The Game

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Final day drama predicted as Everton, Leicester & Leeds fight for survival and Spurs manager hunt continues May 25, 2023

Show notes

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Jonathan Northcroft & Gregor Robertson

After 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.

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Man City Are Champions Again; Forest Survive & Brighton Qualify For Europe! May 22, 2023

Show notes

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

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Man City on course for treble as Toney gets hit with 8 month ban May 18, 2023

Show notes

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 history

We 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.

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Man City hold their nerve to move one step closer to title May 15, 2023

Show notes

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.

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Champions League final in sight May 11, 2023

Show notes

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?

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Goals galore on a manic Monday of Premier League football! May 09, 2023

Show notes

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd, Gregor Robertson & Charlotte Duncker

Was 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.

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Record-Breaking Haaland & Big Sam Is Back! May 04, 2023

Show notes

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

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Mayday For Leeds and Groundhog Day For Spurs May 01, 2023

Show notes

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

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Is That The Title Decided? Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

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?

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Arsenal Slip Up; Spurs Swept Aside & Who Will Go Down?! Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

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.

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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)

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

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 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)

Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame

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)

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)

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