Hand Of Pod

In the hundred-and-third episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan and Joel get together to discuss the main talking points from last week's superclásico, which, being a superclásico, weren't so much on the pitch (although there was a record-breaking goal scored) as off it, particularly thanks to Boca's barra brava and River's manager, who both made fools of themselves on, admittedly, slightly different scales. Sam was at Argentinos Juniors to watch Lanús retake leadership of the Torneo Final, helped a couple of days after their own match by two fine goals from Arsenal's Darío Benedetto which downed Newell's Old Boys. Independiente might be going down, but they're going down kicking and screaming at least, and we've got some awful puns for you. Enjoy.

In the hundred-and-second episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan and Joel have a running order for once, in an effort to get the show's length down below an hour and a half. They succeed by a matter of seconds; don't worry folks, we'll get better at this, we promise. We discuss Independiente and Estudiantes finally winning matches, Boca Juniors equalling their worst ever domestic run (since we recorded, they've beaten Corinthians in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores tie), Newell's going out on their own at the top of the league and much more, including a preview of this weekend's superclásico between Boca and River Plate in La Bombonera. Enjoy.

The hundred-and-first episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam and English Dan welcome Joel back from his holiday, and the three are joined by Santiago again. We're also reunited with Australian Dan, making a brief return to say hello and to resurrect Mystic Dan as a late marker of HOP's 100th edition last week. We talk about some major refereeing controversies in four different matches at the weekend, the tightening title race (the top two are now level, and third placed River Plate are just two points further back) and ask whether Boca Juniors might be gradually showing signs of life, as well as Argentina's representatives in the Copa Libertadores, the knockout stage of which began on Wednesday evening as this episode was being uploaded. Enjoy.

Hand Of Pod is one hundred episodes old. And we're celebrating in style; recording in an almost silent flat, with current and former regulars and guests. Sam, English Dan, Seba, Asli and Mariano are joined on Skype by Ed Malyon (Aussie Dan and Joel sadly couldn't make it this week) for a podcasting landmark, and we've got plenty to discuss. Independiente unveiled a new manager, and the day after he was appointed he was held up at gunpoint and robbed... whilst conducting a radio interview on his mobile phone! Boca Juniors fell to one of the worst defeats in their history on Saturday, Lanús lead the league by two points ahead of Newell's Old Boys, and there's a lot, lot, lot more besides. We hope you enjoy this bumper edition, and we'd all like to thank our listeners very much for your support. Not too many independent, non-English-league-focussed podcasts get to be 100 episodes old. So, here's to the next hundred!

In the ninety-ninth episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam and English Dan are joined by Santiago, the Arsenal de Sarandí fan, to discuss the big moves up and down the table(s) after last weekend's results in the Torneo Final. Biggest of all was Independiente's defeat to All Boys, which leaves them seriously compromised in the relegation table, needing some improbable point totals to now stay in the Primera. River Plate finally won a clásico - their first competitive win in one since returning to the Primera - 2-0 away to Racing, and we discuss that, and Manu Lanzini's fine showing, among a lot more. We talk about the structure of Argentina's lower divisions, the promotion races in the second and third tiers, and answer a lot of listeners' questions.

In the ninety-eighth episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam and English Dan are introduced by World Cup final referee Horacio Elizondo, and joined by guest star Archie Whitworth for a bumper edition - there's a lot to get through. We discuss the thrillers and fine goals scored during a weekend which left Lanús' lead atop the Torneo Final cut to just one point over Newell's Old Boys, question just how bad Independiente striker Juan Caicedo can get, and spend a good length of time talking about San Lorenzo goalkeeper Pablo Migliore, who was arrested after his side's defeat to Newell's on Sunday for his part in harbouring a friend suspected of murder. We answer listeners' questions and talk about River Plate's injury problems in defence and how they've affected the team's building forward, and much more. Enjoy.

In the ninety-seventh episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan and Joel are joined (eventually) by Daniel Schweimler, another Englishman in Buenos Aires, who runs the Hand Of Dan blog looking at Argentine society through the prism of life on the terraces of Argentinos Juniors. We discuss Argentina's impressive World Cup qualifying results (a 3-0 win over Venezuela followed by a 1-1 draw away to Bolivia) in reverse order, before briefly previewing a weekend packed full of clásicos - not least Guest Dan's Argentinos v All Boys. Listener's questions range from Argentinos Juniors to, um, Argentina's senior national team. What variety.

In the ninety-sixth episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan and Joel are joined by Henry May, founding president and former centre back of Huracan FC London, possibly the world's most famous London Sunday league side. We discuss All Boys' 100th anniversary (and their lovely, lovely commemorative shirts), Lanús' three point lead in the league, Independiente's ongoing woes and the chances of Unión actually surviving - surely not...? We also discuss some bizarre refereeing decisions, and preview Argentina's two upcoming World Cup qualifiers, at home to Venezuela on Friday night and away to Bolivia next Tuesday afternoon. And all four us have a go at predicting how those matches will go. (Note: since recording it's become apparent Oswaldo Vizcarrondo has been upgraded from 'out for three weeks' to... perfectly fit to play this Friday. Hmm.)

In the ninety-fifth episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan and Joel toast the world's first Latin American pontiff with a fernet (mate in Joel's case) even though none of us are Catholic, and discuss what his installment in the Vatican hot seat could mean for the immediate future of his favourite football team, San Lorenzo de Almagro (yes, really). Then we get a bit more serious and discuss Boca Juniors' continuing travails, Lanús' and Godoy Cruz's good start to 2013, River Plate's recovery from their loss to San Lorenzo in round 4 by beating Colón this last weekend, and plenty more, including lots of lovely listeners' questions. Enjoy.

The ninety-fourth episode of Hand Of Pod sees Sam, English Dan and Joel reunited after a few weeks, to discuss a goal-filled weekend which saw San Lorenzo beat River Plate in the clásico, Lanús claim a point away to Dan's Racing which took them top of the table, and Boca Juniors hilariously crash and burn at home to Unión on the day of Juan Román Riquelme's comeback. There were two 3-3 draws, a policeman hitting a player in the face with a baton (and then reporting the player for assault!), and the announcement that Gerardo Martino won't be staying on as Newell's Old Boys boss at the end of the season - will Marcelo Bielsa be returning to replace him? The very thought has got us all excited...