The Game

Former Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis joins Hugh Woozencroft and Matt Lawton for a special podcast from The Times.

While talking some time away from the game following his departure from Sheffield Wednesday in 2020, he's been tracking the progress of his grandson; a talented eight-year-old enjoying the benefits of a category one academy at a Premier League club; a product of the Elite Player Performance Programme (EPPP) that was launched 10 years ago to produce more home grown players for the country’s top clubs. 

It is, however, a system that Pulis believes is in need of a complete overhaul. 

Pulis also gives us his thoughts on the best young managers in the UK and whether negative comments about his style of management ever get to him.

Read the full article here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tony-pulis-most-academy-kids-are-never-going-to-play-football-not-enough-is-done-for-them-rjz2n3z6t

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Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Molly Hudson and Tony Cascarino.

Lots to discuss after a goalless FA Cup Final that was decided on penalties. Who stood out for each team and who wasn’t up to it? (00:00)

Chelsea have now lost two cup finals to Liverpool this season - what does the future hold for Romalu Lukaku and why is Andreas Christensen not available? (19:44)

Molly Hudson joins us to discuss some Chelsea success after their women’s side did what the men couldn’t and lifted the trophy a day later (30:19)

The Premier League title race took another turn as Manchester City could only manage a 2-2 draw with West Ham. Did City pick the wrong penalty-taker? (37:44)

Lots more to discuss in the Premier League including questionable handballs, red cards and a lifeline for Leeds? (55:45)

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Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft.

Kevin De Bruyne made it very clear he knows where the back of the net is in Manchester City’s 5-1 win over Wolves. Will he continue to flourish with the new arrival this summer? (00:00)

..but how will Erling Haaland fit into Pep Guardiola’s side? (13:54)

Leeds are in real trouble and following last night’s result, they’ll have to play the rest of the season without Dan James. Are they doomed? (21:!5)

Celtic have won their 10th Premiership title in 11 years. The gamble on Ange Postecoglou has paid off, so what next for both the club and the manager? (31:16)

Ahead of previewing the FA Cup final this weekend, we’re joined by Richard Whitehead to discuss his book: ‘The Cup: A Pictorial Celebration of the World's Greatest Football Tournament’ (41:25)

Chelsea have an opportunity to get their own back on Liverpool in the FA Cup final this weekend, but what will they need to do differently if they’re not to suffer a repeat of the Carabao Cup final? (48:40)

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In the second part of this special podcast from The Game, we're joined by Wycombe Wanderers goalkeeper - David Stockdale. Now he's through to the League One playoff final with Wycombe Wanderers, David talks about the excitement of playing at the national stadium and shares his thoughts on interacting with fans, calling out abuse from the stands and who his favourite teammates have been throughout the years.

Wycombe play Sunderland in the League One playoff final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 21st May 2022.

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Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Molly Hudson and Tom Roddy.

Manchester City have the advantage in the Premier League title race after Liverpool dropped points against Spurs. Will they really drop any points themselves? (00:00)

Hugh is banned from mentioning M*nchester Un*ted, but somehow we end up discussing them after probably their most disappointing loss of the season at Brighton (15:23)

Leeds dropped into the relegation zone after a self-destructive performance against Arsenal, while Everton got three valuable points away at Leicester. Has Frank Lampard finally got them playing to their potential? (20:50)

Leicester have been off the boil completely in the second half of the season. Are the players to blame or should Brendan Rodgers be getting more out of his squad? (28:33)

Brighton beat the team that Hugh can’t mention - should they be worried their manager Graham Potter could be tempted to move elsewhere? (35:38)

Molly Hudson joins us to talk about an exciting final day of the WSL season that saw Chelsea win their third title in a row. What’s next for some of the other teams in the league? (43:48)

The Championship and League Two finished over the weekend and there’s one result that really stands out to everyone (56:40)

Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame

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Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Molly Hudson and Tom Roddy.

Manchester City have the advantage in the Premier League title race after Liverpool dropped points against Spurs. Will they really drop any points themselves? (00:00)

Hugh is banned from mentioning M*nchester Un*ted, but somehow we end up discussing them after probably their most disappointing loss of the season at Brighton (15:23)

Leeds dropped into the relegation zone after a self-destructive performance against Arsenal, while Everton got three valuable points away at Leicester. Has Frank Lampard finally got them playing to their potential? (20:50)

Leicester have been off the boil completely in the second half of the season. Are the players to blame or should Brendan Rodgers be getting more out of his squad? (28:33)

Brighton beat the team that Hugh can’t mention - should they be worried their manager Graham Potter could be temped to move elsewhere? (35:38)

Molly Hudson joins us to talk about an exciting final day of the WSL season that saw Chelsea win their third title in a row. What’s next for some of the other teams in the league? (43:48)

The Championship and League Two finished over the weekend and there’s one result that really stands out to everyone (56:40)

Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame

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Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Ian Hawkey, Martyn Ziegler and Owen Slot.

Manchester City. What on earth happened last night!? (00:00)

Were Pep Guardiola’s substitutions to blame? Do you take Kevin De Bruyne off in that situation? (15:23)

Liverpool are through to the final, but they survived a scare against Villarreal. Did Liverpool’s squad depth rescue them? (28:40)

Looking ahead to the final - what chance do Liverpool have against Real Madrid in Paris? (38:09)

The Times’ Chief Sports Reporter Martyn Ziegler joins us with an update on the sale of Chelsea and how the latest developments could affect which bid ends up being successful (48:15)

The League One playoffs get started this evening. Could it be Sunderland’s moment to return to the Championship? (55:35)

Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame

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In this special podcast from The Game, we're joined by Wycombe Wanderers goalkeeper - David Stockdale. The Yorkshireman talks us through his rollercoaster route into football and the ups and downs of his first few years as a young professional. We also hear how he came to learn he was moving to the capital to play for Fulham and how prioritising his family saw him potentially miss out on a longer stint in the top flight.

Wycombe play MK Dons in the League One playoff semi-finals on Thursday 5th and Sunday 8th May 2022.

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Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Roddy, Matt Lawton and Tony Cascarino.

Everton have given themselves a huge chance of survival with a win over Chelsea. Can they still stay up? (00:00)

Chelsea has been less than impressive in recent weeks - if Roman Abramovich was still running things, would Thomas Tuchel be in danger of the sack? (11:05)

Roy Hodgson is highly unlikely to save Watford as they’re all but down. Did the former England manager ever stand a chance and is this his last job? (16:40)

Nottingham Forest could jump ahead of Bournemouth with a win tonight in their penultimate game in the Championship. Can they do it and return to the top flight and how will Champions Fulham get on this time? (22:34)

The Times’ Chief Sports Reporter Matt Lawton joins us with an update on the sale of Chelsea and how things are potentially more complicated than they seem (28:40)

Following the passing of Mino Raola, we explore the situation around ‘super agents’ and their impact on football (33:51)

After Gillingham manager Neil Harris’ brutally honest interview following their relegation, we discuss the most brutal moments in football (48:52)

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Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke and Ian Hawkey.

Manchester City vs Real Madrid will go down as a memorable Champions League semi-final - but how will it finish back in Spain? Were Real flattered by the scoreline given City gifting them two of their goals? (00:00)

Liverpool looked unbeatable in their first leg against Villarreal. Are Jurgen Klopp’s side actually unstoppable this season? (18:36)

Sadio Mane has been Liverpool’s standout player in recent times. Where does he fit into the conversation for the Ballon d’Or? (25:38)

PSG have secured the French title, but what does the future hold for manager Mauricio Pochettino? (35:22)

Changes are being proposed to the semi-final stages of the Champions League. With other changes already incoming in the Champions League - is there any need to mix things up? (46:44)

The Europa League semi-finals begin tonight, so we end with Hugh’s favourite feature - The Game predictions (51:14)

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