And so this is Christmas... power to the people right on!

Jonathan Northcroft, Gregor Robertson and Martin Samuel join Tom Clarke for the final pre-Christmas edition of The Game.First on the agenda is the super league…its back, but will it actually happen? Perhaps the fans will have more power than they realise.Away from a potential super league why were West Ham so lacklustre, is Keiron Trippier fatigued and all change at Nottingham Forest. Who will be top at Christmas, Villa are in with a shout after an exceptional 2023. And finally a Christmas wish for 2024...Merry Christmas one and all, we’ll see you for a Christmas pod on Wed 27rh Dec..Timeline:Super League3’ the super league…so depressing. Making football less competitive. Enriching the richer clubs.5’ can’t exist unless people want it to exist.7’ danger of the rich getting richer at the expense of all football.8’ the model doesn’t offer meritocracy.12’ the revamped champions league looks to be a testing of the water15’ ”to what extent have fans lost control of their clubs to the global market place.”18’ “eternal lust for growth….football doesn’t need more money.”West Ham24’ odd team selection25’ weak semi final line up, three steps from a trophy.26’ Competent, pragmatic manager but a romantic fan base. Tough mix.Newcastle and Trippier30’ Fatigue, confidence, even the best are affected.32’ has he been the same since the confrontation with the fans and Bournemouth?Nottingham Forest39’ Hurling pieces at a board, no plan, no structure. He got lucky with Cooper.41’ Cooper earned the right to see out the season. Instead he’s got more players and out before Christmas.45’ Nuno not a good fit. He likes, small simple. Forest is not that.Villa49’ Will they be top at Christmas. It would underline an extraordinary year for Villa.51’ Villa won’t fall away. They’ve sustained this from for a year. 15 wins at home.52’ Jonny on Emery “You can see when a coach has a club in the palm of his hand.”54’ Martin on Emery “I’m gonna ask for what I want and I’m gonna get what I want.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

The Game is the premier football podcast from The Times, with the finest writers previewing and reviewing all the action throughout the 2023/24 season. Twice a week, Gregor Robertson and Tom Clarke speak to the leading football writers from The Times and The Sunday Times, offering unparalleled analysis of the latest results and commentary on emerging issues. On Mondays, Alyson Rudd, Tom Roddy and Tony Cascarino review the weekend's action and on Thursdays Martin Samuel tackles the biggest issues of the week alongside the likes of Jonathan Northcroft and Ian Hawkey.Subscribe to The Times to enjoy our award-winning sports journalism on your smartphone or tablet. Just search The Times online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.