A First For Newcastle, “VA F***ing R” & A Bonkers Night In The Champions League

The Rest Is Football

Goalhanger

Sports, Football, Soccer

4.4 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 26 February 2026

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sixteen games. Sixty-two goals. Two breathless weeks of UEFA Champions League playoff drama. Has Europe’s elite competition ever been this entertaining? And with the away-goals rule gone and a new format delivering chaos, comebacks and late drama... Is this proof that the changes are good for football? On the other hand VAR is back under the spotlight too, after another hugely controversial decision involving Lloyd Kelly and Juventus. What needs to be done at the top to stop referees taking over the game? And then there’s Newcastle United. It’s been a monumental two years: Champions League knockout football and silverware secured for the first time in 70 years. Should Eddie Howe be receiving more credit? And should his name already be mentioned alongside club icons like Sir Bobby Robson and Kevin Keegan? The Rest Is Football is powered by Fuse Energy. Sign up and use the referral code FOOTBALL and you could win a 1990 England shirt signed by the hosts of The Rest Is Football. Visit https://www.fuseenergy.com/football for terms and conditions. Join The Players Lounge: The official fantasy football club of The Rest Is Football. It’s time to take on Gary, Alan and Micah for the chance to win monthly prizes and shoutouts on the pod. It’s FREE to join and as a member, you’ll get access to exclusive tips from Fantasy Football Hub including AI-powered team ratings, transfer tips, and expert team reveals to help you climb the table - plus access to our private Slack community. Sign up today at therestisfootball.com. https://therestisfootball.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=episode_description&utm_content=link_cta For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:38.5	Did you know that most businesses only use 20% of their data?
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1:02.4	you grow more. Visit HubSpot.com today. Coming up on today's show, he's just got up for a header.
1:09.1	Where is he supposed to land? What is the biggest time wasting issue in our game today?
1:14.5	V-A-Fucking R.
1:17.8	What was the point?
1:18.8	I don't get it.
1:19.8	He wasn't allowed to play, so what's the point in traveling?
1:23.4	Nonsense.
1:24.4	Won the club's first trophy for, what, 70 years?
	...

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