Hand Of Pod

Hand Of Pod turns 40 episodes old this week, and once again we're discussing violence (at Newell's Old Boys' weekend match) and the threat of it (at Boca Juniors). From the latter, we seamlessly segue into talking about Boca Juniors' huge lead in the Torneo Apertura, which has now stretched to nine points with just eighteen to play for. Some of that is because Racing are endeavouring to become the first ever side to go unbeaten through a league campaign whilst being really, really rubbish, and Diego Simeone, their manager, comes in for criticism for that. We field questions on Arsenal de Sarandí's Copa Sudamericana chances, Javier Pastore's future importance to the national team, and whether Juan Román Riquelme will marry one of our listeners. Sam also gives his opinion on John Terry, who we're assuming isn't a regular listener.

There's been violence in the air in Argentine football this week, and it's infected us at Hand Of Pod. Sam, Dan, Dan and Seba begin this week's podcast with a discussion of which San Lorenzo players we'd fancy our changes against in a fight, and move on to discuss World Cup winner Mauro Camoranesi - the most patriotic Italian who ever lived - kicking Racing's Patricio Toranzo in the face during a game. As well as this, we wonder whether anyone can stop Boca Juniors as they storm towards their first title in ages, discuss the Panamerican Games (not just the football tournament) briefly, and look at both the Copa Argentina draw and (silly) format, and Alejandro Sabella's squad for the next World Cup qualifying double-header against Bolivia and Colombia.

Julio Grondona was named Argentine FA President for another four years as we recorded this episode, a development slightly more inevitable than the sun rising tomorrow. Sam, Seba, Dan and Dan look into the reasons behind FIFA Vice-President Grondona's grip on Argentine football (by 2015 he'll have been AFA President for 36 years), and why a hidden camera sting which caught him boasting about bribes and much more the day before the elections had no effect. We also run the rule over Lucas Ocampos, River Plate's 17-year-old star who's reportedly wanted by Chelsea, consider Boca Juniors' options in replacing injured forward Lucas Viatri, and look at Independiente's slowly improving form, before embarrassing ourselves by trying to list, off the tops of our heads, every football club whose stadium lies within the City of Buenos Aires.

In the thirty-seventh episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, English Dan and Seba discuss Argentina's mixed start to World Cup qualifying, which began with a 4-1 thrashing of Chile and continued with a surprise defeat at the hands of Venezuela. What positives can Argentina take from the former, and what lessons can Sabella learn from the latter? As well as that, we give an update on the Copa Argentina - whose qualifying stage has now finished - and, with no Primera action to look back on due to the international break, Sam reviews a brilliant couple of matches for River Plate in the Nacional B, including a 7-1 win. Oh, and we fill in for Aussie Dan by reading out his predictions in dreadful Australian accents at the end.

In episode 36 of Hand Of Pod, Sam, Dan, Dan and Seba are joined by Asli Pellit and her lovely new (and very quiet) dog Vinicius. We discuss Asli's trips to Córdoba and Porto Alegre, on the latter of which she met and interviewed Andrés D'Alessandro, as well as the reasons Brazil's championship is better off than Argentina's at present. We look back on the Avellaneda clásico on Sunday which saw a 1-1 draw between Racing and Independiente, and argue about whether it's a boring league season or not. As well as this, Aussie Dan and Sam consider Ferro v River last Saturday, and we look forward to the start of the South American World Cup Qualifiers, which will be more competitive than ever this time round. Enjoy.

In the thirty-fifth episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, Dan, Dan and Seba begin with a discussion of just how much of a massive idiot Carlos Tevez is, and conclude with a reflection on Cristian Fabbiani's suitability for the second division in Argentina. In between we discuss Wednesday night's Brazil v Argentina friendly second leg, Seba wishes death on Diego Maradona (sort of), we wonder whether anyone can catch Boca Juniors at the top of the league, ponder San Lorenzo's problems in the relegation zone and remark on what a lovely little player Olimpo number 10 Martín Rolle is. This weekend sees the clásico de Avellaneda between Racing and Independiente, and we also preview that, as well as answering a listener's question on former Racing and Vélez Sarsfield star Maxi Moralez, now with Atalanta in Italy. Enjoy.

Alejandro Sabella has named his first competitive Argentina squad, in preparation for the big kick off at home to Chile early next month. In the thirty-fourth episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, Dan, Dan and Seba discuss that, as well as a lot more. Boca Juniors top the Apertura table, whilst Lanús have fallen away; we wonder whether Atlético Rafaela really can last the distance, English Dan tells us of a lost virgin in Colón (stop sniggering), and we talk about the organisation of the brand-spanking-new Copa Argentina, and the influence of the infamous barra bravas on Argentine football. All this and more is right here for your listening pleasure.

The thirty-third episode of Hand Of Pod goes online just before the first leg of the double-header between Argentina's and Brazil's 'domestic international' teams, and Sam, Dan and Dan look at what Alejandro Sabella might reveal in these matches. We also speculate on how well former Oxford United boss Ramón Díaz will do in charge of Independiente, discuss bearded footballers (inspired by Diego Villar of Godoy Cruz) and give a thoroughly well-considered zoological discussion of the upcoming clash between joint-top of the table sides Lanús and Boca Juniors. The stupidity of Racing's Colombian players in their goal celebrations is criticised, and we liken Racing to a herd of wildebeest. If the producers of the Discovery Channel are listening this week, do get in touch.

In the thirty-second episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, Dan, Seba and Dan have plenty to get their teeth stuck into. Alejandro Sabella's first two matches as Argentina boss are incisively dissected, and the conclusion is cautious optimism. Moving to the domestic side of things, the role of Independiente's barra brava in ousting now ex-manager Antonio Mohamed is considered (since we recorded, Ramón Díaz has emerged as the favourite to take over), as is Gio Moreno's long-awaited return from injury for Racing. There's an update on how Nacional B is treating River Plate, and Seba goes a bit doolally at the end and starts making some funny noises, including an impersonation of River striker Fernando Cavenaghi. Enjoy.

In the latest episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam and the Dans discuss Denis Stracqualursi, and what Everton fans can expect from him in the Premier League, and an interesting weekend of Torneo Apertura matches which saw the championship finally get going properly. We talk about Ricardo La Volpe's possible return to Banfield (he's since been confirmed as the new manager there), Alejandro Sabella's possible first-ever Argentina starting XI, some animal nicknames which may or may not be used for Argentine players, and Gio Moreno's probable return to the Racing team (via the subs' bench) this coming weekend, among other subjects. Enjoy.

This week's Hand Of Pod is a sensible length, so rejoice! Sam, Australian Dan and Seba meet again, and there are plenty of hot topics to get through. Santiago Silva has left Vélez Sarsfield for Fiorentina, seriously damaging the champions' title defence. We discuss the relative economic strengths of the Argentine league with Europe (and Brazil), a listener asks why Estudiantes are so rubbish, we admire Racing's tenacity under Diego Simeone, and talk about the return of visiting fans to the second division (Nacional B) after Independiente Rivadavia's president forced the AFA's hand in his club's match against River Plate at the weekend. There's also a call for your feedback on the pod (please send suggestions to sam [at] hastaelgolsiempre [dot] com), and a mention for an excellent new(ish) online football magazine, Man And Ball, whose second issue includes an Argentina-inspired piece of fiction.

The twenty-ninth episode of Hand Of Pod is, as the milkmaid said to the parson, quite a whopper. That's largely because Sam, Australian Dan and Seba have not one but two rounds of Torneo Apertura matches to look back on, as well as River Plate's historic debut in the Nacional B (second division). There's more, though; before we can even get onto that, we've got - like those Apertura rounds - not one but two Argentina squads to discuss, with Alejandro Sabella having named both a full national team and a domestically-based side to take on Brazil. Carlos Tevez's exclusion from the former, Juan Román Riquelme's and Seba Verón's inclusion in the latter, the new boys' early performances in the Primera and the start of Vélez Sarsfield's title defence; all this and much more is covered. And next week's will be a more sensible length. We promise.

Hand Of Pod's two resident Racing fans are both on holiday this week, but Sam and Australian Dan are battling on, insistent that their partners' absence is but a flesh wound, and are joined by the one and only Joel Richards, who does a sterling job of patching the bleeding. On the menu is a discussion of practically every team in the Primera División this season, as well as the AFA's U-turn on last week's planned expansion of the top flight to 38 teams, Alejandro Sabella's appointment as Argentina manager, the unveiling (at last!) of the Best Argentine Abroad of 2010-11 according to our listeners, and more. Mystic Dan's predictions are back for the new season, and are as ever over on the Hand Of Pod blog (handofpod.wordpress.com). We've also got a juicy video of Marcos Angeleri for the ladies, and a video to Sam's best friend's latest YouTube uploads. Nick Ball is the composer of the HOP theme tune as well as a professional musician, composer and producer, and has recently put up a few videos demonstrating te

The twenty-seventh episode of Hand Of Pod is our look back on an eventful and historic Copa América Argentina 2011, and Sam, the Dans and Seba are joined by award-winning author, journalist and editor and co-founder of The Blizzard, Jonathan Wilson, who shares his thoughts on the tournament with us over some fernet and empanadas. Jonathan gives us a tactical breakdown of why Brazil's defence isn't what it once was, why Argentina will never be able to replicate Barcelona, and we discuss the importance of silly hair to the Argentine footballing psyche. There are players of the tournament, praise for Uruguay and their brilliant manager Óscar Washington Tabárez, and Mister Wilson's thoughts prior to the World Youth Cup, which he's since travelled on to Colombia to cover. And of course, we kick it all of by discussing the AFA's frankly ludicrous plans for the Primera División. We couldn't ignore that.

The end of season special of Hand Of Pod is an epic - an hour and three quarters - for which I apologise, but there's good reason: South American football broadcasting legend Tim Vickery was talking to us in person over a glass (okay, several glasses) of wine, and dinner. We discuss River Plate's relegation, where 'Tricky' Ricky Álvarez could fit into Arsenal's system (if of course he does go there), our favourite players of the Torneo Clausura just gone, and the differences between Pelé and Diego Maradona as players, as well as looking forward to the upcoming Copa América. Enjoy.

The final installment of Hand Of Pod's Copa América preview special editions is here! Recorded a week ago, the HOP team discuss the hopes of the host nation and most people's tournament favourites, Argentina. It's eighteen years since the last Argentine triumph, so can Lionel Messi, Javier Zanetti and company finally end the wait for a title? Seba gives us his thoughts and fears as an Argentine fan, and suggests a way that Brazil could be countered, and at the end we all give our predictions, so you can laugh when we're all proved wrong as Ecuador and Peru face off in the final. The Copa kicks off this Friday; here's what you need to know about the hosts.

There's only one topic for this week's Hand Of Pod, and we make no apologies for that. Dan, Dan, Seba and River fan Sam try to make some sense of what none of us quite thought would come to pass: the news that River Plate endured the worst day in their 110-year history on Saturday, and will have to play the playoff against Belgrano de Córdoba to avoid relegation. Who's to blame? And how do the playoffs work? There's also praise for a magnificent afternoon's league action on Saturday, and Sam has a rant at Twitter. It's all cathartic.

In this Copa América special preview edition of Hand Of Pod, English Dan and Sam are joined via Skype by Nicholas Rosano, of Goal.com and SouthAmericanFootball.co.uk, who discusses Uruguay's cautious optimism, tactics, and chances in the tournament with us, as well as telling us who else to look out for aside from Edison Cavani, Diego Forlán and Luis Suárez. We also find a few minutes to discuss Peñarol's 0-0 draw with Santos in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores, ahead of this Wednesday night's second leg.

In the 24th episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, Dan and Dan discuss Vélez's title win on Sunday, and offer their commiserations to Lanús. Sam gives an impromptu history lesson about Alumni, the first side to dominate the Argentine top flight, English Dan tells us about an amazing comeback from Godoy Cruz away to Racing, and we take a look at the weekend to come, when five games will be played at the same time due to the relegation situation. There's praise for Godoy's Mariano Donda and Huracán's Javier Cámpora, and we end by looking at Martín Palermo's highly, um, moving farewell to La Bombonera.

In the third of our special Copa América previews, the Hand Of Pod crew welcome Caetano to English Dan's Caballito abode, and much hilarity ensues. He endears himself to the listeners of this Argentine football-based podcast by slagging off Argentine football (well, he is Brazilian), and at one point actually kicks our resident Argentine, Seba (though this sadly wasn't picked up by the dictaphone). Ahead of this week's first leg of the Copa Libertadores final, we also get a few brief thoughts from Caetano, who's a Santos fan. Click play to find out more about the defending Copa América champions, and how they've changed under Mano Menezes since Dunga left as manager following last year's World Cup.