The Game

Latest Episodes:

Will Former Players Make Better Referees? Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Ian Hawkey.

Chelsea left Turin disappointed after a 1-0 loss at the hands of Juventus. Did they miss Mason Mount and why couldn’t Romelu Lukaku get into the game? (00:00)

Should Villarreal have had the game wrapped-up way before Cristiano Ronaldo scored Manchester United’s winner? Hugh thinks so and Gregor isn’t far behind him (5:30)

PSG beat Manchester City 2-0, but with over twice as many shots and other stats in their favour - were City just unlucky on the night? What positives can Pep Guardiola take from the game? (15:00)

Liverpool did by far the best of any British sides in Europe this week with a 5-1 win away at Porto. Bobby Firmino scored twice, but is he set for an upcoming battle for his starting position? (22:27)

Real Madrid lost to Moldovan minnows Sheriff Tiraspol on Tuesday evening - was this a one-off or are there bigger issues at the Bernabéu? (29:34)

Barcelona have bigger problems on their hands after a 3-0 loss at Benfica. Will the club ever be a European great again? (34:24)

It’s been suggested this week that there’ll be an upcoming initiative encouraging former players to become referees. We grill our own ex-player on whether he thinks he’s be a better referee having played the game professionally (43:30)

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Huge Results & Hot-Legging Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy.

Arsenal and Spurs are going in opposite directions after Mikel Arteta’s side came out of the North London derby 3-1 winners. Have Arsenal turned the corner now and is Nuno really the right man for Spurs? (00:00)

Manchester City got the result they wanted at Stamford Bridge as they ended the weekend level on points with Chelsea. Did Thomas Tuchel get it wrong or were Pep Guardiola’s side just too good? (14:39)

Aston Villa became the latest team to get a result at Old Trafford. Do teams fear going to ’the Theatre of Dreams’ anymore and should Ronaldo have taken that penalty? (25:29)

Brentford didn’t give up and earned a 3-3 draw with Liverpool in what was possibly the best game of the season so far. Is their mentality the key to their success and where can they finish this season? (32:25)

Fans haven’t been allowed to drink alcohol in sight of a professional football pitch since 1985, but that could soon change. It’s worked well in the lower leagues and in other sports - but can it work again in the Premier League and EFL? (41:01)

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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Don't Bash The League Cup! Sep 23, 2021

Show notes

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Jonathan Northcroft.

Nuno returned to Molineux and left with a Carabao Cup victory over his former side. Pep Guardiola can’t make his mind up if he likes the competition or not and Manchester United crash out (00:00)

Reading are set to be deducted points due to breaching EFL financial rules. In the same week Derby County were hit with a 12 point penalty - is the desperation to get into the top flight going too far? (18:26)

Arsenal and Spurs have been off the pace in recent matches and with the first North London derby of the season on Sunday - is this the most irrelevant Premier League match-up ever between the two sides? (30:32)

Spennymoor Town will play a game on Sunday with heading only allowed in the box in the first half and no heading whatsoever allowed after the break. Head for Change are the charity behind the research - but would the lack of heading ruin the beautiful game? (50:03)

Hendon FC beat Hammersmith FC 36-0 in a league match, so we end on memorable maulings and everyone fails to believe Gregor has only played in a side that lost 5-0 (54:46)

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Goodbye Greavsie Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy.

We begin by celebrating the life and career of Jimmy Greaves, who sadly passed away on Sunday aged 81. From 1966 World Cup heartbreak and a struggle with alcohol addiction - Greaves’ achievements on the pitch and reinvention as a television star made him a favourite with generations of fans (00:00)

Two of Greavsie’s former teams played each other on the same day of his passing as Spurs hosted Chelsea. After a touching tribute to a man who means so much to both clubs - it wasn’t much of a contest as Chelsea blew Tottenham away. Were Chelsea as good as the scoreline suggests and what’s wrong at Spurs after another 3-0 loss? (10:32)

Jonathan Northcroft joins us following his conversations with Derby County manager, Wayne Rooney for The Times. As the club stares down a points deduction or potential worse - where’s it all gone wrong at Pride Park? (27:04)

The final five minutes of West Ham vs Manchester United was a rollercoaster with Jesse Lingard scoring against the side he took into Europe last season, Ronaldo not being given multiple penalties and Mark Noble’s questionable first kick off the game losing his side at least a point - we break down what happened at the London Stadium (44:44)

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SPECIAL: Newcastle United - Is There Any Hope At St James' Park? Sep 17, 2021

Show notes

The Times' North East Reporter Martin Hardy joins Hugh Woozencroft and Gregor Robertson to look into the current situation at Newcastle United. At the time of publishing, they sit second bottom of the Premier League table with just one point from four matches. Fans have been unhappy for many years under Mike Ashley - but will the club ever be sold without some reinvestment first?

(This conversation was taken from 'Henderson Saves The Day At Anfield', which was originally released on 16/09/21)

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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Henderson Saves The Day At Anfield Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Paul Joyce.

Liverpool nearly started their European campaign off poorly, but Jordan Henderson saved the day at Anfield. How important is he to Jurgen Klopp’s side? (00:00)

Manchester City looked impressive going forward but also let in three goals last night. Have they shifted tactics or was it just a sloppy night for their defenders against RB Leipzig? (11:23)

Manchester United were somewhat embarrassed on Cristiano Ronaldo’s European return, losing 2-1 to Young Boys. Was the artificial pitch party to blame and did Ole Gunnar Solskjær get his tactics all wrong? (20:30)

Romalu Lukaku scored again at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea got started with a win - how can he look so settled into their side so quickly? (30:15)

There were some other incredible matches in this week’s Champions League. Jude Bellingham looked the real deal, Lionel Messi had a quiet European debut for PSG and a former West Ham striker had quite the night (36:57)

The Times’ North East Reporter Martin Hardy joins us following his article in The Times about the current situation at Newcastle (42:18)

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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He Was Always Going To Score, Wasn't He? Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd.

Cristiano scored twice on his return to Old Trafford. Has he silenced the doubters and does he have special powers at the club? (00:00)

Were the club right to welcome Ryan Giggs back for the game - especially given the allegations against Ronaldo? (09:35)

Sunday Times Reporter David Walsh joined us to describe the atmosphere at Old Trafford after watching Ronaldo’s return (15:30)

It was a mixed weekend for Liverpool. Mo Salah scored his 100th Premier League goal, but the injury to Harvey Elliott overshadowed everything. Gregor gives his opinion on the tackle and red card as a former professional (26:38)

Arsenal finally got their much-needed win, but does this mean they’re on an upward trajectory from here on? (47:54)

After a weekend of debuts - we pick our favourite and not-so-favourite debuts of the past (55:38)

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 Biennial The Way Forward? Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd.

England ended the international break with seven points from nine, something Gareth Southgate sees as a success - but did the performances match up? The England manager didn’t make any substitutes - was that the right decision? (00:00)

Is a World Cup every two years a good idea? UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has reiterated his opposition - but could it be a good thing for the game? (24:22)

With fans set to miss watching Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the Premier League due to the 3pm blackout rule - should it still be in force or have we just been treated to watching every match during the pandemic? (32:57)

Ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United - we take a look at some other successful and unsuccessful returns by former players (43:27)

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 Bellingham The Future of English Football? Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Matt Lawton and Henry Winter.

England have recorded back-to-back wins in World Cup qualifiers. The last game saw Jesse Lingard and Trent Alexander-Arnold return - but what does the future hold for both? (00:00)

The Times’ Chief Football Writer, Henry Winter joins us with his thoughts on the England qualifier and whether Gareth Southgate has been grilled enough after the Euro 2020 final loss (16:18)

We get the latest from the Wales camp with Gary Jacob, after Gareth Bale proved a few people wrong with a hat trick against Belarus. Scotland also did well, beating Moldova 1-0 (42:30)

We unpack the madness after the game between Brazil and Argentina was abandoned after four players allegedly tricked their way into the country by saying they hadn’t been the UK in the past fortnight. This lead to Government officials storming the pitch early in the game (50:18)

The new WSL season got underway over the weekend and with increased media coverage this season, The Times’ Molly Hudson joins us to discuss how this could be a pivotal year for the women’s game in the UK (53:00)

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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Hey, Big Spenders! Sep 02, 2021

Show notes

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft.

Premier League clubs spent £1.1bn in the summer transfer window. Is this responsible given the current state or the world, or is this the norm? (00:00)

We saw a late flurry of deals on deadline day - but who did the best business? Does Ronaldo make Manchester United challengers? (12:14)

England play their first match since *that final we don’t speak about* tonight. Will they suffer a Euros hangover or can they move on to bigger things? What does our panel make of the attacking options in Gareth Southgate’s squad? (40:55)

Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the top goalscorer in men’s international football - does this mean he’ll focus on his club career now? (58:10)

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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