How Bad Do You Have To Be When You Compare Unfavourably to Sepp Blatter?

On this week’s Episode 16 of the Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom, we discuss the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Not from a footballing perspective - plenty of time for that, but……

• The disgrace of the ticket pricing
• Ticket category bulls**t
• FIFA sticky fingers on re-seller sites
• Why 3 locations - if not just -$$$$$?
• Genuine concerns over safety & security
• Suits & corporates v real fans
• Why we don’t even need FIFA
• Why is Infantino no better, and probably worse than Blatter?

And a lot more……

These charlatans are governing the global sport that we, and millions love. They are drinking from the trough of greed and they don’t give a toss about the fans - not one toss.

An explosive episode that we think real football fans will want to listen to and comment on - so please do. We would love to hear from you.....

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

On this Episode 15 of the Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom, we discuss TWO issues that are currently being discussed at length.

1. The Proposed Changes to the Championship Playoffs

2. The Saturday 3.00pm TV Blackout

In terms of the proposed Championship Playoff changes, why wouldn't Championship Chairmen vote for an increase in places down to 7th & 8th - but why is that absolutely the WRONG thing to consider?

Even though our club, Boro have been in 7th or 8th twice in the last 5 seasons, the same as Millwall and with Blackburn being there 3 times, why are absolutely and categorically against this proposal?

What do we think would be the outcome and if you finish in 8th with an average of over 18 points a season less than the team in 3rd, is that even fair?

A meaty subject that we both have strong views on.....

In part two, we discuss why a 60+ years old ban on Saturday games at 3.00pm being shown on TV, is no longer fit for purpose and what we think would happen if the ban was lifted.

Do we think it should, or should not be lifted and what do we think of some fans who "might" stop attending live games in person - particularly lower down the pyramid?

Is 2025 the year we should rescind a 1960's moratorium and what do you think?

We hope that you will enjoy and have your own views too - we would love to hear from you.....

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

On this Episode 14 of the Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom, we might just be hankering back for a better footballing time.

Discussing a subject suggested by regular listeners, Simon & Michelle Jennison, we look at whether Football Was Better 10-15 Years Ago?

• Has the 2008 - 2010 Pep Tikka Taka Revolution Gone Far Too Far?
• Are Man City Boring to Watch?
• Playing Not To Lose Is NOT Entertaining......
• Is Possession and Pass, Pass, Pass For Stats Sake a Fan Turn Off?
• Were Prime Man Utd & Arsenal a Delight We Long To Have Back?
• Why Are So Many Managers Wedded to a "System"?
• Should Direct Football Be Making a Comeback or Is It Frowned Upon?

Using a number of reference points, we think there is a lot in here to get you feeling a combination of annoyed and frustrated, but also nostalgic & hopeful - after all, we now see the likes of Set Piece Coaches and goals from long throws.

Tony Pulis must be smiling on his sun lounger whilst making spoof TV adverts with Big Sam & Pards!

We hope that you will enjoy and have your own views too - and why not suggest a topic or two like Simon & Michelle have done.

We would love to hear from you.....

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

On this Episode 13 of the Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom, we look at what we describe as the "Murky" World of Multi-Club Ownership.

This was a subject suggested by regular listener, Steve Atkinson - Thanks Steve.

This is a subject that vexes and annoys many regular football fans, and whilst we are not experts, we do have our own views on what this means for football, how they impact on things like player transfers, sponsorship deals and financial transactions.

There are at least 26 Multi-Club Ownership Groups around the world - ranging from the City Group with 12 clubs, to many Groups with 2 clubs and a lot in between owning between 3 - 8.

It just doesn't FEEL right.

From our first awareness of the model via the Watford / Udinese Pozzo Family ownership - which doesn't seem like a model to aspire to, certainly on the pitch, to the well publicised activities of the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle, to the recent treatment of Crystal Palace by UEFA, the whole thing certainly seems muddy, unfair.

We probably still have more questions than answers, but, we hope that you will enjoy and have your own views too! Why not share those views with us?

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

On this Episode 12 of the Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom, we look at the impact of Stadiums on fans, clubs and areas such as attracting players, investment and future growth.

We look at the recent opening of the Hill Dickinson at Everton - how is the fan experience, where does it leave the old Goodison superstitions, match day routines and rituals, and how long does it take to find and embrace new ones?

Are fans getting a better experience or are they just paying higher prices for a "different" experience?

We look at ground openings such as:

• 2025 - Everton – Hill Dickinson

• 2020 - Brentford – The G-Tech

• 2019 - Spurs – The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

• 2016 - West Ham – The London Stadium

• 2011 – Brighton – Amex

• 2006 - Arsenal – The Emirates

• 2003 - Man City – The Etihad

• 1997 – Stadium of Light – Sunderland

• 1995 - Boro – The Riverside Stadium

• 1993 - Millwall – Old Den v New Den

What has been the longer term impact and what will be the legacy of these grounds?

Would some fans rather go back?

Will The London Stadium EVER feel like "home" to West Ham fans, or indeed a "proper" football ground to everyone else?

We would welcome your views and comments. We would love to hear from you.....

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with this YouTube channel too.

The season is back - until the next International Break spoils the momentum!

On this Episode 11 of the Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom, we take the first (interminable) international break as the opportunity for us to reflect on what we have seen or experienced in the short season to date - much of which has annoyed us.

No spoilers, but fair to say we don't both agree on everything....

A slightly longer episode than most as we have plenty to get our teeth into and hopefully, plenty to get your thoughts going as usual.

We hope that you like this podcast, we hope that it gets YOU thinking about YOUR views on the subjects we cover.

Do you agree, do you have a view or a comment, do you have a suggestion for us to tackle in a future episode?

We would welcome your views and comments.

We would love to hear from you.....

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with our YouTube channel too.

Now let's get the season back on track!

As we are in the midst of the first international break of the new season, we have recorded and released a special Friday, pre-weekend Episode 10 of the Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast celebrating all things non-league football.

We want to encourage match-going fans in particular who cannot watch their usual Premier League, Championship or even League 1 or 2 game this weekend - to find and go and support your local non-league club.

Same in Scotland.....

We share a few tales and share why these clubs want and need our support and how they are the heart of the communities they serve - so deserve your attention.

Shout outs for;

- Tadcaster Albion

- Thackley FC

- Marine FC

- Bootle FC

- Dorking Wanderers

- Newark Town

- Darlington

We hope that you like this podcast, we hope that it gets YOU thinking about YOUR views on the subjects we cover.

Do you agree, do you have a view or a comment, do you have a suggestion for us to tackle in a future episode?

We would welcome your views and comments.

We would love to hear from you.....

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

On this Episode 9 of the Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom, we we have another single BIG subject - certainly for match-going and all regular football fans like ourselves.

It will already be resonating with some - even this early in the season.

We have gone early and we discuss "The Managerial Merry-Go-Round".

Frank De Boer was sacked after just 3 Premier League games at Crystal Palace a number of seasons ago. As we record this episode, we are only 1, 2, 3 or maybe 4 games into the season, depending on which league your team is is, but....... -

• Will this 3 league game record be broken or even equalled this season?
• What does it say about any club hierachy who pull the trigger very early?
• How would it leave a club's plans and strategy to do it?
• Does it always work?

A clue on the last one - Birmingham City - TWICE......

We also disagree on the relative success or otherwise of a Manager with a longer CV than almost anyone - and why he keeps coming back for more.

Then its on to who we think might already be under pressure and in the crosshairs of either fans, club officials or both.

No spoilers but we we discuss the Premier League, Championship & the SPL and even give a shout out to Morecambe FC - beautifully and recently saved from extinction.

Plenty to get your thoughts going as usual.

We hope that you like this podcast, we hope that it gets YOU thinking about YOUR views on the subjects we cover.

• Do you agree?
• Do you have a view or a comment?
• Do you have a suggestion for us to tackle in a future episode?

We would welcome your views and comments. We would love to hear from you.....

The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms - just search: "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast with Nick & Dom" on whichever platform you normally listen to your podcasts on and we will be there.

Don't forget to give us a nice 5 star rating and a like, and please subscribe and share from your favourite podcast platform too - to help us to grow our audience and also to automatically get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

We also have an open Group on LinkedIn - just search "The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast" on LinkedIn Groups and join for additional content and background information.

Thanks for your support with this YouTube channel too.

The season is well and truly underway!