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Gregor Robertson is joined by Tony Cascarino, Tom Allnutt and Alyson Rudd The curtain comes down on another Premier League season and the final day saw Leeds & Leicester drop down to the Championship. Despite survival is Sean Dyche the right man to keep Everton out of trouble and push them up the table? Where did it all go wrong for Leicester? Premier League and FA Cup winners drop down to the Championship after 9 years in the top flight. After going from Bielsa to Allardyce where do Leeds go from here? Spurs won't be playing any form of European football for the first time in 14 years despite victory on the final day. We discuss whether Ryan Mason should get the job permanently and of course what happens with Harry Kane. Aston Villa will be playing European football next season after Unai Emery's transformed them post Steven Gerrard. Why couldn't Gerrard get out the best from this squad? And we review the season as a whole which has seen the Premier League season break mid way through for the World Cup and and a record number of managers losing their jobs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Jonathan Northcroft & Gregor Robertson After Leicester parked the bus against Newcastle to pick up an all important point we ask the question is it too little too late for The Foxes? How important will the fans be at Elland Road, King Power & Goodison Park as all three have must win home games on the final day. The panel predict who they think will drop out of the Premier League. Newcastle United will be playing Champions League football next season. What does that mean for their summer transfer plans? What is going on at Spurs as yet another manager turns down the club. Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has revealed that he plans to stay in the Netherlands. And we look ahead to the Championship play-off final between Luton Town & Coventry City. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy to look back at the weekend's Premier League action and discuss the biggest stories of the week. Nottingham Forest have secured their Premier League status for another season after beating Arsenal 1-0 at the City Ground. They discuss just how well Steve Cooper has done this season, and ask if the owner Evangelos Marinakis deserves credit for showing faith in him. (00:00) Manchester City win the Premier League for a third consecutive season, how has Pep Guardiola been able to maintain the consistency at the club whilst also managing a number of world-class players? Will their dominance continue in the years to come? (14:55) Pep Guardiola's side have now won 5 Premier League titles in the last 6 seasons, but why do fans still not consider them to be one of the greatest teams in history? We'll ask if the 115 alleged breaches of financial rules from the Premier League has tarnished their legacy in how they are viewed. (26:05) Leeds United's Premier League status is hanging by a thread after losing 3-1 at home to West Ham. They have now lost 25 points from winning positions this season, so was it too late to make a change in the dugout? We'll also reflect on Everton's late equaliser at Wolves and why that makes them favourites to stay up heading into the final day. (45:35) Brighton have qualified for Europe for the first time in their history, with it looking likely they'll play in next season's Europa League - but how do they cope with the step up? What's their plan to be able to deal with the Thursday-Sunday schedule next season? (54:30) Roberto Firmino received an emotional send-off after his last home game as a Liverpool player - we discuss the legacy he has left behind and where he ranks amongst the greatest No.9s in Liverpool's history. (1:02:20) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Ian Harkey & Tom Allnutt. Man City produce a masterclass against Real Madrid to book their place in the Champions League final with some billing it as the best performance by any English side in European history We compare Pep Guardiola's Barcelona with his Man City side and ask why his current team lacks the romanticism of his previous success. England and Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been hit with an eight month ban after he was found guilty of betting charges. Is the ban harsh and does football and gambling have an unhealthy relationship? And we discuss the latest in the Championship as Luton and Coventry prepare to face each other in the play-off final. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Alyson Rudd, Tom Roddy & Gregor Robertson. Arsenal's title bid finally comes to an end as they lose at home to Brighton by three goals. Are Brighton the best team to watch in the Premier League and are they the story of the season? How long can Brighton hold on to their star players and their manager Roberto De Zerbi with sharks already circling. We discuss Leeds and the impact that Sam Allardyce has made since joining on a short term deal until the end of the season. With Champions League qualification now mathematically impossible do Spurs even want to play in the Europa Conference league? Frank Lampard tells the Chelsea players they need to take a look at themselves after they dropped more points, this time at home to Nottingham Forest. And with Southampton's relegation finally confirmed we pick a part where it's gone so wrong this season for The Saints. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Jonathan Northcroft, Gregor Robertson & Ian Hawkey. Following the 1-1 draw at The Bernabeu are Man City now heavy favourites or just favourites to reach the Champions League final. Kevin de Bruyne scored the goal for Man City as he continued his fine form but does he need to win the Champions League to go down as one of the all-time greats? In the other semi-final Inter Milan took the bragging rights and one foot in the final after a 2 nil win over AC Milan. Is Edin Dzeko the most underrated striker in Europe following his exploits at the San Siro? Inter Milan had the opportunity to make it 3 nil after they awarded a penalty in the first-half however the referee decided to overturn his own decision after consulting VAR. Was that the correct decision? As we head into the Championship play-offs who are favourites to make it to the promised land of the Premier League? In-form Sunderland's injury issues continue and take on Luton, who aim to become the first team to go from the National League to the Premier League. After all the issues Coventry have had in recent years would Mark Robins guiding the Sky Blues to promotion be the story of the season? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd, Gregor Robertson & Charlotte Duncker Was Everton's win the most bizarre result this season? A team that played more like champions elect as opposed to relegation threatened. Is Brighton's season tailing off and now in danger of missing out on European football next season? Following Nottingham Forest's thrilling win over Southampton does that put them in pole position to stay up this season? Are Leicester "too good to go down"? A 5-3 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage leaves the foxes in the bottom 3 and in real danger of losing their Premier League status. Arsenal playing Newcastle at their own game. A frustrated Eddie Howe complained about the time wasting from Arsenal although the stats show that it is Newcastle who have been the worst culprits of the dark arts this season. And finally what is going wrong at Manchester United with just 4 wins from the previous 10 games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Clarke is joined by Gregor Robertson and Tom Allnutt to look back at the week's Premier League action and discuss the biggest stories of the week. The Times' Chief Sports Correspondent Matt Lawton joins us to reflect on the news that Sam Allardyce has been appointed the new Leeds manager until the end of the season. He discusses what he can bring to the side, and explains why his long-standing assistant Sammy Lee won't be with him this time around. (00:00) The panel continue to discuss Sam Allardyce's appoint at Leeds and try make sense of it all. Gregor Robertson believes the appointment has no logic to it, whilst Tom Allnutt says Leeds no have identity, so he could understand why they have made the decision to bring him in. (08:10) Leicester drew 2-2 with Everton in a huge game at the bottom of the table on Monday night, they reflect on this result, and explain why a point may not be the worst result in the world for both teams as they look to stay in the Premier League. (18:00) Arsenal keep their slim hopes of winning the Premier League title alive with a 3-1 win at home to Chelsea in midweek, but just how bad have things got at Chelsea, and how much of a job does Mauricio Pochettino have on his hands if he were to be appointed the club's new manager? (24:00) Erling Haaland breaks the record for the most Premier League goals in a single season as his 35th helped Man City brush aside West Ham - they discuss that result and also reflect on Liverpool's 1-0 win at home to Fulham on Wednesday night. (34:20) Molly Hudson joins the show to reflect on Arsenal's defeat to Wolfsburg in their Champions League semi-final second leg at a sold-out Emirates Stadium, and also reflect on the news of a 4th Arsenal player picking up an ACL injury in just 6 months (47:15) We end the show by discussing Lionel Messi's future after he took some unauthorised leave from PSG, and we preview the final day of the Championship season, with so many teams still in contention for a possible play-off place. (55:45) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tony Cascarino. Spurs once again started very poorly, but this time managed to almost salvage a point against Liverpool. How do they even begin to fix their shortcomings? (00:00) Possible red cards and Jurgen Klopp’s actions on the touchline also came up in our thorough analysis (14:18) Bournemouth are surely secure now, but Leeds are deep in trouble. Where can they get the points they’ll need to survive? (33:39) Forest could have given themselves a huge chance of staying up, but let Brentford snatch all the points in West London. Did Steve Cooper get his tactics spot on, though? (45:30) Southampton are sure to be playing in the Championship next season - but are they the next club to free fall down the leagues? (50:55) Crystal Palace have been a joy to watch since Roy Hodgson came back - but where do they look after the season is over? (60:54) Brighton are within touching distance of Europe - what have they got so right that other clubs have struggled so much with? (70:02) Erling Haaland is on the verge of breaking the Premier League scoring record, but is there another gem starting to shine at the Etihad? (74:38) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi all,  The latest episode of The Game podcast was released earlier: Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Allnutt & Jonathan Northcroft. Title decided? Following Man City's comprehensive 4-1 win against leaders Arsenal does that mean the title is once again heading to Manchester. What is wrong at Chelsea? Has Frank Lampard's reputation been damaged during this so far unsuccessful interim spell. With Mauricio Pochettino looking likely to return to the Premier League is this the right job for him and is he the right man to turn around the clubs fortunes. Leeds & Leicester battle it out in a relegation 6 pointer but should Leicester be disappointed not to take all 3 points and is Dean Smith the man going forward? "Spurs are a mess of a club" but who really is to blame for the seasons shortcomings? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tony Cascarino and Tom Clarke to look back at the weekend's Premier League and FA Cup football. Arsenal drop 2 more points after drawing 3-3 at home to Southampton on Friday night, but can they recover from this blip and regain control of the title race? Manchester City sweep aside Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, can they now go on and win the treble this season? (00:00) Spurs are thrashed 6-1 away at Newcastle, but does the culture need to change if they are to become successful, and who would join the club as their new manager if results continue like this? What additions should Eddie Howe make to his squad with Newcastle set to qualify for next season's Champions League? (25:30) The Premier League relegation battle takes another twist, as Leicester move out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win at home to Wolves, and Leeds lose at Fulham. Bournemouth are thrashed 4-0 away at West Ham, and Nottingham Forest lose 3-2 against Liverpool at Anfield, but who will go down this season? (47:00) Manchester United book their place in the FA Cup final after beating Brighton on penalties, and both Wrexham and Leyton Orient secure promotion from their prospective divisions. (1:02:55) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Jonathan Northcroft and Ian Hawkey to look back at the midweek Champions League action, and look ahead to the weekend's football. Manchester City book their place in the semi-finals with a 4-1 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich, but is this the year they finally go all the way in Europe? They dissect the performance at the Allianz Arena and also discuss a potential new contract for Erling Haaland (00:00) Chelsea's season is all-but over after losing 4-0 on aggregate to Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final tie, can things get any worse for Frank Lampard? What do they make of the owner Todd Boehly going into the dressing room to speak to the players? (12:00) Can history repeat itself with Real Madrid knocking out Manchester City in a Champions League semi-final? They discuss the threat posed by the Spanish club, and also discuss the other semi-final, with sees AC Milan face Inter in a Milan Derby. (28:15) Molly Hudson joins the show to look back at a crucial game in the WSL, as Manchester United beat title rivals Arsenal to go top of the table. They also discuss the injury to the England captain Leah Williamson, and how it may impact both Arsenal and England. (38:15) The FA Cup semi-finals take place this weekend! Can Sheffield United cause an almighty upset and beat Manchester City? Is this also Brighton's best chance to reach the final? Do they have enough to beat Manchester United? (47:30) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Alyson Rudd and Tom Roddy. Arsenal dropped more points in the title race at the weekend. Are they struggling under the pressure and will the title come down to the result of the game against Manchester City? (00:00) Ollie Watkins continued to impress for Aston Villa as they put Newcastle in their place. Could Unai Emery’s team make Europe? (17:28) Brighton have a knack of finding exciting young players with Julio Enciso the latest to impress - scoring the winner at Stamford Bridge. Tom Roddy has more about his exclusive story on the likely identity of Chelsea’s new manager (26:20) Dean Smith’s 600th game in management didn’t go to plan - with Leicester losing to Manchester City. Do the Foxes have a better chance of survival under him, though? (39:02) Bournemouth showed they’re up for the fight with a stunning victory against Spurs. Are the Tottenham fans losing focus on the action on the pitch? (49:22) We round up the rest of the games across the weekend - with several teams fighting for their lives in the Premier League (65:59) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tony Cascarino and Tom Clarke in London - and Gregor Robertson in Ghent. Chelsea have it all to do in their Champions League second leg against Real Madrid. Was Frank Lampard the best choice and did the club wait too long to part company with Graham Potter? (00:00) Manchester City have a lot less to worry about against Bayern Munich. Have they found form at the right time and will they finally achieve European glory? (22:07) Dean Smith is in at Leicester City. Is he a good choice and did the club miss a trick in keeping the faith with Brendan Rodgers for so long? (40:30) Liverpool are said to have cooled their interest in Jude Bellingham and Gregor tells us about his trip to Wrexham as we round up the other big stories of the week (52:26) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Alyson Rudd to look back at the weekend's Premier League football and discuss the biggest stories. Arsenal draw 2-2 away at Liverpool in a thrilling game to round off the weekend's football, but with the gap now just 6 points between them and Manchester City, are they still favourites to lift the title? What did the panel also make on Trent Alexander-Arnold's new position and his performance in general? (00:00) Aaron Ramsdale pulled off a string of fantastic saves in the draw at Anfield, but should the Arsenal goalkeeper now be considered England's Number 1? (18:30) What punishment should Assistant Referee Constantine Hatzidakis receive for his altercation with Andy Robertson? We discuss that and also how behaviour towards officials need to change, and what punishment will allow those changes to happen? (24:10) VAR was again the talking point at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Brighton lose 2-1 to Spurs in an incident packed game. The PGMOL have since apologised to Brighton for their error in not awarding them a penalty, but how can we stop the constant scrutiny on VAR decisions? (46:45) Bournemouth moved out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win at Leicester City, they discuss the job Gary O'Neill is doing on the South Coast and ask how worried fans should be about Leicester's bid to stay in the top flight? They also look back at a huge win for Crystal Palace against relegation rivals Leeds United. (54:50) Frank Lampard began his second stint in charge of Chelsea with a 1-0 defeat at Wolves, but what is the point of re-appointing him if they don't beat Real Madrid in the Champions League? (1:06:15) Ian Hawkey joins the show to look ahead to the week's Champions League action, and discuss how Bayern are faring ahead of meeting Manchester City, and how important it is to have the likes of Napoli and AC Milan in the latter stages. (1:10:30) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke and Tom Roddy to look back at the midweek Premier League football and discuss the biggest stories. Frank Lampard has return to Chelsea as their interim manager until the end of the season, but was it a right decision? Will that galvanize the players ahead of the Champions League, or should they have stuck with Potter if there permanent replacement will be appointed in the summer? (00:00) West Ham were thrashed 5-1 at home to Newcastle on Wednesday night, as the pressure ramps up on David Moyes. Should the club stick with him, or do they make a change to try and keep them in the league? (28:20) Are Newcastle now favourites to finish in the Top 4? How much credit does Eddie Howe deserve for recovering from a mini-blip last month to lead them to third in the Premier League table? (34:40) Nottingham Forest show their support to under-fire manager Steve Cooper, but if their eight-match winless run continues, should the club make a change, or is peer pressure from the supporters stopping the owners from sacking him? (38:00) Leicester City are still without a manager as they lost at home to in-form Aston Villa - do we consider Aston Villa to be a threat next season under Unai Emery? Who should replace Rodgers at Leicester, Martin O'Neill or Rafael Benitez? (44:56) Fulham's Aleksandr Mitrovic has been banned for 8 games for a push on referee Chris Kavanagh in their defeat to Manchester United last month, but is that the right amount of time, or does he deserve stronger punishment? (53:23) We end the show by looking ahead to huge games in the EFL and National League, as Burnley can be promoted back to the Premier League this weekend, and Wrexham face Notts County in a huge game at the top of England's fifth tier. (1:00:30) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tony Cascarino and Alyson Rudd to look back at the weekend's Premier League football. Graham Potter has been sacked as Chelsea manager after just 7 months in charge, we discuss where it went wrong for him, whether the ownership were at fault for hiring him in the first place, and who could potentially replace him at Stamford Bridge. (00:00) Aston Villa go to Stamford Bridge and win 2-0, and with the points tally since Unai Emery was appointed only bettered by 3 of the Top 4 in the Premier League, can they make a late charge for Europe? (25:25) Manchester City maintain their pressure on the league leaders Arsenal after dismantling Liverpool at the Etihad, but how poor were Liverpool, and should they start to conceding selling players such as Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold? (28:50) Manchester United hold a dressing room inquest following their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, but is Erik ten Hag already ahead when it comes to his long-term project at the club? Was this defeat a gentle reminder of how much work needs to be done before they're challenging at the top again? (45:40) Brendan Rodgers leaves Leicester City by mutual consent - what can we do to ensure Premier League clubs are not just firing managers so frequently? Who do Leicester appoint in the interim? (59:48) We end the show by discussing the weekend's other Premier League football, as West Ham beat Southampton, Bournemouth beat Fulham and Brighton and Brentford share the spoils in a six-goal thriller. (1:11:09) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Roddy and Jonathan Northcroft to look back at the weekend's International football, and look ahead to the return of the Premier League. Scotland stun Spain with a 2-0 win at Hampden Park to top their Group after the first 2 games of Euro 2024 qualifying, how much credit should we give Steve Clarke for the job he has done with the national side, and what did we make of Rodri's comments about Scotland's style of play? (00:00) Wales begin life without Gareth Bale with 4 points from their first 2 games - but has the team now been allowed to express themselves without having to fit around his style of play? (16:30) What's going on at Spurs, and what's next for the club? They discuss the news that their Managing Director of Football Fabio Paratici's ban from football has been extended to worldwide. They also assess the job Daniel Levy has done at the club in the light of this story. (20:00) Roy Hodgson returns to the Premier League as Crystal Palace manager at the age of 75 when they host Leicester on Saturday, but have the club made a step back with his appointment, and what would the ramifications be if they were to be relegated? (39:20) The guys end the show by previewing the other big games and the bottom, and look ahead to a huge game at the top between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium. (48:30) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson and Tony Cascarino to look back at the weekend's International football. Spurs have parted company with Antonio Conte, was it always a marriage in hell? Does Daniel Levy deserve the criticism that has come his way? Is it more than just recruitment that's to blame? (00:00) The former Bayern Munich manager Julien Nagelsmann has been linked with the role, but will he be a good appointment, or shall they appoint someone left-field such as Vincent Kompany (19:55) Harry Kane surpasses Wayne Rooney to become England's all-time record goalscorer - is he the greatest England striker of all-time? (32:20) England begin their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with two wins from two - they reflect on a 2-0 win for England against Ukraine, and praise the performances of Bukayo Saka and James Maddison. (42:26) The guys reflect on the weekend's other International football, as Wales leave it late to secure a point against Croatia in Split, Scotland start their campaign off with a 3-0 thrashing of Cyprus, and the Republic of Ireland beat Latvia. (59:48) Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Gregor Robertson, Tom Clarke, Michael Grant & Matt Lawton Matt Lawton joins the show from Naples ahead of England's European Championship qualifier plus he gives an update on the protracted takeover of Manchester United. Is Gareth Southgate under pressure despite qualification for Euro 2024 not even underway? Michael Grant discusses Scotland as they play their first competitive fixture since September. And after Mesut Ozil announcing his retirement how should he be remembered? A Premier League legend or a wasted talent? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.