B/R Football Ranks

Meet David Olaoye, the 23-year-old from London who is writing his name into the history books in a way different to any other. Leaving the English lower leagues at just 17, David has travelled a career path all his own, that has taken him from Greece to Slovakia to Norway, via Argentina, where he became the first Englishmen to ever play professionally in the country. David talks us through his maddest stories, his career so far, and his hopes for the future; as well as the experiences he's had across the world.

To get involved, join the Rank Squad by using the hashtag #BRFootballRanks or hitting us up on social media!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Merry Christmas Rank Squad! It's B/R Football Ranks in a festive football feast, ranking everything from our favourite Christmas songs to the best seasonal chants, and at a special time of year, we thought we'd gift you with two very special interviews from this season.

First up, Slovakia international, Fiorentina and Sparta Prague defender David Hancko - real life member of the Rank Squad and listener to the podcast - dropped by to talk with us about his football influences, talking about Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and Milan Skriniar as well as what it's like to have to train on Christmas Day.

Then, Sam talks to USMNT legend Steve Cherundolo - asking about his fledgling coaching career and how Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have been in spirits for him for his as a coach.

It's a special week and so we'll be back soon Squad - Merry Christmas to you and yours!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Champions League round of 16 is set and it's one of the most exciting rounds we've seen in years, so we ranked it! Stu Holden, B/R's lead analyst on our Champions League show and former US international, joined the Rank Squad to discuss potential upsets, ties that most caught our eye and everything else UCL related.

It's also the end of the decade, which is kind of wild, so we looked back across the last ten years and put together our XI of the decade, the players that have most impressed us with longevity and talent - the ones we'd pick to defend the planet if aliens descended and challenged us to a game of football for our very survival.

To get involved, follow @brfootball on Twitter and Instagram, and use the hashtag #BRFootballRanks!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Have you ever wondered where you should go, and where you should avoid, on a European football tour? Wonder no longer! The man who literally wrote the book on touring European football, Matt Walker, joined Jack Collins, Sam Tighe and Dean Jones to explore some of the best stories and locations he'd visited. We asked him about the best atmospheres he visited, the coolest stadiums he encountered, the biggest clubs that hosted him and the scariest things he witnessed, amongst a general tour of all things UEFA.

Opening the podcast, burning questions addressed the issues that both Manchester City and Juventus were currently facing, as well as a quick discussion of Fred's recent improvement at Manchester United, before Dean handed out Melon of the Week to a certain Bayern Munich midfielder.

With the Clasico coming up next week, we figured it would be a good time to theme the Roulette wheel with Spain's biggest fixture - discussing why the delays might have been a good thing for the spectator, which Real Madrid player we'd have as our phone background and if Barca are a one man team; before the Picks League returns and Sam hits nonsense rankings with a Political Party broadcast before the upcoming UK elections.

To get involved, follow @brfootball on Twitter and Instagram, and use the hashtag #BRFootballRanks!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Leo Messi might have won the Ballon d'Or but the big question still remains - does Virgil van Dijk wear aftershave on the football pitch? Sam Tighe (@brsamtighe) and Dean Jones (@deanjonesbr) went to the Ballon d'Or to find out, and they join host Jack Collins (@jjwc) to reflect on a night full of awards, including a record sixth title for King Leo. We also spoke to Yashin Award winner and Goalkeeper of the Year, Alisson Becker; and Kopa Trophy Under-21 Player of the Year winner Matthijs De Ligt to find out what they made of the night.

Then, with 2019 done and dusted, it's time to throw things forward, as Sam ranks his top five contenders to lift the Ballon d'Or trophy in 2020, before a ball has been kicked. Can Messi keep his crown? Can Ronaldo bite back? Can Virgil go 0.4% further and win the thing? Is Kylian Mbappe the heir to the throne? It's all up for debate as we talk through the contenders.

The Roulette wheel returns, with a special German theme this week, Dean and Sam go head-to-head on naming this week's Melon of the Week before Sam rounds things off by ranking the weirdest things about France from his 24 hours in Paris covering the Ballon d'Or.

To get involved, follow @brfootball on Twitter and Instagram, and use the hashtag #BRFootballRanks!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We went to Unai Emery's last game in charge of Arsenal to see just how bad things had got at the Emirates. It was about as bad as we expected, and this morning Emery was finally shown the exit door, leaving Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg in the dugout for the foreseeable future. We discuss the things he has to do to steady the ship, before talking about some managers that would be a perfect fit for Arsenal, and the players they should be looking to sign in January.

It's back to the road then, as we rewind to last night and get the reaction from fans in North London about what went wrong for Emery, how they think Arsenal can move forwards, and what they want to see in their next manager.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Jose Mourinho took charge of his first home game of his Tottenham tenure on Tuesday, coming back from 0-2 down to beat Olympiacos 4-2 in the Champions League.

Jack Collins and Dean Jones went out on the ground to find out how Spurs fans are feeling about their new manager, their old manager, signings, systems, the winning mentality and whether trophies are on the way - and documented a thrilling game of football whilst they were at it.

Hot Takes this week is replaced by Burning Questions, where we addressed the situation with Gareth Bale at Real Madrid, how long Unai Emery has left in the Arsenal hot seat, and just what happened with 'phone-gate' at AC Milan this weekend.

There's room for Melon of the Week, which has found a home in the Bundesliga; and despite being too unwell to be in full attendance, Sam wrote us out a nonsense rankings which fully lives up to its name.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Spurs pull the trigger on Poch and replace him with Jose Mourinho, in a twist that few saw coming. Sam Tighe (@brsamtighe) and Dean Jones (@deanjonesbr) join host Jack Collins (@jjwc) to reflect on one of the biggest news stories of the year, examining why it happened and whether Mourinho is set up to succeed or fail in his new role.

Then, with the International break done and dusted, we take a look at EURO 2020, and rank the five teams who are best placed to win UEFA's showpiece event next summer. We talk Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal and France; as well as discussing Spain and England's chances, and also taking a theoretical look at where Brazil, Argentina, the USA and AFCON champions Algeria would finish if they were invited as the four guest nations.

The Picks League returns, and there's a new player on the table, a 'monkey in a suit', to see if he can outdo the Rank Squad, before Sam rounds things off by ranking Premier League footballers who he would love to be the President or Head of State of their respective countries.

To get involved, follow @brfootball on Twitter and Instagram, and use the hashtag #BRFootballRanks!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It's the big international break and so it feels like the right time to look back and assess the season so far! Sam Tighe (@brsamtighe) and Dean Jones (@deanjonesbr) join host Jack Collins (@jjwc) to take a look at the the whole 2019/20 club season in Europe, talking through:

-Best clubs domestically (06:46)

-Melons of the season up to now (10:50)

-Standout players (15:14)


-Surprise packages you need to watch (19:39)


-Best teams in the Champions League (28:57)

Roulette has an international theme this week, and asks us to pick a back four with only one player from each continent allowed (35:35); who would win the World Cup if nations could only pick players that player in their domestic league (37:28) and what the most competitive position in international football is (39:22); before we go into round two of the Ranks Picks League (43:56) and Sam rounds things off by ranking the worst times he's ever lost his house keys (it gets weird) (47:11).

To get involved, follow @brfootball on Twitter and Instagram, and use the hashtag #BRFootballRanks!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Liverpool are six points clear at the top of the Premier League and flying ahead of the visit of closest challengers Manchester City. Is this finally their year, and can they prove it this weekend (02:46)? Sam Tighe, Dean Jones and Jack Collins are joined by John Gibbons of The Anfield Wrap to take a deep dive on Liverpool. We discuss Liverpool's MVP's (09:11), the opponents they want to beat most (13:17), as well as three key reasons they could win (16:04) and lose (17:35) this weekend.

That's not all though, because across the rest of Europe there's plenty of other showstopper games taking place as well. We head next to Germany, where we spoke to Bundesliga expert Manuel Veth to talk through this weekend's Klassiker between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, before taking a look at both their starts and who will be in the dugout for Bayern in such a big game (25:03). From there, we're off to Italy where Juventus take on AC Milan this weekend - in a clash of old vs new - and we speak to Calcio specialist Chloe Beresford to get her view on the game, before taking it back to the studio for a deep dive (34:05).

There's a special theme to Roulette as well, as we take a tour of Spain. We talk about our favourite regions (40:11); which of Barcelona, Real or Atleti we would join if we were a hot prospect (43:01), and whether Atleti's system is holding back their attacking potential (44:33); there's a debut for our latest segment - the Picks league, where Dean and Sam will face off making predictions for the upcoming weekend (48:21); before Sam rounds things off by ranking London's worst tube lines, and comparing them to Premier League clubs (50:27).

To get involved, follow @brfootball on Twitter and Instagram, and use the hashtag #BRFootballRanks!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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