Smashing the ants

Wait, are Chelsea actually the appropriate modern winners of this gaudy, glitzy new tournament? Dotun, Andy and David consider the permutations of this weekend’s Club World Cup final on today’s Ask OTC!Plus, can president Andre Villas Boas and new coach Francisco Farioli turn Porto around? Who are the favourites for the Serie A title? And will Everton’s Thierno Barry and new QPR boss Julien Stephan succeed at their respective new clubs? Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com. And for ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Heinä 29min

It was billed as Kylian Mbappé vs PSG, but a mighty Parisian performance swept aside Real Madrid without any real trouble. Dotun, Andy and David Cartlidge wonder if this is the beginning of a new dominant era in European football and how the club’s new mindset looks reminiscent of Real Madrid at their absolute peak. Elsewhere, with Victor Osimhen and Jhon Durán signing big money deals in Turkey, we assess the status of the league and ask just how they’ve managed to pull these transfers off. Plus, Lyon’s appeal was successful! So, they won’t be relegated from Ligue Un - what does this mean for the club’s new decision makers, the contours of European football and Andy’s general wellbeing?Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com. And for ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Heinä 45min

Dotun, Andy and Nicky Bandini are here for another round of your continental queries as some of Europe’s brightest young talents take centre stage. Although his future at the club is in doubt, could Xabi Alonso’s arrival affect whether Rodrygo looks for pastures new?Plus, we wonder if Tammy Abraham can rediscover his magic at Besiktas and are concerned that Juventus might not be the best next step for any aspiring young footballers, let alone Jonathan David. Plus, with uncertainty plaguing the traditional big guns in Serie A, should Como be aiming for the Champions League next season under Cesc Fàbregas?Please fill out Stak's listener survey! It'll help us learn more about the content you love so we can bring you even more - you'll also be entered into a competition to win one of five PlayStation 5's! Click here: https://bit.ly/staksurvey2025Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com. And for ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Heinä 35min

All is not well at Inter. A dumping out of the Club World Cup at the hands of Fluminense, a public spat between two star players. and a clear hangover from the disappointed stemming from the tail-end of last season. How do Inter turn their fortunes around, and who has to move on to ensure that happens?Dotun, Andy & Nicky Bandini are here to discuss that. But before that, Xabi Alonso has got Real Madrid playing with style, so what can we learn from the soft launch of his side at the Club World Cup.Plus, after a fantastic set of performances at the U21 Euros for Nick Woltemade, clubs across Europe are clamouring for his signature. But is he really worth up to €100m?Please fill out Stak's listener survey! It'll help us learn more about the content you love so we can bring you even more - you'll also be entered into a competition to win one of five PlayStation 5's! Click here: https://bit.ly/staksurvey2025Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Heinä 46min

Could Andy Robertson be a game-changer for Atletico Madrid? Will Paul Pogba's homecoming to France be a much-needed salve to Ligue 1's wounds? Who is Germany's 'tall Messi' at the U21 Euros?Dotun, Andy and JJ are here to answer your questions from the week in European football! Plus, our favourite Lyon players since their promotion to Ligue 1 back in 1989 – and WHAT a list it is...Please fill out Stak's listener survey! It'll help us learn more about the content you love so we can bring you even more - you'll also be entered into a competition to win one of five PlayStation 5's! Click here: https://bit.ly/staksurvey2025Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Kesä 29min

After 36 consecutive seasons in French football's top flight, Lyon have (provisionally) been relegated to Ligue 2. How on earth did such an illustrious club get to breaking point, and who is to blame for their demise?Dotun and Andy are joined by French football expert Jonathan Johnson to explore all of that. Plus, as Atlético Madrid crash out of the Club World Cup, is time finally up for Diego Simeone? And Benfica continue to surprise us all across the pond. But with Premier League opposition up next, can they give another European giant a bloody nose?Please fill out Stak's listener survey! It'll help us learn more about the content you love so we can bring you even more - you'll also be entered into a competition to win one of five PlayStation 5's! Click here: https://bit.ly/staksurvey2025Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.For ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Kesä 50min

In just 350 days time, fans from 48 nations will descend on the US, Canada and Mexico - three uncomfortable neighbours - who are tasked with hosting one of the most complex World Cups in football history.It's no mean feat, but after the two previous World Cups in Russia and Qatar, many fans – certainly in the west – were glad to finally see the world's favourite competition return to the hands of more familiar hosts.But in a year where unrest and uncertainty cloud the American political and social landscape, how prepared is the US to stage such a global celebration?Andy speaks to fans and broadcasters at the Club World Cup to explore whether the country is ready - not just in infrastructure, but in spirit - for what lies ahead.Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.Please fill out Stak's listener survey! It'll help us learn more about the content you love so we can bring you even more - you'll also be entered into a competition to win one of five PlayStation 5's! Click here: https://bit.ly/staksurvey2025For ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Kesä 35min

After finally winning the Champions League, PSG find themselves in somewhat unfamiliar territory: their team-first approach and aim to be increasing representative of Paris has propelled them to a new level of worldwide superstardom that Messi, Neymar, Ibrahimović n’ co never delivered. So how do they balance those elements that come with now officially being the best football team on Earth?That’s what Andy’s looking to find out in this episode of our Club World Cup series. French journalist Ilies Peeters brings the local perspective, telling us about the club’s newfound level of self-assuredness. Andy then heads to PSG House, their latest bid to cultivate their US-based following, to speak to CBS Sports and The Cooligans host Alexis Guerreros to discuss the key to success that football seems to forget too often: playing the best football is always the best marketing.Join us for our third and final episode on Thursday, where we look back on what we’ve learned from the Club World Cup - and what it tells us about the main event next summer.Ask us a question on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and email us here: otc@footballramble.com.Please fill out Stak's listener survey! It'll help us learn more about the content you love so we can bring you even more - you'll also be entered into a competition to win one of five PlayStation 5's! Click here: https://bit.ly/staksurvey2025For ad-free shows, head over to our Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Kesä 23min