On this Episode 5, Nick & Dom discuss two very different, but hopefully interesting subjects for regular football fans, like we ourselves are....

In the first half we discuss Ticket Prices

• Why are ticket prices continuing to rise when revenues for big clubs certainly are massive?
• Is a season ticket good value where you support your club?
• How do walk-up supporters feel about the on-the-day pricing?
• What happened to the "£20 is Plenty" initiative & should this be for all home & away fans?
• Are clubs favouring football tourists over local supporters?
• How dare Man Utd charge a debenture to "own" your piece of plastic?
• If you pay more, can you moan more?

Lots to get your teeth into.

The second half is given over to Annoying People in Stadiums

We are not the arbitrators of good style, good behaviour and standards, but come on.....

The behaviour of some fans at home and particularly away games can be appalling and it is usually fuelled by drink and increasingly drugs. #

Whilst this is indeed annoying, and we share some of our own stories of what we have witnessed inside & outside of stadiums over the years, there are plenty of other annoyances that get us riled and annoyed.

• How do you feel about the perennial late arrivers?
• The ones late back after half time?
• Those with a bladder the size of a pea and....
• Those that always leave early to "beat the traffic", whatever the score or state of play on the pitch?
• Is karma just waiting around the corner for them?

Finally, what about the "Gobshite Coach" who shouts the same thing from his seat (and it is ALWAYS a he), 20 times a game......

Is there a place reserved in hell for them?

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

We would welcome your views and comments.

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 podcast.

The season is back!

NICK & DOM

On this Episode 4, Nick & Dom discuss two very different, but hopefully interesting subjects for the average Joe Football Fans, just like us....

In the first half we discuss Technology & Rule Changes and in the second half, supporting the incredible season of PSG without Mbappe, we look at Galacticos - Are They All That?

Part one It's more than a moan about VAR (although why wouldn't we), it's about the origins of technology in football and where we think it should have stopped.

It's a debate around whether the technology itself is to blame, or are the rules like offside and handball in particular, the root of the problem when it comes to annoying and frustrating most fans?

We discuss the overused and misinterpreted "clear & obvious" as well as whether referees are now guilty of re-refereeing games instead of just focusing on incidents.

Lots to get your teeth into in such a thorny subject area.

The second half is given over to the question of - Galacticos, Are They All That?

It comes from a homage to the exploits of PSG this season (accepting that they didn't quite win the new Mickey Mouse FIFA Club World Cup as discussed in Episode 1 of this podcast).

They won the Champion's League for the first time in their history without Mbappe and a recent history that included the likes of Messi & Neymar.

We consider what even constitutes a Galactico and throw a few names around to prove (or disprove) a point or two.

Finally we discuss who would win between a prime Galactico Heavy Real Madrid from 2003 - 2006 and prime Barcelona from 2009 - 2012? Who would you be backing?

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

We would welcome your views and comments.

Please don't forget to like, subscribe and share to help us to grow our audience and also to get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

Thanks for your support with this podcast.

NICK & DOM

On this very first episode of our brand new podcast, Nick & Dom discuss two big issues.

Merchandise & The FIFA Club World Cup

We had to start with merchandise with the name of the podcast we guess..... We cover areas such as:

• What does a club identity mean to the shirt designers?
• What do fans like (and dislike) and get very bent out of shape about?
• What piece of apparel really gets on Dom's t*ts, and why?
• Should you EVER have your own name on the back of your shirt?
• WTF is a half & half shirt and how do they even exist?

This and much more under the Merchandise section......

In part two we switch to the recent FIFA Club World Cup and ask......

• Is this just tournament too far?
• Should the usual suspects be given a rest?
• How much do we all actually TRUST FIFA to distribute the revenues?
• Do teams really care (or is it all just about the money)?
• What will it do for Man City & Chelsea as the PL season unfolds?
• Is it a post-season tournament or a pre-season warm up (or neither)?

These are just some of the discussions we have on this thorny issue that seems to divide fans (unless you are Chelsea and have just banked a £100m windfall we guess).

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

We would welcome your views and comments.

Please don't forget to like, subscribe and share to help us to grow our audience and also to get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

Thanks for your support with this new podcast launch.

On this third episode, Nick & Dom discuss two more current hot topics....

The Americanisation of Football & Fit & Proper Very different, but very interesting either way.

After the recent FIFA World Club Cup (which we discussed on Episode 1) and with the World Cup 2026 being co-hosted in the USA, we consider......

• Cheerleaders - Warm Up Music & Fire Bombs
• Half Time Shows
• Individually Introducing the Players
• The Half Time Interview
• Foam Fingers
• Hot Dog Vendors
• Beer at Your Seat
• Pricing

Is the World Cup next year going to herald an abomination for us all to endure going forward, or should we embrace trying to be more ra-ra and more like the NFL?

These things and much more discussed in the first half of the podcast.....

In the second half, we turn to a much more serious and damaging subject - well, maybe not as damaging as foam fingers, but the whole subject of Fit & Proper.......

• The plight of Sheffield Wednesday, Hull, Reading and the likes
• How did they happen and how was it allowed?
• FFP v Profit & Sustainability - Is it all smoke & mirrors?
• How do bigger clubs get away with spending £millions?
• Will a new Regulator make any difference?
• Does money and deep pockets for lawyers override compliance?
• Where does this leave fans?

Lots to get your teeth and opinions into.

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

Please don't forget to like, subscribe and share to help us to grow our audience and also to get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

Thanks for your support with this new podcast.

On this second episode, Nick & Dom discuss two current hot topics....

The Transfer Window and Pre-Season

In the first half, we discuss things such as:

• Is a fixed window really the best way of operating a transfer market?
• Was it better before the two fixed windows, and if so, why?
• How much power do Agents now have?
• Why does the window drive pressure and panic buying?
• Who are the winners and losers?
• What about loans?

This and much more to get football fans thinking and discussing amongst themselves.

In the second half, we turn to the Pre-Season, discussing areas such as:

• Do pre-season friendlies tell us ANYTHING?
• Minutes on the grass v running and cycling up hills?
• The health responsibilities of a modern day footballer
• Global brand awareness v burnout - who is responsible?
• Our best ever pre-season memory (clue, it is hard to recall)
• Our view on pre-season predictions.......

Plenty to get you thinking about your own teams' pre-season and what it might mean for the season ahead - if anything.

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

Don't forget to like and subscribe to help us to grow our audience and also to get your fix of The Half & Half Scarf Football Podcast every week as we progress through the 2025/26 season, and hopefully beyond.

Thanks for your support with this newish podcast launch.