If there’s one thing football fans love, it’s sharing their opinions about ‘the beautiful game’, and with the season about to reach it’s climax more fans than ever are tuning into football podcasts to revel in their team’s success, wallow in it’s failures or simply keep up to date with all the drama. But alongside our favourite preview and reaction shows, there’s a whole host of other types of football podcasts just waiting to be listened to. Whether it’s in-depth tactical analysis, a good dose of nostalgia, or a sideways glance at the more humorous side of the game, there appears to be something for everyone. Here’s my selection of 15 of the best football podcasts to listen to in 2023.

Football Ramble

From a few mates sat around a kitchen table, to a professionally-produced daily show with a rotating cast of presenters, the Football Ramble has changed quite a bit since 2007. One thing that’s been a mainstay is the level of entertainment. The Ramble gang never take themselves too seriously and, while things can often get silly (in the best possible way) they consistently tackle each aspect of the game with a nuanced and thoughtful approach. Listen now >> 

Totally Football Show

After years at the helm of The Guardian Football Weekly, long-time fans were stunned when James Richardson abruptly left in 2017. Within days, the first episode of Totally Football Show was out, and the show has gone from strength to strength ever since. Expertly guided by the legendary former anchor of Football Italia on Channel 4, the pod features an eclectic mix of supporting talent from the world of football journalism, providing expert insight and analysis of the Premier League, European football and beyond. Listen now >> 

The Guardian Football Weekly

One of the longest-running football pods, first broadcast in 2006. Football Weekly set the bar with regular news, reviews and matchday previews. After host James Richardson left in 2017, long-time stand-in Max Rushden assumed the role, arguably taking the show to even greater heights with the help of regular co-host Barry Glendenning. While the main focus is English football, the Guardian’s long list of European-based journalists can always be relied on to give expert insight on events in La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and beyond. Listen now >> 

Wrighty’s House

Wrighty’s House features legendary ex footballer and popular pundit Ian Wright speaking with a rotating cast of co-hosts about both mens and woman’s football. Wrighty’s infectious enthusiasm and unapologetic honesty make this a must listen, but the way he elevates and learns from each of his co-hosts is also a joy to behold. Not only does he bring his own wealth of knowledge to the table, he’s always open to learning and taking on other opinions. A Pod Bible favourite that’s available twice weekly.  Listen now >> 

The Offside Rule

Women’s football continues to rise in both profile and popularity, with big TV deals, proper press coverage, breakout pundits like Alex Scott and Karen Carney and of course the England Women’s Euro’s win all helping the cause. As one of the first podcassts focusing exclusively on the women’s game The Offside Rule continues to lead the way, reporting on the Women’s Super League, Championship and more. Lynsey Hooper, Kait Borsay and Hayley McQueen are passionate and engaging hosts who actively promote female inclusion in every element of the game. Listen now >> 

Touchline Fracas

A show for the everyday fan, featuring fascinating debates between passionate supporters so often unheard by mainstream media. Weekly episodes cover all areas of the Premier League, while they also host individual club podcasts focusing on Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Manchester United. Touchline Fracas is a predominantly Black-owned media platform that by utilising fans, provides a refreshing alternative to the shows dominated by journalists, pundits and former pros. Listen now >> 

Counter Pressed

A more recent addition to the roster of podcast’s looking at the women’s game, Counter Pressed features journalist Flo Lloyd-Hughes and a rotating cast of friends for this twice weekly deep dive into the WSL and much more. As a regular guest on the aforementioned Wrighty’s House, Flo brings a similar vibe to this twice weekly show that, no matter the lineup, brings a consistent chemistry between it’s co-hosts.  Listen now >> 

The Overlap with Gary Neville

After cementing himself as one of, if the the country’s leading football pundit, Gary Neville has proven equally as adept in podcasting as he speaks to some of the biggest names from football and the wider sporting world. Gary goes deep with his guests, refelcting on their careers and vulnerabilities in revealing long form interviews. Guests so far have inlcuded Harry Kane, Jill Scott, David Beckham and UEFA President Alexsander Čeferin.    Listen now >> 

GIANT

If you’re looking for a change from the daily review shows, GIANT’s documentary-style episodes are a great place to start. Produced by the team behind Mundial magazine alongside Spotify, GIANT focuses on specific stories from the history of football, often speaking to the people who were directly involved. Whether telling a story from the grassroots of lower league football or celebrating the essence of what made a former great great, each episode is beautifully produced and deeply captivating. Listen now >> 

Stadio

When founders Ryan Hunn and Musa Okwonga started Stadio, their aim was to cover much more than just the Premier League. From far-flung European leagues, to wider societal and political issues off the pitch, Ryan and Musa speak passionately and sensitively about the game they love, whatever the subject. A twice-weekly show that will quickly become an essential part of your podcast library, especially if you’re a fan of a beautifully crafted analogy… Listen now >> 

Tifo Football Podcast

The Tifo Football Podcast was created off the back of their popular YouTube channel, with the aim of providing in-depth tactical, historical and geopolitical breakdowns of the beautiful game. The chemistry between the hosts is infectious, and their detailed analysis of often overlooked areas of the game really differentiate them from the pack. Interested in how transfers work post Brexit? Keen to drill down into Premier League tactical trends? Intrigued by full time Fantasy Football players? Tifo has got you covered.  Listen now >> 

Football Cliches

The language of football is unique, bizarre and, of course, riddled with cliché. What is a ‘proper football man’? How late in a game can you score the ‘opener’? What’s the difference between ‘swooping’ for a signing and ‘splashing the cash’? These linguistic quandaries and many more are all examined here. In its forensic and borderline obsessive analysis of how we talk about the game, Football Cliches mines a rich seam of humour and absurdity. Each episode focuses on a specific element of the language of football, and assesses what we talk about when we talk about goals, kits, celebrations, transfer windows and more. Listen now >> 

That Peter Crouch Podcast

Peter Crouch’s podcast has gained a vast following since debuting on BBC Radio 5 Live in 2018. The ex England striker already had a reputation as a charismatic character, but the show’s format enables his playful personality to shine even brighter. The main attraction is Crouch’s ability to regale his co-hosts with anecdotes and behind-the-scenes knowledge from his playing days, but his analysis of the modern game is also worth tuning in for. Listen now >> 

Quickly Kevin, Will He Score?

Named after the infamous piece of commentary between Brian Moore and Kevin Keegan at France ‘98 and positively dripping with 90s nostalgia. Hosts Josh Widdicombe, Michael Marden and Chris Scull delight in reminiscing about the ‘golden age’ of the Premier League, interviewing cult heroes from Matt Le Tissier and Paul Merson, to Carlton Palmer and Graeme Le Saux. There’s been no new epsiodes since December 2022 but considering the focus is on nostalgia the content remains timeless. Perfect if you yearn for the simpler times of sticker albums, jumpers for goalposts and staying up for Match of the Day. Listen now >> 

The Blizzard

Highly-respected football writer Jonathan Wilson and the Football Ramble’s Marcus Speller are joined by a guest each week for a deep dive into one of football’s ‘greatest games’. Focusing on a single game gives the show the breathing space needed to closely examine every aspect of the match, from the context around the fixture at the time, to the action on the pitch and ramifications for all involved. Although episode’s stopped being released in November 2021 these A refreshing change from the swift analysis necessary in more general round-up shows. Listen now >> 

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Ha! The words,  “Don’t do it, you absolute tit!” spring immediately to mind. Looking back, I completely underestimated almost everything and had to learn some big lessons on the job. Fortunately, I had the best presenter in the business in James Richardson and the best producer in the business in Ben Green, so the listeners only ever heard a great show right from the start. They had no idea about the panic in the background…

What makes a great podcast guest?

They need a really good answer to the question, “Why are you telling me stuff?” I have no interest in the views of non-experts. I’m very much the anti-Michael Gove on that front. If someone is telling me about French football, I want to know that they are the best possible person who could be telling me about French football. If I want to listen to someone talk about plumbing, then yes, I want that person to be articulate and intelligent and to have a nice voice and all of that stuff, but first and foremost, I need them to really, really know about plumbing.

What makes a great podcast host?

I think there’s a whole range of attributes in play, but likeability is right up there. When you tune in a radio station, you’re tuning in the brand and what it represents; you’re listening to Six Music, for example, for the music and the ethos more than the presenter. But with podcasts, there’s a clear decision to specifically invite the host into your ears, there’s far more intimacy. And you’re not going to invite someone who irritates you. So there’s got to be charisma. I think you also need an enquiring, curious mind, you need to be interested in other people and you need to know when to listen. 

What’s been your worst podcast moment?

Way back in 2005, I produced a football podcast pilot for the now defunct football website Icons. It was called ‘A Bit of Fry & Ollie’ and it was a panel/quiz show hosted by Di Stewart with Barry Fry and Ian Holloway. It was absolutely brilliant, but no-one got it at all. I was sending the audio file to magazines and newspapers and they were saying, “It’s really good, but what is it? I don’t get it. When would you listen to it? ” No-one understood what podcasts were at all and it died on the vine. I felt so guilty that we’d spent £3,000 of my boss’s money and got nothing back and I feel even worse now knowing that his hunch was right, that podcasts were going to be a thing and that he was just too early. 

What is it about podcasts that appeals to you?

Inherently, I think most podcasts are aspirational. You listen because you want to learn about something. That’s why current affairs, history and self-improvement podcasts do so well, I think. You’re making a decision to say, right, for the next half an hour, I want to know about The Fall of Constantinople, or I want to know about the political situation in Venezuela, or I want to know about the AC Milan side of the early 90s, or I want to cope with my stress better, or I want to learn about running. There’s a sort of targeted listening there that you don’t get with radio. 

What annoys you about podcasts/other podcasters?

I don’t want to be bombarded with long presenter reads at the start of the show. I don’t mind pre-roll, because that’s pretty much fitted as standard for all of us. It’s those long, rambling reads at the start. Advertising is crucial to this industry, it empowers little companies like mine and I think that people understand and accept it, but I want some show first! Entertain me for ten minutes, earn my trust and then, sure, try to sell me something. But let me relax into it. 

Which one podcast episode of your own means the most to you?

The first Totally Football Show, for sure. I’ll always remember standing in the studio lobby, sweating and trembling, wondering if I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life. I’d burned bridges, lost friends and unless we bagged some advertising, we only had enough start-up money to get us through three months of the season. And then James Richardson sauntered in, cool as you like, with a bag of fancy pastries as if he was off for a walk in the park. We walked in, sat down, the light went on, he took a deep breath and….“Live! And in high infidelity!” And we were off. 

Which one podcast episode not of your own means the most to you?

I absolutely loved Forest 404. For one thing, it is exactly the sort of thing that the BBC should be doing; taking risks, being ambitious, being brilliant. But I think it’s also a marker stone for the industry. Look at the stories that can be told now. Look at the talent available. Listen to Forest 404, listen to Blackout. We have come so far from that traditional notion of a podcast being, essentially, four men in a box discuss (insert subject here). This is such an exciting time for the audio industry.

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Iain Macintosh is the CEO of Muddy Knees Media. They are the producers of The Totally Football Show, The Offside Rule, The Bradley Wiggins Show by Eurosport and Series Linked (plus loads of other things)

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If you could go back to just before you recorded your first podcast and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

Speak less. I value people who don’t get in the way of all the interesting things their guests are going to say. Sometimes I’m in a bit of a hurry to tick off all the boxes that are lying there to be ticked, I think speaking less gives everyone else a little bit more room.

What makes a great podcast guest?

James: Some direct knowledge or experience or emotional connection to the subject matter. I think podcasts exist in a pretty crowded field now. Everyone can read what’s happening in games, so I think what’s interesting is the detail, the context, the story behind the story and that’s something that often only a guest with a particular involvement or interest in that topic can really bring to life.

And a great podcast host, what makes one of them?

That depends on the subject of the podcast but I think in strictly football terms a sense of humour is always welcome and I think a strong editorial sense and short questions.

What makes a bad podcast host?

Banter. Forced banter. I think that there’s a mistaken assumption that chumminess is de rigour in football podcasts.

What’s been your worst podcast moment?

Well, in the various incarnations of podcasts that I’ve done we’ve had some guests who have been a bit of a struggle. Sometimes it might be because their attitude has proved, well, perhaps not one we would share, and it’s a bit disconcerting to then find them expressing those attitudes in your podcast. Sometimes, maybe it would be because on a personal level, we just didn’t quite see eye to eye.

What is it about podcasts that appeals to you?

Podcasting is a great format to work in because it’s so flexible, it’s so open, it’s so democratic, anyone can do it. Nowadays, thanks to technology, it doesn’t require huge outlay to get yourself into a decent recording set up. Literally anybody can have a voice and hopefully can find success with whatever subject they want to shed some light on. So it’s tremendous and in terms of listening to podcasts, they’re much better than radio. It’s that old issue with linear broadcasting; you don’t have to be tied down to when a broadcaster wants to show you something and you don’t have to sit in front of it for the duration of the show. You can now control that, you can consume it in the same way you consume every other decision you make about what you bring into your life. So it’s fabulous and of course, the wealth of podcasts and the ease with which you can make a podcast means that nowadays we have access to information. We choose what we become informed on because there’s access to information about almost everything. And that means we can effectively pursue lines of enquiry that were previously dictated to us by broadcasters, by one or two broadcasters, this is what’s going to be a story and this isn’t.

What frustrates you about some podcasts?

I don’t tend to get annoyed with podcasts because I think like most listeners, I have a very relaxed view of them.  I have a lower expectation threshold with them. If I don’t like something, I haven’t lost any of my time or money to it, I’ll just switch it off. But I certainly don’t particularly warm to enforced jollity. As I said before, that kind of desperate search for chumminess.

Is there anything you’ve found annoying as a podcast listener but then understood when you were making your own?

Nose breathing. It’s really annoying but, listener, it’s really easy to do because you can’t hear it when the recording is being made. But your nose just might be too close to the mic.

Which one podcast episode of your own means the most to you?

I think maybe Roma Nel Mito, the Golazzo episode that we did after Roma’s extraordinary comeback victory over Barcelona in last year’s Champions League. James Horncastle and I are able to really bring in that idea of some emotional connection to the subject matter, and some experience as well, having both lived in Rome, being Roma fans, we can bring together a soundscape hopefully that gave some inkling of what that result meant to a long-suffering Giallorossi.

Which one podcast episode not of your own means the most to you or which other podcast do you like?

I love The A-Z of David Bowie by Marc Riley and Rob Hughes. It’s a fascinating insight into the kaleidoscopic and chameleonic career of one of the greatest artists of the last five decades. He did so much with so many people that there’s always something you didn’t know, forensically revealed and all delivered in such an affable tone.

You can hear James Richardson presenting The Totally Football Show every Monday and Thursday and Golazzo: The Totally Italian Football Show every Wednesday on Apple, Spotify, Audioboom and all the usual places. James will also be presenting The Totally Ice Hockey Show from the 2019 Ice Hockey World Championships in Slovakia from 10 May.

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