The Game Football Podcast

Gregor Robertson, Jonny Northcroft and Martin Samuel join Tom Clarke for a debrief of this weeks Champions league matches. A good week for Arsenal and City, an ok week for Newcastle but another forgettable week for Manchester United.Can you really sub a goalkeeper for tactical reasons?Given the strength in depth and the money in the Premier league, is it now almost a super league in its own right?And Gregor has a new celebrity mate…iTimeline:Man Utd 1’ Another bad night for Man Utd. The score was 4-3 but the game was nothing like that. Another defeat, another 6’ Onana Gregor analysis the start to Onana’s Old Trafford career. “Another new player is wobbling.”  10’ Martin recalls the different approaches from various managers he has dealt with towards goalkeepers. He goes on to give an interesting take on pessimists and optimists on the football field. Mourinho didn’t want optimists as defenders. 13’ Is Onana a good enough footballer, is his defence in front of him good enough. Jonny Northcroft, thinks it could be a mix of the two. Wider concern is the recruitment policy.15’ Gregor thinks it isn’t the players but players in a dysfunctional set up look worse than they are. 19’ Winter of discontent. Man Utd have a generous run of fixtures in the next few weeks if they want to get back on track. But Marti Samuel has written about how this team may still struggle.22’ where to start to fix it. Jonny thinks the midfield is the place to begin. He thinks they lack legs, creativity and strength. There is too much pressure on Casimero but he is too old to cover the space in the midfield. Dito Eriksen.23’ Players get better when they’re not in the team, says Martin. Mason Mount didn’t start well but is now touted as the answer. Could Amrabat be the answer, he’ll need time to adjust.Arsenal25’ Arsenal returned to the Champions league as if they had never been away. Gregor thinks it shows the gulf between the Premier league and the rest of Europe. PSV sold their best player this summer…to Nottingham Forest. The development in the Premier League is such that an English team are automatically going to compete well in the Champions league.27’ Arsenal are no longer a prospect, they are ‘there.’ Jonny is beguiled by the ‘vibe’ from Arsenal, the interplay of players like Odegaard, Trossard, Saka and Jesus was a joy to watch.29’ Raya retained his place in goal for Arsenal. Is this going to be the new approach to goalkeepers33’ North London derby. Ange revolution v Arsenal on a high.Newcastle38’ Do Newcastle need to evolve, will they be able to? What does the result say about the premier league. Newcastle were average but they got a result, in the San Siro. 44’ Premier League strength, demonstrated by the players brought to the league and also players sold to other major European clubs. 48’ IS the premier league a de-facto super league?Man City50’ Jeremy Doku gives Man City a new dimension. Beating men, creating space, staying wide. Are they already favourites. 55’ Favourite Champions League moments from the week.58’ Gregor is star struck after interviewing Norman Cook - Fat Boy slim Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gregor Robertson, Tony Cascarino and Alyson Rudd join Tom Clarke for the Monday edition of ‘The Game.’The postmortem on Man Utd v Brighton takes centre stage. Brighton were brilliant, a well run well managed club playing great football. Manchester United were the polar opposite in almost every sense. Will matters improve?Are Liverpool title contenders. Gregor and Tony are far from convinced but Alyson is a convert.Chelsea have stalled, no identity, injury prone and yet they have spent a billion pounds. Where next…?Tinkering from Arteta, resilience from Spurs and what are Everton? Finally Alyson caught up with Roy Hodgson to ask if he is becoming a national treasure. Man Utd v Brighton1’ Mystic Tony. Tony Cascarino predicted the result and the score of the Man Utd game. No one was surprised by the result. Was it brilliant Brighton or woeful Utd. Or both. Are the problems on the pitch or off…or both. 7’ Gregor Alyson and Tony all agree Man Utd are a club in chaos. In stark contrast to Brighton. “Man Utd are paying people to attend their party, Brighton just throw a good party.” 12’ off field trouble leaking on to the pitch? Tony thinks there could also be an issue around the type of football that Ten Hag wants to play.Liverpool…title contenders?17’ Gregor is so sure. He was at Molineux for Wolves v Liverpool. They are erratic, very poor first half, low in energy. But they have a wealth of riches on the bench and a manager willing to take risks. He thought second half they effectively played 4-2-4, throwing caution to the wind. But is that sustainable? What is their midfield balance. Can Trent defend and is Robertson being shackled? Alyson is convinced. On a bad day Liverpool still got the job done and she sees enormous potential. 25’ Tony doesn’t think they will challenge.  27’ Gary O’Neil gets a bit tick. Sleepy Sunday29’ A slow day on Sunday. Alyson was at Bournemouth v Chelsea. A dull nil nil. The two managers cancelled each other out. One creating ordered chaos, the other well-structured and a bit negative.  Chelsea didn’t have an identity.32’ lots of injuries at Chelsea, 12 well known players out. But are those players all important, Gregor isn’t so sure.AI and injuries33’ Injuries are not just bad luck. In an interesting take Alyson quotes the use of AI to predict potential injuries. She isn’t sure the injury list at Chelsea is just bad luck.34’ Tony, as an ex blue says the club is in transition. Lots of new players and staff. Everton38’ “Everton are a poor version of Dyche’s Burnley” Tony is worried by Everton, a team unsure which way they need to play t get a result.Arsenal - Ramsdale or Raya?Is Arteta tinkering too much? Gregor thinks modern football has changed and perhaps interchanging a goalkeeper isn’t that unusual. Interesting all three prefer Raya to Ramsdale. West Ham – diving headers46’ Tony loves a diving header. Scored a few, but also talks about the technical benefits of a diving header, not giving the keeper time to get set. Spurs v Sheff Utd49’ Heart break for Sheff Utd. But is there a quiet Ange revolution going on at Spurs? 51’ Has Paul Heckingbottom been harshly treated by the media? Villa comeback56’ “Villa now look so dynamic.” “Diaby is a real player.” Roy Hodgson1’00” Alyson recently chatted to Roy again, before he fell ill. He talked about taking a surprise job on, gaining new fans and giving his players freedom.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gregor Robertson, Tony Cascarino and Martin Samuel join Tom Clarke for this episode of The Game.The team address the criticism surrounding Harry Maguire. Tony Cascarino says the situation reminds him of one of his former international colleagues. They go on to discuss the fans response, Maguires reaction and how the player rebuilds his confidence.Looking at England and Judge Bellingham in particular, have England ever had greater strength in depth in the middle of the park? Paul Pogba’s situation is briefly discussed.As Brighton head to Old Trafford, with many expecting them to win, Martin secured a rare interview with Brighton chairman Tony Bloom. Brighton are doing more than challenging on the pitch, off it, they are now a set up admired throughout Europe.Finally – lies, damned lies and football stats. Are they worth the paper they are written on?Times:Harry Maguire1’-14’ Is the treatment Harry Maguire has had from fans fair?4’ – comparisons with Mick McCarthy and his contrasting club and international career6’. Managers trust certain players and stick with them until they let them down.14’ Do the media have a case to answer. Are they making Maguire’s situation worse.Maguires mum has commented on social media.15’ Gregor on Harrys mum.England strength and Jude Bellingham18’ Jude Bellingham shone for England at Hampden park. But Gregor says it isn’t just physical ability, it is his mentality and mindset which sets him apart.20’ Bellingham’s positioning for Real and for England. Might England still not be getting the best out of him.22’ England’s strength in depth, especially in the creative positions.27’ Kalvin Philips. Not playing for city but still getting picked for England. Another case of a player Southgate trusts and continues to use.30’ Paul Pogba. Is his career heading down the ‘lost talent’ route? With a provisional suspension what happens next. Brighton v Man utd32’ Big week for Brighton who play Manchester Utd and then head to Athens in Europe. Martin has been speaking with Brighton chairman Tony Bloom. On the pitch they have beaten Utd the last four times they have played, they have a coveted centre forward and an international centre half. They go into the game – at Old Trafford – as favourites. A sign of how far they have come.38’ How far can Brighton go? How to make the step up from being viewed as a ‘smaller club’ dealing with Europe and the squad strength following the loss of their two main midfielders.48’ And what about Man Utd. If they lose is Ten Hag under pressure?“Nice kit, but doesn’t look like Man Utd, but neither do the team.”49’ Lies, damned lies and football stats.Are football stats worth the paper they’re written on Martin wrote a piece addressing possession stats in particular.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saudi's football giants - How the signings work and will the spending continue? Tom Clarke is joined by regular Monday panellist Alyson Rudd and debutant Tom Kershaw. Messrs Martin Hardy and Michael Grant drop in to give reaction and updates from England and Scotland perspectives. Alyson Rudd gives her reaction to the resignation of Luis Rubiales. Tom Kershaw gives a fascinating and unmissable insight into Saudi sport, how it operates, its fans, culture and the plans in place for the future. 02’.00 – An emotional night as Ukraine fans travelled to see their team play England in Poland. On the pitch - disjointed England. Reaction to England’s less than inspiring performance against Ukraine. How to make the most of the talent on offer, why did the two form players – Bellingham and Maddison appear restricted? 12’00– Are England about to poach a player from the Scottish ranks? Newcastle’s Eliot Anderson could be about to cross the border…Martin Hardy wrote the story. 18’30 - England have the chance to spoil Scotland’s party yet again…” Scottish football correspondent Michael Grant is optimistic this time could be different. Michael updates on the Scotland camp. Are the tartan army booking their tickets to Germany next summer? And what does Michael make of the potential switch of two players from Scotland to England.25’00 - England Scotland predictions. Will it be a match to remember or a bore draw. Alyson Rudd predicts an underwhelming nil nil.30’10 – Discussion and reaction to Luis Rubiales resignation. Is it a case of sorry not sorry? Has the Spanish world cup victory become a post script, with the Rubiales incident being the focal point?33- Tom Kershaw gives a fascinating insight in to Saudi sport. Tom has been to the country on a number of occasions in recent times. he discusses Saudi fans, the atmosphere they create at games and how there are attempts to use football to generate a sports culture, energise the young male population in a country with high rates of diabetes. 36’ atmosphere at matches in the Saudi pro league. Fan culture and behaviour. 41’ the heat and humidity and the effects it has on foreign players.43’ what are the training facilities like in the pro league?47’ is this a flash in the pan, will the money dry up. Or do the league and the financial backers have a long term plan…?49’ What is the financial structure, how is a player signed to play in the pro league. It is different the transfer deadline day type bidding wars we are used to seeing in European leagues.52’ will the bubble burst. Alyson thinks it might. Tom is sure it won’t. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Game Tom Clarke is joined by Matt Dickinson, Matt Lawton and Martin Samuel to discuss the weeks footballing news, this weekend’s international fixtures and a few very funny stories of runs ins with former England managers and captains. 1.10: Roy Keane incident/sports pundits.  Was the Roy Keane incident an accident waiting to happen. Martin Samuel discusses the loss of impartiality in sports broadcasting. Wider comments on ex-players as pundits. Is their perceived fan loyalty detracting from their in-depth knowledge.15.30: Anthony/Greenwood/Man Utd. Tough times at Manchester United off the pitch. In light of the Anthony allegations have the club set a precedent in the way they have handled the Mason Greenwood situation.20.00: Jordan Henderson. Was the former Liverpool players interview a good idea? Were his responses to his critics believable? The discussion broadens out to Saudi influence on sport. Matt Lawton highlights the vast amounts of money involved. All agree that Saudi Arabian influence, across all sport, not just football is an unstoppable force. 35.50: England. Do managers or journalists learn anything from friendlies? What areas of the England team need to be looked at.39.00 – Gareth Southgate. Is he still under pressure? Is he tactically astute enough? What does the future hold for Southgate. Matt Lawton is adamant that the FA can not let him leave the FA. With his knowledge he must be retained in some way. Should he be the most important and influential person in English football? 50.00: The writers discuss their best stories of run ins they’ve had with England managers of the past. Should journalist be told the team ahead of time? Tales of Roy Hodgson, Fabio Capello, Sven Eriksen and Glen Hoddle follow. 1’.08: Which England captains have the writers worked with, who have been engaging, who have been reluctant to work closely with the journalists. The press pack take on David Beckham. The Spice Girls and Beckhams Mohican.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gregor Robertson is joined by Tony Cascarino, Tom Roddy and Alyson Rudd to look back at the weekend's Premier League action.They start by reviewing Arsenal's 3-1 win over Manchester United at the Emirates and ask just how significant it was for the Gunners. They also reflect on Jadon Sancho's statement released on social media and how damaging it could be for his career. (00:00)Chelsea's woes continued with a 1-0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest, what can Mauricio Pochettino do to solve their problems in attack? They also debate how important that win was for Nottingham Forest, and discuss their hopes for the season. (17:35)Spurs continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 5-2 victory at Burnley. Just how important is James Maddison if they are to achieve any success season? How influential has Ange Postecoglou been in their start to the campaign? (28:45)Brighton rounded off Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 win at home to Newcastle, with Evan Ferguson starring with a hat-trick. How far can he go in his career, and how exciting is Brighton's season with Europa League football to come? They also debate if Newcastle fans should start to worry after 3 defeats in their first 4 games? (41:46)Mohamed Salah stars for Liverpool as they thrash Aston Villa 3-0 at Anfield - but will he still be at the club by the end of the Saudi Pro League transfer window? They also hail the performance of Dominik Szoboszlai. (55:54)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gregor Robertson is joined by Jonathan Northcroft, James Restall and Martin Samuel in The Times office.Chelsea are close to signing Cole Palmer from Manchester City for a fee of around £45m. Should City have found a way for him to fit into their side and is a move to Stamford Bridge the best option for someone who wants minutes? (00:00)Ansu Fati looks like he’s on his way from Barcelona to Brighton on loan. Is this a sign that Brighton are about to step up their spending? (11:00)Harry Maguire looks like he’ll be staying at Old Trafford after a move to West Ham failed to materialise. Given his projected lack of minutes, should he still be in the England team? The same question could be asked of Jordan Henderson after his move to Saudi Arabia (16:52)Luis Rubiales is still in a job as the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, despite calls from all corners to resign over his conduct at the Women’s World Cup final. How will this situation conclude and how damaging has this saga been for women's football? (34:26)We’ve seen some Premier League teams slip up in the League Cup second round. Sheffield United went out against Lincoln City and Tottenham dropped out thanks to Fulham. We round up the latest results and ponder whether pundits should work on games where the team they support are playing (45:40)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gregor Robertson is joined by Alyson Rudd, Tony Cascarino and Martin Hardy in The Times office in London.Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez came off the bench to score twice late on for ten-man Liverpool against Newcastle United in a modern classic at St James’s Park. The Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp ranked the victory among the most special of his career, but just how big a missed opportunity was this for Newcastle?Manchester United also produced a stirring comeback, after going 2-0 down in the opening four minutes against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford. But has Old Trafford lost its fear factor?Following a series of high-profile stories involving the mistreatment of women by men working in football, including the recent suspension by Fifa of the Spanish Football Federation’s President Luis Rubiales, we ask: is football, as an industry, failing women?There was more late drama at the Emirates as Arsenal conceded an 87th minute equaliser against ten-man Fulham. The Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, is trying to evolve last season’s title challengers, but does he need to? And Manchester City took advantage to go top of the table with a late winner at Sheffield United, much to the relief of Erling Haaland — and Kyle Walker.Following impressive wins for West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, inspired by two new recruits familiar to the Premier League, could the relatively unheralded signings of James Ward-Prowse and James Maddison respectively be the summer’s most inspired transfers?Finally, after Joachim Andersen equalised for Crystal Palace with what can only be described as a slide tackle through the legs of the Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken, Tony Cascarino talks us through a goal he scored for Aston Villa that was so bad it won an award.Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: themes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Clarke is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft and Martin Samuel in The Times office.Mason Greenwood will leave Manchester United imminently, but how easily will he find a new club and where in the world could that club be? (00:00)Manchester City are being forced back into the transfer window later than they usually would. Are they starting to panic or just simply reacting to the injury to Kevin De Bruyne? (06:38)Aston Villa are practically through to the group stages of the Europa Conference League after a 5-0 first leg win at Hibernian. How much does this European involvement mean to the club and why do Scottish clubs struggle to compete at this level? (18:22)Everton have started the season badly and look like they’ll struggle for goals. Is this the season they finally go down and how important is moving to their new stadium in the search for fresh investment? (27:15)Martin Samuel has written in The Times about Bruno Fernandes’ captaincy at Manchester United and why managers choose certain players to lead the team. As a former pro, Gregor has some thoughts on his favourite skippers he’s played under (38:31)A mention of Ben Foster’s second retirement leads to a conversation about the difficulty players have getting into elite sides and how the quality of the football pyramid is improving as a result (49:31)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Clarke is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy in The Times office in London, with Molly Hudson in Australia.The Lionesses came up just short in the World Cup final on Sunday - Molly Hudson joins us from Sydney to look back on a close game against Spain and look ahead to a future with or without Sarina Wiegman in charge. (00:00)In the Premier League, it was a disastrous weekend for Everton who won’t forget their visit to Villa Park in a hurry and Chelsea won’t be overly keen on the London Stadium after a 3-1 defeat to West Ham. How long will it take Mauricio Pochettino’s side to fully gel and what can realistically be expected of them this season? (11:40)Tom Roddy gives us an insight into his exclusive conversation with former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who left the club for AC Milan in the summer. You can read the full conversation on The Times website (25:24)Tottenham began life after Harry Kane with a 2-0 win over Manchester United. Have the club finally found the right manager to give them a clear identity and vision? As for United, are they still quite a way off where they need to be or was it just one of those days? (29:44)Manchester City overcame Newcastle without Kevin De Bruyne, who is out for several months through injury. Phil Foden stepped up to fill in, but did he impress? (46:00)We round up the rest of the weekend results as Fulham and Brentford share a similar problem in attack, while Brighton end the weekend top of the table despite their summer outgoings (52:05)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Clarke is in The Times office in London and he's joined by Molly Hudson and Owen Slot in Australia at the Women's World Cup.The Lionesses are now just one win away from lifting the World Cup trophy. Molly and Owen share the latest from the England camp down under as Sarina Wiegman prepares her squad for the biggest game of their careers.Lauren James is available to play after serving her two match ban - but should she come straight back into the starting line up? We debate this huge decision with a little help from former Lioness and Times columnist, Casey Stoney.Spain are tough opponents with a lot of quality, but behind the scenes they're a team in turmoil. Molly shares tales of striking players, a coach that doesn't connect with the squad and how the team are looking to write their own history on Sunday.Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Clarke is joined by Jonny Northcroft, Gregor Robertson and Martin Samuel. In today’s pod Manchester United beat Wolves but how did they look? Wolves lost, but how did they look.Manchester United have more than on field issues to worry about as they are poised to make a decision about the future of Mason Greenwood.A London derby as West Ham face Chelsea, which team has a plan and which one doesn’t?Jonny Northcroft has been to meet the premier leagues first black official in fifteen years, Akil Howson.Could there really be a title decider this early in the season? And some funny stories about scary managers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Tom Clarke is joined by Alyson Rudd, Tony Cascarino and Gregor Robertson. On the agenda is a scintillating start for Newcastle and a tough start for the three promoted clubs Luton, Sheffield United and Burnley. The team hear from Molly Hudson who is following England as they prepare for a semi-final against the Matilda’s at the Women’s World Cup. They then move on to address Spurs without Kane and Gregor finishes the pod with a fascinating take on the other impending one hundred million pound transfer, that of Moises Caicedo. Gregor recently visited Caicedo’s first club in the mountains of Ecuador, he describes what life is like for many young footballers in a country deeply affected by poverty.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Premier League season is back and The Game podcast previews the new season with a special two-part show. In Part 2 Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd, Gregor Robertson and Tom Roddy discuss the rest of the teams in the Premier League. They are joined by Paul Hirst to discuss the Community Shield, debating the title hopes for Manchester City and Arsenal as well as discussing Manchester United's pre-season preparations. They assess whether Brighton and Brentford can hit the same heights and share some concerns over Everton, Fulham, Bournemouth, Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace. Aston Villa, Newcastle and Liverpool are the big clubs with big talking points to conclude the show.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Game: Season preview - part one The Premier League season is back and The Game podcast previews the new season with a special two-part show. In Part 1 Tom Clarke is joined by Alyson Rudd, Gregor Robertson and Tom Roddy to talk Luton, Sheffield United and Burnley and their hopes of survival as the League's new arrivals. The team also tackle some London clubs going through change this summer: West Ham, Chelsea and Tottenham. Finally they react to England's penalty shootout victory against Nigeria in the Women's World Cup.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Clarke is joined by James Restall in London and Molly Hudson in Australia to discuss the latest from the Women's World Cup.Sarina Wiegman has shown she's not afraid to make changes in this tournament - is this key to England's success? Lauren James has been the standout player for the Lionesses so far, but which other players deserve praise? (00:00)England take on Nigeria next - what kind of challenge do they pose? Former England defender and Times columnist Casey Stoney has her say on which Lionesses will play a huge part in how the rest of the tournament will play out for England. (22:45)In the second half of the show, Gregor Robertson and Willis Bennett join Tom Clarke to look ahead to the brand new EFL season. The Championship begins on Friday, but which teams are predicted to have a positive season in the 'toughest league' to progress from? (35:25)Leagues One and Two also get started this weekend - and you might be surprised to find out which team in the latter are expected to shine this season! (55:06)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Tom Clarke to look back at the week's Euro 2024 qualifying action, and discuss the week's biggest stories.The Times' Deputy Sports Editor James Restall joins the show to look back at England's 7-0 win over North Macedonia in their Euro 2024 qualifying group. They discuss what we may have learned from the game, and ask if England are now ready to win a major tournament. (00:00)The Times' Scotland Reporter Martin Grant joins the show to reflect on Scotland's 2-1 win over Norway which sees them top of their Euro 2024 qualifying group, and they also preview tonight's game with Georgia. (16:10)Wales suffered back-to-back defeats this week, but should the pressure now be on their manager Rob Page? Did they make a mistake at the World Cup by still playing the likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen? (24:30)Bournemouth have sacked manager Gary O'Neil and replaced him with the former Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola, but was it the right decision? Are the owners showing ambition by having a plan in place for next season, or will Iraola's lack of experience in the Premier League cost them next season? (34:25)The panel reflect on Darren Moore's sacking as Sheffield Wednesday manager and what next for him? Hugh Woozencroft also says his goodbye as the presenter of The Game Podcast. (44:55)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Tom Clarke to discuss the week's biggest stories, and look ahead to the weekend's International football.The Times' Chief Football Writer Henry Winter joins the show to look ahead to England's Euro 2024 qualifier against Malta on Friday, and discuss some of the selection headaches for Gareth Southgate. He also discusses Harry Kane's future and whether he will leave Spurs this summer. (00:00)Jude Bellingham has been unveiled as a Real Madrid player following his move from Borussia Dortmund. How significant is this transfer for English future, and what can we expect to see from him in Spain in the coming seasons? (14:30)The Times' Scotland reporter Michael Grant joins the show to preview Scotland's trip to Norway in a huge game in Euro 2024 qualifying. He also discusses Ange Postecoglou going to Spurs, and a possible return to Celtic for Brendan Rodgers. (31:15)The transfer window has officially opened, the guys discuss their dream transfers this summer! (42:15)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd to look back at the Champions League final, as Manchester City complete the treble with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul.The Times' Manchester Correspondent Paul Hirst joins the show to reflect on the game, and discuss how Inter Milan made it so difficult for Manchester City. We also discuss the off-the-field issues in getting to the stadium on the day, and look at how Pep Guardiola has transformed the careers of some of his players. (00:00)What does Manchester City's treble victory mean going forward? How big of an achievement is it for Pep Guardiola's side to do this, or should they have won the Champions League sooner? (22:30)The Times' Chief Sports Writer Owen Slot joins the show to reflect on his recent visit to Abu Dhabi. He discussed what it was like there to watch Man City win the Champions League, and whether Abu Dhabi have embraced Manchester City and if the locals now support the club. (44:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tony Cascarino and Alyson Rudd to look back at the FA Cup final and discuss the week's biggest football stories.West Ham have won their first cup competition since 1980 after winning the Europa Conference League following a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in the final - can the club push on from here, and will David Moyes be at the helm to do so? (00:00)The West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has confirmed that captain Declan Rice will leave the club in the summer, but where will he end up? And despite this, is the future bright for West Ham with a season in the Europa League to come? (17:16)Manchester City are 90 minutes away from completing the treble this season - but do we give Inter Milan any chance of an upset? What will they need to do to defy the odds to win in Istanbul? (27:20)Real Madrid are set to sign the Borussia Dortmund teenager Jude Bellingham after the two clubs agreed a fee for the England international. How good will it be for him to go to La Liga, or is this the right move for him? Lionel Messi is set to go to Major League Soccer to play for Inter Miami, and we also react to Liverpool signing Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton. (37:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tony Cascarino and Alyson Rudd to look back at the FA Cup final and discuss the week's biggest football stories.Manchester City remain on course for the treble after beating Manchester United in the FA Cup final. The Times' Paul Hirst joins the show to reflect on the game, discuss how important Ilkay Gundogan is for Man City, and debate how United can compete with their neighbours in the future. (00:00)The Times' Senior Sports Writer Matt Dickinson joins the show to discuss his book, and also reflect on his piece with the Manchester United legend Brian McClair, in which they look back at the United treble-winning side of 1999. (26:10)Real Madrid announce that Karim Benzema will leave the club at the end of the season after 14 years in the Spanish capital, but should Spurs striker Harry Kane replace him at the club? We discuss Benzema's legacy, and also discuss what Kane should consider if he makes the move. (36:00)Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is the favourite to take over as Spurs ahead of the new Premier League season. We'll discuss if the step up will be too much for him, and whether he can cope with managing in one of Europe's Top 5 leagues. (46:15)Alyson reflects on her interviews with the Southampton owners Sport Republic, and the Brentford manager Thomas Frank, and looks back on her key findings from both conversations. (58:45)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Molly Hudson to discuss the week's biggest football stories.Jose Mourinho misses the chance to win the Europa League after a penalty shoot-out defeat to Sevilla in Budapest, but will he stay in Serie A next season, or will he make the perfect International manager? (00:00)The Times' Manchester Correspondent Paul Hirst joins the show to preview the weekend's FA Cup final as Man United face Man City at Wembley, how motivated will United be to stop City winning the treble? How important a day is it for Manchester United? (09:25)Gregor, Tom and Molly continue building up to the FA Cup final. What type of game will we expect to see? Will City's complacency cost them with their eyes on the Champions League final? What do United need to do in the summer to strengthen? (24:30)Manchester United have reportedly agreed terms with Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount - how disappointed should Chelsea be to lose another homegrown player? What can Mount add to the Manchester United midfield? Will Declan Rice be a good signing for Bayern Munich? (34:45)Molly looks ahead to the start of the Women's World Cup, as Sarina Weigman names England's squad for the tournament this summer. Will their injuries catch up with them? When will the off-the-field problems such as broadcasting rights etc be solved? (46:55)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gregor Robertson is joined by Tony Cascarino, Tom Allnutt and Alyson RuddThe curtain comes down on another Premier League season and the final day saw Leeds & Leicester drop down to the Championship.Despite survival is Sean Dyche the right man to keep Everton out of trouble and push them up the table?Where did it all go wrong for Leicester? Premier League and FA Cup winners drop down to the Championship after 9 years in the top flight.After going from Bielsa to Allardyce where do Leeds go from here? Spurs won't be playing any form of European football for the first time in 14 years despite victory on the final day. We discuss whether Ryan Mason should get the job permanently and of course what happens with Harry Kane.Aston Villa will be playing European football next season after Unai Emery's transformed them post Steven Gerrard. Why couldn't Gerrard get out the best from this squad?And we review the season as a whole which has seen the Premier League season break mid way through for the World Cup and and a record number of managers losing their jobs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Jonathan Northcroft & Gregor RobertsonAfter Leicester parked the bus against Newcastle to pick up an all important point we ask the question is it too little too late for The Foxes?How important will the fans be at Elland Road, King Power & Goodison Park as all three have must win home games on the final day.The panel predict who they think will drop out of the Premier League.Newcastle United will be playing Champions League football next season. What does that mean for their summer transfer plans?What is going on at Spurs as yet another manager turns down the club. Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has revealed that he plans to stay in the Netherlands.And we look ahead to the Championship play-off final between Luton Town & Coventry City. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy to look back at the weekend's Premier League action and discuss the biggest stories of the week.Nottingham Forest have secured their Premier League status for another season after beating Arsenal 1-0 at the City Ground. They discuss just how well Steve Cooper has done this season, and ask if the owner Evangelos Marinakis deserves credit for showing faith in him. (00:00)Manchester City win the Premier League for a third consecutive season, how has Pep Guardiola been able to maintain the consistency at the club whilst also managing a number of world-class players? Will their dominance continue in the years to come? (14:55)Pep Guardiola's side have now won 5 Premier League titles in the last 6 seasons, but why do fans still not consider them to be one of the greatest teams in history? We'll ask if the 115 alleged breaches of financial rules from the Premier League has tarnished their legacy in how they are viewed. (26:05)Leeds United's Premier League status is hanging by a thread after losing 3-1 at home to West Ham. They have now lost 25 points from winning positions this season, so was it too late to make a change in the dugout? We'll also reflect on Everton's late equaliser at Wolves and why that makes them favourites to stay up heading into the final day. (45:35)Brighton have qualified for Europe for the first time in their history, with it looking likely they'll play in next season's Europa League - but how do they cope with the step up? What's their plan to be able to deal with the Thursday-Sunday schedule next season? (54:30)Roberto Firmino received an emotional send-off after his last home game as a Liverpool player - we discuss the legacy he has left behind and where he ranks amongst the greatest No.9s in Liverpool's history. (1:02:20)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Ian Harkey & Tom Allnutt.Man City produce a masterclass against Real Madrid to book their place in the Champions League final with some billing it as the best performance by any English side in European historyWe compare Pep Guardiola's Barcelona with his Man City side and ask why his current team lacks the romanticism of his previous success.England and Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been hit with an eight month ban after he was found guilty of betting charges.Is the ban harsh and does football and gambling have an unhealthy relationship?And we discuss the latest in the Championship as Luton and Coventry prepare to face each other in the play-off final. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Tom Roddy & Gregor Robertson.Arsenal's title bid finally comes to an end as they lose at home to Brighton by three goals.Are Brighton the best team to watch in the Premier League and are they the story of the season?How long can Brighton hold on to their star players and their manager Roberto De Zerbi with sharks already circling.We discuss Leeds and the impact that Sam Allardyce has made since joining on a short term deal until the end of the season.With Champions League qualification now mathematically impossible do Spurs even want to play in the Europa Conference league?Frank Lampard tells the Chelsea players they need to take a look at themselves after they dropped more points, this time at home to Nottingham Forest.And with Southampton's relegation finally confirmed we pick a part where it's gone so wrong this season for The Saints. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Jonathan Northcroft, Gregor Robertson & Ian Hawkey.Following the 1-1 draw at The Bernabeu are Man City now heavy favourites or just favourites to reach the Champions League final.Kevin de Bruyne scored the goal for Man City as he continued his fine form but does he need to win the Champions League to go down as one of the all-time greats?In the other semi-final Inter Milan took the bragging rights and one foot in the final after a 2 nil win over AC Milan.Is Edin Dzeko the most underrated striker in Europe following his exploits at the San Siro?Inter Milan had the opportunity to make it 3 nil after they awarded a penalty in the first-half however the referee decided to overturn his own decision after consulting VAR. Was that the correct decision?As we head into the Championship play-offs who are favourites to make it to the promised land of the Premier League?In-form Sunderland's injury issues continue and take on Luton, who aim to become the first team to go from the National League to the Premier League.After all the issues Coventry have had in recent years would Mark Robins guiding the Sky Blues to promotion be the story of the season? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd, Gregor Robertson & Charlotte DunckerWas Everton's win the most bizarre result this season? A team that played more like champions elect as opposed to relegation threatened.Is Brighton's season tailing off and now in danger of missing out on European football next season? Following Nottingham Forest's thrilling win over Southampton does that put them in pole position to stay up this season? Are Leicester "too good to go down"? A 5-3 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage leaves the foxes in the bottom 3 and in real danger of losing their Premier League status.Arsenal playing Newcastle at their own game. A frustrated Eddie Howe complained about the time wasting from Arsenal although the stats show that it is Newcastle who have been the worst culprits of the dark arts this season.And finally what is going wrong at Manchester United with just 4 wins from the previous 10 games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Clarke is joined by Gregor Robertson and Tom Allnutt to look back at the week's Premier League action and discuss the biggest stories of the week.The Times' Chief Sports Correspondent Matt Lawton joins us to reflect on the news that Sam Allardyce has been appointed the new Leeds manager until the end of the season. He discusses what he can bring to the side, and explains why his long-standing assistant Sammy Lee won't be with him this time around. (00:00)The panel continue to discuss Sam Allardyce's appoint at Leeds and try make sense of it all. Gregor Robertson believes the appointment has no logic to it, whilst Tom Allnutt says Leeds no have identity, so he could understand why they have made the decision to bring him in. (08:10)Leicester drew 2-2 with Everton in a huge game at the bottom of the table on Monday night, they reflect on this result, and explain why a point may not be the worst result in the world for both teams as they look to stay in the Premier League. (18:00)Arsenal keep their slim hopes of winning the Premier League title alive with a 3-1 win at home to Chelsea in midweek, but just how bad have things got at Chelsea, and how much of a job does Mauricio Pochettino have on his hands if he were to be appointed the club's new manager? (24:00)Erling Haaland breaks the record for the most Premier League goals in a single season as his 35th helped Man City brush aside West Ham - they discuss that result and also reflect on Liverpool's 1-0 win at home to Fulham on Wednesday night. (34:20)Molly Hudson joins the show to reflect on Arsenal's defeat to Wolfsburg in their Champions League semi-final second leg at a sold-out Emirates Stadium, and also reflect on the news of a 4th Arsenal player picking up an ACL injury in just 6 months (47:15)We end the show by discussing Lionel Messi's future after he took some unauthorised leave from PSG, and we preview the final day of the Championship season, with so many teams still in contention for a possible play-off place. (55:45)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino.Spurs once again started very poorly, but this time managed to almost salvage a point against Liverpool. How do they even begin to fix their shortcomings? (00:00)Possible red cards and Jurgen Klopp’s actions on the touchline also came up in our thorough analysis (14:18)Bournemouth are surely secure now, but Leeds are deep in trouble. Where can they get the points they’ll need to survive? (33:39)Forest could have given themselves a huge chance of staying up, but let Brentford snatch all the points in West London. Did Steve Cooper get his tactics spot on, though? (45:30)Southampton are sure to be playing in the Championship next season - but are they the next club to free fall down the leagues? (50:55)Crystal Palace have been a joy to watch since Roy Hodgson came back - but where do they look after the season is over? (60:54)Brighton are within touching distance of Europe - what have they got so right that other clubs have struggled so much with? (70:02)Erling Haaland is on the verge of breaking the Premier League scoring record, but is there another gem starting to shine at the Etihad? (74:38)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi all, The latest episode of The Game podcast was released earlier:Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Allnutt & Jonathan Northcroft.Title decided? Following Man City's comprehensive 4-1 win against leaders Arsenal does that mean the title is once again heading to Manchester.What is wrong at Chelsea? Has Frank Lampard's reputation been damaged during this so far unsuccessful interim spell. With Mauricio Pochettino looking likely to return to the Premier League is this the right job for him and is he the right man to turn around the clubs fortunes.Leeds & Leicester battle it out in a relegation 6 pointer but should Leicester be disappointed not to take all 3 points and is Dean Smith the man going forward?"Spurs are a mess of a club" but who really is to blame for the seasons shortcomings? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tony Cascarino and Tom Clarke to look back at the weekend's Premier League and FA Cup football.Arsenal drop 2 more points after drawing 3-3 at home to Southampton on Friday night, but can they recover from this blip and regain control of the title race? Manchester City sweep aside Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, can they now go on and win the treble this season? (00:00)Spurs are thrashed 6-1 away at Newcastle, but does the culture need to change if they are to become successful, and who would join the club as their new manager if results continue like this? What additions should Eddie Howe make to his squad with Newcastle set to qualify for next season's Champions League? (25:30)The Premier League relegation battle takes another twist, as Leicester move out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win at home to Wolves, and Leeds lose at Fulham. Bournemouth are thrashed 4-0 away at West Ham, and Nottingham Forest lose 3-2 against Liverpool at Anfield, but who will go down this season? (47:00)Manchester United book their place in the FA Cup final after beating Brighton on penalties, and both Wrexham and Leyton Orient secure promotion from their prospective divisions. (1:02:55)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft and Ian Hawkey to look back at the midweek Champions League action, and look ahead to the weekend's football.Manchester City book their place in the semi-finals with a 4-1 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich, but is this the year they finally go all the way in Europe? They dissect the performance at the Allianz Arena and also discuss a potential new contract for Erling Haaland (00:00)Chelsea's season is all-but over after losing 4-0 on aggregate to Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final tie, can things get any worse for Frank Lampard? What do they make of the owner Todd Boehly going into the dressing room to speak to the players? (12:00)Can history repeat itself with Real Madrid knocking out Manchester City in a Champions League semi-final? They discuss the threat posed by the Spanish club, and also discuss the other semi-final, with sees AC Milan face Inter in a Milan Derby. (28:15)Molly Hudson joins the show to look back at a crucial game in the WSL, as Manchester United beat title rivals Arsenal to go top of the table. They also discuss the injury to the England captain Leah Williamson, and how it may impact both Arsenal and England. (38:15)The FA Cup semi-finals take place this weekend! Can Sheffield United cause an almighty upset and beat Manchester City? Is this also Brighton's best chance to reach the final? Do they have enough to beat Manchester United? (47:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy.Arsenal dropped more points in the title race at the weekend. Are they struggling under the pressure and will the title come down to the result of the game against Manchester City? (00:00)Ollie Watkins continued to impress for Aston Villa as they put Newcastle in their place. Could Unai Emery’s team make Europe? (17:28)Brighton have a knack of finding exciting young players with Julio Enciso the latest to impress - scoring the winner at Stamford Bridge. Tom Roddy has more about his exclusive story on the likely identity of Chelsea’s new manager (26:20)Dean Smith’s 600th game in management didn’t go to plan - with Leicester losing to Manchester City. Do the Foxes have a better chance of survival under him, though? (39:02)Bournemouth showed they’re up for the fight with a stunning victory against Spurs. Are the Tottenham fans losing focus on the action on the pitch? (49:22)We round up the rest of the games across the weekend - with several teams fighting for their lives in the Premier League (65:59)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tony Cascarino and Tom Clarke in London - and Gregor Robertson in Ghent.Chelsea have it all to do in their Champions League second leg against Real Madrid. Was Frank Lampard the best choice and did the club wait too long to part company with Graham Potter? (00:00)Manchester City have a lot less to worry about against Bayern Munich. Have they found form at the right time and will they finally achieve European glory? (22:07)Dean Smith is in at Leicester City. Is he a good choice and did the club miss a trick in keeping the faith with Brendan Rodgers for so long? (40:30)Liverpool are said to have cooled their interest in Jude Bellingham and Gregor tells us about his trip to Wrexham as we round up the other big stories of the week (52:26)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd to look back at the weekend's Premier League football and discuss the biggest stories.Arsenal draw 2-2 away at Liverpool in a thrilling game to round off the weekend's football, but with the gap now just 6 points between them and Manchester City, are they still favourites to lift the title? What did the panel also make on Trent Alexander-Arnold's new position and his performance in general? (00:00)Aaron Ramsdale pulled off a string of fantastic saves in the draw at Anfield, but should the Arsenal goalkeeper now be considered England's Number 1? (18:30)What punishment should Assistant Referee Constantine Hatzidakis receive for his altercation with Andy Robertson? We discuss that and also how behaviour towards officials need to change, and what punishment will allow those changes to happen? (24:10)VAR was again the talking point at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Brighton lose 2-1 to Spurs in an incident packed game. The PGMOL have since apologised to Brighton for their error in not awarding them a penalty, but how can we stop the constant scrutiny on VAR decisions? (46:45)Bournemouth moved out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win at Leicester City, they discuss the job Gary O'Neill is doing on the South Coast and ask how worried fans should be about Leicester's bid to stay in the top flight? They also look back at a huge win for Crystal Palace against relegation rivals Leeds United. (54:50)Frank Lampard began his second stint in charge of Chelsea with a 1-0 defeat at Wolves, but what is the point of re-appointing him if they don't beat Real Madrid in the Champions League? (1:06:15)Ian Hawkey joins the show to look ahead to the week's Champions League action, and discuss how Bayern are faring ahead of meeting Manchester City, and how important it is to have the likes of Napoli and AC Milan in the latter stages. (1:10:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Tom Roddy to look back at the midweek Premier League football and discuss the biggest stories.Frank Lampard has return to Chelsea as their interim manager until the end of the season, but was it a right decision? Will that galvanize the players ahead of the Champions League, or should they have stuck with Potter if there permanent replacement will be appointed in the summer? (00:00)West Ham were thrashed 5-1 at home to Newcastle on Wednesday night, as the pressure ramps up on David Moyes. Should the club stick with him, or do they make a change to try and keep them in the league? (28:20)Are Newcastle now favourites to finish in the Top 4? How much credit does Eddie Howe deserve for recovering from a mini-blip last month to lead them to third in the Premier League table? (34:40)Nottingham Forest show their support to under-fire manager Steve Cooper, but if their eight-match winless run continues, should the club make a change, or is peer pressure from the supporters stopping the owners from sacking him? (38:00)Leicester City are still without a manager as they lost at home to in-form Aston Villa - do we consider Aston Villa to be a threat next season under Unai Emery? Who should replace Rodgers at Leicester, Martin O'Neill or Rafael Benitez? (44:56)Fulham's Aleksandr Mitrovic has been banned for 8 games for a push on referee Chris Kavanagh in their defeat to Manchester United last month, but is that the right amount of time, or does he deserve stronger punishment? (53:23)We end the show by looking ahead to huge games in the EFL and National League, as Burnley can be promoted back to the Premier League this weekend, and Wrexham face Notts County in a huge game at the top of England's fifth tier. (1:00:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tony Cascarino and Alyson Rudd to look back at the weekend's Premier League football.Graham Potter has been sacked as Chelsea manager after just 7 months in charge, we discuss where it went wrong for him, whether the ownership were at fault for hiring him in the first place, and who could potentially replace him at Stamford Bridge. (00:00)Aston Villa go to Stamford Bridge and win 2-0, and with the points tally since Unai Emery was appointed only bettered by 3 of the Top 4 in the Premier League, can they make a late charge for Europe? (25:25)Manchester City maintain their pressure on the league leaders Arsenal after dismantling Liverpool at the Etihad, but how poor were Liverpool, and should they start to conceding selling players such as Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold? (28:50)Manchester United hold a dressing room inquest following their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, but is Erik ten Hag already ahead when it comes to his long-term project at the club? Was this defeat a gentle reminder of how much work needs to be done before they're challenging at the top again? (45:40)Brendan Rodgers leaves Leicester City by mutual consent - what can we do to ensure Premier League clubs are not just firing managers so frequently? Who do Leicester appoint in the interim? (59:48)We end the show by discussing the weekend's other Premier League football, as West Ham beat Southampton, Bournemouth beat Fulham and Brighton and Brentford share the spoils in a six-goal thriller. (1:11:09)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft to look back at the weekend's International football, and look ahead to the return of the Premier League.Scotland stun Spain with a 2-0 win at Hampden Park to top their Group after the first 2 games of Euro 2024 qualifying, how much credit should we give Steve Clarke for the job he has done with the national side, and what did we make of Rodri's comments about Scotland's style of play? (00:00)Wales begin life without Gareth Bale with 4 points from their first 2 games - but has the team now been allowed to express themselves without having to fit around his style of play? (16:30)What's going on at Spurs, and what's next for the club? They discuss the news that their Managing Director of Football Fabio Paratici's ban from football has been extended to worldwide. They also assess the job Daniel Levy has done at the club in the light of this story. (20:00)Roy Hodgson returns to the Premier League as Crystal Palace manager at the age of 75 when they host Leicester on Saturday, but have the club made a step back with his appointment, and what would the ramifications be if they were to be relegated? (39:20)The guys end the show by previewing the other big games and the bottom, and look ahead to a huge game at the top between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium. (48:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Tony Cascarino to look back at the weekend's International football.Spurs have parted company with Antonio Conte, was it always a marriage in hell? Does Daniel Levy deserve the criticism that has come his way? Is it more than just recruitment that's to blame? (00:00)The former Bayern Munich manager Julien Nagelsmann has been linked with the role, but will he be a good appointment, or shall they appoint someone left-field such as Vincent Kompany (19:55)Harry Kane surpasses Wayne Rooney to become England's all-time record goalscorer - is he the greatest England striker of all-time? (32:20)England begin their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with two wins from two - they reflect on a 2-0 win for England against Ukraine, and praise the performances of Bukayo Saka and James Maddison. (42:26)The guys reflect on the weekend's other International football, as Wales leave it late to secure a point against Croatia in Split, Scotland start their campaign off with a 3-0 thrashing of Cyprus, and the Republic of Ireland beat Latvia. (59:48)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke, Michael Grant & Matt LawtonMatt Lawton joins the show from Naples ahead of England's European Championship qualifier plus he gives an update on the protracted takeover of Manchester United.Is Gareth Southgate under pressure despite qualification for Euro 2024 not even underway?Michael Grant discusses Scotland as they play their first competitive fixture since September.And after Mesut Ozil announcing his retirement how should he be remembered? A Premier League legend or a wasted talent? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke & Tom Allnutt Antonio Conte lets rip at his players after throwing away a 3-1 lead at Southampton. Should Conte keep his job? And was his rant directed at the board or the players?Following the sacking of Patrick Vieira we discussed if that was the right decision. Still in 12th and after a tough run of fixtures should Vieira have been given more time?Leeds picked up a huge three points as they won at fellow relegation rivals Wolves.With Alexander Mitrovic losing his cool and being shown red for his actions at Old Trafford what should Mitrovic's punishment be?Paul Heckingbottom continued to work wonders at Sheffield United with promotion back to the Premier League on the cards and now an FA Cup semi final.Have Brighton unearthed another gem in Evan Ferguson? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Ian Hawkey and Jonathan Northcroft.Erling Haaland scored five goals in little over an hour for Manchester City in their 7-0 win over Leipzig. Can we finally put to bed the theory that he’s made their side worse? (00:00)Liverpool are out of the Champions League after a comprehensive defeat over two legs against Real Madrid. How much of a rebuild do they need to be back challenging in Europe? (21:50)Trent Alexander-Arnold is in the spotlight again after comments from Jamie Carragher. Is he reaching a crossroads in his career? (30:46)Hugh gets his random Champions League quarter finals generator out to see how the teams left in the competition could get matched up and could we see a new name from Italy on the trophy this season? (39:12)We share our favourite individual performances in the history of the Champions League, with a couple of surprise suggestions in the mix (45:00)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino.Gary Lineker will return to MOTD this weekend after everything that transpired over the last few days. Have you ever seen football presented in such a miserable way as they did on Saturday night? (00:00)Liverpool followed their thrashing of Manchester United with a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth. Can the south coast side stay up and will Liverpool bounce back to shock Real Madrid? (08:42)Everton got a much-needed win over Brentford. How can they stay in the Premier League and how important will Goodison Park be to them? (27:04)It’s been suggested that Ivan Toney is in line for another England call up - but should he be involved with the possibility of a lengthy ban on the horizon? (35:42)Leeds battled to get a point against Brighton - was Roberto De Zerbi’s disappointment a sign of how far Brighton have come? (39:36)How important was West Ham’s point against Aston Villa in their survival hopes under David Moyes? (46:17)We round up the rest of the weekend’s games with big wins for Chelsea and Spurs (53:13)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson & Tom Allnutt Is Graham Potter beginning to turn things around at Chelsea following back to back wins and Champions League progression?Another disappointing evening for Spurs as they crashed out of the Champions League against AC Milan.Is it time for Antonio Conte to leave and for the emotional return of Pochettino?Another year passes without Harry Kane winning a trophy. He is now approaching the final 12 months of is deal at Spurs so what of his future?Premier League preview as sides chasing Europe come up against sides at the other end of the table fighting relegation.After hitting Man United for 7 last week can Liverpool back it up with a big win over Bournemouth? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd & Matt DickinsonHistory is made at Anfield as Liverpool hit Man United for seven as the race for the top four hots up.Arsenal hitting back like champions? Reiss Nelson scoring late to seal a 3-2 comeback at The Emirates.Would missing out on the top 4 be an opportunity missed for Newcastle? Defeat to Man City sees them drop down to 6th.In how big trouble are Crystal Palace? Without a win since December!Despite a 4 nil defeat at Brighton why is David Moyes still safe at West Ham?Stay of execution for Graham Potter at Chelsea after a narrow 1 nil win at Stamford Bridge against Leeds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Molly Hudson and Jonathan Northcroft.Grimsby triumph as Southampton reach and even lower low. Gregor’s former side are celebrating a famous cup win - but are the Saints doomed? (00:00)Sheffield United shine to knock Spurs out of the FA Cup. Despite better results, are Spurs actually playing any better at the moment? (15:58)Manchester United continued their good form to brush West Ham aside. Can they add a second domestic cup to their haul this season? (24:10)Liverpool made slight improvements to beat Wolves - but are they going to be shown up by United at the weekend? (30:57)Everton were blown away by Arsenal in the league. Will Sean Dyche be able to turn things around and if so, how? (36:12)Leeds United go to Chelsea looking for points against a side who can’t find form. Would a loss at the weekend be the final straw for Graham Potter? (42:14)The Continental Cup final takes place this weekend with Arsenal facing Chelsea. Molly tells us why Lauren James could be the key to a Chelsea win (50:45)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Tom Roddy to review the footballing weekend.Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Ian Hawkey & Tom AllnuttWhat is wrong with Liverpool at the moment? A heavy defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League first leg leaves their season in tatters.Is Erling Haaland the problem for Man City? Struggling for goals and drawing away to RB Leipzig in the Champions LeagueJavi Gracia returns to the Premier League. The former Watford manager has signed a 'flexible contract' with Leeds.And we look ahead to the Carabao Cup final as Manchester United take on Newcastle United. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke & Tony Cascarino.The title race continues to hot up as Arsenal score two late goals to secure the points against Aston Villa, whilst Man City can only draw at Nottingham ForestIt's another defeat for Chelsea and Graham Potter..how many more can he oversee before the dreaded axe is dropped?Wins for Bournemouth, Everton & Southampton made things even tighter towards the bottom as West Ham dropped back into the bottom 3. Should David Moyes keep his job? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy, Ian Hawkey - with Tom Clarke.The master beat the apprentice as Manchester City took the Premier League lead from Arsenal. Are the wheels starting to come off for Mikel Arteta’s side? (00:00)Chelsea will have to win at Stamford Bridge to progress in the Champions League after a 1-0 loss away at Borussia Dortmund. Is the lack of a striker going to continue to haunt them until the end of the season? (20:38)Tom Roddy joins us from Dortmund fresh from his sit-down interview with Dortmund striker Sébastien Haller, as he continues his comeback from testicular cancer (33:28)Tottenham also need to win at home to make the last 8 of the Champions League, but should they be quietly confident against AC Milan? (37:46)Bayern got the better of PSG and Ian Hawkey casts his expert eye over where both European giants find themselves at present (43:54)Southampton and Leeds are still on the lookout for new managers ahead of their meeting on Saturday. Just how important is the Premier League match at Elland Road? (49:50)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Clarke.Southampton have parted company with Nathan Jones after a whirlwind 95 days in charge. Does this actually go down as the worst Premier League appointment ever? (00:00)City cut Arsenal’s lead to 3 points with a 3-1 win against Aston Villa. Do they have the momentum to overtake the Gunners and leave them in the dust? (18:15)VAR was once again a huge talking point over the weekend, with changes for the next couple of games already made by the PGMOL (38:24)Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham - did another mistake in that game hold them back? (45:48)Spurs lost 4-1 at Leicester City. Are their inconsistency problems ever going to be solved and where will they realistically finish this season? (53:16)We round up the rest of the games with Alyson giving special praise to a Fulham defender (60:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Jonathan Northcroft, Tom Clarke and Gregor RobertsonLeeds sacked Jesse Marsch this week and are now on the hunt for a new manager but is there a long term plan strategy in place? Why didn't it work out for Marsch and should the owners take more of the blame for Leeds' current position in the table? (00:00)Manchester United came back from 2-0 down to draw with Leeds last night, was this a missed opportunity for them to put pressure on Arsenal and Manchester City in the title race and how pleased will Erik Ten Haag be to see Jadon Sancho back amongst the goals? (10.30)It was reported that the investigation into Manchester City's alleged financial breaches could take 2-4 years to be resolved, should more focus be put on the timing of this announcement by the Premier League this week with increased reports of a proposed independent regulator for the Premier League? (21:40)Pressure is on Southampton and manager Nathan Jones with uncertainty over his future, can they get a result against Wolves this weekend? If they don't, should Nathan Jones stay or go? (37:14)Are questions now starting to be asked of Arsenal ahead of their game vs Brentford this weekend? Should we be expecting more from Chelsea and Graham Potter now? Can Sean Dyche add to Liverpool's woes in the Merseyside Derby? (47:54)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When two actors decided to buy non-league football club Wrexham AFC, they brought the cameras with them to document every moment. With the Hollywood lights came a large injection of cash and mass media interest, but what has it meant for the club, the community - and for football more widely?Guest: Gregor Robertson, former professional footballer and columnist, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Clips: Welcome to Wrexham/FX, Sky News, Wrexham AFC, Beanyman Sports2, The Emirates FA Cup, BBC Sport, Times Radio, Deadpool/20th Century Fox/Marvel Entertainment, CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ABC Good Morning America, talkSPORT, ESPN. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino - with Martyn Ziegler.Sean Dyche started his Everton career with a 1-0 win over leaders, Arsenal. Can he continue to make progress as the season continues? (00:00)Arsenal were let off by City’s loss at Tottenham but how will Mikel Arteta and the team react to this bump in the road? (13:40)Manchester City’s form continues to show signs of cracking - what can we take from Pep’s comments and recent team decisions? (19:25)Harry Kane becomes Spurs’ all-time top goalscorer - but is he better than Alan Shearer? (33:26)Liverpool lose again and this time it wasn’t even close. Are Jurgen Klopp and his players suffering from both physical and mental exhaustion? (39:19)The Times’ Chief Sports Reporter, Martyn Ziegler joins us to discuss the breaking news about Manchester City’s alleged rule breaking (52:21)We round up the rest of the weekend’s games with Forest and Brentford feeling positive while pressure mounts on Leeds and Southampton (56:38)Chelsea and Leicester did business at the end of the transfer window and it seems like they’ve made some wise purchases (70:08)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, James Restall and Tom Allnutt - with Tom Roddy.Newcastle are through to their first final since 1999 - how significant is this moment in the club’s history? (00:00)Chelsea signed eight players in January. Does Graham Potter have a problem on his hands and how did they get around FFP whilst spending so much? (13:20)Everton failed to sign any players in the January transfer window - does Sean Dyche have any hope of keeping them in the Premier League? (42:07)Plenty of other deadline day deals went though - we take a look at the winners and losers in the window (55:20)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy.The master beat the apprentice in the FA Cup fourth round - what did we learn from Manchester City vs Arsenal on Saturday? (00:00)Brighton beat Liverpool for the second time this season - but was it actually unexpected given their league position? (15:28)Wrexham nearly caused a huge upset against Sheffield United. Is it hard to deny the positive impact the Hollywood investment has had on the club? (33:52)Everton have appointed Sean Dyche as their new manager. Is he the man to save them from relegation and what does he need to do as soon as he takes charge? (48:31)Anthony Gordon has finally moved to Newcastle - is he worth the reported £45m transfer fee? (55:34)Chelsea have added another player in the last few days and they’re not stopping there as Tom Roddy brings us some behind-the-scenes information on another potential incoming at Stamford Bridge (60:22)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Molly Hudson, Tom Clarke and Gregor RobertsonNewcastle get closer to a domestic cup final date at Wembley after beating Southampton in the first leg of the Carabao Cup Semi-Final but is their attack struggling? What does the future look like for Southampton with their Premier League status up in the air? (00:00)Manchester United breeze past Nottingham Forest in the other Carabao Cup Semi-Final first leg but were Forest actually that bad despite losing 3-0? Is Weghorst going to be an important player for Erik Ten Haag after scoring his first goal for the club? (07:48)Everton sacked manager Frank Lampard this week and now the focus is on who his replacement could be. Is Marcelo Bielsa or Sean Dyche the answer and what are the expectations of Everton fans currently? (19:57)Manchester City face Arsenal in the fourth round of the FA Cup this weekend, can we expect a classic? Will Guardiola overthink his team selection too much? (33:58)After Chelsea vs Liverpool in the WSL was abandoned after six minutes at the weekend, what can be done about frozen pitches at this time of year and why does the WSL deserve better? (45:45)With the Premier League Player of the Month nominees being announced, the team offer their opinions on their alternative Player of the Month candidates. (53:27)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Tom Clarke and Tony Cascarino.Manchester United were beaten by a late minute goal at Arsenal - but did their performance show how far they’ve come under Erik ten Hag? In this extended conversation about the club, we look at which players are stepping up, what they did wrong against the Gunners and how ten Hag’s signings are fitting in (00:00)Everton have fired Frank Lampard. At the time of recording, the news wasn’t confirmed - but heavily rumoured. Was Lampard ever going to succeed and was he actually given longer than other managers would have been? (33:26)West Ham got the win they needed to ease some of the pressure on their manager, David Moyes. Will they turn the corner and will the Scotsman still be in charge at the London Stadium in the summer? (49:51)Manchester City showed they have no intention of giving up the title challenge - but despite another hat trick, are they still hampered by Haaland? (54:07)Liverpool vs Chelsea really wasn’t the game we all hoped it would be. Is it any surprise the fixture was a mid-table encounter? (63:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Molly Hudson and Tom Allnutt - with Matt Lawton.Manchester United were denied second place in the Premier League table by a stunner at Selhurst Park and how much of an impact will this weekend’s game against Arsenal have on the title race? (00:00)Matt Lawton joins us to discuss The Times exclusive that David Moyes is set to be sacked by West Ham if they lose to Everton on Saturday (20:56)We also get the latest on the sale of Manchester United as Sir Jim Ratcliffe shows his hand early in negotiations (25:19)A landmark case saw former Lyon footballer Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir win a maternity case against the club. What does this mean for future cases? (32:23)John Yems received a 15-month ban for breaching discrimination rules. The FA are considering an appeal - so was his punishment too lenient? (42:44)A new VAR trial is planned for the Club World Cup - but are high profile tournaments the place to test new ideas? (54:22)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tony Cascarino and Alyson Rudd to look back at the weekend's Premier League action,Are Manchester United now in a title race? What did you make of their performance at Old Trafford - has Erik ten Hag turned them back into an elite football club again? How do Manchester City adapt to playing with Erling Haaland? (00:00)Should Bruno Fernandes' controversial equaliser stood? We discuss whether the officials, or the law was to blame for that incident? (13:15)Are Arsenal now the genuine favourites for the Premier League title after their 2-0 win over Spurs? Is Conte partly to blame for Spurs' recent woes so far this season? Were you surprised at how easy Arsenal made this victory look? (20:43)What now for Everton and Frank Lampard after yet another home defeat? How important was this week in Southampton's season - can they now stay up? Reflecting on James Ward-Prowse's new role in the Southampton midfield. Everton face a relegation six-pointer against West Ham this weekend (36:38)A huge win for Graham Potter and Chelsea? Are Crystal Palace starting to look over their shoulders? (56:20)Liverpool are thrashed 3-0 at Brighton in what Jurgen Klopp describes as the worst performance he's seen - how big are the club's issues? Do we need to start praising Brighton more for their recent run of form under Roberto De Zerbi? (1:00:00) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft to look back at the Carabao Cup action, and preview the weekend's Premier League fixtures.Newcastle reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals as they move one step closer to ending their long run without winning a trophy - how important would it be for the club to win silverware this season? (00:00)Nathan Jones eases the pressure on his job as Southampton beat Manchester City in their quarter-final last night, how crucial is their trip to Everton at the weekend - has he changed the opinions of the Saints supporters? (06:15)Will Everton manager Frank Lampard lose his job if he loses against Southampton on Saturday? How much pressure is on him to get a result (13:45)How important was it for Nottingham Forest to reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals? Praising the job Steve Cooper is doing at the football club (20:00)Previewing the Manchester Derby - is this the time where Erik ten Hag's side can finally compete against their local rivals? Are City showing signs of decline under Pep Guardiola? What is this crazy idea he has spoken about? (21:15)Will Arsenal show their continued title credentials and beat Spurs in the North London Derby? How will the game pan out, do Spurs have to be the more physical side? (35:55)Discussing the legacy of Gareth Bale - how will he be remembered following his retirement from the game last week? (45:55) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino.Chelsea were humbled by Manchester City in the FA Cup, hours after they lost to the same opponents in the Premier League. Is Graham Potter already doomed? (00:00)Stevenage and Wrexham both caused upsets, but it was Hugh that was most upset when a debate over club ownership took over (24:58)Newcastle lost to Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest didn’t enjoy their trip to the seaside and Burnley showed Bournemouth why they’re top of the Championship (47:56)Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Wolves provided a handful of talking points - including Hugh’s favourite subject.. VAR (58:14)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Molly Hudson.Southampton are still rooted to the bottom of the Premier League after a 1-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest. The fans are already turning on Nathan Jones, but was his appointment a mistake? (00:00)Nottingham Forest are out of the relegation zone with that win - has Steve Cooper turned a corner as his almost entirely new squad seems to finally gel? (13:24)West Ham let a lead slip to only take a point home from Leeds. Can David Moyes turn it around if he’s given time? (17:34)Everton continue their slide towards the bottom three after an embarrassing 4-0 loss at home to Brighton. What’s going so wrong at Goodison? (26:55)Spurs made up for their New Year’s Day loss to Aston Villa with a 4-0 win away at Crystal Palace. Are Antonio Conte’s concerns realistic? (35:46)Arsenal and Newcastle drew at the Emirates. Did we actually learn anything from the game? (46:38)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd.Tottenham lost at home to Aston Villa and Antonio Conte with some classic deflection - but are Spurs fans expecting too much of the team? (00:00)Aston Villa were impressive once again under Unai Emery. How far can he take them? (19:30)Chelsea were eventually lucky to get a point, away at Nottingham Forest. Is Graham Potter too different to what the club are used to? (23:17)Arsenal continue to impress and Martin Ødegaard is at the centre of it all. Can this form continue until the end of the season? (46:15)Everton showed you can get into Erling Haaland’s head as they held Manchester City to a draw. How can they escape the relegation battle they’re in? (55:50)West Ham are also in trouble, but David Moyes is remaining upbeat. Fulham continue to impress as Marco Silva finds the right balance and are Southampton doomed? (62:49)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd, with Paul Joyce and Martin Hardy.Erling Haaland picked up where he left off for Manchester City, but are they still the team to beat - despite Arsenal’s lead? (00:00)Arsenal are five points clear at the top of the Premier League after the first games after the World Cup - can they continue this form and what did we make of Arsene Wenger’s return to the Emirates? (09:15)West Ham are 16th and a point from the relegation zone. What’s gone wrong at the London Stadium and how long can David Moyes last if results don’t change? (18:28)Liverpool have added Cody Gakpo to their squad. Paul Joyce broke the story in The Times and he joins us to discuss their ‘stealth’ approach to transfers (26:08)Newcastle were briefly in second place earlier in the week - but can they actually maintain a title challenge or should they focus on the top four? (39:09)Wolves have made a managerial change and it’s already showing signs of working - should Everton do the same? (48:55)Dean Smith has left Norwich after 13 months in charge - who do they go with to replace him? (58:08)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Molly Hudson and Tom Allnutt.The EFL Cup is back and already we’ve seen some excellent football. Were people wrong about players feeling fatigue after the World Cup? (00:00)As 2022 comes to an end, we make some bold predictions for the second half of the season (17:32)We take a look back at the predictions we made at the end of 2021 and some are actually quite accurate! (35:41)It’s time to pick our alternative player of the year as Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and James Restall join the conversation (41:56)We reflect on a huge year in women’s football that has seen female players become household names (57:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd in London, with David Walsh in Qatar.Argentina have won their third World Cup in one of the most entertaining World Cup Finals ever - what impressed us most? (00:00)With the World Cup in Qatar over - what did we make of the action on the pitch throughout the tournament? (17:00)Lionel Messi finally gets his hands on the World Cup - but does it make him the greatest ever? (26:45)Kylian Mbappé scored a hat trick in the final but still didn’t take home the trophy. Will he be the player we consider the best in the world for the next decade? (38:13)The Times’ David Walsh joins us from inside the Lusail Stadium after the trophy ceremony and brings us the latest on Gareth Southgate’s decision to stay in charge of England (49:55)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd in London, with Jonathan Northcroft in Qatar.We look ahead to the World Cup Final. Jonathan Northcroft joins us from Doha to share his thoughts and reflect on his time in Qatar (00:00)What can we expect from France? Do they have a better supporting cast around their leading man, Kylian Mbappé than Argentina do, to Messi? (12:01)Are Argentina too emotional and will that be their undoing in the final? (27:07)What would it mean for France to become the first team since 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups? (49:34)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Allnutt and Alyson Rudd.Morocco fell short of making the World Cup final as France won 2-0 in the second semi-final - but who were the better side? (00:00)Where was the game won and lost? Could Morocco have played it differently? (16:58)Does France’s performance make Argentina the clear favourites in the final on Sunday? (25:33)Gregor gives his thoughts on the officiating in the semi-final and what he hopes for in the final (34:25)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd to review Argentina's 3-0 win over Croatia in the first 2022 World Cup semi-final.Were Argentina fortunate to have been awarded a penalty for their opening goal? Would the outcome of the game have been different in that wasn't given? How unlucky were Croatia? (01:35)Lionel Messi proves why he's considered the greatest of all-time by stepping up and performing when it mattered to send his side through to a World Cup final - but is he playing in a good Argentina side? (09:25)Will Argentina have to adopt a different game plan depending on whether they'll play France or Morocco in the final? Would it actually be more difficult for them if they were to face Morocco? (19:45)Luka Modric bows out of the World Cup after a brilliant international career for Croatia, we pay tribute to his career and also ask if he can still go until the 2024 European Championships. (26:27)Who wins the second semi-final, France or Morocco? (31:33)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Molly Hudson and James Restall.We continue to look at where England go next following their World Cup exit and James and Molly add their thoughts to the questions over Gareth Southgate’s future (00:00)Do you want Gareth Southgate to stay or go? The Times polled 20,000 readers and there’s an overwhelming majority for one outcome (19:40)Argentina take on Croatia today in the first World Cup semi-final - which great player will fall short in their search for a golden end to their international career? (32:48)Morocco face France on Wednesday. Are the French too strong or are they capable of complacency against the Moroccans? (49:44)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is in Qatar and Tom Clarke, Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd are in London.England are out of the World Cup. What have we learned from their time in Qatar, did they get it wrong against France and where do they go from here? (00:00)Gareth Southgate has a contract until the Euros in 2024. Should he stay in the job or is it time for a change? (24:05)Morocco have quickly become the feel-good story of this World Cup. Can they actually go all the way to the final? (34:10)We’ve likely seen the last of Cristiano Ronaldo in an elite football match. How much has the last 6 months tainted his legacy? (45:34)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is in Qatar and Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd are in London.Argentina lost a 2-0 lead but eventually triumphed on penalties against the Netherlands. Does this further back up Hugh’s idea that they’re really not very good? (00:00)The game was quite feisty, the Netherlands comeback was a bit confusing and are we a bit sick of the Messi love-in? (23:30)The dream semi-final between Brazil and Argentina is still a dream after the Brazilians lost on penalties to Croatia. Do we actually give the Croatians the respect they deserve given their recent major tournament record? (27:17)It’s Morocco’s big day as they take on Portugal for a place in the semi finals. Alyson’s found herself a Moroccan friend to tell us what it means to people from the country (44:42)It’s a big day for England too. Are France too good for Gareth Southgate’s side or should they get the better of Mbappé and co? (52:26)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Roddy, Matt Lawton and Owen Slot in Qatar.From last minute u-turns to questions over the authenticity of some fans - what are our experiences of the World Cup in Qatar so far? (00:00)How will Qatar 2022 be seen in the future? Will football ever be the same again? (19:22)England are a day away from their quarter final against France - has Raheem Sterling’s situation been a distraction and how do England deal with Mbappé? (33:13)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Jonathan Northcroft and Matt Dickinson in Qatar.What has Qatar 2022 been like for our journalists so far? Has the lack of alcohol and location made the event feel safer? (00:00)We discuss our best moments on the pitch as two teams stand out (09:52)Morocco take on Portugal after beating Spain. Do they have what it takes to make the World Cup semi finals? (20:05)Croatia are tournament specialists, so can you really write them off against Brazil? (29:20)Should England change anything going into the France game and what would winning mean for Gareth Southgate’s legacy? (33:03)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is in Qatar - with Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd in London.Morocco have provided us with the latest World Cup shock - beating Spain on penalties to become the first Arabic-speaking country to make the quarter finals. Was it a case of Spain missing their chances or Morocco being too good for their opponents? (00:00)Some are saying this Morocco win is a victory for Africa. We discuss the added importance to a lot of Moroccan fans (14:21)Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 but didn’t need Cristiano Ronaldo, dropping him in a tournament for the first time in 31 games. Does he return from this latest setback? (22:55)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is in Qatar - with Gregor Robertson and Tom Clarke in London.Brazil danced their way to a 4-1 victory over South Korea. Can anyone realistically stop them? (00:00)Speaking of dancing - did their goal celebrations go too far? (13:12)Japan came up short against Croatia as 2018’s World Cup finalists progressed. Do the Croatians have any hope of getting past Brazil? (16:44)Hugh has been in the England camp and spoke to James Maddison about his involvement in the squad and Raheem Sterling’s return home (26:36)The final Round of 16 games take place today - which teams are most likely to progress and what part will Cristiano Ronaldo play? (33:45)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft and Tom Roddy are in Qatar - with Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd in London.England are through to the quarter finals of the World Cup with a 3-0 win over Senegal - but as some fans were suggesting, was it a boring performance? (00:00)Tom Roddy was at the Al Bayt Stadium and gives us his thoughts before we look ahead to Saturday’s quarter final against France (17:28)The French proved too much for Poland, beating them 3-1 and showing everyone they have every intention of defending their crown. How will England handle Kylian Mbappé? (29:21)Hugh ends with a theory that scoring the first goal is more important than ever if you’re the underdog - but does anyone agree with him? (44:35)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is in Qatar - with Gregor Robertson and Tom Allnutt in London.Messi impressed as Argentina avoided a late shock to beat Australia - but are the rest of the team offering enough? (00:00)The Netherlands ended the USA’s tournament - but is the future bright for the Americans? (11:31)Argentina will play The Netherlands next - are the South Americans good enough or do they rely on Messi too much? (19:42)England play their Last 16 game against Senegal today - but who should Gareth Southgate name in his starting XI? (30:10)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is in Qatar, whilst Alyson Rudd and Gregor Robertson are both in London to look back at an eventful final day of World Cup Group action, with late drama as South Korea secured a place in the last 16 at Uruguay's expense. There was also a famous win for Cameroon against Brazil and Serbia and Switzerland played out a fiery game as the Swiss also head through to the last 16. Hugh discusses being at South Korea vs Portugal and witnessing the incredible scenes as South Korea qualified for the last 16 (01:58)Alyson discusses Andre Ayew's penalty miss for Ghana and how it completely changed the game (09:30)Despite Cameroon beating Brazil, Alyson isn't impressed with Aboubakar's actions in taking off his shirt to celebrate the winner and receiving a second yellow card in the process. (31:22)Gregor was really impressed with the quality shown in Switzerland vs Serbia and believes the Swiss deserved to win (34:37)The panel discusses which team's could spring a surprise in the Round of 16 with Alyson predicting the USA and Australia to be victorious (41:58)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is in Qatar, while Tom Clarke and Gregor Robertson are both in London to look back at an eventful day of World Cup action, with both Germany and Belgium being knocked out of the competition in the group stages.The panel debate whether some of the teams are now only starting to find their feet after their third matches. Are they finally adjusting to conditions in Qatar given their lack of preparation ahead of the tournament? (00:30)Did the ball cross the line in the build-up to Japan's second goal against Spain? Gregor and Tom have their say (09:30)Where did it all go wrong for Germany after their elimination from the tournament, and just how catastrophic is their early exit? Can they rebuild ahead of the next European Championships? (11:43)Belgium's Golden Generation are knocked out of the group stages just 4 years after finishing third in Russia - what now for the national side with several of the key figures set to be absent from the next World Cup? (24:30)How much credit do Morocco need after qualifying for the Round of 16 as Group winners? How significant is this for African football? (35:17) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Tom Allnutt to review all the World Cup action from Day 11 of the 2022 World Cup whilst Matt Dickinson discusses England's Group Stage Campaign!Tom Allnut on the incredible moment Tunisia beat France but still didn't manage to qualify for the last 16 and how despite being disappointed in not moving forward, they would be proud of their achievement (02:19)Tom Allnut on Australia being a joy to watch in the group stage and how they have a real team spirit under Graham Arnold (07:40)The panel discuss what on earth went wrong for Denmark in this tournament? Gregor feels they have been a shadow of the team they were at the Euros (11:50)Hugh believes the penalty awarded to Argentina was one of the worst VAR decisions he has seen. The panel discuss how VAR could make such a decision which left Gregor astonished. (14:13)Matt Dickinson joins Hugh to discuss England's group stage campaign and what to expect from Senegal on Sunday evening (28.26)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is in Qatar and Tom Allnutt, Alyson Rudd and Gregor Robertson are all in London to review England's 3-0 win over Wales and the other action from Day 10 of the 2022 World Cup.Tom Roddy joins us to give his on-the-whistle report from Qatar, as England ease to a 3-0 win over Wales, who have been eliminated from the World Cup as a result. (00:00)The panel discuss whether England's performance was good, or Wales were particularly bad. They also discuss the performance of Marcus Rashford, and look ahead to what changes could be made for the Round of 16 tie with Senegal. (02:07)Can the USA cause the Netherlands problems in their Round of 16 tie after beating Iran to qualify for the next round of the tournament? (26:14)Paul Hirst joins us live from Qatar to look back at Senegal's win over Ecuador and how tough a test they'd be for England on Sunday. (29:25)Did Rob Page make a mistake by persisting with an unfit and out of form Gareth Bale? What message does it send to the younger players in the Wales squad that he'll play no matter what happens? (34:43) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and Gregor Robertson are all in London to review the day's World Cup action, with goals galore on Day 9 in Qatar.Was Cameroon 3-3 Serbia the game of the tournament? And was Vincent Aboubakar's chip the goal of the World Cup so far? They look back at a six-goal thriller to start off the day's football. (00:00)South Korea and Ghana put on a show, with the latter winning a 3-2 thriller! How good is the Ghana goalscorer Kudus, and what does this result mean for the final match in this group? (10:07)Does Cristiano Ronaldo help or hinder Portugal? Tom Clarke believes that his presence may be holding back some of the younger players, but Alyson believes he still has a role to play for his national side. And are Uruguay too afraid to drop Luis Suarez? Why do they keep persisting with an aging side? (18:42)Did Brazil miss Neymar, or do the side look better without him? They review their 1-0 win over Switzerland (27:05)Jack the England fan and George the Wales fan join us live from Qatar to look ahead to the game, discuss their teams' performances so far, and talk about what it's been like being in the country during this World Cup (31:26) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and James Gheerbrant to review the day's World Cup action whilst Matt Lawton joins from Qatar to discuss his exclusive in the Times on Lionel Messi looking likely to move to Inter Miami. James Gheerbrant on both Germany and Spain lacking a real quality number nine which could hold both team's back in the World Cup (5.30)Why did Japan make 5 changes for the Costa Rica game? Has this cost them a place in the last 16? (13.14)With Belgium's defeat to Morocco leaving them on the cusp of a group stage exit, the guys discuss what's gone wrong and will they even make it out of the group? (21.19)Hugh discusses Canada's performance vs Croatia and believes their performance was naive and the occasion got to them (26.35) Matt Lawton discusses his exclusive story of Lionel Messi edging closer to a move to the MLS with Inter Miami and why he would be interested in going there (32.56) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Martin Hardy joins us live from Qatar after attending Argentina vs Mexico to explain what it was like seeing Messi produce more World Cup Magic (02:35)What are Argentina lacking and why aren't they reaching the high expectations people had for them so far? (04:19)Poland beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 as Robert Lewandowski breaks his World Cup goal duck with Martin Handy in attendance for the game (10.20)France beat Denmark 2-1 and Kylian Mbappe continues to impress in the tournament. Jonathan Northcroft joins us live from Qatar and believes he has the wow factor when watching Mbappe live (16.10) How will Group D end? They discuss whether Australia can make it out of the group and Jonathan gives his thoughts on England and Wales' showings so far (21.15) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd, Gregor Robertson and Molly Hudson are all in London to review the day's World Cup action.Tom Roddy joins us live from Qatar to explain what it was like being in the stadium as England were held to a goalless draw against the USA, and discusses what questions he'll pose to Gareth Southgate. (00:16)Where did it go wrong for England? How could a team that brushed aside Iran look so lacklustre and lethargic just days later? How did they assess Gareth Southgate's in-game management and substitutions? (01:28)Wales' hopes of reaching the Round of 16 are all but over following a 2-0 defeat against Iran - Hugh Woozencroft joins us live from Qatar and believes Rob Page's management was 'inept' while he also calls for both Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey to be dropped for Tuesday's game with England (28:40)How will Group A end? They discuss a tournament to remember for Ecaudor's Enner Valencia and also ask why the Netherlands are so inconsistent in their opening 2 group games. (47:45)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft and Paul Hirst are in Qatar - with Gregor Robertson and Tom Allnutt in London.Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in five World Cups as Portugal (just about) beat Ghana. How far can they go? (00:00)Uruguay vs South Korea was goalless and it was no surprise when you saw how off the pace Luis Suárez was - should they lean more on youth? (16:15)Group G got underway and Brazil got off to a good start with victory over Serbia. Did they live up to our expectations and what caught our eye? (21:43)England and Wales are back in action today. Have the Three Lions got enough to cruise past the USA and should Rob Page take a risk on Joe Allen? (30:52)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft, Tony Cascarino and Matt Dickinson are in Qatar - with Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd in London.Japan shocked Germany with a 2-1 win. Some clever substitutes played a huge part - but did anyone see it coming? (00:00)Germany’s players staged a silent protest during their team photo - will we see continued protests throughout the finals? (14:09)Spain put seven goals past Costa Rica - but did their opponents make them look better than they actually are? (24:31)Canada came up short against Belgium, but the Belgians hardly impressed. Is their team over the hill? (33:44)Matt Dickinson has been trying to do something a lot of fans in Qatar have been dreaming of - but did he make it to four World Cup games in a day? (43:11)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is in Qatar - with Tom Clarke and Gregor Robertson in London.Saudi Arabia provided one of the most shocking moments in World Cup history as they beat Argentina 2-1 in their opening game. Was it a tactical masterclass from Hervé Renard? (00:00)Robert Lewandowski is still looking for his first World Cup goal after having a penalty saved against Mexico - but was it actually the right decision? (15:02)France came from behind to beat Australia 4-1 and Olivier Giroud achieved a huge personal milestone in the game - but are they the real deal? (23:18)Christian Eriksen had an emotional day as he played in a major tournament for the first time since the events of Euro 2020. There were also some pretty big political statements surrounding the match (31:40)Hugh was at Wales’ game against the USA and as he was missing from last night’s podcast, he gave us his thoughts on what Wales need to do to make it through (38:30)Away from the World Cup - two huge stories at Manchester United as the club part ways with Cristiano Ronaldo and the owners could be open to selling up (42:56)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Clarke is joined in London by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd - with Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft in Qatar.England proved that going into a World Cup in poor form doesn’t matter with a 6-2 win over Iran. What did we learn and did Gareth Southgate get everything right? (00:00)At the last moment, the ‘One Love’ captain’s armbands were scrapped. What does this say about the nations involved standing up for human rights? (22:45)What’s it actually like in Qatar at the moment? With Tom and Jonathan joining us from Doha, they’re pretty well placed to give us their experience so far! (27:35)Wales managed to snatch a draw against the USA. A poor first half led to an impressive second - but have they shown enough to give us faith they’ll make it through? (32:50)The Netherlands also got their tournament started against Ecuador - but something wasn’t right (45:17)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is in Qatar and is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd in London.Qatar lost 2-0 to Ecuador in the opening game - but only two thirds of the stadium were there to see the final whistle. Will this be a problem going forward? (00:00)Gianni Infantino gave one of the most bizarre speeches the day before the World Cup started - did any of it make sense? (21:10)England and Wales being their campaign today - what will the England team look like and how can Wales get past the USA? (34:07)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Northcroft sits down with England’s all-time record goalscorer, Wayne Rooney. They discuss the three World Cups he played in, what was going on behind the scenes in each England camp and how he looks back on his time with the national team.2006 - A broken metatarsal, THAT red card against Portugal and a World Cup debut for a 20 year old Rooney in Germany (00:00)2010 - Fabio Capello lead England and Rooney into the next World Cup in South Africa, but another disappointing showing ended with Rooney ranting at the fans after elimination against Germany (17:30)2014 - Wayne’s first World Cup goal came in his third finals in Brazil, but a dismal performance from England left them bottom of the group and on the plane home (32:36)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino.Tony Cascarino shares his favourite stories from representing the Republic of Ireland in two World Cups (00:00)Which South American teams are in the running to lift the trophy? Are Brazil favourites or could Argentina cause them a problem or two? (07:41)What about the European teams? Can France become the third nation ever to win back-to-back World Cups? (16:12)Which players are likely to stand out and create World Cup memories? (33:38)Several players are possibly playing in their final World Cups - and it’s not just Messi and Ronaldo (38:32)There’ve been some iconic World Cup goals, but which are our favourites? (51:30)Tony picks his favourite World Cup moment from his time playing at the finals in 1990 and 1994 (60:02)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Matt Dickinson.The World Cup is days away - but how far can England actually go? (00:00) What is England’s best XI and is there any chance Harry Maguire starts against Iran? (19:46)Regardless of how England get on in Qatar - what does the future hold for Gareth Southgate? (24:01)Wales play in their first World Cup finals for 64 years - but is their ageing squad capable of performing at the highest level? (28:32)Just days from the start of the tournament, how is everyone feeling about the tournament being held in Qatar? (40:19)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd.Cristiano Ronaldo has launched a scathing attack on Manchester United with few getting away without comment. Why has he chosen to do this television interview right now and is there any way back? (00:00)There’s a new kid on the block - but could Alejandro Garnacho replace Ronaldo in the United starting lineup? (24:25)Ivan Toney showed Gareth Southgate what he’s missing by not picking him for England. Will the England manager live to regret his choice? (32:05)Bournemouth have been linked with Marcela Bielsa - but would a move for the former Leeds boss be a good idea? (43:13)Everton’s poor form continues. Just how long does Frank Lampard get to turn things around? (47:16)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Tom Roddy - with Martyn Ziegler.Liverpool’s owners have suggested they’re open to new investment in the club, sparking talk of a sale of the club. The Times Football Writer Martyn Ziegler joins us to discuss what this means to the club in the short term future (00:00)England's “big six” clubs have failed to halt a move by the Premier League to start discussions with the FA and EFL over a radical overhaul - Martyn also has the details on what this means for the English game (9:31)Harry Kane goes into the World Cup fatigued, with his manager at Tottenham - Antonio Conte confirming he had to stop training to deal with it. What does this mean for the Three Lions chances and what are the biggest concerns over player safety (17:48)West Ham have had a tough time of late - with their penalty shootout loss to Blackburn Rovers in the League Cup the latest failure. Is David Moyes in trouble? (30:00)Nathan Jones is the new Southampton manager - but will his time there be more like his time at Luton Town or Stoke City? (41:00)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Roddy for a special episode of The Game podcast with their initial thoughts on the 26-man England squad that Gareth Southgate named today.We'll bring you an extensive two-part World Cup preview next week - and an exclusive conversation with one of England's greatest ever players, ahead of the start of Qatar 2022.Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino.Liverpool came away from North London with three points from Spurs. What’s going on at Tottenham and why do they fall behind so often? (00:00)Arsenal returned to the top of the table with a 1-0 win over Chelsea. Can we finally call Arsenal credible title contenders? (17:17)Unai Emery started well at Aston Villa, beating Manchester United 3-1. Was he ever given a fair chance at Arsenal? (36:56)Southampton have parted company with Ralph Hasenhüttl with the club in the bottom three - but was it a surprise? (50:20)Leeds and Bournemouth played in the game of the weekend in the top flight. Has Jesse bought himself more time? (64:18)The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League took place as we were recording. We react live! (70:24)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Allnutt and Ian Hawkey - with Charlotte Duncker.Tottenham are through to the knockout stages of the Champions League as group winners after their comeback in Marseille - but how far can they go? (00:00)Liverpool finished second in their group - but they did beat the in-form Napoli. Is Darwin Nunez starting to find his feet? (11:05)Chelsea won their group too, but their final group game was overshadowed by an injury to Ben Chillwell. Despite that, how far can they go?(19:01)Manchester City came from behind in their final group game against Sevilla. Charlotte Duncker was there for The Times and joins us to discuss Rico Lewis, who made history in the game (31:50)Rangers became the worst Champions League side ever -but Celtic weren’t much better. Can the Old Firm realistically ever compete in the Champions League? (36:36)There’s only one Spanish side through to the Champions League knockout stage. Why are clubs other than Real Madrid struggling at the moment? (42:41)Burnley came from behind against Rotherham to extend their lead at the top of the Championship. Just how impressive is Vincent Company and the job he’s doing at the club? (48:56)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd, with Tom Roddy.Brighton gave Graham Potter a hostile welcome on his return with Chelsea. Was his in-game management affected by the boos? (00:00)Leeds got the better of Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp’s side continued to struggle. How do they turn the corner? (19:31)Unlike Liverpool, Arsenal didn’t fall foul of Nottingham Forest. In fact, they embarrassed them - but what could derail the Gunners’ charge towards an unexpected title fight? (31:32)Alyson tells us all about her enlightening conversation with Fulham’s Bobby Decordova-Reid and his Labour MP sister, Marsha (40:11)Hugh has a big statement to make about Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne - but will everyone else agree? (45:06)Marcus Rashford continues to impress - but can he break into the England World Cup squad? (51:39)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft and Ian Hawkey.Antonio Conte was sent off as Spurs had a winner ruled out against Sporting on Wednesday night - but was it the right decision? (00:00)Liverpool cruised into the knockout stages with a 3-0 win at Ajax - are we starting to see them find their form again? (10:24)Chelsea are already looking like a Graham Potter side, but how far can they go in the tournament? (16:22)Three of the original Super League clubs are already out of the Champions League. Ian Hawkey joins us from Barcelona to discuss the fate of Xavi’s side as well as Juventus and Atletico Madrid (30:09)Unai Emery is back to have another crack at the Premier League. Why is he a good fit for Aston Villa? (40:17)It’s the end of the month, so we pick our alternative players of the month for October (49:08)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino.Aston Villa looked like a different team this past weekend as they put 4 past Brentford. Were the players not backing Steven Gerrard? (00:00)Leicester also scored four goals, thrashing Wolves without reply. Is the pressure off Brendan Rodgers now? (18:08)Wolves are still looking for a new manager - are they right to keep Steve Davis in place until the near year? (21:35)Leeds are sliding further into the bottom three. Does Jesse Marsch have much time to turn things around? (25:38)Fulham are seventh in the Premier League - but how!? (33:14)Steve Cooper was awarded a new contract when Forest were on a huge winless run - they’ve now beaten Liverpool, so is this the start of the turnaround? (36:38)Everton backed Frank Lampard and that looks to have paid off too. What can we expect from Frank Lampard’s side next? (43:18)Newcastle are fourth after a 2-1 win at Tottenham. Eddie Howe is happy, Antonio Conte isn’t - but what did we learn from the game? (51:02)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Gregor Robertson and Martyn Ziegler.Manchester United looked vastly improved in their 2-0 win over Spurs - is Erik ten Hag’s vision for the club starting to show? (00:00)Ronaldo marched off down the tunnel before the final whistle - but who is to blame for his situation at the club? (09:18)Chelsea are Spurs haven’t had the ‘wow’ factor recently - but why? (12:42)Southampton have finally got a win, much to the delight of their manager Ralph Hasenhüttl. Where do they go from here and is he the right man to lead them forward? (24:42)Is Crystal Palace’s south London identity the secret to them consistently punching above their weight? (34:17)West Ham missed another penalty, this time against Liverpool. Why can’t they find the back of the net? (45:30)Martyn Ziegler joins us to discuss the reemergence of the European Super League and how it differs from the 2021 proposition (55:56)With Gareth Southgate set to name a provisional 55 man England squad for the World Cup - we attempt to choose 5 players who have an outside chance of being included (58:20)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Molly Hudson and Tony Cascarino.Liverpool beat Manchester City 1-0, but at what cost for their next few matches? (00:00)David Moyes wasn't happy with some of the decisions in their draw against Southampton. Does he have a point? (20:35)Arsenal are still top after another win, this time over Leeds United. Are we getting used to them being a title contender? (24:12)Ivan Toney once again looked impressive for Brentford. He’s got to be on the plane to Qatar, surely? (37:14)Bournemouth continue their unbeaten run since Scott Parker was sacked. One player in particular has caught our eye (48:53)There were plenty of red cards over the weekend - including in the women’s game, as Molly Hudson explains (59:59)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Tom Clarke - with Ian Hawkey and Owen Slot.Barcelona are on the brink of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the second year running. Ian Hawkey was at the game last night and tells us just how problematic this is for the club (00:00)Rangers were embarrassed 7-1 at home to Liverpool in the Champions League. What does that result mean for both teams? (17:44)Following their 7-1 win over Rangers, Liverpool take on Manchester City at the weekend. Are they back in with a chance of a result? (21:01)Is Ralph Hasenhüttl most likely to be the next Premier League manager to be fired? (29:22)Kylian Mbappé is said to be desperate to leave PSG once again. The Times’ Owen Slot was in Paris earlier in the week and joins us to discuss why the Frenchman is unhappy (37:58)After a long campaign, the first black player to be selected for England - Jack Leslie - has been awarded a posthumous honorary cap by the Football Association. But why was he not recognised for so long? (50:38)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino - with Martyn Ziegler and Molly Hudson.Arsenal continue to impress - this time with a win over Liverpool. How have both clubs suddenly started moving in different directions? (00:00)Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner as Manchester United beat Everton - but what’s the latest with their relationship? (17:47)Bournemouth won again too - surely Gary O'Neil’s case for taking over full time is getting stronger by the week? (30:48)Martyn Ziegler joins us to discuss Barcelona President Joan Laporta’s latest comments on the European Super League (33:41)Iker Casillas was ‘hacked’ on Sunday, with a tweet supposedly coming out posted on his account. Molly Hudson joins us to discuss the potential damage this could have caused in terms of footballers being open about their sexualities (50:42) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Jonathan Northcroft, Ian Hawkey and Molly Hudson.Chelsea made short work of the Italian champions, last night. What does their win over AC Milan tell us about where they’re going under Graham Potter? (00:00)Liverpool and Manchester City both won too. What did we learn from their latest games in the Champions League? (5:22)Spurs drew in Frankfurt - what are they lacking and will Antonio Conte be forced to spend more money in January? (17:06) Napoli are on fire in both Serie A and in Europe - are they the real deal or will their season fall away as it has done in the past? (23:55)Julen Lopetegui looks set to take over as Wolves manager - but what went wrong for him at Sevilla? (29:10)England’s women play friendlies against the USA and Czech Republic in the next week. Molly Hudson joins us to discuss the games and the players who miss out (34:10)Leicester City got the better of Nottingham Forest in the East Midlands derby. Is this the start of their turnaround and what’s next for Steve Cooper’s side? (43:00)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke, Charlotte Duncker and Tom Roddy.There were nine goals at the Etihad, but twice as many of those goals went City’s way. What did we learn from the Manchester derby? (00:00)Arsenal also got one over their local rivals - are there some big questions for Antonio Conte following the 3-1 defeat? (13:00)Wolves are on the lookout for a new manager after Bruno Lage departed on Sunday. Charlotte Duncker joins us with the latest (26:55)After Liverpool drew 3-3 with Brighton at the weekend, Hugh wants to know - is this the end of this era of success at the club? (37:16)Brighton were impressive and with Leandro Trossard scoring a hattrick, the conversation turned to the most underrated players in the Premier League (47:25)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Michael Grant.The Nations League games are over - England haven’t won for 6 matches, they’ve been relegated too - but did we see positive signs against Germany (00:00)Scotland have had a much better Nations League campaign with promotion to the top group. Michael Grant was at their most recent matches and joins to discuss the positive trajectory in Scottish football (17:51)The Premier League returns this weekend with the North London derby at the Emirates - but is it the biggest meeting between the two sides in a long time? (28:22)Manchester United visit Manchester City for another derby match at the weekend. If United win - does it mean the ‘new’ United are here? (38:00)We finish with our Alternative Player of the Month - listen an cast your vote in The Times app (47:48)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Tom Clarke and Molly Hudson.England have been relegated from the top Nations League group - but is that the least of their worries going into the World Cup? (00:00)Wales have also dropped down a level, but Rob Page has his eyes on the World Cup. What kind of shape will Gareth Bale be in for the finals, though? (27:35)Arsenal set a new WSL attendance record at the weekend. Molly Hudson joins us to discuss what we learned from the last round of games (33:55)This section is called ‘Ruddy Angry’ and you’ll have to listen to find out why Alyson has lost her cool with Deadpool (43:10)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Jonathan Northcroft and Martyn Ziegler.England have two more games before the World Cup begins - but has Gareth Southgate got too many problems on his hands? (00:00)Ivan Toney is in the squad for this weekend’s Nations League matches - what chance does he have of becoming Harry Kane’s number two? (16:39)Is the game up for Trent Alexander-Arnold as an England player? (21:25)Harry Kane and other captains will wear ‘One Love’ armbands during these games and at the World Cup - but does it actually mean anything? (25:54)What will happen now Liz Truss has put the plan for an independent football regulator on hold? (45:14)A chat with former Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini ends up creating the most surreal games Hugh Woozencroft has ever come up with (52:07)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino.Arsenal continue to surprise many and will be league leaders going into October - how did they turn things around? (00:00)West Ham are having a disastrous season so far, but what can they do to turn things around - and is David Moyes the man to do it? (15:57)Spurs are third in the Premier League, only a point off the lead - but are they any good? (33:37)Leicester City are bottom going into the international break - but will they make a change in the dugout before their next game? (41:45)Fulham are impressing so far, but Nottingham Forest are struggling with all their new signings - which are most likely to stay up? (46:36)Hugh claims Aston Villa vs Southampton was the worst game he’s ever seen - but what about everyone else? (57:45)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former England cricketer and national selector Ed Smith joins us to discuss his new book 'Making Decisions: Putting the Human Back in the Machine'.Tom Clarke sits down with Ed to discuss the analysis of data in sport and why it doesn't mean we'll simply rely on algorithms to pick squads and tactics in the future. We also hear his thoughts on the different mentalities of football managers and his love for Arsenal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Clarke is joined by Gregor Robertson, Ian Hawkey and Ed Smith.Erling Haaland scored (again) as Manchester City came from behind to beat his former side Borussia Dortmund. How can he be stopped? (00:00)Graham Potter took charge of Chelsea for the first time - what did we learn from their draw in the Champions League? (13:22)Liverpool left it late to beat Ajax - why aren’t they the team of previous years this season? (32:55)Tottenham let it slip late on in their match against Sporting. How does Antonio Conte improve their mentality? (45:49)Ian Hawkey gives us his opinions on the other results in the Champions League - including mixed fortunes for Real and Barcelona (51:52)News of a special episode of The Game out on Friday (60:18)Gregor and Tom discuss how Rangers and Celtic got on in the Champions League and we touch upon the EFL results from the week (62:50)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Molly Hudson, Tom Roddy and Tony Cascarino.***This episode was recorded on the morning of Graham Potter’s appointment as new Chelsea manager***Thomas Tuchel has been fired - did he see it coming? (00:00)Tom Roddy broke the story in The Times and he tells us his understanding of what happened behind the scenes? (9:50)At the time of recording, Graham Potter was heavily rumoured to be taking over at Chelsea. How suitable will he be at Stamford Bridge? (19:55)Liverpool had a night to forget in the Champions League on Wednesday. What’s going wrong for Jurgen Klopp’s side at the moment? (35:08)Celtic and Rangers both had disappointing evenings in Europe - our resident Scotsman and former Celtic striker give their thoughts (46:41)The WSL season gets underway this weekend and Molly Hudson brings us up to date with some last minute transfers (51:43)Spurs take on Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend - can Antonio Conte get one over Pep Guardiola? (60:10)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Matt Dickinson.Manchester United vs Arsenal was as eventful as ever. Did Anthony live up to expectation? (00:00)This game featured one of many VAR talking points over the weekend, but was the decision to rule out Arsenal’s goal actually correct? (13:46)Brighton have quietly continued their excellent run - should Graham Potter be offered the England job and would he actually accept? What next for Brendan Rodgers at Leicester? (25:08)Ivan Toney has impressed for Brentford, scoring a hat trick this past weekend. Is it the right time for an England call-up? (37:40)Along with Toney, we pick our suggestions for curveballs call-ups to Gareth Southgate’s next squad (44:06)A discussion on VAR turns into a debate, and then a full blown argument! (46:50)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft and Molly Hudson.We take a look back at the transfer window for a selection of Premier League clubs - starting with Chelsea and Manchester United (00:00)Nottingham Forest and Arsenal (11:28)Bournemouth, Everton and Southampton (19:19)Manchester City and Leicester City (27:08)Fulham and Liverpool (38:39)Hugh has also picked a selection of other clubs who deserve a mention for some solid business ahead of the window shutting (45:08)Molly Hudson joins us from Austria to discuss the Lionesses first competitive games since their Euros success (48:58)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Roddy and Alyson Rudd.Liverpool hit Bournemouth for nine goals at the weekend - but why do teams struggle to make double figures? (00:00)Scott Parker made it well known he wants more players at Bournemouth, but will his frustration be resolved? (13:25)Manchester City and Erling Haaland look impressive in front of goal - but are they looking shaky at the back? (22:50)Steven Gerrard is struggling at Aston Villa after yet another loss. Will he be given time to turn things around? (32:42)Forest put up a notable fight against Tottenham, but Richarlison got a lot of attention for his showboating - was it rudeness or flair? (45:46)Hugh doesn’t like VAR much, as you’ll hear with his weekly rant (51:12)Who was our Player of the Month? Listen and vote now on The Times website (54:06)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft - with Molly Hudson and Henry Winter.Manchester United surprised a few with their 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Monday. What does that win over Liverpool mean for their progression after a rocky start under ten Hag? (00:00)Liverpool are having a nightmare start to the season - what does Jurgen Klopp need to do and could another signing be necessary before the window shuts? (18:31)Rangers are in the Champions League group stages for the first time in 13 years - we discuss their progression and what this means for the club going forward (30:00)Molly Hudson joins us to discuss the two big retirements from the successful Lionesses squad this week (40:01)The Times’ Chief Football Reporter Henry Winter has been to Kyiv for the symbolic start of the Ukrainian Premier League. He tells us about his experience in the capital (49:03)We end with our Games of the Weekend - which fixtures are catching our eye across the Premier League and EFL? (53:44)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino.Newcastle gave Manchester City a scare on Sunday - what does this result tell us about their progression since the takeover? (00:00)Hugh is not impressed with VAR again and one incident in that game was largely to blame (16:53)Leeds blew Chelsea away at Elland Road. How desperately do Chelsea need a number 9 and are modern goalkeepers taught to play with their feet too much? (27:16)Brighton came away from the London Stadium with three points as West Ham’s goalless start to the season continues - is it time to panic for David Moyes? (41:00)Arsenal end the weekend on top, but how seriously should we take them this season? (54:47)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke, Matt Dickinson and Martin Hardy.Sir Jim Ratcliffe is keen to explore the possibilities of buying Manchester United. Matt Dickinson broke the story in The Times and joins us to explain how likely this deal is (00:00)What numbers are involved in any potential deal for Manchester United? Football finance expert Kieran Maguire breaks down the figures The Glazers are likely to be keen to do business at (10:21)The Times’ Martin Hardy joins us to discuss how things are going at Newcastle United ahead of their game against Manchester City on Sunday (17:54)Leeds United have had a positive start to the season, but after losing important players - how will they get on in their ‘tricky’ third season? (35:40)Manchester United take on Liverpool on Monday as the bottom side in the Premier League. Will Erik ten Hag change his footballing philosophy or stick to the plan? (48:39)Who is the unluckiest manager? Gregor spoke to Graham Alexander, who could be a pretty good candidate (62:44)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and Matt Dickinson. Spurs showed a different side to their game on Sunday in a fiery encounter against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. We unpack the most eventful game of the season so far (00:00)Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte got into a couple of heated debates on the touchline - is this kind of behaviour acceptable and is it beneath them? (16:45)Brentford thrashed a sorry Manchester United - but was it a shock? (27:20)The Times’ Senior Sports Writer Matt Dickinson joins us to discuss his new book about Sir Alex Ferguson’s resignation on the eve of the 1998-99 season and what transpired (44:32)Nottingham Forest won their first home game in the Premier League for 23 years - but are they actually buying too many players? (50:08)We end with a discussion on our favourite ever assists (57:42)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke, Jonathan Northcroft and Tom Roddy.Antonio Conte has been praised for his work at Spurs so far - but have they actually stepped up yet? Is Sunday’s game against Chelsea their opportunity to show everyone what they can do? (00:00)Arsenal have also made improvements with Gabriel Jesus the standout addition at the Emirates. What can they expect to achieve this season? Leicester have brought no players in and have seen Kaspar Schmeichel leave in this window - are they destined for a disappointing season? (22:06)It’s Steven Gerrard against Frank Lampard at the weekend as Aston Villa host Everton. Which of the former England teammates will come out on top? (35:30)Jonathan spent some time with Brighton boss, Graham Potter. You can read the full conversation in The Times - but does Jonny think he’s a future England manager? (42:55)Every club has made a desperate transfer deadline day signing or two - we recall our favourites (51:40)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino.Erling Haaland has arrived and already has two goals to his name. Are Manchester City going to be more dominant than ever or will Liverpool find their feet after their opening performance? (00:00)Aleksandar Mitrović caused Liverpool problems - but can the Fulham striker have a better season in the Premier League this time around? (15:24)Brighton won at Old Trafford for the first time in the league - what’s the secret to Graham Potter’s success? Manchester United are back with a new manager - but has anything really changed? (23:00)Steven Gerrard caused a bit of a stir with his comments about Tyrone Mings following their loss against Bournemouth. Was he right to replace his captain? (42:31)Tottenham were impressive against Southampton - are they actually in the conversation for a title challenge? (50:02)Ismaïla Sarr scored from his own half for Watford on Monday night, so we end with our favourite goals from the ‘wrong’ half of the pitch (55:28)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Tom Clarke.We’re back for the new season with an extended episode of The Game Podcast from The Times.We start by looking at the big striker signings - which club has got the best deal for their new frontman and which one will hit the ground running? (00:00)Chelsea have lost a number of key players and they’ve not yet replaced all of them. Despite signing Raheem Sterling, is their squad weaker than last season? (23:11)It’ll be a big season for Manchester United and Erik ten Hag. Do they have any chance of breaking back in to the top four? (33:53)Which team is the team to watch out for this season? Who’ll surprise us in 2022/23? (42:30)Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest are back in the top flight, some have been away longer than others. What does the season have in store for the newly-promoted clubs and which is the best bet to stay up? (55:32)We’re a week in to the EFL season and already Burnley have impressed a lot of people. Which sides have stood out to us so far? (68:27)We end with our predictions for the upcoming season. Which will come true? You’ll have to check back at the end of May! (75:42)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Molly Hudson, Gregor Robertson, Owen Slot and Casey Stoney.The Lionesses have done it - football is home and an emotional former England captain Casey Stoney joins us for the final time to look back at the game and look ahead to what this result will do for the women’s game in the UK and beyond (00:00)The Times Chief Sports Reporter Owen Slot joins us having been at the game at Wembley last night (21:42)Molly Hudson has been in Trafalgar Square soaking up the atmosphere as the Lionesses lifted the trophy again for the fans (28:43)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Molly Hudson, Gregor Robertson and Casey Stoney.Casey Stoney joins us from the US to give her thoughts on the Lionesses semi-final win and what they’ll need to do on Sunday (00:00)What worked for England against Sweden and do they need to make any changes to combat Germany at Wembley? (11:32)Do England need to lift the trophy to maximise the legacy of the competition - or have they already done enough to inspire a generation? (35:30)How do our journalists think the game will play out? Are England the favourites? (44:20)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Molly Hudson and Gregor Robertson.England take on Sweden for a place in the final of Euro 2022 on Tuesday night - how will they be feeling and what will the mood be in the camp? (00:00)Should Sarina Wiegman stick with the same side or should the England manager make changes to combat the Swedes? (06:40)What chance do Sweden have of sending the hosts home? (22:56)Germany take on France in the other semi-final - which side is most likely to book their place in the final at Wembley? (28:26)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Molly Hudson, Gregor Robertson and Casey Stoney.England are through to the semi finals of Euro 2022 after an extra time winner from Georgia Stanway. Casey gives us her review of the nerve-wracking quarter final with Spain (00:00)Do we have any sympathy for Spain after their loss? Did their injury problems ultimately end their chances of success? (21:12)There are two more quarter finals - who will England want to face the most? (32:32)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Molly Hudson, Gregor Robertson and Casey Stoney.England face Spain in the first Quarter Final of the tournament on Wednesday. Some had Spain down as the team to beat, but are England now the clear favourites? (00:00)We’ve seen a number of ACL injuries in the women’s game recently. Why is this happening more frequently than in the men’s game? (26:00)Germany take on Austria in Thursday’s quarter final. Can Austria beat the free-scoring Germans or will Alexandra Popp’s side continue their impressive run? (36:00)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Molly Hudson, Gregor Robertson and Casey Stoney.England shocked many with an 8-0 thrashing of Norway on Monday night. Was it a case of England playing well and Norway having an off day? (00:00)Beth Mead scored a hat-trick (11:53) and there were also goals for Ellen White (14:50). Casey gives us her opinion on them both. Northern Ireland are out after a 2-0 loss to Austria. Should they be disappointed and what does the future look like for the team? (26:25)Casey and the team look ahead to the other games coming up, ahead of England vs Northern Ireland on Friday (33:05)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Molly Hudson, Gregor Robertson and Casey Stoney.England got their Euros campaign started with a 1-0 win over Austria - but after the convincing nature of the warm up matches, should fans be a little disappointed? (00:00)Northern Ireland play their first match tonight against Norway and we take a look at the fixtures over the weekend (17:53)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Molly Hudson, Gregor Robertson and Casey Stoney.Former England captain Casey Stoney joins us for Euro 2022, but what’s it like to be a player preparing for a major tournament? (00:00)Ahead of the start of the tournament, how has Sarina Wiegman been received so far? Is she under pressure to win back-to-back championships? (13:38)England go into this tournament with a lot of hope, but which players are most likely to impress and which players should make the starting line up? (19:35)Northern Ireland are in England’s group and Gregor has been looking at their squad in detail. What will they be aiming for this summer? (35:35)With England’s eyes firmly on the prize, which other teams will pose them problems and who are the favourites? (40:48)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Gregor Robertson and Tom Roddy.England’s disastrous Nations League games ended with the most disappointing result of the break - but does Gareth Southgate really deserve the abuse he’s getting? (00:00)Premier League clubs are already doing business with some big strikers on the move - but who got the better deal? Also, what’s going on with Romelu Lukaku? (22:00)We take a look back some of our good, bad and hilarious predictions from earlier in the season. Gregor’s team to watch is a particular favourite (38:00)Who doesn’t like to end the season with a quiz? Hugh and Tom both came prepared! (45:15)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegamei Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd, Gary Jacob and Michael Grant.The Nations League games continue and England once again failed to impress against Italy. Are the squad tired and is the manager in need of a rest too? (00:00)Gareth Southgate changed things around for the game against the European Champions - which players showed they deserve more of a chance in the starting line up? (09:45)Scotland have had a disastrous start to their Nations League campaign. Michael Grant joins us to discuss their current slump after watching them lose 3-0 in Dublin (23:16)Wales showed more promise, holding Belgium to a 1-1 draw in Cardiff. Gareth Bale edges closer to becoming a free agent, but is there any indication of where he’ll end up? (32:52)Everton have signed a record shirt sponsorship deal with a betting company - but with these kinds of sponsorships looking like they’ll be banned, was that a foolish decision on several levels? (43:42)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft and Matt Lawton.England did a lot better against Germany than they did previously in Hungary - but what questions have been left to be resolved? Will Jack Grealish ever be in the first XI or should he embrace being a super sub? (00:00)Scotland bounced back from their World Cup disappointment against Armenia. What’s next for Steve Clarke’s side and has a new phase begun for the national team? (23:10)Matt Lawton joins us fresh from Munich, where he’s been looking into policing on the continent and how it differs from our own in the UK (32:20)We take a look at the latest transfer rumours with Liverpool’s attack potentially getting an overhaul and what Arsenal need to get done before the start of the season (51:40)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Gregor Robertson and Tony Cascarino.Wales are going to the World Cup after they went one better than Scotland by beating Ukraine. How much credit do their stars deserve and where does the job Rob Page has done rank in terms of managerial achievements? (00:00)With ageing stars, how will Wales get on in Qatar and how likely are we to see both them and England progress to the knock-out stages? (18:53)England lost in Hungary - but what are the bigger things to come from a game that saw James Justin and Jarod Bowen make their debuts? (22:17)We bring you our long-awaited End of Season Awards. Which players, managers and teams have done well (or not so well) this season? (36:17)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Michael Grant, Gary Jacob and Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero.Scotland came up short against Ukraine, who go on to face Wales on Sunday for a place in the World Cup. Michael Grant joins us to discuss what went wrong and where Steve Clarke’s side go from here (00:00Wales will have had a good look at Ukraine ahead of that game. Gary Jacob weights up what could be Gareth Bale’s last match for his country, should they lose and miss out on the finals (18:21)Paul Pogba is leaving Manchester United. Not a huge surprise, but was his time at the club a success or was he not given what he needed to thrive? (28:32)Gareth Bale is also on the move with his deal at Real Madrid ending next month. Is the Welshman the best British export ever? Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero joins us to weight it up (36:55)..and with Tom Clarke on holiday on Monday when we’ll hold our end of year awards, we let him pick some of his winners a few days early (45:49)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Tom Roddy and Charlotte Duncker.Liverpool lost out on the treble, days after the quadruple slipped through their hands. Did they deserve to lose the Champions League final to Real Madrid? (00:00)Sadio Mane looks likely to leave Liverpool - can they continue in the same way going forward? (25:20)There were huge issues getting into the stadium with reports and video of police tear-gassing supporters, despite them appearing to have legitimate tickets. Alyson was there and tell us her story of the night (29:17)Nottingham Forest will play in the Premier League next season. Charlotte Duncker was watching at Wembley Stadium as Steve Cooper finally got promotion through the playoffs (50:18)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Paul Hirst, Charlotte Duncker and Ian Hawkey.There’s good news for Liverpool ahead of the Champions League final with Mo Salah saying he’s staying for at least another season (00:00)Will they get revenge on Real Madrid after what happened in 2018 and will Gareth Bale have an unlikely role to play in his final game for Madrid? (14:20)Alyson is lucky enough to be going to the final as a fan. She tells us what it means to be able to watch Liverpool in Europe after growing up listening under the covers (18:49)Roma have won their first European trophy after victory in the Europa Conference League Final. How important is this trophy for Jose Mourinho? (27:14)Kylian Mbappe’s new deal blows many out of the water - but it’s not the money that’s the most concerning detail (36:07) Paul Hirst met new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag on Monday. What did he make of the man tasked with turning things around for the Red Devils? (44:10)Nottingham Forest could return to the Premier League for the first time in over two decades on Sunday. Charlotte Duncker joins us to preview the Championship playoff final (52:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Tom Roddy, Paul Hirst and Tony Cascarino.Manchester City are champions, but didn’t make it easy for themselves on the final day. Should Pep Guardiola be applauded for his game-changing substitutions or criticised for his starting line up? (00:00)With the title race going right down to the wire - are we watching two of the greatest teams the Premier League has ever seen/ (20:38)Both Chelsea and Manchester United are already looking ahead to the summer and beyond with different outlooks on the horizon. Will they be challengers next season? (27:04)Leeds managed to pull a win out of nowhere while Burnley fell apart. Is Jesse Marsch the right person to take Leeds forward and are Burnley doomed? (33:09)Spurs took the final Champions League spot despite Arsenal being favourites as recently as March. What does this mean for the future of Antonio Conte and Harry Kane? (53:26)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd and Tom Clarke.Pitch invasions have been seen in games every night this week. One man has been jailed, Patrick Vieira kicked a supporter after he was goaded. How can this be stopped as quickly as possible? (00:00)Everton managed to escape the drop with a 3-2 win at home to Crystal Palace. How much was down to Frank Lampard and how much was thanks to the fans? (27:02)Either Burnley or Leeds will exit the top flight this season. Burnley hold the upper hand with a much better goal difference, but can Leeds surprise everyone and find some form when it matters? (37:16)We know all of the teams involved in the EFL playoffs. Do Nottingham Forest have what it takes to make it back to the Premier League after so long away? Will friend of the show, David Stockade be celebrating with Wycombe or will Newcastle’s new wealth spur Sunderland on to close the gulf between them both? (45:40)The final day of the Premier League season is almost upon us - we give our predictions on what might happen at the top and the bottom (56:22)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis joins Hugh Woozencroft and Matt Lawton for a special podcast from The Times.While talking some time away from the game following his departure from Sheffield Wednesday in 2020, he's been tracking the progress of his grandson; a talented eight-year-old enjoying the benefits of a category one academy at a Premier League club; a product of the Elite Player Performance Programme (EPPP) that was launched 10 years ago to produce more home grown players for the country’s top clubs. It is, however, a system that Pulis believes is in need of a complete overhaul. Pulis also gives us his thoughts on the best young managers in the UK and whether negative comments about his style of management ever get to him.Read the full article here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tony-pulis-most-academy-kids-are-never-going-to-play-football-not-enough-is-done-for-them-rjz2n3z6t Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Molly Hudson and Tony Cascarino.Lots to discuss after a goalless FA Cup Final that was decided on penalties. Who stood out for each team and who wasn’t up to it? (00:00)Chelsea have now lost two cup finals to Liverpool this season - what does the future hold for Romalu Lukaku and why is Andreas Christensen not available? (19:44)Molly Hudson joins us to discuss some Chelsea success after their women’s side did what the men couldn’t and lifted the trophy a day later (30:19)The Premier League title race took another turn as Manchester City could only manage a 2-2 draw with West Ham. Did City pick the wrong penalty-taker? (37:44)Lots more to discuss in the Premier League including questionable handballs, red cards and a lifeline for Leeds? (55:45)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft.Kevin De Bruyne made it very clear he knows where the back of the net is in Manchester City’s 5-1 win over Wolves. Will he continue to flourish with the new arrival this summer? (00:00)..but how will Erling Haaland fit into Pep Guardiola’s side? (13:54)Leeds are in real trouble and following last night’s result, they’ll have to play the rest of the season without Dan James. Are they doomed? (21:!5)Celtic have won their 10th Premiership title in 11 years. The gamble on Ange Postecoglou has paid off, so what next for both the club and the manager? (31:16)Ahead of previewing the FA Cup final this weekend, we’re joined by Richard Whitehead to discuss his book: ‘The Cup: A Pictorial Celebration of the World's Greatest Football Tournament’ (41:25)Chelsea have an opportunity to get their own back on Liverpool in the FA Cup final this weekend, but what will they need to do differently if they’re not to suffer a repeat of the Carabao Cup final? (48:40)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second part of this special podcast from The Game, we're joined by Wycombe Wanderers goalkeeper - David Stockdale. Now he's through to the League One playoff final with Wycombe Wanderers, David talks about the excitement of playing at the national stadium and shares his thoughts on interacting with fans, calling out abuse from the stands and who his favourite teammates have been throughout the years.Wycombe play Sunderland in the League One playoff final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 21st May 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Molly Hudson and Tom Roddy.Manchester City have the advantage in the Premier League title race after Liverpool dropped points against Spurs. Will they really drop any points themselves? (00:00)Hugh is banned from mentioning M*nchester Un*ted, but somehow we end up discussing them after probably their most disappointing loss of the season at Brighton (15:23)Leeds dropped into the relegation zone after a self-destructive performance against Arsenal, while Everton got three valuable points away at Leicester. Has Frank Lampard finally got them playing to their potential? (20:50)Leicester have been off the boil completely in the second half of the season. Are the players to blame or should Brendan Rodgers be getting more out of his squad? (28:33)Brighton beat the team that Hugh can’t mention - should they be worried their manager Graham Potter could be tempted to move elsewhere? (35:38)Molly Hudson joins us to talk about an exciting final day of the WSL season that saw Chelsea win their third title in a row. What’s next for some of the other teams in the league? (43:48)The Championship and League Two finished over the weekend and there’s one result that really stands out to everyone (56:40)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Ian Hawkey, Martyn Ziegler and Owen Slot.Manchester City. What on earth happened last night!? (00:00)Were Pep Guardiola’s substitutions to blame? Do you take Kevin De Bruyne off in that situation? (15:23)Liverpool are through to the final, but they survived a scare against Villarreal. Did Liverpool’s squad depth rescue them? (28:40)Looking ahead to the final - what chance do Liverpool have against Real Madrid in Paris? (38:09)The Times’ Chief Sports Reporter Martyn Ziegler joins us with an update on the sale of Chelsea and how the latest developments could affect which bid ends up being successful (48:15)The League One playoffs get started this evening. Could it be Sunderland’s moment to return to the Championship? (55:35)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special podcast from The Game, we're joined by Wycombe Wanderers goalkeeper - David Stockdale. The Yorkshireman talks us through his rollercoaster route into football and the ups and downs of his first few years as a young professional. We also hear how he came to learn he was moving to the capital to play for Fulham and how prioritising his family saw him potentially miss out on a longer stint in the top flight.Wycombe play MK Dons in the League One playoff semi-finals on Thursday 5th and Sunday 8th May 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Roddy, Matt Lawton and Tony Cascarino.Everton have given themselves a huge chance of survival with a win over Chelsea. Can they still stay up? (00:00)Chelsea has been less than impressive in recent weeks - if Roman Abramovich was still running things, would Thomas Tuchel be in danger of the sack? (11:05)Roy Hodgson is highly unlikely to save Watford as they’re all but down. Did the former England manager ever stand a chance and is this his last job? (16:40)Nottingham Forest could jump ahead of Bournemouth with a win tonight in their penultimate game in the Championship. Can they do it and return to the top flight and how will Champions Fulham get on this time? (22:34)The Times’ Chief Sports Reporter Matt Lawton joins us with an update on the sale of Chelsea and how things are potentially more complicated than they seem (28:40)Following the passing of Mino Raola, we explore the situation around ‘super agents’ and their impact on football (33:51)After Gillingham manager Neil Harris’ brutally honest interview following their relegation, we discuss the most brutal moments in football (48:52)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Ian Hawkey.Manchester City vs Real Madrid will go down as a memorable Champions League semi-final - but how will it finish back in Spain? Were Real flattered by the scoreline given City gifting them two of their goals? (00:00)Liverpool looked unbeatable in their first leg against Villarreal. Are Jurgen Klopp’s side actually unstoppable this season? (18:36)Sadio Mane has been Liverpool’s standout player in recent times. Where does he fit into the conversation for the Ballon d’Or? (25:38)PSG have secured the French title, but what does the future hold for manager Mauricio Pochettino? (35:22)Changes are being proposed to the semi-final stages of the Champions League. With other changes already incoming in the Champions League - is there any need to mix things up? (46:44)The Europa League semi-finals begin tonight, so we end with Hugh’s favourite feature - The Game predictions (51:14)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 many predicted, but were either team any good? Should Ralf Rangnick still move upstairs at United? (22:04)The Times’ Paul HIrst joins us to discuss his trip to Amsterdam to find out more about Erik ten Hag. You can read his conclusion on The Times website (39:57)Oldham became the first former Premier League team to drop out of the EFL - we speak to The Times’ Adam Millington about the disruptive scenes at the weekend (48:46)After Joaquín lifted the Copa Del Rey for Real Betis aged 40, we have a think about our favourite veterans in the game (56:28)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Nketiah finally showing he’s the man to lead the Arsenal attack? (12:25)The Times’ Northern Football Correspondent Paul Joyce joins us to pick apart Liverpool’s demolition of Manchester United (28:12)Following on from what Paul had to say - how important have certain members of the Liverpool squad been and has Sadio Mane ended Roberto Firmino’s Liverpool career? (35:18)Everton managed to snatch a point from a game they should have won against Leicester. Is Frank Lampard likely to stay at Goodison past the end of the season? (42:20)Fulham will be a Premier League side again next season, but Derby will play in League One. We look at both ends of the Championship table (48:40)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 in the semi-final? (23:09)Sean Dyche left Burnley after a decade in charge - but were they right to make a change without a plan in place (35:48)Spurs and Arsenal both slipped up over Easter - does anyone actually want fourth place? (47:20)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 City are Real’s opponents in the semi-finals after they ground out a result against a fiery Atletico side. Did Pep’s team finally show they know how to finish the job in Europe? (27:08)Dutch football expert Arthur Renard has written about Erik ten Hag in The Times and joins us to discuss the Ajax manager who’ll soon take over at Manchester United (40:20)European semis are put aside this weekend when the FA Cup semi-finals take place. But who will go through and will Liverpool make a raft of changes? (49:02)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 to Brighton making it back-to-back defeats. Why aren’t they putting up a fight for fourth? (38:16)Are Manchester United a former great team? Should they even be featured on Super Sunday? (46:40)Burnley missed an opportunity to put the pressure on Everton even more as they lost to Norwich. Does that result mean Everton are now safe? (59:29)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Should Diego Simeone be considered a world class manager given his tactics? (19:55)If Manchester City fail to win the Champions League this year, should their season be seen as a failure? (28:30)In the run-in for the Premier League title - who are the favourites and who are most likely to slip up? (36:24)Burnley are now just a point from safety after their victory over Everton on Wednesday. Can they rely on their experience to drag themselves out of danger? (45:50)Hugh is excited to attend West Ham’s Europa League quarter final against Lyon this evening. Could they realistically lift the trophy? (55:35)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 in at the bottom of the Premier League? Is Frank Lampard saying the right things to make his team fight for survival? (27:36)Molly Hudson joins us for an update from the Women’s Champions League and the WSL, which will feature Liverpool next season after they clinched promotion on Sunday (42:52)Following a fiery Old Firm derby, The Times’ Scottish Football Correspondent Michael Grant joins us to discuss the run in for the Premiership (50:10)Now we know the World Cup draw, Hugh is adamant it’s a poor draw for England. Does he have a point? (57:20)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 overhyped? (11:53)Ollie Watkins says he can’t do much more to claim an England place - but does our panel agree? (21:23)The Premier League is set to make a u-turn and agree to five substitutions per team from next season. Is this decision good for the future of the game? (35:10)Ask Alyson - this time, Alyson gives us the behind the scenes story on her interview with aspiring Premier League manager Yaya Toure and players who’ve only touched the ball once in their top flight careers (44:18)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 the World Cup. Does this play into their hands and is Gareth Bale the best British export ever? (20:17)The Times’ Matthew Syed has been causing a stir with the idea of a combined British football team. Could it ever happen? (36:12)There are thought to be four preferred bidders on Chelsea’s shortlist for the sale of the group. The Times’ Chief Sports Reporter Matt Lawton joins us with the latest state of affairs (44:25)Roberto Mancini has failed to take Italy to the World Cup, so could he be a shock candidate to take over at Manchester United? (56:00)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 would want £150m for any move this summer. At 23, is he worth that figure? (17:54)The sale of Chelsea continues to rumble on, but are one of the prospective buyers already fighting a losing battle? (26:43)The first legs of the Women’s Champions League quarter finals have taken place. Arsenal scored a late equaliser to go back to Wolfsburg at 1-1. The Times’ Molly Hudson joins us to discuss the results in more details (37:40)The Times’ Northern Football Correspondent joins us for the latest on the managerial situation at Manchester United with Erik Ten Hag the first prospective manager to be interviewed (46:02)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 accepting the job given how messy things are off the field? (10:56)Alyson watched Southampton host Manchester City and ended up getting some grief for her comments in The Sunday Times. Do fans really care about their owners or are they just happy for success? (29:47)Nottingham Forest gave Liverpool a good run for their money at the City Ground. Should Jürgen Klopp’s side count themselves lucky? (38:30)Tottenham beat West Ham 3-1 as both sides fortunes have flipped. What can Spurs realistically hope for this season? (51:43)Following a strange Steven Gerrard interview, we end with our favourite cringe moments when players or managers are grilled by the media (59:34)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 did the Old Lady come up short? (10:45)We’re still waiting to find out who the next owners of Chelsea will be. The deadline for bids is Friday, so things could start to move quickly in the next few days. The Times’ Chief Sports Reporter Martyn Ziegler joins us with the latest off the pitch at Stamford Bridge (20:16)Liverpool have closed the gap at the top of the Premier League to a single point. Do they have the momentum to keep their form going or will there be another blip in their title challenge? (35:36)Rumours suggest Erling Haaland could have settled on Manchester City as his next destination. How likely is this deal and would he actually fit into the existing setup? (46:10)The FA Cup quarter finals take place over the weekend, so we end with our predictions. Can Nottingham Forest knock out another Premier League side? (54:58)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 is adamant Brentford shouldn’t be included in our relegation-threatened teams list, however Everton are a different matter. Does Frank Lampard have what it takes to turn things around? (13:14)The Times’ Chief Sports Reporter Matt Lawton has been looking into the ongoing situation at Chelsea and joins us to discuss the sale and longer-term impact on the club (19:46)On the pitch, Chelsea scored a late winner against Newcastle. Alyson was at Stamford Bridge and was interested by the atmosphere (41:12)Their opponents - Newcastle - have had lots of questions about their ownership recently - but is it right to keep asking them to Eddie Howe? (45:20)Cristiano Ronaldo is now the (unofficial) top professional goalscorer with 807 goals. Does this settle the argument that he’s the best player ever? (53:32)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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)Liverpool suffered a rare defeat at Anfield but still progressed over Inter Milan. Did Alexis Sanchez’s red card save them any embarrassment? (22:35)The news that Roman Abramovich’s assets have been frozen will have massive knock-on effects on Chelsea. As the story develops, our (newly three-time) award winning journalist Martyn Ziegler joins us with the latest (25:3)Marcus Rashford could be on the move - but is leaving Old Trafford the best option for him? (38:02)With some older gentleman still performing at the top level in the Champions League, we discuss our favourite footballing veterans (51:35)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 the table and what’s the secret to their good form? (18:10)Christian Eriksen is in the starting lineup and Ivan Toney is finding the back of the net. Are Brentford about to pull away from the relegation battle? (22:50)Newcastle notched up another win at the weekend - have the improvements been the difference? Brighton were the team they beat - do they need a new striker? (27:38)Manchester City came out of the Manchester derby with every positive. A win, four goals and 69% of possession. Was anyone actually surprised, though? (38:42)Chelsea fans have been criticised for singing Roman Abramovich’s name during a minute’s applause for Ukraine. Has it been blown out of all proportion? (50:24)The first ever Ask Tony - where the former Chelsea and Republic of Ireland strikers gives us his thoughts on a range of topics (53:44)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 the sport completely?(18:10)Manchester United are still on the lookout for a new manager and with reports of a new name on the shortlist, The Times’ North East Correspondent Paul Hirst joins us (35:02)Bill Edgar looks into the history of scoreline in English football in The Times this week. We share our favourites, with one team in particular featuring in a lot of them! (54:50)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Russia so far. The Times’ Chief Sports Reporter, Martyn Ziegler joins us to discuss the likely repercussions and what could happen next (26:44)Leeds have said an emotional goodbye to the man who got them back into the Premier League, Marcelo Bielsa. Was it the right decision or had he earned the right to leave when he chose to? (43:42)Handballs are the topic of conversation in the Premier League this weekend. Do we even know what the rules mean these days? Also, Christian Eriksen finally makes Brenford debut - but did Alyson cry? (1:02:37)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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)Leeds continue to drop down the table after a 6-0 loss at Liverpool. Do they need to go down to keep Marcelo Bielsa in the dugout? (21:18)Manchester United were once again dysfunctional. Is Anthony Elanga the one shining light of the Rangnick tenure? (31:00)Chelsea got the result they wanted against Lille without having to put Romelu Lukaku in the spotlight - does he start the League Cup final? (41:00)Aleksandar Mitrović has broken the Championship scoring record and it’s not even March - but is he good enough for the Premier League this time? (45:58)Two Manchester United legends are back in management with Paul Ince at Reading and Mark Hughes at League Two side, Bradford. Is the desire still there for them? (49:36)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 bottom three and whether Manchester United are making progress (22:45)Some of the teams at the bottom of the table got good results this weekend, so how does the relegation battle look to be shaping up? (34:02)After Liverpool women’s player Meikayla Moore scored a perfect hat trick of own-goals for New Zealand on Sunday, we share our favourite unfortunate accolades in football (53:32)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 title of ‘wonderkid’ yet and if not, what does he need to do to become world class? (15:29)The Times’ Constantin Eckner joins us from Munich to discuss Bayern’s shortcomings against RB Salzburg last night (19:22)The Times’ Chief Sports Reporter Martyn Ziegler has been looking into the mothballing of the Owner’s Charter. What’s next and could we see talk of the Super League returning? (26:22) The new-look Barcelona play in Europe tonight. How will their success in this tournament affect their summer plans? (30:35)Is the Europa League a better competition than the Champions League? Hugh tells us why he thinks it is! (36:59)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 throw up entertaining performances - but can they change the way they play to tighten up some of the areas that let them down? (13:26)Brighton are ninth in the Premier League and while everyone jokes that they love a draw, they’ve been quietly getting results - the latest being a 2-0 win at Watford. How far can they go with Graham Potter in charge? (25:57)Newcastle look more likely to avoid the drop after a smart January transfer window - how have they pulled away from the bottom three and how much of a blow will Kieron Trippier’s injury be? (37:21)Chelsea are the Club World Champions - The Times’ Tom Roddy was there and joins us to discuss whether it’s actually much of an achievement when the European team wins (43:28)Kai Havertz is a Chelsea legend thanks to his winning goals in both the Club World Cup and the Champions League finals - but who are your club legends for individual moments when it mattered? (49:02)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, Henry Winter was at two of them and joins us to discuss Everton’s relegation worries and the six goal thriller between Aston Villa and Leeds (21:00)The fallout from the Kurt Zouma video continues as people question West Ham for including him in their starting line up on Tuesday evening. Did they play it right or should they have suspended the player while it’s looked into? (31:45)Norwich and Burnley both added to their relegation escape effort with a point - but have they left things too late? Manchester United still aren’t performing under Ralf Rangnick - have the players decided who they want instead of the German? (45:38)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Kidderminster also came close against West Ham (9:21)Nottingham Forest took Leicester City apart at the City Ground. The Times’ Chief Football Reporter Henry Winter joins us to discuss what went wrong for Brendan Rodgers and why Forest are such a strong side under Steve Cooper (21:57)Middlesbrough’s win over Manchester United throws up a discussion over handballs and the quality of Chris Wilder teams (29:17)Harvey Elliott made his return for Liverpool in their 3-1 win over Cardiff and Hugh makes some big predictions over the rest of his 2022 (44:24)Mo Salah didn’t get to take a penalty in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations - which leads to the debate of ‘should your best player take your final penalty?’ (47:53)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 for a new manager after Valerien Ismael’s departure. Steve Bruce has been linked with the job - but is he the best choice for the club? (22:35)Celtic have overtaken Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership after a 3-0 win on Wednesday night. The Times’ Scottish Reporter Michael Grant joins us to discuss the title race (36:14)Alyson Rudd joins us to discuss her exclusive interview with Brentford manager, Thomas Frank. Amongst other things, discussed the arrival of Christian Eriksen and his return to football (46:25)The FA Cup is back this weekend - which games standout to us and are there still potential upsets likely? (55:00)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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’ North-Eastern Reporter Martin Hardy joins us to discuss how successful Newcastle’s much-anticipated transfer window has gone (22:52)Sunderland have fired their manager Lee Johnson whilst sitting second in the League One table. Was this harsh on him? (35:48)While the Premier League had a break - there was still a lot of football over the weekend. We look at the big results and our favourite matches (43:12)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, James Restall and Jonathan Northcroft.Roy Hodgson has returned to management with Watford. Should he have been given the job instead of Claudio Ranieri in the first place? (00:00)Vitor Pereira did a television interview in the middle of having talks to become the new Everton manager - simply put, why? (15:02)We take a look at the current crop of young managers in the Championship with the likes of Nottingham Forest impressing under Steve Cooper and Wayne Rooney doing a remarkable job under tough circumstances at Derby County (21:36)We take a look at League One and James thinks he witnessed the worst game he’s ever seen - but which game was it? (37:44)With terrible games in the back of our minds (thanks to James) we end with the most boring games we’ve ever been unlucky enough to witness (48:35)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd sit down with Matt Lawton to discuss his article in The Times on Derby County's future.What's actually going on behind the scenes?How much money do they owe?Who is to blame for their demise?How realistic are their chances of survival?Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd.Norwich have surprised many recently - not just our journalists - and are out of the relegation zone. Can they keep up the great escape? (00:00)Watford are one of the bottom three and it isn’t look good for them. What are their chances and will Everton get dragged into a relegation battle? (10:29)Martin Hardy joins us to discuss the latest at Newcastle. The team have flown to Saudi Arabia for warm-weather training - but what’s going on behind the scenes and will we see more incomings (14:45)Chelsea got one over on Spurs again - but is the race for fourth place any clearer? (27:35)VAR has once again thrown up some interesting talking points over the weekend - should there be a referee at Stockley Park? (48:52)Derby County’s situation isn’t a pretty one. Matt Lawton joins us to look at just how serious their financial situation is and what’s likely to happen next (54:40)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Ian Hawkey and Tom Roddy.Spurs showed some fight as they shocked Leicester City at the King Power on Wednesday night. Is this the biggest sign so far that Antonio Conte’s side are most likely to take fourth place (00:00)Cristiano Ronaldo was less than impressed with being substituted against Brentford. Does that show passion and desire or is it a sign that he views Manchester United as Ronaldo FC? (11:26)The Premier League have announced they’ll review how games are postponed going forward - the Times’ Martyn Ziegler joins us to discuss the latest (24:48)Graham Potter is continuously linked with other Premier League jobs, but is the Brighton manager likely to jump ship any time soon? (32:32)Fabrice Muamba joins us to discuss Christian Eriksen’s impending return to football and whether he thinks it’s a wise choice to play on (42:08)Ian Hawkey brings us the latest from Spain with the big three clubs linked with a range of transfers during this window (50:22)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and Matt Dickinson.Manchester City are 11 points clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. Is there any way they can lose the title from here? (00:00)Romalu Lukaku might be back in the Chelsea starting line-up, but how must his re-inclusion have gone down with his teammates? (10:16)Rafa Benitez didn’t last the season at Everton. As the Spaniard departs, did he ever stand a chance of succeeding? (15:08)The North London derby was called off over a lack of players with reportedly few Covid cases in either squad. Is it time to change the rules on postponements to stop teams abusing the system? (31:30)Matt Dickinson has been absent from The Game for a while - he explains his new direction and his favourite stories he’s been across since we last heard from him (42:40)Dickinson’s Diaries. Needs no introduction! (52:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and Jonathan Northcroft.Spurs put out another ‘cup side’ in their second leg Carabao Cup loss to Chelsea last night. Is Antonio Conte trying to send a message to the club and how long will he stick around if they don’t back him with signings? (00:00)Aston Villa have added Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho in the last few days - but what can we expect from Steven Gerrard’s side in the second half of the season? (15:23)Cristiano Ronaldo has come out with some strong words about Manchester United and Ralf Rangnick. Has he hit the nail on the head or are his comments wide of the mark? (27:12)The Africa Cup of Nations has faced criticism already over the quality of football being played. Is a lack of preparation to blame? (32:30)Chris Maguire scored a hat trick for Lincoln against his former side Sunderland. His celebration involved going up to Lee Johnson and giving him some choice words. Which other players have come back to show up their former sides? (41:26)Chelsea play Manchester City this weekend in the Premier League. Does a win for City mean the title race is over already? (48:06)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd.The FA Cup third round has given us some great entertainment this weekend, unless of course you’re a Newcastle fan. Which games stood out as proper cup ties? (00:00)Kidderminster were one of the non-league giantkillers as they beat Reading and set up a fourth round tie with West Ham. Are the rest of the next round ties that exciting, though? (16:41)Nottingham Forest knocked a very subdued Arsenal out of the FA Cup at the City Ground. Why didn’t Mikel Arteta’s side offer more? (23.46)There were minor scares for Spurs and Liverpool - who both went behind against lower league opposition before coming from behind to win. Should Spurs really have to bring players like Harry Kane off the bench to beat Morecambe? (42:04)Should players signed after postponed fixtures be allowed to play in those rearranged games? Would this concept get too complicated and do some teams benefit more than others (55:06)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Tom Roddy, Martyn Ziegler and James Restall.Following their week of controversy, there was nothing controversial about Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Spurs in the Carabao Cup semi-finals. How did Romelu Lukaku get on following his apology and how did Antonio Conte enjoy his return to West London? (00:00)Liverpool’s semi-final with Arsenal has been postponed due to a Covid outbreak. How do the latest changes to the Covid testing protocol affect football going forward and are smaller teams likely to be more affected? (13:26)Martyn Ziegler joins us to discuss Britain and Ireland’s chances of hosting a major tournament in the next 20 years - as the Euros look more likely than a World Cup (18:50)Manchester United have announced their new Chief Executive. Paul Hirst joins us straight from the announcement as we find out more about Richard Arnold (26:44)James Restall joins us as we look ahead to the third round weekend in this season’s FA Cup (38:25)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy.Chelsea vs Liverpool was end-to-end, but the 2-2 result wasn’t really helpful for either club. Should Sadio Mane have been sent off after 12 seconds? Which was the best goal of the game? (00:00)Romalu Lukaku was missing for Chelsea after his Italian television interview - how is the situation most likely to play out and has it been blown out of proportion? (14:06)Despite losing, Arsenal came away from the Manchester City game with a lot of positives. Is their ability to see games out a lingering problem, though? (27:07)Leeds United enjoyed a much-needed victory over Burnley. Were they back to their best or did the visitors do their best to help Marcelo Bielsa’s side? (39:18)The project at Everton just doesn’t seem to be working. How much longer can they persist with Rafa Benitez?? (50:00)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft.Chelsea dropped points with a 1-1 draw at home to Brighton. Is everyone sick of Thomas Tuchel’s excuses and did Brighton deserve a point? (00:00)There were more contentious VAR decisions over the weekend - which ones should have stood and which could we have done without? (11:43)Leicester City did well to bounce back and beat Liverpool in the week - is that the end of Liverpool’s title challenge already? (16:44)Manchester United were abysmal against Newcastle, with Eddie Howe’s side deserving of at least a point. Does Ralf Rangnick now understand the size of the job he’s undertaken? (23:53)As we head into 2022, we make out halfway point predictions for how the Premier League and a few other situations will play out before the end of the season (36:18)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy.Leicester lose again - but is it right to blame Brendan Rodgers? (00:00)Manchester City have a six point gap at the top of the Premier League - are they already out of sight? (07:59)Chelsea must be thankful that Romelu Lukaku is back, but what does the future hold for Christian Pulisic? (12:29)How much did Steven Gerrard’s absence affect Aston Villa’s Boxing Day performance? (22:19)Will we see a return to games behind closed doors? Should the schedule be changed to give more breathing space between games? (28:32)Spurs are doing the basics well under Antonio Conte, but how far can they go in the Italian’s first season? (35:56)Arsenal continue their resurgence - was dropping Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang the key to them finishing in the top 4 at the end of the season? (45:06)Are Norwich the worst ever Premier League side given they seem to have learned nothing from the last time they went down? (47:18)What do West Ham need to do in order to stop their blip in form becoming a big problem? (49:49)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and James Restall.Did we witness the game of the season between Spurs and Liverpool or was it more of a fair match due to Covid cases? (00:00)With Liverpool and Chelsea both dropping points - is the title race already starting to tip into Manchester City’s favour? (21:42)Newcastle are still looking leaky at the back - has Eddie Howe actually had much of a positive influence on the team yet? (24:25)Roughly halfway through the season, we pick our half-time awards. Which manager has impressed us the most? Who has been the smartest signing and which teams will go down? (33:40)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Tom Roddy and Matt Lawton.Arsenal are up into the European places after their rocky start to the season. Who should they go with as their new captain and can they keep up their good form? (00:00)West Ham have started to drift from the top four. What’s the reason for this and what might help? (11:55)Leeds got thrashed 7-0 by Manchester City in the Premier League. Has Marcelo Bielsa been found out and will he last the season? (15:00)We’ve seen a handful of games in the top two leagues cancelled because of Covid outbreaks at clubs. Should football be put on hold for a short time to allow things to settle? (26:22)The African Cup of Nations could be cancelled due to Covid and political unrest in the host country of Cameroon. Should the tournament be cancelled completely or held elsewhere? (40:22)Sergio Agüero has retired at the age of 33 on advice from his doctors. Where does the Argentine sit in the best ever Premier League strikers? (48:!4)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and James Restall.Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed Arsenal’s win over Southampton after a disciplinary break - should he continue as their captain? (00:00)That loss keeps Southampton close to the bottom three - should Ralph Hasenhüttl be worried about his job? (10:12)Manchester United weren’t exactly convincing against the bottom side - is Ralf Rangnick’s philosophy going to take a while to settle in? Would it be a mistake to change the manager again in the summer? (15:18)Conor Gallagher is the latest Chelsea loan player to impress in the top flight - but does he or Billy Gilmour have a future at the parent club? (23:08)There were ten penalty shouts in the Premier League over the weekend - which ones should have actually been given? (29:22)The African Cup of Nations is due to take place in Cameroon, but with civil war and a huge problem with cholera in the country - should the tournament be moved? (42:28)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Ian Hawkey and Rick Broadbent.Chelsea are still in a rut - but there were positives in their Champions League match at Zenit this week, namely Timo Werner looking sharp. How do they get back to their best? (00:00)The Champions League draw takes place on Monday - but what would be a good draw for Manchester City? Could they come unstuck in the next round? (08:20)Ralf Rangnick has taken charge of his first two Manchester United matches - what can we tell from his first week at the club? (14:00)Barcelona are out of the Champions League - failing to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in 17 years. How long will it take for the club to bounce back? (23:56)Rick Broadbent joins us to discuss the state Leeds United find themselves in. With a worrying league position and a scary fixture list - what do they need to do? (29:30)Tottenham and Leicester have both suffered with Covid outbreaks in the last few days - with the new variant of Covid-19, could we see the return of games with no fans? (39:15)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy.Aston Villa made up for the midweek loss with a win over Leicester. Is Steven Gerrard the reason their form has improved and what’s happened to the Foxes? (00:00)West Ham got one over on Chelsea - but did they deserve three points? What are Chelsea missing that’s seen them lose the Premier League lead? (7:20)Divock Origi popped up for his annual goal to save Liverpool in stoppage time. How well are they playing and do they need to invest further? (16:11)Manchester City look unstoppable. Is Bernardo Silva the best player in the league at the moment and would a new striker actually hinder their mystique? (24:19)Molly Hudson joins us to discuss Chelsea’s Women’s FA Cup win on Sunday, which saw them complete last season’s treble (31:20)Newcastle and Burnley had differing fortunes at the weekend, but will either avoid the drop? (36:52)Tom Roddy catches up with Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in an interview you can read more of on The Times online (46:40)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft.Liverpool outclassed Everton in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. Fans showed their frustration to the board after the game - is that where the club’s problems lie? (00:00)The two teams ahead of them won last night - with Bernardo Silva scoring a goal of the season contender. Can we really predict which of the three sides will take the title this early on? (12:03)Leicester City and Brighton both had to settle for a point in their games - what can their fans realistically expect this season? (19:03)Wolves and Burnley was goalless - is Wolves’ distinct lack of firepower going to live to haunt them? (26:18)The Times’ Constantin Eckner joins us to give us more insight into Ralf Rangnick, as his German countryman prepares to take charge of Manchester United at the weekend (37:24)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy.Chelsea were held by Manchester United at Stamford Bridge - did Michael Carrick get his tactics spot on and what are we expecting to see change as Ralf Rangnick comes in? (00:00)Timo Werner was less than impressive in front of goal, once again - how many more chances does he have at Chelsea? (14:09)Everton are winless in seven games after Sunday’s loss to Brentford - how much time does Rafa Benitez have to improve results and could fans turn on him after the Liverpool derby? (21:!5)Brighton fans booed Graham Potter after their draw with Leeds - were they justified? Marcelo Bielsa has taken a dig at the schedule being ‘overcharged’ - does he have a point? (30:44)Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters has finally commented on the Saudi Arabian influence at Newcastle United - but has he actually addressed anything? (40:10)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft and Ian Hawkey.Mauricio Pochettino had a night to forget in Manchester as PSG were shown up at the Etihad. Has he got one hand tied behind his back with his ‘undroppable’ front three? (00:00)Chelsea made short work of Juventus, beating them 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. Can Thomas Tuchel’s side defend their Champions League crown? (13:45)Michael Carrick has a 100% win record in interim charge of Manchester United. Could he stick around until the end of the season and who is most likely to be the long-term solution? (26:29)The government has ‘endorsed in principal’ the creation of an independent regulator for English football - but what will actually end up happening? (41:00)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and David Walsh.Ole has finally departed Old Trafford - but has he done so with his head held high? Where do they go next with their interim manager and who’s the best fit to take over longer term in the summer? (00:00)The Times’ David Walsh joins us to discuss one of Ole’s fiercest critics - his former United teammate, Roy Keane (30:32)Three Premier League clubs had new managers in the dugouts* over the weekend - but which hit the ground running best (41:26)Liverpool brought Arsenal back down to earth at Anfield on Saturday - could we see the start of another worrying blip for Mikel Areta (53:01)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame(*one via Zoom) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Molly Hudson.Stockport are the latest team to pull off an FA Cup upset after they beat Bolton 5-3 on Wednesday night. How are non-league clubs being regulated and are they being protected from potential financial problems going forward? (00:00)Reading have been deducted 6 points and Derby County another 9 points for breaching EFL financial rules - how did both clubs differ in their offences and why have Derby been punished more harshly? Have the salary caps actually helped clubs in the football league? (12:19)The WSL has seen a big increase in viewers thanks to the new television deal, however crowds in stadiums have dropped slightly. Does the increase in the wider appeal make up for the short-term dip in people through the turnstiles? (19:52)The Premier League is back this weekend - we look into Arsenal’s return to form and how the next few months of their season could pan out (27:55)The three new Premier League managers have home ties this weekend - but who out of Norwich, Newcastle and Aston Villa got the best deal with their new boss? (37:25)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Clarke.England qualified for the 2022 World Cup with a 10-0 win in San Marino - but what have we learned from the game, if anything!? (00:00)Fifty players have been given their England debuts under Gareth Southgate - but which have been the most important? (17:10)Scotland secured a home World Cup playoff with their win over Denmark - regardless of whether they make the tournament, is this the best Scotland team ever? (29:48)Dean Smith has taken over at Norwich - does he give them a chance of staying up and what are the struggles he’s likely to face in changing the team’s mindset? (37:58)Gareth Bale now has 100 caps for Wales - but where does he sit in the list of ‘Greatest British Players’? (45:45)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft.Aston Villa have been heavily linked to Rangers manager Steven Gerrard. Is it the right move for him and how would the move be seen north of the border? (00:00)Eddie Howe has spoken to the media and taken training already at Newcastle. Now he’s got his feet under the table at St James’ Park - is he the right man to lead them away from relegation and how long-term is he? (16:46)Scotland are looking for a result against Moldova in Friday night’s World Cup qualifier. What are their chances without Lyndon Dykes and who will lead the line? (36:05)England need four points to qualify automatically. They take on Albania and San Marino, so that isn’t expected to be hard. Who will take Mason Mount’s place in the side and are the side still suffering from the Italy trauma? (40:31)Hugh caught up with England defender John Stones ahead of the latest World Cup qualifiers. Why didn’t he get much of a game at Manchester City at the start of the season and are England over their Euro 2020 final loss? (52:39)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd.They’re up to fifth in the table having been bottom at the start of the season - but are Arsenal back? (00:00)West Ham are in the top four after an impressive, but not surprising 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday. How far can they actually go this season? (11:08)Manchester United are sixth after their 2-0 loss to Manchester City and Brendan Rodgers is being linked to the job should United part company with Ole - is he the right man for the job? (23:18)Dean Smith has been relieved of his duties at Villa Park after five straight losses in the Premier League. Has he been treated poorly by the club he supports? (32:46)Norwich are also on the hunt for a new manager after Daniel Farke was dismissed on Saturday. Does this move make more sense than Villa’s given their lack of ambition this season? (44:19)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Ian Hawkey.Liverpool have progressed to the knockout stages of the Champions League with a win over Atletico Madrid. They are one side who were subject to an ‘interesting’ dismissal this week - but do the panel agree with any of them? (00:00)Manchester United are perhaps looking stronger in Europe than their performances have been - but given that Ole needed three strong results this week - how have they done and what’s the most likely outcome in the Manchester derby at the weekend? (16:50)Antonio Conte is the new Spurs boss (at the second time of asking) - will he be a success and what will it take from the club’s bank account? (27:00)Has reality started to sink in at Newcastle United after Unai Emery turned them down? Who can realistically do the job at St James’ Park? (36:27)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd.Nuno Espírito Santo has left Tottenham after just ten Premier League matches in charge. What went wrong, was it the right time for him to go and were the players equally to blame? (00:00)Manchester United beat Spurs 3-0 on Saturday - but does that result actually lessen the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjær? (30:28)Crystal Palace pulled off the most impressive result of the weekend as they beat Manchester City at the Etihad. Is it crazy to say they could finish in the top 6? (34:38)Aston Villa became West Ham’s latest victim - is Dean Smith under pressure at Villa Park considering their latest results? (46:27)Leeds United got a much-needed win, albeit against the worst side in the league. Will their victory over Norwich be the start of a turnaround in form? (56:40)Alyson recounts her Hollywood encounter in Wrexham to end today’s podcast.. (59:44)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft.Walter Smith sadly passed away this week aged 73. We remember the former Rangers, Everton and Scotland manager (00:00)West Ham have become the first team to beat Manchester City in the Carabao Cup for over 1800 days - can David Moyes’ side win the trophy? (10:28)Manchester United travel to Tottenham this weekend for a match some (possibly only Hugh) are calling El Sackico. Does a loss signal the end for Ole and is Nuno worried a result against a poor United side could affect his future at the club? (19:46)Barcelona have sacked Ronald Koeman after a run of poor form that sees them sitting in ninth place in La Liga. The Times’ European Football Writer Ian Hawkey joins us to ponder who could take over at a tricky time in the club’s history (34:10)As the five substitutes rule is set to become permanent - we ask whether it’s good for the game or if it benefits club’s with bigger squads (43:42)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke, Paul Hirst and Alyson Rudd.Manchester United have suffered the most embarrassing loss in their Premier League history - but is Ole Gunnar Solskjær fully to blame? Did Liverpool even play to their full potential in their 5-0 victory? (00:00)Spurs have lost every London derby this season - what’s the issue with Nuno’s side and why are they creating so few chances? It can’t ALL be down to Harry Kane's lack of form? (30:22)Watford silenced Goodison Park by putting five past Everton on Saturday. Is Rafa Benitez the right man for the job after all and did we get it wrong about Claudio Ranieri? (38:33)Norwich were on the end of a 7-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday. Do their fans deserve more and is Derby’s record low points total in danger? (48:27)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Ian Hawkey.Manchester United looked to be heading to a Champions League defeat before a remarkable comeback win - but are the cracks just being papered-over at Old Trafford? (00:00)Liverpool were also on the right side of an eventful 3-2 Champions League tie. Did Jurgen Klopp’s side deserve to win at Atletico? (15:43)Daniel Meuren is the co-author of ‘Thomas Tuchel: Rulebreaker’ - a new biography on the Chelsea manager. He joins us to tell us more about the rise of his countryman from Mainz to winning the Champion (32:55)Chelsea brushed Malmö aside on Wednesday, while Phil Foden starred again as Manchester City made short work of Club Brugge. Is the England youngster on course to become the best the country has produced? (39:16)Steve Bruce has finally been relieved of his duties at Newcastle. How was his departure handled and who is the sensible choice to take over at St James’ Park? (45:58)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Alyson Rudd.Newcastle’s new chapter on the pitch has started, but things need some serious work to match the owners’ ambition. The Times’ Martin Hardy joins us, fresh from an eventful day at St James’ Park (00:00)Away from the North East, what was the reaction elsewhere? Does it seem strange that Steve Bruce was in the dugout considering fans wanting him out? (10:27)Liverpool look back to their best - what’s the key to their success and do they have the best player in the world in their squad? Given the nature of the defeat, how long will Claudio Ranieri last at Watford? (24:06)Have the wheels finally come off for Ole Gunnar Solskjær at Manchester United? Are the Red Devils just a group of individuals rather than a team? (37:56)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft.England ended the International break in lacklustre fashion at Wembley. Was it a mistake for Gareth Southgate to experiment with Mount and Foden playing? What did we learn from the two games? (00:00)FIFA are looking into the crowd trouble which lead to one arrest for an alleged racially aggravated public order offence. Should fans of a team with outstanding punishments for racism have been allowed to buy tickets? (17:04)Newcastle are preparing to play the first game of their new chapter as they host Spurs on Sunday. The Times’ Martin Hardy joins us to discuss what we can expect to happen at St James’ Park on Sunday (30:32)Claudio Ranieri takes charge of his first Watford game on Saturday as Liverpool make a trip south. Will the Italian be able to create the same magic he did at Leicester City? (40:28)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd.We’re lucky to have Hugh after his comical trip to Andorra for the England game. Thankfully, he’s back to tell the tale and discuss the game (00:00)France are the new Nations League champions, but their winning goal has caused some debate. Gregor gives us a player’s perspective of Kylian Mbappé’s goal (10:42)Thibaut Courtois has spoken out about the number of games players are expected to play and how their welfare isn’t given as much thought as perhaps it should. Do we need tournaments like the Nations League and if so - does it require a third place playoff? (17:34)We continue the discussion on the Newcastle takeover and how the complex situation should be reported (29:22)Every other Premier League club has reportedly complained about the takeover - should other teams have any say over a club’s ownership? There are suggestions Steve Bruce won’t be in charge of Newcastle by the time they play Tottenham at the weekend - but is that the right decision for the short term? (41:55)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Tom Clarke.Newcastle United could very soon be the richest club in the world as the Saudi-backed takeover appears to be close to completion. The Times’ Martyn Ziegler joins us to discuss what’s changed since the deal stalled, last year (00:00)While the Saudi deal may be good for Newcastle fans who want Mike Ashley out of their club - is the deal good for English football and is it right to turn a blind eye to some of the wider issues it brings up? (09:35)There’s been a lower-than-average uptake in Covid vaccinations in the Premier League and the EFL. What’s the reason behind players being hesitant to get the jab and could clubs be punished for low vaccination rates? (31:55)Molly Hudson joins us to discuss an exciting week in the Women’s Champions League (49:16)We end with a quiz based on Bill Edgar’s article in The Times on red cards. Can you name the player with the most dismissals in EFL history? (54:31)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Paul Hirst.Liverpool and Manchester City played a cagey first half, followed by a wild second at Anfield. Would City have taken all three points had they bought a Premier League quality striker in the summer? (00:00)Everton took a point from Manchester United, Andros Townsend mimicked Ronaldo’s celebration (but ended up with his shirt) and Demarai Gray once again looked impressive. Has Rafa finally got them playing as a team? (25:24)Since winning the FA Cup in May, Leicester City have been less than impressive - again dropping points at the weekend. What’s gone wrong at the King Power and is their success to blame? (35:33)Crystal Palace have a new lease of life under Patrick Vieira. How far can they go with their new, fearless style of play? (42:23)Watford have parted company with yet another manager as Xisco departs - but is their hire and fire method actually working? (47:41)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Ian Hawkey.Chelsea left Turin disappointed after a 1-0 loss at the hands of Juventus. Did they miss Mason Mount and why couldn’t Romelu Lukaku get into the game? (00:00)Should Villarreal have had the game wrapped-up way before Cristiano Ronaldo scored Manchester United’s winner? Hugh thinks so and Gregor isn’t far behind him (5:30)PSG beat Manchester City 2-0, but with over twice as many shots and other stats in their favour - were City just unlucky on the night? What positives can Pep Guardiola take from the game? (15:00)Liverpool did by far the best of any British sides in Europe this week with a 5-1 win away at Porto. Bobby Firmino scored twice, but is he set for an upcoming battle for his starting position? (22:27)Real Madrid lost to Moldovan minnows Sheriff Tiraspol on Tuesday evening - was this a one-off or are there bigger issues at the Bernabéu? (29:34)Barcelona have bigger problems on their hands after a 3-0 loss at Benfica. Will the club ever be a European great again? (34:24)It’s been suggested this week that there’ll be an upcoming initiative encouraging former players to become referees. We grill our own ex-player on whether he thinks he’s be a better referee having played the game professionally (43:30)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy.Arsenal and Spurs are going in opposite directions after Mikel Arteta’s side came out of the North London derby 3-1 winners. Have Arsenal turned the corner now and is Nuno really the right man for Spurs? (00:00)Manchester City got the result they wanted at Stamford Bridge as they ended the weekend level on points with Chelsea. Did Thomas Tuchel get it wrong or were Pep Guardiola’s side just too good? (14:39)Aston Villa became the latest team to get a result at Old Trafford. Do teams fear going to ’the Theatre of Dreams’ anymore and should Ronaldo have taken that penalty? (25:29)Brentford didn’t give up and earned a 3-3 draw with Liverpool in what was possibly the best game of the season so far. Is their mentality the key to their success and where can they finish this season? (32:25)Fans haven’t been allowed to drink alcohol in sight of a professional football pitch since 1985, but that could soon change. It’s worked well in the lower leagues and in other sports - but can it work again in the Premier League and EFL? (41:01)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Jonathan Northcroft.Nuno returned to Molineux and left with a Carabao Cup victory over his former side. Pep Guardiola can’t make his mind up if he likes the competition or not and Manchester United crash out (00:00)Reading are set to be deducted points due to breaching EFL financial rules. In the same week Derby County were hit with a 12 point penalty - is the desperation to get into the top flight going too far? (18:26)Arsenal and Spurs have been off the pace in recent matches and with the first North London derby of the season on Sunday - is this the most irrelevant Premier League match-up ever between the two sides? (30:32)Spennymoor Town will play a game on Sunday with heading only allowed in the box in the first half and no heading whatsoever allowed after the break. Head for Change are the charity behind the research - but would the lack of heading ruin the beautiful game? (50:03)Hendon FC beat Hammersmith FC 36-0 in a league match, so we end on memorable maulings and everyone fails to believe Gregor has only played in a side that lost 5-0 (54:46)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy.We begin by celebrating the life and career of Jimmy Greaves, who sadly passed away on Sunday aged 81. From 1966 World Cup heartbreak and a struggle with alcohol addiction - Greaves’ achievements on the pitch and reinvention as a television star made him a favourite with generations of fans (00:00)Two of Greavsie’s former teams played each other on the same day of his passing as Spurs hosted Chelsea. After a touching tribute to a man who means so much to both clubs - it wasn’t much of a contest as Chelsea blew Tottenham away. Were Chelsea as good as the scoreline suggests and what’s wrong at Spurs after another 3-0 loss? (10:32)Jonathan Northcroft joins us following his conversations with Derby County manager, Wayne Rooney for The Times. As the club stares down a points deduction or potential worse - where’s it all gone wrong at Pride Park? (27:04)The final five minutes of West Ham vs Manchester United was a rollercoaster with Jesse Lingard scoring against the side he took into Europe last season, Ronaldo not being given multiple penalties and Mark Noble’s questionable first kick off the game losing his side at least a point - we break down what happened at the London Stadium (44:44)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Times' North East Reporter Martin Hardy joins Hugh Woozencroft and Gregor Robertson to look into the current situation at Newcastle United. At the time of publishing, they sit second bottom of the Premier League table with just one point from four matches. Fans have been unhappy for many years under Mike Ashley - but will the club ever be sold without some reinvestment first?(This conversation was taken from 'Henderson Saves The Day At Anfield', which was originally released on 16/09/21)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Paul Joyce.Liverpool nearly started their European campaign off poorly, but Jordan Henderson saved the day at Anfield. How important is he to Jurgen Klopp’s side? (00:00)Manchester City looked impressive going forward but also let in three goals last night. Have they shifted tactics or was it just a sloppy night for their defenders against RB Leipzig? (11:23)Manchester United were somewhat embarrassed on Cristiano Ronaldo’s European return, losing 2-1 to Young Boys. Was the artificial pitch party to blame and did Ole Gunnar Solskjær get his tactics all wrong? (20:30)Romalu Lukaku scored again at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea got started with a win - how can he look so settled into their side so quickly? (30:15)There were some other incredible matches in this week’s Champions League. Jude Bellingham looked the real deal, Lionel Messi had a quiet European debut for PSG and a former West Ham striker had quite the night (36:57)The Times’ North East Reporter Martin Hardy joins us following his article in The Times about the current situation at Newcastle (42:18)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd.Cristiano scored twice on his return to Old Trafford. Has he silenced the doubters and does he have special powers at the club? (00:00)Were the club right to welcome Ryan Giggs back for the game - especially given the allegations against Ronaldo? (09:35)Sunday Times Reporter David Walsh joined us to describe the atmosphere at Old Trafford after watching Ronaldo’s return (15:30)It was a mixed weekend for Liverpool. Mo Salah scored his 100th Premier League goal, but the injury to Harvey Elliott overshadowed everything. Gregor gives his opinion on the tackle and red card as a former professional (26:38)Arsenal finally got their much-needed win, but does this mean they’re on an upward trajectory from here on? (47:54)After a weekend of debuts - we pick our favourite and not-so-favourite debuts of the past (55:38)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd.England ended the international break with seven points from nine, something Gareth Southgate sees as a success - but did the performances match up? The England manager didn’t make any substitutes - was that the right decision? (00:00)Is a World Cup every two years a good idea? UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has reiterated his opposition - but could it be a good thing for the game? (24:22)With fans set to miss watching Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the Premier League due to the 3pm blackout rule - should it still be in force or have we just been treated to watching every match during the pandemic? (32:57)Ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United - we take a look at some other successful and unsuccessful returns by former players (43:27)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Matt Lawton and Henry Winter.England have recorded back-to-back wins in World Cup qualifiers. The last game saw Jesse Lingard and Trent Alexander-Arnold return - but what does the future hold for both? (00:00)The Times’ Chief Football Writer, Henry Winter joins us with his thoughts on the England qualifier and whether Gareth Southgate has been grilled enough after the Euro 2020 final loss (16:18)We get the latest from the Wales camp with Gary Jacob, after Gareth Bale proved a few people wrong with a hat trick against Belarus. Scotland also did well, beating Moldova 1-0 (42:30)We unpack the madness after the game between Brazil and Argentina was abandoned after four players allegedly tricked their way into the country by saying they hadn’t been the UK in the past fortnight. This lead to Government officials storming the pitch early in the game (50:18)The new WSL season got underway over the weekend and with increased media coverage this season, The Times’ Molly Hudson joins us to discuss how this could be a pivotal year for the women’s game in the UK (53:00)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft.Premier League clubs spent £1.1bn in the summer transfer window. Is this responsible given the current state or the world, or is this the norm? (00:00)We saw a late flurry of deals on deadline day - but who did the best business? Does Ronaldo make Manchester United challengers? (12:14)England play their first match since *that final we don’t speak about* tonight. Will they suffer a Euros hangover or can they move on to bigger things? What does our panel make of the attacking options in Gareth Southgate’s squad? (40:55)Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the top goalscorer in men’s international football - does this mean he’ll focus on his club career now? (58:10)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd, Tom Clarke and Henry Winter.Ronaldo is back! Was CR7 actually ever close to signing for Manchester City? His arrival means some of the younger attackers could miss out - are United taking a backwards step with this signing? (00:00)A fierce debate erupts on the topic of the use of VAR over the weekend after Paul Pogba wasn’t sent off for what looked like a dangerous challenge on Ruben Neves (20:38)The Times’ Chief Football Writer, Henry Winter joins us to give his take on the latest round of Premier League fixtures (28:50)Spurs top the Premier League, Arsenal are bottom. After another loss - is the trust for the process at the Emirates being lost? (42:40)Chelsea managed a draw against Liverpool, despite having 10 men for half of the game. Were these dropped points for Jurgen Klopp’s side? Are they poorly using the one player that could unlock most other sides? (53:50)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Tom Clarke.Harry Kane is staying at Spurs. Will his reputation be tarnished? Will the Tottenham fans forget about this? Will he leave next summer? So many questions! (00:00)Reports today suggest Cristiano Ronaldo has been offered to Manchester City for around £25m. Would he fit into Pep’s side and could he light up Manchester once again? (18:30)We’ve seen some big scoreline in the Carabao Cup second round - should Premier League teams be involved or could it become the EFL Cup instead? (23:45)West Ham have shown that last season wasn’t a fluke and their early performances this season have been just as impressive. Does David Moyes need a deeper squad and what can they achieve this season? (32:15)Liverpool take on Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend - are the visitors to Anfield the favourites? (38:04)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Henry Winter.Chelsea beat Arsenal in one of the most predicted results of the season so far. Did Romalu Lukaku have the perfect second debut and how does Mikel Arteta win back the fans after a disastrous start to the season? (00:00)Manchester United dropped their first points at the weekend against Southampton. What’s Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s biggest problem area in the squad and despite many outgoings - can Ralf Hasenhuttl do a good job at the Saints this season? (17:21)The Times’ Chief Football Writer Henry Winter joins us to give his take on the weekend’s games - including the view from the fans at Arsenal (26:35)Jurgen Klopp has encouraged us to watch wrestling - but is he actually angry or have the mind-games already begun? (38:43)We round up the rest of the weekend’s games as Danny Ings wows for Villa, Crystal Palace fail to score again and City pummel Norwich (44:40)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft.Harry Kane remains a Tottenham player - he’s even posted a photo from the Spurs training ground. Will the Manchester City move happen and do they need to sell before they can complete the deal? (00:00)Romalu Lukaku is edging closer to his second Chelsea debut. He is the key to Thomas Tuchel’s side challenging this season? (18:00)Arsenal have added Martin Ødegaard and Aaron Ramsdale, but are they the answer to Mikel Arteta’s woes? (24:32)Are clubs struggling to sell their fringe players? Is there anything that can be done to stop talent being wasted on the bench or loaned out abroad? (35:19)You’ve probably seen the new Puma range of kits - they need discussing! (47:42)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Henry Winter.Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft, Tom Roddy and Paul Hirst.The new Premier League season is almost upon us - but which teams will do well and which teams face another rocky road ahead? (00:00)We’ve got several new managers in the league this season. Some are well known but some we know very little about. Which teams have made the smartest appointments? Will Rafa Benitez win over the Everton fans? (22:01)Chelsea have already won one trophy after their UEFA Super Cup victory last night. Tom Roddy joins us from Belfast to reflect on a game which saw Kepa exorcise from demons from penalty shootouts gone by (37:48)Paul Hirst gives us his thoughts on how both red and blue sides of Manchester will be feeling going in to the new season and whether the addition of Harry Kane would make City dead certs for the title (43:48)We predict the big stories of the coming season, with some less-than-impressive headlines we expect to see before May (50:48)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Alyson Rudd.We’re back and there’s a lot we need to catch up on before the Premier League season starts..Harry Kane is having ‘showdown talks’ with Nuno Espirito Santo as he continues his bid to leave the club. Will Kane get his way and has he acted professionally? (00:00)Jack Grealish is the most expensive British player after his £100m move to Manchester City. Do the club actually need him and can he step up to an even higher level? (25:05)Lionel Messi finds himself in an unexpected and emotional situation as he move on from Barcelona. The Times’ Ian Hawkey joins us with more on Barcelona’s financial worries (34:02)Do we fully buy into Messi’s press conference tears, just a year on from him trying to leave the club? Where would we really like to see him playing, instead of PSG? (45:55)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Tom Clarke.The EFL returns this weekend, and with fans! Despite this positive, how will the pandemic continue to affect clubs negatively and are players putting financial security above professional aspirations? (00:00)It wouldn’t be a preview show without our predictions, so we pick which teams should be challenging in all three leagues this season (18:20)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Clarke.Football didn’t come home and a penalty shootout once again thwarted England. We begin our round up with the positives from the tournament for Gareth Southgate’s young team (00:00)Was Gareth Southgate out-managed by Roberto Mancini? Which areas of the field were key for Italy to grab control after going behind early on? (20:43)While the players did everyone proud, the fans showed themselves in the worst possibly light. The FA have UEFA have released statements on abuse players have since received, fans misbehaved across London and some even stormed Wembley Stadium - how much has this tarnished England’s efforts on the field? (48:50)We round off the tournament with our favourite goals, players, teams and moments (01:13:10)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft and Matt Lawton.Nerves are at an all time high ahead of the final - even the Scots among us are getting for the final. We discuss the mood in the England camp and how the country is bracing itself for the events of Sunday night (00:00)David Walsh joins us to discuss Gareth Southgate, the person. He’s the only man to have written a book about the England manager, with his input and blessing (30:18)The Times’ European football reporter Ian Hawkey has the latest from the Italian side of the fence. Do they see England as a threat or are they confident of making it 34 in a row? (46:08)It’s time for our final predictions - is football coming home? (56:45)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Clarke.England are through to their first ever European Championships Final with an extra time win over Denmark. Does the dubious penalty decision and poor spot kick from Harry Kane take any of the shine off the achievement? (00:00)Gareth Southgate brought Jack Grealish on in the second half - then controversially substituted him off during extra time. Was this disrespectful to the player, or great management of the game? (24:48)England will take on Italy who are unbeaten in 33 straight games - what will England take from this match, back to Wembley on Sunday and are these the two best teams of the tournament? (34:00)Tonight’s result:England 2-1 Denmark (AET)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Matt Lawton and Henry Winter.Italy are into the final after one of the best matches of the tournament against a revitalised Spain. Is Spain’s problem the lack of someone to put the ball in the net? Can Italy be beaten or are they destined for glory? (00:00)Denmark stand in England’s way if they want to join the Italians in the final on Sunday at Wembley. Is this arguably a bigger moment than the same stage at Euro 96? (21:50)What’s different about this England team? Is the change in culture down to Gareth Southgate alone? We make out final predictions ahead of tonight’s semi-final (39:10)Tonight’s result:Italy 1-1 Spain (Italy win 4-2 on penalties)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy, Paul Hirst and Paul Joyce.The first semi-final is here as a free-flowing Italy take on a slow-off-the-mark Spain at Wembley. We look at how the teams have made it this far and how the managers match up (00:00)Spanish manager Luis Enrique spoke before the game and The Times’ Paul Hirst joins us with the latest - including the important role the team’s psychologist will play throughout the day (13:00)We break down the key areas and players in each area of the pitch ahead of the first semi-final. Will Spain’s attack be able to break down the ageing Italian defence? (17:44)Ahead of England’s semi-final against Denmark tomorrow night - The Times’ Paul Joyce joins us with the latest from Gareth Southgate’s squad (34:22)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and James Gheerbrant.England have made the Euro 2020 semi-finals with a simple win over Ukraine. Did Gareth Southgate get his tactics spot on again? Which players shone and were any of the opposition worthy of praise? (00:00)Gareth Southgate’s side will take on Denmark in the semi-finals after their impressive tournament continued with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in a baking hot Baku. The Times’ European Football writer Ian Hawkey joins us to weigh-up whether they are a threat to England (26:32)All attention turns to that semi-final next Wednesday - the stage in major competitions England struggle with. Can they go one better this time around? Gregor offers his.. diplomatic.. opinion on whether football is indeed, coming home (32:35)Today’s results:Czech Republic 1-2 DenmarkUkraine 0-4 EnglandGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Matt Dickinson, Matt Lawton, Jonathan Northcroft in Rome and our special guest, Jose Mourinho.Italy are through to the semi-finals, where they’ll take on Spain. They managed to overcome the top-rated team in the world in Belgium, but with Leonardo Spinazzola seemingly suffering a serious injury - at what cost? (00:00)Spain scraped through on penalties against a spirited Switzerland who’ll count themselves unlucky. Can they go any further and was Remo Freuler right to be sent off for the Swiss?(12:07)Jose Mourinho joins us once again to give his thoughts on England’s chances tonight against Ukraine. Does he expect Harry Kane to find his form now he’s got a Euros goal? (24:05)The rest of the team take a deeper look into tonights fixtures and Matt Lawton argues his case for papers leaking team news ahead of matches (29:52)Today’s results:Switzerland 1-1 Spain (Spain win 3-1 on penalties) Belgium 1-2 ItalyGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and our special guest, Jose Mourinho.We reflect on the knockout stages so far. Can the quarter finals top the goals and shocks of the Round of 16? How will teams deal with missing players and could they be the difference between going through and going home? (00:00)Jose Mourinho is our special guest throughout the tournament and he joins us to give his thoughts on the knockout stages so far and how he thinks the first two quarter finals will go down (24:10)We predict which teams could cause the shock of the knockout stages - could Ukraine down Gareth Southgate’s men? (35:06)Tonight’s matches:Switzerland vs SpainBelgium vs ItalyGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Clarke.England have broken the curse of playing Germany in tournaments with a 2-0 win at Wembley. Did Gareth Southgate get his tactics spot on and which players stood out? (00:00)Did Harry Kane find his form again or is there still a long way to go before he’s back to his best - and if so, why? (13:26)While England celebrate, Germany lick their wounds. What went wrong for them in what was Joachim Löw’s final match in charge? (22:24)Today’s results:England 2-0 GermanySweden 1-2 UkraineGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Matt Dickinson, Henry Winter and Matt Lawton.France were sensationally knocked out of the tournament last night - but what went wrong for Didier Deschamps’ side and can Switzerland go much further? (00:00)Spain let in one of the most embarrassing own-goals in history but went on to progress after an impressive turnaround. Are they building momentum at exactly the right time? (14:18)England take on Germany tonight and Henry Winter joins us with the latest from the pre-game press conference. Who could be a surprise penalty-taker, should it go the distance? (21:30)With all of the history between the two sides on everyone’s mind - will what happened in 1996 weigh on the players’ minds or are they too young to worry? (34:50)Today’s results:Croatia 3-5 SpainFrance 3-3 Switzerland (4-5 on penalties)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Constantin Eckner.Belgium march on at the expense of Portugal. Did Roberto Martinez’s side deserve to progress and why didn’t Ronaldo get much luck in the game? (00:00)The Netherlands crashed out at the hands of the Czech Republic in what some are calling the shock of the tournament. What went wrong and should Frank de Boer look for a new job? (16:08)The Times’ German football reporter Constantin Eckner joins us to give us the German perspective on the Round of 16 match against England on Tuesday (27:30)Croatia take on Spain and France are up against Switzerland tonight - we preview both matches (35:40)Today’s results:Netherlands 0-2 Czech RepublicBelgium 1-0 PortugalGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Ian Hawkey and Tom Clarke.Wales are out after a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Denmark. What went wrong after so much promise and why didn’t Rob Page react to what was happening time and time again on the pitch? (00:00)Gareth Bale’s big secret was promised after the tournament - so what has he got up his sleeve that he’s kept us waiting to hear? (16:32)Denmark didn’t just keep their momentum going, but looked impressive in victory - could Alyson’s pre-tournament prediction of a Danish triumph actually happen? (17:46)Italy are through, but did the second half against Austria show some worrying signs for their chances of tournament victory? (23:08)Who will progress from Sunday’s ties in the Round of 16? Will Cristiano Ronaldo continue his impressive (penalty) scoring record or will Romelu Lukaku have the last laugh? (32:14)Today’s results:Wales 0-4 DenmarkItaly 2-1 AustriaGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Clarke.We take a look at the tournament so far as it heads into the knockout stages. Did the ‘Group of Death’ live up to the hype? Which teams have impressed and which have left us feeling deflated? (00:00)The panel select their ‘Best XI of the tournament so far’. Will Alyson pick Olivier Giroud despite him barely playing so far? Wales play the first of the last 16 matches against Denmark in Amsterdam. Will they be able to overcome ‘everyone’s second team’ and will the lack of fans affect them at all? (24:03)We end with predictions for the next round. Gregor was thrilled.. (35:45)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft, James Gheerbrant and Paul Hirst.The refereeing in the tournament is under the spotlight after a night of big decisions. Has VAR been implemented more efficiently at Euro 2020 than in the Premier League? (00:00)The ‘Group of Death’ threw up an exciting end to the group stage - with Germany sneaking through with a late goal to set up at tie against England at Wembley (12:58)Spain have finally shown they mean business in the tournament with a 5-0 win over Slovakia. Paul Hirst joins us live from Seville to weigh up their chances in the tournament (28:08)There was another thriller in Group E as Sweden scored a late winner against Poland. Could they go far into the tournament and are Poland one of the biggest disappointments of Euro 2020 (32:55)Today’s results:Sweden 3-2 PolandSlovakia 0-5 SpainPortugal 2-2 FranceGermany 2-2 HungaryGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd, James Restall and Jonathan Northcroft.England are through as group winners - but did their performance against the Czech Republic do much to reassure they can challenge for the tournament? Do Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka start the next game? (00:00)Scotland are out after a 3-1 loss to Croatia at Hampden Park. What can Steve Clarke’s side take away from their first tournament in 23 years and what do they need to improve on to qualify for the World Cup? (18:36)It’s the final day of the group stages. We look ahead to the conclusion of Groups E and F. Is Portugal vs France likely to be the standout game or will we be surprised? (29:34)Today’s results:Croatia 3-1 ScotlandEngland 1-0 Czech RepublicGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Matt Lawton, Henry Winter and Michael Grant.Denmark booked their place in the knock-out stages with an impressive 4-1 win over Russia. They’ll take on Wales on Saturday in Amsterdam - but can they topple Rob Page’s side? (00:00)Billy Gilmour has tested positive for Covid-19, ruling him out of their match tonight against Croatia and also forcing Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell into isolation. What really happened at Wembley to cause this precautionary exclusion from the squad? (13:38)Scotland need to beat Croatia to keep their hopes alive - but without Billy Gilmour, can Steve Clarke rouse the troops to put in the performance they need? (18:30)England take on the Czech Republic tonight, looking to win the group with victory. Who will Gareth Southgate bring into the side if Mason Mount can’t play and what other chances should he consider? (23:57)Today’s results:Ukraine 0-1 AustriaNorth Macedonia 0-3 NetherlandsRussia 1-4 DenmarkFinland 0-2 BelgiumGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Matt Dickinson.Wales are through to the knockout stages of the Euros after a 1-0 loss to Italy in Rome. Did Rob Page’s players show they can go deep into this competition and should Ethan Ampadu have seen red? (00:00)Switzerland got the result they needed against Turkey - but why didn’t Turkey show up to this tournament? Has there ever been a more disappointing ‘dark horse’ before? (13:10)The Times reporter Paul Hirst joins us live from Seville to discuss just what’s wrong with Spain at this tournament. It seems the grass could be against them.. (16:56)Groups B and C play their final games on Monday. Are Denmark most people’s second team after what happened in their opener and can they do enough to qualify? (21:02)Today’s results:Italy 1-0 WalesSwitzerland 3-1 TurkeyGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, James Gheerbrant and Ian Hawkey.Germany have turned up - but did Portugal make it way too easy for them? Is Kai Havertz finally showing why he’s a £71m player? (00:00)France didn’t show why a lot of people have them as favourites for the tournament as they stumbled to a draw against Hungary. Do they need to give Olivier Giroud a chance up front? What do Spain need to do to turn their fortunes around after a disappointing performance against Poland? (11:28)Wales face Italy in Rome later - but will Rob Page rest players or, given they’ll get a game at Wembley if they win the group - could they go for it? (26:38)Today’s results:Hungary 1-1 FrancePortugal 2-4 GermanySpain 1-1 PolandGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Tom Roddy.Scotland will go away from Wembley the happier side after holding England to a goalless draw. Who were the standout players for Steve Clarke’s side and did they make the changes Gregor longed for? (00:00)England registered one shot on target and Harry Kane was taken off in the second half. What problems does Gareth Southgate face after this lacklustre performance? (15:54)Is Harry Kane’s club future weighing on his mind? What do England need to do in their next game to get back on track? (24:47)Today’s results:Sweden 1-0 SlovakiaCroatia 1-1 Czech RepublicEngland 0-0 ScotlandGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft, Alyson Rudd and Henry Winter.Belgium have secured their place in the knockout stage after an emotional match against Denmark. The entire stadium stopped and applauded on 10 minutes in support of Christian Eriksen. Are the Belgians in with a chance of winning the tournament after that performance? (00:00)England take on Scotland in a match that’s been anticipated for months - but can Scotland actually cause Gareth Southgate’s side some problems? (17:08)Today’s results:Ukraine 2-1 North MacedoniaDenmark 1-2 BelgiumNetherlands 2-0 AustriaGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Ian Hawkey and Gary Jacob.Wales have given themselves every chance of qualifying for the knockout stages with an impressive 2-0 win over Turkey. Why were Turkey so lacklustre - especially with their president in the stadium? (00:00)Gary Jacob was with Hugh in Baku and added his thoughts on a Wales performance that saw Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey at their very best (04:54)Italy have won both of their opening games 3-0 and with the latest win over Switzerland, look like they could trouble most sides as the tournament go on (21:42)Denmark play their next game tomorrow but how will the events of their opener affect the squad mentally and do they have any chance in recovering from that trauma to turn things around? (26:25)Today’s results:Finland 0-1 RussiaTurkey 0-2 WalesItaly 3-0 SwitzerlandGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy.Two of the favourites entered the tournament, but after an own-goal was all that separated France and Germany - which side looks most likely to go all the way? (00:00)Cristiano Ronaldo broke the record for goals at European Championships on the same day he became the first player to make an appearance at five Euros. Could CR7 inspire Portugal to a repeat of 2016? (17:04)We’ve made it til the last day of the first round of group games and VAR get it’s first mention - with the group divided on how the technology has been used so far (23:29)Wales play a must-win game against Turkey, later. Hugh brings us the latest from a very positive Welsh camp in Baku (28:40)Today’s results:Hungary 0-3 PortugalFrance 1-0 GermanyGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Michael Grant.Scotland didn’t get the start they were hoping for after 23 years of waiting - but what positives can be taken from their 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic? Where does this leave Steve Clarke’s side heading into the England game? (00:00)Are Slovakia this tournament’s surprise package after their win over Poland? What are Spain missing after they failed to break down Sweden (18:43)The ‘Group of Death’ gets underway later with Portugal, France and Germany all in with a shout. Is this where the eventual winner comes from and how do they cope with the pressure? (25:57)Today’s results:Scotland 0-2 Czech RepublicPoland 1-2 SlovakiaSpain 0-0 SwedenGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Matt Lawton and Henry Winter.England win their opening game of the European Championships for the first time ever as Southgate surprises with his choice at left back. Has Raheem Sterling made himself undroppable? (00:00)Scotland play their first tournament game in 23 years later - can they be the team to surprise many with a run into the knockout stages? (24:30)Today’s results:England 1-0 CroatiaAustria 3-1 North MacedoniaNetherlands 3-2 UkraineGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Jonathan Northcroft, Molly Hudson and Ian Hawkey.Football took a backseat as everything was put into perspective by Christian Eriksen’s horrific collapse on the pitch. Thankfully, he’s stable in hospital - but should the game have been restarted later in the day? (00:00)Did Wales show they have what it takes to replicate their impressive run in 2016 - or are they up against it after a lacklustre start against Switzerland? (11:20)England start their Euros campaign against Croatia on Sunday. The evening before kick off, they’ve released a statement and video encouraging fans to get behind the team - but will pre-match booing again be the talking point come full time? (23:00)Today’s results:Wales 1-1 SwitzerlandDenmark 0-1 FinlandBelgium 3-0 RussiaGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke, Matt Dickinson and Alyson Rudd.Euro 2020 is finally here and so is the first of our special daily episodes of The Game!We react to the first game of the tournament as Italy show they mean business, Andrea Bocelli takes us back to Italia ’90 and a miniature remote-controlled car gets way more attention than perhaps it should have (00:00)Alyson, Matt and Tom make their pre-tournament predictions and we find out who Tom met in a petrol station while 'scouting' on behalf of England (25:25)Today’s result:Turkey 0 - 3 ItalyGet more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft.Harry Maguire remains a huge doubt for England’s opening match of the Euros against Croatia on Sunday, so how will Gareth Southgate line up? Is there any chance we’ll see four wing-backs on the pitch at the same time as rumours suggest? (00:00)Scotland are playing their first tournament for 23 years but do they have what it takes to be the surprise package of Euro 2020? (21:11)Hugh is in Baku where Wales play their opening two matches of the tournament. After their impressive performances at Euro 2016 - will Rob Page’s side surprise people again? (29:08)Jose Mourinho joins The Times to share his unique insight throughout the finals, both on the podcast and in his exclusive column. ‘The Special One’ picks his players to watch at Euro 2020 (39:43)With the first kickoff of the tournament just over a day away, we make our final predictions and there’s a clear favourite.. (44:16)Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Matt Dickinson and Henry Winter.England have played their final warm up game ahead of the start of the Euros. What have we learned from those results and was Ben White the right person to replace the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold? (00:00)A minority of fans at both warm up matches booed players taking the knee, despite Gareth Southgate’s request that people respect their right to protest. How will this affect the players at the tournament and why does it keep happening? (18:53)England play Croatia on Sunday at Wembley in their first match of Euro 2020. We discuss potential lineups, players who can make a difference and the hopes the fans have for success (32:40)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft.England have named their 26 man squad and played their first of two warm up games - so how are they shaping up ahead of Euro 2020 and will they really need four right backs? (00:00)Wales had a tough night in Nice - playing most of their 3-0 friendly loss to France with 10-men after Neco Williams was dismissed. Despite that, Gary Jacob joins us to discuss the positives for Rob Page’s side (25:56)Scotland were denied a surprise victory in their warm up match against the Netherlands, despite having a number of key players missing. Could they be the surprise package in the tournament? Michael Grant joins us to discuss the positives for Steve Clarke’s side (36:47)Aside from the Euros, it’s already an interesting summer in the world of Premier League managers. Who will Everton and Spurs appoint and will it bring them the success they need after disappointing seasons? (40:59)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Roddy, Matt Dickinson and Matt Lawton.Chelsea won their second Champions League title at the expense of a shell shocked Manchester City. Was N’Golo Kanté the difference? How much of their run should be credited to Frank Lampard or has Thomas Tuchel shown him up with this success? (00:00)Why did Pep Guardiola choose to try something completely new in the final of the most important game he’s managed for City? How will the club bounce back from this disappointment? (14:44)The final England squad will be announced for EURO 2020 tomorrow - are we any closer to working out which right back is likely to start? The two Matt’s give us the inside story on how they themselves, get the inside story from the England camp (28:14)After heartbreak last season, Brentford were finally promoted to the top flight - does this prove the changes to the club’s structure were a success? (52:14)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Jonathan Northcroft and Tom Roddy.Manchester United came up short against Villarreal in the Europa League final - are they further away from challenging for trophies than people think? Paul Hirst joins us live from Gdansk (00:00)Will Manchester City go one step further than United and win a European final this week? We look ahead to the Champions League final against Chelsea (23:24)Rumours that Mauricio Pochettino could be coming back to Spurs hit during the podcast - but surely that’s not a good move for the former Tottenham boss.. or is it? (40:21)The EFL playoff finals are coming up this weekend - Tom Clarke attempts to remain calm as we give our predictions for the three season-ending matches (48:46)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Matt Dickinson and Alyson Rudd.The Premier League season is over and its one we’ll never forget. We look back on the wider impact of football during the pandemic and what’s changed without fans in stadiums (00:00)Harry Kane might have won the golden boot - but which players secure the prestigious end of season awards from The Game? (13:31)Manchester United are favourites for the Europa League final against Villarreal - but does Ole need this trophy to silence the doubters? (41:46)How well did we predict the season ahead, back in September? We take a look back at the things we got right and also the things that surprised us! (49:12)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft.Harry Kane is finally looking for his move - but what are the chances he’ll be allowed to move and where could he realistically end up? Will Kane have to force a move or will his supposed gentleman’s agreement be honoured? (00:00)Roy Hodgson will leave Crystal Palace at the end of the season - how will he be remembered and does he have any more to give the game? Who could replace him at Selhurst Park? (21:53)Steve Clarke has named his Scottish Euros squad - with uncapped Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour included. Can the young team make an impression on their first major tournament since 1998? (34:37)The end of the Premier League season is in sight and the battle for the top four is still fierce. Are Leicester fading and could they miss out on the Champions League? Have Liverpool timed their run to the final day perfectly? (40:32)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd.Leicester got the better of Chelsea in the FA Cup final - did Thomas Tuchel shoot himself in the foot with his tactics? Who woke up with the trophy and how much expectation is on Brendan Rodgers going forward?Allison moved people to tears with his emotional winning goal and post-match interview - is it written in the stars that Liverpool will sneak a top four place? Chelsea’s women were shellshocked by Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League final - Molly Hudson joins us from Gothenburg to discuss what went wrong Why has Wolves’ season been so disappointing and do they run the risk of losing Nuno Espirito Santo to Spurs?Everton have ended the season poorly, after a bright start to the season under Carlo Ancelotti. What’s gone wrong at Goodison and could selling Richarlison solve all their problems?Inspired by Allison’s goal against West Brom, we end with our favourite goals by goalkeepers - Mart Poom’s header against Derby, anyone?Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Tom Roddy.Chelsea have a big weekend ahead of them with the FA Cup final - but by losing to Arsenal, have they blown the race for the top four in the Premier League wide open? (00:00)Managers have been backing Ole Gunnar Solskjær - but should Manchester United see any punishment for making 10 changes for their loss to Leicester? (19:32)Manchester City are Champions - but how long will the era of City dominance continue? Pol Ballús wrote about Pep Guardiola’s latest triumph exclusively for The Times and joins us to add his thoughts (26:54)As Fulham’s return to the Championship was confirmed - Will Scott Parker be back next season and which of the three sides going down is most likely to make a swift return? (41:23)The EFL playoffs get underway at the weekend - can Tom Clarke’s beloved Lincoln City make the final? Gregor Robertson gives us the ex-pro’s perspective on winning (and losing) at Wembley (46:48)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd.We saw a preview of the Champions League final and Manchester City and Chelsea met in the Premier League over the weekend - but was it anything like the game we’ll see on May 29th? (00:00)Leeds United had a good weekend with a strong win over a struggling Tottenham. What’s next for Marcelo Bielsa’s side and how have Spurs come to have a 29 year old, inexperienced manager in charge? (12:31)Arsenal’s season is over - but is Mikel Arteta’s time at the club heading the same way? Will he still be in charge at the Emirates at the end of 2021? (36:52)Big Sam hasn’t quite come to the rescue for West Brom. Will they stick with the former England manager in the Championship and can they keep their squad together? (48:49)After Ed Sheeran announced he’s sponsoring Ipswich Town’s shirts next season, we end with our favourite musical collaborations with the game (53:20)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft.We’ve got one all-English European final with Chelsea and Manchester City facing-off in the Champions League - how did Guardiola and Tuchel get their sides there and should the game be moved to England? (00:00)We’ve seen a huge fallout in Spain, not so much over Real Madrid’s loss to Chelsea - but Eden Hazard’s post-match laughing and joking with his former teammates. Was he out of line at Stamford Bridge? (27:48)Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday go into a big weekend with both sides sweating over their Championship status for next season. Which side would suffer the most from a trip into League One and what’s next for Wayne Rooney? (33:44)Home fans will return for the last two Premier League matches of the season. Is it fair on away sides to let 10,000 people or 25% of the stadium’s capacity, suddenly return? (50:19)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Matt Dickinson.The Times’ Paul Hirst joins us to discuss the reasons behind the Manchester United fans protest that saw their Premier League game at home to Liverpool postponed on Sunday. What will happen next at the club and is there any likely response from the Glazers? (00:00)The discussion continues with the wider impact of owners running clubs as businesses first and do fans’ morals change when it comes to having spending power? (12:30)After a thrilling Women’s Champions League semi final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich, The Times’ Molly Hudson joins us with lots to say about Emma Hayes’ side (38:02)Following Peterborough’s unlikely comeback to win promotion against Lincoln, we end with our favourite last-minute heartbreaks - including a calamitous night in Atletico Madrid’s history (48:48)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft and Ian Hawkey.There’s a big possibility we could see an all-English Champions League final. Which players stood out in the semi-final first legs and which stars could be showing signs of fading? Did Pep Guardiola overthink the game against PSG and were the French side too reliant on Neymar? (00:00)After a tough season for Liverpool - will we see any drastic changes at the club? Does Jurgen Klopp still have the owners’ trust? (29:21)With rumours Marcelo could miss out on Real Madrid’s trip to Stamford Bridge because he’s been called up to monitor a polling station during local elections - we finish with the best reasons players (or teams) have missed a game! (40:55)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Alyson Rudd.Manchester City secured their first trophy of the season on Sunday - but did Spurs make it easy for them at Wembley? Does that performance make Ryan Mason’s appointment even more puzzling? Is this the deciding moment in Harry Kane’s future? (00:00)We saw more protests at club owners over the weekend, largely following the failed Super League plan - but what do fans want from the ideal owner? What do the clubs owners need to do to reconnect with the fans? Will Arsenal have a new owner in the short term after Spotify founder, Daniel Ek threw his name into the takeover mix? (21:15)English football has announced a 3-day social media blackout to highlight the abuse and discrimination online. What will this achieve and does this kind of response give the trolls a sense of victory? What other methods could be used to eradicate this more effectively? (41:13)Chelsea and Manchester City have Champions League semi-finals coming up this week - but who has a better chance of making the final? What are the chances of an all-English final and will Olivier Giroud have the last laugh once again? (47:13)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and James Restall.Did the owners of proposed Super League clubs actually think their plan would work? Has the power shifted as a result of this failed breakaway league? Does Boris Johnson actually care or did he get involved for his own benefit? (00:00)The Times’ Chief Football Writer Henry Winter joins us to add his thoughts on the last few days in the game. Now The Super League is seemingly dead, does the threat of the big owners looking to line their own pockets go away? Will the six Premier League clubs involved ever have full trust of their fans again? (22:43)We discuss the latest Champions League reforms - with more teams, a new format and a lot of critics (34:26)Looking ahead to the League Cup Final on Sunday - did Jose Mourinho at least deserve to lead Spurs out for the final he got them to? Was Ryan Mason the first choice to lead Tottenham until the end of the season? And West Ham host Chelsea at the weekend in a game that could be massive for the race for the final Champions League place - but can the Hammers keep up their good form? (48:14)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Matt Dickinson.As football makes all the headlines with the proposed Super League causing massive controversy, the man who broke the story - The Times’ Chief Sports Writer Martyn Ziegler - joins us to discuss how it came about and what the clubs who’ve signed up are hoping to get from it (00:00)We look at the wider implications of the proposal and how fans have reacted - with leagues, players and even Governments having their say on whether it’s the future of the sport or yet another greedy move by rich club owners (13:16)As the show was recorded, we got news that the manager of one of the clubs involved in the Super League - Jose Mourinho had been removed from his position at Tottenham. Was this a result of the proposal or a case of smart timing by Daniel Levy? (38:15)We end with the good work a potential candidate to replace Jose - Brendan Rodgers - has been doing as Leicester set up a League Cup Final against Chelsea. Also - how will the rest of Manchester City’s season go now they’re not playing for the quadruple? (48:41)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft.Chelsea and Manchester City will represent the Premier League in the semi finals of the Champions League. Can City finally win the trophy they’ve been missing and will their season be seen as a failure if they only win the Premier League? (00:00)Gary Neville has encouraged players to run their own social media after Phil Foden’s social team posted a taunt aimed at Kylian Mbappé that was quickly deleted. Should players look to be more authentic online and which players are making a positive impact on social pages? (21:13)Chelsea will have to topple Spanish giants Real Madrid if they’re to make the Champions League final. What are their chances given Real’s history in the competition? Does Chelsea’s record in reaching the semi-finals of the competition give them the upper hand? (28:32)Slavia Prague’s Ondřej Kúdela has been handed a 10 match ban for racially abusing Rangers’ Glen Kamara in a Europa League match in March. Kamara was handed a 3 match ban for assaulting Kúdela in the tunnel. Does this punishment actually change anything going forward and should the club see more of a comeback from this? (37:40)We end with our favourite red cards following Ukraine’s Natiya Pantsulaya somewhat cynical dismissal against Northern Ireland in their Euro 2022 qualification playoff (50:16)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Matt Dickinson and Alyson Rudd.Which teams are out of the Champions League running following the weekend? Could Jesse Lingard be in the running for player of the season? Why do Manchester United need to go behind to pull out performances like the second half against Spurs? (00:00)It’s not VAR under the microscope, but the actual human decisions using the technology. James Tarkowski’s challenge against Newcastle causes a difference of opinions between our panel and how does that go unpunished while Spurs had a goal chalked off against Manchester United? (17:32)Leeds provided the big Premier League shock of the weekend with a win at Manchester City - but where do the club go from here? How do they avoid the same fate as Sheffield United as teams work out how to play against them? What do they do if Marcelo Bielsa leaves? (33:53)The race for the Championship playoff places is hotting up, with Barnsley in the mix after a remarkable season at Oakwell. Brentford missed out on promotion last season - is this season their time? Can Bournemouth or Reading afford not to go up this season, given their massive wage bills? (41:16)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, James Restall and Jonathan Northcroft.Chelsea came away from their Champions League quarter final first leg with a two goal lead, but there are still questions over their German summer recruits. Are Kai Havertz and Timo Werner running out of time? Liverpool have it all to do in their second leg back at Anfield after a lacklustre performance at Real Madrid - but are people wrong to write them off? (00:00)Manchester City also go into their second leg tie against Borussia Dortmund with an advantage. Eyes were on Erling Haaland, but was another young star the pick of the talent on show? (18:09)The Times’ Chief Football Writer Henry Winter joins the conversation to discuss the young English talent we’ve seen in the Champions League this week and get his opinion on whether Gareth Southgate is any closer knowing how to include them in his England squad for the Euros (32:35)Rebecca Welch made history by taking charge of a men’s league match on Monday. Sunny and Bhupinder Gill will become the first Asian brothers to officiate in the same game the coming weekend. We discuss how these role models can help improve the diversity of match officials (43:54)After Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting replaced the injured Robert Lewandowski in PSG’s tie against Bayern Munich, we end with our favourite questionable stand-ins (49:47)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd. The Premier League returned after the international break and so did the surprise results.. or were they a surprise? Are West Brom hard to play against because they have nothing to lose? Did Chelsea show signs of the Chelsea of old? What on earth happened to Spurs? (00:00)Liverpool have now won three games in a row - will their Premier League form lead to them saving their season by winning the Champions League? Are Real Madrid as fearsome as they used to be in Europe? (22:07)Manchester City and Chelsea are England’s other hopes of European glory - we rate their chances and contemplate whether Pep Guardiola might be telling us the truth when it comes to their transfer budget this summer (31:21)We end with our favourite passionate press conferences after Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil gave his vocal chords a workout following their Copa del Rey triumph (47:54)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft. As Sergio Aguero announces he’s leaving Manchester City in the summer after a decade at the Etihad - where does he rank in the table of greatest Premier League strikers and who could replace him? (00:00)Scotland had a positive international break - our Scottish duo break down the progress they’re making under Steve Clarke ahead of the Euros (13:45)England won all three qualifiers in this international break - but are the performances worth celebrating? Which players have played themselves into Gareth Southgate’s Euro squad and who could miss out? (27:23)After calling the England U21’s job ‘impossible’ - is it impossible to see a way back for manager Aidy Boothroyd? Are games at this level preparing the players for the senior team or are they being set up for failure? (39:05)After Germany’s embarrassing loss to North Macedonia, we recall our favourite World Cup shocks (58:48)Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd. Gareth Southgate’s formation against Albania gets the England conversation started, particularly in defence. The stats are strongly in James Ward-Prowse’s favour for a surprise role in the side, but will it happen? Has Jordan Henderson’s makeshift defensive role for Liverpool affected his England chances of starting for his country? The Times’ Irish Football Reporter Paul Rowan joins us to discuss Ireland’s disappointing loss to Luxembourg over the weekend and where they go from here. After Thierry Henry quit social media in protest over how the platforms deal with abuse, we discuss whether other high profile names doing the same would cause change. We end recalling some of our favourite footballing tantrums after Cristiano Ronaldo’s minor meltdown for Portugal. Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft. Norway’s players protested against the human rights record in Qatar before their first World Cup qualifier last night, so we look at whether footballers should feel the burden is on them to speak out or whether bigger gestures are needed. This week, the BBC documentary ‘Football's Darkest Secret’ aired, looking into the child abuse scandal in football. We discuss the bravery shown by those who came forward and what needs to happen next to ensure this never happens again. Gareth Southgate says his England squad are discussing whether they wish to take the knee going forward and will make a unified decision. Could we see a player kneel during the national anthem and how would that be received? Cesare Prandelli left his job at Fiorentina this week citing his mental health in a remarkable open letter to fans. We look at the positive impact this could have on other people involved in the game. We end by looking at players who perform better for their country than their club. Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.