The Game

Latest Episodes:

Did Rafa Stand a Chance? Jan 17, 2022

Show notes

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)

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Top 3.. Is Ronaldo Speaking Sense? Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

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)

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Up The Cup! Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

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)

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Shocks and Awkwardness Jan 06, 2022

Show notes

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)

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Blown Out Of Proportion? Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

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)

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Excuses, Excuses, Excuses... Dec 30, 2021

Show notes

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)

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Boxing Day Bonanza Dec 27, 2021

Show notes

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)

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Are Manchester City About To Pull Away? Dec 20, 2021

Show notes

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)

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Does Football Need A Covid Break? Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

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)

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A Weekend Of Penalties Dec 13, 2021

Show notes

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

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