Can we fall in love with football again by collecting trading cards?

Chris Waugh of The Athletic and Pod On The Tyne joins us to experience the joys of trading cards and give us the inside scoop on what it's like to report on Newcastle United for the biggest digital publisher in the world.

On this episode, there's controversy when Chris decides to deduct Anth four points all because of Malick Thiaw, two painful former Newcastle United sales are discussed when their cards are pulled by James and then Anth, Chris gets a CLASSIC Chelsea legend and there's a deep cut quiz to see just how well The Athletic's reporter knows his club.

The premise of the show is simple - through the use of Topps Flagship Premier League trading cards, we are on a mission to rediscover what made James and Anth love the game in the first place. Across the series they will be opening packs, chasing rare cards and reliving football nostalgia.

Whether you're a football card collector, Premier League supporter, sticker album veteran or simply a fan of the beautiful game, join them as they explore the world of football collectibles and see if trading cards can reconnect them with football culture once again.

Subscribe for more football collecting adventures, Premier League chat, Topps openings, football nostalgia and fan culture stories.

Each week, we will be opening a new pack each and win points for the cards they get...but there's a twist.THE RULES:A normal card gets no pointsCommon Special Cards get a pointOther more rare ones receive two pointsClassic Cards get three pointsRarer Cards (autos and relics) are worth moreThey lose points if they've never heard of the player they pack...of which there are many...And they'll argue about the rest.Each show, they will pick five players for each other and then their fates that weekend for point scoring are linked to those five players.At the end of the season, the points will tally up and the winner takes home the hugely impressive trophy.

Chapters:

00:00 - Opening banter and guest introduction

01:09 - Scoring admin: Newcastle, Leeds, and punishment rules

03:42 - Anth admits he barely watched the weekend football

04:18 - Onto the trading cards

04:41 - Childhood sticker albums and the missing Matty Appleby sticker

05:18 - Future Stars cards and unknown youngsters

06:00 - Michael Kayode and the Brentford long-throw card

06:14 - Alexander Isak and lingering Newcastle frustration...and hatred

07:30 - Why Newcastle Unitedjournalism is easier after the Mike Ashley era

08:25 - The darkest days of Newcastle United

09:20 - Leny Yoro, Georginho Rutter, and Brighton’s recruitment1

0:17 - Bruno Fernandes and the least likable Premier League stars

11:09 - Igor Thiago and Brentford’s recruitment model

12:09 - Beast Mode, Nitro cards, and Daniel Muñoz

13:13 - Classic cards, including Eden Hazard and Patrick Kluivert

14:12 - Federico Macheda and the 2008–09 Manchester United kit

15:34 - The dream of covering your boyhood club

16:22 - Separating the fan from the journalist

18:57 - Ola Aina, Lucas Nmecha, and Sandro Tonali

20:08 - Newcastle’s Tonali fee and Bruno Guimarães leaving

21:13 - Calvin Bassey, Jurrien Timber, and Arsenal losing

22:30 - Why unpredictability makes the Premier League better

23:11 - Jacob Ramsey and James Garner

23:49 - The story behind the Córdoba futsal shirt

24:38 - Martin Zubimendi and Charlie Hughes

25:11 - Chris Waugh's Newcastle deep-cut quiz begins

29:24 - Quiz results, leaderboard update, and sign-off