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Any Given Thursday
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On Any Given Thursday, football enthusiasts Maxwell Brown & David Blomquist cover all things Europa League & Europa Conference League. Match-day reactions, club spotlights, untold stories, unique narratives — if it happens on a Thursday, we're talking about it.
So from Reykjavík to Roma, Zürich to Zagreb, Bodø to Baku, and everywhere in between, join us as we explore European football beyond the oil clubs.
So from Reykjavík to Roma, Zürich to Zagreb, Bodø to Baku, and everywhere in between, join us as we explore European football beyond the oil clubs.
158 Episodes
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The Conference League league phase concluded with a bang Thursday night, and we're breaking down every game!
Universitatea Craiova was the day's top story for all the wrong reasons. We discuss the series of unfortunate events that led to their heartbreaking elimination, including the Romanians blowing a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 in Athens, a stoppage time Zrinjski Mostar equalizer, a late Sigma goal, and of course, KuPS' dramatic draw at Selhurst Park.
That's right, little old KuPS took it to the South Londoners for a period in the second half to dramatically qualify for the knockouts and force Crystal Palace out of the Top 8 and thus the Round of 16 bye. We give our thoughts on how the Finns accomplished such a feat and debate how serious the setback is for Palace.
Meanwhile, there was plenty of other Top 8 drama throughout the continent. Mainz and Rayo secured the bye, and a late AEK Larnaca winner launched the frisky Cypriots into the coveted final spot.
Of course, we must also talk about Fiorentina, who lost yet again (this time at Lausanne).
We wrap things up with a title-contender power rankings and a look ahead to the knockouts draw in January.
Cheers Jarkko Wiss!
We're back to break down all the action from last Thursday's Europa & Conference League bonanza.
We start in Bulgaria and Romania, where Ludogorets and FCSB played host to two extraordinarily entertaining goal fests, with the former taking down struggling Feyenoord.
We also take a stop in Greece to discuss why AEK Athens is in such good form and why they have a real shot at challenging for the UECL grown.
Then we move on to the BIG BOYS in both competitions, stopping along the way to marvel at Aston Villa's ability to pull out close wins, laud Vincenzo Italiano for the work he's doing at Bologna, and pile on Fiorentina, Mainz, and Nice , who are all experiencing the worst of times.
Of course, we still have time to talk Lincoln Red Imps' historic second win in the league phase, plus examine Wilfried Nancy's rocky start to life at Celtic.
All that, and a look ahead to what's at stake on the Conference League league phase's final day on December 18.
Cheers to Marko Nikolić!
Our Club Spotlight series returns to bring you a very non-controversial topic!
That's right, we're covering Hungary's own Ferencvaros, the most decorated club from the proud footballing nation — and often its most contentious.
Real-life history major David Blomquist takes us back to the club's founding through its dense history to find out how it became the domestic powerhouse we know today, and also to flesh out its complicated identity and relationship with far-right nationalism.
So a super light episode, basically! Let's all hope Viktor Orbán does not come after David.
We also discuss the current iteration of the squad under manager Robbie Keane and why they've had such a good start to their Europa League campaign.
So join us on a tour of the layered history of a famous club, whose political entanglement reflects a broader sporting reality across the globe — and yes, is also a good football team!
Cheers Robbie Keane!
We're thankful this week for a full Thanksgiving slate of Europa and Conference League action that delivered some of the best games and storylines of the league phase thus far.
In Europa, Ludogorets shocked Celta Vigo with a 3-2 in Bulgaria. How'd they pull one of the biggest surprises of the tournament thus far?
We then break down the struggle of Feyenoord, Utrecht, and Go Ahead Eagles, who all lost amidst grueling schedules. What's going wrong for the Dutch sides? Can any of them rebound and qualify for knockouts? Are Robin van Persie and his son up to the challenge? We also touch on Roma's win over Midtjylland, Bologna's impressive run of form, and naturally, the carcass of OG Nice, who now sit rock bottom of the table.
There we upsets galore in Conference League, with each of the top 4 league sides falling. Strasbourg got a signature win in their triumph over the visiting Crystal Palace, and we hone in on what made the fixture such an exciting watch and why the clubs have established themselves as clear favorites.
Then, we examine Rayo Vallecano's penchant for making life hard on themselves, Mainz's mediocre play catching up with them, and the dismal existence that is Fiorentina. And, naturally, we give Hamrun Spartans some love for becoming the first Maltese club to win a UEFA group-stage match.
All that, some table takeaways, more VAR vitriol, and of course, David's Coefficient Corner.
Cheers to our old friend Vincenzo Italiano!
We're back to hit on a number of topics as we return to European football this week!
First, we dive into UEFA's new European tournament, the Women's Europa Cup, as it reaches the quarterfinal stage of its inaugural season.
We discuss how it could benefit the European women's game long term, why the qualifying process is so damn complicated, and who advanced out of the Round of 16 (hello Scandinavia!) — including some stoppage and extra time drama.
Then we touch on some of the best stories from the international break, including Scotland, Haiti, and Curaçao qualifying for next summer's tournament, before finishing with a quick look ahead to Thursday's packed slate.
I hope you're as grateful for Thanksgiving-day Europa and Conference League action as we are!
Cheers to Maxwell (listen to the end to learn why)!
Forgive the tardiness on the release, but we're here to talk halfway point of the Europa & Conference League league phases!
The Europa League gave us quests for perfection and imperfection alike.
The French, Scots, and Dutch had nightmare days, losing all over the continent and missing out on precious points. We spend more time on Nice's unbelievable winless run in the tournament — with plenty of stats to back it up — then delve into Scotland's persistent struggles in European competition. What's gone wrong for Scottish football? Is there any room for optimism?
Meanwhile, Germany and Spain go 3 for 3, and Midtjylland (!) won their 4th consecutive UEL game to remain tip top of the table. We share out appreciate for the Danes, their exceptional roster of players, and their young coach who may or may not get a cheers at the end of the show.
Not to be outdone, the Conference League delivered 2 stoppage time winners from Rayo Vallecano and Mainz (over the hapless Fiorentina) and 2 more stoppage time equalizers.
We talk through the importance of those results and marvel at the madness of Lincoln Red Imps, Drita, and KuPS all sitting in knockout place at the league phase midpoint.
All that, some table takeaways, and David's Coefficient Corner on this week's show!
Cheers to Mike Tullberg!
It was a vintage Thursday night across Europe, in which big-league clubs dropped like flies, and underdogs had some exceptional performances.
We start out examining the big upsets, including PAOK's instant-classic thriller in Lille, Go Ahead Eagles' historic win over Villa, and AEK Larnaca pulling a shock in South London.
We also debate the day's many controversial VAR moments, which favored Fenerbahce over Stuttgart and propelled Rayo Vallecano to the latest of equalizers at Häcken. Why is VAR usage so inconsistent, unpredictable, and frankly, incompetent, in these competitions — more so than any domestic league?
Then in a whip-around segment, we celebrate Lincoln Red Imp's first ever major European tournament win, throw the usual shade at hapless Nice, and lament that Scottish sides occupy the bottom spot of both tables.
Finally, we do some table takeaways, look ahead to the next match-day, and make some bold (or stupid) predictions.
Cheers to Juanjo Bezares!
With another international window in the books, it's time to dive back into AGT Thursdays!
We start with Nottingham Forest, who actually did the thing and sacked Ange Postecoglou, making his stint in charge the second-shortest in league history. We argue why this falls mostly on then shoulders of Marinakis rather than his Greek compatriot and wonder where the club goes from here.
Elsewhere in the Midlands, Villa stirred up controversy when the police banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from traveling to Birmingham for their match-day 4 clash. But is the situation misunderstood by the wider public?
We also touch on the recent international window, where Cape Verde became the second-smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup and congratulate their heach coach, Bubista.
We start with Nottingham Forest actually did the thing and sacked Ange Postecoglou, making his stint in charge the second-shortest in league history. We argue why this falls mostly on then shoulders of Marinakis rather than his Greek compatriot and wonder where the club goes from here.
Cheers Bubista!
Chapters
00:00 — Intro
02:28 — The international break
05:26 — Cape Verde's historic World Cup qualification
08:25 — Nottingham Forest sack Ange
11:17 — Rangers manager search
20:14 — Aston Villa controversy
31:15 — Viktoria Plzen gets a new owner
33:53 — FC Noah building new stadium
34:30 — MD 2 Europa League preview
39:17 — Nice is a terrible Europa League team
43:49 — MD 2 Conference League preview
47:34 — Strasbourg's historically young squad
51:10 — Fiorentina's ongoing struggles
55:23 — Cheers to Bubista
So — we weren't able to record an episode for MD 1 of the Conference League last week, but we've got the next best thing!
We've picked a few UECL teams to zero in on, all of which got big wins in this early stage of the league phase, including Lech Poznan, Shakhtar Donetsk, and AEK Larnaca.
But the main story is Slovenia's NK Celje, who keep defying expectations and dominating European opponents. We ask the important questions — Why are they so successful? How far can they go? And when can we visit?
We also introduce you to their new starman, Franko Kovacevic, who's taking both the Slovenian and Conference Leagues by storm this season. It may well be name to remember.
Finally, we bring you our new segment: The Big Boy Check In, where we do 60 second spots on each of the 5 "big league" teams (Palace, Fiorentina, Rayo, Mainz, Strasbourg). What's up with them? What direction are they going in? Who do we like to go all the way?
All that and some Aberdeen on today's show!
Cheers to Imanol Idiakez!
It's all happening as we hit the one-quarter mark of the Europa League league phase.
Forest are hurdling towards a cliff in 6 winless games under Ange Postecoglou — are they fully in crisis? Rangers certainly are, with yet another loss added to Russell Martin's brief tenure.
Elsewhere, Roma and Stuttgart are both shut out, and Celta Vigo finally get their first win of the season, and Porto remains perfect.
It was a week to celebrate the teams who got big upset wins, including Midtjylland, Basel, Sturm Graz, Lille, and Go Ahead Eagles.
We also discuss Nice's abominable Europa League standing, what's working for Braga, and naturally, Robin van Persie's ageless handsomeness.
Cheers to Mario Kovačević!
Join us in reliving all the tremendous action of the Europa League league phase, match-day 1!
We had a thriller in Betis v Forest, Villa finally eked out a win, Roma looks like the favorite, and are we sleeping on Stuttgart?
Plus, Panathinaikos makes a statement, Braga takes all 3 points against pod-favorite Feyenoord, and Rangers are still utterly calamitous.
We also take a brief detour down Tanner Tessman lane and discuss what a stacked USMNT midfield might group might look like come World Cup 2026.
All that and much more on the pod.
Cheers to mf-ing Olivier Giroud!
"I don't know what counts as a dispossession if not getting tackled and losing the ball." - David Blomquist
It's a big week on Any Given Thursday because the Europa League proper is officially here!
That's right, the first round of league phase games begin Wednesday, and it is one of the best slates we've ever had covering the tournament.
We hit all the best matchups, including Betis v Forest, Nice v Roma, + Midtjylland v Sturm Graz on Wednesday, and Stuttgart v Celta Vigo + Aston Villa v Bologna Thursday — and predict the results.
We also talk our favorite hipster showcases and discuss which big-league clubs are already trending in the wrong direction.
Cheers Robin van Persie!
We're back with the Conference League league phase preview bonanza!
We begin with who received the toughest draws (Aberdeen), which of the big boys could have the most trouble with the 6-game fall slate (Mainz), and who we think will coast through to a top 8 seed (Rayo).
We discuss the tournament favorites in detail, including whether Palace has enough to challenge Fiorentina for the title, or whether their summer of inactivity will cost them across all competitions — plus what we think of the Marc Guehi situation. We also debate the merits of Strasbourg and AZ as actual contenders.
Finally, we tackle the likely bottom dwellers, including what we can expect from the like of Hamrun Spartans, Lincoln Red Imps, and Drita, as well as some possible long-shot hopefuls for the title (looking at you AEK Athens).
And of course, we couldn't go a whole Conference League pod without fanboy-ing out on Celje and Shamrock Rovers!
Cheers to Mirel Rădoi!
We're back to do what we do best: PREVIEWS!
That's right, it's the 2025-26 Europa League league phase preview bonanza.
We open by talking about the draws, including Celtic and the Dutch sides getting very difficult paths, then move on to discussing the favorites to win the competition (Roma, Villa, Forest, Lyon) and whether we agree with the odds makers.
We also tackle which teams with long shot odds are could be sleepers to go deep in the tournament. Spoiler: we're in love with Feyenoord.
Finally, we give out some awards (including the Bodo/Glimt Award for biggest overachiever and the Nice Award for biggest underachiever), and pick who we think will earn the top 8 bye, and who we think the 8 worst teams will be.
Cheers to Gian Piero Gasperini & Unai Emery!
We're back to discuss last Thursday's conclusion to the Europa and Conference League final qualifying round (as well as a little Champions League)!
It was a week of firsts, including Hamrun Spartans becoming the first Maltese club to qualify for a European group stage. Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano also survived to earn their inaugural shot at Thursday night football.
The other Conference League big boys survived by the skin of their teeth – both Mainz and Strabourg got huge bounce-back wins after disappointing 1st leg performances, and Fiorentina overcame a dreadful 78 minutes to eventually see off Polissya.
Elsewhere, Poland, Greece, and Cyprus continued their excellent campaigns, while the Turks and Scots had a nightmarish week, including embarrassing Champions League defeats for both Celtic and Rangers.
Cheers Giacomo Modica!
The Playoff Qualifying Round has kicked off in the Europa & Conference Leagues, and it's all to play for!
The headline in the Conference League was the big boys struggling, with Scandanavian sides taking full advantage. Palace managed just a 1-0 home win vs Fredrikstad amidst a frustrating week off the pitch, Strasbourg was held scoreless in France by Brøndby, & Mainz suffered a 2-1 away defeat at the hands of Rosenborg.
Elsewhere, both Irish sides got huge victories, including a shock win at Santa Clara for Conference League veterans Shamrock. Plus Virtus stayed alive, maintaining just a single goal deficit heading back to San Marino, where they hope to be the first club from their nation to qualify for a European group stage.
Meanwhile in the Europa League, Utrecht continues their impressive qualifying run, Brann-AEK Larnaca and Panathinaikos-Samsunspor set themselves up for terrific 2nd legs, and Red Imps' and KuPS' magical qualifying runs come to an end – but fear not! We'll see them both in the Conference League league phase.
All that plus more praise for the Cypriot, Norwegian, Polish, and the Dutch leagues, and a quick check in on Champions League qualifying!
Cheers Per-Mathias Høgmo!
We're officially back for the 2025-26 Europa & Conference League campaigns, and as always, we're kicking things off with the 3rd qualifying rounds.
The 1st legs were full of action, and we discuss some major upsets from old friends (Celje, Víkingur Reykjavík, AEK Larnaca), and new (Hibs, Shelbourne).
Then we explore Cyrpus' remarkable European successes of late, why the Irish league is on the rise, if this is a breakout season for Scottish clubs, and speculate whether Malta is the next country to pop their cherry and qualify a team for European group stages for the very first time.
We're also introduced to some clubs previously unfamiliar to us, including FC Polissya Zhytomyr, whose name we hopefully did not butchered to unreasonable degree.
It feels good to be back – come hang!
Cheers Joey O'Brien!
Jacob Hill is back on the pod, this time to tackle the 2012 NBA draft - and boy is this one a stinker!
We start by revisiting each of the top 30 picks (plus some notable 2nd rounders), and in the process lauding its notable stars, Damian Lillard, Anthony Daivs, and Draymond Green, investigating Chad Ford's questionable takes, exploring one of the strangest NBA players of all time in Royce White, and running out of adjectives to describe just how abject the back half of the 1st Round is.
In the second part of the show, we tackle our redraft and do our best to build balanced 8-man rosters despite the putrid depth available to us.
Who goes first? How high should Bradley Beal go? Who's left sitting solemnly in the green room? Find out on our very special addition of Any Given Bracket!
Cheers to Dion Waiters!
We were going to be off this week, but UEFA demanded that we get on Zoom and hammer out an emergency podcast after their ruling that Crystal Palace is removed from the Europa League and instead will play Conference League football in 2025-26.
We talk about how we got here - including Lyon winning appeal to stay in Ligue 1 (& thus Europe) - Palace's next steps, and how Nottingham Forest factors into all this, then vent our frustrations about UEFA's decision-making process and the double standard in the penalties (or lack there of) imposed on clubs and ownership groups of different sizes.
Cheers Oliver Glasner! You didn't deserve this!
It's time for the way-too-early Conference League 2025-26 preview! Except it really isn't too early - the 1st qualifying rounds start THIS WEEK if you can believe it.
But we're starting off with the 5 "big league" clubs who start their journey in the playoff qualifying round (aka the final step before the League Phase): Nottingham Forest, Rayo Vallecano, Mainz, Strasbourg, and of course, the Conference League house band - Fiorentina.
We take a look at what each club has to offer on and off the pitch, why we're so excited to watch them, and what order they should be ranked as tournament contenders.
Then, we move on to some lesser known participants from all over the continent - and some off of it. We take pitstops in Liechtenstein, Gibraltar, Kosovo, the Faroe Islands, and the Azores, as we introduce (or reintroduce) some of our favorite stories from the upcoming qualifying rounds and debate which minnows could make a Cinderella run at the League Phase!
Cheers Marc Schneider!
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