Forza Toro Alé!!!
Our first visit to Torino as the Granata take on the Azzuri of Napoli in a Serie A clash.
Join London French on an adventure in Piemonte which includes lots of food and wine, catching up with old friends and a great match to cap a great weekend. Andiamo !
Season 5 (how has it lasted this long?) of Footy on the Med kicks off with the Ligue 1 clash between Nice and Nantes. Join London French as he battles public transport issues and limited cold beer options as he makes his way the Allianz Riviera. Oh, and Alex flies in for a post-match de-brief and catch up in Menton. Allez! Nice 1 Nantes 0 was recorded at the Allianz Riviera on Sat 13 September 2025.
Rumours of the demise of Footy on the Med – cruelly perpetrated by rival podcast On the Med, Son – prove to have been exaggerated. Alex, at least, emerged from a prolonged, work-induced siesta to head to Canet-en-Roussillon for a mid-July clash that he really couldn’t miss. Yes, it was Alex’s beloved QPR in a pre-season friendly v Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse. Some 400 to 500 fellow Rs’ fans made the trek, including Derek, James and Jo of the Devizes Hoops. They cooked in the sun, lost count of number of changes made by new Rs’ manager Julien Stephan, loved Jimmy Dunne’s commitment and noted that, with two on-field fights, this wasn’t always the friendliest of encounters. Toulouse 1 QPR 2 was recorded at the Stade Saint-Michel on Friday 18 July, 2025.
For all you FOTM addicts out there here is an unforgettable (forgettable) edition that we forgot to publish before the end of the season as London French went to see AS Monaco vs Strasbourg as they bid for Champions League places.
Whilst the season is now done and dusted we will be back soon for the 2025/2026 edition.
Bon vacances à tous and stay cool 🌞
It’s a squash and a squeeze as John, Alex and London French snuggle up on the terraces of Menton’s cosy stade and watch the home side play with all the fervour of the Smeds and the Smoos. Alas, Menton could have done with a Gruffalo, or a wise old man, or at least the The Ugly Five, for a lively Mandelieu were just that little bit too Everywhere Bear, finding Room on the Broom running the channels and deservedly emerging as 4-2 winners. Listen out for a goalkeeper who’s a fly-half, a decent contest and multiple eulogies to Fox’s Socks Julia Donaldson. Menton 2 Mandelieu 4 was recorded on Sunday 12 January 2025 with guest appearances by Eleri and Lyla. Stick Man declined to contribute.
Ligue 1 Done?
In this episode of Footy on the Med, we head to the Stade Louis-II for one of the biggest fixtures in Ligue 1 as third place AS Monaco host unbeaten Paris Saint-Germain. Set against the unique backdrop of Monaco’s compact yet iconic stadium, join London French and Massimo for trains, pizza and the last slice of league action in France in 2024.
With Alex again marooned deep in the English countryside, and Footy on the Med’s Menton HQ under attack from all sides, a dread rumour spread around the podcast ecosphere.
Would Footy on the Med live to kick a ball again? Fear not! The sea came calling and Alex took himself to the city of Bristol, scene of 727.5 voyages to the Mediterranean in April 1511 alone.
QPR, whose blue and white hooped shirts never fail to induce thoughts of the Med, came a-visiting Ashton Gate, home of The Robins, aka Bristol City.
Alex was there to chronicle some of the action with the Devizes Hoops, not to mention West Ham Dan and two box-based associates, Scott and Max.
Cue an absolute wonder goal from Paul Smyth for The Rs.
Bristol City 1 QPR 1 was recorded at Ashton Gate on 14 December 2024.
A beautiful November afternoon and we are off to Italy for the first time and to one of our old favourite stomping grounds, the Stade Communale in Sanremo for the Série D clash between Sanremese and Lavagnese in a Ligurian derby. Join London French as he travels east from Menton and is joined by fellow Menton resident Mattia for an afternoon in the Mediterranean sunshine. Sanremese 2, Lavagnese 1 was recorded at the Stadio Comunale, Sanremo, November 10th 2024.
Footy on the Med is back! At last! Admittedly the Mediterranean connection is slim, but if a person were to leave Sunderland by boat and travel south and then east, it is possible they would arrive in the Med. And QPR’s keeper, Paul Nardi, was once on Monaco’s books. Tenuous but no matter, the important thing is that John and Alex are back in action. Well, Alex and Chris are in action, because John wasn’t there. Without further carve-outs, caveats, excuses or ado, enjoy Footy on the Med in its guise as Footy in the Bush for QPR 0 v Sunderland 0 (recorded at Loftus Road on Saturday 2 November 2024).
Footy on the Med is back! With a bang! Two games for the price of one! Yes, we’re a bit late but we make no apologies for being late; it’s one of the things we do best (along with roving around to games on the Med and beyond, providing our unique insight into the Beautiful Game).
For Monaco v St Etienne at the Stade Louis II on 17 August 2024, witnessed by Alex, his daughter Maud and their friends Jean-Philippe Thomas and family, noise was the order of the day. A lot of noise.
For John and London ‘Rory Egan-Thomas’ French at Menton v Cannes La Bocca on 22 September 2024, things took a gentler turn.
Enjoy both games and listen out for more in the coming years.
It's the final league game of the season for Cannes FC. It's also the Cannes Film Festival. Alex has to be at the latter for work. He'd like to be at the former for fun. How does he solve this quandary? By being at the first half and giving the reins to London French for the second. En route the pair meet Carlos, a young player with Cannes, and enjoy a decent match in balmy weather. Well, London French enjoyed all of it (and did a fine job). As is Alex's way, he enjoyed one half of it. Cannes 2 Thonon Evian 1 was recorded at the Stade Pierre Courbetin on Saturday 18 May 2024.
This week John meets up with Young Trafford in their hometown of Menton, to watch Rapid Omnisport de Menton take on Entente Sportive Cannet Rocheville 2, or ESCR 2 for short. Menton run away with the game and score six while only conceding one. Rapid Menton V ESCR was recorded at Stade Lucien Rhein on Sunday, May 12th 2024.
John ventures up the inside channel of the A8, past the back four, and visits one of his favourite towns, Valbonne, all on his lonesome. US Valbonne hosted Club des Jeunes d'Antibes Juan Les Pins, (which must be the longest name of a team featured on Footy On The Med). The game ended Valbonne 0 Antibes 1 thanks to an early goal from Bensouici Hamza. US Valbonne Vs CDJ Antibes was recorded at Stade Leon Chabert on Sunday, May 5th 2024.
Footy on the Med journeys to North America and, for one night, morphs into Footy on the Pacific as Alex checks out Los Angeles Football Club in a home clash against The Portland Timbers. The entertainment value of this game was incredible thanks to the passion of the LAFC fans, the 3252, the awesome BMO stadium, and the local knowledge of Alex’s co-hosts for the night, Jeremy and Mike. Stand by for an exuberant evening and an extraordinary demonstration of just how small the world is. Los Angles Football Club 3 v Portland Timbers 2 was recorded in Los Angeles at the BMO Stadium on Saturday 27 April 2024.
Footy on the Med had a great day out in Monaco recently, with Alex happening upon FMC Elite and the woman behind its emergence as one of the best training academies in Europe. Step forward, Helen Dunne, articulate, passionate and dedicated to bringing on young football talent. Helen spoke to Alex about the academy she set up with husband Richard – yes, he of Everton, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Alex’s beloved QPR (not to mention Ireland, for whom Monsieur Dunne bagged a tidy 80 caps). Who knew of the Dunne’s passion for the south of France? Not Footy on the Med. We do now – enjoy and if you have a talented youngster, look no further than a course with FMC Elite.
Alex, once again marooned in England, found himself in dire need of a Mediterranean football fix. But where, and how? Thanks to Dave ‘The Gull’, the answer was obvious: Bath City v Torquay United. Yes, a clash of The Romans v the club from the English Riviera, Torquay United. The palm trees fluttered, the sun shone, the ball left the ground and the Yellow Army kept up a racket despite the result going against them. To top it all SuperAl accurately predicted the weather. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. Bath City 1 Torquay United 0 was recorded at Twerton Park, Bath on Saturday 13 April 2024.
John and Alex sit on their favourite bench to give the definitive Footy On The Med Five-Minute Guide to AS Monaco. Turns out the bench has magical properties, and turns this into more of a 10-minute guide than a FOTM Five. The duo also revisit one of the first FOTM games, the thrilling Monaco Vs Marseille match from September 2021 and you are invited to listen again. For a bit of a Brucie Bonus, the Genoa Vs Fiorentina from the following week sneaks in too! Recorded at Port de Menton Garavan April 10 2024.
Stan Bowles, arguably the greatest player ever to wear the blue and white hoops of Queens Park Rangers, died just over a month ago on 24 February 2024. It’s no secret that QPR, and Bowles, have a special place in the FOTM universe – hence not just Alex’s A Season on the Med but one of our special, not-really-on-the-Med editions in the form of QPR v West Brom. Alex was there for a match that as poignant as it was action-packed, but this week’s episode sees him in more reflective mode. Listen for musings on the Meaning of Stan, and whether 58 is ‘old’, as John puts the questions amid the tranquil 80 (or is it 400?) boats in the Port du Garavan, Menton.
Revisit the sparkling Serie D clash between Sanremese and Asti from March 2022. Condensed down into just ten minutes, it becomes obvious that the game was all about the ref's bravery in sticking to his rather bizarre decisions. Recorded at the Stadio Communale, Sanremo.
What’s Hannibal got to do with it? Who is Uzbekistan Bowles? And how did the Red Brigade end up being marooned? John and Alex took themselves to the Annibale Riva Stadium in the coastal Ligurian town of Albenga, and got more than they bargained for when they watched a Serie D clash between Albenga and Sanremese. There were rowdy ultras, flares, a dog, some choice language, a fidelity to jazz and the revelation, thanks to the tale of Alex’s failure to sell sports rights in Central Asia, that John speaks Russian. Albenga 0 Sanremese 0 was recorded at the Annibale Riva Stadium on 17 March 2024.
