The Wheels have FALLEN off at Arsenal… The Football Fill-In

The Title Race is heating up, there’s a huge battle to avoid relegation and Coventry City are officially back! Ben, Tom and Watto are here to review this weekend's Premier League action…  How BIG will Manchester City’s win over Arsenal be?! If Pep Guardiola’s City beat Burnley on Wednesday, only goal difference would separate them… there was plenty of talk from this game - should Gabriel have been sent-off and Erling Haaland has a “Good Feeling” 🎶 Elsewhere, Tottenham are still in the relegation zone conceding a late goal to Brighton, Manchester United beat Chelsea 1-0 in a crucial win towards Champions League Football and Liverpool beat Everton for the first time at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in the Merseyside Derby.  There is also a return of Championship Talk this week - with Frank Lampard's Coventry City getting Promoted to the Premier League and Leicester City looking like they could be relegated to League 1… 😬 There’s all this to discuss and the return of the Quiz, plus:  🏆 🍼 - Have Arsenal bottled the League 📉 ⚔️ - The Relegation battle  🦅 ⚒️ - West Ham V Palace Predictions  ❓- The Return of the Quiz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To wrap up Season 15 of the Fozcast, we're joined by current Everton defender and England international, Michael Keane! ⚽ Michael takes us right back to his Manchester United academy days - including what it was really like to be put through the famous Sir Alex Ferguson hairdryer treatment test… and how he came out the other side! 😅 We get into some brilliant Everton stories, including that infamous scrap earlier this season where Idrissa Gana Gueye was shown a red card… We also speak about the Toffees and how they’re settling into their stunning new stadium. 🏟️ Michael talks us through what a relegation scrap looks like from the inside and how important Seamus Coleman really is… The 33-year-old also shares his thoughts on some of the best defenders of his era, his verdict on Jordan Pickford and reveals the story of his England call up… 🎙️ UP THE FOZCAST 🎙️ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:23 Icebreaker 03:42 That Red Card… 10:32 What To Do After Football… 12:02 Having a Twin Brother? 14:26 How Football Changes as you get Older 17:20 Everton and GK Union Talk 28:50 The Manchester United Academy… 37:44 The TRUTH About Relegation Battles… 44:43 Managers Michael’s Had in his Career 52:41 The Importance of Everton’s New Stadium 55:24 My Proudest Football Moment 58:40 Quickfire Questions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the Football Fill-In, we are back with the return of the Premier League after the international break and the FA Cup action! Toze, Watto and Tom join Ben after his first appearance as a pundit on Match Of The Day 2 last night to talk through all the action. The title race is hotting up as Arsenal lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth and Manchester City beat Chelsea 3-0, what a statement! The top two face each other next… It was a painful start for Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham as his side lost 1-0 at Sunderland, plus we discuss how much pressure is on Liam Rosenior, Eddie Howe and Arne Slot and who currently is our manager of the season so far… There’s all this to discuss and the return of the Quiz, plus: 🛞- Are the wheels falling off at Arsenal.. 👀- City close the gap 📉- Are Spurs going down? 🏆 - Manager of the Season 00:00 Intro  02:13 Arsenal V Bournemouth 10:34 Chelsea V Manchester City 18:31 Sunderland V Tottenham 26:31 Relegation Battle 26:44 West Ham V Wolves  29:02 Nottingham Forest V Aston Villa 33:17 Manchester United V Leeds Predictions 33:44 Manager of the Season  35:31 Brentford V Everton 37:25 Crystal Palace V Newcastle 44:08 Liverpool V Fulham 46:09 Quiz 54:54 Outro  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the Fozcast, we sit down with a man who has been at the very heart of football for decades - former Technical Director at the FA, former Vice Chairman at Southampton, and current Strategy Advisor at Wrexham… it's Les Reed. 🧠 If you want to know what really goes on behind the scenes in football, Les is your man. He was a key architect of that iconic Southampton recruitment era from 2010-2018 - the side that produced Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mané, Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Lallana and so many more. Les opens up about what really went on in those boardroom meetings with Liverpool as they kept coming back to pick Southampton's best players… and how the club navigated that era with such consistency. 👀 He also reveals the player Southampton could have signed for just £500,000 - who eventually sold for £142 million - and the story behind why it didn't happen. Can you guess who it is…? 🤔 A different one for the Fozcast this week, but one we think you're really going to enjoy. Let us know in the comments if you want more episodes like this one! 🎙️ UP THE FOZCAST 🎙️ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:03 What Does Led Reed Do? 07:29 Why Was Sven-Göran Eriksson Appointed for England? 11:47 Should England have Won A Trophy with the “Golden Generation?” 16:55 Will Gareth Southgate get a Club Job? 20:16 The Impact of Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton… 29:09 How they Signed the Players before anyone else at Southampton… 36:37 How we Really Signed Virgil Van Dijk… 40:58 Why “Smaller” Clubs have Better Scouts 44:16 Negotiating Contracts with Players and Clubs 1:00:23 Southamptons Academy 1:01:36 My Job at Wrexham 1:16:40 The Hardest Part of the Job… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well… this one has been a long time coming 👀 The collaboration you guys have been asking for - we went down to London to join Peter Crouch and Steve Sidwell on their set… and it didn’t disappoint! 🔥 In this episode, we dive into some of the biggest talking points in football right now - including why Spurs are struggling at the wrong end of the table and what’s really going on at Chelsea with all the antics surrounding the club. We also get into a proper striker chat, as Crouchy reveals his best strike partner and what players instantly elevated teams when they walked through the door. Meanwhile, Sidders tells the story of how he ended up with the No.9 shirt at Chelsea under José Mourinho 😅 To wrap things up, we answer some of your questions - which leads to a brilliant kit man story you won’t want to miss… Make sure you also check out the Peter Crouch Podcast with Ben when it drops 🎙️ UP THE FOZCAST 🎙️ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:12 Icebreaker 11:28 Are you Happy with the Era You Played in? 21:40 Are Spurs Getting Relegated? 25:50 Chelsea Chat 27:34 Players who Fake Injuries for Big Games 37:56 Players who Elevated their Club when they joined 42:50 Crouchy and Sidwell GK Opinions… 51:46 Your Questions 1:01:45 Quickfire Questions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the Football Fill-In, we are joined by Darren Bent and Ben Tozer to discuss the big news at Tottenham, analyse England and discuss Mohamed Salah calling time on his Liverpool career.  The lads take a deep dive into Thomas Tuchel’s England side - the friendlies, squad selections, who should be on the plane to the World Cup in the Summer and who should be starting…  Igor Tudor has left Tottenham by mutual consent after just 44 days in charge! Who will be the man to replace him… There’s all this to discuss and the return of the Quiz, plus:  🥲 - Salah to LEAVE Liverpool  🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 - What’s Tuchel’s BEST team?! 😱 - Hogdson is BACK in management!  🏆 - FA Cup Predictions… 00:00 Intro  01:01 England’s Strikers  06:24 Trent’s exclusion from the England Squad 09:33 Darren Bent’s England Starting 11…  11:21 Who to play Centre-Back for England… 17:43 Ben White back for England  20:17 England V Japan Predictions  20:48 Tottenham Tudor Sacked, new manager…  25:57 Roy Hodgson at Bristol City 28:14 Mo Salah leaving Liverpool  30:43 Jermain Defoe Managing Woking 39:06 FA Cup Predictions 40:50 Quiz 50:41 Outro  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the Fozcast, we’re joined by former Republic of Ireland, Wolves, Sunderland & Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy, as we step inside the mind of a Premier League manager 👀⚽️ Mick takes us through his years in management - from the standards he set in the dressing room to whether those same standards could still be applied in today’s game. We also dive into the transfer market, looking back at some of his biggest signings and how managers deal with agents - especially when their priorities don’t always align with the player or the club. We also get into the reality of being sacked as a manager - did Mick see it coming, or was it a case of being shown the door out of nowhere? (Ben’s got a great story on this one too 😅). On top of that, we look back at his time as Republic of Ireland manager and how the international job compares to life in club football. Honestly, we could have spoken to Mick for hours - a massive thank you to him for coming on the pod. Ben also featured on Mick’s podcast with Tony Pulis, so make sure you check that out too - link below 👇🏼 https://open.spotify.com/episode/6v8TopDpLjzW8XaBUjxVma?si=osTGPkIlRGGGQ0XN2kiPgw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ULTIMATE Football Quiz… This week, following the big announcement, the Football Fill-In on YouTube has officially moved to The Fozcast - The Ben Foster Podcast channel - and we’ve got a special quiz episode lined up for you! Jamie puts Watto, Ben and Tom to the test with an extended 4-round quiz: Round 1 – Classic FFI Quiz Round 2 – Transfer Roulette Round 3 – Top 10 Premier League Goalscorers (for selected clubs) Round 4 – Player Career Path Let us know in the comments how you’d get on! If you enjoy our weekly quiz, you’re going to love this episode. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro  00:58 League Cup Final - Arsenal V Manchester City  02:25 First Round - Traditional FFI PL Quiz 14:15 Second Round - Transfer Roulette  28:18 Third Round - Top 10  29:35 Top 10 Liverpool PL Goalscorers 32:00 Top 10 Arsenal PL Goalscorers 34:40 Top 10 Chelsea PL Goalscorers 37:07 Final Round - Player Career Paths 54:21 Outro  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve got a brilliant one for you this week on the Fozcast… we’re joined by former England, West Ham, QPR and Chelsea goalkeeper Rob Green 🧤🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 As you’d expect with a GK episode, you already know this one delivers. Rob opens up on the story behind why he wore England’s Number 6 on his gloves, and takes us right inside his mindset during that infamous World Cup moment against the USA. He also reveals why Chelsea didn’t get any bonuses for winning the Europa League… The lads dive into life at the England camps under Fabio Capello, sharing some unbelievable stories from a tense dressing rooms - including the moment certain players actually called him “Postman Pat”… 😬 There’s a variety of stories in this one - from international football pressure to dressing room chaos and loads more we couldn’t even fit in. Make sure you stick around for the whole episode. Huge thanks to Rob for coming on. 🎙️ UP THE FOZCAST 🎙️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on the Football Fill-In, Ben, Tom and Watto review all the latest Premier League action! Arsenal extended their lead to 9 points over Manchester City, with Max Dowman becoming the youngest player ever to score in the Premier League! Meanwhile Manchester City drop points again after a draw with West Ham - with Haaland scoring just 4 goals in his last 18 games, is the title race already over? The lads also discuss what the Manchester United board should do about the managerial situation at the club, with Michael Carrick’s side beating Aston Villa to climb above them in the table - should Carrick get the job?  Plus, the relegation battle is heating up, with Leeds, Tottenham, West Ham and Nottingham Forest all fighting to avoid the final relegation slot - but who will be getting relegated? 😬 And of course there is a return of the Quiz!  The Football Fill-In will be on the Fozcast YouTube Channel from next week -  https://www.youtube.com/@FozcastTheBenFosterPodcast JOIN SIR CHRIS HOY’S TOUR DE 4 -  https://www.cureleukaemia.co.uk/get-involved/events/tour-de-4-2026/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices