Any Given Thursday

Maxwell Brown & David Blomquist
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Soccer
  • Updated Semiweekly

On Any Given Thursday, football enthusiasts Maxwell Brown & David Blomquist cover all things Europa League & Europa Conference League. Match-day reactions, club spotlights, untold stories, unique narratives — if it happens on a Thursday, we're talking about it. So from Reykjavík to Roma, Zürich to Zagreb, Bodø to Baku, and everywhere in between, join us as we explore European football beyond the oil clubs.

  1. 3d ago

    Across The Continent | Serie A Preview

    It's the second episode of ACROSS THE CONTINENT, our sister show where we discuss subjects outside of our usual Europa and Conference League bubble. Today, we're doing a preview of Italy's SERIE A. We begin by examining the state of the league's annual coaching carousel. Who got it right and who got it terribly wrong? And what fresh faces have a chance to be successful? Next, we discuss the league's recent youth movement after many years of prioritizing veteran players. We share some of our favorite transfer business and forecast which youngsters could make the biggest impact. Then David and Maxwell go through their table predictions, debating which relegation contenders will stay up, whether Lazio can remain intact, if Fiorentina's youth movement will be successful, and who will grab the precious Champions League Spots. We also share some hot on whether anyone can challenge Inter for the title. Cheers to Cristian Chivu & Giovanni Stroppa! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 01:52 – manager carousel 10:41 – youth movement 20:58 – relegation contenders 22:57 – mid-table predictions 29:01 – top 7 34:09 – title condenders 42:02 – rapid-fire takes

  2. 5d ago

    Turkish turmoil, awesome Andorrans, & it's sh*te being Scottish | Europa & Conference League, Playoff Qualifying, 2nd Leg

    The Europa and Conference League playoff qualifying came to a scintillating conclusion this week, and we're breaking it all down for you. Beginning in Europa, Ferencvaros completed its 2-leg humiliation of Mo Salah's Trabzonspor – a game so bad the coach tried to quit and the club wouldn't let him. It's all very Turkish football. What's going on over there? We also discuss Viktoria Plzen's massive comeback from a 3-goal deficit to beat Red Star Belgrade. But is there VAR controversy involved? Then we tackle a host of drama in the Conference League, where 8 ties when to extra time and/or penalties and a number of others were decided in added time. It was a horrible week for Scottish teams, with only Hearts emerging triumphant, while Rangers and Hibs fell in heartbreaking fashion. Twente and Panathinaikos both pulled off extra time victories on the road, while Lincoln Red Imps shocked Larne, coming from 2 goals down with just 10 minutes to go. Finally, Inter Club d'Escaldes became the first Andorran side to qualify for a European group stage/league phase! Next, we do the Big Boy Check-In, where all 5 clubs qualified for the league phase. Brighton, Monaco, and Freiburg all did so with style, while Atalanta and Getafe scraped through. What does this mean moving forward? And does Ajax's scintillating attacking football qualify them for this group? Finally, we share our initial reactions about the draws in both competitions, and we're welcomed back into David's Coefficient Corner. Cheers to Felip Ortiz! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 02:07 – UEL main stories | Trabzonspor, Viktoria Plzen 10:05 – UEL whip-around 14:55 – crazy drama in UECL | Rangers is out 19:17 – Twente + Panathinaikos 24:36 – Inter Club d'Escaldes 28:16 – Lincoln Red Imps 32:49 – Hearts + Hibs 40:00 – Brann vs PAOK 43:15 – Big Boy Check-In 52:16 – Ajax 56:46 – draw reactions 01:01:14 – David's Coefficient Corner

    Turkish turmoil, awesome Andorrans, & it's sh*te being Scottish | Europa & Conference League, Playoff Qualifying, 2nd Leg

  3. Aug 24

    Across The Continent | Premier League Preview

    It's the very first episode of our spinoff show, AROUND THE CONTINENT, where we will discuss subjects in European football outside our usual Europa & Conference League bubble! To kick things off, we're doing six weeks of league previews, and first up is England's PREMIER LEAGUE. We dig into our table predictions, starting with the likely relegation contenders. Can any of the promoted sides survive the drop? And why are we worried about Fulham and Crystal Palace? Next, we look at the mid table, full of teams either in Europe this season or with strong European ambitions. Can Bournemouth and Brighton manage the extra slate of games? Can new-look Newcastle cope with a first-year coach and a much younger squad? Is Glasner the perfect man to lead Nottingham Forest? And will Brentford's stability lead them to the top of this group? We then discuss Champions League contenders. Arsenal is the heavy favorite to repeat, but how will it shake out behind them in a messy field? Finally, we do some quick hits, including who will get the sack first, golden boot winner, and more. Cheers to Frank Lampard! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 06:35 – relegation contenders 16:49 – mid-table 24:47 – top 7 40:28 – rapid fire

  4. Aug 21

    Atalanta and Brighton slow off the block, Thun torn down, and Salah's sluggish start | Europa & Conference Leagues, Playoff Qualifying, 1st Leg

    We're back to talk first legs of the final qualifying round! We begin by complaining about streaming availability for these matches. Why does Paramount license the competitions and not show any of the qualifying games? Then we move to Europa League, which was marked by a couple of startling results. First, we investigate Thun's humiliating 7-0 defeat at the hands of Lech Poznan. What's going wrong with the Swiss champions? Then we head over to Mo Salah's European debut with Trabzonspor, which ended in a narrow defeat to Ferencvaros. How long will it take for the Turk's new signings to click? We also take a look at Benfica's vibrant squad and ask if they should be among the tournament favorites. Over in the Conference League, we begin with the Big Boy Check-In. Both Brighton and Atalanta came away with 0-0 results. Brighton put in an okay performance in Tromsø despite conceding the biggest chance of the game, while Atalanta laid a major egg while hosting Hapoel Tel Aviv. What do both clubs have to do to ensure qualifying for the league phase? Getafe and Monaco also faced stiff challenges from Partizan Belgrade and Górnik Zabrze respectively, but each came out winners. And finally, Freiburg saw off a pesky Motherwell in Scotland, thanks to a bland of the old and the new. Elsewhere, we check in on Ajax, who seems to be turning a new leaf under recent hire Míchel, Panathinaikos, who blew a 2-goal lead late, an entertaining Hearts-Rapid match, and much more. Cheers to Felip Ortiz! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 04:37 – Europa League | Main Stories 15:34 – Europa League | Whip-Around 24:36 – Conference League | Big Boy Check-In 41:50 – Conference League | Whip-Around

    Atalanta and Brighton slow off the block, Thun torn down, and Salah's sluggish start | Europa & Conference Leagues, Playoff Qualifying, 1st Leg

  5. Aug 14

    Europa and Conference Leagues, Brand New Day | Playoff Qualifying Round Preview

    We're back! Any Given Thursday is full go for the 2026-27 Europa and Conference League seasons and we're kicking things off with a check-in on qualifying. We're through the 3rd qualifiying round across all three UEFA competitions and with the final hurdle racing towards us, we look at some of the best head-to-head matchups, what's at stake for big clubs, who's likely to be upset, and some of the best stories so far. Finally, David's Coefficient Corner returns to give you all the juicy mathematics. Cheers to Vesa Vasara! Chapters: 00:00 - the start 03:12 - favorites games so far 4:43 - Champions League qualifying 06:53 - Europa League qualifying 21:03 - Conference League qualifying 40:55 - ultimate losers 42:15 - David's Coefficient Corner

    Europa and Conference Leagues, Brand New Day | Playoff Qualifying Round Preview

  6. Jul 22

    Reflections, re-rankings, and the James Rodriguez award! | World Cup Retrospective

    It's our very last World Cup podcast of the summer! It's a bittersweet moment as we look back on 7 weeks of non stop football. Thank you to everyone who's listened! We use this show as an opportunity to reflect on the tournament as a whole, beginning with a wide ranging discussion on the future of international football, including whether Spain and France are destined to dominate future tournaments and a potential crossroads for South American nations. We also discuss whether the Premier League is actually bad for the English national team and how USA and Mexico take another step in 2030. We then address the tournament awards – do we agree with the winning players? Next, we give out our highly prestigious James Rodriguez award to one lucky fella. We also reexamine and update our pre-tournament James 11-man lineup and go through some tournament superlatives. Finally, we re-rank all 48 teams that competed at the World Cup. We're headed on a brief holiday until August, when we'll be back with our regularly scheduled Europa/Conference League programming, more Club Spotlights, and some surprise content to be announced soon. See you soon, and cheers to you all! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 02:49 – how are we feeling? 04:52 – tournament reflections, will Spain and France continue to dominate? 07:47 – is the Premier League bad for English team? 14:35 – state of South America 21:31 – USA and Mexico 31:14 – pros and cons of expanded tournament 38:57 – tournament awards 43:33 – James Rodriguez Award 01:01:17 – superlatives 01:10:18 – re-ranking teams

    Reflections, re-rankings, and the James Rodriguez award! | World Cup Retrospective

  7. Jul 20

    Ferran Torres finishes off 10-man Argentina | Spain wins World Cup 2026!

    Spain are your 2026 World Cup champions! We're talking all about Spain's 1-0 extra time triumph over holders Argentina, including Argentina's negative approach, their lack of chances and poor behavior postgame, and how Spain once again controlled all facets of the game. Additionally, we debate each side's place among the pantheon of great international sides, as well as Golden Boot-winner Rodri's place among the pantheon of great midfielders, and project whether Spain is a budding dynasty. Cheers to Luis de la Fuente and España! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 01:02 – immediate reactions 09:48 – what went wrong for Argentina? 32:08 – Spain is really good, Ferran Torres, Nico Williams 39:22 – Rodri 44:31 – is Spain building a dynasty? 47:09 – what is this Argentina side's legacy? 53:57 – Trump, the halftime show, & "New York New Jersey" Stadium 58:07 – 3rd place game – France 4-6 England

    Ferran Torres finishes off 10-man Argentina | Spain wins World Cup 2026!

  8. Jul 18

    Messi and Yamal's fated duel, a tactical clash, and a finale for the history books | World Cup Final Preview

    The World Cup final kicks off tomorrow, and we're breaking it all down for you on our Spain-Argentina preview! We begin revisiting each nation's World Cup pasts and what's at stake for each in the historical pantheon. We also discuss the country's relationships to one another. Though they've only previously played once at a World Cup, they are steeped in shared culture and footballing history, including Barcelona, Lamine Yamal, and of course, Lionel Messi (yes, we talk about the bathing photo). Then we move on to discuss the unique tactical battle between two sides that operate very differently. Can Argentina affect Spain's metronomic midfield? How will Spain defend Messi? Can Argentina challenge Spain's immaculate defensive record? Additionally, we tackle the key personnel and wonder if Argentina is still underrated – as crazy as that sounds – before picking a combined 11 between the teams. Cheers to us all! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 03:17 – Spain & Argentina's World Cup histories 13:02 – footballing connections between the countries 20:40 – tactical profiles & keys to the game 39:36 – combined 11 51:30 – predictions

    Messi and Yamal's fated duel, a tactical clash, and a finale for the history books | World Cup Final Preview
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About

On Any Given Thursday, football enthusiasts Maxwell Brown & David Blomquist cover all things Europa League & Europa Conference League. Match-day reactions, club spotlights, untold stories, unique narratives — if it happens on a Thursday, we're talking about it. So from Reykjavík to Roma, Zürich to Zagreb, Bodø to Baku, and everywhere in between, join us as we explore European football beyond the oil clubs.

Information

  • Creator
    Maxwell Brown & David Blomquist
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    205
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    Any Given Thursday

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