Welcome to Part 2 of our DOUBLE Episode Special of "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom".

Released simultaneously, covering; “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” in our review of football in 2025. 

This DOUBLE Episode Special is a wide ranging review of the wider football landscape and neither Boro or Everton heavy or a concentration on the usual Premier League suspects.

So, whoever you support or follow, whether you are a match going fan or an armchair supporter, we think we have something for you across the 2 x episodes.

After covering the GOOD stuff in Episode 28, this Episode 29 concentrates on what we consider some of the BAD & UGLY aspects of football across the year - and there are some brilliant rants and discussions to get your teeth into, including.

It's a pretty packed episode, indicating that there are many things that get proper football fans riled.......

Why not comment, get involved and expand the debate. After all, this is and always has been a game of opinions.

We hope that you will enjoy these episodes as much as we enjoyed recording them.

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn with over 200 members and rising - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

Happy New Year from Nick & Dom at “The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom”.

We hope that 2026 will bring you health, happiness and some football joy (or at least not football heartache).

And do we have a New Year treat for you to kick off 2026……

Welcome to Part 1 of a DOUBLE Episode Special released simultaneously, covering;

“The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” in our review of football in 2025.

This DOUBLE Episode Special is a wide ranging review of the wider football landscape and neither Boro or Everton heavy or a concentration on the usual Premier League suspects.

So, whoever you support or follow, whether you are a match going fan or an armchair supporter, we think we have something for you across the 2 x episodes.

This Episode 28 concentrates on what we consider some of the GOOD aspects of football across the year - and there are some brilliant stories in there to celebrate.

Episode 29 covers what we consider the BAD and the UGLY side of the game, with some rants and some people and situations in the cross hairs.

Why not comment, get involved and expand the debate. After all, this is and always has been a game of opinions.

We hope that you will enjoy these episodes as much as we enjoyed recording them. 

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn with over 200 members and rising - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

Welcome to Episode 27 of the Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom.

Have we got a pre-Christmas treat for you, and it might just be our best episode to date - let us know what you think.

We have called this episode "Back to the Future" because football seems to have re-discovered:

Even at the top level of the Premier League, teams like Arsenal are ripping up the Pep Tikka Taka playbook (thank goodness) and trying "new" things, that to many, are not that new.....

Tony Pulis and Sam Alladyce must be loving it, but please don't expect the call to arms to fill a dugout position anytime soon Guys - your time has come and gone - we can but hope.

So, if we are indeed going "back to the future", does that mean we can expect to see the re-emergence of the genuine Football Maverick - a player who's off-field legend supports his on-field silky skills and unique approach to getting fans off their seats? Probably not as the lifestyle choices would certainly be seen as "questionable" in the modern era - but that's no excuse for us not to discuss;

What do they all have in common and who does Nick compare them to in terms of England Caps - to Dom's amazement?

Also, who do we think is the last genuine on-field Maverick - so difficult to manage that even Neil Warnock gave up and let him have free rein, to brilliant effect?

Finally, who is the genuine 1970's Football Maverick so potentially obscure that there is book written about him entitled "The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw"?

Whatever your age, whatever your vintage, whoever you support and grew up adoring, we think that proper football fans will enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn with over 200 members and rising - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

Welcome to Episode 26 of the Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom.

As match going football fans, we like to consider some of the more interesting subjects around world football and hope that they engage and entertain our audience - as well as creating discussion and debate.

There are plenty of podcasts that analyse games (some endlessly) - but we like to think we "observe" the game and share our thoughts - and that you enjoy our approach too.

On this episode, after another short initial rant about the ticket prices at the disgraceful FIFA World Cup 2026, we look at a fascinating area of football success in Spain and if or how that success could, might, or may never translate to any English team. That success is Athletic Club of Bilbao, one of only three teams NEVER to have been relegated from the top flight in Spain - you can probably guess the other two......

A team in Canada are trying to replicate that success - only recruiting and developing players from their own region - in Athletic Club's case, the Basque Region of Spain, in Canada, the French speaking Quebec region.

We also discuss which English League One club we think might be an ideal testbed to try to replicate the model in the English pyramid - League One being the highest level we think could even consider this approach.

We think proper football fans will enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn with over 200 members and rising - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

Despite us hanging FIFA out to dry with our take on the disgraceful ticketing and other issues around the World Cup in 2026 on our recent Episode 16, here we are, 9 episodes later and we cannot ignore another scandal and another blatant attempt to take the piss out of fans in favour of a desire to MAKE EVEN MORE MONEY.

And this was recorded BEFORE Donald Trump "won" the completely fictitious "FIFA Peace Award", which I am certain we would have caned in this episode had we recorded after the World Cup Draw debacle.

We hate the World Governing Body of the game we love and think that every other fan will have the same opinion.

Welcome to Episode 25 of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom.

We do however start with a celebration of:

We look at the demise of Italian football at international level and why the FIFA qualification process makes it harder to qualify from Europe than most other regions - and why FIFA seem to love this? Thanks to Pellegrino Riccardi & Mark Mortimer on Linkedin for sharing the following link on this:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pellegrino-riccardi-24425a9_italys-football-collapse-a-leadership-activity-7396152496743661569-HuAF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGZUtIB7fehCgVOGNaPEGmSPZrP2n-4paI

Why attracting 48 teams to the tournament is a great idea for FIFA but why they also don't want ANY of the minnows to progress beyond the initial group stages.

Finally, we also consider final 4 seeding - which is an utter sham and a fix and why CR7 Cristiano Ronaldo is the ONLY player in world football to warrant the execution of a never before used Article 27 of the Governing Body Rules - setting him on probation for a recent red card for violent conduct rather than taking his ban, whereas the bans seem to be remaining in place with a case to answer for two other players in EXACTLY the same situation.

Is this also MONEY related, or just a case of "who you know"?

Whatever, it is, it is yet another disgrace!

We think proper football fans will enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

Inspired by a few recent and a couple of upcoming games - on Episode 24 of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom, we ask whether a game is a genuine derby match or just a rivalry (often bitter, but not technically a derby game).

We consider what we think constitutes a derby, who has one, and who doesn't and why we think that you can have ONLY ONE!

What does this mean for London?

What do non-fans of the London clubs involved think - and does this differ from the fans involved - we would be fascinated to get your opinions.

We discuss why we think Arsenal v Spurs IS a derby but Chelsea v Arsenal is only a rivalry......

Why we don't care about the likes of West Ham v Fulham and a few more, and apart from fans of the two clubs, nobody else does either.

Why do the likes of Boro, Coventry, Bournemouth, Palace, Brighton, Wrexham and a few more not even have a derby - because naming something after a Motorway or A Road doesn't make it one - trust us.

When a derby is played or due to be played between two teams of unequal stature or form, does a bitter rivalry with a different club seem more appealing and does it trump this for the fans of the more "successful" club for interest at that time?

We go international too and discuss some of the more appealing and attractive derbies in world football - and which ones we would love to go to, and why?

What would be on your bucket list by the way?

We think this is an episode that will have you nodding in agreement, tutting in disgust and shouting at your device in equal measure - so if that is the case, let us know with your comments what YOU think. We would LOVE to hear from you.....

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

Ignore the episode number reference at the start of the recording- this is definitely Episode 23 of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom - after we slipped the extra Episode 20 Rob Edwards Special in - having already recorded this one prior to publishing.......

This is a very special GLOBAL Episode 23 as we have our first ever INTERNATIONAL Guest - Welcome Tommy Walker.

Tommy is a;

......and also a massive Boro fan......

He is very active on social media and on the ground in South East Asia – building and mobilising a growing Boro fan base of ex-pats and locals.

He is currently involved in the Middlesbrough Supporters Clubs in Thailand, Honk Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Dubai & China, but this is NOT an episode about Boro as a club or even Boro as a fanbase.

We have entitled this episode "Supporting Your Club & Rallying Others From Abroad" and it offers a fascinating insight into how to build a local, regional and in Tommy's case, a continental group of like-minded passionate fans who happen to live and work around the globe rather than in the UK - mobilising them so that collectively, everyone can better enjoy a matchday and supporter experience in wherever they may be living, working, or even just passing through.

So please keep listening and watching to what is a fascinating episode - whoever you support, wherever you live or work, or if you have plans to travel abroad during the football season.……

Tommy is a TOP Guest who we know that our growing audience will enjoy.

These and many more questions are discussed with a very engaging and articulate guest.

We are sure that whoever you support, you will really enjoy this one. We certainly enjoyed recording it and look forward to meeting Tommy in person over the Christmas break when he is back in the UK.

A Parmo and a pint or two will certainly be on the menu.

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

As we look to finish the last of the 3 Autumn International Breaks (thank goodness) - seeing England qualify with maximum points from a pretty easy group, but with Scotland's fate still unknown at the time of recording & release, we take this opportunity to offer our THIRD "Reflection of the Season So Far" musings on Episode 22 of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom.

Don't be confused at the start when we mention Episode 21 - as we snuck in an extra Rob Edwards Special as a different Episode 20 to that originally planned, knocking back a couple of episodes we had already recorded and we don't really do editing.......

This is indeed Episode 22!

So what have we observed and what do we discuss?  We cover some great stuff, including, though not exclusively;

We think any fan of the game, from any club, and of any age will really enjoy this episode - we certainly enjoyed recording it.  We also hope that you will have your own views too - please comment or get in touch, we would love to hear from you.....

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

As a counter-balance to the nostalgic trip we took on Episode 19, Nick & Dom discuss some of the things they love about the modern game - and watching a lot of football as we do, it was a little easier than we might have imagined......

Welcome to Episode 21 of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom.

Football has changed a lot in the years we have been watching, and whilst a lot of the change has been detrimental - VAR being a classic example, we cover a list of things that we think are actually worth celebrating.

We cover some great stuff, including, though not exclusively;

We think any fan of the modern game will really enjoy this episode - we certainly enjoyed recording it.  We also hope that you will have your own views too - please comment or get in touch, we would love to hear from you - what do love about the modern game?

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

Welcome to a Special Rob Edwards Episode of the Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom

Parental Control needed for the odd sweary bit……..

As two card-carrying, match-going, long-term Middlesbrough fans this week has been up there with one of the strangest and most annoying in our memory – all because of the actions of one man – Robert Owen Edwards, also known as Rob Edwards or Snakeman!

This is not a podcast episode just about Middlesbrough Football Club, it is a podcast about......

If you are a football fan of ANY Club, consider how you would react to the same situation evolving and unfolding around your Club, your Manager or Head Coach and how you would feel about it.

This is not a rant of an episode, but we hope, a balanced take on something that is or should be (but sadly isn't), at the heart of football – TRUST.

 We hope that we have got the balance right and that you will enjoy it – or at least that it will challenge a perception or two. 

Please feel free to like, share, comment and subscribe to “The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom” for more regular and engaging topics across the football world out every Monday – brought to you by two blokes of a certain age who discuss things that proper fans discuss on the way to games, on the concourse or in the pub.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Feedback welcome, but for this episode in particular, please listen to or watch the episode before forming and sharing your opinions in your comments – we think on this occasion, this is really important.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.  Moving on..........