Football Between The Lines

We’ve had a week of it. Villa fans came for us in numbers after The Overlap dragged up an old Big Six debate clip, so naturally we’ve now got a lifelong vendetta. Then we spiral into the proper stuff: why VAR has killed goal celebrations, why five minute offside checks are a disgrace, and whether football was better when you just glanced at the lino and went mad. There’s Spurs misery, West Ham dread, protest chat, Gallagher being “a terrier”, a quick detour into Chelsea, and a bumper comments section featuring the Raggett brothers, scrap invitations, and the legendary Sandwich Video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode we confirm Dan’s okay after a short break, then dive straight into Crystal Palace’s humiliating FA Cup exit and why it may be the worst performance in the club’s modern history. From there we broaden the conversation to Tottenham, Chelsea and beyond, asking who really carries responsibility in modern football: the head coach on the touchline or the directors and ownership behind the scenes. We discuss Thomas Frank’s situation at Spurs, Oliver Glasner’s uncertain future at Palace, Chelsea’s new manager and the pressures of leading elite players in the social media era. Plus listener questions, FA Cup fallout, and the strange reality of supporting football clubs that always seem to find new ways to test you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This one starts with numbness and ends somewhere between catharsis and chaos. We talk about the unspoken contract you sign with your football club for life, why some fans walk away and why most of us never really can. Spurs being a mess, Palace perspective, watching football out of habit rather than hope, and how results hit differently when it’s also your job. There’s burnout, sleep deprivation, social media fatigue, managers losing the room, The Panenka being a crime against football, and why talking it all through with your mates might be the only thing that keeps you sane. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We start with Spurs and quickly ask a bigger question. When football gets this dull, what are fans meant to cling to? We talk Thomas Frank, clean sheets that feel joyless, away ends singing old songs to stay sane, and whether pragmatism has gone too far. From Spurs to Chelsea’s chaos, Liam Rosenior rumours, Brennan Johnson, Sunderland’s madness and why xG both explains everything and nothing, this one turns into a proper chat about what football is meant to give us, and why so often it doesn’t. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re back after Christmas and Dan’s had the full festive experience: Palace losing, kids being sick everywhere, and the dreaded norovirus tidal wave arriving mid Christmas dinner. Lovely stuff. Then we get into a game of football that neither of us ever wants to think about again, VAR and the weird delayed offside stuff, and why Thomas Frank still isn’t winning Spurs fans over. After that it’s Brennan Johnson to Palace rumours, Calvert-Lewin suddenly turning into a six-yard assassin, Villa refusing to go away, and a proper listener message about teaching your kids what supporting Palace actually means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices