The Game

Introducing our new free daily news podcast, Stories of our times. It takes you to the heart of the stories that matter, with exclusive access and reporting. Published for the start of your day, it is hosted by Manveen Rana and David Aaronovitch.

Cheltenham Festival was the last major sporting event to take place prior to the national lockdown in the UK. But should it ever have happened? The four-day fixture took place in March and has since become a lightning rod for criticism around perceived government inaction on the coronavirus crisis. We talk to people who were there.

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Nat & Gregor are joined by Jonathan Northcroft to discuss bad news for Newcastle fans as Mauricio Pochettino declares his "dream" to manage Spurs again one day!

Plus the panel have a game of unpopular football opinions....should England really have achieved more as a football team?

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Nat & Gregor are joined by Matt Lawton to discuss "Project Restart" which aims to get the Premier League back up and running. But is it a restart or a non-starter?

More on this, where Phil Neville could be heading next and a look back to a tweak in the laws of the game that revolutionised modern football.

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Nat & Gregor are joined by The Times' Chief Sports Reporter Martyn Ziegler for an in depth look at UEFA's executive committee meeting and what it means for next season's Champions League.`

Martyn also does a deep dive into Newcastle's potential new owners, and whether Steve Bruce should be a worried man.

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Nat & Gregor are joined by Matt Dickinson to cast their expert eyes across inventive ways to make football behind closed doors work. Virtual season tickets, fake crowd noises and even drive through football!

All that plus more on Wayne Rooney insisting he's not a natural goalscorer, and Gregor tells us what it's like to face Andres Iniesta on the pitch.

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Nat & Gregor are joined by Alyson Rudd to look back on the rocky road of Mike Ashley at Newcastle as his time nears an end.

They also discuss 'invisible geniuses' in football, and Alyson pays a touching tribute to the victims of the Hillsborough disaster on the week of the 31st anniversary.

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Nat & Gregor are joined by Jonathan Northcroft to pay tribute to Chelsea goalkeeping legend Peter Bonetti who passed away on Easter Sunday. They discuss the impact he had on English football as he pioneered the game in his position.

And with a new proposal to finish the Premier League season at Wembley and St George's Park, Gregor tells us why top players may have changed their minds on leaving their families to get back to football.

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Nat & Gregor are joined by Alyson Rudd following the news of the Premier League players initiative to help the NHS, so are we too quick to judge high earning footballers?

More on this, whether Sadio Mane should be in the running for the Ballon d'Or, and anyone for a game of football scrabble?

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Nat & Gregor are joined by Matt Dickinson to discuss Liverpool's much publicised decision to furlough some of their staff! So should the club reconsider?

More on this, Wayne Rooney's must read column in the Sunday Times, and a look back on the 2006 World Cup in Germany from Matt and his 'moles in the camp!'

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Nat & Gregor are joined by Jonathan Northcroft to discuss whether there really is a "moral vacuum"in football, as billionaire owned Premier League clubs weigh up using government money to ease their financial worries.

The panel also take on some football brainteasers to get you thinking, and choose their top 3 Premier League classic clashes.

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