The Game

By The TimesSports News Entertainment News Soccer

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Typical duration
51 min
per episode
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49%
finish an episode

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The Game episodes

February 01, 2021 The Mythical Gareth Bale
Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd. Liverpool’s ‘crisis’ doesn’t seem too serious if this past weekend’s result is anything to go by - are they back to their best? Has Jurgen Klopp’s positivity been the key to the turnaround in their fortunes? Tottenham’s form is going in the opposite direction - do Jose Mourinho’s tactics make sense? Is the loss of Harry Kane to blame? Gareth Bale still hasn’t shown signs of being a worthwhile signing for Spurs - will he ever get up to speed? Former Marseille striker and Times columnist, Tony Cascarino joins us to talk about his experiences of the extreme fans at the Ligue 1 side amid recent tension. Patrick Bamford and Eberechi Eze continue to impress in the Premier League, leading to a discussion around the best players to make that step up from the EFL. On transfer deadline day, we finish with those players we’d love to see announced for our clubs and players who could be on the move in the Premier League. Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame
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1 hr 3 min
January 28, 2021 It's Pronounced Ødegaard, OK?
Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Tom Roddy. United won at Old Trafford last night, but not the United anyone really expected. Is this the start of a miraculous escape for Sheffield United and what went wrong for Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side? Arsenal are next for Manchester United on Saturday and with the momentum behind them, will Mikel Arteta’s team get a result at the Emirates? Thomas Tuchel has already taken his first game for Chelsea - are the squad in for a culture shock under the German manager? What does the future hold for the young players at the club? Burnley came from behind to win against Aston Villa in possibly the best Premier League game this week - do they deserve more credit for their stubbornness? Sean Dyche loves to compare the cost of their squad with their opponents - does he deserve more backing in the transfer market? Martin Ødegaard has come into the Arsenal squad still looking to fulfil his potential - can Mikel Arteta unlock his talent? We end looking at other young players who were hyped in their teenage years and how their careers have gone since. Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame
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1 hr 13 min
January 25, 2021 Taxi For Lampard
Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Alyson Rudd. Liverpool are out of the FA Cup and off the pace in the Premier League - are the wheels starting to wobble for Jurgen Klopp’s side? After consistently playing midfielders in defence - are the defending champions in dire need of defensive reinforcements or can they ride it out? Phil Foden continues to impress for Manchester City while at Leicester, James Maddison is back to his best. Can England become a creative force with the two exciting, young players? Frank Lampard’s departure from Chelsea was announced while this episode was being recorded. Is this another example of Chelsea being impatient or did the club have to make the change to get more out of their summer signings? What next for Frank Lampard - will we see him managing in the Premier League again? We end with the Final Word, which takes a look at the possibility of a European Super League. Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame
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1 hr 7 min
January 21, 2021 "Manchester United Have A Chance.."
Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft. Chelsea have won two out of the last eight Premier League matches - is their form finally leading to serious questions over Frank Lampard’s future? Should the club legend leave Stamford Bridge, who could be in line to replace him? Across London, West Ham are seeing somewhat of a resurgence under David Moyes. After losing Sébastien Haller without replacement, is under-investment going to hamper their further development? Robert Snodgrass didn’t play in the Hammers’ match against West Brom this week due to a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between the clubs - were rules broken and should anyone be punished? Paul Pogba was the hero for Manchester United in their win over Fulham - is he finally showing his potential in a United shirt and will he still be there next season? Aston Villa were left feeling frustrated by Manchester City’s questionable goal on Wednesday night - is this another ludicrous rule in football that should be changed? Phil Neville has moved Stateside to take over at Inter Miami. Has his decision damaged the women’s game and was he a success with the Lionesses? Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame
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1 hr 5 min
January 18, 2021 A Missed Opportunity for Ole?
Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Matt Dickinson. Liverpool vs Manchester United was the predictable goalless draw a lot envisaged but was it a missed opportunity for Ole Gunnar Solskjær? Liverpool haven’t scored in their last three Premier League matches - are the players tiring at the same time? Leicester and Southampton entertained, but what does the rest of the season look like for two of the best-coached sides in the league? Chelsea are the next visitors to the King Power on Tuesday evening - did we learn anything from their slender victory over Fulham at the weekend? As Mesut Özil looks to be finally on his way out of Arsenal - is it a fond farewell or good riddance? Tanguy Ndombele scored a goal that should be filed under ‘Screamer’ at the weekend, so we share our favourite stunning goals from outside the box. Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame
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1 hr
January 14, 2021 No Hugging, Please!
Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft. Tottenham have once again dropped points from a winning position - is Jose’s cautious style at fault? Would Spurs winning the League Cup buy Mourinho more time to win the fans over? Has Gareth Bale been worth the money they’re paying him when he’s just sitting on the bench every week? The Times’ North-east writer Martin Hardy joins us to talk about the problems at Newcastle after their loss to bottom side, Sheffield United. Is Steve Bruce the man to try and pick them up or has the job ground him down too much? The Premier League have written to clubs reminding them about Covid protocols after recent breaches - should players avoid celebrating goals? If players have tested negative, surely everything on the field should be left unchanged? Manchester United are top of the league, but can they go all the way? We preview their next game against a well-rested Liverpool and round things off by discussing who the best English manager is - following Pep Guardiola’s praise of Graham Potter. There’s a slight curveball brought to the table..
Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame
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1 hr 29 min
January 11, 2021 The M*gic of the FA Cup
Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Matt Dickinson. The FA Cup third round threw up some shocks, but was the third round as special without fans packed into grounds? Gregor was at the game as Leeds were humbled by Crawley Town, so no one was better placed to explain what went wrong for Marcelo Bielsa’s side. Positive Covid test results have given us a chance to see a lot more of a number of younger players - but how many of them will we see again? Marine didn’t get the result they dreamed of, but with their virtual tickets they did secure a huge financial boost for the club’s future. Dele Alli was given a rare start against the non-league side, but will he remain at Spurs past the end of January? Could Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival at PSG add fuel to the fire that he could move to the French capital? Recent flouting of the guidelines has again called into question whether football should continue during the lockdown. Are further rules going to ruin the game? We end by discussing - how far would you go for your football club?
Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame
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1 hr 6 min
January 07, 2021 Is The FA Cup Under Threat?
Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Jonathan Northcroft. Manchester United fall short at the semi-finals again, but what stopped them making the final this time? Manchester City are looking everything United wish they were at the back - are John Stones and Rúben Dias the best centre back pairing in the Premier League? Now the teams are decided, how will Guardiola vs Mourinho go down in the Carabao Cup final? The PFA have announced they’ll start testing EFL clubs twice a week from Monday - but why only now? Should the criteria for postponing games remain the same and is there a real risk the FA Cup could be cancelled completely? As John Stones is back in form and starting for Manchester City, the team end this episode by picking their favourite footballing comebacks.
Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame
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58 min
January 04, 2021 New Year, Same Chelsea
Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Matt Dickinson and Tom Roddy. Happy New Year! Hopefully football gets back to it’s best in 2021 - and it looks like Manchester City are finding form again. Is this the turning point for Manchester City? On the receiving end of Pep Guardiola’s masterclass were Chelsea - with their poor form, should Frank Lampard be starting to get worried? After several Premier League players broke social distancing rules over the festive period - how should we react as fans and should the FA get involved? Things fail to improve for Sheffield United after another pointless weekend - are Sheffield United one of the most unique clubs in Premier League history? Hugh thinks Mauricio Pochettino joining PSG is a pointless appointment and he’s not afraid to tell you why and the team remember the best football failures after Timo Werner’s impressive corner flag routine at the weekend!

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54 min
December 31, 2020 The Big Fat Game Of The Year 2020
Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Clarke. Liverpool once again end the calendar year on top of the Premier League, but not with the final two results they’d have hoped for. What’s causing the stutter to their season? After another cancellation in the Premier League - are we heading towards a fixture nightmare thanks to the new variant of Covid-19 and are teams being treated equally when it comes to postponements? After one of the strangest years ever, we bring you the end of year awards including a heated debate about ‘Manager of the Year’ and The Times’ stat-man Bill Edgar asks the questions with his special end-of-year quiz of 2020!
Get your digital subscription to The Times and get a month free: thetimes.co.uk/thegame
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1 hr 28 min