Shows
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 275: Last Night In SohoThe football: It's our last show, live in London (slightly edited for content like movies on ITV in the 1990s, but still self-indulgently long). We're joined by Nedum Onuoha and an audience of well-wishers to send you off into a future without SPM. There are multiple middle class heckles, some essential beepings out of inappropriate words, and by the end even the odd something in the eye as we say goodbye after five and half years of podding.
To you all, wherever you are, and to whichever level you let us into your lives, thank you. It was about football...
2022-07-271h 59
The Murali EndMurali End x Hugh FerrisTV, radio, events and podcast presenter Hugh Ferris brings plenty of insight and anecdotes as he chats to Sam Hartford about cricket's place within sports media. They also discuss how coverage and broadcasting rights might come to define its future
2022-07-2556 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 272: Soccer Story Memory LaneThe football: Some Set Piece Menu nostalgia. You miss Andy Hinchcliffe, we do too. So in response to requests to revisit some of his stand out 'Soccer Story' moments, Hugh, Rory and Steven introduce a trip down memory lane. Whether it was crustaceans in the bath at Bellfield, Mrs Big Ron's platter of Kit-Kats or the injury that finally ended an entirely sufficient career, Chinch never failed us when a tale from his playing days with all adult behaviour and libel-worthy details removed was required.
2022-06-221h 02Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 270: Nedum OnuohaThe football: Did Hugh say he'd written a book? Well just in case you missed it, he takes the opportunity of Rory and Steven being distracted by a combination of covid and foreign travel (not both at the same time) to chat with the subject of said book. Nedum Onuoha is a former Manchester City, QPR and Real Salt Lake footballer with a tale to tell about his career and those with whom he shared it, but Kicking Back is about so much more. This conversation focuses on the so much more.
So now we have TWO plugs:
The book...
2022-06-0151 min
Every Damn Thing83. Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Fireworks, WindFriend-of-the-pod Donovan is back to help Phil and Jake rank John Hughes' classic film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, fireworks, and the meteorological phenomenon known as wind on the List of Every Damn Thing.If you have something to add to the list, email it to list@everydamnthing.net (or get at us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook).SHOW NOTES:One of our tweets got a like from DC the Brain Supreme of Tag Team, who of course brought you “Whoomp! (There It Is)”. Here’s the Geico commercial where they do a new ice crea...
2022-03-1157 min
The Emma Guns ShowBullet Points | Finding happiness, Hugh Jackman's wisdom and LGBTQIA+ discussionsIn this episode of Bullet Points, I share a #12habits update, the incredible wisdom of Hugh Jackman via an episode of The Tim Ferris Show and an important conversation about the LGBTQIA+ community that'll be on the podcast soon.To join the closed Facebook group for the podcast click here >> The Emma Guns Show Forum.To follow me on social media >> Twitter | Instagram.Sign up for my newsletter here >> Newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2022-03-0914 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 262: SPMROTY (Part 1)The football: We're getting festively reflective as we bring you our Set Piece Menu Review of the Year, which is in no way attempting to sound or feel like another annual retrospective (the one which Rory gets uppity about). We've split it up into two parts, and because it's Christmas, part one prompts us to be nice about things.
The food: Hugh is desperate to spread the word about Knopper chocolate bars. If you're near an Aldi, seek them out. Now.
Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/en-gb/stores/set-piece-menu-podcast
2021-12-221h 01Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 258: What YOU Don't Realise About Commentators...The football: In the unforeseen absence of two of our number, we fill their places with people who actually know what they're talking about. Peter Drury and Conor McNamara are some of the finest exponents of the art of commentary, and there's also Steven; together we have a conversation about what people don't realise about the life and craft of the person you might listen to a lot, but not know a lot about.
The food: Hugh is struggling with his voice - which he insists is down to something spurious called Cooing Disease - and so is on a...
2021-11-241h 00Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 252: PlaybooksThe football: After Julian Nagelsmann talked about football potentially introducing an NFL-style playbook we ask if that's completely preposterous, or if in fact we're already headed in that direction. Plus Hugh gets very defensive about how to say the word defence.
The food: Steve (kinda) shares a sausage sandwich on sourdough at a café in Sale with a former Manchester United manager. The rest of the group are embarrassed when they can't guess which one.
***LIVE SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT***
We are doing a live show as part of the Football Writing Festival at the National Football Museum in Manchester. It's on T...
2021-10-061h 21
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 248: Traditions or Anachronisms?The football: The fact that Cristiano Ronaldo's 're-debut' couldn't be shown on television in the UK was considered by some to be proof that the age-old Saturday 3pm blackout was no longer fit for purpose. So we ask how fiercely we should preserve tradition, even if it seems anachronistic? It's a conversation that very quickly makes us appear like middle-aged men shouting into a void about teenagers.
The food: A nice cup of hot crisps. Minutes before recording, Hugh makes the mistake of indulging in the two things he was once told you should never ingest in advance of broadcasting...
2021-09-151h 03
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 239: Hot Takes and Takeaways (Euro 2020 Edition)SPM 239: Hot Takes and Takeaways (Euro 2020 Edition) by Rory Smith, Andy Hinchcliffe, Steven Wyeth, Hugh Ferris
2021-07-121h 10Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 238: The 32-team Euro(s)The football: Rory has an idea of how an expanded Euros could be expanded further, to include 32 teams. He's very proud of it, but clearly can only really commit to its principles once he's workshopped it (had it pulled apart) by his pod colleagues. Step forward Steven, Hugh and Chinch to consider, a little too fully, the plight of Luxembourg.
The food: A cardamom knot, which is part of Rory's bourgeois breakfast.
Email us at setpiecemenu@gmail.com
2021-07-071h 06
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 237: Rose Tinted Glasses of Tournament NostalgiaThe World Cups and Euros of our youth are acclaimed through the rose tinted spectacles of nostalgia. In our mature years we are much more likely to find fault. What distorts our memories in favour of historical tournaments and subsequently raises expectations to an unreasonable level for their modern day equivalents?
Plus, in a variation on the theme, a Soccer Story about Chinch not narrated by Chinch. And Steven deputises as host with Hugh cashing in all acceptable excuses for an absence in one go.
Email setpiecemenu@gmail.com or find us on social media: @setpiecemenu
2021-06-301h 00Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 235: Footballing Fathers & SonsThe podcast where four friends - presenter Hugh Ferris, writer Rory Smith, commentator Steven Wyeth & pundit Andy Hinchcliffe - talk football over food.
This week: footballing families and the impact a successful player has on their offspring's chance of success.
In what seems an increasingly incestuous industry, is a legacy talent a help or a hindrance and does nepotism give a youngster an edge when tough judgements are made about a talent’s potential for fulfilment? And does a genetic disposition and exposure & opportunity ultimately trump a similar talent that lacks the benefit of privilege and contacts?
Plus if you’re t...
2021-06-1656 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 227: The ESL S**tshowThe podcast where four friends - presenter Hugh Ferris, writer Rory Smith, commentator Steven Wyeth & pundit Andy Hinchcliffe - talk football over food.
The football: The Super League, blink and you'd have missed it. The ambitions of the owners of the self-proclaimed elite clubs to revolutionise European football wasn't well planned, was terribly executed and a PR disaster for all involved. What will be the consequences, what punishment should they face and what, if anything, will anyone learn?
The food: Wherever Chinch goes, so does his plug-in lunchbox. And that's left a stench of fish pie on gantries from Elland...
2021-04-2156 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 226: AgentsThe football: Considering that Kevin de Bruyne appeared not to need one, and Erling Haaland is very obviously using one, we thought we'd talk about agents. Is the bad press they get, particularly in England, warranted? What value (apart from the obvious kind) do they add for a player, and how are modern agents attempting to enhance that value further?
The food: Hugh batch-cooked a large cottage pie. Hugh underestimated quite how large the batch would be, and has been eating cottage pie for a whole week.
Emails to setpiecemenu@gmail.com
2021-04-141h 19Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 222: Is football intelligent enough to change?The football: A year on from the global lockdown, and the football shutdown, why is there no apparent consensus on how to change the game to guarantee for a better future? The pandemic seemed to prove the sport's stakeholders retain self-interest as their guiding principle, but even now, 12 months later, new ideas based partly on that experience are still being dismissed out of hand. So can football find a way to change, and should those making the accusations of self-interest consider their own motivations too?
The food: Divisive foods. For Hugh and Gemma, it's rice pudding. For Rory and Kate...
2021-03-171h 12Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 220: The Anatomy Of A Post-Match InterviewThe football: Following a much-discussed incident from another sport, we try and shine a light on how a post-match interview works from a journalist's point of view. What are the time and editorial constraints? Who is supposed to be the chief beneficiary? How much does deference matter, and is the relationship between the two parties actually much deeper than anything you hear or see?
The food: Once again we are indebted to you for telling us about local food banks or charities helping people out at this difficult time. This week a friend of Hugh's has recommended the food bank...
2021-03-031h 20Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 218: GOATsThe football: Why the obsession with crowning someone as the GOAT? And not even just the GOAT of a particular sport, but an overall GOAT for all sports? Steven is annoyed by the discussion, particularly because it involves Tom Brady; Rory thinks the discussion is pointless; Hugh attempts to have the discussion anyway.
The food: We have had more listener suggestions of local food banks as we continue to ask for you to give generously to those who are struggling to find food right now. Any that mean a lot to you please send to setpiecemenu@gmail.com
We have...
2021-02-1757 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 216: Managers' teams or players' teams?The football: Why are some teams defined by the success or otherwise of the man who leads them, and why is the story of others told through the prism of their players? Whose fault is it when things go wrong? Who is the chief architect of their triumphs? We discuss if there are managers' teams, and players' teams, and what it says about them.
The food: After an email last week that wondered whether you might like to donate food to those more in need than the four of us during lockdown, a listener has made the first suggestion: a...
2021-02-0355 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 215: The Non-Elite World CupThe football: Following FIFA's threat to bar from their tournaments all those involved in a potential breakaway European Super League, we imagine those 15 clubs have called FIFA's bluff, and envision a World Cup without their players. Rory's done all the research into who would be left, how that effects their national squad, and together we all try to pronounce their names correctly.
The food: Hugh's assertion that the best chicken samosas ever come from a local deli is confirmed by someone with ties to that very deli. Well, someone who knows someone whose uncle works there. Also, a buffalo makes...
2021-01-271h 17Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 214: What's our current relationship with behind closed doors football?The football: Now that it's been more than seven months, and an end is not immediately in sight, have we become so accustomed to behind closed doors football that we're not noticing the potential pitfalls anymore? As we enter the second half of the season, when stakes are raised and competitions are decided, will we start to realise the relationship has become a little more comfortable than we'd like, particularly as we're about to experience those seasonal denouements without fans for a second time.
The food: Hugh feels the need to make a public service announcement about the chicken samosas...
2021-01-201h 02Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 212: Why is everyone talking about Leeds?The football: Whether it's because of Marcelo Bielsa's philosophy or the official club twitter account, it seems everyone is talking about Leeds. We ask why, and answer that question by, inevitably, talking about Leeds.
The food: The pandemic has denied Hugh his normal Christmas cake, traditionally baked for him by his aunt. So into that void steps Steven's partner Katie, who appears to have nailed it first time.
Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
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2021-01-061h 07Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 205: What makes a good game?The football: What are the crucial criteria that must be met for a game to be considered 'good'? The assumption is that the simple answer is goals; but both high-scoring affairs of little consequence, coupled with the old Italian footballing adage that a nil-nil is the perfect result, suggests there's more of a conversation to be had. Any excuse...
The food: Firstly Chinch and Hugh have a homemade cookie-off, and then our former England international behaves completely inappropriately with a merengue. There is video evidence of this.
Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
We're also on Twitter, Facebook and have a YouTube...
2020-11-181h 11
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 203: Sport and 'The Mainstream'The football: We've had so many intra-episode tangents over the years, why not make a whole episode out of one? An intended conversation about footballers in the mainstream got so sidetracked by Hugh's setup (rant) about sport as a whole and its relationship with the mainstream that we decided to just stick with it. We'll go back to the original plan next week, which we will make appear like a completely planned Part Two...
Also, please stick around for the Soccer Story. It's an important one.
The food: Hugh is very proud of his first ever cottage pie, complete with...
2020-11-041h 23Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 200: Project Big Picture - Opportunity or Opportunism?The football: For a long time, and in the last six months more than once, we've been talking on SPM about how football's structure might have to change, particularly in the context of how its flimsy foundations have been exposed by Covid 19. Well, as it turns out, others have also been discussing potentially seismic changes to the traditions of English football. We consider whether Project Big Picture is devised with the spirit of opportunity in mind, or if it's blatant opportunism, with the architects using the pandemic as an excuse to attempt to get what they've always wanted.
The food...
2020-10-141h 11Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 198: Seriously. WTF is going on?The football: Can anyone please tell us what the **** is going on in the Premier League? Three rounds of fixtures, and a plethora of goals, mistakes and handballs. Oh, the handballs! We, as ever, attempt to answer our own question, while making sure Steven has enough time to rant about the handballs.
The food: Hugh is particularly pleased with himself as he's eaten a vegan burger for the first time. Just one of the many cool things from three years ago he's only now catching up on.
Don't forget to enter your selection into the SPMPLPL! Head to tinyurl.com...
2020-09-301h 18
The Boom Real Estate PodcastEpisode 197 - (Season 4, Episode 7) - Virtual AccountabilityEpisode 197 (Season 4, Episode 7) Virtual Accountability The Boom Train has officially derailed! They’ve even reached the point in Season 4 of taking a vote on whether or not to finish out the season. (Spoiler Alert: the season will go on!) However, in the words of Hugh Jackman: “My dear friends, Terry, Megan, Christian, and Todd, don’t give up on Season 4 yet, especially Episode 7, as I know it will be your best! The show will go on. By the way, I’ll see you at Red Lobster.” With that, we power through the madness and finish...
2020-09-2432 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 197: Knee-jerk Reactions (Part 2)The football: The second part of our conversation about early season knee-jerk reactions asks if players are immune to them, or whether in the social media age they're more aware of those premature judgements. Are they capable of inoculating themselves, or can the sanctity of their bubble become compromised by all the talk going on outside the club? And if they do hear it, how do they react?
The food: Hugh is very proud of his Dutch Spiced Apple Cake, which he has purchased from his local garden centre, a place that you wouldn't normally find Dutch Spiced Apple Cake.
...
2020-09-2359 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 195: The Football PyramidThe football: Is the pyramid that has so long been the structure of English football still secure? The new season is about to start with the prospect of lower league clubs playing without fans, something that was considered financially unviable just a few weeks ago, and if some of the bricks at the bottom of the pyramid start to crumble, that would dictate the whole building is under threat. But does the Premier League's relative strength even in the face of a pandemic suggest it doesn't need those clubs who might have previously provided part of the foundation of their...
2020-09-091h 14Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 194: What we learnt about matches with no fansThe football: As plans were being made for the post-lockdown return of football, many the apocalyptic prediction was made about how the game would suffer without fans being allowed to attend the matches, but have we, the players, and broadcasters come to terms with behind closed doors quicker than we expected, and has that led to us learning something surprising about all three?
The food: Chinch parades an avocado, banana and lime loaf baked by his step-daughter. It leads to him being very confused about the difference between a fruit and a vegetable.
This week Chinch has set you a...
2020-09-021h 06Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 193: The Champions League Last Eight (that was good, so let's not do it again)The football: This year's Champions League last eight tournament had everything we'd expect of the final stages of club football's elite competition, apart from ties played over two legs. If it worked so handsomely, why is it so unlikely to happen again? Rory decides to answer this question by comparing European football to an electric car.
The food: Steven has "eaten out to help out" by returning to the Didsbury Deli for coffee and bacon butties. By doing this when everyone else is on zoom, it transpires the only person he's helping out is himself.
All emails to setpiecemenu@gmail...
2020-08-2658 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 192: Pep TalkThe football: After three (chaotic, mistake-ridden and VAR-affected) exits in three Champions League quarter finals in a row, we try and work out why the best manager of a generation can't get it done in Europe. Is the narrative about Pep Guardiola 'overthinking' things true? Why are Manchester City's knockout games chaotic, mistake-ridden and VAR-affected? And why does Guardiola make significant tactical changes before each one? It's time... for a Pep talk.
The food: Rory lovingly describes his homemade cookies, flavoured with toffee, an ingredient that is apparently only available because he now owns a toffee hammer.
Emails to: setpiecemenu...
2020-08-191h 17Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 191: Elite players who have become elite managersThe football: After Juventus took a punt on Andrea Pirlo, a man of legendary status and undoubted elite playing career, to take on their manager's job having had no experience, we consider how rare it is that a world class player becomes a world class manager. Having realised that, as a result, coming up with a (trademarked) SPM Select XI would be a fairly easy task, we do exactly that.
The food: Chinch has broken free of his Cheshire shackles to return to Portugal for the first time since the pre-pandemic era, and he's showing off by having some of...
2020-08-121h 11Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 190: The lessons and legacy of the coronavirus pandemic, and will football just ignore them all?The football: Covid-19 forced football to think differently about the way football is played, run and financed, but will the game learn any of those lessons? Can the only legacy of the lockdown and restart really be five substitutes? We discuss the things that should stay, should go, and should have been given more consideration.
The food: Freshly returned from a trip to Bergamo, Rory reveals the tale of two lunches from his final day in Italy. The second, the one he was eventually culturally satisfied by, is described as: 'ham, field mushrooms and some sort of quite soft cheese...
2020-08-051h 16Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 189: The 3rd Annual Hot Takes And TakeawaysThe football: Many traditions have been delayed in this unique Premier League season, but this is the one you've all been waiting for the most. The 3rd Annual Hot Takes and Takeaways episode brings together our typically jumbled but hopefully consistent (ie: repetitive) thoughts about the last 11 and a half months of Premier League football. And yes, we mention VAR.
The food: Steven is on holiday in Devon, and so regales us about the glamorous first breakfast of his summer break. Upsettingly, it includes a pastry in plastic.
PLUS: We reveal the winner of the Set Piece Menu Premier League...
2020-07-291h 20Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 188: The Obsession with RecordsThe football: Why the sudden obsession with records, and attempts to devalue achievements if milestones aren't simultaneously broken? Has modern football discourse become overwhelmed with the idea (to quote coach Coach Reilly in Mighty Ducks) that "it's not worth winning if you can't win big"? The phenomenon we're calling GOATism (TM Rory Smith) applies to teams and players, especially emerging talent, which finds itself burdened with comparisons to icons before their careers have had a chance to mature.
The food: Hugh arrives at Steven's with Krispy Kreme donuts for all, plus the Wyeth offspring. A generous gesture, somewhat undermined by...
2020-07-211h 03
Purple Radio On DemandYellow. #10 Hugh FerrisAfter a short hiatus, Gabriel returns to talk to Hugh Ferris, BBC Sport, World Service, Radio 2 and Manchester City FC matchday presenter and anchor. Hugh made his name in broadcast media on Manchester-based radio, before working on the 2002 Commonwealth Games, numerous Olympics and Paralympics (including anchoring BBC Sport's coverage of the Rio 2016 Olympics) and gaining the rights to interview Sir Alex Ferguson one-on-one each week in the mid-Noughties.
Hugh is also the presenter of the highly successful Set Piece Menu Podcast, a podcast that seeks to achieve a more intellectual and holistic view of the big football q...
2020-07-1658 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 187: The Relegation Flake OutThe football: Why have the Premier League's current bottom three so far appeared to show very little fight in their fight against relegation? Norwich are down after losing every game since the restart, while both Aston Villa and Bournemouth have taken until their most recent game to register a first win after the hiatus; not really any typical dramatic against-the-odds victories, or scrapping for a vital draw, and, as a result, dwindling hopes of avoiding the drop. So why has this relegation battle been anything but?
The food: For Andy, Hugh and Steve, some elite level croissants. For Rory, originally...
2020-07-1559 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM Bonus: MCFC FFPA special bonus pod to discuss the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision to overturn Manchester City's two-year European ban. It's the MCFC FFP UEFA CAS pod of acronyms.
Usual pod still coming on Wednesday!
2020-07-1321 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 186: ProfessionalismThe football: Reunited in person for the first time since the lockdown, we talk about professionalism. What do we expect of players, and what do they expect of each other? Are footballers held to higher or lower standards than the rest of us, and has it changed over the years? Expect a lot of talk about the Ndombele/Mourinho conflict at Spurs...
The food: Is actually cooked and eaten by all four of the pod crew, and it is the Wyeth special of poached eggs and smoked salmon, with a spinach garnish. All very predictable and pre-lockdown you might think...
2020-07-081h 12Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 185: DesireThe football: How important is desire? With Liverpool's Premier League title being the product of good data and good decision-making, how much of a role did desire play? Could they have succeeded without the relationship between Jurgen Klopp, his players, and the Kop, and how easy will it be to sustain?
The food: Chinch bucks his recent trend of appalling food choices by parading a wrap filled with jumbo fish fingers, tartare sauce, and home-grown chard and rocket. He, of course, played no part in the making of it.
Get in touch with the podcast via setpiecemenu@gmail.com
2020-07-011h 09Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 184: Did we miss the actual football, or the paraphernalia that surrounds the games?The football: Now the Premier League has returned, have we realised we missed the conversation around football, rather than the football itself? Is the game only partly about the games, and is the football entertainment complex fuelled by much more?
The food: An early morning recording means coffee is the only thing being consumed, although who figured that would lead to the great cinnamon sprinkles debate. Whose side are YOU on?
Thanks for all your emails, keep them coming to setpiecemenu@gmail.com
And don't forget to check out our YouTube channel, just search for Set Piece Menu!
2020-06-241h 08Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 183: The Premier League is back... but is it still the best?The football: The Premier League returns this week, but given that its marketing sells the league as 'the best in the world' primarily because of the full crowds at its games, will the brand be damaged by the behind closed doors matches that we'll see for the rest of the season at least?
The food: Hugh's brother-in-law was 40 at the weekend, and his wife and daughter baked him a cake, a large slab of which is produced as evidence. Rory disapproves of the lack of icing.
Thanks for all your emails, you can send them to setpiecemenu@gmail.com
We're...
2020-06-171h 06Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 182: SPM Live! (It's Not Live) Part 2The football: Listeners from all around the world (including Swindon) join the four friends to talk football in the second edition of our live (not live) show. Once again, a Select XI is chosen to ask questions, and once again they're mostly better than ones the pod team would ever think of.
The food: Another listener is asked to provide us with details of their most recent meal, and another listener makes Chinch's culinary habits appear more normal than he'd previously been given credit for, by revealing he's just had a peanut butter sandwich.
All your emails can be sent...
2020-06-101h 11Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 181: SPM Live! (It's Not Live) Part 1The football: We are joined by a live audience over zoom, a Select XI of which ask questions to the team. Some of those questions are deeply thoughtful; one of them is about hair colour.
The food: A listener is chosen to reveal their most recent meal. It's Chinch-in-lockdown-level simplicity: a can of spaghettios with meatballs.
Emails to setpiecemenu@gmail.com, and have a look out on twitter and facebook for some videos!
2020-06-031h 20Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 180: Dressing Room DynamicsThe football: We discuss how the dynamics of a dressing room have changed over the years, and ask if there can there be a dominant force, or whether cliques are now more prevalent. Chinch walks us through some of those who might fall into either of those categories, while talking altogether more than we expected about Carlton Palmer.
The food: Still in lockdown, the food we're eating isn't particularly noteworthy, apart from Chinch's further reliance on hot dogs, which he now reveals he's eating once a day.
Thanks for all your emails and tweets! You can send the former to...
2020-05-271h 08Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 179: The Youth/Maturity ParadoxThe football: With fame and fortune thrust upon them at such an early age, elite footballers have an opportunity to experience things outside of work that most of us can only achieve a lot later in life. Buying cars and houses, getting married and having children, are all affordable and manageable when you're a successful young player, at a time when you're not traditionally considered mature. We discuss how a youth/maturity paradox has developed, particularly at the top of the game, and how we should be more understanding of how players have to deal with it.
The food: After...
2020-05-201h 16Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 178: A question for the Premier League: "What are you doing?"The football: The team asks a question of the Premier League, and it's simple. "What are you doing?" Amidst relative clarity elsewhere, the Premier League seems to be awash with indecision regarding a possible restart post-pandemic, and while the constitutional makeup of the league makes its position harder than most, why does there appear to be such an inability to forge a path forward?
The food: Still in lockdown, the food offerings are becoming more and more unimpressive. Steve cooks eggs, Rory has soup, while Chinch is forced into the rare position of having to make his own lunch. After...
2020-05-131h 13Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 177: The Influence of FIFA and FMThe football: Lockdown has taken real football away, but for many a football fan, it has provided more time for virtual football. For closing in on three decades, Football (previously Championship) Manager and FIFA have not only been entertaining us, but particularly for younger generations, offering a gateway into the game. We discuss (at great length, suggesting we are as addicted to our own voices as millions are to the two games) how they have affected and influenced us, and football.
The food: Macaroni cheese, prepared by Mrs Hinchcliffe for her granddaughter. The dish can also be eaten by adults...
2020-05-061h 18
5 Live News SpecialsWhen should we bring football back?Some seasons have ended, some are preparing to resume. UEFA is waiting to hear from the Premier League about what their plans are for a possible return by 25th May. But what do you think? Is it too soon? 5 Live's Nicky Campbell and BBC Sport presenter Hugh Ferris put the question to fans and are joined by Accrington Stanley manager, John Coleman, and European Leagues President Lars Christer-Olsson.
2020-04-2949 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 176: The Set Piece Menu DraftThe football: The SPM Draft. The team each attempt to pick a team's worth of players, following the rules of a draft. Which positions are prioritised, and what strategies are adopted as players come off the board? There is a lot of bickering, and bullying of Hugh, who despite doing all the work to prepare for the draft, turns out to be terrible at it.
The food: Steven is responsible for this week's food the rest of the pod crew can't eat. It's a cheese, chorizo, ham and red pepper omelette, which his family apparently very much enjoyed.
Let us...
2020-04-291h 07Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 175: The (still prospective) Newcastle United TakeoverThe football: We discuss the what, who and why now of the potential takeover of Newcastle United in large part by the Saudi Arabian royal family's sovereign investment fund. With all football, never mind the Premier League, in a state of some financial uncertainty, is this proof that money remains king, regardless of those who might be concerned that the deal represents another example of 'sportswashing'.
The food: A banana and pecan cake, baked by Hugh, and because of the lockdown, entirely eaten by Hugh.
Thanks for all your emails, and we hope you're staying safe.
Send any correspondence to...
2020-04-221h 03Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 174: Football needs one voice, and better accountantsThe football: The coronavirus pandemic has revealed two truths about football, particularly in England, that were perhaps previously hidden. Some of those within the game might be a little too self-serving, and many clubs' finances are very fragile. So the team suggests that football needs one voice, and better accountants.
The food: Lunch in four different places. One is simply an apple and a twirl, while another is pitta bread filled with turkey, avocado, egg and salad. You'll probably be able to guess who is responsible for those two at least...
Thanks for all your emails and tweets! Continue to...
2020-04-151h 09Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 172: The Football Conversation (Part 2 - Fans v The Media)The football: Part two of our conversation about conversations. In this episode we talk about the erosion of trust between fans and the media, and lay blame squarely (if not equally) at the door of both.
The food: A coconut cake, which Hugh is a little disappointed with, but Steven still eats very loudly.
Email us at setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Twitter: @setpiecemenu
2020-04-011h 05Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 169: Football's Response To The Coronavirus OutbreakThe football: Behind closed doors, a temporary postponement, or a full cancellation? We discuss how the coronavirus outbreak might affect the rest of the European season, and potentially Euro 2020, and ask how much football's response, particularly in England, has been shaped by its desire not to lose money.
The food: Biltong. South African dried, cured meat which has been provided by Hugh, although he'd already polished off around 75% of it prior to the pod recording.
Please keep all your emails coming in to setpiecemenu@gmail.com
And post us a 5-star review on iTunes!
2020-03-111h 00Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 166: The Likeable Footballer XIThe football: Is there a footballer in the team you hate that you don't hate that much? Which player rises above the tribal fury of the age to remain likeable, even if he turns out for your rivals? We attempt to collate, and then arrange a team which appears to contain far too many diminutive Spanish playmakers.
The food: York Fruits. A blast from everybody's past, provided by Hugh, and devoured by everyone else, leaving not nearly enough for Hugh's wife Gemma.
Our weekly request for emails can be responded to thusly: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Also please head to iTunes...
2020-02-1958 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 163: CaptaincyThe football: Captaincy. What makes a good captain, how much does the on- and off-field role differ, and why was English football accused of obsessing about the role too much by Fabio Capello? Also, we reveal how many games for which Chinch had the role. Hint: He's had both more England caps, and indeed wives.
The food: Stroopwaffles. Yes, not for the first time. Hugh's wife has been to Holland with work before and brought back this Dutch delicacy for the pod crew. But this time they're APPLE flavour. So there.
Send us an email on setpiecemenu@gmail.com
2020-01-291h 00
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 162: CharismaThe football: Charisma. Can a manager be successful without it? And what forms does it take in football beyond the dictionary definition? We talk about all the people you're thinking about now, and also Nigel Pearson.
The food: Crumpets. The offer of savoury or sweet toppings by Hugh produces one single answer: bacon. The accompaniments vary however; with cheese (Chinch), maple syrup (Rory), and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (Steve, obviously) chosen by the team.
Get in touch via email on setpiecemenu@gmail.com
2020-01-221h 04
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 161: Is the media coverage of Manchester City and Liverpool different?The football: Does the media treat Manchester City and Liverpool differently? Is there an #agenda against or for either when you compare the coverage of the two? We consider the complaints made by fans and suggest what the remedies might be.
The food: Cake, in duplicate. Rory's made a St Clement's cake, which makes a first appearance, while there's a return for the Ferris family Christmas cake, which Hugh has very much not made.
All emails to setpiecemenu@gmail.com and please head to iTunes and give us a 5 star review!
2020-01-151h 06
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 158: Festive Football Fun!Merry Christmas from Set Piece Menu!
The football: Following a frankly below-average summer outing for the SPM Football Fun quiz, the clamour* has grown for a Christmas special edition, to both entertain you all, and provide easy content for us. Hugh dips back in to his question-a-day calendar to ask an advent-suitable number of 24 for our three intrepid contestants. Will Rory win again? Will Steve be able to answer any without speaking with his mouth full? And most importantly, will Chinch engage with the process at all? Find out with Set Piece Menu's Festive Football Fun!
The food: A Christmas...
2019-12-2333 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 157: What do we mean by 'great'?The football: If we accept we use the word 'great' too much, when should we use it? What do we mean when we talk of a player as 'great', or even 'a great', and while we're at it, should we perhaps find a better way of describing a goal as a 'great' goal?
The food: Two sweet treats. One is a home-made non-beetroot brownie lovingly made by Nicky Hinchcliffe; the other is shop-bought off-brand stollen hurriedly purchased by Hugh.
Contact:
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@setpiecemenu
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2019-12-181h 02
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 100: And it's LIVE!This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food. And this time they're doing it live!
The 100th Episode Spectacular is upon us, as a room of (actually paying) guests join Andy, Rory, Steven and Hugh as part of the Manchester Podcast Festival.
The football: It Must Have Been Love... But Is It Over Now? We discuss if the enjoyment we get out of football is now outweighed by the things we don't like about it - and wonder if there might even be a need for us both to go on a break...
2019-11-2059 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 153: Referees - do we expect too much or are they letting us down?This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: What the script said was not supposed to be a VAR episode... turned into a VAR episode. But there's more too! We ask if the new technology has highlighted a problem with referees, or whether it's shown that we expect too much of the officials.
The food: Steven cooks a chorizo and red pepper omelette, while Hugh brings some left over birthday cake.
Contact:
@setpiecemenu
setpiecemenu@gmail.com
facebook.com/setpiecemenu
2019-11-131h 04
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 152: Re-evaluating managers we *might* have been wrong aboutThe latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: Is it time we admitted we were wrong about some managers who have confounded our preconceptions? There's been a lot of Brendan Rodgers bashing, but his Leicester team are flying high; meanwhile Marco Silva - once the hipsters' choice - can't seem to make it work at Everton. Time for some SPM re-evaluation.
The food: Much to Rory's disgust, having been away from us for a little while, it's another duty free offering from Hugh. Turkish delight from Crete. So Cretan delight then.
...
2019-11-061h 01
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 147: Why do players make mistakes at international level that they don't for their clubs?This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: After high profile mistakes in recent months by England international defenders, we ask why players tend to make the kind of errors for their country that they wouldn't for their clubs, and whether it's because of the coaching they're getting at club level is the best it has ever been.
The food: A stir-fry. Not prepared prior to the pod, but afterwards, because Hugh is concerned about juggling recording equipment and a very hot wok.
BREAKING NEWS: We are, at last, doing our 100...
2019-09-181h 08
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 139: The Clutch GeneThe latest episode of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk about football over food.
The football: The Clutch Gene. Why do some sportspeople produce their best under the most intense pressure and in the most crucial moment? And why did Andy Hinchcliffe have none of those qualities? Our former pro reveals how he felt during the most significant day of his career - the 1995 FA Cup Final - and, spoiler alert: it wasn't good.
The food: To thank us for taking him to the very depths of his footballing career, Chinch has offered to buy us...
2019-07-241h 00
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 133: Pod PostbagThis is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: A Pod Postbag. So many of you get in touch asking us to talk about a topic of your choosing, and on so many occasions we don't get round to it. So here's a chance to make amends, with several of your subject suggestions dealt with in double quick time.
The food: Lasagne, for the second time in recent pod history, but as it's made clear to Hugh, this one is properly home made.
Get in touch:
@setpiecemenu
setpiecemenu@gmail.com
facebook.com...
2019-06-1253 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 131: TrainingThe latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: Training. Unless you're a member of Marcelo Bielsa's extended entourage, what happens on the training field remains a bit of a mystery. Andy attempts to cast his mind back to tell us how training sessions work, how matches are prepared for, and why some methods are better than others.
The food: Welsh Cakes, provided by Hugh, with strawberry jam, provided by Hugh's mum.
Get in touch via email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Twitter: @setpiecemenu
2019-05-291h 06
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 128: Being A Club ManThe 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 setpiecemenu@gmail.com!
2019-05-0855 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 127: Are players any good at judging other players?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 directions. For the others, chocolates from Croatia, after Hugh's wife Gemma's most recent work trip...
2019-05-0155 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 125: Do players care about their surroundings?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 - @setpiecemenu
setpiecemenu@gmail.com
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2019-04-1755 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 124: InjuriesThis 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 take the banana-flavoured one.
Please get in touch...
2019-04-101h 10
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 118: The Insubordination Of KepaThis 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@gmail.com
2019-02-271h 02
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 112: Where Is The Line?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, feta and orange; all chopped and lobbed in a bowl.
Get in touch via twitter @setpiecemenu
Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
www...
2019-01-1651 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 111: Life After FootballThis 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 correspondence remains very welcome. @setpiecemenu on twitter or setpiecemenu@gmail.com for emails.
2019-01-091h 03Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 106: Is football important?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.
Thanks for all your votes in the FSF Podcast of the Year...
2018-12-051h 04
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 105: Tribalism vs Truth (Part 2)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 Piece Menu:
Twitter - @setpiecemenu
Email - setpiecemenu@gmail.com
www...
2018-11-281h 03
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 102: Are Manchester City ruining it for everyone?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 other three while Hugh talks.
If you haven't heard, we have been nominate for the Football S...
2018-11-071h 05
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 95: Does European Football need fixing?This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: Does European football need fixing? The Champions League and Europa League are back as the latest forms of European club competition, and they've undergone several tweaks in recent years, but do they need to change further to work?
Plus - Rory's big idea. We commit to tape the competition format Rory thinks will change the face of European club football. Mainly because he's worried someone will steal it, and prevent him from making millions.
The food: Well, drink. Luwak coffee from Indonesia. Hugh...
2018-09-261h 07Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 93: What is Beautiful Football?The latest episode of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: in what guise is the game at its most beautiful - and who's to say what style of football we should admire above all others? Plus Chinch reveals the zen-like preparation that helped him hone a left foot that could "open a can of beans", and Set Piece Menu bingo returns for the 2018/19 season.
The food: chocolatey goodness from Mrs Ferris' latest business trip to Croatia. Trips that are in no way becoming suspiciously frequent...
Your correspondence remains crucial to the...
2018-09-1243 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 88: RelegationThe latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk about football over food.
The football: Relegation - should we be so hung up on not going down? The team are reunited (kinda) to bring in the new Premier League season, and to ask whether relegation is all that bad after all.
The food: chocolates from Croatia. A gift from Hugh's wife, not a consolation present from the country to four Englishmen.
We'll have your suggestions for our 'Inappropriately Skilled XI' next week, so keep sending them in to @setpiecemenu or setpiecemenu@gmail.com
And don't forget to...
2018-08-0850 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 86: England's World Cup StoryThis is the latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: The England World Cup debrief. Football didn't come home, but why, how, and should it even have been a thing in the first place? Hugh and Steve get all sanctimonious, while Chinch admits he didn't even notice it happening from his Woodford bubble...
The food: Biscotti from, as the label says, Eataly.
Next week we open entries to the Set Piece Menu Premier League Predictions League - yes it's back!
Get in touch via twitter on @setpiecemenu
Or email setpiecemenu@gmail...
2018-07-251h 08
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 79: Is the World Cup a blessed release?This is the latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: World Cup Special (Part One) - is the World Cup a blessed relief from all the tribalism and twitter trolling of club football?
The food: peppers and onions, as described by Rory, which until Hugh was able to purchase peppers en route, was going to be just onions.
Get in touch with the team via twitter @setpiecemenu
Or email setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Please rate and review us on iTunes, we really like knowing that you care...!
2018-06-0656 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 71: Is pragmatism or a philosophy the key to managerial success?The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: How should we rate managerial success? Not everyone has a 'way', but does that mean we underestimate the achievements of those who favour pragmatism over philosophy? Case study: Zinedine Zidane.
The food: chocolate fairy cakes, which leads to an argument, because Hugh refuses to eat one.
Plus - a soccer story about royalty, and we all have a go at pronouncing Kevin de Bruyne following some expert guidance.
Get in touch via twitter @setpiecemenu
Or email setpiecemenu@gmail.com
2018-04-1157 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 67: Politics and FootballThe latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: Have politics and football become irreversibly intertwined? The game has rules preventing the two from mixing, but it seems there's no keeping them apart.
The food: gingerbread biscuits (made by Rory), and orange cake (made by Hugh, although the others don't believe it).
Get in touch via twitter @setpiecemenu
and email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
STAND BY for an extra pod about the 20 team SPMPL later in the week too!
2018-03-1452 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 65: What happened to all the old big clubs?Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: What happened to some of the traditional 'big clubs'? Why are previously successful and illustrious names in football languishing outside the elite?
The food: is actually a drink. To reduce washing up, Hugh blends our meal - a Granola, Yogurt, Banana, Berry and Pomegranate Smoothie that was surprisingly satisfying.
Thanks for your input on this week's podcast. Please continue to get in touch via twitter @setpiecemenu and email setpiecemenu@gmail.com. Your ratings and reviews are also very much appreciated.
2018-02-2852 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 63: One dominant club or a cartel?The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football - Which is better for a domestic league: one dominant club, or a cartel of up to six? Do you prefer knowing who's going to win the title or who's going to make up the European places?
The food: lent-defying chocolates, courtesy of Hugh's uncle's trip to the House of Lords.
Plus, if Set Piece Menu was a football club, which club would we be? Get in touch with your suggestions via twitter @setpiecemenu, or on email setpiecemenu@gmail.com
2018-02-1446 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 52: Why do so many fans seem so miserable?The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: Why do so many fans seem so miserable? The team wonders if it's sometimes easier to complain, and if wanting to be right can mean a supporter prefers his club to fail.
The food: chorizo and pepper omelette from Steve, and glamorous liqueur chocolates from South Africa (well, Joburg airport duty free) from the returning Hugh.
We also reflect on what gives you joy in football, so keep the correspondence coming in:
@setpiecemenu
setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Thanks for all your support, next week...
2017-11-2957 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 50: Youth (Part 3)The latest edition of the podcast where four friends talk football over food - Set Piece Menu.
The football: Youth - Part Three. The conclusion of our discussion on the development of young players. What's next for a footballer after breaking into the first team, and how is early promise sustained to ensure a long and decorated career?
The food: we're forced to raid Hugh's kitchen for snacks whilst he continues to gently simmer a chicken one-pot lunch.
As always, reviews, ratings and spreading of the word is very much appreciated.
Points of contact: @setpiecemenu on twitter and setpiecemenu@gmail...
2017-11-1551 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 49: Youth (Part 2)The latest edition of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: Youth - Part Two. How does a young footballer make the step from academy to first-team, and what responsibility does a club have to ensure that potential is fulfilled?
The food: Hugh continues to over-promise but under-deliver on a chicken one-pot lunch. Stomachs are rumbling.
Please continue to rate, review and spread the Set Piece Menu gospel.
You can get in touch via @setpiecemenu or setpiecemenu@gmail.com
2017-11-0857 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 46: Best of the Pod so far (Part 1)This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food, although owing to a couple of happy occasions in the Smith and Hinchcliffe households, and the subsequent granting of paternity and grand-paternity leave, we are down to two.
Therefore, the football: a tour through some of the earlier Set Piece Menu best bits to save some of our newer listeners a little time, while we happily take the metrics hit.
The food: overnight oats, as Hugh tries to wean Steve off cereal, with a side of medicinal hot drinks.
Thanks for all your correspondence, you...
2017-10-1854 minSet Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 43 and a quarter: A Best of the rest XIA special bonus edition of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: we've crunched the numbers on your suggestions and reveal the Best of the Rest XI. Is the team, made up of players from the clubs outside the top 7 biggest spenders, capable of challenging at the top of the Premier League? Chinch produces his tactics board as a visual aid; Hugh, Steven and Rory are deeply unimpressed....
Twitter: @setpiecemenu
setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Do keep the reviews on iTunes etc coming!
2017-10-0217 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 18: The stockpiling of young playersThe latest episode of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: Stockpiling young players - are some clubs preventing their progress by not offering a realistic path to the first team?
The food: an elephant in the room (not literally), after Hugh's dismissive comments about the rest of the team's previous culinary efforts...
2017-04-0545 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 17: How long is too long for a manager?Episode 17 of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: How long is too long for a manager?
The food: Rory's springtime spread of crudités, and French biscuits, both summarily disrespected by Hugh, as always.
2017-03-2949 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 10: What needs to be fixed in football?Welcome to the latest edition of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk about football over food.
The football: what needs to be fixed in football... IMMEDIATELY.
The food: coffee buns and stroopwafels, with the latter leading to an astonishing alternative fact about Hugh's grandmother.
2017-02-0840 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 6: Football in a Post-Truth worldIntroducing episode six of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.
The football: 2016 was the year of post-truth politics, but football set the trend a long time ago.
The food: chicken cacciatore, slow-cooked by Rory, pronounced beautifully by Hugh.
Please get involved by sharing and leaving 5-star reviews!
2017-01-1136 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 3: Is there ever anything new in football?Introducing Episode 3 of Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk about football over food. The football: Hugh, Rory, Steve and Andy ask whether there's ever anything new in the game, or are we guilty of simply giving different names to old ideas? The food: tapas, but not the fancy kind. Thanks for your support, please subscribe and share!
2016-12-2132 min
Set Piece Menu Football PodcastSPM 1: Is the Premier League the best league in the world?The first episode of Set Piece Menu. The football: Rory, Andy, Steve and Hugh discuss whether the Premier League really is the best league in the world... and does it matter anyway? The food: muffins and shortbread, with frothy coffee.
2016-12-0929 min
Pun Watch: The News Pun Quiz GameHugh Laurie Autographs ‘Dinosaur Sex’ Edition Monopoly With Lewd SignatureThis week’s Punwatch, with a brief discussion of spoiler warnings for an entire school (if you haven’t seen Star Wars yet it’s your own fault.) This episode is titled, “Hugh Laurie Autographs ‘Dinosaur Sex’ Edition Monopoly With Lewd Signature”. We get classist, but about rich people, so it’s ok. Punsters: Alex Malone, Harry Brimage, Lisa Dib & James Ferris Host: Andrew Cherry
2016-01-2826 min