The Truth: Has Thomas Frank Really Fixed Spurs?

Hello Rank Squad! We figured that with the new season drawing in, we'd start to draw a few conclusions of our own regarding where teams are right now - and what might happen over the next 10 months - so without being too wild, we've picked out a few bold opening statements each that we think reflect where the situation lies at this point in time. Dean goes first to pick out five warm takes that he's got ahead of the new season, from Erling Haaland having a fightback moment to Spurs potentially struggling given they have multiple fronts to compete on; before Jack takes over for a few on Chelsea, Brentford, Brighton, who might struggle in La Liga and a potentially transformative summer in Portugal. Before that there's Things We Love, which discusses the all-United tug-of-war for Benjamin Sesko's services, and Evan Ferguson's move to Roma which sees him now under the tutelage of 'dream for attackers' manager Gian Piero Gasperini. It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

6 Aug 1h 6min

Hello Rank Squad! A slightly different take on the transfer window so far on today's show, because Jack has wrested the show plan off Dean to discuss some of the teams we haven't quite had time to deep dive on so far this summer. So, in the light of looking at very interesting windows that we've seen across Europe, it's time to scour some of the teams who have had the busiest starts to the summer. First, we take a look at two of the promoted clubs to the Premier League - Leeds United and Sunderland - to explore how their quests for survival are shaping up from a personnel perspective, examining what they've done already and what still needs to be done to become more competitive than their compatriots from last season. Then it's onto the continent, where Napoli are putting their foot on the accelerator after winning Serie A last season and seeing many of their competitors in a state of flux; Lille have had their spine ripped out by free transfers and look like they could be in a spot of bother; and Atletico Madrid are backing up last season's big spend with another huge summer of activity. Before we do that, Dean talks about a potential rebirth for Kobbie Mainoo at Manchester United amid reports that Tottenham Hotspur were trying to secure his signature; and Jack talks about the impact of the the Lionesses going back-to-back at the European Championships, after a tournament full of grit and never-say-die attitude. It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

30 Juli 1h 2min

Hello Rank Squad! In the last few days we've seen deals for Hugo Ekitike, Marcus Rashford and Viktor Gyökeres come to fruition (or close enough as not to matter). So, how do those signings for Liverpool, Barcelona and Arsenal affect their fates? We discuss those in Part One. Then, in Parts Two and Three, we move on to the deals not yet done, with Dean picking a host of other players out whose potential futures - whether they stay or go - could end up defining the summer. There's discussion on Alexander Isak, Xavi Simons, Christopher Nkunku, Luis Diaz, Rodrygo Goes, Benjamin Sesko, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze, João Palhinha, and a few more besides. It's Ranks! And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

23 Juli 1h 6min

Hello Rank Squad!It's been a busy summer already - teams participating in the Club World Cup, plenty of big business, managers on the move, new stadiums and plenty more; so we want to look at the teams who are going to look very different to the end of last season when we get going in earnest again. We start with a look at the CWC Final, where Chelsea showed that they might well be a different beast to the slightly predictable side from last season. Then, after the break we explore a number of Premier League sides who have been busy in one form or another - Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, Newcastle United, Brentford and Arsenal. And we wrap things up with a quick look around Europe - Como's changing transfer strategy, and completely new eras for Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen headline the bill. It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

16 Juli 1h

Hello Rank Squad! After Dean kept the streak alive last week (it's now the 339th week in a row where there's been a Ranks episode, shouts out DJ), Jack's back from marital bliss to take ahold of the reins again - and after a brief discussion about the festivities and the differing football mindsets of the younger generation of Jones', we head into our main ranking. Dean and Jack both pick a few of their favourite transfers out from the done deals this summer, and discuss them in some depth. DJ opts for Milos Kerkez's move from Bournemouth to Liverpool, Igor Jesus joining Nottingham Forest from Botafogo, and Matheus Cunha's switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Manchester United. Jack takes a dive into Cunha's replacement at Wolves - Fer Lopez, signed from Celta Vigo (and Celta's bounceback purchase of Ferran Jutgla from Club Brugge), as well as Martin Zubimendi switching Real Sociedad for Arsenal, and Alex Baena's move from Villarreal to Atletico Madrid. Finally, we wrap things up with a small tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, who so sadly passed away in a tragic car accident at the end of last week.  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

9 Juli 1h 4min

Hello Rank Squad!It's a Dean Jones solo special with Jack off doing marital bliss, so there's a different feel to today's episode, where DJ is taking things solo to discuss the Club World Cup and some of the ways it might affect the football we know. There's some discussion on the fermentation of cross-federation rivalries and why ticket prices need to be considered far more ahead of a second iteration of the tournament, before the rule changes are discussed, in terms of what's been good and what's made the game a worse watch in the grander scheme of things. Dean finishes things off by asking ChatGPT to come up with 10 rule changes that are feasible in the game in the near future, ranking them 1-10 in an extended return to the Nonsense Rankings. It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2 Juli 55min

Hello Rank Squad!It's Jack's last episode as a Bachelor, and we thought we'd take a look at some transfers to send him off blissfully into wedded life. Liverpool have signed Florian Wirtz, breaking the British Transfer Record in doing so, and we discuss his arrival at Anfield and how he might fit into Arne Slot's Champion Reds next season. That gives us a launchpad to talk about some of the other most expensive transfers in Premier League history, so we rank 2-10 (feels a bit early to judge Wirtz just yet!) in order of the value they provided for their fee and also their transformative impact on their clubs - running through some of the obvious flops, all the way to the deals which are proving worth every penny. There's also time for a little Things We Love, where Jack gives some flowers to Santi Cazorla and Real Oviedo - one of the true feel-good stories of a summer mired in controversy and differing opinions. It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

25 Juni 1h 15min

Hello Rank Squad!Today we're diving back into the murky depths of the transfer market, and looking at some of the potential deals that are being discussed right now. It's a seller's market, in so many ways, and that often means that teams will overpay for players - whether through a gamble on a major talent, a burning need to fill a gap, or because they're absolutely hellbent on trying to turn things around after a tough season the year before. We look at five deals that feel like they might be a big step, with Dean suggesting them, and Jack generally arguing about why it's actually a pretty good bit of business - for a variety of different price tags and reasonings. Before that, we get stuck into the Club World Cup, hear about Dean's experiences on the ground and Jack's ones watching from across the Atlantic, and try to work out what we can learn from the tournament a year out from the 2026 World Cup.It's Ranks!  And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

18 Juni 57min