid showed their European experience as they overcame the challenge of PSG in the Spanish capital - but as much as they were impressive - how badly did PSG blow it this time? (00:00) Have the events of last night lost Mauricio Pochettino the chance to manage Manchester United? Will he survive the season with PSG? (14:38) L...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino. Arsenal beat Watford 3-2 which didn’t impress manager Mikel Arteta. Is this a good thing for the supporters? Tony gives his thoughts on Bukayo Saka’s future as his contract renewal gets closer (00:00) Crystal Palace are tenth after taking seven points in their last three matches. How much further can they make their way up t...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Roddy, Jonathan Northcroft and Matt Lawton. Roman Abramovich is selling Chelsea but how easy will this be and how quickly does he want it done? The Times’ Chief Sports Correspondent Matt Lawton joins us after his detailed look into the situation in The Times (00:00) How did the Russian change the way English football is run and how will he be viewed once he leaves...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and James Restall. Liverpool have won the first domestic trophy after one of the most exciting goalless draws you’ll ever see at Wembley. Was Thomas Tuchel to blame for their loss after putting too much pressure on Kepa and can Liverpool add to the silverware this season? (00:00) FIFA have been criticised for the action they’ve taken against Ru...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Ian Hawkey and Jonathan Northcroft. Burnley are showing some fight - but can they avoid the drop and who is most likely to replace them in the bottom three? (00:00) After beating Manchester City at the weekend, how did Spurs end up losing the next game to Burnley? Following Antonio Conte’s comments after the match - what’s next for him and the club? (05:50...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and Henry Winter. Tottenham grabbed an unexpected win at Manchester City on Saturday. Does the 3-2 victory mean the title race is back on, or is this just a minor bump in the road for City? (00:00) Henry Winter joins us after watching Manchester United beat Leeds at Elland Road with thoughts on whether Leeds can avoid being dragged into the bot...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Ian Hawkey. Liverpool struck late to gain a healthy 2-0 lead over Inter Milan going into the second leg of their Champions League tie. Surely that’s them through? (00:00) Manchester City are all but through too - so does this make them the favourites again? (7:11) Kylian Mbappé settled the first leg of PSG vs Real Madrid - but has he progressed from the...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and James Restall. It’s Valentine’s Day, so we’re showing some love to some of the clubs who don’t get a mention as often on the podcast. Wolves find themselves in the hunt for a European place in a season where many wrote them off. After a 2-0 win at Spurs on Sunday, what’s the secret to their success? (00:00) You can’t say Southampton don’t t...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Matt Lawton and Jonathan Northcroft. The Times have investigated the rise in violence at football in the UK and the link to drug usage. Matt Lawton led the investigation and joins us to discuss his weekend with police in Nottingham (00:00) There’ve been some classic and exciting matches in the Premier League this week - The Times’ Chief Football Reporter,...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd. There were some shocks and some near-shocks in the FA Cup this weekend. Non-league Boreham Wood pulled off the biggest surprise with a win over Bournemouth and will face Everton. Could they keep the run going? (00:00) Plymouth took Chelsea to extra time and things could have been very different had Ryan Hardie scored his penalty. Kiddermins...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Tom Roddy. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has finally left Arsenal to sign for Barcelona. How well was his situation resolved at the Emirates? (00:00) Spurs have seen a number of incomings and outgoing - but was their January window enough for Antonio Conte to be satisfied? Which other clubs will be pleased with their dealings? (10:50) West Brom are looking...

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Clark and Tom Roddy. Frank Lampard is the new Everton manager, but who is the appointment better for? Him or the club? (00:00) We’re seeing a fair amount of transfer activity on Deadline Day. Spurs look to be one of the busiest teams - will Antonio Conte be happy? Have Liverpool done well in hijacking their deal for Luis Díaz? (15:08) The Times’ Nor...