Football Between The Lines

With Flav recovering from a rave and Dan recovering from Istanbul and another Palace defeat, we ask whether football is pushing away the people who made it.

From disappearing atmospheres and ticketing nonsense to billionaire owners and the pursuit of a global audience, we discuss why supporting your club can feel increasingly disconnected from loving it.

We also get into Michael Carrick’s future at Manchester United, whether any manager can succeed under the current ownership, and the case for Antonio Conte. Would Unai Emery even want the job?

Elsewhere, Flav sees De Zerbi’s Spurs coming together, Dan fears Palace are heading in the opposite direction, and Thomas Frank gets a brutal assessment. Plus Villa’s Nicolas Jackson, Liverpool finding momentum, the relegation picture and which Premier League manager you’d trust with a full English.

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Dan picks through Palace’s demolition at Brighton, the defensive chaos and why seeing it coming somehow makes it worse. We ask how far Brighton can go, whether Arsenal’s football matters as long as they keep winning, and who should carry the blame when a club’s recruitment goes wrong.

Then we get into Manchester City: the prospect of years of legal arguments, whether Premier League clubs could vote them out, and where supporting your team ends and defending everything it does begins.

Plus, Newcastle and Villa, whether passionate support can actually put players under more pressure, and a simple agreement between a Spurs fan and a Palace fan: 17th and above will do.

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Gravenberch’s dismissal gets us arguing about VAR, while Palace’s chaotic comeback against Forest gives Dan plenty to celebrate and plenty to worry about. We also get into Leeds’ impressive showing against Arsenal, Bentancur’s clash with Shaw and why Flav saying “Spurs will be fine” has upset so many people.

Plus, football debates that go nowhere, wearing your club’s shirt with pride and being far too old for a big weekend.

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England have made the international break enjoyable. What’s going on? We discuss Harry Kane’s ridiculous standards, England’s attacking football and why Flav has suddenly stopped moaning about watching his country.

Then it’s back to Manchester City: their appeal, the debate over punishment and whether the uncertainty could follow them onto the pitch at Anfield. We also ask whether football’s financial rules protect the big six, and what a fairer Premier League would actually look like.

Plus, Palace prepare for a reunion with Oliver Glasner, Flav revisits Spurs’ European adventures, and we discuss Sean Dyche, The Overlap’s Fan Debate and the uncomfortable reality of becoming a football clip on the internet.

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What would a meaningful punishment for Manchester City actually look like? This week on Football Between the Lines, we get stuck into City’s financial case, debating points deductions, relegation, stripped titles and what it could all mean for the rest of football. We also discuss Chelsea’s Abramovich era, sportswashing and whether spending rules protect the game or simply protect the clubs already at the top.

Elsewhere, Flav recalls a disastrous attempt to interview Ossie Ardiles and explains why sharing a studio with Sean Dyche wasn’t quite what he expected. Plus, Celtic’s struggles, your comments and the continuing argument over vinegar on beans.

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We thought Arsenal might run away with it, but Manchester City have other ideas. We discuss Brighton’s statement win, whether Maresca has the stronger squad and why Brighton or Brentford could gatecrash the Champions League places.

Elsewhere, Flav searches for reasons to stay positive about bottom-of-the-table Tottenham, we debate how much comfort xG can really offer and ask whether anyone can stop Barcelona. There’s also the Madrid derby, Millwall against West Ham and a choice between winning 5–3 or 1–0.

Plus, Dan declares ketchup is for kids, the ramekin debate returns and Flav discovers the capital of Scotland.

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The Manchester derby delivers another VAR argument, but are Manchester United’s problems the bigger story? We debate Foden’s red card, Bruno’s role in it and whether City look ready to push Arsenal all the way.

Elsewhere, Hull keep upsetting expectations, Chelsea’s defending raises questions and Coventry’s miserable start prompts an uncomfortable Frank Lampard comparison. Flav explains why he’s still positive about Tottenham despite the missing goals, while Dan searches for some normality at Crystal Palace.

Plus, Harry Kane’s Bayern legacy, the managers you want to see fail and a listener’s question about taking penalties to escape prison.

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Flav and Dan react to a chaotic Premier League weekend, including the controversial disallowed goal in Tottenham’s draw with Nottingham Forest, Gabriel’s challenge on Emi Martínez and the continued confusion surrounding referees and VAR.

They also ask whether Manchester United are becoming irrelevant, discuss why social media has distorted the way supporters judge players and attempt to make sense of a bizarre early Premier League table.

Plus, deadline-day chaos at Palace, the importance of actually watching full matches, spicy football takes, beans in ramekins and the latest developments in the Devizes pond.

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Are Arsenal already good enough to win the Premier League, and if they somehow add Julián Alvarez, is the title race basically over before it has properly begun? We also look at Chelsea’s encouraging start, whether they can emerge as genuine contenders, and why their transfer strategy suddenly seems a lot more sensible.

Elsewhere, we get into the growing trend of players downing tools to force transfers, whether keeping the window open after the season starts causes more problems than it solves, and why Premier League clubs are paying enormous fees to buy from each other.

Plus: have modern footballers actually become softer? The surprisingly revealing Pep Guardiola documentary, the end of the Holmesdale Fanatics and what it means for Selhurst Park, Brentford’s impressive evolution, Hull’s flying start, Brennan Johnson, the strange world of podcasting, Morley’s chicken and the increasingly concerning mystery of who knows where Flav lives.

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Flav deals with the fallout from Spurs' nightmare opening weekend against Brentford, while Dan tries to make sense of Palace's problems after defeat at Everton. We ask whether Brentford are one of the best-run clubs in the country, whether Arsenal already have the title sewn up, and just how unpredictable the rest of the league could be.

There's also Isak's return to Newcastle, Aston Villa's problems, Manchester United, the madness of Premier League transfer fees and your questions.

Plus: Szoboszlai's tiny feet, Championship Manager legends, football food and why sometimes a terrible burger is exactly what you want at a game.

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