Hand Of Pod
503 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 29 ratingsThe English-language Argentine football podcast, fuelled by fernet since 2010
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Episodes
Episode 447: ¡ARGENTINA CAMPEÓN DEL MUNDO!
December 20, 2022 07:02 - 2 hours - 279 MBThis is it: the episode we've been building up to for twelve years. In the four hundred and forty-seventh HOP, Sam, English Dan, Santi, Julián and Chris take in, and try to dissect, the fact that Lionel Messi's Argentina have finally won the World Cup. This is our longest episode ever by a distance, and we make no apologies for that. Enjoy whichever holidays you're celebrating (if you are), and we'll see you in the new year.
Episode 446: Reviewing the World Cup group stage
December 02, 2022 07:08 - 1 hour - 166 MBIn a bumper episode this week, Sam, English Dan, Santi, Andrés and Remi (remember Remi?!) look back on Argentina's false start but eventually encouraging qualification from Group C at the 2022 World Cup, and we have a bit of a chat with Remi about the Netherlands, who Argentina MIGHT meet in the quarter-final.
Episode 445: the 2022 World Cup preview episode
November 18, 2022 20:37 - 1 hour - 204 MBThis week Sam, English Dan and Andrés run the rule over Argentina's World Cup squad and their chances. We've sprinkled a little bit of club football talk in as well, but mostly it's a bumper chat about Argentina and just how little Sam knows about any of the other teams involved.
Episode 444: ¡Boca campeón! and far more surprisingly, ¡Patronato campeón!
November 04, 2022 05:23 - 1 hour - 165 MBIn the final CLUB football HOP of 2022, Sam, English Dan and Andrés look back on two weeks that have seen Boca Juniors clinch the league title after a deciding day on which neither of the title contenders managed to win and, far more historically, Patronato de la Juventud Católica become the first non-directly affiliated club in Argentine football history to win a top-level national trophy by beating Talleres in the Copa Argentina final, meaning they'll play in the 2023 Copa Libertadores from...
Episode 443: Previewing the last weekend of the 2022 Liga Profesional
October 22, 2022 01:21 - 1 hour - 200 MBThis week Sam, English Dan, Santi and Andrés gather to discuss three rounds of Liga Profesional action and preview Sunday's two title-deciding Big Five clásicos – will Boca Juniors lift the trophy as expected, or can Independiente get a result in the Bombonera which could put Racing's title hopes in their own hands as they host River Plate? We also look at the Independiente presidential elections of a couple of weeks ago with Santi's wisdom, and discuss the news that Marcelo Gallardo is stepp...
Episode 442: Atlético Tucumán STILL lead the race ... just about
October 07, 2022 06:56 - 1 hour - 131 MBAtlético Tucumán remain top of the league by the skin of their teeth: this week Sam and Dan review two rounds of matches in which the leaders lost one and won one, but currently sit atop the table due to Gimnasia v Boca, which kicked off just after we finished recording, having to be called off due to heavy-handed policing (seemingly after too many tickets were sold). We look back on bucketloads of goals in Racing's matches and give an explanation of the relegation system for anyone who's joi...
Episode 441: Two more wins for Argentina, and reviewing the Copa Argentina quarter-finals
September 30, 2022 07:17 - 1 hour - 150 MBThis week Sam and English Dan look back on Atlético Tucumán once again rising to the challenge of maintaining their league leadership, wonder which players have made a case for inclusion in Lionel Scaloni's World Cup squad during Argentina's 3–0 wins over Honduras and Jamaica, and review the Copa Argentina quarter-finals, which we didn't want to turn into just talking about River and Boca's matches ... but which did anyway because those two were really good and the other two frankly weren't.
Episode 440: Atlético Tucumán still lead, and previewing Argentina's friendlies
September 23, 2022 06:31 - 1 hour - 134 MBThis week, Sam and Andrés are joined by English Dan, who's back from holiday. We fill him in on what he's missed – including several changes of leadership in the league, even though Atlético Tucumán currently lead the title race just as they did when he left. We also give a preview of Argentina's chances in their friendlies in the United States against Honduras and Jamaica (we're sticking our necks out and predicting two victories).
Episode 439: Libertadores semi-final review and superclásico preview
September 10, 2022 08:04 - 1 hour - 174 MBThis week Sam and Santi look back on both Copa Libertadores semi-finals, one of which was rather more dramatic and closely fought than the other, and preview Sunday's superclásico at the Bombonera. We also discuss a tightening title race, as Atlético Tucumán have picked up just one point from two games since we last recorded, allowing Gimnasia to go dead level with them at the top of the table.
Episode 438: A goal from 70 metres and a new home stadium for Argentina?
August 27, 2022 22:27 - 1 hour - 133 MBThis week, Sam, English Dan and Andrés look back at last weekend's matches – which included a 4–0 win with two golazos included for league leaders Atlético Tucumán – and ask how much sense it really makes for the AFA to (reportedly) be considering remodelling Mar Del Plata's Estadio José María Minella to use as a home ground for the national team.
Episode 437: Atlético Tucumán still lead, and a peek at the 2023 league structure
August 19, 2022 07:58 - 1 hour - 153 MBThis week Sam, English Dan and Santi look back on not one but two weeks of Liga Profesional action, with Atlético Tucumán still leading the way, Gimnasia giving chase and River Plate looking like they'd sparked into life before falling back to Earth again against Arsenal. There's also a look at the possible structure of the top flight during 2023, which is set to be discussed in an AFA board meeting on Friday morning.
Episode 436: Vélez are the last Argentines standing in the Libertadores
August 13, 2022 07:12 - 1 hour - 151 MBThis week Sam, English Dan, Andrés and Tony are visited by listener Tommy to discuss a week of action that's seen Atlético Tucumán remain top of the table with an unlikely chasing pack, and Vélez Sarsfield emerge as the only Argentine (and indeed non-Brazilian) semifinalists in this year's Copa Libertadores, after they beat Talleres pretty comfortably over two legs and Estudiantes got hit by the mother of all sucker punches from Athletico Paranaense.
Episode 435: Atlético Tucumán still lead, and Vélez and Talleres serve up a Libertadores thriller
August 05, 2022 06:33 - 1 hour - 136 MBThis week, Sam and Dan look back on a weekend which saw Atlético Tucumán remain four points clear at the top of the league, a six-goal thriller in Avellaneda and both River and Boca lose. In the Copa Libertadores, the first leg of Vélez Sarsfield v Talleres was an absolute humdinger, and our listeners' questions include one about the chances of Ricardo Caruso Lombardi catching monkeypox.
Episode 434: a busy week in the Liga Profesional
July 30, 2022 01:20 - 1 hour - 153 MBIt's only been a week since our last episode, but this week felt particular packed, with plenty of stuff to discuss both on and off the pitch in the league and Tigre being shocked in the Copa Argentina by Deportivo Madryn, as well as a Copa América Femenina update. Sam, English Dan and Andrés talk you through it all.
Episode 433: Tevez gets his first wins as a manager and Argentinos lead the way
July 22, 2022 07:31 - 1 hour - 150 MBThis week, Sam, English Dan and Andrés look back on almost two full rounds of action that included Carlos Tevez's Rosario Central winning the clásico rosarino against Newell's Old Boys, and reflect on a top five that currently includes exactly no teams we'd have predicted would be in the top five after nine matches. We also ask whether Rodrigo De Paul's place in Argentina's World Cup squad could be endangered by his divorce proceedings, and because that apparently isn't quite WTF enough, we d...
Episode 432: Racing claim the clásico; Newell's remain top
July 16, 2022 07:37 - 1 hour - 137 MBThis week, Sam and English Dan look back on last week's league games, including a whole load of 3–2s and a 1–0 win for Racing over Independiente, consider the main runners in the title race and more bad results for River Plate and Boca Juniors. The title is already out of date, because thanks to a 1–0 win over Aldosivi on Friday night, at the time of uploading this episode Atlético Tucumán(!) were top of the league.
Episode 431: The end of the road for Battaglia ... and Gallardo?
July 09, 2022 07:37 - 1 hour - 213 MBThis week, Sam, English Dan, Santi and Andrés catch you up with last weekend's league action but spend the bulk of the podcast talking Libertadores, and in particular going over the eliminations of Boca Juniors, who reacted by firing Sebastián Battaglia, and River Plate, who (unsurprisingly) did not react by firing Marcelo Gallardo. Vélez Sarsfield, Talleres(!) and – confirmed after we finished recording – Estudiantes are Argentina's three representatives in the last eight, but they'll have t...
Episode 430: A lot of catching up to do
July 02, 2022 07:04 - 1 hour - 74.9 MBAfter a planned week off followed by an unplanned bout of COVID for Sam which forced a second week off (hard to record a podcast when you've got a slight fever and your throat hurts too much to talk), Sam, Santi and English Dan are back – over Zoom – to look back on the four rounds of Liga Profesional action we've missed and the start of the rounds of sixteen in the Copas Libertadores and Sudamericana.
Episode 429: Messi passes Pelé and Puskás, and the Liga Profesional 2022 begins
June 10, 2022 07:03 - 1 hour - 174 MBThis week Sam, English Dan, Santi and Andrés look back on the opening weekend of the 2022 Liga Profesional and Racing's shocking (but not really that shocking, perhaps) Copa Argentina exit against Agropecuario Argentino. We also talk about Santi's experience last week at Wembley for Argentina v Italy and look back on Argentina's 5–0 win over Estonia, in which Lionel Messi scored all five goals, going past Ferenc Puskás in the all-time international goals list and Pelé in the all-time goals in...
Episode 428: Argentina batter Italy, and the long domestic break is finally over
June 04, 2022 07:56 - 1 hour - 171 MBThis week, Sam and English Dan look back on South American champions Argentina playing European champions Italy off the Wembley pitch on Wednesday night in the revived Artemio Franchi trophy match, look at the last sixteen draws of the Copas Libertadores and Sudamericana, and celebrate the fact that the long Argentine winter break is over after all of twelve days since the Copa de la Liga ended, because the Liga Profesional started a few hours before this episode was uploaded!
Episode 427: Boca win the Copa de la Liga and the continental group stages are over
May 28, 2022 01:44 - 1 hour - 135 MBThis week, Sam and English Dan look back on the semis and the final of the Copa de la Liga, which saw Boca Juniors lift the trophy but NOT, after all the fuss at the start of the competition about how it would count as a league title, being crowned the champions of Argentina for some very AFA reasons. We also look back (and into the present, as we were recording) on the final round of matches in the group stages of the Copas Libertadores and Sudamericana, and if you don't know how Boca did on...
Episode 426: Boca and Racing cruise through; River and Estudiantes are shocked
May 13, 2022 07:35 - 1 hour - 159 MBThe Copa de la Liga knockout stage has begun, and after Tuesday's two matches brought the expected home wins for Racing and Boca Juniors, who'll meet in the first semifinal on Saturday, Wednesday saw two shock results, as Argentinos Juniors outplayed Estudiantes before putting them out on spot kicks and Tigre took advantage of a howling defensive error to beat River Plate, in spite of a Puskás Award contender from Enzo Fernández. Sam, English Dan, Santi and Andrés are on hand to talk you thro...
Episode 425: the Copa de la Liga groups draw to a close
May 06, 2022 22:14 - 1 hour - 135 MBThis week, Sam and English Dan look back on last week's action and (most of) the midweek Sudamericana and Libertadores results, as well as looking forward to this weekend's last group stage matches in the Copa de la Liga.
Episode 424: the Copa de la Liga group stage edges towards a close
April 30, 2022 07:13 - 1 hour - 186 MBThis week's HOP sees the return of a prodigal son, as Sam, English Dan and Andrés welcome Seba back to the studio, and it's an epic chat taking in Racing's fine form, the Estudiantes machine, racism in Argentina (including a very brief history lesson on the colonisation of Patagonia) and more.
Episode 423: a lot of catching up
April 22, 2022 06:44 - 1 hour - 182 MBWe've got plenty of catching up to do now Sam and Dan are back from their (separate) holidays, and they're joined by Andrés, Tony and Santi to dive deep into the waters of the Copa de la Liga, including Racing's magnificent form, a surprising win for Talleres against River Plate and Independiente's deep, abiding, lustful love of a sweet, sweet draw.
Episode 422: reviewing the clásicos and previewing the CONMEBOL WCQ Royal Rumble
March 24, 2022 07:48 - 1 hour - 146 MBThis week, Sam and English Dan review the weekend of clásicos, which saw away wins for ... well, quite a lot of teams actually, including Boca Juniors over River Plate and Racing over Independiente. We then switch our attention to Thursday night's upcoming CONMEBOL WORLD CUP QUALIFYING FIGHT TO THE DEATH which, erm, actually probably won't finalise things, but Uruguay v Peru should be tremendously entertaining for the neutral all the same.
Episode 421: it's clásico weekend!
March 19, 2022 07:08 - 1 hour - 156 MBThis week on HOP, Sam, English Dan and Andrés discuss last weekend's matches and look forward to this weekend's glut of clásicos, including most notably Saturday's clásico de Avellaneda and Sunday's superclásico.
Episode 420: Scaloni trolls Europe
March 12, 2022 07:17 - 1 hour - 142 MBIn this week's episode Sam, English Dan, Santi and Andrés are back in the same room. We look back on last weekend's Copa de la Liga action, with Estudiantes dropping points for the first time. It's hard not to admire Lionel Scaloni trolling Italy and (especially) Spain by calling up a plethora of dual nationals for Argentina's final two World Cup qualifiers, too.
Episode 419: two thrilling clásicos and Estudiantes' great start continues
March 03, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 65.7 MBOn this week's Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan, Andrés and Santi look back on a weekend which saw two all-Big Five clásicos both end 2–2: Independiente v Boca Juniors, which was played in a deluge of Biblical proportions (and saw some atrocious refereeing) and River Plate v Racing, which was a classic game of two halves. There's plenty of love for Defensa y Justicia and Estudiantes, as well, as their good starts to the season continue (Estudiantes made it through to the Libertadores third quali...
Episode 418: the 2022 season is underway
February 26, 2022 05:11 - 1 hour - 83.1 MBThis week's HOP is the first since the 2022 domestic Argentine season began, so Sam, English Dan and Tony look back on the first three rounds of the Copa de la Liga. Unión, Platense and Estudiantes have started well, Racing aren't looking terrible and most importantly for everyone who likes sexy football, Juan Fernando Quintero is BACK.
Episode 417: previewing the Copa de la Liga 2022
February 11, 2022 17:29 - 1 hour - 80 MBDomestic Argentine football is back! In this week's HOP Sam, Andrés and Tony look back on the main transfer moves (and one big transfer remaining-in-place-for-now) and ask which clubs, if any, will be able to keep up with River Plate this year.
Episode 416: previewing Argentina's World Cup qualifying double header
January 27, 2022 06:16 - 51 minutes - 59.5 MBWe're back! In the first HOP of 2022 Sam and Santi preview Argentina's World Cup qualifying double header, which will see a trip to Chile followed by a home match against Colombia. Lionel Messi isn't involved, and nor are various others (even manager Lionel Scaloni will be missing against Chile due to COVID), but the team will have a familiar look all the same.
Episode 415: reviewing 2021
December 18, 2021 16:52 - 1 hour - 105 MBThere are still a couple of matches left in Argentine football this year, but recording seems unlikely next week so Sam, English Dan, Andrés and Santi got together on Friday to look back on 2021. Which clubs enjoyed the year the most, which individuals stood out in the league campaign that's just finished and, of course, do we think it was a successful year for the national team?
Episode 414: Boca win the Copa Argentina, a historic clásico in La Plata and more
December 11, 2021 07:16 - 1 hour - 88.6 MBOn this week's Hand Of Pod Sam, English Dan and Tony discuss a couple of weeks of action which included Boca Juniors lifting the Copa Argentina after a shootout win over Talleres, River Plate's long unbeaten run finally coming to an end in a thrilling game against Defensa y Justicia and the highest scoring clásico platense ever, as Gimnasia and Estudiantes drew 4–4.
Episode 413: ¡River campeón!
November 27, 2021 20:12 - 1 hour - 118 MBThis week's Hand Of Pod was recorded late in the week, because it made little sense to record before Thursday night, when River Plate did just about enough to scrape the result they needed at home to Racing to claim their thirty-seventh Argentine league title. Sam, Andrés and English Dan look back on a thoroughly convincing title win, ask what comes next for Marcelo Gallardo and tell you about Argentina's National Monument to the Football, which Sam unexpectedly saw on holiday last month as a...
Episode 412: World Cup qualification is sealed
November 18, 2021 07:07 - 1 hour - 52.6 MBThis week, Sam's voice sounds ridiculous for the first half of the episode because Santi and Andrés didn't say anything about it until the half-time break. The three of them discuss Argentina's two recent World Cup qualifiers – a 1–0 win away to Uruguay and a 0–0 draw at home to Brazil – which (together with Ecuador claiming a 2–0 win away to Chile on Tuesday night) confirmed Argentina's place at the 2022 World Cup.
Episode 411: River's title to lose, and two huge matches for Argentina
November 11, 2021 07:14 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBThis week Sam and Santi look back on three weeks of action (due to Sam first being on holiday and then being very busy) during which the title race seems to have swung decisively in River Plate's favour. We wax lyrical about Julián Álvarez (Independiente fan Santi even compares him to a young Sergio Agüero) and answer some listeners' questions. We also preview Friday and Tuesday's World Cup qualifying double header, in which Argentina have their two biggest clásicos: first they travel across ...
Episode 410: Back together again
October 20, 2021 06:07 - 1 hour - 68 MBAllow us one indulgent episode title about ourselves rather than the football we're covering, because this week's episode was the first since March 2020 to be recorded with all of us in the same living room. Sam, English Dan and Andrés get reacquainted with one another and discuss Argentina's World Cup qualifying draw with Paraguay and wins over Uruguay and Peru before going over the last couple of rounds of action in the Liga Profesional.
Episode 409: River beat ten-man Boca, and previewing Argentina's World Cup qualifiers
October 07, 2021 07:41 - 1 hour - 66.3 MBThis week's Hand Of Pod sees Sam, Santi and Andrés review a couple of rounds of league action, including River Plate's 2–1 win over Boca Juniors in Sunday's superclásico, which sent River top of the table. We also preview the upcoming World Cup qualifying triple header, in which (as long as no health authorities invade the pitch this time) Argentina will take on Paraguay in Asunción and Uruguay and Peru in Buenos Aires.
Episode 408: What happened in Brazil v Argentina and catching up on the rest
September 24, 2021 07:05 - 1 hour - 69.9 MBThis week, Sam and English Dan catch up with what's been going on in the three weeks since we last recorded. The main focus is on trying to unpick exactly what went on in São Paulo a couple of weeks back when the Brazil v Argentina World Cup qualifier was called off – and what do we think will happen next? We also give you a quick overview of the other World Cup qualifying matches (including yet another record for Lionel Messi) and give you a Liga Profesional update.
Episode 407: Argentina v the Premier League
September 02, 2021 06:24 - 1 hour - 69.7 MBOn this week's HOP Sam, English Dan and Santi preview the upcoming World Cup qualifying triple-header, and have a rant at the (partially successful) attempt by English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese clubs to distort the World Cup qualifying process.
Episode 406: no Argentines left in the Copas
August 20, 2021 21:32 - 1 hour - 65.7 MBIn this week's HOP, Sam, English Dan, Andrés and Santi discuss a week which has seen Argentina's last two representatives – River Plate and Rosario Central – dumped out of the Copas Libertadores and Sudamericana, and look back on last weekend's Liga Profesional action.
Episode 405: getting up to speed
August 14, 2021 07:57 - 1 hour - 56.5 MBIn this week's HOP Sam, English Dan and Santi catch up on what's been going on in the two weeks since we were last able to record. It's been an OK couple of weeks for Independiente (who at least one their clásico), an underwhelming one for Boca Juniors (even though they won their clásico ... well, a shootout), a poor one for River Plate and a manager-sacking one for Racing. Much happier, though, are league leaders Colón and Lanús striker José Sand, who just can't stop scoring goals. Oh and ap...
Episode 404: River and Central are left flying the flag
July 31, 2021 05:28 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBIn this week's HOP, Sam, English Dan, Andrés, Santi and Tony look back on the first three rounds of action in the 2021 Liga Profesional de Fútbol, as well as on both legs of the last sixteen ties in the Copas Libertadores and Sudamericana, which have left just River Plate (in the Libertadores) and Rosario Central (in the Sudamericana) flying the flag for Argentine football in the quarters.
Episode 403: ¡ARGENTINA CAMPEÓN!
July 16, 2021 05:52 - 1 hour - 63.5 MBWe can finally shout it! After a 28-year wait Argentina ended their trophy drought on Saturday with a 1–0 win over Brazil in the final of the Copa América, and Sam, English Dan, Santi and Andrés are here to look back on a final – and a tournament – that brings hope for the future and proves many critics (including us!) wrong about some players, but does demonstrate that the universe can have a hell of a sense of humour sometimes. We also preview the new league season, which gets underway on F...
Episode 402: previewing Argentina v Brazil in the Copa América final
July 09, 2021 19:26 - 1 hour - 75.6 MBAfter Argentina made their way past Ecuador and Colombia to reach a third Copa América final in four tournaments, Sam, English Dan and Santi preview Saturday's final against host nation Brazil, who've never failed to win a Copa on home soil.
Episode 401: Reviewing the Copa América groups and previewing the knockout stage
July 02, 2021 06:14 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBOn this week's HOP the world's newest football commentator Sam is joined by English Dan, Santi and Andrés for a look back on the group stage of the 2021 Copa América – in particular at Argentina's performances – and a preview of the quarter-finals, which kick off on Friday evening.
Episode 400: Colón win the Copa de la Liga, and we preview the Copa América
June 12, 2021 07:23 - 1 hour - 68.8 MBIn the four hundredth episode of HOP, Sam, English Dan, Andrés and Tony discuss Colón's deserved victory in the final of the Copa de la Liga – their first ever national title – before reviewing the recent World Cup qualifying double header and previewing the 2021 Copa América, which kicks off in Brazil on Sunday having been moved from Argentina and Colombia for Reasons.
Episode 399: The Copa de la Liga enters the knockout stage
May 15, 2021 07:12 - 1 hour - 68.6 MBThis week's HOP was meant to be a quick affair but ended up being a full-length episode, as Sam and Santi looked back on the final weekend of group stage action in the Copa de la Liga, look forward to this weekend's quarter-finals, including the third superclásico of the year as Boca Juniors host River Plate on Sunday afternoon, and round up the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana action.
Episode 398: Three lots of group stages
May 08, 2021 04:54 - 1 hour - 81.7 MBThis week on Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan, Tony, Andrés and Santi bring you up to date with the Copa de la Liga as the group stage enters its final weekend, and also look at the Copa Libertadores group stage so far. It's news to Sam, but this year the Copa Sudamericana also has a group stage!