Any Given Thursday

Maxwell Brown & David Blomquist
  • 5.0 (8)
  • 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. 17h ago

    Bournemouth bury Milan, Monaco out-muscle Freiburg, and a wide open field | Europa League, Matchday 3 & Conference League, Matchday 2

    We had another 36-game extravaganza this Thursday between the two competitions, and the tables are beginning to take shape. First, in the Europa League, we discuss a wide open field beneath the early favorites Benfica and Leverkusen. Is Bournemouth next in line after a resounding win over Milan? Where do Serie A rivals Juventus fit in after a disappointing draw with Rennes? We also touch on the Celtic derby in Scotland, where Celta Vigo came from behind to defeat Celtic in a historic cultural fixture and Belgium's rise in European competitions. Then we touch on some risers and fallers, introducing a new game called, YOU'RE TOAST, where we eliminate clubs from knockout contention, before discussing the 5 perfect teams through the first three rounds of fixtures. Are they all locks for the Top 8? In the Conference League, we begin with Lugano's shock 5-2 drubbing at Getafe. Is Getafe in serious trouble in Europe and La Liga? And just how good is Lugano? Next, we address Monaco's 3-0 statement victory over fellow contenders, Freiburg, though the game was closer then it looks. Is Monaco the clear favorite with their incredible attacking depth? Finally, we talk risers and fallers and deliver some table takeaways, including Trabzonspor and Panathinaikos' hot form, Egnatia's surprise start to Conference League life, and tough days for the likes of Atalanta and Midtjylland. And of course, we loiter for a moment on David's Coefficient Corner. Cheers to Mattia Croci-Torti! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 03:15 – Europa League | Results & Top Stories 17:35 – Europa League | Risers & Fallers 21:56 – Europa League | Table Takeaways 32:04 – Conference League | Results & Top Stories 44:03 – Conference League | Risers & Fallers 51:29 – Conference League | Table Takeaways 53:55 – David's Coefficient Corner

    Bournemouth bury Milan, Monaco out-muscle Freiburg, and a wide open field | Europa League, Matchday 3 & Conference League, Matchday 2

  2. 4d ago

    Across The Continent | 2026 Ballon d'Or

    This week's Across The Continent is all about the Ballon d'Or. It's an award that has changed a lot over time, but in recent years has stirred up plenty of online debate and social media indignation. We begin by discussing the way this discourse has changed the nature of it, then David reveals his own definitive top 10 and winner of this year's prize. Then for David's topic, he takes over to North America, where the USL regular season is hurdling towards its conclusion. What's at stake as the playoff picture emerges in the USA's other top flight? And finally, Maxwell discusses the state of Tottenham Hotspur after they finally win a league game. Are they headed in the right direction? He would argue, no, not really. Cheers to Harry Kane! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 05:49 – David's Ballon d'Or top 10 15:16 – the top 3 24:25 – David's topic | USL Playoffs approaching 29:51 – Maxwell's topic | Tottenham finally win a football match

  3. Oct 16

    Blistering Besiktas, Italians regain integrity, and amblin' Albanians | Europa League, Matchday 2 & Conference League, Matchday 1

    Today, we're celebrating our first Europa and Conference League double extravaganza, as 36 matches played out over the course of 5 hours on Thursday. We begin with Europa, where Benfica and Leverkusen are staking their claim as the tournament's top contenders. Milan and Juventus also come out with big road victories, while Bournemouth and Sunderland tries to build momentum with wins – though Sunderland had to work hard for theirs against a pesky Torreense. Meanwhile, Besiktas took down another big-league opponent. Are they a legitimate challenger for the title? We also discuss the teams struggling in the early days of the season, including Marseille, Hoffenheim, and Celta Vigo, who have no points to show for their first two outings. Can they turn things around? In the Conference, most of the big boys came away with opening-day wins, with a few notable exceptions. Getafe could only manage a draw in Craiova. What're the ceiling for Bordalás' men in this competition? Ajax lost at Hajduk Split, continuing another poor run of form. Is there something rotten in their infrastructure? And Braga extends their bad start to the season, losing 3-0 at Copenhagen while looking a shell of their former selves. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as a pesky Egnatia side earned a shock draw with Midtjylland, despite having to play outside of their usual home in Tirana. Along the way, we give some winners and losers, panic meter scores, and choose the teams we believe can actually win the title in both tournaments. Cheers to Nevil Dede! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 2:28 – Europa League | Results & Big Takeaways 10:32 – Europea League | Winners & Losers 20:09 – How many teams can actually win the Europa League? 26:30 – Europa League | Panic Meter 31:58 – Conference League | Results & Big Takeaways 36:23 – Conference League | Winners & Losers 45:36 – How many teams can actually win the Conference League? 48:56 – Conference League | Panic Meter 51:52 – David's Coefficient Corner

    Blistering Besiktas, Italians regain integrity, and amblin' Albanians | Europa League, Matchday 2 & Conference League, Matchday 1

  4. Oct 13

    Across The Continent | Teams We're Buying & Selling

    On today's Across The Continent, we're taking a look at clubs who have had surprising starts to their league campaigns and asking the question, are we BUYING or SELLING their position? We debate the bright falls of Brighton, Lazio, Cagliari, Augsburg, Elversberg, Alavés, and Paris FC, then bring a couple of smaller-league teams to your attention, including Belgium's Sporting Charerloi, Turkey's Amed SK, Hungary's Vasas SC, and Albania's FK Teuta Durrës. We also highlight a couple of struggling clubs in Tottenham, Fiorentina, and Marseille. Then, Maxwell discusses the insane parity in La Liga's midtable – a featured carried over from last season – with 8 clubs all level on 8 points through 8 rounds of fixtures. What's real and what's not in this group, and who is likely to separate? And finally, David tells us about Australian cup winners South Melbourne FC, a historic club, controversially cut off from the Aussie A League. How did they upset first division clubs en route to their triumphant victory in the final? And why are they joining the new Oceanic division? Cheers to Sinisa Cohadzic! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 01:39 – teams we're buying & selling 18:50 – clubs outside the top 5 leagues 23:30 – clubs off to terrible starts 30:58 – Maxwell's topic | La Liga midtable parity 34:09 – David's topic | South Melbourne FC's cup triumph

  5. Oct 9

    A vengeful Ronaldo, Xavi and Klopp kick off campaigns, and CONCACAF sets its Quarterfinals | International Break round-up

    Today, we round up all the most interesting developments from the new, extended international break. We've had a long three weeks without domestic football, but many interesting things are afoot on the national-team scale. We begin in Europe, where many new coaches have taken over post-World Cup. We do quick hits on Klopp's Germany, Xavi's Netherlands, Zidane's France, as well as Italy, Croatia, Belgium, and Scotland. And yes, we talk about the very silly Ronaldo situaiton... Then we discuss goings-on in other other continents, including Messi's farewell to Argentina, the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, and Africa's usual chaos. Finally, we close on a sort-of-serious segment on what's happening down in Oceania. Hail Fiji! Cheers to Stéphane Auvray! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 03:06 – UEFA | Germany 05:32 – The Netherlands 10:01 – France 14:01 – Croatia 17:42 – Portugal & Ronaldo 25:09 – Italy 30:04 – Belgium & Scotland 33:53 – South America & CONCACAF 38:53 – Africa & Asia 42:34 – Oceania

    A vengeful Ronaldo, Xavi and Klopp kick off campaigns, and CONCACAF sets its Quarterfinals | International Break round-up

  6. Oct 5

    Across The Continent | Manchester City's charges

    It's our very first edition of ACROSS THE CONTINENT's intended format! Every Monday, we will discuss a shared topic demanding our attention across the footballing word. Then, each of us will bring a surprise subject to present to the other. This week, we have no choice but to tackle Manchester City as the main story, after it was announced they've been found guilty of nearly all 115 charges leveled against them. David the lawyer breaks down exactly what those charges stipulate, then we debate the merits of potential punishments, as well as the affect this will have on the legacy of Pep Guardiola and his players. We then turn our attention to the current international break. First, David updates us on the 12 new coaches hired by UEFA nations since the World Cup. Then Maxwell points to the shifting balance of power in the 2nd tier of CONCACAF, from Central American to Caribbean teams. Cheers to Dick Advocaat! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 02:16 – overview of charges against Man City 09:25 – potential punishments 17:42 – how will this affect legacies? 20:50 – David's topic | 12 new coaches in UEFA 28:19 – Maxwell's topic | balance of power shifting in CONCACAF?

  7. Oct 2

    Club Spotlight | Greece

    We're back to cover the Greek National Team in our latest Club Spotlight! This one is long awaited by us, as we've been talking about the influx of young Greek talent across Europe for awhile now – but how did they get here? We begin by giving a brief history of the national team in the 20th century, which was mainly a struggle, qualifying for only a couple major tournaments. Of course, everything changed at Euro 2004, when Otto Rehhagel led Greece to a shock title, defeating the Portuguese hosts in both the group stage and the final. But after the 2014 World Cup, the talent dried up and the nation went through a decade of international strike. Desperate to change their fortunes, the FA put together a project to revitalize Greek football and bring through a new generation of technical players. We discuss how they did this, what their long-term vision is, and how the current side shapes up, highlighting many of the talented youngsters that have been tearing up Europe – Konstantelias, Karetsas, Tzolis, Tzolakis, Kostoulas, and more. Cheers to Ivan Jovanović! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 03:03 – 20th Century history 08:13 – Euro 2004 19:47 – dark ages 21:17 – the revitalization project 29:17 – the current team Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6896033/2025/12/24/inside-greek-footballs-rebirth-from-euro-2004-to-the-battle-of-thermopylae/ https://blog.transferroom.com/how-greek-and-cypriot-football-has-become-a-new-hotbed-for-top-talent https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/greek-football-primed-renaissance-055000125.html https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5339532/2024/03/31/greece-euro-2004-history/ Fotmob

  8. Sep 28

    Across The Continent | Eredivisie, Belgian Pro League, Süper Lig

    It's our final league preview episode on ACROSS THE CONTINENT, and to wrap up our journey through Europe's top 9 divisions, we're bringing you our takes on THE NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM, and TURKEY's top flights. Beginning in The Netherlands' Eredivisie, we debate the order of the big 5, speculate if anyone can keep pace with PSV, explain why Ajax still has a ways to go in their restructuring, and highlight AZ Alkmaar's exciting roster. Over in Belgium's Pro League, we compare four sides off to flying starts – Union St Gilloise, Club Brugge, Gent, and Sporting Charleroi. Are these the clubs that will be battling for the title? And could Genk, Sint Truiden, or Royal Antwerp join them? Finally, in Turkey's Süper Lig, everyone is once again chasing Galatasaray. Will this be the year Fenerbahce finally catches them? And what about Mo Salah's Trabzonspor, who have already had a chaotic start to the season? We also explain why we're so high on Besiktas and why we think Vincenzo Italiano is one of Europe's most underrated managers. Plus, we discuss the strengths and weakness of each league as a whole. Who has the most depth in the midtable? And how would the best clubs in each other's divisions? Cheers to Okan Buruk! Chapters: 00:00 – the start 01:53 – Netherlands 15:04 – Belgium 23:51 – Turkey

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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
    220
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    Any Given Thursday