Episodes
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The final day of the regular season didn’t disappoint. Twenty four thousand turned out for Bradford v Fleetwood…in the fourth tier. Leeds and Burnley both reach one hundred points in the Championship and Leyton Orient storm into the League One playoffs on the back of five straight wins.
‘Producer Neil’ joins Gregor Robertson to review the final day and ponder who makes it to the play off finals at Wembley…?
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Trent Alexander Arnold has finally confirmed what seemed inevitable – he is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. His destination is not yet confirmed, but it is widely thought to be Real Madrid. What will be the Liverpool fan’s reaction be to a player won everything with his childhood club? ‘How could you’ or ‘all the best’? And how will he fit in at Real?
In the league the race for Europe is very tight. Chelsea look to have strengthened their grip on a Champions League spot, while Brentford are making a late charge for the Conference league.
Bournemouth are still in the race for Europe, thanks to beating Arsenal. It was far from ideal preparation for the Gunners ahead of a monumental week. Say it quietly, but could Arsenal end the season without a trophy while Spurs lift the Europa League…?
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It was a tough night for Arsenal at the Emirates as they were largely second best to PSG. What hope do they have for a second leg in Paris? Well, PSG don’t have a set piece coach, could that be Arsenal’s best bet? What if any weaknesses do PSG have?
The other semi-final was a classic. Inter Milan showed all their guile and solidity to get a three three draw in Barcelona. But their performance was overshadowed by a seventeen year old.
Is Barca’s Lamine Yama already the best player in the world? The panel are in awe of a remarkable, unplayable talent.
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Tom Clarke and Gregor Robertson round up the penultimate round of fixtures in the EFL. Slowly but surely the key places are being decided. In the Championship Sunderland are limping into the play offs, while Blackburn and Millwall are on a charge. Game of the final weekend is a winner takes all between Coventry and Middlesborough At the bottom Preston have been pulled into a late relegation fight.
In League One Gary Bowyer and Burton look to have pulled off a remarkable survival feat, while in League Two Walsall are in danger of a remarkable failure to get an automatic promotion spot.
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Liverpool have finally clinched their 20th league title. Arne Slot has landed the big one in his first season in charge. How did he do it, can he repeat it next year and is it unfair to look at the legacy left by Jurgen Klopp?
In the FA Cup Alyson Rudd is Crystal Palace’s lucky charm – she interviewed Oliver Glasner ahead of the final and was impressed by his bold approach. What now for Aston Villa?
Finally Gregor Robertson went to meet the owner of newly promoted Birmingham City – Tom Wagner. Ambitious doesn’t do him justice. He knows the financial figures inside out and he is preparing for the very top, a derby with rivals Villa in the Champions League. And he wants Birmingham to knock Manchester off its perch as a footballing city. Is it realistic?
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Liverpool have won their 20th league title. In his first season in charge manager Arne Slot has led his side to the top of the English game.
How big an achievement is it and how was it done?
Times Northern Football Correspondent Paul Joyce has followed Liverpool, and Slot, since his appointment at the end of last season.
Here he gives an inside track on how the feat was achieved.
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All the talk is Ange Postecoglou could be on his way out of Tottenham. Not so fast says Martin Samuel…he might have done better than you think. Could a Europa League win - especially if its over Man Utd - change the narrative?
Whoever is in charge next season Spurs are unlikely to be in 15th place again. But for the promoted clubs, what do they have to do to stay up? The gulf in wages, playing staff and finances is bigger than ever. Is it fair? What are the challenges on and off the pitch facing the teams coming up.
And the conclusion of our top five all time premier league midfielders debate. Gregor and Jonny have a list…
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All the latest from the nail biting EFL with Tom Clarke and Gregor Robertson.
Congratulations to free scoring Leeds and rock solid Burnley who are both heading to the Premier League. How will they fare in the topflight?
In the play offs many of the contenders are losing games. At the bottom of the Championship its wins all round for Luton Plymouth and Derby. Could it be a record total getting relegated?
League One looks a little more settled. But League Two is remarkable, Carlisle are defying gravity and still have a chance of survival, at the top almost nine teams are still in it…two to go, all to play for.
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Leicester are relegated, would they have fared better if they had stuck with Steve Cooper? Manchester United, fresh from a thrilling European come back crashed back to earth with a home defeat to Wolves. Would they have fared better if they had stuck with Ruud Van Nistelrooy? While Amorim lost momentum, Mikel Arteta maintained it at Arsenal but was the cost of a potential Bukayo Saka injury worth it?
Hamzah takes a closer look at Brentford and in particular Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo. The two front men have made the loss of Ivan Tony barely noticeable.
Lastly the start of the greatest ever Premier League midfielders debate…what is the right question to ask?
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Was Arenal’s win in Madrid a coming-of-age performance for Mikel Arteta’s side? After beating the fifteen-time champions Real Madrid what chance do they have against in form Paris Saint Germain? Is it best defence against best attack? Declan Rice shone in both games against Real, is he now one of the best in Europe?
Domestically, Virgil Van Dijk has followed Mo Salah in signing a new contract with Liverpool…could they cap the week by winning the league this weekend?
And Newcastle are now third, could they be title contenders next season or do they need to strengthen?
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Cliché alert: A week is a long time in football. Nothing stays the same for long in the championship, Leagues One and Two
Leeds were sinking, now they are top. Wycombe had fallen away now they're back and Walsall were top for 119 days, they've now lost ten in a row but are still third - just.
As for the bottom, where do we even start!?
Tim Clarke and Gregor Robertson round up all the latest from a gripping round of EFL fixtures and dare to ask - what happens next?
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Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are on course for their worst ever Premier League seasons. Do both now need massive re builds on and off the pitch? Or are they just a small change away from challenging at the top again?
Both have eyes on winning a European trophy but will that make any difference to clubs sitting fourteenth and fifteenth in the table?
Meanwhile, Forest and Chelsea are showing signs of nerves in their pursuit of the Champions League places whereas Arsenal are only focused on Europe. Will Arsenal and Villa do it?
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Was Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid their best performance under Mikel Arteta?
At its heart was a dominant display from Declan Rice, topped off by two outstanding free kicks. Have you ever seen better? And where did Rice’s overall performance leave his England position? A six, an eight, a ten?
How do Arsenal approach the second leg, sit back and defend or go for more goals? Could that be their biggest challenge?
Bukayo Saka showed his calibre as he terrorised a star studded Real team and Miles Lewis Skelly once again showed confidence beyond his years.
For Villa it was a tough night albeit against an exceptional PSG side. Did Emi Martinez’s antics help or hinder his team? Is the tie over or could it be a famous night at Villa Park in a weeks’ time?
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‘Crunch time’, ‘the pressure is on’, ‘squeaky bum time’… call it what you like now is when it matters. The EFL is an edge of the seat ride. Tom Clarke and Gregor Robertson cover all the latest from the EFL.
In the Championship Leeds started the week on top, dropped to second and now sit in third - are they about to live up to their tag of blowing it?. Burnley started third and now sit on top. It is all change in the play off places too, with West Brom and Coventry dropping out for Middlesborough and Bristol City. All have tough run ins to come. So, who will finish in the box seats?
In League One Wrexham have finally opened a small gap on Wycombe, but with a squad which can bench two first choice strikers in Mullin and Palmer is it really a surprise?
Walsall in League Two have dropped like a stone in recent weeks and now find themselves clinging on to third place. In the play off’s teams as far down as ninth are still involved, and they all have to play each other. What a league!
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Is there something ‘off’ this season? Run away leaders Liverpool lost, but Arsenal had already dropped points, and relegation was sorted out weeks ago. Yet Villa could win the Champions League, Newcastle won a trophy for the first time in seventy years, and Forest could be back in Europe. So, a great season or just a poor one?
Gregor thinks the regular fate of promoted sides going straight back down is becoming a problem for English football.
The team discuss all that a woeful Manchester derby, Liverpool contract talks and a look ahead to a huge week for Arsenal and Villa in the Champions League.
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If ever a game highlighted the problems of VAR it was the Merseyside derby. There is universal agreement that James Tarkowski’s tackle on Alexis Mac Allister was a red card and Liverpool’s winning goal had what ‘appeared’ to be a clear offside. So, what went wrong? Gregor Robertson – fresh from a referee’s course – tries to shed some light.
Jose Mourinho is grabbing headlines again… but for all the wrong reasons.
On the pitch, Forest are not faltering, far from it, they have their eye on Arsenal in second. Ipswich get a rare win, and is Marcus Rashford back to his best?
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With Forest, Villa and Palace all through it’s a varied FA Cup semi final line up…but does the presence of Manchester City have an inevitable fell to it? Alyson Rudd thinks not. Had Bournemouth been more bold they may well have beaten City and Palace and Forest both have the swagger to do so.
Can you name a cool right back that has played in the Premier League? Apart from Trent Alexander Arnold the team are struggling. But there are plenty cool left backs.
And finally, it’s prediction time, who will finish from 2nd to 7th in the Premier League?
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All the very latest from an enthralling EFL with Tom Clarke and Gregor Robertson.
With eight games to go the EFL is far from over. In the Championship the top twelve teams still have an eye on the play offs. At the very top which of the top three will falter? At the bottom will Derby’s renaissance last?
In League One Wrexham are grindingly resilient, but Wycombe and Richard Kone are going nowhere. The play off’s look sewn up bar one spot, but with four or five teams fighting for it.
League Two Walsall who have been strong all season have stalled badly. At the bottom…Carlisle are in dire straits…
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It looks like Trent Alexander Arnold is off to Real Madrid. Where does that leave Liverpool? Does it mean Salah and Van Dijk might now stay? Alexander Arnold’s numbers from right back are unique, can he be replaced and what is his best position? England will have two players playing at the Bernabeu, surely that is a good thing?
Speaking of England…Martin Samuel thinks Thomas Tuchel may not have a competitive game until July 9th 2026! What can he learn in the meantime?
And it’s FA cup weekend, who do the panel want to win it and who do they think will win it?
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Thomas Tuchel’s first game is out of the way…it wasn’t memorable. Did anyone learn anything from it? Did they lack leadership, is Lewis Skelly a left back for years to come?
The team pose the important question; is a lot of international football crap? If it is, how does a manager prepare a team for bigger fixtures once you reach the knockout stages of a tournament? Hamzah watched the under 21’s and saw much promise for the future; Gregor watched Scotland and saw none.
Gregor has also been following former players on a referee training course. It was eye opening, the rules are not always as they may appear…
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