Advertise on podcast: The French Football Show

The FFS takes a deep dive into the chaotic world of Olympique de Marseille this week. After crashing out of the Champions League in Bruges, the volatile Mediterranean giants are plunging towards yet another crisis. Host Matt Spiro investigates with the help of his guests Andy Scott and Tom Williams: is there a method behind Marseille's madness and is Roberto De Zerbi the man to end the club's 14-year search for silverware? Part 2 of the show dissects the latest Ligue 1 action as PSG and Lens pull clear of the chasing pack. There's a special mention for impressive Lorient and the guys run the rule over the major last-minute transfer deals. Watch on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TheFrenchFootballShow

This time last year, PSG beat Manchester City in stunning fashion and turned what had been a faltering season into the most successful campaign of the club's history. Once again, Luis Enrique's charges have been below par (and injury-plagued) in the first half of this current season. This week's discussion, Le Dossier, sees host Matt Spiro ask guests Andy Scott and Tom Williams if it is all part of the grand plan. Are PSG keeping their powder dry again? Or are the physical travails of the past year - and the lack of transfer activity - starting to catch up with them. The Parisians are back on top of the Ligue 1 standings after Lens lost in Round 19. The guys delve into another exciting Ligue 1 weekend that included an Endrick hattrick for Lyon, an impressive Marseille debut for Ethan Nwaneri, and an emphatic win for Strasbourg and their new coach Gary O'Neil, who is quickly getting to grips with French football... and even French referees!

He's the top-scorer in Ligue 1, the first Marseille striker to score twenty plus goals in back-to-back seasons for more than a decade, and yet many people find it hard to talk about - let along enthuse about - Mason Greenwood. The accusations levelled against the Englishman in the past have left a lot of observers feeling uneasy to say the least. But rather than ignore the subject, we dive in head first. Matt Spiro and his guests, Tom Williams and Baptiste Reynaud, offer their perspectives as professionals who cover the French game and report on Greenwood on a weekly basis. We hear from the Marseille-based journalist Mourad Aerts to discover the local view too. Interestingly, Greenwood is covered very differently in his homeland - where he is basically ignored by the UK press - compared to France where he is treated like a normal player. The majority of Marseille fans have even taken him to their hearts and Greenwood shirts continue to sell like hotcakes on the Vieux Port. Have a listen and let us know what you think. As always, the second part of the podcast is dedicated to Ligue 1, where RC Lens continue to set the pace at the top despite Ousmane Dembélé's brilliance for PSG against Lille.

This week, Matt and Tom are joined by Brazilian football expert Jack Lang to discuss the arrival of wonderkid Endrick at Lyon. The teenager scored on his debut in the Coupe de France against Lille and excitement is growing in the Rhone Valley. Could he be the missing piece in Lyon's jigsaw and will the Real Madrid loanee force his way into Carlo Ancelotti's World Cup plans? There's also a nod to Paris FC who knocked their neighbours out of the Coupe de Frace. With PSG out, the likes of Marseille and Monaco are suddenly fancying their cup chances. Plus, we pay our respects to Rolland Courbis, a veritable French footballing icon, who sadly passed away this week aged 72.

We kick off the new year with a new name. The French Football Show replaces Across the Channel — but fear not: it’s the same team, the same voices, and the same weekly deep dive into French football. The format has evolved slightly, but the aim remains unchanged: to be informative, opinionated, and above all, good fun. Each episode now centres on “le dossier” - an in-depth discussion of a major talking point in the French game - before we move on to review the latest Ligue 1 action. This week, French football experts Matt Spiro, Tom Williams and Andy Scott dissect Liam Rosenior’s surprise move to Chelsea, a decision that has left Strasbourg supporters furious. Is Rosenior the right fit for the West London club? How successful was his spell in Alsace? And, more fundamentally, have BlueCo shown a lack of respect towards Strasbourg? With fans calling for the president to resign, the panel also examines the wider implications of the multi-club ownership model - and wonders whether new boss Gary O’Neil truly knows what he’s signing up for. In the second half, we look back on a thrilling weekend of Ligue 1 action, with Lens and PSG pulling clear at the top and an in-form Lyon closing in on Marseille and Lille in the race for Champions League qualification. With Endrick set to arrive, we ask: could 2026 be the year of Lyon?

In this special edition, Matt Spiro speaks to Sébastien Bassong about his journey from the Paris suburbs to the Premier League via the Clairefontaine academy and FC Metz. The former Cameroon defender experienced so many highs and lows during his colourful career; he speaks candidly about the heartbreak of getting released from Clairefontaine and tells wonderful stories from his time at Newcastle where he soaked up the Geordie passion, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Kevin Keegan, Alan Shearer and Michael Owen. At Spurs, Sébastien was charmed by Harry Redknapp, met a young Harry Kane and quickly learned that the best tactic was simply to 'give the ball to Luka Modric'. The latter years at Norwich were emotionally-charged too (and that's an understatement!). So sit back and enjoy this fascinating chat with friend of the podcast Monsieur Sébastien Bassong.

Host Matt Spiro is joined by French football journalists Jonathan Johnson and George Boxall to discuss a remarkable story in France as RC Lens finish the calendar year on top of Ligue 1. It's the first time PSG have failed to be top at Christmas in five years - and back in 2020/21, Lille finished as French champions. The guys look at Lens' 2-0 win over Nice, PSG's slightly nervous 3-2 triumph at bottom side Metz, and Marseille's dramatic - if a little fortuitous - victory over Monaco. George and JJ pick their tops and flops from the first part of the season - and everyone on the pod is allowed to make one Christmas wish.

Matt Spiro is joined by Tom Williams and Jeremy Smith to review the Round 15 action in France. PSG were in ominous form, putting five past Rennes thanks notably to a brilliant Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but Lens are still the pacesetters after they won for the fifth week running, away to Nantes. But many of the chasers are falling away: Marseille, Strasbourg, Monaco and Lyon all suffered damaging defeats. Nobody is in a worse situation than OGC Nice, however. There's a in-depth look at the growing crisis on the Côte d'Azur including a chat with long-time Nice supporter Marc who claims that the accusations of fan violence made by Terem Moffi and Jérémie Boga are wide of the mark.

Host Matt Spiro and guest Baptiste Reynaud heap the praise on RC Lens who sit atop the Ligue 1 standings for the first time in more than two decades after their win at Angers. How has Pierre Sage built such a strong unit so quickly? The lads do their best to explain all. Cameroon international Sébastien Bassong pops in to discuss PSG's dramatic Champions League win over his former team Tottenham, and also assesses the survival chances of his first club FC Metz. Meanwhile, Matt has been a busy boy - he catches up with Luke Entwistle down on the Côte d'Azur to reflect on Monaco's huge win over PSG in the principality - and we ask what everybody else is thinking after another setback at the Vélodrome: do Marseille have the stomach for a title push?

This week we have an exclusive interview with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who talks to Matt Spiro about Marseille's title push. Our host also catches up with podcast regulars George Boxall and Luke Entwistle at the Allianz Riviera to analyse Nice 1-5 Marseille. Podcast guest Andy Scott was in Rennes to witness Paul Pogba's debut - his first appearance in 881 days - and the remarkable ovation afforded to him by the Roazhon Park crowd. Tom Williams is also on board this week: Tom has plenty of positive things to say about Angers goalkeeper Hervé Koffi and RC Lens. But isn't so impressed by the French comedian Paul Mirabel.The podcast is produced by Stephen Willis.

In this episode, Matt Spiro speaks to the legendary former Marseille striker Tony Cascarino. The man still affectionately known in the south of France as 'Tony Goal' tells us all about those crazy years down at the Vélodrome: meeting Bernard Tapie and signing for the recently-crowned European champions (instead of Blackpool!), nearly coming to blows with the notorious club president at half-time in a game, being confronted by ultras on the team bus, scoring 61 goals in 84 games - and, most bafflyingly of all, watching one of his team-mates relieve himself on the pitch in the middle of the game! Tony also recalls his time at Nancy with plenty of fondness - plus he chats to Matt about Roberto De Zerbi's current crop and their chance of beating Newcastle in the Champions League next Tuesday night.

Matt Spiro is joined by Marseille-based journalist George Boxall and his Paris-based nemesis Jonathan Johnson to run the rule over another eventful weekend. Were Lyon hard done by against PSG? Are Marseille and Lens genuine title contenders after their latest impressive victories? It's close at the top of Ligue 1 - and it's close at the top of Ligue 2 too, as George's beloved Red Star push for promotion. He tells us in less than 60 seconds why Red Star should be everybody's second favourite club, while Jonathan sings the praises of another cult club RC Lens.

Host Matt Spiro is joined by regular guest and Ligue 1 expert Andy Scott - and there's a debut this week for the distinguished French commentator Julien Brun. One of French television's most recognisable voices after working for TF1, DAZN, Amazon Prime and beIN Sports, Julien gets embarrassed when Matt calls him 'the French Martin Tyler'. But he duly shows his class by providing shrewd analysis of Monaco 0-1 Paris FC, Rennes 4-1 Strasbourg and PSG 1-0 Nice. Julien does however lose badly to Andy in the PSG/Bayern Munich trivia section.

Host Matt Spiro is joined by author and broadcaster Tom Williams, plus there's an Across the Channel debut this week for the French journalist and African football expert Karim Baldé. The panel run the rule over PSG's masterclass in Brest and admire the work of Pierre Sage's Lens team who are second after beating Marseille. There's a focus on Rennes and their under-fire coach Habib Beye, analysis of Lyon's dramatic win over Strasbourg, as well as the usual tops and flops and French football trivia.

Host Matt Spiro is joined by Marseille-based journalist George Boxall and French football expert Jonathan Johnson after a record-equalling weekend in Ligue 1 that saw an incredible 40 goals scored across the nine games. The team reflect on PSG 3-3 Strasbourg - an early contender for 'game of the season' - Mason Greenwood's Marseille masterclass against Le Havre, Nice's crucial victory over Lyon, and Nantes' incredible performance in the stands (more so than on the pitch). There's also some focus on events across the Channel where French players have been tearing it up in the Premier League!