The Champions League has returned this week but instead we talk about Championship title hopefuls Norwich.    We dig into their current reign and where they feel like they are best suited.    Elsewhere we discuss the abuse women pundits receive, why it is still so hard for gay players to come out in the men's game.    And we speculate as to where David Alaba could end up after announcing he will be leaving Bayern Munich at the end of the season.

This week on the show we discuss two strikers from very different backgrounds.  Should Patrick Bamford be given a chance in the England set up? And can Zlatan Ibrahimovic carry on being a prolific striker well into his 50s?    Elsewhere we chat all things Nottingham Forest and discuss whether changing Champions League ties to a neutral venues is the right decision.    Guest: Sean Reid (@seanreid86) 

Did you miss us last week?    Well we are back to talk about the headlines of the past months transfers. Who we think will have an impact and who are the big winners and losers.  We also discuss transfer policies after the departure of André Villas-Boas from Marseille, as well as some other managerial exits. 

With Premier League Games almost daily at the moment we dig into one of the leagues more struggling clubs this year.    Our guest Simon Sharples, lets loose on his beloved Newcastle United and how he has become so disheartened under the Steve Bruce regime and why fans are even more frustrated with Mike Ashley than ever.    Elsewhere we dive into Mesut Ozil finally breaking free from Arsenal, Phil Neville joining Inter Miami and Kick It Out appointing a new CEO    Guest - Simon Sharples (@colt_turner)     

This week on the show there is a lot of Arsenal chat with Cancer Bats guitarist Scott Middleton.  We get into how a man from Canada falls in love with the Gunners.  We also discuss the on going discussions around players breaching Covid protocol with Celtic having a very nonchalant approach to their recent trip to Dubai.  Elsewhere we look at Edgar Davids return to the hot seat of management as well as Man City and Red Bull looking to monopolise football.    Guest - Scott Middleton (@cancerbats / @scoebcity)

HAPPY 2021 and welcome back to Punks on the Pitch. Hope you haven't missed us too much.  This week we dig into the highs of the FA Cup third round and who the big winners were.  We also touch on the fantastic Fran Kirby's performance for Chelsea Women in the only WSL game of the weekend.  Elsewhere Schalke final broke their long losing streak and did it in thanks to an American. Which leaves us asking what is in the water in Germany 

For one last time in 2020 we bring you an episode of Punks on the Pitch.    This week we discuss the current misfortunes of Arsenal under the Arteta reign. The way the Gunners played under Wenger and how much of a god Thierry Henry is.    We also discuss the up coming ties in the Champions League and Europa League respectively, as well as pay tribute to the late great Gérard Houllier   Guest - Harry Hoskins (@HarryHoskins_ / @Weatherstate) 

Once again racism has reared its ugly head into the game of football. We talk about Millwall fans booing the knee and the alleged racist remarks made toward Pierre Webo in the Champions League.    We also discuss backwards sporting rules in China, Maradona's face being on money and Burger King being woke as fuck in 2020.    All this and some chat about Bournemouth and Poole Town FC    Guest - Dom Patience (@domchalk) 

This week on the show we take a deeper look at the crossover between the world of alternative music and football.  We talk football kits as merch, band members getting involved in the sport to the famous West Ham / Iron Maiden collaboration.  Elsewhere we dig into Crawley Town a bit more and we have a very Doom heavy starting XI. 

On this Monday pod we once again marvel at the beauty that is the FA Cup as we talk about the big upsets of the second round and potential ties that we would like to see in the third round.  Also there are a number of big upsets through the top leagues in Europe this weekend. We talk about the pressure piling on Neil Lennon at Celtic, That Dortmund are beatable and how so far La Liga has been a funny old season.  All this and our Punks and Tories of the week 

This week the footballing world mourns the lose of one of its greats in Diego Maradona. We pay our respects to arguably football's original punk by highlighting some of our favourite moments in his career as well as shitting on the whining Gammon that is Peter Shilton.    Also we go into more depth into the Hollywood tale of Wrexham, Antoine Griezmann's hair and a historic win in the Norwegian League.    And we put a spotlight on Bellevue FC, a team who are united under one banner to bring football to everyone.    Guest - Tim Edwards (@fearlessidzine)  

On this Monday pod we look at some of the more bizarre stories of this weekend's actions as well as praising some big winners.  We talk about the contrasting fortunes of Tottenham's men and women's teams as Jose Mourinho's men sit top of the Premier League.  Then we look at one of the strangest transfer stories at Grimsby Town as Bilel Mohsni only played 21 minutes for the club after being dubbed League Two's Virgil Van Dijk.  And we bask in the glory of the 2020 Golden Boy, Erling Haaland.  Across the pond we witnessed one of the most bizarre penalty shoot-outs in the history of football in the MLS play-off between Orlando City and New York City  All this and our punks and Tories of the week

One this week's show we talk about one of the most bizarre footballing stories of 2020 in the Hollywood takeover at Wrexham AFC. We also go deep into how awesome St Pauli are and the news that they are now launching an in house sportswear brand, just to further emphasis that a club can be run with good ethics and politics.  We talk about the subject of young players mental health and what more clubs could be doing to support academy players, who have so much pressure put on their shoulders.  Trigger warning there is discussion of suicide and mental health, if you are effected by these issues then contact your local support line or visit https://www.samhealth.org/   Guest - Conor Dawson (@cultdrums / @cultdreamsband)  

With the men's game having an international break, we thought it only right that we take a more in-depth look at the women's game.    We talk about how there needs to be less of a divide within teams themselves, from separate social media accounts and playing at different grounds, to the recent news that women's academy sides are being treated as "non-elite" We also highlight five players who we think embody being punk in the women's game.    DISCALIMER - The audio on my side (Tim) for some reason is a little jumpy (I have no idea why) but it doesn't hinder the episode.  

On this Monday's so we have some what of an FA Cup first round special.    We dive into the craziness that was the Torquay United v Crawley Town match. The glory of Marine FC, and a Rooney doing what Rooney's do best among other highlights from the first round.    We also talk about THAT Ademola Lookman penalty and yes VAR is up for discussion again as Patrick Bamford's arm was offside.    All this and out punks and Tories of the week 

This week we dig into Burnley's rocky start to the season and whether Sean Dyche can turn things around and if the Clarets recruitment system is to blame to the poor start.  We also talk about gambling in the world of football and how big betting firms sponsoring clubs can impact on people especially in the time of a worldwide pandemic.  For a real hero to zero story check out this goal from the fifth tier of Spanish football:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F9ePHPlWjU&feature=emb_logo And there is a punk / football crossover as we discuss the relationship between Enter Shikari and St Albans City FC.  Guest - Lee Burgess (@LeeBurgessPSR / @30CenturyMgmt)  

We are celebrating the first three points for the Punks On The Pitch team as Wycombe Wanders record their first ever win in the Championship.  There is great excitement in the Women's FA Cup final where despite the lose Willie Kirk's side showed great grit and determination.  Are Barcelona on the verge of imploding on themselves with their worst start to the season in years, and we look at the exciting end to the Serie A fixture between Tornio and Lazio 

Another jam packed week of things to talk about in the world of football.  This week we talk about the first round draw for the FA Cup, the romance of the competition and whether the lower league clubs who are looking for a giant killing will be impacted by the lack of fans.  We go a bit Dutch talking about Ajax, the women's team and heading praise on SC Heerenveen for their unique approach to filling an empty stadium to help a good cause.  Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Li7OcQ_qM&feature=emb_logo   We dig out Ian Evatt of Bolton for his poor conduct of calling out his young goalkeeper, but then praise another keeper in Kirstie Levell for sharing her emotional connection to the number 28.    Our non-league spotlight goes on Gosport Borough, a team who are in the shadow of Portsmouth FC, but have a very interesting story and history themselves.  And a hard hitting musicians XI featuring probably the sexiest striker we have had so far.    Guest - Chris Robinson (@gingerboyo / @gotgotneedpod) 

This week on the show in honour of the upcoming Merseyside Derby we thought we would take a different approach to the show and have a look at some of the world's greatest footballing rivalries.    We dive into Liverpool v Everton, Portsmouth v Southampton, Boca Juniors v River Plate, AC Milan v Inter Milan, Redstar Belgrade v Pratizan Belgrade, Celtic v Rangers and HŠK Zrinjski v FK Velež.    We also talk about Chichester City FC and their historic moment in the FA Cup last year.  And a musicians XI where the players will be hoping they don't make the managers list and they will come out le champions  

After another crazy weekend in the Premier League we turn our attention to a weekend of international football.  We discuss the importance of international competition during a time of a pandemic, we look at some of the transfers made on deadline day and whether Mesut Özil's act of kindness was exactly that.  And we talk about the ambitions of Wessex Division One team Folland Sports FC.  Guest - Jonny Pipes (@suburbianruin / @rotuyc)