Whistleblowers - The Football Podcast

The new fangled Premier league break is in full swing, but the Whistleblowers stops back in early to check in on the state of the league through the joint prisms of the FA Cup 4th round this weekend and the recent end of the January transfer window. Is this now a rebuilding season for Manchester United? Did Spurs do good business and should they be worried about taking on Brighton this weekend? Are cup holders Leicester going to come a cropper against East Midlands foes Nottingham Forest? And are Plymouth and Kidderminster our gems for this weekend? All this and more on this week’s Whistleblowers pod. thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2022 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

The three occasionally wise men are back! After fulfilling their traditional Christmas duties of bringing gifts to a stable, Mark Smith reconvenes with Gritts and Gareth to discuss an eye-popping round of fixtures that starts with a tasty Thameslink derby between Brighton and Crystal Palace and ask which set of fans should be more excited about their clubs future. The biggest game of the week is then discussed and we debate whether it’s already a formality for Man City to win the title again before looking forward to what the next iteration of Chelsea’s midfield looks like in 2022. Manchester United’s continued shortcomings are analysed and the ask if the clock is running down on this group of players before looking at the Champions League yardstick that is the North London derby to close out the weekend. All this and more on your triumphantly returning Whistleblowers podcast. thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2022 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

Football has a case of the bah humbugs going into the festive period with COVID-striken players dominating the headlines and the sort of casualty list not since since the day after the big Christmas game on the Somme. The three bunkering men of the Whistleblowers convene to sift through the remaining games this weekend and focus on woes for Leeds, a sprig of joy for Arsenal and an unerring suspicion that Sean Dyche is the grinch that is here to ruin Aston Villa’s Christmas. All this and a small amount more on a fun-size episode of the Whistleblowers that’s more mini Bounty than tiny Malteaser. thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

The Whistleblowers’ three-headed monster of buffoonery return from their personal international break to deep dive into Chelsea v Leeds and ask whether Lukaku and Werner are Chelsea’s solutions or problem, and debate if Leeds should just take Christmas off. Ralf Rangnick’s early impact at Manchester United is assessed and we ponder if their opponents Norwich have a glimmer of hope with their new manager as well. The big narrative of the weekend is the return of Steven Gerrard to Anfield, giving us an opportunity to wonder if this Liverpool team is the best iteration under Klopp so far. All this and more on this week’s Whistleblowers. thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

Special guest alert! The premier league is back after what feels like the 20th international break of the season, and whilst most of the Whistleblowers return, one of us is still waiting for their private jet to land in time for match day 12. Thankfully for you we bring in comedian extraordinaire Stuart Law to assess the recent managerial chances in the league and to immediately argue as to whether Gerrard will be deity or disaster. It’s non-plussed faces abound when it comes to Newcastle’s appointment of Eddie Howe and we ask it’ll be enough to keep them up, starting with this weekend’s must-win game versus Brentford. Liverpool vs Arsenal and Leicester v Chelsea get the Whistleblowers once-over and we finish up asking how gutted Spurs fans will actually be if West Ham take a Champions League slot above them this year (hint: very). All this and more in your ever-forward facing Whistleblower’s podcast. thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

After a raucous midweek of European football the three unwise men gather together once again to debate whether Conte has immediately put Spurs in contention for a Champions League spot, ponder who will be their Victor Moses and if need to send Man Utd a bouquet for doing them a favour last week. No one has a single clue as to which Man Utd will turn up for the Saturday lunchtime derby with Pep’s collective but they all assume it will involve Fred and not Pogba, while there are murmurations of belief that West Ham can take Liverpool all the way on Sunday afternoon. All this and more on your latest forward-facing episode of The Whistleblowers. thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

This week the Whistleblowers triage convene to discuss the P45 Derby between Spurs and Manchester United and idly speculate as to who goes first and when. That’s after declaring West Ham your 2021/22 Carabao Cup winners and celebrating the end of Manchester City’s vice-like grip on everyone’s favourite midweek trophy. Eyes glance towards future Arsenal manager Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester team hosting the Gunners in the lunchtime kick off and then we get philosophical as Championship’s Mark Smith declare that Norwich City should be banned from the Premier League for at least three seasons for failing to even bother. All this and more scurrilous chat on this week’s Whistleblowers. thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

The unholy trinity preview Match Day 9 and a focus on a mouth watering Sunday of fixtures including Brentford vs Leicester, West Ham vs Spurs and the big one: Manchester United vs Liverpool where we debate whether the visitors are the best team in the Premier League right now. Before that we spend the first half of the pod trying to measure just how far Arsenal have fallen and whether they have much further to drop, and we give an unheralded Wolves side their due while asking whether the Bielsa bandwagon has been fully abandoned. All this and much more on your weekly dose of Whistleblowers. thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

Fresh from an international break that only saw one club bought by a foreign superpower with limitless cash, the Whistleblowers return to cast their eye over the defensive crisis at Manchester and ask whether Leicester can put them in a tailspin. After mulling over whether Brentford can continue their unlikely run of form while hosting Chelsea, we ask which team is more 4 REAL: Everton or West Ham. The pod ends on a upbeat note by declaring the end of football as we know it, and an inevitable Spurs defeat up at St James at the hands of a newly minted Newcastle United. All this and more on this week’s Whistleblowers Pod. thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

As the evenings begin to draw in and the season begins to take shape, the autumnal gloom descends on a few teams and your Whistleblowers trio debate who is most likely to enter the international break after GW7 looking over their shoulders. We consider whether another defeat could be catastrophic for Spurs, if Brendan Rodgers might be a little concerned by a game against Palace and if Benitez could send Ole into a tailspin. Looking at teams in better shape, we marvel at the difference between Big Game Pep and ‘Oh It’s Bloody Watford’ Pep and ask if Liverpool will shake off the Brentford defeat from last week. Throw in some snide comments about your favourite team and it’s another derisive and action packed Whistleblowers. Check out Review From The Terrace that kicks off with distinctly Scottish view of Braveheart. You’ll love it! thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

A whistlestop Whistleblowers this week as we ask: is Chelsea’s hoodoo over Man City now irrelevant given that they might be the better team? We are also reminded by our ex-professional footballer that eating chicken and pasta at 9.30am is absolutely awful. The middle part of the podcast is spent debating whether derby days are actually fun - they are not, and why, even if we hate them, such singular football moments are scorched onto our brains. We then specifically break down the forthcoming North London Derby and Gritts remembers his old man’s sociopathic love of Celtic v Rangers games. To finish up we talk about West Ham’s ambitions on all fronts and pick from the other most interesting games of the weekend. All in this week’s forward thinking Whistleblowers. Check out Review From The Terrace that kicks off with distinctly Scottish view of Braveheart. You’ll love it! thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

Mark and Gritts are joined by football writer (and self proclaimed Man Utd fan) Sam Pilger, to preview the weekend fixtures. Will Ronaldo make an appearance? Are Arsenal in a relegation battle v Norwich? Can Dan James make Leeds better? Will West Ham’s form continue away at Southampton? Plus a chance to talk to Sam about ghost writing for the legend Jaap Stam. thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

Hours after the transfer window simply closed, this week’s Whistleblowers podcast assessed the business done in and outside of the Premier League and we ask if the surrounding teams have done enough to catch up with Manchester City, condemn the inactivity of others and anoint Crystal Palace as a side that’s made some good moves. Afterwards we conduct a root and branch investigation as to the state of the top tier three games in and make early snap judgements to define everyone’s entire seasons. Bouquets are handed out to the likes of Conor Gallagher and Mason Greenwood, and P45s are chucked in the post for Steve Bruce, Daniel Farke and of course everyone’s Arsenal favourite. Looking forwards it’s time to lazily brush off the forthcoming international break as a waste of time for everyone and it’s the part of the pod that everyone particularly excels at. Come celebrate host Mark Smith’s birthday with us on this week’s on-a-plate Whistleblowers. Check out Review From The Terrace that kicks off with distinctly Scottish view of Braveheart. You’ll love it! thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

Football as chess? Wipe your Tsimakis off the board early? This week’s Whistleblowers dives into the biggest game of the season so far and we debate whether this is Chelsea’s time or if Van Dijk can keep a Lukaku in his pocket. Much is made of Kane’s ‘decision’ to stay with a club he had no choice but to stay with, and Mark Smith attempts to use as many variations of ‘embarassing climbdown’ as possible. Gritt’s joins us to fire Ateta’s Arsenal career out of a cannon into the ether and raise the flag on his house of Aston Villa love. Gareth doesn’t backtrack on last week’s Southampton backtrack, but probably could if he’d had time. All in this week’s game week 3 preview packed Whistleblowers. Head to beer52.com/whistle and use code “WHISTLE” for your free case of 8 beers! thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright

This week’s forward looking edition of The Whistleblowers lays the bouquet of chat at the feet of West Ham v Leicester in tribute to the most exciting match of Game Week 2, while asking special guest Tom Rennie what the Hammers need to do to match last year’s heroics. Mark Smith and Gareth Dobson debate whether Arsenal vs Chelsea can really be considered a marquee match up anymore and the trio ask if Wolves v Spurs will deflate any false optimism in the Lillywhites end. Gareth rounds things off by backtracking on last week’s prediction that Southampton are a 2021/22 dark horse in frankly embarrassing fashion and Tom Rennie explains how a plate of carrots and broccoli can last a full half of football if you really try. Head to beer52.com/whistle and use code “WHISTLE” for your free case of 8 beers! thewhistleblowers.net @footballpodcast Produced by Paul Myers and Mike Leigh Engineered by Leon Gorman A Playback Media Production playbackmedia.co.uk Copyright 2021 Playback Media Ltd - playbackmedia.co.uk/copyright