The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Our second annual 'Hot Takes and Takeaways' from the Premier League season. Did we enjoy the title race? Are we surprised by the top four? And should we apologise to Jose Mourinho? We also reveal our new SPMPLPL champion. Who will it be? And can you remember you entered? (Information can also be discovered without waiting here: tinyurl.com/setpiecemenu) The food: A continental breakfast suited to th...
May 15, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Is there any benefit to being a 'club man'? Does an extra level of understanding and emotional connection to a team help a manager do a better job, or is it easier to operate without them? The food: Lasagne. Carefully crafted and cooked by Hugh at 8am to make sure it was ready in time. Don't forget we'd like your soccer stories to fill a potential future Chinch-shaped hole, so send them to setpiecem...
May 08, 2019•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: In the week that the Players' Player of the Year is announced, we ask if footballers are actually any good at deciding who should win the award. If you considered their motivations and inspirations, are they any better than anyone else at picking the best player each year? The food: Not much, thankfully, because if Rory eats anything it'll immediately escape his virus-ridden body in any number of direc...
May 01, 2019•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Set Piece Menu, the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The reinvention of Lionel Messi (and yes, Cristiano Ronaldo too). Inspired by Rory Smith's New York Times article in the aftermath of Messi's latest masterclass against Manchester United, is the ability to adapt & diversify the secret to long-term success, and a trophy laden career? The food: Steven rustles up three egg omelettes with ham, chorizo, cheese and spinach. The correspondence this week includes a fir...
Apr 24, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Enjoy another edition of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Do players care about their surroundings? After Kevin de Bruyne gave the impression a stadium doesn't matter to him, we ask if bricks and mortar, and the people inside it, make any difference to footballers. The food: A fine combined effort. Waffles and fruit, courtesy of Steven and Hugh; and triple choc chip cookies and tiffin, courtesy of Rory and his mum. Get in touch via twitter - ...
Apr 17, 2019•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Injuries. We have among our midst one of the leading experts on the injuries of a footballer. 14 surgeries and a broken knee later, Andy Hinchcliffe tells us about what it's like to have to continually go through rehab, and how for some the mental toll might be as much as the physical toll. The food: A gift of jam, courtesy of Hugh and his holiday. The team squabble over who doesn't have to ...
Apr 10, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Thanks for downloading the latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Is luck really a thing? After Liverpool beat Spurs with yet another late winner thanks to yet another goalkeeping error, are they just being particularly lucky, or is it an ability to force mistakes that's behind their continuing title challenge in the Premier League? How much does luck play a part in football, when does it intervene, and why? The food: Rory has provided bacon...
Apr 03, 2019•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The Modern Football Fan (Part Two). What does a fan's future look like, and is there a right way to go about it? Whether it's a diluting of geographical significance, the promotion of individual over club, or even a connection based on computer games, how will a supporter support in the years to come? The food: The Chicken and Bacon Sandwich (Part Two). Rory gets seconds, but only after complaining how...
Mar 27, 2019•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The Modern Football Fan (Part One). How much has the way you support your club changed? In the era of social media and global fanbases, how is it different to days gone by? The food: Chicken and bacon baguettes, prepared throughout the show by Steven, who proves he knows a thing or two about what works with guacamole. Get in touch: @setpiecemenu setpiecemenu@gmail.com facebook.com/setpiecemenu
Mar 20, 2019•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Why has the Champions League gone nuts? Is Europe's elite club competition now the repository for football drama and how has this happened? Plus your reaction to our discussion about football on TV, and a Curious Case of Panini Sticker Mistaken Identity. The food: Chinch provides coffee and pastries for breakfast, seemingly without assistance from his wife, mother-in-law or daughter.... Get in touch...
Mar 13, 2019•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Should more football be on free to air television? As La Liga decides to show some of their games in the UK on ITV4, is this a model that other competitions and broadcasters should follow? And without it, is there a chance football could start to lose its cultural stranglehold? The food: Pastries, provided by Steven, even though he was unable to provide himself to the podcast. Get in touch with us v...
Mar 06, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The Insubordination of Kepa. It's said that with great power comes great responsibility, but have players become so powerful they can be publicly irresponsible. The food: Well, drink. Hugh provides some culturally-interesting Chinese oolong tea, presented alongside traditional teapot and cups. The others are not impressed. Join our conversation @setpiecemenu on twitter, or on email at setpiecemenu@gmai...
Feb 27, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the new episode of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Managers as Mr Motivator. Should coaches be expected to be man managers, and can they succeed without it? How important is their ability to establish trust with their players, or can they prosper by ruling with an iron fist? The food: Smarties and vimto, left over from an over-zealous shopping trip for a four year old. You can get in touch with us via twitter @setpiecemenu, or email ...
Feb 20, 2019•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The evolution of the full back. To mark Chinch's 50th birthday, we consider how the position he used to play (with varying levels of distinction) has changed, particularly in recent years. The food: a carrot cake, incredibly assembled and lovingly prepared by Steve's partner Katie for Andy's big day. Get in touch via twitter @setpiecemenu, or email us at setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Feb 13, 2019•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: So then, the 2019 January transfer window. What was all that about? A huge reduction in spending, with even the biggest deal involving a player who was sent straight back to the selling club; a preponderance of loan deals; and a very uninspiring deadline day too. We discuss a lot of how's and why's, and whether it even works any more. The food: Eggs benedict, chosen over the option of eggs royale. Send...
Feb 06, 2019•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu: the podcast where a presenter, writer, commentator & pundit talk football over food. The football: why has the FA Cup lost its prestige among Premier League clubs? Inspired by Mauricio Pochettino's belief that domestic cup success would be little more than an ego-trip, we discuss if the Spurs manager is right, or if a trophy is still more important than the longer-term benefits of consistent Champions League football. And Chinch provides a Soccer Story about Hard Men, ...
Jan 30, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest edition of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Are some players treated differently than others? If two players dive to win a penalty for example, are their transgressions considered differently if they don't share the same club, position, nationality or race? And why do we default to certain terms when describing non-white players? The food: Brunch twice removed. Brunch because there's a collection of pastries, fruit and yoghurt to b...
Jan 23, 2019•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Where's the line? You know, the line that separates gaining a fair advantage with unsportsmanlike behaviour? And why have we decided that some things are allowed, and others not? Includes our thoughts on spygate, and long-grass-gate... The food: Chinch's Chop and Lob Salad, prepared by Hugh. Involves healthy things that the athlete of the group recommends we all eat: quinoa, broccoli, asparagus, fet...
Jan 16, 2019•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Life after football. Our resident former pro, Andy Hinchcliffe, reveals the challenges and emotions a player goes through in the immediate aftermath of retirement. From the realisation that you must instantly adapt to a new lifestyle, to how even your closest and most intimate relationships may never be the same. The food: Meatballs. Glorious Moroccan Meatballs with couscous, prepared by Hugh. Your cor...
Jan 09, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Happy New Year from Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The Atteveld Derby. To continue our festive theme of select XIs, we deliver not one, but two, relating to previous pods about the game's great s***houses. Which players are in the House XI, which in the Bag XI, and which would win in a likely bad-tempered match of s***housery. All the above is delivered with a parlour game-style silliness which will accompany your New Year's Celebrations pe...
Jan 02, 2019•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Merry Christmas from Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Andy Hinchcliffe's Worst Teammate XI. A special accompaniment to Chinch's soccer stories about the finest players he's ever played with. These are the complete opposite, served as a festive treat with a large dollop of bah humbug. And don't worry, the left back is who you think it is... The food: We are still on the hot pot. It's that good, and that big, that's is worth savouring. For a wh...
Dec 26, 2018•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: How to run a football club. Admittedly we’re short on collective, tangible experience, but when has that ever stopped us, or anyone else, from having an opinion? Jose Mourinho’s departure from Manchester United has shone a light on the once dominant force of English football. How have they gone from being so far out in front to seemingly falling adrift of the rest of the best? Plus what lessons can ...
Dec 19, 2018•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: The Art of Commentary. Football commentators are the people who provide the soundtrack to every game, but what makes them good (or bad!), and how do they go about their job? We ask you to ask our commentator Steve how it works; he gives the what, while pundit Andy gives you a why. Which is actually kinda how it works. Thanks for all your questions and comments for this week's episode! Any more? Send...
Dec 12, 2018•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends (and this week, one of their children) talk football over food. The football: Is it important? Does football really matter? Do the scenes outside the Monumental in Buenos Aires prove that, sometimes, it can matter too much? We hear Rory's story from the Copa final that never was, and ask Andy if players think the game is as important as fans often do. The food: Hot dogs. Like, really good ones, provided by Steve, using Hugh's kitchen. Thank...
Dec 05, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Tribalism vs Truth Part Two - The Rules. Could the game's current laws actually be making it harder to establish truth amongst all the arguments? Will VAR fix the problem or make it worse? Rory unloads about offside, and Steve fixes handball. The food: mince pies. With less than a month to go until Christmas, Hugh attempts to provide seasonal fare. It does not go down well. Get in touch with Set Pie...
Nov 28, 2018•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week's Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: Tribalism vs Truth Part One. With fans willing to make any argument to support their favourite players or team, is there any chance of finding the truth? And is there any point in trying anyway in a world where any opposing opinion is branded 'fake news'? The food: sweet potato, pepper and smoked paprika soup with sourdough bread. Get in touch via twitter @setpiecemenu Email - setpiecemenu@gmail.co...
Nov 21, 2018•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: XG and packing. An introduction (to many, old hat to others...) to two of the most used types of analytics - what they are and how they work, and why Andy is at the forefront of their adoption in the punditocracy (IE he's just found out about them). The food: slices, from the cafe in Chinch's gym, featuring varying levels of chocolate and calorific content. There's not much time until the deadline for ...
Nov 14, 2018•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: with Manchester City set to potentially dominate the Premier League for a while to come, are they ruining it for everyone? The team debates a particularly petulant question with as much informed nuance as three fully functioning people and one cloth-headed writer from Leeds can muster. The food: pizza from Rory's oven, served with jamòn, and some garlic flat bread, which is eaten ravenously by the o...
Nov 07, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. While chronology might dictate a 100th episode, lack of organisation determines that you'll have to wait for our centenary spectacular. Owing to the impertinence of work, pets, children and major building works, we have not had time to figure out and deliver something special; so, to a chorus of boos, here's something ordinary - episode 101. The football: "What if..." A sliding doors inspired episode, with only o...
Oct 31, 2018•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. The football: What does a young successful British manager have to do to get a top job? AKA "the Eddie Howe episode". The food: Coffee. Which isn't food. But is still an achievement, because Chinch now knows how to work the Nespresso machine. Also - who will fill the midfield and striker spots in Chinch's Soccer Story Select XI? Get in touch with Set Piece Menu! Twitter: @setpiecemenu Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.co...
Oct 24, 2018•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
