It was a vintage Thursday night across Europe, in which big-league clubs dropped like flies, and underdogs had some exceptional performances.

We start out examining the big upsets, including PAOK's instant-classic thriller in Lille, Go Ahead Eagles' historic win over Villa, and AEK Larnaca pulling a shock in South London.

We also debate the day's many controversial VAR moments, which favored Fenerbahce over Stuttgart and propelled Rayo Vallecano to the latest of equalizers at Häcken. Why is VAR usage so inconsistent, unpredictable, and frankly, incompetent, in these competitions — more so than any domestic league?

Then in a whip-around segment, we celebrate Lincoln Red Imp's first ever major European tournament win, throw the usual shade at hapless Nice, and lament that Scottish sides occupy the bottom spot of both tables.

Finally, we do some table takeaways, look ahead to the next match-day, and make some bold (or stupid) predictions.

Cheers to Juanjo Bezares!

With another international window in the books, it's time to dive back into AGT Thursdays!

We start with Nottingham Forest, who actually did the thing and sacked Ange Postecoglou, making his stint in charge the second-shortest in league history. We argue why this falls mostly on then shoulders of Marinakis rather than his Greek compatriot and wonder where the club goes from here.

Elsewhere in the Midlands, Villa stirred up controversy when the police banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from traveling to Birmingham for their match-day 4 clash. But is the situation misunderstood by the wider public?

We also touch on the recent international window, where Cape Verde became the second-smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup and congratulate their heach coach, Bubista.

We start with Nottingham Forest actually did the thing and sacked Ange Postecoglou, making his stint in charge the second-shortest in league history. We argue why this falls mostly on then shoulders of Marinakis rather than his Greek compatriot and wonder where the club goes from here.

Cheers Bubista!

Chapters

00:00 — Intro 02:28 — The international break 05:26 — Cape Verde's historic World Cup qualification 08:25 — Nottingham Forest sack Ange 11:17 — Rangers manager search 20:14 — Aston Villa controversy 31:15 — Viktoria Plzen gets a new owner 33:53 — FC Noah building new stadium 34:30 — MD 2 Europa League preview 39:17 — Nice is a terrible Europa League team 43:49 — MD 2 Conference League preview 47:34 — Strasbourg's historically young squad 51:10 — Fiorentina's ongoing struggles 55:23 — Cheers to Bubista

So — we weren't able to record an episode for MD 1 of the Conference League last week, but we've got the next best thing!

We've picked a few UECL teams to zero in on, all of which got big wins in this early stage of the league phase, including Lech Poznan, Shakhtar Donetsk, and AEK Larnaca.

But the main story is Slovenia's NK Celje, who keep defying expectations and dominating European opponents. We ask the important questions — Why are they so successful? How far can they go? And when can we visit?

We also introduce you to their new starman, Franko Kovacevic, who's taking both the Slovenian and Conference Leagues by storm this season. It may well be name to remember.

Finally, we bring you our new segment: The Big Boy Check In, where we do 60 second spots on each of the 5 "big league" teams (Palace, Fiorentina, Rayo, Mainz, Strasbourg). What's up with them? What direction are they going in? Who do we like to go all the way?

All that and some Aberdeen on today's show!

Cheers to Imanol Idiakez!

It's all happening as we hit the one-quarter mark of the Europa League league phase.

Forest are hurdling towards a cliff in 6 winless games under Ange Postecoglou — are they fully in crisis? Rangers certainly are, with yet another loss added to Russell Martin's brief tenure.

Elsewhere, Roma and Stuttgart are both shut out, and Celta Vigo finally get their first win of the season, and Porto remains perfect.

It was a week to celebrate the teams who got big upset wins, including Midtjylland, Basel, Sturm Graz, Lille, and Go Ahead Eagles.

We also discuss Nice's abominable Europa League standing, what's working for Braga, and naturally, Robin van Persie's ageless handsomeness.

Cheers to Mario Kovačević!

Join us in reliving all the tremendous action of the Europa League league phase, match-day 1!

We had a thriller in Betis v Forest, Villa finally eked out a win, Roma looks like the favorite, and are we sleeping on Stuttgart?

Plus, Panathinaikos makes a statement, Braga takes all 3 points against pod-favorite Feyenoord, and Rangers are still utterly calamitous.

We also take a brief detour down Tanner Tessman lane and discuss what a stacked USMNT midfield might group might look like come World Cup 2026.

All that and much more on the pod.

Cheers to mf-ing Olivier Giroud!

"I don't know what counts as a dispossession if not getting tackled and losing the ball." - David Blomquist

It's a big week on Any Given Thursday because the Europa League proper is officially here!

That's right, the first round of league phase games begin Wednesday, and it is one of the best slates we've ever had covering the tournament.

We hit all the best matchups, including Betis v Forest, Nice v Roma, + Midtjylland v Sturm Graz on Wednesday, and Stuttgart v Celta Vigo + Aston Villa v Bologna Thursday — and predict the results.

We also talk our favorite hipster showcases and discuss which big-league clubs are already trending in the wrong direction.

Cheers Robin van Persie!

We're back with the Conference League league phase preview bonanza!

We begin with who received the toughest draws (Aberdeen), which of the big boys could have the most trouble with the 6-game fall slate (Mainz), and who we think will coast through to a top 8 seed (Rayo).

We discuss the tournament favorites in detail, including whether Palace has enough to challenge Fiorentina for the title, or whether their summer of inactivity will cost them across all competitions — plus what we think of the Marc Guehi situation. We also debate the merits of Strasbourg and AZ as actual contenders.

Finally, we tackle the likely bottom dwellers, including what we can expect from the like of Hamrun Spartans, Lincoln Red Imps, and Drita, as well as some possible long-shot hopefuls for the title (looking at you AEK Athens).

And of course, we couldn't go a whole Conference League pod without fanboy-ing out on Celje and Shamrock Rovers!

Cheers to Mirel Rădoi!

We're back to do what we do best: PREVIEWS!

That's right, it's the 2025-26 Europa League league phase preview bonanza.

We open by talking about the draws, including Celtic and the Dutch sides getting very difficult paths, then move on to discussing the favorites to win the competition (Roma, Villa, Forest, Lyon) and whether we agree with the odds makers.

We also tackle which teams with long shot odds are could be sleepers to go deep in the tournament. Spoiler: we're in love with Feyenoord.

Finally, we give out some awards (including the Bodo/Glimt Award for biggest overachiever and the Nice Award for biggest underachiever), and pick who we think will earn the top 8 bye, and who we think the 8 worst teams will be.

Cheers to Gian Piero Gasperini & Unai Emery!