B/R Football Ranks: the show that takes the football world and puts it in the correct order. Ranker-in-chief Sam Tighe and B/R Insider Dean Jones join host Jack Collins in ranking all that's important (and all that's not) in football and life.
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The Last Ever B/R Football Ranks (00:42:22)
The chapter has come to an end, ladies and gentlemen, and this is Episode 106, the last ever episode of B/R Football Ranks. It's been real. Thank you so much for sticking by us, and remember that whilst our time here is done, you can now find us over at Ranks FC.
This is our best bits. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did reminiscing. Poet's Prince, Transfer Titan and Rank God out. Rank Squad Forever.
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Ranking Which Teams Won the Transfer Window (01:05:48)
The European transfer window is over and the biggest deals are all done and dusted until January, so we thought it was only right to talk about the biggest deals and which clubs had done the best business. Sam picks the five teams who won the window, but we talk across Europe with some honourable mentions from across the continent too.
Hot Takes sees Sam discussing Liverpool's need to evolve if they're to keep their dominant streak alive, Dean talking about Edinson Cavani's move to United being a sensible move (whilst not the one they needed), and Jack picks Cadiz' 41 year old goalkeeper Alberto Cifuentes' retirement as his 'I Loved This Week'.
There's also some talk about Adrian vs. Loris Karius, as well as which players might work for Mauricio Pochettino if he was to take over at Manchester United - there's a melon of the week from that vein, and Sam's nonsense rankings take an aggressively real-world turn. It really is Ranks FC.
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Ranking the Biggest Transfers Still Alive This Window (01:02:41)
We're into Dean Jones' favourite week of the year—transfer deadline week! With that comes the end of all the sagas that have been running on all summer: will they, won't they, what happens now? With that, we thought we'd take a peek at the biggest stories left to come this window and see how they might turn out.
Before that though, there's Hot Takes, where Sam shows some love to Ronald Koeman's new-look Barcelona; Dean tells the cautionary tale of Antonio Rudiger and why his future may lie elsewhere; and Jack talk about the Suarez-led, swashbuckling new Atleti side which demolished Granada on the weekend.
Of course there's also discussions of City's new man Ruben Dias, and the Klassiker-Super Cup in Germany, whether Dortmund can halt the Bayern machine; a Melon of the Week for an Arsenal full-back; and a Royal Rumble-themed Nonsense Ranking.
It's Ranks! Enjoy it whilst you can!
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Ranking the Best Young Players in Europe (01:01:53)
It’s Golden Boy season and that’s an excuse to talk around some of our favourite young players in Europe. And to do so, we brought in one of the biggest and best voices in football podcasting: co-host of the mighty Stadio, Mr. Musa Okwonga, to help us whittle a shortlist of 40 down to 10, and pick a top three.
We talk Fati to Foden, Davies to the Dortmund crew, and everyone in between as we try to crown the Prince Regent of European football for 2020.
There's also Hot Takes, where Dean addresses what's going on at Manchester United, Sam talks a new-look Juventus under Andrea Pirlo, and Jack discusses a record-breaking Premier League weekend.
And of course, there's Roulette and Nonsense, where we take a peek at the stadiums we're most looking forward to when fans are allowed back fully, the questions we get asked most as football journalists, and the best mountain ranges in the world. It's Ranks!
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Ranking the La Liga, Serie A & Bundesliga 2020/21 Seasons (01:01:24)
We saw La Liga leap into action last weekend, albeit missing a few of its biggest names, and this coming weekend sees the full cohort return in Europe's Big Five, with Germany and Italy joining the party - so we thought we'd take a look at what you can expect from them this season.
We talk title winners, Champions League spots, Europa League places and VERY IMPORTANTLY, the Europa Conference League inaugural contestants for each of Spain, Italy and Germany; as well as looking at our tips for Golden Boot winners and Breakout stars in each league.
Hot Takes see Sam singing the praises of Tariq Lamptey; Dean discussing why Tottenham are trying to sign Danny Ings (or any number nine really) and Jack waxing lyrical about the pitched battle that was this week's Le Classique. Oh, and there's a very special Melon of the Week. It's all-new Ranks!
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Ranking the 2020/21 Premier League Season (01:16:25)
The Premier League is back, baby! And we're back with a bumper episode to look at everything you need to know before the big kick-off. We start with Hot Takes looking at best signings, breakthrough stars and golden boot predictions, before Sam walks us through every team and where he thinks they'll finish the season.
Then it's on to Fantasy FPL for Roulette, where we discuss wing-backs, Wolves and Sheffield United; must-have Chelsea new boys and the players you simply can't go without. And because, we treat you here at Ranks, Dean gives a Melon of the Week and there's even a Nonsense Ranking. We love you, Rank Squad.
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Top 5 Predictions For 2020/21 (00:59:40)
It's episode No. 100 for B/R Football Ranks and we complete the ton with a 'back to basics' vintage which includes Hot Takes, Predictions and a glorious return of the Roulette wheel.
Sam gets back on the predictions train for the new season, but only after we take a look back at what he predicted last season - which, to be fair to him, included the incredible shout that 'Lyon will do an Ajax in the Champions League'. This year's predictions include shouts for Benfica, AC Milan, Manchester City, Aubameyang and Inter.
Hot Takes sees Dean talking All or Nothing and Spurs's transfer business; Sam ranting about Valencia having the single worst transfer window of all-time; and Jack giving some love to Sandro Tonali joining Milan - the team he supported as a boy.
And the Roulette wheel throws up questions on who Barcelona need to sign in their crisis period, Donny van de Beek's proposed move to Manchester United and how Leeds United will fare on their return to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa.
Thanks for sticking with us through 100 Rank Squad. Here's to 100 more!
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Ranking The Most Exciting Teams To Watch Next Season (00:58:03)
The season is over, long live the season. With 2019/20 wrapping up this weekend after Bayern were crowned Champions of Europe for the sixth time, we took precisely ten minutes off and launched ourselves into 2020/21, which is already underway in France, Scotland and beyond. No rest for the wicked!
To get ourselves into gear, we took a look at the teams we're most excited to watch over the coming year, because of their signings, setups and systems; so that you can have the heads up on who you should be keeping an eye on. To do so, we brought in Behind the Lines co-founder and legend of Football Twitter, Mr. Zach Lowy - who went toe-to-toe with Sam in his selections, pitting two footballing heavyweights against each other.
Before that, Sam and Jack break down the UCL final and how Kingsley Coman's goal should be a wakeup for PSG letting their youth leave on the cheap and discuss Thomas Tuchel's substitutions; before flicking to the UEL where Sam touches on Diego Carlos' strange couple of games and Jack surprises everyone by picking a Sevilla moment as his 'Thing I Loved'.
It's B/R Football Ranks, and the football keeps coming.
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Why Lionel Messi Might Actually Leave Barcelona (And How To Start Fixing The Club) (00:58:51)
Even writing that title felt weird. But the biggest transfer saga of the summer is underway, and it's one we never thought we'd even consider. After Barcelona were humiliated by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, rumours abound that Lionel Messi has finally had enough of life in Blaugrana, and fancies a new challenge.
Now, we've heard these rumours before. So we thought we'd bring in someone who had a deep insight into the workings of big transfers at Barcelona. Cue Marcelo Bechler, the man who first broke the news that Neymar was off to PSG, and who on Sunday night, wrote the first article that Messi could do the same, setting the football world ablaze. We got Marcelo on to separate fact from fiction, and work out what Messi's thoughts really are.
And then onto the club as a whole, a bloated mess from top to bottom. Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent for ESPN and Sport, joined us to talk what the next steps are to trying to steady a sinking ship, and what can be achieved ahead of the planned elections next year.
Oh and we take a deep dive into the appointment of Ronald Koeman, and how he might fare in the hot seat at the Nou Camp. Enjoy, Rank Squad.
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Ranking the Champions League Final Eight (00:58:00)
The Champions League is back, returning in a fever dream of a month which includes a World Cup-esque knockout round in both the big one and it's much beloved little brother, the Europa League. We take the bull by the horns, ranking all eight of the contenders left in the competition by how likely they are to win it.
Given that it all feels a bit like an international tournament, Sam also gives each team an international comparison to really drill home just how they play. It's a whole lot of fun.
And in Hot Takes there's room for a big discussion on Andrea Pirlo's appointment at Juventus, succeeding the unfortunate Maurizio Sarri after just one season at the helm in Turin; and of course the lowdown on Jadon Sancho's potential move to Manchester United from Dortmund where Dean explains the PR war going on between the two clubs, in the press. There's some big love for Leverkusen-Inter and United-Copenhagen (shouts out Karl-Johan Johnsson) in the Europa League as well!
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Ranking the Entire Domestic Season: The Rankies Awards (00:54:32)
It's back! For a second year running, the Rankies return - the Oscars of football - to hand out trophies to those most deserving; and this year, we've gone all Continental: it's pan-European.
We rank Europe's MVP, Standout Individual Performance, Signing of the Season, Kit of the Season, Breakthrough Player, Surprise Package and Melon of the Year, talking everything from Liverpool to Granada, Haaland to Joelinton and Ilicic to Danny Drinkwater. We've got it all.
There's also some big praise for Maurizio Sarri's Juventus, a breakdown of a thoroughly entertaining FA Cup Final and Jack rhymes the entire campaign. Strap in.
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Ranking Arsenal and Chelsea's Future Ahead of the FA Cup Final (00:56:16)
Cup Fever grips the Rank Squad as we look forward to the final game of the English domestic season—The Heads Up FA Cup Final, with our pals over at Deliveroo. To give you the full lowdown, we brought in two friends of the Squad to give the lowdown on each side.
In the red corner, CheekySport's Joel Beya representing Arsenal, gave us his thoughts on how the Gunners' new-found confidence and workrate under Mikel Arteta would be the key to them lifting the famous old trophy. And in the blue corner, Neets of Goal Diggers Podcast and the FLWN channel told us that it'll be royal blue ribbons on the Cup, because, in her own words, "it's Arsenal".
Of course, there's all the trimmings too - this is Ranks. Hot Takes see Sam suggesting penalties should only count for half a goal in Golden Boot races; Dean giving the latest on Thiago's proposed move to Liverpool and Jack waxing lyrical about David Silva; before we give you everything you need to know on the transfers and tactics of both sides in this Cup Final.
There's talk about Werner, Ziyech, Havertz, Chilwell, Rice, Pope, how Lampard fits them all in next season and where the Blues need further reinforcements. In terms of the Gunners, we discuss Thomas Partey, Luka Jovic, Willian, Ryan Fraser, Thiago Silva, and why fans should be excited by the return of William Saliba.
For your matchday munch, make sure you get on the Deliveroo app for the game, where you'll find up to 25% off with football meal deals!
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Ranking Why Real Madrid Won La Liga (and Why Barcelona Didn't) (00:59:46)
Real Madrid are La Liga champions, and worthy ones at that, after winning 10 games in a row after the restart to see off perennial rivals Barcelona and claim the crown. We break down how Los Blancos have recovered from the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to overcome Leo Messi's Blaugrana and reinstall themselves at the top seat of the Spanish table.
To do so, we wanted to talk to Spanish media royalty, and so we brought in Phil Kitromilides of The Spanish Football Podcast to give his views on the most important players this season for Real, and how high this ranks in the pantheon of Zinedine Zidane trophies.
To play both sides of the table, we got the view from Barcelona's perspective from Rik Sharma, one of Barcelona's most highly respected journalists, and find out just where it went wrong from a Blaugrana perspective.
B/R Football Ranks takes on El Clasico.
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Ranking This Summer's Biggest Transfers with Christian Falk (00:58:31)
Dean and Jack are joined by Christian Falk, Head of Sport at German newspaper Bild and one of the most trusted transfer sources in the game to talk about the biggest deals going down in the Bundesliga and beyond this summer.
We talk Jadon Sancho to Manchester United, Kai Havertz to Chelsea, Thiago Alcantara to Liverpool, Sergino Dest to Bayern and David Alaba to Man City; alongside the latest on Lautaro Martinez, Neymar, Thomas Partey, Kalidou Koulibaly, Jorginho and of course, what's going on in the Cauldron of Galacticos, the Bernabeu of Real Madrid.
In Hot Takes we discuss the overturning of Manchester City's FFP suspension which allows them back into the Champions League next season, and lavish praise on an unlikely goalscoring hero in La Liga - Athletic Club's Raul Garcia.
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Haaland, Werner, Minamino & More with Jesse Marsch, RB Salzburg Coach (00:50:29)
This week, Ranks met the most successful American coach in the game right now, Mr Jesse Marsch of RB Salzburg, double winner and Coach of the Year over in Austria, to talk about almost everything.
There's discussions about his successes this season; why Erling Haaland can be the best No. 9 in the world; how Timo Werner, who he coached at Leipzig, will thrive at Chelsea; if Takumi Minamino is best played in Firmino's position at Liverpool; the cult of Jurgen Klopp; the next talents off the Salzburg production line; and if he'll coach the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
There's also Hot Takes, where we discuss Man United'd front three and how they're electric, but still need Jadon Sancho; and Barcelona's scintillating return to form on Monday night against Villarreal. Dean names one of the boys from the Lane as Melon of the Week and in a special nonsense, Sam ranks the letters of the alphabet.
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Ranking Pep vs. Klopp in Every Category (01:13:03)
With the title all wrapped up on Merseyside and the two leading lights of English football clashing this week, we thought it was a perfect opportunity to unleash the second in our 'VERSUS' series that takes on the biggest debates in the game. Following on from facing off Messi and CR7 in every category, we took the debate to the dugout to pit Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp against each other.
We talked tactical style, variation, trophies, transfers, player development, youth, media handling, longevity and legacy to square these two modern powerhouses of the game off, and the winner is for you to decide.
There's also hot takes, including a discussion of the Pjanic/Arthur swap deal between Barcelona and Juventus; the lowdown on Achraf Hakimi's move to Inter Milan; and of course some more love for 'Mercedes' Benzema. Plus we crown TWO Melons of the Week and Sam ranks ideas he's pitched in this week's nonsense.
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Ranking Messi's Most Magical Moments (00:57:40)
On Leo Messi's 33rd birthday, it felt only right to celebrate a man who has brought football fans the world over bucketloads of joy and happiness throughout his entire career. We thought we'd give that the Ranks spin, by ranking his most breathtaking moments from years of pure genius.
With football back, we brought back the formula - Hot Takes 2.0 sees Sam talking Real Madrid and Karim Benzema's influence, Dean giving the latest on what you need to know about Sergino Dest's future destinations and Jack discussing post-match interviews—from Neal Maupay's outburst to Ben Mee's eloquence.
Then there's the return of Roulette, where we talk Cristiano and the fifth penalty conundrum, as well as which leagues we've enjoyed being back most, before Sam rounds things off with a long-awaited nonsense ranking!
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Serie A Preview with Justin Kluivert, Merih Demiral and Italian Football TV (01:05:19)
Yes you read that right, it's another preview special, but this time with an added twist. We're off to Italy for the Calcio climax, the Serie A summit; rife with races for European escapades and a six-way survival scrap.
And alongside Jack is Marco Messina, of Italian Football TV - the NYC boys making big waves in the world of Calcio - who comes to give us his in-depth knowledge of what's going on in Italy as the season starts once again; before Dean joins us to talk the big transfer stories happening across the division.
Oh and there's the interviews: JC and Sam meet Justin Kluivert, Roma winger, who tells us what three-course meal he'd cook for Francesco Totti and what tunes he's playing in the dressing room. And the incredibly talented Juventus and Turkey starlet Merih Demiral gives us his first ever English-language interview about his teammates and the Juve squad.
How's that for a bonus episode?
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Premier League Preview: Ranking Everything You Need to Know (01:07:47)
The Premier League becomes the latest league to restart, meaning there's a whole new set of mini-rankings to look at - no title fight to speak of, but there's exceptionally exciting races for the Champions League and Europa League places, as well as a relegation battle with six teams scrapping for their lives at the bottom.
On top of that, we know you're gasping for some FPL tips to save your season, so we brought in the brilliant FPL Family, Lee and Sam, to give us their best advice for the rest of the season.
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Racism in Football Round Table: Kate Abdo, Weston McKennie, Crystal Dunn, Tim Howard & Maurice Edu (00:59:20)
This week B/R Football played host to a round table on racism in the game and beyond with some friends, colleagues and heroes of the Rank Squad. We wanted to give you a chance to listen to that discussion, in full, here on the podcast.
Hosted by Kate Abdo, the conversation features the USMNT and Schalke’s Weston McKennie, World Cup winning USWNT star Crystal Dunn, and former players and B/R broadcasters Tim Howard and Maurice Edu talking about the experiences they’ve had in the game and further afield.
There is no place for racism, in football or beyond.
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La Liga Back: Ranking Everything You Need To Know (00:58:52)
La Liga becomes the second of Europe's big five leagues to return this week, following in the footsteps of the Bundesliga and there's plenty to be excited about in Spain: a title race, a Champions League race, a Europa League race and a relegation scrap all in the balance.
We discuss all of it in a La Liga special, alongside the three players you need to watch outside of the top two, and the games we're most looking forward to—starting with the Seville Derby that kicks us off on Thursday.
There's also a chat with our friend Stu Holden, who's a part-owner of relegation-threatened Real Mallorca. He talks about what it's been like owning a club in this weird time, and how the club is looking to avoid the drop back into the Segunda.
If you want more Ranks content, make sure you're locked in as Sam and Jack commentate on Sevilla-Real Betis on Thursday night (9pm UK/4pm ET/1pm PT) on the HotMic app - sign up using the code RANKS!
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Ranking Elite Footballers' Traits with Liverpool's Academy Manager (00:58:16)
Alex Inglethorpe is the Academy Manager at Liverpool and former Youth Coach at Tottenham, one of the most highly regarded youth coaches on the planet, and has helped bring through talents such as Harry Kane and Trent-Alexander Arnold among many more. He joins the Rank Squad to talk about what elite players such as these have in common, and how they rise above the rest in a field full of talent.
We talk mentality, love of the game, attitude and much more, and with the added benefit that Alex used to coach our very own Dean Jones at semi-pro level many years ago, there's a fair bit of reminiscing too.
And, of course, we talk about the horrific events that have rocked the planet this weekend and the response in football. There is no place for racism, in football or anywhere beyond.
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Ranking The Best Champions League Finals (00:59:17)
This Saturday should have been the 2020 Champions League Final, with thousands descending on the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, 15 years after the Miracle of Istanbul in 2005 took place on the same turf. Other circumstances mean that can't be the case, but we thought it was a good time to look back on the last 20 finals and rank them in terms of entertainment, drama and footballing quality.
Would the last visit to the Ataturk top the list? Or could it be topped by La Decima, or the Madness in Moscow, or one of the Wembley wonders? Only one way to find out...
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"Champions League in the US? Absolutely." (01:08:11)
So says Charlie Stillitano, perhaps the best connected man in the US soccer sphere. We were lucky enough to be joined by Charlie, Executive Chairman of Relevent Sports, the company that hosts the International Champions Cup, and host on The Football Show on SiriusXM FC.
We cover everything from across the world of football, from La Liga to the Champions League, the idea of a Super League to robots in football. There's a lot to cover, but it's a ride through some of the most contentious ideas in the modern game with one of its most interesting and thoughtful characters.
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