The Athletic FC Podcast

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to preview some much-needed Premier League football following the last international break of 2021... Antonio Conte welcomes Marcelo Bielsa to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a fascinating tactical match-up and Arsenal travel to Liverpool to find out how much progress they've really made since the start of the season...Plus, has Brendan Rodgers achieved all he can at Leicester and is Rafa Benitez 'pragmatism' starting to stifle Everton's creative talents? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Matt Slater and guests react to the news that Gary Hoffman has announced he is resigning as chairman of The Premier League after just 18 months in the job.He is joined by Simon Johnson, currently chair of The Rugby Football League, he spent 5 years as Chief Operating Officer at the English Football Association and was Director of Legal & Business Affairs at the Premier League. Also, on the panel is Alex Horne, former CEO of The English FA for 5 years, he oversaw financing, completion and opening of both Wembley National Stadium and the National Football Centre.And in the final part of the podcast, Keith Wyness, former CEO of Premier League sides Aston Villa & Everton reveals what it’s like inside meetings between executives and chairs like Gary Hoffman at The Premier League and CEOs at Premier League clubs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by Rangers correspondent for The Athletic, Jordan Campbell, to explore the warning signs that Gerrard had become unsettled at Ibrox... The carefully assembled back-room staff Villa are set to inherit, including revered assistant coach Michael Beale, and why the likes of Emi Buendia could be set to flourish under new management.Later, Liverpool writer James Pearce joins in to discuss Klopp's contract, the impact of Sporting Director Michael Edwards' decision to step down at the end of the season and where Gerrard now fits into the bigger picture at Anfield. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton to look at the different challenges faced by three newly appointed managers in the Premier League. We’ll hear about the unlikely bond between Steven Gerrard & Christian Purslow that played a part in Gerrard landing the Aston Vila job.They also look at how Newcastle United could be about to be given a new identity by new boss Eddie Howe and how they might approach the transfer window - The Athletic's George Caulkin will join us for that. And Michael Bailey will be with us to tell us why Norwich City have decided to go for Dean Smith as their new manager and why Frank Lampard pulled out.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to discuss Steven Gerrard's appointment as Aston Villa boss - Is it really a bad thing if he views Villa as a stepping stone to Liverpool? Plus, why Norwich choosing Frank Lampard to replace Daniel Farke would be a surprise...The trio also attempt to pick Gareth Southgate's England squad for the World Cup in Qatar next year and look ahead to an important week for both Scotland and Wales' qualification hopes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman & Matt Slater discuss the rise of sport documentaries that pull back the curtain on the lives of professional athletes and attract new fans into watching live sport.Guests include Christian Horner, Team Principal of the Red Bull Racing Formula One who features in the hugely successful Netflix series Drive to Survive.Then we’ll hear from Leo Pearlman from Fulwell 73 who has produced multiple hours of television and feature films including Sunderland Till I Die & I am Bolt.And we’ll get a commercial overview with sports media rights expert Murray Barnett of 26 West Sport who has also worked for the likes of Formula 1, The NBA, World Rugby and ESPN. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's European football writer Raphael Honigstein, to discuss one of the "forgotten super-coaches" - Ajax manager Erik ten Hag... Rafa, reveals the secrets to their re-emergence as a major European force, just two years on from *that* sensational Champions League run and their heart-breaking semi-final exit to Spurs.Plus, the trio compare the trajectory of both Tottenham and Ajax since that game, analyse why the stars of their 'Class of 2019' side (Ziyech, van de Beek, de Jong et al.) have struggled since leaving, as well as, how the trio of ten Hag, Sporting Director Marc Overmars and Chief Exec Edwin van der Sar, has become the envy of the footballing world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton, David Ornstein & Gregg Evans to discuss the sacking of Aston Villa manager Dean Smith and who might replace him.Norwich City are also now looking for a new manager, Michael Bailey covers the club for The Athletic and tells us what he knows from inside Carrow Road & who might take over from Daniel Farke.The Athletic's Roshane Thomas brings some positivity by talking West Ham and David Moyes, who last week coached his one thousandth and saw his side beat Liverpool to move to third in the Premier League. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to preview another fascinating weekend of Premier League action... Can Ronaldo outscore Man City and is Liverpool's trip to West Ham actually the game of the weekend? Plus, why Saints are quietly impressing George and Dan's ready to give Arsenal (and Ramsdale in particular) some overdue credit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman & The Athletic's Matt Slater are joined by Dale Vince, owner of Forest Green Rovers Football Club who is at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Dale's side are recognised by FIFA as being the greenest football club in the world - we’ll discuss how sport can take action against climate change..And we are joined by Rob Sullivan, CEO of The Football Foundation to tell us about the £205million worth of Government funding the charity received last week to invest in grassroots football in England and how their work is linked to the 2030 UK and Ireland World Cup bid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.