Left Field

An action-packed north London derby saw Arsenal come from behind to beat Sp*rs. Tongues were wagging before the game even kicked off when Mikel Arteta dropped captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, after that the talking points just kept on coming; Lamela's worldie and sending off, Lacazette's penalty, Kane's latest assault. Finally, a game lived up to the hype.

At the bottom of the table, things are looking grim for Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion. Sam Allardyce seems to know his days at the Hawthorns are numbered and the Blades have a big decision to make having parted ways with the much-admired Chris Wilder. Relegation for both is a certainty but can they bounce back?

Elsewhere in football, we weigh up whether Kelechi Iheanacho has what it takes to succeed Jamie Vardy, chat over cup finals with no fans and talk over our favourite salty football feuds.

In not football, we chew over the links between diabetes and racism, mourn the loss of Murray 'the voice of F1' Walker, talk favourite commentators and reflect on another 'whacky' rugby interview.

Enjoy the show!

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
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And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan

Manchester City's 21-game winning run went head-to-head with Manchester United's 21-game streak without defeat on the road...and, to everyone's surprise, it was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men who came out victorious. Given the Red Devils are still 11 points behind their neighbours, Pep still looks odds-on to have the last laugh. All the same, how big a result was this?

Across the Pennines and Liverpool have become so laughably bad at Anfield that it's not even funny anymore. Relegation-threatened Fulham were the latest to snatch all three points as the reigning champions tumble further and further down the table.

North of the border, Rangers ended a 10-year wait for their 55th league title. After winding up Celtic with a plane banner, supporters broke lockdown restrictions to celebrate in Glasgow city centre. Should we give them a pass or a ticking off?

Elsewhere in football, we discuss the weird goings-on with gambling platform Football Index and weigh up which has the more leaks; the Titanic or Steve Bruce's Newcastle dressing room.

After the break, we review new data which suggests the gap in prize money between men and women's sport is closing and close the show Stateside as the NBA gears up for the All-Star game and Dodgers' Trevor Bauer pitched with one eye closed.

Enjoy the show!

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
Instagram: instagram.com/leftfield_pod/
Facebook: facebook.com/leftfieldpod/

And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan

How did a quick free-kick turn into a week-long saga? Lee Mason is probably asking himself exactly that after a weird mix-up at the AMEX saw Lewis Dunk's 'goal' for Brighton disallowed after two peeps of a whistle and a VAR review. You had to be there.

In North London, Gareth Bale and Willian have started to show signs of life. The Welshman has developed a penchant for goals against weak sides and the Brazilian has become the master of the nearly-but-not-quite assist. Of the two, who is the least bad value for money?

Elsewhere in football, we take a trip to China to discuss the dissolution of champions Jiangsu before checking in on the Nou Camp where police raids have signalled another chapter to the madcap Barcagate affair.

We end part one pondering who'd win in a fight between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and LeBron James.

After the break, we head Stateside where golf's biggest names have been paying tribute to Tiger Woods who remains in hospital after last week's car crash. Is the sport ready for life without him?

In India, the Test match between India and England only lasted two days. Everyone but the players have blamed the pitch but surely a sticky wicket made it more fun?

Before we round things off, we discuss the abuse received by female sports reporters and whether horse racing can survive its latest scandal.

Enjoy the show!

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
Instagram: instagram.com/leftfield_pod/
Facebook: facebook.com/leftfieldpod/

And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan

After a ridiculously long wait, Everton fans finally had the chance to celebrate a victory at Anfield. Sure, a ridiculous penalty decision played a part but nothing is going to take the shine off a memorable evening for the Toffees who continue to flirt with the Champions League place. They couldn't, could they? 

Fantasy Football is under the spotlight after several Aston Villa players accidentally alerted eagle-eyed Twitter bots to a Jack Grealish injury by trading him out of their teams before last weekend's game with Leicester. Worth a LOL or is there something a bit sinister about it all? 

We also check in on Jesse Lingard, who is firing on all cylinders for West Ham, mull over the title race in Italy, where Romelu Lukaka helped fire Inter to a 3-0 derby win over AC Milan, and pick our favourite Championship managers. 

After the break, Novak Djokovic surprised absolutely nobody by winning the Australian Open again. Weirdly, for a bloke who has hardly made friends Down Under, the locals chose to boo mention of the Covid-19 vaccine rather than the Serb. 

Elsewhere in not football, we discuss Nike's decision to shelve a 'super' spike that risked undermining Usain Bolt's legacy and discuss scenic sporting venues after the NHL was forced to delay an outdoor game due to sunshine at Lake Tahoe.

Enjoy the show!

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
Instagram: instagram.com/leftfield_pod/
Facebook: facebook.com/leftfieldpod/

And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan

Three defeats on the bounce have led to Jurgen Klopp conceding the title. Having started the season so well, where on earth has it gone wrong for Liverpool? And how do they fix it? Surely it comes down to more than the absence of Virgil van Dijk?

The Reds' loss is very much Manchester City's gain. Pep Guardiola's side have won 16 games in a row - a new Premier League record - and in Ilkay Gundogan, have the top flight's most in-form player. The Germany international just can't stop scoring right now and is even being tipped for the Player of the Year awards. Would he be a worthy winner? 

Elsewhere in football, we run the rule over Arsenal's win over Leeds, Fulham's mini-revival, the integrity of this season's Uefa's competition and Dayot Upamecano's move to Bayern Munich. 

After the break, we discuss Italy's status as the Six Nations' whipping boys, the climax of the Australian Open - now being played out in front of empty stands - and the unfair nature of NBA trades. 

We end the show with delayed reaction to the Super Bowl and a half time show that was part Butlins, part Zombie Apocalypse. 

Enjoy the show!

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
Instagram: instagram.com/leftfield_pod/
Facebook: facebook.com/leftfieldpod/

And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan

The games keep coming in the Premier League and Manchester United keep doing their level best to make the biggest as boring as possible. The Red Devils added the scalp of Arsenal to their collection of 'Big Six' 0-0 draws.

On the other side of London, Xherdan Shaqiri and Mo Salah put West Ham to bed with a goal of top, top quality. The Reds' title challenge looks to be back on track but what about Chelsea and Spurs... the table is so tight, are they still in it?

Thomas Tuchel took four points from his first two games in charge at Stamford Bridge but things are turning sour for Mourinho, who watched his Kane-less side go down at Brighton.

Can football survive without the gambling industry's sweet, sweet sponsorship money? That's the question on everybody lips with plans afoot to ban betting firm logos from club shirts. We discuss if it'll lead to even greater restrictions.

We end part one with a flying visit to Brazil where Chapecoense and Palmeiras had great weekends before returning to Europe to check in on Marseille's angry fans and Dutch football's one and only Jizz Hornkamp.

After the break, we talk baseball – specifically the decision not to elect anybody to the National Baseball Hall of Fame –  before turning our attention to a bit of rugby and our food plans for Super Bowl LV... which is 55 in Latin.

Enjoy the show!

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
Instagram: instagram.com/leftfield_pod/
Facebook: facebook.com/leftfieldpod/

And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan

Frank Lampard's time in charge of Chelsea came to an abrupt end on Monday as Roman Abramovich pulled the trigger on his own club legend. Was his demise inevitable? Sitting 9th in the Premier League having spent £200 million would suggest so, but still, how did it come to this?

Manchester United and Manchester City continue to build momentum. Not only are they first and second in the Premier League, but they've also secured safe passage to the FA Cup 5th round. For Ole's boys, it was a particularly sweet weekend, defeating Liverpool 3-2 at Old Trafford to consolidate their credentials as 100%-definitely-not-frauds. But what on earth is going on at Anfield? Is Thiago so good he's making Klopp's side bad?

James Maddison has let his feet do so much talking recently that he's had to get good at talking about them. We run the rule over Leicester's midfield maestro and weigh up whether the Foxes are now a big club.

We end part one trying to make sense of the latest Super League rumours and, inspired by Phil Neville's move to Inter Miami, discuss where on earth we'd most like to be a football manager.

After the break, we lament the likely absence of fans from the Tokyo Olympics, reflect on Conor McGregor's latest defeat and chew over a decision that cost the Green Bay Packers a place at the Super Bowl.

Enjoy the show.

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
Instagram: instagram.com/leftfield_pod/
Facebook: facebook.com/leftfieldpod/

And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan

It wasn't so long ago that John Stones was being linked with a move away from Manchester City. Now the England international has become a central figure for Pep Guardiola as his squad mount a low-key title charge. We reflect on the 26-year-old's surprising renaissance.

In the week that Wayne Rooney called time on his playing career and Mesut Özil decided life might be better in Istanbul, we weigh up their legacies. Both are hugely decorated, but there's a sense they might have achieved more.

On the pitch, things are going from bad to worse for Newcastle and Wolves while in Spain, Lionel Messi picked up his first red card for Barcelona.

After the break, all eyes were on the old-timers as Brady's Buccaneers beat Brees' Saints to get to the NFC Championship game. They first faced each other in 1999 when Allen worked at Legoland and Wogan was in the playground with a future Ireland international.

We end the show chuckling at all the tennis players quarantining in Melbourne ahead of the Oz Open and discuss India's Test series win over Australia... which neither of us watched.

Enjoy the show!

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
Instagram: instagram.com/leftfield_pod/
Facebook: facebook.com/leftfieldpod/

And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan

Covid-19 may have robbed football of its fans but the FA Cup still had a sprinkling of its traditional third-round magic. Sure, Spurs tonked minnows Marine and Liverpool eventually taught Villa's work experience kids a lesson, but Crawley's skewering of Leeds, Blackpool's penalty win over West Brom and Mike Dean stopping play at Stockport because of actual fireworks were enough to put smiles on even the most curmudgeonly faces.

In the Premier League, we appear to have an exciting title race on our hands. It's as hard keeping tabs on the twists and turns as it is on the fixture list. Liverpool have had a wobble, United are breathing down their necks and suddenly City are back in play. Even Arsenal are winning. How on earth did that happen?

In normal times, footballers and Dubai go together like gin and tonic. But, as you may have noticed, these are not normal times. Celtic have 13 players in isolation after a team trip to the Emirate while WSL games have been postponed after a bunch of players jetted to the same destination for 'business' purposes. Naturally, the virus followed them home. We discuss the backlash.

We end part one with a quick trip to Germany where Schalke, courtesy of an American teenager, secured a first Bundesliga win in 358 days. Who is their hat-trick hero Matthew Hoppe?

After the break, we marvel at Nickelodeon's much-praised, kid-friendly coverage of the NFL... SpongeBob, slime and all. Have the Americans stumbled on the perfect TV formula?

We end the show talking verbal self-flagellation and the potential decimation of 2021's sporting calendar. It's more cheery than it sounds.

Enjoy the show.

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
Instagram: instagram.com/leftfield_pod/
Facebook: facebook.com/leftfieldpod/

And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan

What better way to end 2020 than a podcast dedicated solely to '... and finally' questions?

Thanks to everyone who sent in their suggestions on Twitter, we ran through a fair few of them and then asked each other a few of our own.

Thanks for listening throughout this oddest of years. We genuinely appreciate it!

If you're at a loose end and feeling generous, we'd love you to leave us a review.

We only need another 75 before Wogan has to get that Left Field tattoo he promised so long ago.

Happy New Year, and enjoy the show!

Every week on Left Field, Wogan and Allen dissect the latest in Football and Not Football. Subscribe to make sure you don't miss out, because that would be a real shame, wouldn't it?

Subscribe: il.ink/leftfield_pod
Twitter: twitter.com/leftfield_pod
Instagram: instagram.com/leftfield_pod/
Facebook: facebook.com/leftfieldpod/

And your co-hosts...

Allen: twitter.com/AAllenSport
Wogan: twitter.com/CathalWogan