Did Rafa Stand a Chance?
The Game
The Times
3.2 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 17 January 2022
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Hugh Woozencroft is joined by Tom Clarke, Alyson Rudd and Matt Dickinson.
Manchester City are 11 points clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. Is there any way they can lose the title from here? (00:00)
Romalu Lukaku might be back in the Chelsea starting line-up, but how must his re-inclusion have gone down with his teammates? (10:16)
Rafa Benitez didn’t last the season at Everton. As the Spaniard departs, did he ever stand a chance of succeeding? (15:08)
The North London derby was called off over a lack of players with reportedly few Covid cases in either squad. Is it time to change the rules on postponements to stop teams abusing the system? (31:30)
Matt Dickinson has been absent from The Game for a while - he explains his new direction and his favourite stories he’s been across since we last heard from him (42:40)
Dickinson’s Diaries. Needs no introduction! (52:30)
Get more of The Times and The Sunday Times for less than £1 a day. Start your free trial: thetimes.co.uk/thegame
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This episode of the game is sponsored by the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, |
| 0:04.6 | which is inviting everyone in the UK to share their experience of the pandemic, |
| 0:08.8 | because every story matters. Although the pandemic now feels like some time ago, |
| 0:13.4 | it's left a long lasting impact on all of our lives. It was something that we experienced together, |
| 0:18.8 | however, despite that, it affected us in many individual ways. Every story matters is your |
| 0:24.4 | opportunity to share how the pandemic impacted your life with the UK COVID-19 Inquiry. |
| 0:30.0 | It doesn't have to be just about the virus either. This can be about how it impacted your day-to-day life, |
| 0:35.2 | work, community, well-being or faith. Each story will be analysed and submitted to the |
| 0:40.4 | Inquiry's investigation as evidence. Understanding the true human impact of the pandemic can help |
| 0:46.1 | decision-makers learn lessons and protect future generations. Our experiences deserve to be heard. |
| 0:52.0 | Share your experience privately and securely on the Inquiry's website. Search every story matters. |
| 1:00.1 | This is the Game Football Podcast from the Times. Today, Manchester City turned the Premier League |
| 1:05.8 | title race into a procession. What next for Everton after the sacking of Rafa Benitez? |
| 1:12.3 | We'll talk about postponements in the Premier League. Do we need more transparency? |
| 1:16.8 | And we catch up with an old friend in the shape of our very own Matt Dickinson. This is the Game. |
| 1:30.8 | Welcome back. I'm Hugh Wasncroft alongside Alison Rad Tom Clark and the lesser-spotted |
| 1:37.3 | Matt Dickinson. Matt, how are you? I'm great, Hugh. It's great to be back. Thanks for inviting me. |
| 1:42.0 | Yeah, I'm still the same person. Still got no hair. Still talking nonsense. |
| 1:46.6 | Yeah, I'm glad to be on my return. We will come to what you've been up to. A little bit late |
| 1:51.6 | to roll in the podcast, including playing Dickinson's Diaries of the World of Football. But first, |
| 1:56.8 | let's deal with what happened this weekend. We'll start at the top of the table. We'll move to |
| 2:01.6 | the bottom to discuss Everton, Norwich, Newcastle and more. But Manchester City, in the weekend, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Times and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.