It was so popular last year that we decided to do it again! Join us this holiday season as we introduce you to twelve of our favourite podcasts in the 12 Days of Podmas.
Some podcasts are really serious – whatever the topic: be it politics, news or even sport. Even with sport – essentially a frivolous pursuit – there are shows out there, such as The Athletic’s Football Tactics Podcast, that really dive deep. Then you have shows that go for a little silly, but still do the analysis part – such as The Football Ramble.
Once in a while, however, a show manages to be little other than silly in execution, under the pretence of seriousness. The best example of this is Football Cliches. Led by Adam Hurrey, a sports writer and editor, the show began under The Athletic’s banner in early 2020. Keeping a seriously impressive release schedule, the team managed to produce 262 episodes in their original run, which ended earlier this year.
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Then, in mid-October of this year, the show returned, now under the ‘Goalhanger’ banner (this being Gary Lineker’s company, also known for producing the all excellent The Rest is Politics, The Rest is History and The Rest is Football). As evidenced by not adding ‘The Rest is…’ to their name for the relaunch this remains the same mock-serious look at the really daft that it has always been.
In short, Football Cliches is about the unique language of the game and the English media that reports upon it. Discussion of the overuse of phrases such as “…for my sins” when fans discuss following their teams. The Adjudication Panel weighs in on listeners’ questions re the meaning of commonly used phrases in the game. What exactly does “ghosting in” mean in a football context? Can a goalkeeper – essentially a fairly static figure – be “on fire”? What is a “family club”? And what is the most childish nickname for a stadium?
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There is also the ‘Mesut Haaland Dicks’ section, where the presenters nominate their most niche fascinations and irritations in the game. Finally, ‘Keys and Grey Corner’, an unhealthy obsessions with the wittering of the two dinosaurs sacked from Sky Sports a decade ago, and now plying their trade in the Middle East.
The best part? This is hundreds of hours of earnest debate on things that do not matter; the difference being that this show knows it is just a game, whilst many do not. Nothing we could say here would do this show justice, it just has to be heard by anyone familiar with the unique way the national game is talked about.
Football Cliches is available wherever you get your podcasts.