Football Ramble Presents

Dotun, Andy and Lars Sivertsen pick through the latest Euro 2020 casualties, as a back trois couldn't save France and Germany's lack of cohesion cost them.  We wonder where it went wrong for the French, with Didier Deschamps' bizarre selection choices a significant factor, and reflect on the Joachim Löw era after the curtains came down at Wembley. We also assess those still standing and who we think have the best chance of success! ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dotun and Andy are joined by David Cartlidge on today's episode, as we uncork a bottle of Cava and toast to the group stages' final blaze of glory. Portugal, France and Germany emerge from the flames of Group F, so we see who needs to settle on their best XI ahead of the knockout rounds. We also get an update on Spain who, despite a 5-0 win over Slovakia, still don't look all that convincing. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Looking for the latest on some of Euro 2020's biggest contenders? Well, you've come to the right place! Dotun and Andy are joined by various OTC contributors to discuss some of the biggest stories from the first week of the Euros. Nicky Bandini praises those impressive Italians, Lars Sivertsen looks over France's chances of going the distance and David Cartlidge reveals why Spain's opening performance might not prove as disastrous as some are suggesting. Got a question for us? Email otc@footballramble.com! ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’ve waited a year, but the Euros have finally arrived! Join Dotun, Andy and Lars Sivertsen for our giant OTC preview! We cast an eye over the Group of Fun ™️, where Germany look under threat, and check in with the usual contenders including Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands. We also wonder if a Turkish delight might upset the much-fancied Italians on opening night! Got a question for us? Email otc@footballramble.com! ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’ll cut straight to it: today’s Ramble Meets... guest is one of the greatest footballers in the history of the game. It’s only Germany's European Championship and World Cup-winning midfielder, Lothar Matthäus! Lothar joins Andy to look ahead to Germany’s chances at Euro 2020, with the public‘s expectations of Die Mannschaft as high as ever. They also chat about his storied playing career, spotting Jadon Sancho’s potential years ago and how impressive Hansi Flick’s football has been at his beloved Bayern.  Got a question for us? Email show@footballramble.com! ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome to our final episode of Lions Watch! With the Euros just six sleeps away, Marcus and Luke bring you their reflections on England’s opening friendly and sort through Gareth Southgate’s alarmingly large pile of unanswered questions. Besides Trent Alexander-Arnold’s replacement, we run the rule over England’s possible formations without Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire and look back at the most recent international break, where the Three Lions were reminded of a harsh truth against Poland. Join us! Got a question for us? Email show@footballramble.com! ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!** Featured image courtesy of Anton Zaitsev.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dotun is joined by Lars Sivertsen and Nicky Bandini as the Champions League final brought the weirdest domestic season ever to a close. We take a look back at that entertaining affair, with Chelsea using their ‘break glass for pragmatic coach’ approach to great effect once again. We then wonder what’s next for European football; the pandemic has forced many clubs to turn the old guard and accept there may be some excess baggage amongst their squad, with Max Allegri and Carlo Ancelotti two particular points of focus. There are so many questions to look into; how will the Euros affect next season’s domestic leagues? Who will challenge the traditional elite for various honours? And why have so many Italian clubs already changed their bloody managers?! Got a question for us? Email otc@footballramble.com! ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

'Fever Pitch' is widely regarded to be the best football book ever written. It's been made into two films, won the 1992 William Hill Sports Book of the Year award and inspired countless football fans around the UK to think more deeply about their football fandom. Its author, Nick Hornby, joins us in the studio for today's episode of the Book Club! Nick sits down with Kate and Jim to remember the seismic impact of 'Fever Pitch', nearly thirty years after its initial publication. Nick's footballing obsession embedding itself within every aspect of his life and the book encapsulates the joy, frustration, hopelessness and deliriousness felt by a generation of football fans on the terraces every Saturday. From his deep love for Arsène Wenger to the state of the modern game, it's a fascinating chat with one of the forefathers of modern football writing! You can purchase the latest edition of 'Fever Pitch' here. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome back to Lions Watch, your one-stop shop for all things England! Vithushan Ehantharajah joins Marcus to reflect on Gareth Southgate’s provisional squad and look ahead to a hugely important week in the Three Lions’ preparations. We also dial up former England Head of Physiotherapy Gary Lewin to learn more about fitness preparations for the tournament. Plus, Marcus and Vish cast their eyes over those two reunions with Belgium last year and why we need to steal Youri Tielemans. Join us!  Got a question for us? Email show@footballramble.com! ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!** Featured image courtesy of Anton Zaitsev.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

All aboard this summer’s managerial merry-go-round, coming soon to a European powerhouse near you! Dotun, Andy and David Cartlidge break down the big coaching moves across the continent as Antonio Conte might well grab Zinedine Zidane’s vacant seat in Madrid and Juventus’ Andrea Pirlo makes way for his former boss, Max Allegri.  We also celebrate two title victories that were confirmed over the weekend, as a smiling Diego Simeone wins his second La Liga title and Lille snatch Ligue 1 from PSG, just before their players and manager all leave. Got a question for us? Email otc@footballramble.com! ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On today’s episode of Ramble Meets… we welcome a man who, by his own admission, tried really hard not to be a footballer - and failed. It’s former Chelsea, Everton and Scotland winger, Pat Nevin! Pat joins Mark Pougatch to discuss an enriching career that was fuelled by a sheer enjoyment of football, with the trappings of fame and fortune never a remote consideration. He talks about his journey from the politically charged streets of the east end of Glasgow to Chelsea FC and London’s burgeoning music scene, all with a vigour that shows Pat’s love for the game will never truly dwindle. You can purchase Pat's new book, The Accidental Footballer, here! ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With Gareth Southgate's squad announcement just days away, Marcus and Luke tackle perhaps the most significant selection dilemma: who's going to play right-back?! We also look back to the culmination of England's Nations League efforts back in 2019, with the usual boxes of 'lose to a top-level team' and 'win a penalty shoot-out' ticked off in Portugal. Finally, Czech journalist Ondřej Zlámal gives us the lowdown on the latest iteration of their side and what England can expect in their final group game.  Search ‘Football Ramble’ on social media to find us, and email us here: show@footballramble.com. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Featured image courtesy of Anton Zaitsev.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Miguel Delaney joins Dotun and Andy for another continental crusade, with Europe's various title races wrapping up and the Euros honing into view! Karim Benzema links up with the French squad for the first time in six years, as Didier Deschamps weighs up his fractious past against his goalscoring pedigree. We also praise Edin Terzić after Dortmund turn their season around with moments to spare and wonder where it's all gone wrong for Mesut Özil and Fenerbahçe. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s less than a month until England’s opening group stage game and Marcus is struggling to contain his anticipation. A season-ending injury for Harry Maguire though, you say? That will do it. Marcus and Luke discuss the latest on Maguire and assess how he has come to be so important to this England team. Elsewhere, Jadon Sancho puts in a stunning performance to clinch Dortmund’s first silverware in four years: can Raheem Sterling really start ahead of him? We also look back on two defining matches for England in 2018 and dial in Croatian football writer Aleksandar Holiga for the inside track on England’s old enemy. Join us! Got a question for us? Email show@footballramble.com! ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!** Featured image courtesy of Anton Zaitsev.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dotun, Andy and Lars Sivertsen are looking ahead to a photo finish in the La Liga title race, as Real Madrid’s weathered old souls chase down Atléti in top spot. We also check in on the fallout from the end of the Portuguese and Italian title races. Sporting win their first in nearly two decades under wonderkid coach Rúben Amorim, while Andrea Pirlo and Juventus must be wondering whether their marriage of convenience has run its underwhelming course. Got a question for us? Email otc@footballramble.com! ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.