Football Between The Lines

We try to do the grown-up referee chat and still end up saying John Brooks had an absolute mare, even while admitting Spurs deserved the two reds. Then we get into why this Premier League season feels properly weird, why Villa have to be taken seriously in the title race, and why West Ham look like they’re sleepwalking into a relegation scrap. There’s also a bit on Dele Alli and how quickly it can all unravel, plus a proper chat about matchgoing fans versus global fans and why it does not have to be one or the other. We round it off with festive comments, Celtic’s magnet-gate, and Dan taking his six-year-old to Leeds away for a 4-1, which is either elite parenting or a safeguarding issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve got the most chaotic story of the year from AFCON as Cameroon somehow end up with two managers and two squads, with Samuel Eto’o doing Samuel Eto’o things. Then we get into Celtic’s absolute meltdown, the Venn diagram tweet drama, and Dundee United piling in with elite trolling. From there it’s fixture congestion, the Club World Cup injury bill, and why football and politics can’t be separated no matter how much we’d like them to be. Plus: a Christmas campaign that actually matters, a wholesome tech story from Selhurst, and we launch the movement the world needs… #GiveTheKidsAJacket. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re back and Dan’s fresh off Dublin with approximately 45 pints of Guinness in his system, so naturally we start with European away days and end up in some properly dark places. We talk Arsenal grinding past Wolves, City doing City things, the Carragher vs Rio nonsense, and the weird Salah situation. Then we get into the grim bit: Spurs getting bullied again, why the midfield feels so soft, and why the fanbase is already swinging hard against Thomas Frank (the poll numbers are mad). We also hit Sunderland finally doing Newcastle, proper end-game shithousery, and a big question: do Spurs fans overrate the squad and who actually gets into a top six side. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this one we sit down with Rory Jennings to get properly stuck into the Salah saga, the idea of legacy, and how tribal we all get when footballers cross the line. We talk Europa away days and why Prague might actually be heaven, give Everton the respect they’ve earned, and wonder what on earth Chelsea are. There’s a bit on Wolves and Derby’s infamous 11 points, a detour into ultras physically removing managers, and the usual listener chaos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this one we get stuck into the Salah vs Slot saga, Carragher’s eight-minute monologue and whether a player can ever be bigger than Liverpool. We talk about the racism accusations aimed at Carragher, Salah’s legacy and why we think he has probably kicked his last ball for the club. Then we move on to Villa’s title credentials, Palace quietly cooking in the league and Wolves looking doomed, before finishing with your questions on fandom, the “big six,” VAR, co-comms, and a bit of chat about coconut mushrooms, Guinness and Palace’s Conference League adventure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices