Football Today

For most of us, James Rodriguez burst onto the scene during the 2014 World Cup. But since then, the Colombian playmaker has not really reached the ceiling that many expected he could reach…

This week, though, James took a new step in his career, joining Everton in time for the beginning of a new Premier League season.

In this episode, we ask: how will James Rodriguez fit in at Everton?

Guest:

Alex Stewart (@AFHStewart) is Senior Content Strategist for The Athletic and covers tactics for Tifo Football (@TifoFootball_).

Alex recently published a piece at The Athletic titled: "What makes James Rodriguez an elite player – and where he will fit at Everton"

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Music:

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

‘House of Grendel - Lemuel’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Minutes - Pacha Faro’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Kalsted - Lillehammer’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Paramo Ocho - El Baul’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Lakkalia - Banana Cream’ from Blue Dot Sessions

Welcome to a bonus episode of Football Today. On yesterday's episode, we made the case for why Barcelona should sell Lionel Messi. Today we step back and take a look at the role of star players more generally in the transfer window. How important are they and how easy are they to replace?

Guest:

Omar Chaudhuri (@OmarChaudhuri) is the Chief Intelligence Officer at 21st Club and 15th Club.

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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

‘Boston Landing’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Refraction’ from Podington Bear

On August 25th Lionel Messi declared his intent to leave FC Barcelona. Then, last Friday, he shocked the world by saying he would return to Barca for one last season. Many fans and pundits have looked at this as a 'win' for the club. But what if Barcelona is better off without Messi? 

Today we make the case for why Barcelona should sell Messi. This was recorded on Thursday before Messi made his decision. 

Guest:

Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) covers La Liga for The Athletic. 

Suggested Additional Reading:

Explained: What Messi’s U-turn means for him, Barcelona and Manchester City

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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

‘Illway’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Um Pepino’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Bauxite’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Stucco Grey’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Cirrus’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ from Blue Dot Sessions

There's a curious phenomenon in modern football. Clubs who have centuries-long pedigrees are suddenly finding it hard to survive.

The last in the litany of beleaguered football clubs is Charlton Athletic.

Having dropped down into League One last season, the club is now in a race to prove to the EFL they have sufficient funds to survive next season. If they can't, they risk been expelled from the football league.

In this episode, we ask: what has gone wrong at Charlton Athletic?

Guests:

Will McGee (@W_F_Magee) is a freelance journalist who has worked for Vice, the Mirror, and the i newspaper and who has bylines at the Independent, When Saturday Comes, Huck, Tribune, and The Guardian.

Sam Cooke is a Charlton Fan and a Board Member of the Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust (@CAStrust).

Support Us:

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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

‘Setting Pace - Duck Lane’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Lupi - Orange Cat’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Set the Tip Jar - Warmbody’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Naptime - Lemuel’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Arbic Tallow - Lillehammer’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Sunday Lights-  Onesuch Village’ from Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio’ from Blue Dot Sessions

As we chronicled last week, football clubs are collecting more data than ever before. Every action and movement on a pitch is captured, tracked, and recorded.

But what happens to this data once it's stored? Who is protecting it and how?

Today, we ask: how safe is football's data?

Guest:

Sarah Lyons is the Deputy Director for Economy and Society Engagement at the National Cyber Security Centre

Suggested Reading:

The Cyber Threat to Sports Organisations

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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

'Gra Hovedvei' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Charcoal Lines' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Cicle DR Valga' from Blue Dot Sessions

'True Blue Sky' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Pastel de Nata' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Setting Pace' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Thread of Clouds' from Blue Dot Sessions

For many of us in the UK, the closest we get to seeing the US women’s national team players in the flesh is when there is an international tournament in Europe.

This is about to change though. With the news that Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle are joining Manchester City and Tobin Heath and Christen Press could be joining Manchester United, the US women’s national team is now feeling much less distant.

In this episode, we ask: why are American players migrating to the United Kingdom? And what impact will it have on the English game?

Guest:

Tim Stillman (@Stillberto) writes about Arsenal and Arsenal Women for arseblog (@arseblog) and talks about Arsenal on the Arsenal Vision Podcast (@ArsenalVPodcast)

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

'Wax Paper Jewel - Origami' from Blue Dot Sessions

'McCarthy - Glacier Quartet - Araby' from Blue Dot Sessions

'House of Grendel - Lemuel' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Towboat Theme - Towboat' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Cab Ride - Pasha Faro' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio' from Blue Dot Sessions

When the football season draws to a close and the summer arrives, it can only mean one thing…

The transfer window is upon us and that brings with it the phenomenon of the transfer rumour

But where do these rumours come from? Are they even real to start with?

In this episode, we trace a transfer rumour back to its origin and ask: can anything be done about rumour-mongering?

Guests:

Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) is editor of Football Espana and author of The Frying Pan of Spain: Sevilla v Real Betis - Spain's Hottest Football Rivalry

Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) is football news and investigations reporter at The Athletic

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

'Flashing Runner - Resolute' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Dash and Slope - Castro' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Leela - Marble Run' from Blue Dot Sessions

'An Unknown Visitor - Cold Case' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Le Marais - The Sweet Hots' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Slate Tracker - Glacier Quartet' from Blue Dot Sessions

'Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio' from Blue Dot Sessions

I don't know about you, but May feels like a lifetime ago. Back then there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of football and nowhere was this feeling stronger than in the EFL. With dozens of clubs at risk of bankruptcy, many within the game thought structural change was necessary

After months of talk, Leagues One and Two have finally agreed on hard salary caps for their respective leagues starting this season. 

Today we explain the new rules and ask, what do they mean for English football?

Guests:

Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) is a football finance expert working at Liverpool University and co-host of the Price of Football Podcast (@POF_POD).

Noah Croom worked in the NBA for more than 20 years and he is currently General Counsel and Partner at the Beautiful Game Group.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

Vik Fence Haflak by Blue Dot Sessions

Gaddy by Blue Dot Sessions

One Quiet Conversation by Blue Dot Sessions

Sunday Lights by Blue Dot Sessions

The Provisions by Blue Dot Sessions

Naptime by Blue Dot Sessions

On Early Night by Blue Dot Sessions

Peacetime by Blue Dot Sessions

I don’t know about you but I find my eyes glazing over when I hear that FIFA is in the news again for something less than salubrious…

When it was announced that Swiss prosecutors had opened proceedings on Gianni Infantino, then, you’d be forgiven for raising an eyebrow and continuing scrolling through your feeds.

But this case is a little different…

In this instance, Infantino is being charged as an individual not as president of FIFA. But despite this, FIFA seem very, very concerned...

In this episode, we ask: why is Gianni Infantino going to court? And why are FIFA so nervous about it?

Guest:

Paul Nicholson’s work can be found at Inside World Football (@InsideWorldFoo1).

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

Throughput by Blue Dot Sessions

Camp Femin by Blue Dot Sessions

Funk and Flash by Blue Dot Sessions

Lupi by Blue Dot Sessions

Douglass Stairs by Blue Dot Sessions

Pastel De Nata by Blue Dot Sessions

Peacetime by Blue Dot Sessions

With the 2020/2021 season coming soon for many leagues around Europe, clubs are unveiling their new kits online. The reaction online can be extreme but usually, it focuses on how attractive a shirt is. Important of course. But we rarely consider how the shirts we adore are actually made. 

Today we look at the practices of multinational sports apparel companies and ask, what is the human cost of making football kits?

Guests:

Paul Roeland (@polyester) is a transparency coordinator for the Clean Clothes Campaign.

Rob Warner (@Real_Rob_Warner) is the co-founder and creative director of the design agency Spark. In the past, he's worked for companies like Umbro, Puma, O'Neill, and LuluLemon.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

Denzel Sprak by Blue Dot Sessions

Clay Pawn Shop by Blue Dot Sessions

The Poplar Grove by Blue Dot Sessions

Mercurial Vision Solo Wurlitzer by Blue Dot Sessions

Chicken Steak by Blue Dot Sessions