Kyle, Chris and new, regular dream-team member Michael Brown are joined by a special, mystery guest to chat about all things ‘trash talk’! Which players are the worst for running their mouths on the pitch? How do you know when winding up has worked? Can ‘trash talk' ever backfire? The boys get to the bottom of this, and much more, as well as putting together their ultimate ‘Trash Talk’ XI.
Kyle Walker, Chris Hughes and Michael Brown are back together - as soon as Browny can finish his flapjack.Derby matches are the focus: Kyle reveals which London derby was more fiery than Tottenham-Arsenal, why one particular loss to Man Utd got under his skin and what it’s like playing in a match between England and Scotland.Have you ever wanted to be a fly-on-the-wall for a meeting between Pep Guardiola and Neil Warnock? Well, Kyle and Browny were there and tell us what went down between two football legends. Browny recalls what it was like to face Arsenal’s Invincibles which leads to Kyle remembering when he played alongside Robert Pires at Aston Villa, who it seems has as much sauce off the pitch as on it. If you ever wondered who had more yellow cards out of Kyle and Browny in their careers, we finish with a quiz that answers that but which also quickly descends into chaos and accusations…
Kyle Walker is back with Chris Hughes and they’ve brought along Kyle’s good friend - but not best friend - former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown for this week’s episode. Kyle and Browny talk about meeting on the school run and why their kids’ playground is like a football World XI. They also discuss teammates: which Man City player likes to wear a leather gilet? Can Kyle beat Jérémy Doku in a race? Which former Manchester City player was a master of the dark arts and which current player wouldn’t you mess with? Michael reveals why a trip to Dubai was delayed after a prank involving a pair of knock-off Pradas and some superglue, how Erling Haaland has sorted the food in the City canteen and which striker cashed off a young Kyle with the pay-off, “One day you’ll make it”?
Kyle tells Chris about the managers who have played a huge part in his football journey.• Which England boss kept the team behind for 30 minutes to give them a bollocking? • Who cried in front of the Tottenham players when he was sacked? • Which manager made his players drive 2 hours into training only to send them home after 30 minutes so he could get home? They discuss whether Kyle wants to be a gaffer himself and the one club that might tempt him into the big job. But would he be more of a José Mourinho or a Tony Pulis in the sartorial stakes?They also chat about how Pep Guardiola changed the way he viewed football, why his relationship with Mauricio Pochettino broke down at Tottenham and he reveals which club’s training ground used to stink.They finish off by discussing which of the current Manchester City players would make a good manager, leading to a cameo from one of his City and England teammates…
On this week's episode, Kyle and Chris discuss what happens when you get transferred. They dive into the entire process from start to finish to discover how it works, how you as a player find out and what happens when you discover that you have a new contract?The pair talk about moving from Sheffield United to Tottenham and what happened, how Kyle moved with teammate Kyle Walker-Peters and how his new manager - Harry Redknapp - didn't know his name.They dig into medicals and what happens, who brings the trainers to run on the treadmill, and what happens when a full-blown camera crew shows up to watch that battery of tests when you sign for the Premier League champions. Kyle talks about the end of the road at Spurs, meeting Pep Guardiola and his brother to discuss the project, his first day of training at Manchester City, and how he clattered into someone to remind everyone that he wasn't signing just for fun.
On the week's episode, Kyle and Chris discuss how the Manchester City skipper got into football and his early career, which took him from Sheffield United through the lower-league loan system. The pair start on the Lansdowne Estate in Sheffield where they discuss the earliest games Kyle played in the playgrounds with his friends, before attending sessions for Football Unites, Racism Divides and being recommended to The Blades by one of the coaches. They then talk about the early days at Bramall Lane, cleaning the boots of the senior players, and what it was like for a lifelong fan of the club to sign professional forms. Kyle discusses his early loans, notably at Northampton under the stewardship of Stuart Gray, and the hilarious story of how his parents drove him to the training ground on the first day because they were scared of him being on the motorway, and how they walked in and watched training. They talk about Kyle's debut and his first games, and the transition from being a centre forward to a right back, having to mark experienced strikers. The pair finish by talking about how his first season as a professional ended up at Wembley in the Playoff Final and the pain of losing 1-0 to Burnley, and whether now, in the autumn of his career, he would consider ending his career back where it all started, at Bramall Lane.
Chris and Kyle are back together again to talk through the Euro 2024 knockout stages, and look at how England lost the final to Spain. The pair begin by reflecting on the quarter-final against Switzerland and discussing what changes to the back four - Konsa for Guéhi - meant; how you approach extra time in a knockout tournament; the pressure on defenders to not make a mistake; and how the team planned for, and carried out, penalties. They then switch their attentions to the Dutch and the semi-final and how you tackle a team full of Premier League players. Kyle talks about playing against teammates like Nathan Aké, marking Virgil van Dijk at set-pieces and trash-talking him; and what he saw when Ollie Watkins was slid in by Cole Palmer in the final minute of the game. Chris and Kyle then look back on the emotions of the final, how Spain were allowed to dominate, what the feeling was when the game got back to 1-1, and how close Kyle was to blocking Marc Cucurella’s cross that led to Spain’s winner. He then discusses his emotions afterwards, and how he cried because of losing his second Euros final. He finishes up by before sending a message of thanks to Gareth Southgate.
Chris and Kyle are back together for the first time since Euro 2024 to dig really deep into what happened at Euro 2024, from inside the England camp. The pair go back to the start of the tournament and work their way through chronologically, breaking down the big calls from the manager in terms of the initial squad selection - Grealish in or out - and going through the group stages in great detail, analysing what went right - and wrong - against Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia, before England navigated the group stages. Together they talk about the goals, the negative reaction from the fans, dealing with the boo-boys, and what kept the squad amused during camp. And the pair get into the weeds on the tactics, on the big moments in each game, why Kyle didn't think about shooting when one v one in the opening game, and just what exactly you can get from a "hoy" into the box in the 4th minute of injury time needing a goal to progress to the quarter-finals.
Chris and Kyle return for part two of their look back at Euro 2020, and we've reached the denouement of the competition: the quarters, semis, and a dramatic final against Italy.They start with the trip to Rome to face Ukraine, and Kyle reminisces about a great England performance, capped by a goal from his friend Jordan Henderson who he came through the age groups with. It's then onto the semi-final at Wembley against Denmark, and Kyle's relief at Harry Kane's extra-time winner that sent Gareth Southgate's side through to take on Italy in the final. Kyle also discusses how he felt the night before that final, the journey into Wembley, what was said in the dressing room pre-match, how he felt England scored too early (again), and how they had to defend almost constantly until penalties. The boys then reflect on the spot kicks, the atmosphere in the dressing room after the game, before looking forward to Euro 2024.
Chris and Kyle are back for the third episode of You'll Never Beat Kyle Walker, which is a two-parter looking back at Euro 2020 and England's journey to the final, through the eyes of one of the squad's most experienced players. Kyle discusses the end of the club season, and Manchester City's Champions League defeat to Chelsea, and how difficult it was to be thrust into an international squad containing three of the players who'd just beaten him to win the European Cup. The pair also discuss Gareth Southgate's management style; how they relax at St George's Park during a six-week tournament; what happened when the FA brought in a load of puppies to stroke; and why Jordan Pickford isn't quite the golfer he believes he is. And then the pair dig into the nuts and bolts of the tournament, starting with the opening game against Croatia. Kyle reminisces on goals, big moments, being left out of the squad to face Scotland, and the quarter-final clash at Wembley against Germany.
Chris and Kyle are back for the second episode of the series which picks up where last week's left off, delving deeper into Kyle's footballing life. As one of the oldest players still plying his trade in the Premier League, Kyle tries to name his older peers; discusses the reasons behind his longevity; and talks about why he's so fearful of hanging his boots up. The pair dig into the weeds on nutrition as the Manchester City captain describes his daily intake; why chocolate is the snacking habit he can't kick; and why his teammates take food bags home from the canteen. Kyle and Chris also talk about the difficulties of club and country positional rivalries when you're battling players you like and respect for the same shirt; why winning the Premier League tops everything and who gets which room and why when it comes to England duty.
Man City and England international Kyle Walker and presenter and Love Island star Chris Hughes kick off the series by digging into Kyle's footballing life. Episode one goes into the weeds on some of the important topics surrounding his career: the best player he's played with and against; the name he least likes seeing on a team sheet; and the player who, over the last few seasons in the Premier League, has given him the toughest time. Kyle also discusses how he plays certain wingers, explains the differences in how you defend a Vinicius Jr versus a Jack Grealish, and names the player he believes is the best right back in the world. And then, taking the component parts of his peers, builds the perfect fullback. Kyle and Chris also discuss the mental challenges of the modern game, identify the best low-key player in the Premier League, and Kyle gives an insight into what his teammates really think about him.
Each week Chris Hughes and Kyle Walker take you inside the dressing room and onto the team bus to find out what it takes to win over and over again.The pair will talk about the beautiful game, have a bit of a laugh, tell funny stories about football and dig into Kyle’s career as a serial champion. From his earliest days growing up in Sheffield, You’ll Never Beat Kyle Walker will put the listener in the unique position of finding out what it takes to win 17 major honours, including Premier Leagues, Champions Leagues, and FA Cups, as well as leading his country out at Wembley as captain of England. Kyle will reflect on his time in the game, the players he’s played with and against, the managers, and the highs and lows of football at the very top. He’ll talk World Cups and Euros, teammates past and present, and what it feels like to be one v one against Lionel Messi. You’ll Never Beat Kyle Walker will give listeners a true insight into what it’s really like to be at the top of the game for so long. This podcast is part of The Players Channel: Real football talk... straight from The Players! Previous titles include Footballer's Football Podcast featuring West Ham's Michail Antonio, Callum Wilson, Tom Cairney and Radio 1's Rickie Haywood-Williams as well as 'Football Firsts' with Jermain Defoe and Troy Deeney who discuss a range of topics revolving around the first time they experienced something in football. You can listen to all these episodes right now on this feed.
As another year of top-flight football draws to a close, the boys single out the good, the bad and the ugly of the ‘23/24 season. Plus, our hosts reflect on their own respective Premier League campaigns and Tom gets called out for an egregious social media post.
As Man City seem all but destined to make it four in a row, the boys wonder if Arteta actually has what it takes to win a league title. We debate the merits of a proposed Premier League salary cap and whether it would actually make things fairer. Plus, following Sweden's decision not to introduce VAR in top-flight football, our hosts ask if it's time we put the continued existence of the ever-controversial tech to a vote.Got a query that only a professional footballer can answer? We'd love to hear from you. Send your questions to ffp@bbc.co.uk
The boy’s assess the lay of the land at Chelsea FC following their bruising encounter with Arsenal and wonder what needs to happen for the Blues to return to winning ways. Michail comes to Erik Ten Hag’s defence following the tidal wave of criticism the Man United manager has faced this week but goes after Keano for saying pros shouldn’t podcast. Meanwhile Tom highlights the up and coming talent he foresees making a big impact on the 24/25 season and the boy’s perform a thorough post mortem on Nottingham Forest’s latest VAR debacle. Got a query that only a professional footballer can answer? We’d love to hear from you. Send your questions to ffp@bbc.co.uk
Has Michail changed his mind about VAR now that it's finally worked in West Ham’s favour? What’s John McGinn's greatest footballing asset? How much trash-talking goes on in the box right before a corner kick? All of these questions and more are answered on this week’s podcast. Plus, the boys look forward to next week's FFP Derby. Got a query that only a professional footballer can answer? We’d love to hear from you. Send your questions to ffp@bbc.co.uk
We welcome the boys back to the pod after a two-week break and there’s a lot to talk about. There were highs and lows for both Fulham and West Ham during that time and Michail is very eager to discuss his return to goalscoring form. Plus, we go long on that much-hyped City v Arsenal fixture and chat about Roy Keane’s description of Erling Haaland as a ‘League 2’ player.
The boys dissect that epic Liverpool-Manchester City clash and there's a lot of love for Virgil Van Dijk - though not so much for VAR. As the most exciting title race in years shapes up, they all give their final predictions for the top four, with very different results.Plus, Rickie shocks the boys with the news that saying ‘megs’ can now get a youth player banned for three weeks. We ask, should we be discouraging young players from showing off? Got a query that only a professional footballer can answer? We’d love to hear from you. Send your questions to ffp@bbc.co.uk
It’s a packed pod this week with the boys both coming in off the back of Premier League wins for the second week in a row. They discuss the controversy at Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool and speculate about what Mark Clattenburg’s role as a refereeing consultant actually entails. Plus, there’s a lively debate about where Phil Foden fits in the England starting XI, what's acceptable for clubs to post on social media, and Rickie’s forced to explain why he failed to invite his co-hosts to the Brits.Got a query that only a professional footballer can answer? We’d love to hear from you. Send your questions to ffp@bbc.co.uk
James Davison
sorry guys but the pod just won't be the same without Cal. Just hope this doesn't mean he's leaving the toon. Best wishes for the pod going forward