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The Saturday 3pm blackout is one of the most distinctive aspects of English football. The games in that timeslot are televised around the world, but not in this country, the result of a rule that has stood for more than 70 years. The theory is that by keeping them off TV, more fans will go and watch their local teams. On today's episode Rory Smith, John Brewin and Jack Pitt-Brooke discuss whether the blackout works, in protecting attendances further down the pyramid. And whether it is still worth bothering with in the modern age? Given how much people pay for TV subscriptions do they deserve to have every game at their fingertips? And can the ruling survive in a world where it feels as if everything is for sale? P1: (01:33) P2: (30:58) --- Libero is going live again! This time we're doing two of the most important of the least important live shows, one in Leeds on 18th November and a second in London on 20th November. Tickets are on sale right now, the link for the show in Leeds is here and the link for London is here. If you sign up to the Special Ones tier of SC Libero you claim 20% off the ticket price for the live show. Join the most important of the least important membership clubs right here: liberopodcast.com. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ballon d’Or, the award Jonathan Wilson despises most. Our voteless trio discuss the merits of a shortlist that includes Rory Smith favourite Julian Quinones and ponders why the race is so open this year. What does it say about how we consume football? How do we weight individual success? Why shouldn't Fabian Ruiz collect the big gold gong at the London Palladium? Join James Horncastle, Wilson and Smith, AKA the journalists France Football overlooked for the voting panel in Italy, England and Scotland, to find out why Kylian Mbappe's fingerprints will not be all over an award that presumably had to be moved from Paris for its own safety. P1: (07:49) P2: (32:20) --- Libero is going live again! This time we're doing two of the most important of the least important live shows, one in Leeds on 18th November and a second in London on 20th November. Tickets are on sale right now, the link for the show in Leeds is here and the link for London is here. If you sign up to the Special Ones tier of SC Libero you claim 20% off the ticket price for the live show. Join the most important of the least important membership clubs right here: liberopodcast.com. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Premier League's two smartest, most upwardly-mobile teams, Brighton and Brentford, are currently third and fourth in the table. Is it too soon to talk about Champions League football? What do we actually mean by 'well-run’, and does it go further than just having an algorithm to identify talent? And given the Manchester City scandal, why is the success of these teams potentially so valuable to the league itself? Jack Pitt-Brooke is joined by John Brewin and Rory Smith, plus a special cameo. P1: (02:39) P2: (29:09) Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PSG are a superclub backed by an oil state who have come to dominate European football. Not dissimilar then to Manchester City. Yet, ahead of their Champions League meeting this week, one club is facing serious sanctions for breaching financial regulations and the other is not. Like City, the French champions have been accused of inflating related-party sponsorships to fund squad building, but PSG escaped sanctions and now club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is one of European football's top powerbrokers. So how have the Qataris managed to manoeuvre in a way that their Gulf rivals from the UAE have not? Jonathan Wilson is joined by Miguel Delaney and Tariq Panja. P1: (02:32) P2: (23:00) Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Manchester City travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday in a game that marks the first appearance of the boys in sky blue since the Premier League verdict dropped and opened the public's eyes to Sham City. A cauldron, a bear pit, a house of flying Kopperberg bottles, it's fair to say it will be lively on Merseyside. Does it mean more because it's Liverpool? Do the yet-to-be-defined sanctions render the whole thing meaningless? Rory Smith is joined by Jack Pitt-Brooke and John Brewin for this one. P1: (01:12) P2: (32:39) Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Manchester City having been found guilty of systematically cheating their way to Premier League domination, what are the broader implications for competition itself? How robust will one of England's major cultural exports be in the face of its biggest ever scandal? But also has its previously successful formula of light-touch regulation and openness to foreign investment been the Premier League's undoing in the City case? Jack Pitt-Brooke is joined by James Horncastle and Miguel Delaney. P1: (11:20) P2: (27:25) Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trying to place the scale of the Manchester City cheating scandal into context is not straightforward given there is almost no comparable event in the history of English football. However other historic scandals do exist, Calciopoli in Italy is one, but there are more closer to home too. Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jonathan Wilson and James Horncastle discuss where the City case lands among all of that, as well as what it means for the club's fans and the integrity of the Premier League. P1: (04:22) P2: (27:33) Join SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs, now: liberopodcast.com. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast.com Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Manchester City’s epic run of glory lies in ruins after a long awaited verdict reveals the success was built on a mountain of sham contracts and more than £850m in side income from its Abu Dhabi royal overlords. Rory, Jonathan and Tariq try to dissect a ruling for the ages. P1: (00:55) P2: (26:16) -- Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The arrival of the news that Manchester City had been found guilty of the majority of the more than 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League upended a sleepy international break weekend. It is the biggest story in football in recent memory and has huge implications for English football and beyond. Miguel Delaney and Tariq Panja have been tracking this story for years, John Brewin asks them to try and put the news into context. P1: (00:37) P2: (35:59) -- Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spain are World and European champions (again), but is there more to the country's success than their clearly defined set of football principles? Why has this set of players succeeded where the post-2012 generation fell short? James Horncastle is joined by a very Spanish Miguel Delaney and Rory Smith to discuss. P1: (05:45) P2: (34:15) -- It's the final day of Wilson Month! This is your last chance to sign up for SC Libero and get the opportunity to enjoy our member benefits of bonus content on the end of every regular show and a weekly bonus episodes with 30 days of access for FREE. The offer applies for all tiers of SC Libero membership, but be aware, only Einsteins and above get the extra episodes. More details and sign up is here. --- Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jurgen Klopp and Zinedine Zidane will be among some very familiar faces in the dugout during the upcoming Nations League fixtures as they become the latest high-profile coaches to make the move into international football. They join a number of high-profile peers, including as Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti, in trying their hand coaching a national team, but what is behind this raft of big-name arrivals on the international stage? John Brewin, James Horncastle and Miguel Delaney go through the new faces. P1: (00:26) P2: (37:41) -- It's STILL Wilson Month! Anyone signing up for SC Libero in the next couple of weeks has the opportunity to enjoy our member benefits of bonus content on the end of every regular show and a weekly bonus episodes with 30 days of access for FREE. Jonathan Wilson is upset at these levels of generosity . The offer applies for all tiers of SC Libero membership, but be aware, only Einsteins and above get the extra episodes. More details and sign up is here. --- Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are the most high-profile, but they are from the only English players currently plying their trade on the continent - there are three at Inter Milan alone. This trend is certainly a break from tradition over the past 20 years, where outside of a few high-profile exceptions Englishman kept it strictly Premier League and there was a feeling the foreign clubs weren't particularly fussed about going after them. Why is this changing now? Tracking this phenomenon are Rory Smith, James Horncastle and Jack Pitt-Brooke. P1: (00:35) P2: (33:28) -- It's STILL Wilson Month! Anyone signing up for SC Libero in the next couple of weeks has the opportunity to enjoy our member benefits of bonus content on the end of every regular show and a weekly bonus episodes with 30 days of access for FREE. Jonathan Wilson is upset at these levels of generosity . The offer applies for all tiers of SC Libero membership, but be aware, only Einsteins and above get the extra episodes. More details and sign up is here. --- Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sky Sports has changed football more than once since the outset of the Premier League and the latest development has elevated star pundits such as Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher to figures that dictate the discourse well beyond the broadcast. Driven by social media, technology and changing consumption habits, this is increasingly taking the form of partisan analysis. Rory Smith, Jack Pitt-Brooke, and Tariq Panja track the key moments in the modern evolution of football broadcasting and what impact it's having on the whole ecosystem. P1: (01:26) P2: (31:03) --- It's STILL Wilson Month! Anyone signing up for SC Libero in the next couple of weeks has the opportunity to enjoy our member benefits of bonus content on the end of every regular show and a weekly bonus episodes with 30 days of access for FREE. Jonathan Wilson is upset at these levels of generosity . The offer applies for all tiers of SC Libero membership, but be aware, only Einsteins and above get the extra episodes. More details and sign up is here. --- Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Manchester United were an outlier in a summer of lavish spending. In a sea of nine-figure signings, the new arrivals at Old Trafford were brought in on more modest fees as a number of targets moved to rivals. Gone are the days when United were top of the food chain, Premier League titles are now firmly in the rearview mirror and Manchester City are the dominant local force. So with another reboot ongoing under Michael Carrick, who are are Manchester United in 2026? Jack Pitt-Brooke is joined by John Brewin and Rory Smith. P1: (00:31) P2: (33:04) -- It's STILL Wilson Month! Anyone signing up for SC Libero in the next couple of weeks has the opportunity to enjoy our member benefits of bonus content on the end of every regular show and a weekly bonus episodes with 30 days of access for FREE. Jonathan Wilson is upset at these levels of generosity . The offer applies for all tiers of SC Libero membership, but be aware, only Einsteins and above get the extra episodes. More details and sign up is here. --- Produced by: Tom Bassam Email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Champions League begins this week with some enticing fixtures and a pool of potential winners that may be as small as six teams. PSG have plenty going in their favour but much of what benefits the defending champions in terms of a lighter domestic workload also holds true for a resurgent Barcelona. And what of the English clubs? Is this the start of a long-previewed era of Premier League dominance in Europe's top competition? Rory Smith is joined by Miguel Delaney and Tariq Panja as we hit play on the Champions League anthem again. P1: (01:09) P2: (30:47) -- It's STILL Wilson Month! Anyone signing up for SC Libero in the next couple of weeks has the opportunity to enjoy our member benefits of bonus content on the end of every regular show and a weekly bonus episodes with 30 days of access for FREE. Jonathan Wilson is upset at these levels of generosity . The offer applies for all tiers of SC Libero membership, but be aware, only Einsteins and above get the extra episodes. More details and sign up is here. — Produced by: Tom Bassam Do you have a burning question for the Liberi? Send them in to [email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get them answered on the podcast. Anything else, email in via [email protected] Subscribe to our YouTube channel @liberopod Join our Discord @Libero Podcast Follow us on X @podcast_libero Follow us on Bluesky @liberopodcast Follow us on Instagram @liberopod Follow us on TikTok @liberopod Follow us on Facebook @liberopod Music: Kid Kodi - Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices