The Game

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Potter In A Spot Of Bother Jan 09, 2023

Show notes

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)

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Was Nathan Jones A Mistake For Southampton? Jan 05, 2023

Show notes

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)

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Are Spurs Actually Underperforming? Jan 02, 2023

Show notes

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)

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Liverpool’s Stealth Signings Dec 29, 2022

Show notes

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)

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The World Cup Is A Distant Memory Dec 23, 2022

Show notes

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)

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World Cup 2022: Episode 26 - Messi’s World Cup Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

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)

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World Cup 2022: Episode 25 - The World Cup Final Preview Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

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)

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World Cup 2022: Episode 24 - Morocco Dominate, But France Make The Final Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

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)

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World Cup 2022: Episode 23 - More Messi Magic Inspires Argentina! Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

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)

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World Cup 2022: Episode 22 - Crunch Time For Messi and Modrić Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

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)

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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)

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)

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