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Home and Away World Cup Special Episode 3
In this World Cup Special episode of Tottenham – Home and Away, Graeme is joined by returning guest Ben McFadyean — host of the Borussia Dortmund Fan Club London Podcast
Ben was on for the Champions League preview in January prior to the meeting of Spurs and Dortmund, and he also did a really insigntful episode with us on Sebastian Kehl who was linked with Spurs. Ben is a dedicated Bundesliga writer who is a regular contributor for titles including Four Four Two, World Soccer Magazine, The Late Tackle, Flashscore and Ruhr Nachrichten.
You can get access to his Podcast here - McFadyean.Podbean.com
Graeme and Ben discuss how the tournament has shifted from pre-tournament noise around politics, ticket prices, travel costs and commercialisation, back towards the football itself.
We look at the fan experience across the USA, Canada and Mexico, including the Scotland fans taking over Boston, the rise of World Cup fan culture online, the strange kick-off times, and why this tournament still feels distant and heavily Americanised compared with previous World Cups.
On the pitch, we discuss England under Thomas Tuchel, the draw with Ghana, the importance of beating Panama, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, squad depth and whether England can grow into the tournament. We also cover Scotland’s likely exit, Germany’s defeat to Ecuador, France’s strength, Messi and Argentina, Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti, Portugal’s Ronaldo dilemma, Cape Verde’s brilliant underdog story, and the Netherlands, Sweden, Japan and Norway as possible dark horses.
There is also a bigger conversation about what FIFA is doing to the game: hydration breaks, adverts, halftime shows, ticket prices, American stadium culture, VAR, refereeing, and whether the tournament has started to feel too far removed from traditional football.
Please like and subscribe for more World Cup specials from a Spurs perspective.
Come on England — and come on you Spurs.
Source: episode transcript
Timestamps
00:00 Intro — World Cup Special with Ben McFadyean
00:30 Ben returns to the podcast
00:45 The football finally takes over from the World Cup noise
01:27 Ticket prices, politics and fans embracing the tournament
02:41 US football culture and growing interest in the sport
03:35 Trump, the final and possible fan reaction
04:01 MLS, Inter Miami and memories of the NASL
05:46 Ticket access, corporate allocations and high prices
06:34 Strange World Cup kick-off times
07:28 Watching highlights vs live games
07:51 England shirt chat and Panama preview
08:27 England, Tuchel and breaking down defensive teams
09:21 Ben on making a Thomas Tuchel documentary
10:16 Tuchel’s personality in international football
10:45 Big calls, Bellingham and squad balance
11:08 Ghana’s Premier League links and defensive performance
12:03 Tournament football and handling pressure
12:39 England and arriving at the right moment
14:01 Why England should beat Panama
14:46 England’s squad depth and options
15:29 England negativity, VAR and avoiding defeat
16:08 England pressure and the Premier League spotlight
16:36 Scotland, Brazil and likely World Cup exit
17:33 Scotland fans and the Tartan Army
18:23 Euro 2024 memories and Scottish fan culture
19:22 Congo, Ecuador and fan passion
19:36 Germany vs Ecuador reaction
19:55 Germany’s overconfidence problem
21:13 German fan expectations and the new Adidas kit
22:15 Nagelsmann, Dennis Undav and Germany’s striker question
23:04 Germany’s likely route and France as a ceiling
23:33 France hammer Norway
23:46 Dembele, PSG and France’s quality
24:29 Messi, Argentina and superhuman longevity
25:56 Messi possibly wasted in MLS
26:10 Harry Kane and leaving Spurs for trophies
26:40 Seeing Messi at Wembley against Spurs
27:41 Argentina, France, England and Brazil as contenders
28:20 Brazil’s workmanlike style
29:24 Brazil 1982 and the magic of older Brazil sides
29:52 Carlo Ancelotti and modern Brazil
30:21 Vinicius Jr and Brazil’s attacking quality
31:00 Portugal and the Ronaldo dilemma
32:26 Why Portugal may come up short
33:47 Japan, Norway and Cape Verde
34:11 Cape Verde’s brilliant underdog story
34:57 Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands
35:56 Dutch tournament harmony and attacking questions
36:21 Cape Verde and Curaçao as second Portuguese/Dutch teams
37:33 Gascoigne, Bournemouth and memories of Euro 96
38:11 Could England win under a German manager?
38:24 Graeme on Tuchel, nationality and England coaches
39:37 English managers abroad and Roy Hodgson memories
40:16 Why this World Cup feels like USA 94
40:44 Hydration breaks, music and American sports culture
41:42 Why the tournament feels distant in England
43:21 FIFA changes, adverts and hydration breaks
44:15 Shakira, halftime shows and traditional football culture
44:49 NFL stadium experience and commercial breaks
45:43 Why ITV is not showing adverts during hydration breaks
46:49 Emma Hayes’ tactical analysis
47:05 Heat, player welfare and whether hydration breaks are justified
48:19 Canada’s limited number of major games
49:14 Toronto, Vancouver and temporary stadium upgrades
49:48 Why more games should have been in Mexico
50:37 American stadiums and football feeling phony
51:06 Bundesliga fan culture vs American sport
52:06 World Cup pricing and fan disenfranchisement
53:04 Freddie, the German fan travelling around America
53:42 Citizen fan journalism and viral World Cup stories
54:10 FIFA ticket claims and empty seats
55:26 Strange red cards and refereeing issues
55:56 Referee names on shirts
56:27 Fans bringing life to the tournament
57:09 World Cup characters and viral supporters
58:07 Germany, England and looking ahead
58:34 Ben already missing club football
58:48 Spurs pre-season in Australia and New Zealand
59:27 Club football vs country football
01:00:46 Looking ahead to the next Euros and AFCON
01:01:39 Closing thoughts with Ben
01:01:57 Ben’s Myanmar shirt and family connection
01:02:12 Could Burma make a future expanded World Cup?
01:02:44 Outro — like, subscribe and come on England
View all episodes
By Graeme Spice and Glen CowieIn this World Cup Special episode of Tottenham – Home and Away, Graeme is joined by returning guest Ben McFadyean — host of the Borussia Dortmund Fan Club London Podcast
Ben was on for the Champions League preview in January prior to the meeting of Spurs and Dortmund, and he also did a really insigntful episode with us on Sebastian Kehl who was linked with Spurs. Ben is a dedicated Bundesliga writer who is a regular contributor for titles including Four Four Two, World Soccer Magazine, The Late Tackle, Flashscore and Ruhr Nachrichten.
You can get access to his Podcast here - McFadyean.Podbean.com
Graeme and Ben discuss how the tournament has shifted from pre-tournament noise around politics, ticket prices, travel costs and commercialisation, back towards the football itself.
We look at the fan experience across the USA, Canada and Mexico, including the Scotland fans taking over Boston, the rise of World Cup fan culture online, the strange kick-off times, and why this tournament still feels distant and heavily Americanised compared with previous World Cups.
On the pitch, we discuss England under Thomas Tuchel, the draw with Ghana, the importance of beating Panama, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, squad depth and whether England can grow into the tournament. We also cover Scotland’s likely exit, Germany’s defeat to Ecuador, France’s strength, Messi and Argentina, Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti, Portugal’s Ronaldo dilemma, Cape Verde’s brilliant underdog story, and the Netherlands, Sweden, Japan and Norway as possible dark horses.
There is also a bigger conversation about what FIFA is doing to the game: hydration breaks, adverts, halftime shows, ticket prices, American stadium culture, VAR, refereeing, and whether the tournament has started to feel too far removed from traditional football.
Please like and subscribe for more World Cup specials from a Spurs perspective.
Come on England — and come on you Spurs.
Source: episode transcript
Timestamps
00:00 Intro — World Cup Special with Ben McFadyean
00:30 Ben returns to the podcast
00:45 The football finally takes over from the World Cup noise
01:27 Ticket prices, politics and fans embracing the tournament
02:41 US football culture and growing interest in the sport
03:35 Trump, the final and possible fan reaction
04:01 MLS, Inter Miami and memories of the NASL
05:46 Ticket access, corporate allocations and high prices
06:34 Strange World Cup kick-off times
07:28 Watching highlights vs live games
07:51 England shirt chat and Panama preview
08:27 England, Tuchel and breaking down defensive teams
09:21 Ben on making a Thomas Tuchel documentary
10:16 Tuchel’s personality in international football
10:45 Big calls, Bellingham and squad balance
11:08 Ghana’s Premier League links and defensive performance
12:03 Tournament football and handling pressure
12:39 England and arriving at the right moment
14:01 Why England should beat Panama
14:46 England’s squad depth and options
15:29 England negativity, VAR and avoiding defeat
16:08 England pressure and the Premier League spotlight
16:36 Scotland, Brazil and likely World Cup exit
17:33 Scotland fans and the Tartan Army
18:23 Euro 2024 memories and Scottish fan culture
19:22 Congo, Ecuador and fan passion
19:36 Germany vs Ecuador reaction
19:55 Germany’s overconfidence problem
21:13 German fan expectations and the new Adidas kit
22:15 Nagelsmann, Dennis Undav and Germany’s striker question
23:04 Germany’s likely route and France as a ceiling
23:33 France hammer Norway
23:46 Dembele, PSG and France’s quality
24:29 Messi, Argentina and superhuman longevity
25:56 Messi possibly wasted in MLS
26:10 Harry Kane and leaving Spurs for trophies
26:40 Seeing Messi at Wembley against Spurs
27:41 Argentina, France, England and Brazil as contenders
28:20 Brazil’s workmanlike style
29:24 Brazil 1982 and the magic of older Brazil sides
29:52 Carlo Ancelotti and modern Brazil
30:21 Vinicius Jr and Brazil’s attacking quality
31:00 Portugal and the Ronaldo dilemma
32:26 Why Portugal may come up short
33:47 Japan, Norway and Cape Verde
34:11 Cape Verde’s brilliant underdog story
34:57 Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands
35:56 Dutch tournament harmony and attacking questions
36:21 Cape Verde and Curaçao as second Portuguese/Dutch teams
37:33 Gascoigne, Bournemouth and memories of Euro 96
38:11 Could England win under a German manager?
38:24 Graeme on Tuchel, nationality and England coaches
39:37 English managers abroad and Roy Hodgson memories
40:16 Why this World Cup feels like USA 94
40:44 Hydration breaks, music and American sports culture
41:42 Why the tournament feels distant in England
43:21 FIFA changes, adverts and hydration breaks
44:15 Shakira, halftime shows and traditional football culture
44:49 NFL stadium experience and commercial breaks
45:43 Why ITV is not showing adverts during hydration breaks
46:49 Emma Hayes’ tactical analysis
47:05 Heat, player welfare and whether hydration breaks are justified
48:19 Canada’s limited number of major games
49:14 Toronto, Vancouver and temporary stadium upgrades
49:48 Why more games should have been in Mexico
50:37 American stadiums and football feeling phony
51:06 Bundesliga fan culture vs American sport
52:06 World Cup pricing and fan disenfranchisement
53:04 Freddie, the German fan travelling around America
53:42 Citizen fan journalism and viral World Cup stories
54:10 FIFA ticket claims and empty seats
55:26 Strange red cards and refereeing issues
55:56 Referee names on shirts
56:27 Fans bringing life to the tournament
57:09 World Cup characters and viral supporters
58:07 Germany, England and looking ahead
58:34 Ben already missing club football
58:48 Spurs pre-season in Australia and New Zealand
59:27 Club football vs country football
01:00:46 Looking ahead to the next Euros and AFCON
01:01:39 Closing thoughts with Ben
01:01:57 Ben’s Myanmar shirt and family connection
01:02:12 Could Burma make a future expanded World Cup?
01:02:44 Outro — like, subscribe and come on England