The Game

Latest Episodes:

1.5 Feet In The Final? Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

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)

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The Divock Origi Fanclub Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

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)

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United Go Dutch Apr 21, 2022

Show notes

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)

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Dyche Out The Door Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

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)

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Hair Tug and ten Hag Apr 14, 2022

Show notes

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)

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Will The Top Two Drop Points? Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

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)

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Karim's Time To Shine Apr 07, 2022

Show notes

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)

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You're Asking The Wrong Thomas Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

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

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Is Jude Bellingham Overhyped? Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

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

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Guéhi, Bale and The King's Road Lakers Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

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

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