The Rest Is Football

How should players, fans and governing bodies deal with the ongoing issues with racism in football? Also, should Diogo Jota be in Liverpool’s starting XI when everyone is fit? Will Crystal Palace stick with Roy Hodgson amid growing unrest amongst their fans? Gary, Alan and Micah also look at the battle at the top of the Championship and debate whether parachute payments should continue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did Micah turn down joining Jose Mourinho at Chelsea in 2007? Who would come out on top if Alan and Micah faced each other in their prime? Do the Premier League’s FFP rules need updating? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss the worst dressing room dressing-downs they saw in their careers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did Ronaldo end up signing for Man Utd in Gary’s garden? Why was Ian Wright so frustrating to play against? Why was managing Newcastle the most pressure Alan has ever been under? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss the favourite partnerships they had during their playing careers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is Kevin De Bruyne the greatest ever Premier League midfielder? How do you bring a player back into the fold after they’ve fallen out with the manager? Will the fans protest at Reading that saw their game abandoned be enough to save their club? Gary, Alan and Micah also debate whether Man United still have the power to attract the world’s very best players. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What made José turn a little cold towards Gary? Can Alan and Micah name the Top 10 most valuable players in the world right now? And who gets into a Salad XI of footballers? The boys also discuss whether Antoine Griezmann is one of the most underrated footballers of this generation after he broke the Atletico goal scoring record. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What would be the boys dream transfers during this month’s window? Who had to have 100ml of fluid removed from their knee before every training session? Why did Alan turn down an extra £600k from Adidas to wear their boots? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss players who have gone on to work outside of football after their careers and made it big. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did we see so few big Cup upsets at the weekend? Are the big teams taking the FA Cup more seriously? Do we prefer watching games without VAR? Gary, Alan and Micah review the best of the action from the FA Cup 3rd Round and suggest a solution for the use of VAR going forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who was the best Premier League player of 2023? Which club were the biggest underachievers of the last year? Who “burst onto the scene” like our very own Micah Richards? Gary, Alan and Micah run through The Rest Is Football’s very prestigious end of year awards and have a lot of fun along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What next for Wayne Rooney and his managerial career? Why do some ‘star’ players find the transition to management so difficult? How do you get players to buy into your vision as a manager? Gary and Micah react to the news that Wayne Rooney has been sacked as manager of Birmingham City after just 15 games in charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do Arsenal recover from a poor run of form over the festive period? With players returning from injury, what is Pep Guardiola’s best XI? Who had a surprise meeting with David Beckham over the Christmas holidays? Gary and Micah also discuss whether VAR is now actually encouraging diving, rather than preventing it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are Man City finally getting the best out of Phil Foden in his new role? What are the immediate things that Sir Jim Ratcliffe needs to do at Man Utd? How hard is the transition from player to manager and what do the coaching badges not prepare you for? Gary, Alan and Micah also marvel at Bournemouth’s recent form and the job Andoni Iraola is doing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do we take some of the power away from agents in the world of football? Why are there so many American takeovers of English clubs? What were Brian Clough’s secret negotiating techniques? Gary, Alan and Micah speak to Jon Holmes, Gary’s agent of 45 years, to have an in-depth look at the life of a football agent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s the most outrageous thing our hosts ever saw at a club’s Christmas party? Do any players really intentionally get suspended over the festive period? Which players would be all smiles off the pitch, but wouldn’t hesitate to give you a good kick if they got the chance? Gary, Alan and Micah also debate which pair of Man Utd greats from the last couple of decades would be best suited to go and fix the current mess at the club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can you be a bargain at £100m? Why are Man City struggling defensively at the moment? How does it feel to come up trumps after getting hammered by the opposition fans? Gary, Alan and Micah also reflect on a desperately disappointing game at Anfield and where that leaves both clubs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should Newcastle have been less gung-ho in their attempt to reach the CL knockouts, which ultimately cost them a place in Europe altogether? Which club would Ivan Toney be best suited for if he was to leave Brentford? Can anyone stop Liverpool winning the Europa League? Gary, Alan and Micah also make their predictions on who will ultimately win this year’s Champions League. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who should Aston Villa be looking to sign in January? What happens in the dressing room when another player wants your shirt number? Will Ant & Dec ever be successful in their attempts to tap Alan up to go into the jungle? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss what dangers the Premier League could face if 14 or more of the club’s owners are American. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is Pochettino the man to fix the problems at Chelsea? Are we focussing too much on the idea that players are fatigued? Why are we seeing sides really having a go at the traditional ‘top teams’ this season? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss the results of a poll about the use of VAR, after more than 100,000 fans voted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why exactly are certain managers being particularly prickly at the moment? How big a statement was Aston Villa’s performance against Man City? Alan and Micah clash over whether they would want Declan Rice or Rodri in their side. Plus, the boys discuss the troubles at Nottingham Forest and whether Steve Cooper deserves more time in charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s the best way to deal with player power building in the dressing room? Which of our hosts saw team-mates actively celebrating when they found out their manager had been sacked? And how on earth did Micah Richards end up in a chart-topping music video? Also, after the sex noises prank during the group stage draw for the Euros, Gary reflects on exactly what was going through his mind when it happened to him live on the BBC last season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did Spurs deserve a point against Man City? Is there any way back from the lack of desire some Man Utd players are showing on the pitch? Why on earth were Barcelona players asking for Nutella sandwiches after their matches? The boys also discuss Liverpool having their own goal of the month competition at Anfield and a crucial win for Burnley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Would the introduction of sin-bins be a good thing for football? Why was Sergio Agüero so different on a matchday compared to the rest of the time? Who were the most annoying players that Gary and Micah ever played against? Alan also tell us what he would have done if he’d been playing for Newcastle in the Mike Ashley era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did Micah’s pre-match chat with Alisson play a few mind games before his performance against Man City? Will Aston Villa be able to sustain their Top 4 push? Was Alejandro Garnacho’s overhead kick the best goal ever scored in the Premier League? Gary, Alan and Micah also reflect on a big weekend at the bottom of the table. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the sad news that Terry Venables passed away at the weekend, Gary, Alan and Micah reflect on the incredible person that he was and his tremendous impact on the game of football. He was Gary’s manager at Barcelona and Tottenham, Alan’s manager with England for Euro 96 and was part of the national set-up as assistant manager for Micah. We hear stories of his genius footballing brain and the innovations he would try in training, his brilliant man-management skills in handling strong personalties like Paul Gascoigne and how he loved a good sing-song. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who thinks Man City won’t win the league this year? Who has got the best chance of gatecrashing the Top 4? Will Everton survive after their points deduction? Gary, Alan and Micah look back at the predictions they made at the start of the season, to see what they’ve got right and where they’ve been going wrong. They go through all 20 Premier League teams to look at the challenges they face and any surprises we might see between now and the end of the season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did Roy Keane threaten to knock Alan out on the pitch? What do Gary, Alan and Micah think is England’s best starting XI? And what was it really like having to go to battle against Tony Pulis’ Stoke City? We also hear the story of when Gazza brought his new Winnebago to training and ended up giving one fan a journey he would never forget. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Everton having been docked ten points for breaching Premier League financial rules, Gary and Alan are joined by journalist Nick Harris of Sporting Intelligence to discuss the reasoning behind the dramatic decision. Also discussed are the implications for Manchester City, currently facing 115 charges for alleged breaches of the League’s financial rules. Charges Manchester City deny. Anyone wanting to read the full reasons for the Everton judgement can do so here: https://resources.premierleague.com/premierleague/document/2023/11/17/49989e4e-01a2-44f9-a012-c3a31ae5536b/2023-11-17-Premier-League-v-Everton-FC-Decision-for-Publication.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is the biggest threat to the growth, or even survival, of domestic football? Would salary caps help level the playing field? Is it ok for football clubs to continually lose money? Crystal Palace co-owner and chairman Steve Parish joins Gary and Alan on today’s episode to discuss what it’s really like running a professional football club. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What actually happens when a senior player turns against the manager? Why did one of Bobby Robson’s phone calls have Gary and the team in fits of laughter? Who thinks the World Cup SHOULD be every two years? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss which British football team they would each have loved to have played for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should Man City have sold Cole Palmer to Chelsea? Are Liverpool the biggest threat to Man City retaining their title? Will Aston Villa crash the top four this season? The boys also discuss what will be going through Rasmus Højlund’s mind, as his Premier League goal drought continues after a big money move. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Which specific moment from that Champions League final against Liverpool kept Andriy awake at night for three months? How did he end up getting married on the 14th green of a golf course? And which Brazilian genius did Andriy think was better - Ronaldinho or Kaká? In the second part of our special with the Ukrainian Ballon d’Or winner, Gary also finds out what went wrong during his spell at Chelsea. You can buy Andriy’s new book My Life, My Football here: https://backpagepress.co.uk/books/my-life-my-football Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Has Micah found a new calling in Latin America? How upset do players get with poor FIFA ratings? Who was sneaking off for a cheeky cigarette minutes before kick off? The boys also debate who the second best striker in the Premier League is, after Erling Haaland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Was Mikel Arteta right to have a rant about VAR after Arsenal’s defeat? Should Marcus Rashford have been out celebrating his birthday after Manchester United were embarrassed in the derby? How did Gary’s search for Maradona end up with him playing golf with the President? Plus, the boys reflect on a very emotional day for Luis Diaz as he rescues a point for Liverpool and dedicates his goal to his father, who is still missing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why did the AC Milan players end up celebrating on a golf course at 5am after their Champions League win? What did Andriy think was the key reason why he won the Ballon d’Or? And how exactly did he end up assisting in a heart transplant operation? On today’s episode, Gary Lineker is joined by Ukrainian football legend Andriy Shevchenko. You can buy Andriy’s new book My Life, My Football here: https://backpagepress.co.uk/books/my-life-my-football Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happened when Paul Gascoigne brought an air rifle to training? How did Mario Balotelli almost end up repeating his fireworks fiasco? And what’s the least enjoyable thing about being a professional footballer? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss the best goal they scored during their careers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Micah hot foots it back from Old Trafford to reflect on a humiliating defeat for United in the Manchester derby. Alan Shearer is forced to choose between Erling Haaland and Harry Kane. And Gary marvels at the match winning performance of Jude Bellingham for Real Madrid in El Classico. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s it like when your own fans turn against you? Was Man City’s dress code for their Champions League match the worst we’ve ever seen? And after a wardrobe malfunction of his own on live TV, Micah is left asking ‘Why always Meeks?’. Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss whether Spurs are now a better team without Harry Kane and how the England captain will be feeling watching on from Munich. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who got catfished for a pair of tickets to the Players’ Lounge for the biggest game of the season? Why is Ezri Konsa not getting a look in for the England squad? And who got caught out because they had their own name plastered all over the side of a sponsored car? Plus, Gary, Alan and Micah discuss who they would start, bench or sack out of Kieran Trippier, Gary Neville and Terry Butcher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gary reveals the impact that Sir Bobby Charlton had on him and his career, as Alan and Micah debate whether he was England’s greatest ever player. Plus, the lads discuss where Kieran Trippier sits on the list of the world’s best full backs and Micah tells us about the time he got a little too excited with the hotel minibar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What got Micah hot under the collar at Kidderminster Harriers? Who is the best English player never to get an international call up? And who called for the subs’ bench after a torrid time against Bayern Munich? Plus, Gary tells Alan and Micah how Terry Venables helped him through one of his darkest times after his son George was diagnosed with leukaemia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gary, Alan and Micah discuss a Jude Bellingham masterclass as England come from behind to beat Italy at Wembley. Two goals from Harry Kane, including his 21st penalty for England, plus a rocket from Marcus Rashford give the boys great hope that England could go all the way next summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Was Glenn Hoddle right to blame David Beckham for England going out of the World Cup? How did Paul Gascoigne entertain Gary and co on his first international call up? And what made Frank Lampard blank Micah Richards at Stamford Bridge? Gary Lineker is joined by Alan Shearer and Micah Richards to talk all things football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Which Premier League player is the only one to come close to Lionel Messi? What happened during that infamous Pires-Henry penalty against Man City? Does Arteta have what it takes to go all the way at Arsenal? For the second of two episodes, Alan, Micah and Gary are joined by Premier League great, Thierry Henry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What was the worst a manager let rip in the dressing room? How do serious injuries affect the whole team? And who had to do the most ridiculous TV advert? Gary, Alan and Micah also compare their favourite shirt swaps and debate who got the best one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Micah races back from the Emirates to join Alan and Gary as the boys reflect on a dramatic weekend of football.Have Arsenal taken a psychological advantage over title rivals Manchester City? Has Scott McTominay saved Manchester United from another week of soul searching? And are Raheem Sterling, Nick Pope and James Ward-Prowse all unlucky not to be in Gareth Southgate’s England squad? Spurs title chances, Jude Bellingham’s latest superstar performance for Real Madrid and Olivier Giroud’s remarkable goalkeeping feat also feature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who does Thierry Henry think was better: Wenger of Guardiola? Why did Arsenal fans shout abuse at him in his early days? Why did he have to hide his fear of failure from Martin Keown and Tony Adams? On today's episode of The Rest Is Football, the boys are joined by France and Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What did each of Gary, Alan and Micah do with their England bonuses and who forced Micah to give his away? How good was the Brazilian Ronaldo? And who stopped Diego Maradona falling off a balcony at the Bombonera? Plus Gary recounts the night he thought his career was over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After another horrendous weekend for VAR, Gary, Alan and Micah wonder if the time has come to scrap football’s video refereeing experiment. And if it does stay, how can it be improved? Plus, what’s it like in a toxic dressing room? And is Ollie Watkins England’s second best striker? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Micah, Gary and Alan reflect on the shocking treatment of Victor Osimhen by his own club Napoli. Plus, have Liverpool uncovered the next Steven Gerrard? Alan enjoys Newcastle’s victory over Manchester City and the boys recall their experiences playing with the world’s best golfers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Micah describes the day he knew he was going to make it as a footballer. Gary tells the story of the day he tried to mark Bryan Robson. And Alan explains why he’d play for Manchester City given half a chance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What did we learn from the North London Derby? Have Newcastle kick started their season? And is the gap between the Premier League and the Championship growing? Gary, Alan and Micah also discuss how the handball law has become so ludicrous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices