The False 9

This week we led off with Champions League where Barcelona and Inter played an all-time great two-legged tie with incredible late drama as Inter won in extra time, and PSG downed Arsenal to set up the final! The race for the top five in the Premier League is heating up as Chelsea downed the Champions at Stamford Bridge and City got a narrow win against an in form Wolves! Barcelona held serve in the title race with a win at bottom club Valladolid with a change lineup, both Napoli and Inter got narrow wins as Napoli are in the Scudetto driver's seat, and Bayern are Bundesliga champions after they drew at Leipzig and Leverkusen drew at Freiburg! Finally we hit Wanderers Corner and our first ever Tides Corner, plus news and notes from around the football world! 

This week we lead off with Champions League where Arsenal downed the defending and 15 time European Champions Real Madrid through Rice free kicks in the first leg and an impressive win on the road at the Bernabeu! Barça rode their dominant first lef to hang on against a game Dortmund, Inter and Bayern played a thrilling two-legged tie with Inter going through 4-3, and Aston Villa were valiant in defeat almost coming all the way back against PSG! With Salah and Van Dijk renewing Liverpool looked back to themselves in a win over West Ham, Inter and Napoli held serve in the Scudetto race, and Bayern and Dortmund shared points in an entertaining Der Klassiker! Plus, the first Wanderers Corner of the season!

This week we led off with the lond awaited return of Bukayo Saka to the Arsenal lineup as he was on the scoresheet in his return in an incredible Martinelli display in a win over Fulham, and Liverpool got a narrow win in the Merseyside Derby at Anfield! Barcelona styled on Girona with Lamine, Lewandowski, and Pedri brilliance, Inter kept their noses in front of Napoli with a win at San Siro over a game Udinese while Juve gave Thiago Motta the sack over the break, and Bayern win a thriller over an impressive St. Pauli at the Allianz! 

This week we led off with incredible drama in Champions League as the second legs of the round of sixteen wrapped with PSG beating Liverpool on penalties at Anfield after a great display, and a controversy laden Madrid derby at the Metropolitano as Real Madrid also got through over Atleti on penalties after a thrilling match! Man United and Arsenal shared points at Old Trafford with bangers from Bruno and Rice, and Forest beat City in a counterattacking clinic to stay third! Rayo Vallecano gave Real all they could handle ina narrow defeat, Atalanta completely dominated Juventus in Turin to stay in the title hunt, and the top two in the Bundesliga both fell but Mainz are a great story winning at Mönchengladbach to go third! 

This week we led off with masterclass from Salah and Szoboszlai as Liverpool cruise past Man City at the Etihad, and Arsenal fell to West Ham at home as the title race looks all but finished! Barcelona are back top of La Liga as they downed Las Palmas through Lamine Yamal brilliance, Inter leapfrogged Napoli to take top spot in Serie A after a narrow win over Genoa while Como were stylish as they beat the Partenopei, and Olisé and Musiala powered Bayern past third place Frankfurt at the Allianz! We hit Wanderers Corner to welcome some new signings, and Robin van Persie takes the reins as gaffer at Feyenoord!

This week we led off with Real Madrid doing Real Madrid things in Champions League as they got two late goals to down Man City at the Etihad in the first leg of their playoff! The Merseyside Derby delivered incredible late drama as Everton drew with the last kick of the match in the last ever derby at Goodison Park, it was a tale of two halves as points were shared on the Madrid Derby at the Bernabeu, Inter reeled in Napoli woth a narrow win in a fiery affair at San Siro over Fiorentina, and Bayern increased their lead atop the Bundesliga with three second half goals over Werder Bremen! We hit some of the deadline day transfers, and finally wishes a happy retirement to Real Madrid legend Marcelo!

This week we lead off with a quick recap of the last Champions League matchday before the knockout rounds as City turned it on to barely advance against Brugge, while Jonathan David and Lille are the surprise package in the top eight! City are back on track domestically as they dominated Chelsea, and Bournemouth are playing incredible stuff and pushing for Champions League behind Kluivert, Ouattara, and Semenyo brilliance! Barcelona thrashed Valencia at home putting up seven, Napoli beat Juve in an entertaining match at the Maradona to stay top, and Leipzig and Leverkusen played to a thrilling 2-2 draw! We hit the latest transfers, and bid goodbye to Man United legend Denis Law! 

This week we led off with the North London Derby where Arsenal triumphed in a spirited contest to go second, Nottingham Forest continued to impress by holding league leaders Liverpool to a draw at The City Ground, and Alexander Isak is the hottest striker on earth as Newcastle are on a hot streak! Napoli increased their lead atop Serie A with a dominating win over Verona, and Bayern swatted aside Hoffenheim to keep the gap at the top of the Bundesliga! We hit all the transfers including the big one as Kvara joins PSG, plus some managerial fires and hires!

This week Mike is flying solo, and Mo Salah is on fire as Liverpool thrashed West Ham in London, a shorthanded Arsenal looked impressive in a road win at the fortress that is the Community Stadium of Brentford, Nottingham Forest continued to be the story of the season as they downed Everton at Goodison through Gibbs-White and Wood brilliance, and Ipswich got a famous win over Chelsea at home! It was a classic tale of two halves as Lazio and Atalanta drew at the Olimpico, Napoli saw off a game Venezia side at the Maradona, and Inter were victorious as Barella went home to Sardinia and styled on Cagliari! 

This week we led off with a wild comeback finish for United in the Manchester derby as Amad emerged as the hero, Chelsea are the form team in England as Liverpool and Arsenal dropped points! Rayo Vallecano managed to score 3 against Real Madrid in a barnburner draw, Atalanta win against a game Cagliari to stay top of Serie A, and Lee Jae-Sung and Mainz down Bayern in a fantastic display! We gave well-wishes for a speedy recovery to Michail Antonio, went through some managerial fires and hires, and wished a happy trails to Sevilla legend Jesus Navas!

This week we welcome back special guest and Man United fan Tino to the pod! We led off with Champions League where Liverpool stayed perfect dominating Real Madrid at Anfield, and City dropped two points after three late Feyenoord goals! The crisis was on domestically for City too where Tottenham came to the Etihad and put four past them, Liverpool increased the gap at the top to eight points after a thrilling win at Southampton! Barcelona dropped points on the road at Celta, Atalanta are hot in Italy as Lookman and Retegui are firing them in, and Bayern and Kane keep rolling at the summit in the Bundesliga! We congratulated Cavalry and Orlando Pride on their league titles, and went through some recent coaching hires! 

This week we lead of with Champions League from the Bernabeu where AC Milan shocked Real Madrid with a masterclass from Reijnders, and Sporting downed Man City through a Gyokeres hat trick in Amorim's last home match before taking over at Manchester United! Liverpool continued to roll at the top in the Prem as get two quick ones to down Brighton while Arsenal and City both faltered, Barcelona styled on Espanyol in the derby, Atalanta went to the Maradona and thrashed league leaders Napoli, and Dortmund were impressive in a stylish win over Leipzig! Finally we welcome Erin McLeod to the Tides as Halifax's first big NSL signing!

This week we lead off with Champions League where the Spanish giants were spurred on by two masterful hat tricks from Raphinha and Vini jr respectively over the German giants Bayern and Dortmund! In the Prem Liverpool down Chelsea at Anfield in an entertaining affair, and the 10 men of Arsenal drop points at Bournemouth. Barcelona styled on Sevilla to stay top over Real Madrid, Inter edged out Roma at the Olimpico with a Lautaro banger, and Bayern got a statement win over Stuttgart! It's our last Wanderers Corner of the season as our boys in blue got a win in the season finale, and finally we wish a happy retirement to Andres Iniesta, Desiree Scott, and Kevin Strootman!

This week we welcome back special guest Roy Chikumbi and this time we're joined by his partner Jessica of Balance Fitness! We led off with Champions League where Roy and Jessica's Arsenal were impressive in a victory at home over PSG, and Jonathan David and Lille had a famous win over defending champions Real Madrid! In the Premier League Newcastle got a big point at home against Man City, Arsenal get dramatic late win over Leicester, and it's the Cole Palmer show again for Chelsea as he scores 4 in the first half! Atleti and Real played a fiery contest in a draw in the derby, Conte has Napoli humming at the top of Serie A, and Bayern and Leverkusen shared points at the Allianz! Finally we wish a happy retirement to the GOAT Christine Sinclair and as well to Raphael Varane!

This week we lead off with the North London Derby where Arsenal won away in a defensive masterclass, and Man City squeaked past a great Brentford side through Haaland brilliance! Barcelona styled on Girona hangind four on them as they stayed perfect so far, Lukaku was everywhere for Napoli at Cagliari as he's paired back up with Conte to fine effect, and Leverkusen got back to winning ways at Hoffenheim with another great striker performance from Boniface! Wanderers had their best performance of the season in a dominating victory over first place Forge, and finally we wished a happy retirement to the legend Alex Morgan!

This week we lead off with an Arsenal win as Saka turned it on in the second to down Villa, Minteh and Mitoma terrorized Man United on the wings in a Brighton win on the south coast, and Liverpool are firing on all cylinders as they beat Brentford at Anfield! The Flick era and Barça is off the a flying start, Juve look like a dangerous proposition under Thiago Motta who is bedding in youngsters to good effect, and it's another Leverkusen late show to start the season ina thriller over ‘Gladbach! We sodt through the tranfers for the last couple weeks, stop by Wanderers Corner, and wish a happy retirement to Wojciech Szczesny!

We're back! It's the annual False 9 Premier League preview! We led off hitting each of the big 7 and clocked the ins and outs this summer, then previewed the upcoming fixtures from matchday 1 one the weekend before giving our top 4 and relegation predictions! We combed through the biggest transfers from the rest of the Prem and the rest of Europe, stopped by Wanderers Corner where we welcomed Sean Rea to the fold, and finally bid goodbye to longtime coach Craig Shakespeare and wished a happy trails to Portugal legend Pepe! 

This week we lead off congratulating Spain on their European title as they down England with a dramatic late Oyarzabal winner, we also broke down the semis leading up to the final! Argentina defended their Copa America title with an extra time Lautaro winner in the face of some insane off the field goings-on here and throughout the tournament, plus cover a fine Canada performance in the semis against the eventual champions! Next we hit all the latest big transfers from the summer window, and finally wished a happy retirement to Thiago Alcantara after a stellar career! 

We back! This is week we lead off with a roundup of the Euros where England have done England things, struggling but advancing, Spain look like the class of the tournament with Lamine and Nico blazing up the wings, and the home side Germany have also impressed as we break down all the big matches so far! Next we jet across the pond to Copa America where despite some shady refereeing, Canada have moved through to the knockout stages to face Venezuela! We then comb through all the big transfers from the window so far, stop by Wanderers Corner where our boys in blue have won two on the trot, and finally we bid goodbye to Super Kev, Kevin Cambell who left us far too young.

This week we lead off with the Champions League final from Wembley where Dortmund dominated Real Madrid for the first hour but failed to capitalize on their chances and, as is their wont, Real turned it on late through Carvajal and Vini goals to lift their fifteenth European Championship trophy! We put a bow on the Serie A season with a make up fixture as Fiorentina went to Bergamo and spoiled Atalanta's bid for third. We do an in depth group-by-group preview of the upcoming Euros and Copa America, stop by Wanderers Corner, hit some news and notes and congratulate some top flight promotions, and welcome the NSL to the Canadian footy landscape with a 2025 league kickoff!

This week we lead off the the Women's Champions League final where Aitana and Alexia fired Barcelona to a second straight European title over Lyon! In the Europa League final Atalanta spoiled Leverkusen's undefeated season through a brilliant Lookman hat trick! We parsed the final day of the EPL where City styled on West Ham for their fourth straight title nipping Arsenal once again, and Man United put on a counterattacking clinic to down City in the FA Cup final! Southampton are back in the Prem after narrowly defeating Leeds at Wembley, Toni Kroos gets a hero's send off in his Real Madrid bow, Juve beat Atalanta and Bologna to third in Serie A, and Leverkusen completed their undefeated domestic campaign over Augsburg! We stop by Wanderers Corner, check in on the latest in the coaching carousel at the big European clubs, and bid farewell to Claudio Ranieri after a legendary managerial career!

This week we lead off with a quick recap of the Champions League and Europa League semis before diving headfirst into the Premier League run in where Arsenal got a scrappy road win at Old Trafford but Man City thrashed Fulham at The Cottage to stay in the driver's seat for the title! We break down a couple snoozefests in the opening legs of the promotion playoffs, Barça down Sociedad through Lamine brilliance, Atalanta are perhaps the in form team in Europe as they and De Ketelaere styled on Roma in Bergamo, and Leverkusen dominated ten man Bochum to take their undefeated run to fifty matches! We stop by Wanderers corner, congratulate some recent top flight promotions across Europe and bid goodbye to Argentina World Cup winning gaffer El Flaco, Cesar Luis Menotti!

This week we welcome back Roy Chikumbi to the show, on his birthday no less! We lead off with Roy's Gunners in the North London Derby who got three in the first against the run of play and held on to stay top, City went to Nottingham and won against a game Forest side to stay in the driver's seat for the title! Barcelona turned around a goal deficit at Stamford Bridge to advance to the Women's Champions League final through Aitana brilliance, and Diani and Dumornay lead Lyon past PSG to meet Barça in the final! Atletico Madrid got a huge win to fend off Athletic Club for the last Champions League spot, points were shared in a goalless draw between Juventus and AC Milan, and Dortmund took a beating at Leipzig who moved five points clear in fourth! Finally we stop by Wanderers Corner to break down a home opening loss!

This is week we lead off with the Champions League quarters where PSG turned around a deficit against ten man Barça on the road, Dortmund won a thriller over Atleti, City fell to Real on penalties, and Bayern squeaked past Arsenal at home! Man City are in the driver's seat after thrashing Luton while Arsenal were bossed by Villa and Liverpool lost at Anfield to Crystal Palace! Atletico Madrid came back to beat Girona in a 3rd against 4th matchup, Sassuolo and Milan shared spoils in a wild 6 goal affair, and we congratulate Bayer Leverkusen as they dominated Werder Bremen to stay undefeated and clinch their first ever Bundesliga title! Finally we stop by Wanderers Corner where our boys in blue fell on the road in the season opener at Pacific! 

This week we lead with the Premier League title race where Man City and Arsenal played to scoreless draw in a cagey tactical affair that played into Liverpool's hands as they won in a thrilling contest at Anfield over Brighton! Real Madrid downed Athletic Bilbao at the Bernabeu through Rodrygo brilliance, Rafa Leao and Chukwueze showed out at Fiorentina, and Dortmund won their first Der Klassiker away to Bayern in ten years with a masterclass centre back display from Hummels which means the late drama in a Leverkusen win over Hoffenheim gives them a thirteen point gap at the top! Finally we hit the last Euros qualiers and have a look at the groups this summer, and Women's Champions League is down to the semifinal stage! 

This week we lead off with a truncated Prem fixture list as Fulham thrash Spurs and spoils are shared in East London between West Ham and Villa! We do a quick check in on FA Cup including late drama at Old Trafford between eternal rivals United and Liverpool! Barcelona went to the Metropolitano and housed Atleti through Lewandowski brilliance, Inter and Napoli played to entertaining draw that was marred by Acerbi racism, and Leverkusen keep rolling in their undefeated season keeping the gap at ten points to Bayern in a thrilling win at Freiburg! Finally we take a look at the Champions League quarterfinal draw and preview the upcoming matchups! 

This week we lead off with Champions League where Bayern turned around a goal deficit against Lazio at home to advance, and Mbappé styled on Sociedad in the Basque Country! In the Manchester derby Foden showed out in the second to down United while Liverpool got a last gasp winner and Arsenal thrashed Sheffield United in the three-pronged title race! There's late controversy at The Mestalla in Valencia in a draw with Real Madrid, Napoli have turned it around under new gaffer Calzona as they beat Juventus, and Leverkusen are ten points clear at the top in Bundesliga as they stay undefeated! Finally we bid goodbye to revolutionary fullback Andi Brehme as he left us far too young.

This week Mike is flying solo covering a spirited road performance from Chelsea at the Etihad where City fought back late for a point, Liverpool and Arsenal were the beneficiaries as they kept rolling in dominant wins! The Champions League knockout stages are underway where Bayern couldn't muster a shot on target in a loss to Lazio, and a moment of magic from Brahim Diaz saw Real Madrid squeak past Leipzig! In the league Real dropped points in a derby as they drew with a feisty Rayo Vallecano, Inter continued their dominance in Serie A as they pull away from the rest, and it's a crisis at Bayern as they fell at Bochum to lose more ground to undefeated Leverkusen! Finally we stop by Wanderers Corner for some incoming players, and cover the finals of AFCON and the Asian Cup to congratulate Ivory Coast and Qatar!

This week Klopp drops a bombshell that he's leaving Liverpool after the season and on the field his Reds crushed Chelsea at Anfield, and Spurs got back into the Champions League spots with a win in a five goal thriller over Brentford! Xavi announced he's leaving Barça after getting beat at home by Villarreal, Inter kept it rolling atop Serie A with a win away to Fiorentina, and Stuttgart put five past Leipzig in another high octane affair in the Bundesliga! We comb through all the January transfers, check in on AFCON and the Asian Cup, and finally bid goodbye to an Italian legend who left us, the Azzuri's all time leading scorer Gigi Riva!

This week we lead off with an absolute barnburner from St. James' Park where KDB came on and styled on Newcastle in a five goal thriller! Athletic Club were victorious in the latest edition of the Basque derby through a Berenguer brace, AC Milan dominated Roma at San Siro leading to Mourinho's sacking, and Leverkusen eked out a win at Augsburg at the death to keep their unbeaten season going and keep the gap to Bayern at the top! Finally we comb through a so far uneventful transfer window, and bid farewell to one of the greatest to ever lace them up, Der Kaiser Franz Beckenbauer.

This week it's the annual False 9 Premier League Festive Period Special! We lead off with an incredible comeback win for Neil's Red Devils over Villa where Garnacho ran rampant and Højlund opened his account! Liverpool are top of the table after a hard fought draw with Arsenal and thrashing pf Burnley away, and West Ham had a great holiday as they downed both Man United and Arsenal! Newcastle are having a horrible run as they lost to relegation battlers Luton and Forest, and Brighton won a thrilling six goal track meet over Spurs on the south coast! Finally, we do a quick snapshot of where the other big leagues in Europe stand, and have a look at the round of sixteen matchups in Champions League! Happy Holidays!

This week it's the final matchday of the Champions League group stage where the group of death gave us a thrilling finale as Dortmund and PSG share spoils to advance while Milan get a late winner to get into Europa League! In England Aston Villa scrape past Arsenal with an early goal allowing Liverpool to go top with a last minute Elliott winner over Palace! Girona are the story across Europe as they gonto Barcelona and hang four one them to go top, Atalanta get a late winner over Milan with some magic from Muriel, and Frankfurt smash Bayern at home in an impressive display! Finally, we congratulate Columbus on their MLS Cup win and wish a happy trails to Giorgio Chiellini!

This week we welcome special guest Tino aka DJ Fadzwa to the pod! Leading off former co-host and producer Marc hopped to get in his hot take on the last minute PSG penalty against his Magpies in Champions League, and Tino and Neil's Red Devils squandered a lead at Galatasaray! In the Premier League City and Liverpool shared spoils in an entertaining affair, and Arsenal ekes out a win at Brentford to go top! Real Madrid swatted aside Cádiz behind Rodrygo brilliance to move past Girona into first in La Liga, Juventus and Inter draw in the Derby d'Italia despite the Nerazzuri's dominance, and Dortmund win a 3 goal thriller against Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga! Finally we say farewell to the legendary manager Terry Venables who left us aged 80. 

This week we lead off from Copenhagen in Champions League where we saw incredible late drama in a seven goal thriller as FC Copenhagen down ten man Man United! In England there was an insane London derby as former Spurs gaffer Pochettino took his Chelsea charges to North London and was met by a heroic nine man Tottenham, but eventually the dam broke, and VAR made headlines in a scrappy affair between Newcastle and Arsenal in a narrow Magpie win! Barça nipped a late win at Sociedad despite being second best, Lautaro continued his fine form away to Atalanta in a victory as Inter sit top, Bayern crush Dortmund in Der Klassiker and Leverkusen continue to entertain atop the Bundesliga! Neil gives a first hand report from Canada against Brazil from Wanderers Grounds, Fluminense win Copa Libertadores, and we wish a happy trails to Wanderers legend Joao Morelli! 

This week we leaf off with round 3 of the Champions League group stage as PSG styled  on AC Milan, and Dortmund squeaked past Newcastle at St. James' Park! Arsenal left it late to storm from behind at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea bossed it as they shared points, and Tottenham are still top after easing past Fulham! Points are shared in the Sergio Ramos derby between Sevilla and Real Madrid, Juve go to San Siro and down Milan, and Leverkusen are still undefeated atop the Bundesliga! We lament the end of the Wanderer's season after a playoff loss at home to Pacific, and finally we wish goodbye to Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton, and farewell to Christine Sinclair in her international retirement!

This week we welcome back special guest Roy Chikumbi to the pod! We lead off with the Premier League this week where Roy's Gunners got a dramatic late winner over Man City, and McTominay rescued Neil's Red Devils late against Brentford. What scenes at St. James' Park as Newcastle styled on PSG in Champions League! Bellingham looks among the best players on earth in a dominant win over Osasuna in La Liga, Pulisic scored a late winner at Genoa and we got to see Giroud don the keeping gloves late, and Bayer Leverkusen continue their champagne football as they top the Bundesliga! The CPL playoffs kick off this week, our Wanderers play host at the weekend, and finally we wish a happy retirement to Eden Hazard!

This week we lead off casting our minds back to the start of this season's Champions League where Bayern triumph over a game Man United in a 7 goal thriller, and Bellingham rescued Real Madrid at the death! It was a thrilling, even North London Derby where spoils were shared, Atletico Madrid take El Derbi Madrileño on the counter, and Inter stay perfect to top Serie A. Leverkusen continue to entertain in Bundesliga and are level with Bayern, and PSG dominate Marseille in Le Classique! Finally, we stop by Wanderers Corner for a last minute gut punch loss on the west coast! 

This week we lead off with late drama from the Emirates as an injury time Rice winner sees Arsenal down Man United, Son styles on Burnley for a hat trick at Turf Moor, and young Evan Ferguson does the same for Brighton over Newcastle! The Bellingham revolution continues at Real Madrid, Leao scores a worldy in a Milan win at Roma, and Bayern get a hard fought victory at Mönchengladbach! We run through the transfers from deadline day, stop by Wanderers corner, and review the Champions League group stage draw!

This week we lead off congratulating World Champions Spain! La Roja dominated England in the World Cup final, Bonmatí and Olga styling on the Lionesses! In the Premier League Man City show Newcastle who's boss as Foden does his best KDB impression, Big Ange has Spurs playing exciting stuff in a stylish win over Manchester United, and Arsenal squeak past Palace to keep pace at the top! Bellingham has made an incredible start to his Real Madrid career with two man of the match performances, Pulisic impressed on his Milan debut in a win at Bologna, and Leverkusen look like the entertainers in Bundesliga as they top Leipzig in their opening match! Finally we stop by Wanderers Corner, and wish a happy retirement to Theo Walcott!

It's The False 9 Premier League Preview! This week we kick things off checking in on the Women's World Cup where Canada crash out at the group stage, and Spain and Japan look like the class of the tournament. Then we launch into our EPL preview, clocking the ins at outs at the big (now) seven and tracking some other stories to watch! We hit some of the big transfers over the last few weeks, hit Wanderers Corner, and finally bid a happy retirement to Diego Godin, David Silva, and Gianluigi Buffon!

We back! It's the False 9 Women's World Cup Preview! We lead off with our Canadian lasses who come in with a squad laden with talent who will have hopes of a world title, but startbina tough group with Australia and Ireland! We then do a group by group preview, diving deep on the big teams, USA, England, Spain, Germany, France, Japan, and the Scandinavians of course! We congratulate Mexico on their and cover the Gold Cup final against Panama, and the silly season is in full swing now and we comb through all the big money transfers. Finally, we stop by Wanderers Corner and congratulate Hannah Dingley on her appointment as gaffer of Forest Green's men's team! 

This week it's our big season finale show! We lead off with the Champions League final where Inter made it tough on Man City, but a Rodri goal was enough for the Cityzens to complete the treble! Sevilla are once again kings of Europa League with a penalty kick win over Roma, and West Ham win their first major trophy in ages over Fiorentina in Conference League! We touch on the promotion finals from Spain, Italy, and Germany, both CONCACAF and UEFA Nations League finals, the Women's Champions League final and of course, the latest news in the transfer window with some big names moving around!