Hand Of Pod

Episode 113 of Hand Of Pod sees Sam, English Dan and Joel review the first two rounds of the 2013 Torneo Inicial, in which we've learned that River Plate still have a lot of improving to do, Boca Juniors' defence might be as bad as it was during the first half of the year, and San Lorenzo could well be the team to beat this term. There have been mixed showings from Godoy Cruz and Rosario Central among others, and Mystic Sam has had an equally turbulent time; from 7/9 in the first round to 2/9 in the second. His predictions for round 3 - and for Boca Juniors v Newell's Old Boys in the postponed first round match - are towards the end of the pod, as usual.

The hundred-and-twelfth episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam and Santiago reviewing the couple of weeks of transfer activity that have followed episode 111, and previewing the 2013 Torneo Inicial. First, we answer the question on everyone's lips: 'What is a Gerardo Martino, and why has it been chosen to manage FC Barcelona?' after which we get into the important stuff. You know - the domestic stuff. Who have been the winners and losers in terms of players out and in? Which club have decided to get around restrictions on non-Argentine players by, erm, completely ignoring said restrictions? Can Boca possibly do any worse than they did in the first six months of the year? And how have the AFA managed to make twats of themselves since you last heard from us? Step this way, and we'll fill you in.

The hundred-and-eleventh episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam, English Dan and Santi meet for a mid-winter fernet and to discuss Newell's Old Boys' exit from the Copa Libertadores, the AFA's bizarre decisions regarding the validity of championships won both this year and back in 1936, violence at Independiente, where the club president was attacked by the barra brava a couple of weeks ago, and various winter break transfer issues. In a couple of weeks, we'll be back to preview the 2013 Torneo Inicial.

The hundred-and-tenth episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam, English Dan and Joel meet to look back on a memorable Torneo Final - what seemed like an emphatic championship win for Newell's even though they only ended up three points clear of second placed River Plate, San Martín's last day relegation, Boca Juniors' hideous campaign, River's qualified success - and forward to the main talking points of the winter break. We ask which players will be moving on and staying, what the main movers and shakers have to do with their squads, and attempt to explain how continental qualification works. There's also the Hand Of Pod Best XI of the championship, and a look at how the Torneo Final would have looked had every match gone exactly as Mystic Sam predicted...

The hundred-and-ninth episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam, English Dan and Santi return to discuss an eventful week in Argentine football. Independiente were relegated last Saturday courtesy of a 1-0 defeat at home to San Lorenzo; Newell's Old Boys won the championship on Wednesday without kicking a ball as Lanús - who'd thrashed River 5-1 on Sunday - failed to overturn a 2-0 half time deficit in completing their postponed match against Estudiantes. We discuss how deserving Newell's win was and look at how they and Independiente had such wildly different seasons, having started 2012-13 on exactly the same (poor) standing in the relegation table. As ever, there's a lot more besides.

The hundred-and-eighth episode of Hand Of Pod is a bumper one, during which Sam, English Dan and Joel look back on Argentina's two World Cup qualifying draws to start with, before getting into the serious stuff in the domestic league; two called-off matches and one fan shot dead by police, a restaurant looted by Independiente fans after defeat to River Plate left their side's survival hopes hanging by the slimmest of threads, the possibility that Newell's Old Boys could win the league on Sunday, the question of whether anyone at all involved in Argentine football pays their taxes, and much, much more besides. Enjoy.

In the 107th episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan and Santi are joined by prodigal son Joel Richards to look back on a weekend of domestic action and look forward to a weekend of both domestic and international matches. Argentinos Juniors' 2-0 win over River Plate had ramifications for both the relegation table and the title race, and means Independiente could (though it'd be a stretch) be relegated this coming weekend. Newell's Old Boys missed the chance to pull five points clear, whilst Racing and San Lorenzo are both close to securing Copa Sudamericana places. We also look forward to Argentina's World Cup qualifying double-header; they'll play Colombia at home on Friday, and Ecuador away on Tuesday. It's longer than the last few, but we hope you like it.

The 106th episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam, English Dan and Santi convene to discuss what we were previewing in episode 105 - the three matches (two in the Copa Libertadores, one in the league) which Newell's Old Boys and Boca Juniors have played since then. Newell's were the happier side, with a 4-0 league win and a penalty shootout win in the Libertadores after two dull 0-0 draws. We also ask whether River Plate can challenge for the league title, whether Independiente can catch Argentinos Juniors in the relegation battle, and whether Quilmes v Racing (which was played a few hours before this episode was uploaded, and ended 1-0 to Quilmes) was likely to be fixed, among much more. Oh, and we tell you our favourite ratios for mixing a fernet and Coke.

Sam and English Dan are joined by Santiago for this week's Hand Of Pod, in which we begin with a discussion of an astonishing couple of days at Argentinos Juniors, including manager Ricardo Caruso Lombardi losing his rag on live TV (hardly for the first time, it's true) and much more. We also talk about the top three all failing to win in the Torneo Final at the weekend, Independiente edging closer to an unlikely survival, and promotions for Rosario Central (back to the Primera) and Talleres de Córdoba (back to B Nacional), before previewing the mini-series of games that Newell's Old Boys and Boca Juniors will play in the next few days. Listeners' questions include European transfer targets and Buenos Aires' most dangerous stadia.

In episode 104 of Hand Of Pod, Sam and English Dan are joined by Mariano in a later-than-usual recording, which enables us to look back at (most of) Argentina's Copa Libertadores involvement during this week - Boca Juniors eliminating Corinthians in controversial circumstances, and Newell's Old Boys sending Vélez Sarsfield out on away goals (in the remaining fixture, which ended an hour and a bit after we stopped recording, Tigre were eliminated by Olimpia). We discuss the relegation battle, which could see Unión relegated next weekend, and an ever-intriguing title race, as well as the news that Pablo Migliore, now released on bail, has had his contract rescinded at San Lorenzo. Listeners' questions include the signings of the championship so far, and Argentine footballers' wages.