Hand Of Pod

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...

Episode 93 sees English Dan appearing briefly by Skype, due to food poisoning - or maybe he was just too ashamed to show up in person after his side failed to turn up against Independiente in last weekend's clásico de Avellaneda, losing 2-0. Sam is joined by real-life Arsenal de Sarandí fan Santiago, who fortunately caught most of the weekend's action, and we discuss his team's away win over Argentinos Juniors, what Gabriel Schurrer's exit as manager could mean for Argentinos, and River Plate's amazing 3-2 thriller over Tigre, as well as a lot more besides. And if you've ever wondered why Arsenal have a tower on their club badge, here's the HOP episode where you find out. Enjoy.

In the ninety-second episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam and English Dan are joined by Mariano the San Lorenzo fan to discuss a Torneo Final second round with one outstanding result; ten-man Independiente's shock victory over champions Vélez Sarsfield. Away from Liniers, there were wins for both Lanús and River Plate, who go joint top of the nascent Final table, a win against Racing, inspired by Luciano Vietto, which sends both clubs into the clásico de Avellaneda this coming weekend in good spirits, and a draw for Mariano's San Lorenzo which we discuss, as well as asking him for his thoughts on Viggo Mortensen's charity flower seeds, and an update on the Return To Boedo (which is San Lorenzo's plan to buy back the land their old stadium stood on, not another Lord Of The Rings film).

In the ninety-first episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan and Joel look back on an opening weekend of Torneo Final action that Sam and Joel thoroughly enjoyed, and which English Dan missed almost all of. We discuss an unconvincing win for Vélez Sarsfield as they seek to defend their title, and rather more emphatic victories for Tigre and Lanús, among others. Joel attended a thriller in La Bombonera, as Juan Román Riquelme returned to the stands and Carlos Bianchi to the managerial bench and Boca came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2, with one of several stunning long range goals this weekend. All this and much more - enjoy.

In the ninetieth episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, Dan and Joel preview the 2013 Torneo Final, which kicks off with Unión hosting Arsenal de Sarandí on Friday evening. We discuss Fernando Gago's move to Vélez Sarsfield - easily the most spectacular signing of the summer - and what Vélez's chances are of retaining their title, as well as talking about Racing's transfer window departures, River Plate's relative success and most of the other ins and outs, before moving on - we couldn't very well avoid him - to the interminable saga of Juan Román Riquelme's ever changing mood. Will he play for Boca? Will he play for Tigre? Should we really care any more? After that, we answer listeners' questions on Argentine sides in the 2013 Copa Libertadores and more.