Football Ramble

After another shambolic weekend of VAR, there was only one thing we could start with on today’s episode of Jules & Andy. As officials mishandle baffling clear decisions, we discuss the effect these mistakes has on players’ most visceral emotions while on the pitch and the lack of training for match officials. We also speak to former Premier League referee Peter Walton, who wonders whether the Premier League was even ready for VAR this season due to this lack of training and understanding.

It’s not all VAR chat, though, as we take another look at FFP in light of UEFA’s decision to ban Manchester City from European competition. We examine what the policy aims to achieve in a wider context, how it works in practice and how clubs can spend their money on vast improvements without breaking any regulations. 

Get in touch via twitter: @julesbreach @andybrassell @footballramble or via email: [email protected]!

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** 

The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Choose the Ramble vs everyone else.

Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League and Champions League season, covering Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Olivier Giroud is back with a bang, as his perfect, handsome features reminded Spurs of what could have been after they missed out on signing him in January. Elsewhere, Brendan Rodgers kept an impressive lid on it while Eddie Howe looks like a man wobbling on the edge. 

On top of all this there’s Brad Pitt, Axl Rose, the return of Matej Vydra (again), more inbox terror and the gift that keeps on giving: Keane vs Carrragher.

Search ‘Football Ramble Daily’ on social media to find us, and email us here: [email protected] 

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** 

Further reading: 

Mikel Arteta is determined to keep Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang:

http://www.skysports.com/share/11941390

Frank Lampard isn’t happy after VAR nonsense:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/feb/22/frank-lampard-chelsea-red-card-var-tottenham

A deer scores a goal and celebrates:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_zbrxAQtoI

The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Choose the Ramble vs everyone else.

Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League and Champions League season, covering Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we take a look back at a game of genuine historical importance in European football history. On today’s episode of Greatest Games, in association with The Blizzard, we’re joined by The Independent’s Miguel Delaney to discuss the 1963 European Cup final between Milan and Benfica.

This pivotal moment in the history of the European Cup cannot be understated; it represented two dominant teams at opposite ends of their respective cycles. Milan arrived as purveyors of a free-scoring, but still pragmatic, catenaccio and regarded themselves as significant underdogs. But, with their manager Nereo Rocco’s pre-match antics on the bus helping to lighten the mood, two goals from José Altafini denied Benfica their third consecutive European Cup. This was an early example of modernity in football tactics; a team winning on the strength of a tactical system with eleven components, rather than relying on eleven individuals beating their opposite man. 

Miguel's article for The Blizzard about this match is available here: https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/article/ac-milan-2-benfica-1

For more stories from the annals of football history, visit www.theblizzard.co.uk to explore their archives that contain over 700 articles of stories just like this one!

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Choose the Ramble vs everyone else.

Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League and Champions League season, covering Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a big week in the ol’ football, as European football resumes and Big Weng steps in to do something about the offside rule – something we’re all frankly a little unsure about. 

We even saw Liverpool lose, as Atletico took a 1-0 lead into their second leg match at Anfield, insulting the place as they did so. Let’s see how that pans out. That’s not all we saw; we saw Richard Blackwood haunting Spurs; we saw Barcelona cleverly manipulating time itself; we saw a bitten penis. 

And if even that isn’t enough, Cristiano Ronaldo and Pingu drop in to say hello. 

Search ‘Football Ramble Daily’ on social media to find us, and email us here: [email protected] 

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** 

Further reading:

Pep Guardiola vows to stay at Man City whatever happens:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/feb/19/pep-guardiola-vows-stay-at-manchester-city-back-fight-uefa-against-ban

Miguel Delaney on Arsene Wenger’s plans for the offside rule: 

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/arsene-wenger-offside-rule-law-change-fifa-var-arsenal-manager-a9344621.html

Jose Mourinho is down to the bare bones:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51567537

The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Choose the Ramble vs everyone else.

Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League and Champions League season, covering Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s nice to have the Champions League back, isn’t it? Like a nice mug of warm cocoa on a cold midweek night. We give this week’s round of fixtures a thorough going over on today’s episode of On The Continent, which features Andy Brassell, Lars Sivertsen and David Cartlidge!

We begin with Atlético Madrid’s hugely impressive win over Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano. We discuss the unwavering influence of Saúl Ñíguez on this Atléti side and their unrelenting commitment to miserly defending that infuriates their opposition. Afterwards, we check in with Lars for another episode of Håland Watch™, as the teenage sensation scored both goals in Dortmund’s win over PSG. David also talks us through Thomas Tuchel’s bizarre changes to PSG’s line up, Marco Verrati’s incessant stupidity and Neymar throwing the PSG medical staff under the bus.

We also decide whether José Mourinho is finished as an elite European coach and assess Barcelona’s enforced signing of Leganes striker Martin Braithwaite!

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Choose the Ramble vs everyone else.

Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League and Champions League season, covering Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim's delighted to be joined by actor, comedian, writer, rapper, screenwriter and voice of VAR at Selhurst Park, Doc Brown!

His team is packed with ninjas, accountants (in this case the same man), a man so good his name replaced the word “volley” in the ‘90s, surprise packages and an overlooked all time great, cleverly gelled together by a figure who commands more respect than any other living being. 

There was also time to discuss the proliferation of bird-related iconography in football, those heartbreaking “what if?” moments that are a definitive part of being a fan and some not-that-surprising revelations about one Pete Donaldson.

Search ‘Football Ramble Daily’ on social media to find us, and email us here: [email protected] 

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Choose the Ramble vs everyone else.

Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League and Champions League season, covering Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We begin today’s episode of Jules & Andy with an in-depth look at the current state of affairs at Manchester City, as sports lawyer Daniel Geey joins us to explain the current situation after UEFA's ruling and what the immediate next steps will be. We then discuss whether it would be advantageous for City to seek an expedited appeal and try have this matter sorted before the end of the season, as well as assessing the futures of Pep Guardiola, their current crop of players and the wider City project.

Then, in light of various shocking instances across football this weekend, we take a look at the latest attempts to combat racism suffered by players whilst on the pitch. Andy reveals how some have misjudged Porto’s players’ - and manager Sérgio Conceição’s - handling of Moussa Marega’s attempt boycott of their match against Vitoria Guimaraes, while we also discuss different ways fans and staff tackled the problem at Germany’s SC Preußen Münster and Atherstone Town respectively. 

Many thanks to Daniel Geey for speaking to us; you can purchase his book ‘Done Deal’ here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Done-Deal-Contracts-Multi-Million-Transfers/dp/1472947177

Get in touch via twitter: @julesbreach @andybrassell @footballramble or via email: [email protected]!

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** 

The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Choose the Ramble vs everyone else.

Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League and Champions League season, covering Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Massive news from the rulings department of football as Man City face a potential two year ban from the Champions League. It’s potentially seismic stuff, and we are as measured and mature about the whole thing as you might expect. 

We also make time to discuss Joelinton’s woes in front of goal, and how they might be helped if he actually spent more time in front of goal, Sean Dyche motivating his players by showing them the opposition accurately describing their tactics and we’ve even got time to take a trip to Daniel Farke’s tuck shop. 

Search ‘Football Ramble Daily’ on social media to find us, and email us here: [email protected] 

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** 

Further reading: 

How bad could things get for Manchester City?

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/feb/16/champions-league-ban-manchester-city-butterfly

It’s now almost 2000 minutes without a goal for Joelinton:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51526267

Graeme Souness has some high praise for Nicolas Pepe:

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/11936330/graeme-souness-compares-nicolas-pepe-to-thierry-henry-after-newcastle-goal

The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Choose the Ramble vs everyone else.

Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League and Champions League season, covering Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re heading back to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil for today’s episode of Greatest Games, in association with The Blizzard. The Guardian’s Jonathan Liew joins us to discuss the Netherlands’ 5-1 dismantling of Spain, as “Louis Van Gaal created something he loved - and then destroyed it.”

Spain arrived at this tournament with the same formula that saw them win the preceding three as the likes of Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Andrés Iniesta looked to dominate possession. They took the lead and controlled the early exchanges in El Salvador but, with Louis van Gaal switching to a back three for this game, his Netherlands side took advantage of Spain's lethargic midfield. We discuss a fantastic game that featured scintillating goals from Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben, and saw the end of Spain’s possession-dominating era.

For more stories from the annals of football history, visit www.theblizzard.co.uk to explore their archives that contain over 700 articles of stories just like this one!

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Choose the Ramble vs everyone else.

Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League and Champions League season, covering Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pete’s back, via the floor of Topman, and he brings with him some revelations about emails. The long and the short of it is that Jim is an idiot. 

You already knew that though, so let’s crack on with the other features of the show; Arsenal vs Newcastle! These teams are level on points and between them have drawn seven of their last eight. Is this just a bad season? Marcus Speller thinks otherwise and has stats from The Financial Sport to back up this theory. 

To top it all off we've got some backseat management from Carlos Carvahal, José's customary summer war chest and a golden opportunity for Wolves to separate themselves from the dross.

Search ‘Football Ramble Daily’ on social media to find us, and email us here: [email protected] 

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** 

Further reading:

Brendan Rodgers defends James Maddison, as is tradition:

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/james-maddison-brendan-rodgers-leicester-city-manchester-united-transfer-news-dubai-pictures-video-a9332841.html

Mauricio Pochettino is up for a Premier League return:

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/11931666/mauricio-pochettino-id-love-a-premier-league-return

Chelsea start their summer business early:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/feb/12/chelsea-agree-40m-deal-to-sign-hakim-ziyech-from-ajax-in-summer

The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Choose the Ramble vs everyone else.

Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League and Champions League season, covering Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Spurs. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.