EFL Extra! It’s early days in the Championship, but…
The Game
The Times
3.4 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 20 August 2025
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Only two weeks into the EFL season - but that’s time enough for Tom and Gregor to start reading the runes. Could this finally be the year Stoke City turns things around under Mark Robins? Winger, Million Manhoef and forward, Divin Mubama have both put in star performances, putting the team at the top of the Championship. But they’re not alone: Middlesbrough and West Brom also boast perfect starts, while Birmingham follow close behind. Down in League One, what’s going on with Plymouth? Pre-season, they were showing plenty of promise, but things have not gone to plan so far.
Former football league defender Gregor Robertson joins Tom Clarke to assess the first weeks of the EFL.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This podcast is brought to you by Wise, the app for international people using money around the globe. |
| 0:05.7 | With Wise, you can send, spend and receive up to 40 currencies with only a few simple taps, |
| 0:11.3 | and save up to 75% compared to major banks. Plus, Wise won't add hidden fees to your transfer. |
| 0:17.9 | Whether you're buying souvenirs with Rai's in Rio de Janeiro or sending |
| 0:21.7 | euros to a loved one in Paris, you know you're getting a fair exchange rate with no extra markups. |
| 0:26.7 | Be smart. Join the 15 million customers who choose Wise. Download the Wise app today or visit |
| 0:32.1 | wise.com. For more information, visit wise.com slash GB. T's and C supply. |
| 0:42.6 | Thank you. information, visit wise.com slash gb. T's and C supply. Hello and welcome to the game football podcast from The Times. This is our |
| 0:46.6 | EFL extra show. Every two weeks, you've got me, Tom Clark and the former football league |
| 0:51.4 | defender Gregor Robertson discussing the latest action from the Championship, |
| 0:55.9 | League 1 and League 2. |
| 0:58.0 | We've got two games in in the championship |
| 0:59.9 | and four games for many of the teams in League 1 and 2, |
| 1:03.1 | and there's already loads to talk about. |
| 1:04.9 | Gregor, we're back, we're well and truly back now, aren't we? |
| 1:07.5 | Always right in the world. |
| 1:08.8 | All is right in the world, loads of madness in the Football League already. Let's dive straight into the championship. And a reminder, if ever it were needed, that we shouldn't make predictions. I know you hate them, but we shouldn't make predictions. Definitely, definitely not about the championship. Because sitting pretty at the top of the championship, we've got Stoke, |
| 1:25.7 | Middlesbrough and West Brom. Stoke, one of the teams we said might struggle this season, and Middlesbrough and West Brom, two teams we said we weren't convinced about their managerial choices. We might as well sack it off now. Yeah, I mean, look, it's a Mug's game predicting at the best of times, but with Stoke City, it's just like, I don't know, |
| 1:27.0 | you're setting yourself up for a fall Stoke City, it's just like, I don't know, you're |
| 1:45.3 | setting yourself up for a fall because for so many years now, like five or six years, it's been, |
| 1:50.2 | surely this is the year that Stoke turned it round. They've been seasons where they've made, |
| 1:55.2 | you know, some brilliant signings. They've hired a up-and-coming manager and it's just all gone Pete Tong this year. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 8 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
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 2025.