Ranks FC - A Football Podcast

It's time for The Truth! Sam and Dougie are back in the studio to look at what is going down at the bottom of the Premier League table, where one of the great names of English Football has been dragged into the scrap for survival - Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs are still in the best possible position they could be, but things feel like they're tailspinning in a way we haven't seen in a while. They couldn't, could they?  We discuss the relegation battle, chatting through each of the other relegation candidates in the form of West Ham United and Nottingham Forest, and work out where the points are going to come from if each of them are going to survive.  So, could one of the great giants actually fall? All three of these teams would claim that title, as would Leeds. Someone is falling through the trap door to the Championship. And,  as ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... 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.

Hello Rank Squad! It's the second Champions League Takeaway of the week, looking back at Wednesday's action from the Second Legs of the Playoff Round of the competitions - where the final four teams booked their spots in the Round of 16. It was an emotional night at the Bernabeu, where despite a somewhat lethargic performance from Real Madrid, it felt fitting that it was Vinicius Jr who dropped the dagger on Benfica before celebrating heartily as he guided Los Blancos to the Last 16.  It wasn't great from reigning champions PSG either, who saw off fellow Ligue 1 side Monaco with a 2-2 draw to extend their first leg advantage, although again it was Monaco who took the advantage and the initiative, before losing it after a red card early in the second half - a familiar tale from last week. PSG allowed nervy moments at the end where they didn't need to, and they will need to significantly improve to stand any chance of retaining their crown.  In Part Two we head to Italy - first to Turin, where Juventus did recover a three goal disadvantage against Galatasaray despite being reduced to 10 men when Lloyd Kelly received a very harsh red card, but where fatigue finally set in and allowed Gala to kill the tie in extra time; and also to Bergamo, where Atalanta booked their space as the only Serie A team in the Last 16 with a very impressive comeback win over a weirdly lacklustre Borussia Dortmund.  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.

Hello Rank Squad! It's the first Champions League Takeaway of the week, looking back at Tuesday's action from the Second Legs of the Playoff Round of the competitions - where our next four teams booked their spots in the Round of 16. It was a very special night for Bodø/Glimt at San Siro, with their incredible fairytale continuing on with a 2-1 win over Inter that made them the first Norwegian side to ever make the next stage of the competition. We discuss their rise from plucky upstarts in the lower reaches of European competition to relatively household name in the football sphere, and how they've continued their incredible trajectory.  Then it's over to Madrid, where Atletico won 4-1 against a young Club Brugge side who have impressed in the Champions League this year; thanks to a hat-trick from Alexander Sørloth, who remains their star man in 2026. The scoreline is perhaps a touch flattering, but Atleti are in a scoring mood these days, and that's a good sign as they look to finally win the competition that has eluded them for so long.  In Part Two we head to St James' Park, where Newcastle had an unassailable lead over Qarabag that never really looked in danger, although it was far from a perfect night for the Geordie Boys as they won just 3-2 against their Azeri opponents despite being 2-0 up after five minutes; and also to North Rhine-Westphalia, where Bayer Leverkusen drew 0-0 against Olympiacos to hold their first leg advantage and progress through without too much trouble.  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.

It's time for The Truth! Sam and Dougie are back in the studio to look at which clubs are best at scouting in certain positions - not just good at picking off the best in the world for huge fees, but opening up that pathway for the biggest guns in the football world.  We work through each position, leaning heavily on Sam's article for ESPN as he works us through his thought process for each selection, whilst suggesting alternative options and the evidence for each.  So, can you be just a general scouting colossus or is it worth focusing in on one position to make your own? As ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... 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.

Hello Rank Squad!It was nice to get back to thinking about the football itself on Wednesday, as the action on the pitch returned to centre stage. Dean and Jack are back together to discuss the four games that rounded off the first legs of the Playoff Round, before looking back at Tuesday's action. We start with Newcastle's 6-1 evisceration of Qarabag after their 2000 mile trip to Azerbaijan, and Anthony Gordon going second in the Champions League scoring charts with his four-goal poker; before examining a brilliant game in Belgium between Club Brugge and Atletico Madrid that ended 3-3. In Part Two we look at Bodø/Glimt continuing their incredible fairytale run in the competition with a 3-1 win over last season's finalists Inter in the Arctic Circle, as well as taking a peek at Leverkusen's impressive 2-0 win in Piraeus as they beat Olympiacos in their own back yard. Finally, in Part Three, we take a quick look at Tuesday's action - Real Madrid's overshadowed 1-0 win over Benfica, holders PSG coming from behind to beat fellow Ligue 1 side Monaco 3-2, Galatasaray's huge 5-2 win over a Juventus side who might just be spiralling into a bit of a crisis, and Dortmund seeing off Atalanta 2-0 with perhaps their best Champions League performance this year. 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.

Hello gang,Sometimes the events in games are overshadowed by more insidious ones that dominate the headlines. This is one such occasion, and so it didn't feel particularly right to talk about the football after the scenes in the Benfica game, where Vinicius Jr walked off the pitch following comments made to him by Gianluca Prestianni. What was said, we don't fully know, because Prestianni pulled his shirt up to cover his face whilst saying it, which is pretty suspect in itself. But it was enough to spark some very heated confrontations, and for the referee to instigate the racial abuse protocol. After the game, a variety of Real Madrid players spoke out; as did Jose Mourinho - perhaps unwisely so - on an evening where the football became secondary. This is, therefore, a pretty short episode - we'll talk about the other games on Wednesday's Champions League Takeaway, but the situation has overshadowed what should have been a glorious return to Champions League action and the knockout stages, and in full truth, just left me feeling pretty sad.We'll be back tomorrow, but for now, stay safe, stay kind, and look after one another.  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.

It's time for The Truth!Sam and Dougie are back in the studio to look at the proliferation of set pieces across the entirety of the Premier League's clubs this season, and the impact that it is having on games and entertainment value. We discuss the direct nature of games this season, the rise of better organised defensive units and the fact that set pieces offer a tangible way to crack tight games open, as well as the fact that football tends to turn in cycles - with a famous quote from a game in 2005 that could just as easily be applied to certain games this season. So, is this just the cyclical nature of the footballing wheel taking another turn, or the harbinger of something more worrying within the game? As ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... 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.

Hello Rank Squad! The Rank God is back in the building (literally in this case) and today Sam joins Jack to take a look at some of the most underrated players in the Premier League. That's a difficult concept to define, so the main ranking takes a deep dive of three players who are often derided for something they regularly showcase or a mistake they made at one point, and examines why they should be given more respect; before we do a quickfire run through 11 more players in Part Three. Before we get into that though, there's time for Things We Love; where Sam talks about the resurrection of Kobbie Mainoo's Manchester United career under Michael Carrick, and Jack looks at the incredible relegation battle currently taking place in La Liga. 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.

It's time for The Truth!Sam and Dougie are back in town for 2026 and after an extended winter break that has included no little change in the footballing world, the boys are starting up again with an examination of the big questions that will define the rest of this season. There's discussion of the Premier League title race, the resurgence of Manchester United under Michael Carrick, Chelsea under new boss Liam Rosenior, the Thomas Frank question that's not going away at Tottenham Hotspur, whether Aston Villa can continue their lofty position in the table, and who stands in good stead to win the Champions League this time around.There's plenty of split opinions on all of these, but as usual, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... 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.

Hello Rank Squad!The January Transfer Window has finally come to a close and whilst it wasn't the most explosive window in recent years, it still threw up its fair share of interesting and intriguing deals - for better and for worse. Today we break down some of our favourites, some of those we can't quite get our head round, and some of those that have slid under the radar, to try and work out the good, bad and ugly of the nigh-on 600 deals that happened across the Top 5 Leagues (and a little beyond). We also take a look at some of the big stories of Deadline Day - Jorgen Strand Larsen to Crystal Palace, Jean-Philippe Mateta's AC Milan deal falling through, and the curious (and genuinely sad) case of Dwight McNeil. 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.

Hello Rank Squad!It's time for your final Champions League Takeaway of the League Stage for 2025/26, with the 36 team battle culminating in a blitz of chaos and craziness, eliminations and ecstasy, in an 18-game bonanza that delivered more drama than we thought possible. In Lisbon, Jose Mourinho downed his protege Alvaro Arbeloa and former club Real Madrid, with a last minute headed goal from the Benfica goalkeeper sending them through to the Playoff stages, whilst Real Madrid slipped out of the top eight; meaning they could meet again in just a couple of weeks time. In Paris, Newcastle came from behind to hold PSG, nearly break Parisian hearts, and end up dooming both sides to a stint back in the chaos of the Playoffs, in a game where the momentum swung wildly between both sides with the sound of the half time whistle. In Naples, Chelsea came from behind to ruin the dreams of former manager Antonio Conte and Napoli thanks to a João Pedro brace, despite the magical storyline of local lad Antonio Vergara scoring his first goal for his boyhood club...after doing a Maradona spin at the Maradona. Poetry and pain. In Bilbao, Sporting ruined Athletic's fun with a last minute dagger from Alisson Santos - the Brazilian boy beating the Basques in their backyard - and in the process sent themselves into the Last 16, finishing ahead of Manchester City, Real Madrid, PSG, Inter and a whole host more. Not bad for a side who lost their star striker and superstar manager in the last year and half or so. And that's just four games from a cast of 18, plenty of which threw up huge storylines of their own. Liverpool hit six, Arsenal made it eight from eight, Spurs continued their Jekyll and Hyde form from domestic to European matters, Barcelona did some chaos, Atleti lost at home to Glimt, Brugge battered Marseille, Pafos scored the goal of the night, Villarreal were a joke, and there was plenty more besides. We break it all down. 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.

Hello Rank Squad!It's the belated second Champions League Takeaway of the week, looking back at the games from Wednesday night, as well as taking a step back to see what the League Table means after seven matchdays - examining the dominance of the Premier League teams across the competition's higher ranks and also how that might play out in the knockout stages.  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.

Hello Rank Squad!It's the first Champions League Takeaway of the week, looking back at Tuesday's action from the seventh Matchday of the League stage. We start at San Siro, where Arsenal made it seven wins from seven and guarantee themselves a top two spot in the competition with a very impressive 3-1 win over Inter; before heading to the Arctic Circle, where Manchester City fell to a shock 3-1 defeat to Bodø/Glimt, who put in a performance for the ages to down Pep's reeling charges.  In Part Two we head to the Bernabeu, where Real Madrid hammered Monaco 6-1 with a special show from Vini Jr to abate the crowd who had been baying for blood at the weekend; and also to North London, where Spurs gave Thomas Frank a stay of execution with perhaps their best performance under him as they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0. In the final part, we round up all the rest of the action -  Sporting CP picked up a famous victory over reigning European Champions PSG with a smash and grab in Lisbon; Villarreal's dreadful run in the competition carried on with a 2-1 loss to equally struggling Ajax; Club Brugge and Olympiacos kept their playoff hopes alive with wins over Kairat Almaty and Bayer Leverkusen respectively; and Napoli drew 1-1 with 10-man Copenhagen as their campaign teeters on the edge of failure. 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.

Hello Rank Squad!It's another DJ special for the final time before Jack returns from his extended wander around the footballing heartlands of South America, and today we're looking at some clubs who have it all to do in the second half of the season if they're to fulfil their pre-season expectations. Dean opens up the pod with a debate about managerial decisions, and whether some of the big guns have all downgraded for no logical reason.In the main segment, we look at five clubs on the verge of crisis… or perhaps already in it. Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, West Ham and Tottenham’s seasons are all analysed.In the final segment, it’s the return of the nonsense rankings as Dean chats about life in San Diego.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.

Hello Rank Squad!With Jack away, it's time for a vintage Ranks combination back in full force as the Rank God Sam Tighe returns to the main episode to talk all things football with Dean Jones. In Part One, the boys discuss the fallout from the departures of Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim - and debate which side finishes higher in the table from here. In the main segment, Sam rolls back the years as he gives us his 1-5 on the best signing of this transfer window so far. West Ham feature heavily - though not really for the right reasons. And if you’re a fan of Endrick it’s worth a listen after his move to Lyon. In the final part, we check in on a few of the stranger storylines for January with a focus on Newcastle United and also one of the more bizarre Real Madrid rumours you'll hear.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.

Hello Rank Squad!It’s another year in the books here at Ranks FC and we round things off with a special episode involving the Rank Squad.We got our patrons to send in their hot takes for a New Year episode that will have you laughing … while also ruffling a few feathers along the way!One guy thinks Bukayo Saka sucks, there’s a debate about the level of Morgan Rogers, someone else thinks Villa have the best support in the league… and one member is slating his own fanbase!Thank you for all your support in 2025 - Happy New Year, and we'd love to have you with us on Patreon in 2026...the link is below! 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.

It's time for The Truth!Today, in the final episode of 2025, the boys have picked out three players each who are either in demand or in need of a move ahead of the January Transfer Window - examining the reasons for them being where they are, and where some good landing spots might be for them to either kick on or rediscover their potential. This will be the last episode of the Truth for a couple of weeks whilst Jack takes a little time off for his honeymoon, but we'll be back in mid-January with more attempts to cut through the noise and find the elusive middle ground in the ever-polarised football conversation. Happy New Year, gang - and in 2026, remember that as ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... 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.

Hello Rank Squad! With the festive period in full swing, we've decided to let our hair down a little bit this week and have a bit of fun, riffing on the idea of what managers from some of the biggest clubs in the world would want beneath their Christmas Tree this year - whether that be new players, new contracts, or something a little bit more outlandish. We work through 16 clubs - a few from the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga, as well as a couple from across the rest of the continent as well, to drop off the gifts that we think they'd be after in an ideal world, for a bit of festive fun. 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.

It's time for The Truth!Today, the boys are discussing Real Madrid, given the events of the last couple of weeks. Xabi Alonso, who was brought in to replace Carlo Ancelotti in the summer - is reportedly still on the brink, despite a couple of positive results in the last few games. We walk exactly what the situation looks like - why there's pressure, what can be changed, who could do a better job - and perhaps most pertinently, what Los Blancos actually want to be in this modern era of football, and whether going back to the old normality would be a step forwards or a step backwards given so many sides are now in a situation where they want to play system-based football. So, do Real Madrid still hold a position where they can just get by with the best players in the world and a whole lot of vibes? Or do they need a manager like Alonso to help try to manoeuvre them into a world which feels particularly based on systems and structures?  As ever, The Truth is somewhere in the middle... 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.

Hello Rank Squad! We're back with another transfer ranking, as the window draws ever closer - and today Dean wanted to get stuck into the stories that could be seismic in the January window - not just in terms of picking up the headlines, but in terms of defining the careers of certain players and managers. We look through five Premier League stories in the main ranking - ranging from the major outgoing sagas of Mo Salah and Kobbie Mainoo, to the threat of Thomas Frank's dismissal hanging over Tottenham Hotspur's plans in January, and the next steps for forgotten men at their clubs - Raheem Sterling and Harvey Elliott. Before that we talk about Things We Loved over the course of the weekend - where DJ goes all in on the chaotic Liga MX Final where Toluca outlasted Tigres in a madcap penalty shootout, and Jack waxes lyrical about the form of the Prince of Corwen - Harry Wilson - who FPL players are discussing bringing into their teams after this incredible hot streak. Finally, we take a look at a few burgeoning stories in Europe for you to keep an eye on over the course of January and beyond, to wrap things up. 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.