Left Field

It was a week of penalty drama at international level as Scotland, Northern Ireland & the Republic of Ireland simultaneously tested their nerves from 12-yards in the hope of moving one step closer to next summer's European Championships. Matt Doherty can take heart from the fact his miss was far from the most traumatic your hosts have experienced. 

At Wembley, Jack Grealish had an impressive performance against Wales. Can he be the next Gazza? Gareth Southgate says absolutely not. So who is worthy of that comparison?

The two biggest football stories of the week happened off the pitch. First, the Premier League confirmed that a host of matches will £14.95 pay-per-view showings. This is where we start to get a bit exasperated.

If that wasn't enough anger for one show, then comes Project Big Picture – a thinly-veiled land grab by the top flight's biggest clubs orchestrated by Manchester United and Liverpool. Pitched as a plan to save the football pyramid, it's been welcomed by cash-strapped members of the EFL but eviscerated by critics worried about the entrenchment of a 'big six' elite.

We end part one talking football autobiographies; are they ever any good? 

After the break, we touch on the Lakers' NBA triumph, reflect on listener GOAT suggestions (thanks for sharing!), talk terrible sporting injuries and laugh at Novak Djokovic who took a hammering from Rafa Nadal in the French Open final. 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?

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And your co-hosts...

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

After a month off, we're back with a bang courtesy of a Premier League that's thriving on ridiculous results. Dean Smith's swashbuckling, new-look Aston Villa smashed seven past Liverpool and a shambolic Manchester United imploded against Spurs.  

Will the rest of the league take heart from the champions' collapse? Are United doomed to mediocrity under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer? Does Mourinho have the ingredients for a Spurs title-tilt? We have questions. Lots of questions.  

On Monday, an elongated transfer window limped to its conclusion. People get very worked up about signing new players, but why? Even Sky Sports had a hard time pretending they were excited this year. Against our better judgment, we still pick our winners and losers. 

On the same day as they dropped €50 million on new midfielder Thomas Partey, Arsenal laid off the man who plays their beloved club mascot Gunnersaurus… for cost-cutting purposes. Is Mesut Ozil a hero for offering to cover his wages? Or was this a cynical PR stunt to get one over a club who’ve condemned him to life on the bench? 

After the break, a burly American and a bungled injection make the cut as we review our favourite stories from the last few weeks. 

We then check-in on the NBA finals where the Lakers are on the verge of victory, question how a dodgy ear made Marathon favourite Eliud Kipchoge so bad and talk match-fixing.   

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

Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden went to Iceland and all they got was a lousy 1-0 win and a ticking off for trying to invite girls back to their hotel. Hung, drawn and quartered by the media, we're willing to put their exploits down to youthful exuberance. We've all been there.

By and large, the Nations League played out as expected; empty stadiums and unfit players meant rubbish games, although a couple of our favourite youngsters – Erling Haaland and Ansu Fati – did make headlines. The Barcelona youngster's goals hint at a brighter future for the Catalans who learnt this week that you can also force your best player to stay against his will if you have better lawyers.

Back in England, the Premier League is gearing up to a muted return in some garish kits. We run the rule over the best and worst of the new gear before turning our attention to our expectations for the campaign ahead. Who'll go down? When will fans return? We discuss.

We end part one with a quick chat about Hector Bellerin, who announced this week that he's investing in Forest Green Rovers because of their eco-friendly credentials. He's a good lad, is the Arsenal right-back but how good is he at football?

There's only one place to start after the break. That's Flushing Meadows, where Novak Djokovic was sensationally disqualified from the US Open after whacking a tennis ball in the throat of a line judge. He was nailed on to win Grand Slam number 19. Will he rue his luck?

Formula 1 had a feel-good story at Monza as Pierre Gasly became the first Gallic winner of a race since forever. Surely that means he's officially the best French sportsperson going?

We end the show casting an eye over the closing stages of the NHL and the start of the new NFL season. If you make it to the end, you're in for a treat; we talk tomatoes and alcohol poisoning.

We're taking a short break to recharge our batteries. All going well we'll be back at the end of the month. Enjoy, and thanks for listening.

Each 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

As one season ends, another begins. Arsenal won the Community Shield on penalties at Wembley, but are they actually any good or is this all just a mirage?

Liverpool have a title to defend and Jurgen Klopp seems happy enough to do it with the same set of players. In contrast, Chelsea are spending like there's no tomorrow and Lionel Messi might, maybe, possibly, perhaps, be joining Manchester City. What on earth is going on with the world's best player and will he actually force his way out of Barcelona?

Elsewhere, we check in on Lyon's all-conquering women – they sealed a 7th Champions League title in 10 years at the weekend. And we question why Celtic are so bad at Champions League qualifiers and discuss the new Spurs documentary 'All or Nothing'.

After the break, we head to the US where a strike by the Milwaukee Bucks quickly spread through the NBA and beyond. Why did their stand against the latest example of police brutality get us feeling emotional?

When play resumed, who did what in the playoffs? We quickly check in on the Disneyworld bubble before running the rule over the upcoming US Open and the recently started Tour de France. 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

And just like that, the 2019/20 European football season came to a close. Bayern Munich rule the continent for a sixth time after beating PSG 1-0 in Lisbon. Did the final live up to expectations? Is Qatar's Parisian project back at square one? We reflect on a night that left Neymar in tears.

Sevilla also experienced the joy of six, as they once again won the Europa League. An entertaining game in Cologne saw Romelu Lukaku score at both end as Inter were downed 3-2. It looked like he might get sacked, but head coach Antonio Conte is going to stay at the San Siro for the time being...just as well, as news broke this week that he's been defrauded out of £27 million.

In the rest of part one, we pick over the Women's Champions League semi-finals, dissect the Greek case against Harry 'Do You Know Who I Am' Maguire and weigh up where Lionel Messi should move now that he wants out of Barcelona.

After the break, we head to Eddie Hearn's garden where 40-year-old Alexander Povetkin knocked-out Dillian Whyte with a stunning uppercut. Big punches like that are great. Big punches like the one that earned Earl Thomas the sack from the Baltimore Ravens, less so.

We end the show in Disneyworld where Slovenian Luka Doncic hit a dramatic buzzer beating three-pointer that saw the Dallas Mavericks beat the LA Clippers. The kid has tongues wagging, but how good is he really? 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

With domestic football done and dusted all attention has turned to the Europa League and Champions League being hosted in Lisbon and Cologne/Dusseldorf respectively. The knockout stages of each have been reduced to single-leg affairs and there are plenty of fascinating narratives in play. Will Manchester United's old boys come back to haunt them? Will grizzled old-timers beat exciting outsiders? Could Pep lead City to the big one just weeks after their European ban was overturned? We pick our favourites in each competition.

Maurizio Sarri paid the price for Juventus' exit to Lyon. Have the Old Lady found a better fit for their brand in Andrea Pirlo? He's been promoted to head coach just 10 days after taking over duties with the club's under-23s. We also chat over Fulham's chances of staying up, the prevalence of out-of-favour, mega-money stars and Arsenal's regrettable decision to make 55 members of staff redundant despite their players taking pay cuts.

After the break, we talk trophy drops, which seem to be all the rage. Last week Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made a mess of his FA Cup lift, this week golfer Collin Morikawa fumbled the lid off the PGA Championship trophy. Will somebody please think of the athletes when designing these things? Snooker's next generation have been given a rocket by Ronnie O'Sullivan for being a bit rubbish. His comments have got tongues wagging, including ours, but are they detrimental to the image of his sport?

To end the show, we discuss the rules we'd most like to change in sport. Thanks to everyone who sent in their suggestions via Twitter. 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

Arsenal's roller-coaster season ended on a high note at Wembley on Saturday as they beat Chelsea 2-1 to claim the FA Cup. Will Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now stay at the club? Did Mikel Arteta really have to pay homage to Pep Guardiola after the game? Can Frank Lampard be satisfied with his work this season? We chew over the fallout as the player head off on holiday.

Following their recent relegation, it has been confirmed that Eddie Howe and Bournemouth have parted ways. The 42-year-old performed miracles on the South Coast but has his reputation been tarnished by a poor final campaign and will it affect where he goes next? At the other end of the country, Newcastle's takeover by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is off after they got bored of waiting on the Premier League to make a decision. It's been an emotional time for Newcastle fans, but have they dodged a bullet despite being stuck with Mike Ashley for a while longer?

Elsewhere in football, we discuss the lack of competitiveness in Scotland and, following news Andrea Pirlo has taken over as Juventus' under-23s, we mull over the sexiest men working in football.

After the break, Wogan argues in favour of Lewis Hamilton being England's greatest working sportsman, we dip into the NBA's Disney Bubble where the action has begun and the players are having fun before shaking our head in dismay at the MLB's and NFL's Covid-19 struggles. Enjoy!

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

On the final day of the Premier League's longest ever season, Leicester completed their post-lockdown bottle job as Manchester United and Chelsea snuck into the Champions League places. But we're not sure who had the best season of the three. Aston Villa, AKA Jack Grealish, secured their top-flight status with a draw at West Ham leaving Bournemouth cursing Hawk-Eye and Watford angry that they've no more coaches to sack. 

In the Championship, the play-offs have started but they don't feature Nottingham Forest. How on earth did they miss out? In Italy, Juventus won a ninth Scudetto in a row. It's all a bit boring in Italy these days so we got to reminiscing about great Serie A sides of the yesteryear. We also discuss Jordan Henderson being crowned the Football Writers' Association player of the year. Nice guy, good footballer?

In Not Football, all eyes were on the cricket this week... and not the Test Match. While England were battering the West Indies, 1,000 spectators were allowed to watch Surrey play Middlesex in a crowd pilot friendly at the Oval. We're curious as to how other sports will manage the return of their fans. Stateside, MLB is more worried about getting its season going. With 19 members of the Miami Marlins testing positive for Covid-19, it doesn't bode well. Thankfully, the NBA's Disney Bubble seems a little more organised but that didn't stop one player getting in trouble for an ill-advised meal out. Finally, we rate the new names doing the rounds in US Sports. The Seattle Kraken gets a thumbs up from us, but what about the Washington Football Team? 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

Arsenal and Chelsea have won 15 of the last 30 FA Cup finals between them, so perhaps it's not a surprise that they beat Manchester City and United respectively to set up a second Wembley showdown in three years. Is the oldest domestic cup competition being treated more or less seriously than in recent years?

Leeds United finally confirmed an end to their 16-year exile from the Premier League when they were crowned champions. We discuss the reaction to their return and English football's other sleeping giants.

In Turkey, it's all about the new kid on the block, Istanbul Basaksehir. Crowned Super Lig champions last week, they've managed to assemble a squad of household names but can't attract crowds of more than 5,000. What's their story?

We end part one with a quick chat about Watford's sacking of Nigel Pearson and France Football's decision to cancel the 2020 Ballon d'Or.

That sets us up nicely for a hard-hitting part two that includes a huge debate over the greatest sound in sport and our favourite sporting couples. Enjoy!

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

News of Jack Charlton's passing at the weekend sparked emotional tributes from across the world of football. The Leeds United legend, World Cup winner and Ireland's famed manager of the eighties and nineties was a giant of the beautiful game and one of its funniest and most charismatic figures. We discuss why he stood out from the crowd during our formative years as fans.

Manchester City have been banging in the goals on the pitch but it was a victory against Uefa in the Court of Arbitration for Sport that stand to be their biggest win of the season. Pep Guardiola's squad will not be banned from European football. But what does it mean for FFP? Spoiler: it's fucked. In part one, we also cover a great week for Wycombe Wanderers and giant striker Ade Akinfenwa, chew over a very low-quality North London derby, ask what more social media can do to deter racist trolls and discuss whether football is ready for a top-level player to come out as gay. 

After the break, we return to Austria for a second dose of F1 in a week. Lewis Hamilton was victorious as Ferrari's drivers went full Mustafi-Luiz on lap one. The crashes are the good bit, right? We end the show with a quick review of the cricket we didn't watch and the UFC we didn't pay for. 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