Football Today

Back in April, Bayern Munich were playing a game and losing…

If that weren’t already remarkable enough, that 1-0 loss to Kaiserslautern was actually enough to see them win the league title.

As you might have guessed, this was not Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich, but Sebastien Hoeness’ Bayern Munich Zwei - Bayern’s B-Team. 

But having won the Dritte Liga, Bayern Zwei had got as high as they could go. Even Bayern’s reserves had become uncompetitive.

Over in England, the debate over B-Teams rages on.

With coronavirus pushing the pyramid to the limit, solutions to the problem of English football are rife. The call for B-Teams is back.

In this episode, we ask: are B-Teams really the solution to English football’s problems?

Guests: 

James Cave (@jaycave14) is the co-founder of Against League 3 (@AgainstLeague3) a media channel that raises awareness on lower league issues.

Matt Ford (@matt_4d) is a freelance journalist who covers German football and fan culture for DW Sports and others.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

Sunday Lights - Onesuch Village

Gullwing Sailor - Migration

Felt Lining - The Cabinetmaker

Vik Fence Haflak - The Fence

Paving Stones - The Contessa

Boston Landing - Skittle

Relay 7 - Marble Run

Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio

For much of the summer headlines in England were dominated by Chelsea deals and Manchester United speculation. But if you looked under the surface a trend was picking up with pace; clubs were paying more for younger players than ever before.

On today's episode we ask: are clubs investing too much money in 'wunderkids'?

Guest:

Omar Chaudhuri (@omarchaudhuri) is the Chief Intelligence Officer at the consulting firm, 21st club.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Paper Feather’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Bundt’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Marquetry’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Vernouillet’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

On Sunday, Sergino Dest made his debut for Barcelona, making him the first American to play for the club in a competitive fixture.

He’s not the only young American thriving at an elite club in Europe. So’s Christian Pulisic…

Weston McKennie…

Gio Reyna…

In fact, there have never been more Americans playing the sport at the highest level.

In this episode, we ask: is there a revolution taking place within US soccer?

Guest:

Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) is a NYT Best Selling Author and host of the Futbol with Grant Wahl podcast.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

Pxl Cray - The Fence

Dirty Wallpaper - Lemuel

Lumber Down - Barstool

Children of Lemuel - Lemuel

Delicious - Towboat

Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio

Last week it seemed like every football conversation was about the new enforcement of the handball rule. But football games weren't always dominated by penalty decisions. In fact, there was a time before penalty kicks even existed.

Today we revisit the origin of the penalty kick and ask: has the original intent been lost?

Guests:

Stephen McManus is the Secretary of the Milford Building Preservation Trust.

Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) is a Features Writer for Yahoo Sports 

Additional Reading:

https://sports.yahoo.com/handball-rule-soccer-football-fix-tottenham-newcastle-ifab-165144057.html?src=rss

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Stucco Blue’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Tessalit’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Li Fonte’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Guinea’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Thumbscrew’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Scalloped’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

As the coronavirus continues to roil its way across the world, causing devastation in its wake, there is no area that is not affected.

Football is no different.

But to talk about an amorphous entity “Football” is one thing. The reality is quite different.

In English football, we like to talk about the football pyramid - a metaphor which conjures up the idea of a communal egalitarianism, a base springing from the grassroots and lofting its way all the way up to the Premier League.

With lower league football rocking on its heels, we ask: is there really such a thing as the football pyramid? And what does the top have to do with the bottom?

Guests:

Michael Calvin (@CalvinBook) is a best-selling author whose books include The Nowhere Men, Living On The Volcano, No Hunger In Paradise and State of Play. He also hosts BT Sports Football Writers Podcast.

Ollie Bayliss (@Ollie_Bayliss) is a Journalist, Football Commentator and Presenter of The Non-League Show on BBC Three Counties Radio.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

Periodicals by Albany, NY

Felt Lining by The Cabinetmaker

The Trestle by Lillehammer

Four and Fourteen by Holyoke

Mineral Still by Cholate

Ultima Thule by Glacier Quartet - Araby

Fullback used to be an unfashionable position but now some of the Premier League's best players play right-back.

Tariq Lamptey has terrorized defenses to start the season and has drawing penalties and praise all around England.

Today we profile Brighton's breakout star and explain why we're seeing better right-backs than ever before.

Guests:

Andy Naylor (@AndyNaylorBHAFC) covers Brighton and Hove Albion for The Athletic and that is where you can read his recent profile on Tariq Lamptey.

Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) is a freelance journalist whose work can be found in the i paper, BBC Sport and the Totally Football Show amongst others

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Desmontes’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Cirrus’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Cash Cow’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Highway 430’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Slow Rollout’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Setting Pace’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

In 1972, Hunter Davies released a book that documented his experiences spending a whole season behind the scenes with Bill Nicholson’s Spurs.

Davies's book - The Glory Game - offers an eye-opening account of football in the 70s with a level of intimacy that gave the book a real edge as a piece of football history.

Nearly 50 years later, global mega-company Amazon are offering a comparative experience. But where Hunter Davies went in armed with a notepad and pencil, Amazon takes us behind-the-scenes with video cameras and microphones.

In this episode, we ask: what did we learn from All or Nothing, Amazon’s television docu-series about Spurs?

Guests:

Jack Pitt-Brook (@JackPittBrooke) covers Tottenham and England for the Athletic and hosts the View from the Lane podcast.

Chris Miller (@WindyCOYS) is the host of the Extra Inch podcast 15 Minutes (With Flav And Windy) a podcast in which Flav and Windy devote 15 minutes to a random topic.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

Cicle Clavis Textile - Cicle Kadde

Waterbourne - Algae Fields

Three Stories - Skittle

Entrance Shaft 11 - The Depot

Topslides - The Cabinetmaker

Scalloped - Crab Shack

Last Sunday, scenes became ugly in France's biggest game, Marseille vs PSG. There were kicks and punches thrown and allegations of racism, homophobia, and spitting. But when the dust settled, Marseille was the 1-0 victor.

It was the first time Marseille had beaten PSG in the League for 9 years. With two losses to open the season PSG's position at the top of French football now looks vulnerable.

Today we ask, can Marseille mount a Ligue 1 title challenge?

Guest:

Eric Devin (@ericdevin_) is a French football expert and works as a Chief Features Writer for Get French Football News as well as the Guardian and WhoScored.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Vik Fence Haflak’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Three Stories’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Valantis’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Cab Ride’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

A little over four years ago Wolves were an average team in the Championship. Now they're competing with the top teams in the country. One of the primary reasons for their success has been their recruitment of Portuguese players. In the current transfer window they've recruited two top talents from FC Porto; Fabio Silva and Vitinha. 

Today, we analyze their recent signings and look at the growing influence of superagents and networks in football.

Guests:

Joe Edwards (@JoeEdwards_Star) covers Wolves for the Express and Star and is a co-host of the E&S Wolves Podcast.

Dr.Paul Widdop (@Fire_and_Skill) is an Associate Professor of Sport at Manchester Metropolitan University and is the Chair of the Football Collective.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Tiny Putty’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Filing Away’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Fiesty and Tacky’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Clay Pawn Shop’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

At the end of September last year, Leeds United visited the Valley to play Charlton in the EFL Championship.

In the end, it was an unremarkable enough game, despite the eventual Champions losing to newly promoted Charlton. 

But after the game, it soon became apparent that something more sinister had happened on the pitch.

After a long investigation by the FA, Kiko Casilla was eventually found guilty of a charge of racist abuse and received an 8 match ban and a 60,000 pound fine.

Leeds United, though, stuck by their player.

In this episode, we ask: did Leeds United get things wrong in their response to the Kiko Casilla incident? 

Guest:

Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) covers Leeds United for the Athletic

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘A Simple Shroud - Ray Catcher’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Taoudella - Azalai’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Well Water - The Bulwark’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Periodicals - Albany, NY’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio’ by Blue Dot Sessions