The Football Weekend

Jack Holmes & KICKOFF PRESS

Sharp conversations with the big names and great minds of the world's game. Every week, a special guest joins host Jack Holmes to preview the biggest match of the coming weekend. It might be the Superclásico or the North London Derby, the Champions League final or a Premier League title-decider. This show is about the history of a rivalry, a behind-the-scenes look at a club and its culture, or just some thoughtful commentary before the ball gets rolling. You'll also find classic clips featuring some great moments from podcasts past. If you're enjoying The Football Weekend, please leave us a rating and review! It will help spread the good word. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. The FA Cup Third Round is magic

    JAN 9

    The FA Cup Third Round is magic

    We all spend a lot of time lamenting the cynical side of the modern game, but if there’s an antidote, it’s the weekend ahead of us. The FA Cup Third Round Proper is one for the romantics: the smallest clubs in the land can share a pitch with the biggest, and both sides can live a different football life for a day. Moss Rose was built in 1891 for Macclesfield Town, which was would-up in 2020 amid financial troubles. A phoenix club was born in the ashes and has risen from the ninth tier of the English football pyramid (the North West Counties Football League) to the sixth (the National League North) in next-to-no time. Now they’ve got their biggest match of the year on Saturday, as FA Cup holders and Premier League stalwarts Crystal Palace will come to a small ground south of Manchester to battle the Silkmen. In fact, says this week’s guest, it’s one of the biggest days in the combined history of Macclesfield Town and Macclesfield F.C. That guest is James Walker of The Silkmen News, a podcast and newsletter, and he also explained how new owner Robert Smethurst righted the ship with the help of his friend Robbie Savage after buying up the assets in an online liquidation sale. We also touched on how Wayne Rooney’s brother, John, is doing this season having replaced Savage as manager having helped the club win promotion how non-league football is thriving these days, and how Macclesfield got their nickname. For our U.S. listeners, you can catch every FA Cup match this season on ESPN+ Check out The Silkmen News on Spotify and Substack, and get more sharp coverage of the world's game at TheFootballWeekend.com ↗️ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min
  2. The Road to World Cup 2026, Vol. 3: Jonathan Wilson's Histories

    11/13/2025

    The Road to World Cup 2026, Vol. 3: Jonathan Wilson's Histories

    The World Cup is a sporting competition between national football teams to determine the best of them. But it’s always been a vessel for so much more, not least the ambitions of political leaders ranging from the mildly ethical to the downright evil. Host countries want to tell a story about themselves on the global stage, the winners make the case for their own national greatness, and there are a million more stories around this famous tournament that nobody planned for. A new book from Jonathan Wilson — columnist for The Guardian, co-host of the Libero podcast, and esteemed local Substacker — seeks to tell the very best tales from nearly 100 years of World Cup football. The Power and the Glory: The History of the World Cup is a delightful read, full of sharp insight and laugh-out-loud moments. From Benito Mussolini’s bonus trophy for the 1934 World Cup winners — the Coppa del Duce — to the inside story of France’s disastrous 2010 World Cup, to the insidious inner workings of FIFA in the modern era, it’s all there. Wilson joins the show this week to talk a little Premier League title race before we get into his book, the latest edition of the World Cup next summer, why Gianni Infantino’s reign as FIFA chief makes us all pine for the days of Sepp Blatter, and a whole lot more. Go get your copy of The Power and the Glory after you’ve had a listen here! Get more sharp coverage of the world's game at TheFootballWeekend.com ↗️ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 17m
  3. Derek Rae + Stewart Robson on Der Klassiker 🇩🇪 — and doing the commentary for EA Sports FC!

    10/17/2025

    Derek Rae + Stewart Robson on Der Klassiker 🇩🇪 — and doing the commentary for EA Sports FC!

    Club football is back and so is Germany’s biggest game. It’s BAYERN MUNICH vs BORUSSIA DORTMUND in Der Klassiker. The Bavarian hosts have returned to their formidable best with 11 wins from 11 matches across all competitions this season. Bayern have scored 25 goals in six Bundesliga matches, with Harry Kane, Luis Díaz, and Michael Olisé firing on all cylinders. They are once again among the favorites to win the Champions League. On the other side, the last couple of years weren’t up to Dortmund’s standards domestically as they fell away from what they’ll feel is their rightful place as Bayern’s main challengers. But they now look to have reclaimed that spot from Bayer Leverkusen and are unbeaten in the league, though they’ve relied more on stout defense than explosive attack. This one’s shaping up well, and joining us to preview the match is the commentary team who will deliver it to American viewers on ESPN at 12:30pm ET on Saturday: Derek Rae and Stewart Robson, who also happen to be the in-game commentators for EA Sports FC 26 — and many previous iterations of the famous franchise formerly known as FIFA! We got into how they record play-by-play for video-game matches that haven’t happened yet, their travels together across Germany (and shared taste for bratwurst), and much more... Get more sharp coverage of the world's game at TheFootballWeekend.com ↗️ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    46 min
5
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

Sharp conversations with the big names and great minds of the world's game. Every week, a special guest joins host Jack Holmes to preview the biggest match of the coming weekend. It might be the Superclásico or the North London Derby, the Champions League final or a Premier League title-decider. This show is about the history of a rivalry, a behind-the-scenes look at a club and its culture, or just some thoughtful commentary before the ball gets rolling. You'll also find classic clips featuring some great moments from podcasts past. If you're enjoying The Football Weekend, please leave us a rating and review! It will help spread the good word. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.