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The Game Football Podcast
Ratcliffe's game plan, Reading's misery and unnerving pressbox encounters
Matt Dickinson, Alyson Rudd and Gregor Robertson join Tom Clarke to discuss Sir Jim Ratcliffe's plan of action, why Reading fan's invaded the pitch and what spooked Alyson over the weekend.
Matt Dickinson gives an in-depth insight into what Manchester United's new 25% owner should be prioritising once he's got his feet under the table.
Now Kevin De Bruyne has returned (and immediately delivered), will City run away with the Premier League title?
There were chaotic scenes at The Madejski Stadium at the weekend. Gregor gives his take on events.
And what 'unnerving' event did Alyson experience in the Stamford Bridge Press box?
Timeline:
Man United
2' Did we learn more about Tottenham or United from Sunday's draw at Old Trafford?
4' How impressive have Spurs been this season?
6' Does the club stop any personality from doing what Ange Postecoglou has done at Spurs, at United?
10' What is Sir Jim Ratcliffe like as a person?
13' Is there a sense of fandom for Ratcliffe? Or strictly business?
15' Is 25% ownership enough for Ratcliffe?
17' For the Glazers, Man United became a commercial operation with a football club attached
19' How much money will Man United be spending?
20' Will Sir Dave Brailsford be involved in footballing decisions?
22' Where are Man United currently at? Is a total reset needed?
24' What will Sir Jim Ratcliffe's approach to managers be? Clinical, or romantic?
26' What is the priority for Ten Hag after the takeover?
28' Will there be any transfer activity in January?
Man City v Newcastle
32' Five beautiful goals, but which was the best?
36' Do defenders pay De Bruyne too much respect? And what position will he play?
42' Will City now run away with the league now De Bruyne is back?
43' Does Newcastle's downturn in form signal the end for Eddie Howe? England job for Howe?
Reading
46' What's the background to the protests we saw over the weekend?
49' Do the panel condone the protests?
Chelsea v Fulham
53' A nonevent derby, with a poor atmosphere and poor performances?
55' What's Pochettino's mood like? Any fear about his position?
57' Alyson's 'Unnerving' encounter at Stamford Bridge
More episodes
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Arsenal and Man City Shocked
01:05:55|What’s going wrong at Arsenal? Was this a freak result for City?After both lose again is it down to better opposition, poor performance, lacklustre management or plain old exhaustion? No such problems for Nottingham Forest who are now third in the table or Liverpool who roared back to go top against Brighton.Gregor Robertson dissects the weekends results with Martin Hardy, Alyson Rudd and James Gheerbrant.Plus, hats off to Bournemouth, Newcastle and Spurs and a quick look at dapper Van Nistelrooy and woeful West Ham.Is Amorim the man for Manchester United?
01:07:06|Is Ruben Amorim the man to bring the good times back to Manchester United? As the current Portuguese coach is set to be named the new man in charge at Old Trafford what will he bring and more importantly what kind of squad will he inherit? Martin Samuel, Jonathan Northcroft and Gregor Robertson join Tom Clarke to assess his credentials to take over “…the biggest club in the land.”Can Ange-ball win a trophy at Spurs; Chelsea’s B team looked light against Newcastle and what makes a good leader?Oh, and a quick mention of rampant Aberdeen.EFL Extra: Is Sunderland's start sustainable?
39:03|On the latest whistle-stop tour of the EFL, Gregor Robertson and Tom Clarke discuss Sunderland's surprise surge (which is starting to look less surprising), Coventry's potentially season changing win against Luton, Ian Holloway's latest adventure in Swindon and much more.Ten Hag sacked - midway through the show!
01:03:26|The big talking point from the weekend was Arsenal's draw at home to Liverpool, until it wasn't. Midway through today's episode, news broke that Erik ten Hag had been sacked by Manchester United. Join Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd, Hamzah Khalique-Loonat & Gregor Robertson as they react to the news in the moment. And much, much more...“Arsenal won’t beat Liverpool playing like that!”
01:02:52|Is Arsenal’s mounting injury list going to derail their title bid? Not according to Martin Samuel or Hamzah Khalique-Loonat who both think teams that win titles win regardless of injuries – think Alisson, Haaland, De Bruyne or Van Dijk.Liverpool may not be the swashbuckling side from the Klopp era but are they even more effective under the controlled Slot?Does Erling Haaland get the credit he deserves? Who cares about link up play when you’ve scored 44 goals in 42 champions league games! Gregor Robertson oversees proceedings.Are Liverpool and Chelsea serious contenders?
01:05:41|Liverpool passed their first serious test of the season and Chelsea looked good even in defeat.Tom Clarke is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tony Cascarino and Tom Allnutt as they ask; can Liverpool win the title and are Chelsea a top four team?Are Arsenal’s chances of the title being undermined by their poor disciplinary record? Do referees favour the top teams? And it wasn’t just a bad day for Julen Lopetegui at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it was a forgettable day for James Maddison too.Plus, Brighton, Man Utd, Southampton and VAR.Will Tuchel win England the World Cup?
58:24|England have appointed one of the world’s best coaches. What does he bring, how does he manage, and will it be enough to win the big one?Tom Clarke, Gregor Robertson, Tony Cascarino and James Gheerbrant are joined from German football journalist Constantin Eckner.What do we know about Tuchel’s number two, young English coach Anthony Barry? Gregor did his coaching badges with him; he can enlighten us.After the break a look ahead to the weekends premier league fixtures and the big clash at Anfield as Chelsea take on Liverpool.EFL Extra: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not?
39:55|Tom Clarke is joined by Gregor Robertson as they assess the Championship, League One and League Two. Leeds, Norwich, Plymouth. Wycombe, Exeter, Port Vale and AFC Wimbledon all feature – as well as many in between. Plus a look at the many ex players taking to lower league management.Fantasy Football - better than the real thing?
57:04|Where now for England? A failed experiment; Carsley might not want it full time and is Pep waiting in the side-lines? Gregor Robertson thinks his selections were indulgent, Hamzah Khalique-Loonat thinks they should be applauded. Tom Clarke still misses Southgate.After the break a brilliant discussion about the affects of fantasy football on real football.Tom Allnutt says clubs are now banning players and staff from taking part. But why?And do fans now spend more time discussing fantasy football than ‘real’ football?