’On the mean streets of Tranmere you are just one call away from justice…’ After an extended break, the Football+ Podcast returns to go in two-footed on the big issues other footy pods are afraid to tackle - including the biggest of them all… Yes, at long last, we finally discuss which football managers would make the best TV detectives! Other topics for host Paul Bennett and Bolton Wanderers-supporting guest Neil Hodgson include the UEFA Nations League, the Mourinho Meltdown (TM) and crappy ground sponsorships. Test your knowledge in Benno’s Quiz, imbibe the wisdom of Sir Alex in ‘Benno Reads…’ and see if our Nez can get his pet hates banished to Bootroom 101. Email us: [email protected] Twitter: @FootyPlusCast

Footy is back! With the new Premier League season just around the corner, host Paul Bennett is joined by Day Riley, Neil Hodgson and Rob Anderson to assess each club’s chances. Can anybody dethrone Pep’s City? Is Mourinho headed for another meltdown? Has Klopp run out of excuses? What of the new gaffers in London, Emery and Sarri? Should Newcastle owner Mike Ashley cough up more cash for Rafa, or is he right to spend his money on Sports Direct mugs instead? Will Wolves, Cardiff and Fulham survive among the big boys and - if so - who’s for the dreaded drop? Who’ll be first on the Megson Clock? The gang make their predictions and, perhaps just as importantly, wonder what’s the most extravagant delicacy you can eat at a game and reveal who is the best ever Neighbours character (it’s Football ‘PLUS…’ after all). There’s Benno’s Quiz and a Premier League special of Bootroom 101 - plus a free crate of beer for all our listeners! Get in touch by emailing [email protected] or by following us on Twitter @FootyPlusCast. Please rate and subscribe for more.

Host Paul Bennett shares a pint with Englishman abroad Chris Newton-Smith a.k.a. @irontoothdesign while chatting about his adopted Major League Soccer club Atlanta United who are taking the MLS by storm. What’s game day like at ‘the Benz’? How does US footy fan culture compare with the UK? Did the Yanks care about the World Cup when they weren’t in it? Why are their chants so rubbish? All this and more… plus ‘Benno Reads… Souness’ and the return of ‘Jude Book Jury’. Can Chris tell separate the ‘Real’ from the fake in Benno’s quiz? And will his biggest pet peeves earn entry to Bootroom 101? Get in touch by emailing [email protected] or by following us on Twitter @FootyPlusCast. Please rate and subscribe for more.

Part Two of the Football+ World Cup Special sees Paul Bennett, Jude Riley, Matthew Leonard and Neil Hodgson getting progressively more drunk while attempting to tackle Groups E-H… including England’s potential fortunes. The lads chat Southgate, Sterling and more, and wonder whether Bobby M’s Belgium are really all that? Also, are Brazil the team to beat, or will the sexless Germans give them another seeing to? ML’s Football Insider gives hot tips on who to look out for, Brendan Riley speaks to the man on the street and the boys compete to win a special prize in Benno’s World Cup quiz… You can get in touch by emailing [email protected] or by following us on Twitter @FootyPlusCast. Please rate and subscribe for more.

Warm-up for Russia 2018 with this Football+ Podcast World Cup Special recorded at DOA Studios in Bolton. Regular host Paul Bennett is joined by Jude Riley, Matthew Leonard and Neil Hodgson to preview a summer of soccer Soviet-style. Part One includes in-depth err… ‘analysis’ of Groups A-D. Should the tournament even be in Russia? Does anybody want super-villain Ronaldo to achieve the ultimate goal? Will it all end in tears for Lionel Messi? Will we all be laughing at France again? ML’s Football Insider goes ‘inside the facts’ to assess the runners and riders, there’s a touch of the poetic from a renowned punk poet, and the boys try to condemn the worst of the World Cup to Bootroom 101…

You can change gender, but can you change your footy team? In Episode 7 of the Football+ Podcast at Manchester’s Crown & Kettle, host Paul Bennett wonders if Evertonian Day Riley might be happier as a Liverpool fan. Is it too late? What next for the Toffees? Should Big Sam stay or go? Our reporter Brendan Riley asks the man on the street. Day and Benno talk Sir Alex Ferguson, while Benno reads excerpts from the autobiography of another true United legend. Plus, will ‘women’s football’ be condemned to Bootroom 101? And should gay footballers come out?

The game’s gone, Gary! At least that’s the case for our latest guest, Birmingham City fan Olly Winkles, who explains why he’s fallen out of love with football. Can he be brought back from the brink? Host Paul Bennett gives it his best shot by taking the disillusioned Brummie to his first live game in years. Benno reads Rooney, Brendan Riley talks to the man on the street after a stunning round of Champions League action, and there’s a new feature as Jude Riley reviews Andrea Pirlo’s autobiography in the first ever ‘Jude Book Jury’. Last but definitely not least, Olly tries to condemn the worst of football to Bootroom 101. Which UK region really gets his goat? Find out here…

Even the Beast From the East can’t stop host Paul Bennett fulfilling his fixture with Reds fan Brendan Riley at the Cross Keys in the heart of Liverpool. Just how good is Mo Salah exactly? Are Jurgen Klopp’s men better without Coutinho? Can we get these chicken wings every episode? Those are the burning questions. Benno Reads King Kenny while Bren does his best to make history in condemning the worst of football to Bootroom 101. Can he become the first guest to go 3/3? Find out here…

Host Paul Bennett visits the Lord Nelson in Clayton-le-Woods, Lancashire to chat with Evertonian Mark Houghton. Topics include ‘bitter Blues’, Big Nev and the magic of the FA Cup - all to a banging Eighties soundtrack. Benno reads excerpts from the autobiography of a Liverpudlian legend while Mark attempts to condemn the very worst of football to the fiery hell-pit that is Bootroom 101…

Episode 3 of the Football+ Podcast sees host Paul Bennett sit down for a pint (or four) of Chocolate Fudge Stout with Manchester United fan Matthew Leonard. Topics include the commercialisation of football, the capital of Djibouti, creosote and penalty shoot-outs. Benno reads El Tel, the boys play a game of ‘Higher or Lower’ and Matt tries to consign his top pet hates to Bootroom 101.