Ranks FC - A Football Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ranking The Europa League Final and Beyond May 19, 2021

Show notes

We're into the Endgame now, Rank Squad - the time for European finals, titles, silverware is upon us; and getting ahead of the game, we're looking ahead to next week's showdown in Gdansk between Manchester United and Villarreal. It's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer vs. Unai Emery. Edinson Cavani vs. Gerard Moreno. Red Devils vs. Yellow Submarine. We look at the key places the final will be won and lost, three reasons to be optimistic for both sides of the divide, and some transfers that could well be affected by the outcome of this game; before turning our focus to this year's Europa League as a whole - talking about the best matches we've seen in the competition, and those stories that made our hearts sing. Before all that though, there's time to discuss Things We Love - Dean starts us off with the big transfer news of the moment, that Harry Kane has reportedly asked to leave Tottenham and how he sees this saga playing out; Sam talks about homegrown talent at Southampton and seeing both sides of it - the returning hero Theo Walcott and the new blood in Nathan Tella; and Jack discusses Jenni Hermoso's performance in the UWCL Final and the fact that Karim Benzema is rumoured to be returning to the France setup for this summer's European Championships. There's also a Melon of the Week, which this time out goes to a very particular fan at the FA Cup Final, and the Gibberish Rankings where we discuss the YouGov poll about people in the UK believing they could fight gigantic animals. To the 8% of people who think they could beat an Elephant in a fight whilst unarmed, we're here to tell you that you couldn't. It's Ranks!

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Ranking Elite Players Who Need a Transfer This Summer May 12, 2021

Show notes

As the season draws to it's close, the transfer window looms large and there are certain players who will be literally itching to get themselves to pastures new, for a myriad of reasons: to win trophies, to get their careers back on track, to get themselves some actual playing time. We look at five of the biggest names who will likely be (or at the very least should be) angling for an exit this summer. From a £120m man in Blaugrana to an England captain to a former Los Blancos golden boy, there are big moves across the continent on the tip of everyone's tongue, and we take a look how likely they are to leave and where they should ideally be heading. Things we Love this week discusses the madness left in the Serie A season and why you should be glued to it, Edinson Cavani's contract extension at Manchester United and what it means for the club, and a potential first Primeira title for Sporting CP in Portugal for the best part of two decades. There's also some time for Jack's mourning over Fulham's relegation from the Premier League, Dean to award another Melon of the Week and Sam's Gibberish Rankings for Things That Should Be Easier To Do. It's Ranks!

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Jose Mourinho to Roma and Ranking Every PL Club's Record Signing May 05, 2021

Show notes

No sooner had the Mourinho Bus left North London, then it rocks up in Rome! In a bombshell move, Roma announced that Paulo Fonseca would be leaving on Tuesday morning, and that Jose Mourinho would be taking over next season in the Eternal City on Tuesday afternoon - the world of football waits for nobody.We break down just how this might play out, whether this is a move that might see JoMo get his MoJo back, and which players at Roma might well thrive under the Special One. Then we head into our big ranking, which this week involves Sam taking all 20 of the Premier League's clubs and ranking their record signing - based on how their careers have gone so far, but also projecting onto their futures, and their values in the wider world right now. It's a complex one - how do you compare Chris Wood with Adam Webster with Paul Pogba, but we give it our best shot. And of course, there's just time for a Melon of the Week from the DFB-Pokal semi-finals before we close things off. It's Ranks!

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Ranking the World of Goalkeeping with The Modern-Day GK Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

It's a No. 1 special over here at Ranks, a glimpse behind-the-curtain and between-the-sticks, as we are joined by Lee Robinson, former professional with Rangers and a host of other clubs, and now one of the brains behind The Modern-Day Goalkeeper - three brothers trying to revolutionise the training and perception of young goalkeepers in the game. First up, we rank three ways that the boys are changing things - from training schedules to specialised gloves to altering perceptions around height; before Lee ranks his favourite five goalkeepers and just why he rates them so highly. As ever, we start with Things We Love, which this week includes the latest from the Bundesliga Manager Merry-Go-Round with Julian Nagelsmann making the hop from RB Leipzig to Bayern Munich; the title races across Europe which we're glued to as we reach the end of the season; and Aston Villa's Keinan Davis finally breaking his Premier League duck on the 29th attempt. Melon of the Week goes to a referee in Spain who absolutely fluffed his lines at the weekend, before Sam rounds things off with a Gibberish Ranking of all the injuries he's currently 'suffering' from. It's Ranks!

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The Super League Madness & Ranking Clubs We Can Believe In Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

Well, no such thing as a quiet week in football, but I don't think we've ever had 72 hours quite as mad as the last 3 days have been. With the announcement, the fallout, the breakdown and the backdown of an entire organisation in such a short time period, we try to make sense of just what went down regarding The Super League. We take stock of the full timeline of Tuesday's wild events up to recording, react to the seeming death of the Super League at this point and discuss Ed Woodward's resignation and what that might mean for Manchester United going forward (especially in terms of the Glazer ownership). Then we look to the future, opening up the can of worms which relates to the punishments of the "Big Six" - points deduction? relegation? Is that fair on the players or the fans who were the best outlet in this fight against the ESL? Is Juventus' demotion during Calciopoli our closest reference point? And can we use this swell of on-the-ground energy for good moving forward; to tackle racism, elevate the women's game and take back clubs into the hands of fans, with the same ferocity? Finally, we raise some love for the clubs who have been steadfast during this - the clubs that if you're feeling disillusioned with the game right now, that you might be able to draw some inspiration from. We talk the upstart rebels Atalanta in Italy, the young pretenders in France who have set this year's title race alight - Lille; and the mighty conveyor belt that is the backbone of Ajax. We also talk about supporting grassroots football local to you, with Dean waxing lyrical over Walton & Hersham, and Jack calling up his beloved Hanwell Town FC; before we pour out some love for the model of German football and the Bundesliga's commitment to fan investment and ownership. Finally, Sam talks about why he got angry on his first visit to Crystal Palace in a Gibberish, and Dean picks a non-ESL-related Melon of the Week. It's Ranks!

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Ranking the Breakout Stars of 20/21 Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

We're careering towards the end of the season, so we thought we'd shine a little light on the players who have exploded into the public consciousness and into our hearts in the 2020/21 season. From the Premier League to the Bundesliga to La Liga, we've experienced some of the most amazing stories as unknown quantities have brought the limelight streaming down on themselves with incredible performances. From London to Leeds, Barcelona to Bavaria and beyond, Sam ranks his favourite breakouts from a season like no other. In Things We Love, Dean discusses the possibility of Sergio Agüero taking the leap across the Pennines from Manchester to Yorkshire, and linking up with Marcelo Bielsa in the process; Sam discusses the new Ranks FC Discord server and the watchalong we enjoyed with El Clásico taking place on Saturday night; and Jack waxes lyrical about the dramatic nature of the relegation battle in Portugal's Primeira Liga. There's a Melon of the Week from lower down the English Football Pyramid as teammates turn into mortal enemies, and the Gibberish is a very special outside contribution based on club badges. It's Ranks! Come and join the Ultras on Patreon for two extra podcasts a week, our Torcida newsletter and access to the Rank Squad Discord Community!

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Ranking the PL Player of the Year Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

It's that time of year again, where the debate begins to rage about who the Premier League's best player has been over the course of the last eight months. It's never easy, but with no obvious front-runner this year, we thought it was a good time to explore just who should be getting the nod for the domestic individual award that causes more debate than any other. We discuss a crop of City's best, as well as talismans for United, Tottenham and Aston Villa, as we head into the final straight for the PL campaign. Before that though, there's time for Things We Love: Sam talks Fiorentina's 21-year-old Serbian hitman Dušan Vlahović, Dean discusses the ins-and-outs of La Liga's twisting title tensions, and Jack waxes lyrical about the languid love-in for Lingard now that the emotional yoke has been removed from his shoulders. There's also time for a Melon of the Week from the other side of North London for once, and the Gibberish rankings are based off of a very special message we got. It's Ranks!

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Ranking the Copa del Rey Final Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

It's an all-Basque affair in the Copa del Rey final as Athletic Club take on Real Sociedad for the trophy this weekend. They've only had to wait a year! In this special episode, made in partnership with New Balance Football, we delve into a gargantuan game that has more on the line than silverware - this Euskal Derbia is about local bragging rights, regional pride, and a first Copa del Rey since the 1980's for one of the Basque Country's two big guns. To give you what you need to know ahead of the game, we —recap the road to the final, including the elimination of both El Clásico giants —pick three players who you we think are most likely to influence the result —interview Athletic Club's Sales Director Germán Mugueta about what winning would mean to the Bilbao club —spotlight three things to keep an eye out for in the game, ranging from David Silva's influence to Yuri Berchiche's overlaps to the possibility of the trumpet making a reappearance —talk to La Liga Lowdown & Txoko Pod's Beñat Gutiérrez about the rivalry between Athletic and La Real and why it makes the game special There's also a giveaway of a special edition commemorative Athletic Club Copa del Rey final shirt, which you can find over on our Twitter, @RankSquad, brought to you by our partners at @NBFootball - so make sure you head over there to find details of how to enter! And to follow all our game day coverage on Saturday, drop us a follow on our Instagram - @rank.squad It's Ranks!

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Ranking the Champions League & Europa League Last 8 Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

Draws done, brackets done, and the roads to Istanbul and Gdańsk respectively are paved for Europe's elite. So it's time to take a look closer at how these might play out. First up, the Champions League, where Sam ranks Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Porto and Chelsea on the likelihood of them holding ol' Big Ears to the sky on a balmy evening at the Atatürk Stadium, and why. Then it's over to Jack to take a look at his beloved Europa League - where Dinamo Zagreb, Villarreal, Arsenal, Slavia Prague, Granada, Manchester United, Ajax and Roma remain to do battle in order to bring the storied Coupe UEFA back home from Poland. We take a look at each of their chances, and each's strengths and weakness as we career towards's the competition's conclusion. Finally, Dean takes charge of the end to give us a Melon of the Week straight out of the classic social media muddles archive, and ranks his favourite Takeaways during Lockdown in this week's Gibberish. It's Ranks! If one pod a week isn't cutting the mustard any more, and you want two extra episodes and a newsletter weekly for the price of just a pint a month, why not come join us on our Patreon?

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Ranking a Player Care Manager's Life with Hugo Scheckter Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

It's the third instalment of March's InterviewSZN on Ranks FC as we welcome Hugo Scheckter to the pod to pull back the curtain on what life is like in the world of Player Care - in his words, "anything that's not on-the-pitch or medical!" Hugo was Player Care Manager at Southampton and West Ham United in the Premier League, as well as IndyEleven in the US, and explained to us the ins-and-outs of a field that is still relatively young in the football sphere - ranging from how to get into it, the best and worst parts, how players are welcomed, his funniest experiences with players and the future of Player Care as a whole. There's also Things We Love, where Dean talks about the title race in La Liga, Sam discusses the impending U21 European Championships and Jack pours some love out for New Balance's special edition Rose Lavelle boots, which are full stop exquisite. There's also a special Melon of the Week, dedicated to a certain late-arriving Premier League skipper. Thanks for listening, Rank Squad! Make sure you're subscribed to the pod on whatever platform you use, and if you want to give our Patreon a spin in March's free trial, come join us at patreon.com/ranksfc.

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