Sparky losing his spark and the Republic of Ireland reshuffle
The Game
The Times
3.2 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 22 November 2018
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Premier League is back and so are Natalie Sawyer and Gab Marcotti, aided admirably by Bill Edgar and George Caulkin.
It’s a big weekend at the bottom with Ranieri taking charge of Fulham for the first time against fellow strugglers Southampton. Can Claudio cook up some chemistry? What will he do with Seri and Sessegnon? And are we about to witness the end of Mark Hughes’s managerial career in the Premier League?
We have witnessed the end of Martin O’Neill’s tenure as Republic of Ireland manager. Is it all about results for the Irish, or should they be looking to evolve in the world of football? Possibly with Stephen Kenny at the helm?
Plus Paul Joyce joins us to discuss his article for The Times on the injury epidemic in the Premier League, specifically those suffered by players at top 6 clubs who featured heavily at the World Cup. In the hectic schedule, are managers and players short-sighted in their approach to rest and recuperation?
Charlie Scott and Paddy von Behr provide their advice ahead of the fantasy football weekend. For free Fantasy Premier League tips from The Sweeper, visit thetimes.co.uk/fantasyfootball
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Attention at all passengers. You can now book your train tickets on Uber and get 10% back in Uber credits to spend on your next train journey. |
| 0:11.0 | So no excuses not to visit your in-laws this Christmas. |
| 0:16.5 | Trains now on Uber. T's and C's apply check the Uber app. |
| 0:20.8 | Imagine sweeping through green fields, floating five feet above ground, sun on your face as you slide by, on track to your |
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| 0:40.0 | there. to your own own own train. and before you know it, you're there. This is how travels should feel and on our trains it does. |
| 0:45.0 | Avanti West Coast feel good travel. Hello and welcome to the game podcast from the Times I'm Natalie Sawyer back for my own international break. |
| 1:07.0 | I'm Natalie Sawyer back for my own international break. |
| 1:10.0 | I won't ask what you've been up to during international break. |
| 1:13.0 | No, I think my voice might tell you that. |
| 1:15.0 | Exactly. |
| 1:16.0 | Now in the studio with us, it's the Times Chief Statsman, Bill Edgar, and down the line, |
| 1:22.0 | it's George Colkin. |
| 1:23.8 | Later on, we'll be joined by the incomparable Paul Joyce |
| 1:26.8 | to discuss his article on international injuries |
| 1:29.6 | and the impact the World Cup is having on the Premier League. |
| 1:33.0 | But we start with a big weekend at the bottom of the Premier League. |
| 1:37.0 | Claudia Ranieri takes charge of his first match as the Fulham manager as they host Southampton at Craven Cottage. Now Fulham, our bottom of the table with the |
| 1:45.2 | worst defence in the division. And Gab you've literally written the book on Ranieri, you know |
| 1:51.0 | him well. So surely the defence is what he'll have worked on in |
| 1:54.5 | training this week. Yeah and if Carl Guillagnetti were here he would say yes |
| 2:00.4 | Natalie we need to concede fewer goals, but you know you attack as one, you defend as one, you want heart, blah blah blah. |
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