Mailbag: Will a quadruple ever be won?

0:00Have you ever been stuck on a weight loss plateau, trying everything and anything you can to lose that extra weight and reach peak health? We've all been there, but Noom's unlocked the secret to reaching the mountaintop. Go in micro. The Noom GLP-1 microdose program starts at$99 and is delivered to your door in 7 days. Start your microdose GLP-1 journey today at Noom.com. That's N-O-O-M dot com. Noom. Microchanges. Big results. Noom GLP-1-RX program involves healthy diet, exercise, and support. Individual results may vary. Meds and personalization based on clinical need. Not reviewed by FDA for safety, efficacy, or quality.

0:37No affiliation with Novo Nordisk, Inc., the only U.S. source of FDA-approved semaglutide. Not available in all 50 U.S. states. When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Granger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery, so you can keep your facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done.

1:15Hi, friends. Grace from the Working Hard podcast here. When you're stretching every dollar, a little goes a long way, and Walmart Business is here to help. They make it easy to order what you need from tech and cleaning supplies to everyday essentials, all at low prices, and with helpful tools like spend tracking and tax exempt purchasing for eligible organizations. Because when your operations are smooth, your impact can be bigger. Visit business.warmart.com to get started.

1:36Jim Campbell: We optimize everything about our health routines, except the air we breathe. And when your air is off, your body feels it first. The Blue Air Blue Signature Air Purifiers quietly remove tiny airborne pollutants and odors, supporting deeper sleep, better recovery, and clearer focus. Visit blueair.com and use code SIGNATURE30. Thank you for calling the Bombas Comfort Line. Bombas make socks, slippers, tees, and underwear made with the highest quality materials. Press 1 for comfort, 2 for style, 3 for donation. You chose style. Bombas is styles for whatever you enjoy. You can run in Bombas, lounge in Bombas, dress them up, dress them down, but always give back in Bombas.

2:11Jim Campbell: Because with every item purchased, another is donated. Bombas, comfort worth calling for. Go to bombas.com slash audio and use code audio for 20 % off your first purchase. That's B-O-M-B-A-S dot com and use code audio. Hello everybody, welcome to the Football Ramble Mailbag! The quadruple career resurrections and manager transfer windows of the orders of the day. It's Tuesday 7th of April, I'm Marcus Speller. I'm Jim Campbell. And I'm David Cartlidge.

2:48Hello everybody, it's mailbag time and we always welcome your questions. otherwise this show would cease to exist. You can message us on xbluesky or Instagram at footballramble, comment on YouTube or email us, show at footballramble.com and of course, Friends of the Ramble, we love you the most so you get priority. Patreon.com forward slash footballramble is where you can sign up or of course on YouTube as well, you can sign up there as well. Plenty of options. Right then boys, let's get down to it. This from Friend of the Ramble, our ball on our Discord. and simply our ball asks this. Will a quadruple ever be won?

3:30Talk of it seems to be increasing in recent times, so I believe, in general, teams are getting closer. We've seen a quadruple happen on this fair island. It was a while ago in the 1960s. Celtic, the great Celtic side, of course, had won a quadruple. We've had Manchester United do a treble in the 90s. We've had Manchester City do a treble only a few years ago in the 2020s. And a domestic treble. And a domestic treble, you were absolutely right to say. And with domestic trebles, Rangers and Celtic have both done them. Celtic much more recently, of course, they did back-to-back trebles under Brendan Rodgers.

4:07But to win that Champions League for Celtic is rather difficult.

4:11Jim Campbell: It's also worth noting that when Celtic won that quadruple, times are very different. All of the Celtic players were actually born in Celtic kits, in Celtic Park, just already kicking balls around. so they all got the most birthday exactly so it's a different time it's not going to happen again is it? I mean it generally was a very different time which is why that feat is so utterly remarkable in this day and age and has been for many many years so will a quadruple ever be won? David we've had talk of it this season with Arsenal slightly the same with Manchester City Manchester City obviously I say won that treble but there was real talk of the quadruple with Man City when they ended up winning the Premier League and the League Cup a number of years ago when Wigan knocked them out of the FA Cup, as I mentioned, on the rambler yesterday.

4:53We also had Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool two games away from winning a quadruple. Now, Man City were always edging it in the league as they proved to be and then they lost the Champions League final in Paris to Real Madrid. So, two domestic trophies was what they won, which is still a good season. Will a quadruple ever be won? No. I think the game's changed too much in terms of physical demands, levels of competitivity. I just think it's really, really difficult to do so now across four competitions. And I think we have, I mean, like you said, there was talk of Arsenal do it, but I think we've seen this week why teams won't win the quadruple.

5:28And, you know, we've talked, discussed on the main show about the changes they made, players missing and such like that. I think that'll just always be an issue when it gets down to the business end of the season. So no, I definitely don't ever see it happening.

5:40Jim Campbell: A big no from David. Jim? I'm inclined to agree because, you know, there's only two teams in England that have ever managed to treble. and actually, if you look at domestic doubles, as in the league and the FA Cup, that's only happened 13 times. First one was Preston North End in 1888-89. Can't have an old stat without Preston North End popping up, having done something amazing. And obviously the Champions League didn't exist then. Yeah, exactly. They were cruelly denied a treble. Yeah. So the League Cup only came in in 60-61. So even then, that's been a long, long time where a quadruple has been possible, even if you factor in the years when English teams weren't in European competition.

6:23Jim Campbell: And I agree with David. I just think it's, unless you get into a situation where English football becomes like an even more extreme version of the Bundesliga, where only one team are, you know, the clear favourites for all those competitions, even then, I think it might be a little bit of a stretch because the demands are so much, the competition is so high. it would involve a really quite amazing set of circumstances where whatever team winning the quadruple would need a lot of elements of luck involved as well easy draws in the cups and even then it doesn't always go the way you think all kinds of different factors would be at play there and I have to say I hope it never happens because I think it is boring yeah it'd be an incredible you didn't say that a couple of months ago no it'd be an incredible thing for the supporters of the team that do it because it'd be like wow this season can only ever be match that best.

7:17Jim Campbell: And that would be amazing. And I think you'd have to be sort of like, happy for the supporters of that team, being able to experience that. But I do think, could you imagine the sort of hand-wringing and the think pieces about the state of English football if a team had managed to do that? It would signal a big lack of competition. I like the outliers when there's a winner in the club. Palace are a great example of that. And Palace won the club It was great No links to Palace Or whatever But it was great To see them doing it But you're a Sunderland fan Yeah So almost You think Yeah And again A lot of people Support clubs That don't win trophies Yeah Because that was the first Major they ever won Yeah of course Blah de blah de blah You know All that sort of stuff And so I think that's We all love an underdog Don't get me wrong I was going to say There's the romance of it You want to see a club Outside of the main ones Around Well, let's be honest.

8:13Had Guardiola's Man City won a quadruple, or even Klopp's Liverpool, Arsenal, it's not particularly romantic. I think, Jim, you covered it well there, the supporters of those teams. But I can't imagine many neutrals would want that to happen. No, of course. People would bring up how much they spent. Oh, they spent 300 million. Oh, what a romantic fairytale story. It'll be like that. Yeah, I definitely want to see it happening. You've got to say, I guess if you switched the question and said, if you moved it outside of England and looked at who could do it, It's probably PSG and Bayern who are in the position, that position of power and dominance, that they could sweep all before them.

8:48Well, they would need another cup competition. They would, they would. But then, obviously, there's... So, really, we're looking at Portuguese and English, too. Yeah, yeah. And Scottish teams. And the Club World Cup. And the Club World Cup. PSG didn't manage to win that one. Would we have argued that was the next season, though? I mean, I think... You were quick to say no, David, there, and I understand that. I think if this question was asked five years ago, I would maybe be inclined to say yes. I know what you mean, actually, yeah. And I think that with Guardiola's... Guardiola and Klopp were the ones.

9:19Yeah, and if they didn't do it... Yeah, Ferguson at Manchester United as well. But I think that's why to highlight the treble being won. It's the Champions League, really. It's not a banker. I mean, any cup competition isn't, but Guardiola has loved winning the League Cup and obviously the FA Cup as well. It's won Champions League. It is so demonstrably difficult to win that trophy for obvious bleeding reasons. And how many years did it take for a side to defend the trophy? It was Zidane's Real Madrid that did. They won, what, three in a row. And I understand PSG may well do it this season. So it's so difficult.

9:59It's such a rare thing. But we have seen teams go pretty close. And as I say, Klopp's Liverpool. Other than in the league, again, it really... Manchester City needed to let a very slim lead slip. And it was always unlikely. But I think, and I will use this terminology, we were in danger of it happening. Because I totally agree. I think if a team wins a quadruple, I don't think it's good for the wider game, really. And which is why there's been so much chat this season about this perceived lack of quality in the Premier League. And at the top of the table, I grant you, that is the case. We've talked a lot about Arsenal this season.

10:32They are not Klopp's Liverpool in full flight or Guardiola's Man City or Ferguson's United, Mourinho's Chelsea. You know, you list them off. Ranieri's Leicester. But the best team wins the league, obviously, to caveat that. But I think that's good for the Premier League. I'm really enjoying the season. And I'm getting a bit annoyed with people going, I mean, the quality, blah, blah, blah. We needed this because we were in danger. And we had been for a number of years. You talked about in Germany when Bayern steamroller teams and in Spain the top two or three. You know, there's certainly the top two in Madrid and Barcelona.

11:06They just kind of, oh, who's coming to town? Yeah, we'll win that four or five or whatever. There was a bit of that at the Etihad for a while when they were just beating five, six nil. It was easy. Liverpool a bit like that as well. If you go to the Etihad this season, it's unlikely, but there's a game to be played there. Certainly if Man City come to town, you've got a chance with Arsenal as well. So I don't think a quadruple we've won now, but there was a period very very recently where I thought we were in danger

11:32Jim Campbell: of it happening do you think this is due to the kind of financial constraints put in place then because that would be the change that's happened in that time I think that's probably a minor reason I think more so the fact that Guardiola's powers are on the way he's still obviously effective but you don't think it's demands of competitions and the amount of games they play throwing all the new national games and things like that yeah more Champions League games now as well exactly yeah that does make it well Al, does that make it less likely? I suppose it does, but the more games in a cup competition, particularly the Champions League, does suit the bigger teams because they have the bigger squads.

12:08So your financial point does come into play there, Jim. But, you know, with extra substitutes, I agree with all that, but it benefits the teams.

12:15Jim Campbell: That is an absolutely seismic change in the game, by the way, the five subs era. But it obviously benefits, when I say it benefits, I don't think there's a conspiracy to benefit the bigger teams. I mean, there might well be, but I don't want to get into that. It inevitably benefits the bigger teams because they've got the budgets, they can attract the quality players. So if you can bring more off the bench and so on, clearly. So I think winning a quadruple, yes. But if you look at the Champions League, there's always just a handful of teams that realistically can win it. Yeah, it's the same teams.

12:41So every now and then you get a nice little story in the Champions League. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty of the quarterfinals, semifinals, it's the same. It's the usual lot more. But it didn't used to be. And the reason, we were talking about this beforehand and I thought there's a reason why I'm looking up which teams have done trebles over the years. In the 60s, Celtic did it, and obviously they won the quadruple incredibly. 70s, Ajax. 80s, PSV, incredibly. 90s, Manchester United. And then you get into the noughties. At the end of that decade, Barcelona win it, and then Inter 0-9-10, so we'll say that's in the 10s because that's when they did it.

13:13But in the 2010s, you've got Inter, Barcelona again, Bayern Munich, and then Bayern, so you're three. Suddenly you've jumped up there. You've trebled the amount of treble winners there, Jim. And into the 2020s, Bayern again, 19-20. they straddle that so they're in the 20s at Man City and PSG. So now you have to say you went from one a decade from the 60s. Now treble winners are three a decade at least. PSG could go on in this decade. You would fancy them maybe to do it again. So yeah, I think no because again it's a quadruple and not a treble question and that does change things. but I still think the dominance of certain teams in competitions, I don't think it will ever be like it was decades ago in which, oh, well, could a red star Belgrade do it or could, you know, you're going back donkey's years there just because the way the concentration of power and wealth goes.

14:10Jim Campbell: Yeah, there's also, I want to mention another couple of unusual trebles just while we're here because it's been fun looking at some of these actually because Liverpool did a treble in the 83-84 season which was the league the European Cup and the League Cup it's a treble a treble indeed in 2001 I'll put this to you this is the Danny Murphy treble yeah well because Pete Donaldson calls winning the League Cup and the FA Cup the dickhead double did Liverpool do a dickhead treble in 2001 when they won the League Cup the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup yeah I think they did yeah I think they absolutely did Danny Murphy loves to refer to that as the treble doesn't he yeah I mean he won a treble that season fair enough that's three more trophies than I've ever won so you know I'm not taking on what a Fulham's following is certainly yeah so I think we're thinking no then I think that's no if it's not happened now I'd be surprised if it happens in my lifetime right and after that I'm not interested I'm not going to really see it so that doesn't count they'll invent a few more trophies at that time yeah yeah so you can do a six-tuple yeah you're about to hear it you're what Chelsea need a man for the here and now not for the future oh I'd love to go into Chelsea and have a little rummage around say what I could do to help Might be worried about what you find there Okay, next question This is from the wonderfully named Max Cushion What's the biggest footballing career resurrection?

15:28And is it Ousmane Dembele, PSG?

15:31Jim Campbell: It's a lovely start Because it sets a high bar, that, doesn't it? It sets a specific bar as well That somebody who's moved around a bit Finally finds a home where he absolutely flourishes And becomes officially the best player on the planet So if we do a little recap So obviously he moves from Lille to Borussia Dortmund, has a really good season in which he looks like he's going to be a superstar, but it's very much like someone who's won for the future. Barcelona sell Neymar for an absolute fortune and they spend a ridiculous amount of that money on Ousmane Dembele. He goes to Barcelona, starts quite well, has some moments, but it sort of got to the point where the Barcelona fans were angry at him for not leaving.

16:12Jim Campbell: It all got a little bit toxic. and he looked like he'd be one of those players who was a kind of, you know, what if player? What could he have been? And then, you know, here we are. He's a treble winner. He's a Ballon d 'Or winner. I mean, that shows you. Whatever you think of individual awards, he won it. That is a sign of a player who is at the top of his game in terms of his peers, right? Which is, I suppose, the value it has in this sort of competition. So this is the bar we're talking about. It's a high bar here. So it's a tricky one. And I think he's absolutely a really good answer for this.

16:45He is a good answer. He really is. There's no doubt about that. I mean, I think, again, a guy who's sort of gone down and then found, I think, I mean, really, yeah, has a dip and then goes back. I was thinking, could I squeeze Martin Odegaard into this? If you remember when he was signed from Real Madrid, you know, such promise and then he's basically loaned out. But I'm not sure it fits the criteria. No, it was a successful loan, though. He didn't really have to. Vitesse was successful loan and then Real Sociedad. He didn't really have too much hardship. Yeah. Whereas Dembele had hardship. Yeah, so I don't think he is.

17:14Which, again, just trying to set the parameters of this.

17:16Jim Campbell: I think you can... It's possibly a harsh way to frame Dembele's time at Barcelona, but I think there is certainly an argument that he failed there, right? He failed to live up to what was expected of him. He was very, very frustrated in that. Yeah, but then has to go off and do great things elsewhere. And not, like, drop down a league or two. I don't think that would be the case. I mean, a current example, if I was going to... I know where you're going with this. Yeah, I thought you might. A current example, and he hasn't moved... would be Harry Maguire. Yeah. Because Harry Maguire was ridiculed.

17:48He was a joke figure to the point of he got a mention. Where was it? Oh, it was in the South African government or Nigerian government. It was in an African parliament, definitely, where they said, you know, do a Harry Maguire or whatever it was. And then he got referenced again when he turned it around. But Maguire now, and I think this is a really recent one as well, when he played for England, you didn't think he would get back in the England squad. I mean, you thought he was dead and buried at Manchester United. I remember saying at the time he should go to West Ham because they were interested because it's done at Manchester United.

18:18Well, it wasn't. He's carried on and he's stayed and he's now a big part of their defence and it shows you what a managerial change can do and his old mate Steve Holland going in there with Kerry. But now, some might have him as third or fourth centre-half for England now. It's not Dembele level, but I'll take the point. But my answer though, being cheeky, if I could have another one would be Diego Forlan.

18:40Jim Campbell: Yeah, that was what I was going to say. Oh, yeah, okay. Well, you're far away then. Staying at Man United. Because, I mean, I think it's that he didn't deliver at a big club and then he went on to sort of re-establish himself and do really well. I mean, he was a bit of almost a joke figure, similarly to Maguire at Man United. 17 goals in 98 games for them. Remember when he took his shirt off to celebrate and it stuck to him, he couldn't get it off. Yeah, there was a bit of calamity. It was like, oh, nothing, this guy can't get a break. And it just, sometimes a club and a player aren't a good fit, are they?

19:11Jim Campbell: and the circumstances of the other players at the club are an issue. And obviously there's always a lot of really good competition. I certainly was there at the time. But then he went to Villarreal, which is not a massive move, but was a real hit there. And then when he goes on to Atletico, he looked absolute silk, didn't he, when he played for Atletico in particular. Forlan and Aguero are up front of Atletico Madrid. And that just basic 4-4-2 that was pure attack was just magnificent to watch. He won the Europa League at Fulham's expense, of course. but also you have to say his moment in the sun was World Cup 2010 finishes joint top scorer and was the best player at the tournament you know so in terms of individual awards as you mentioned with Dembele I understand that is not as all-encompassing as complete but best player at a World Cup that's tasty I was just going to throw two out there go on first of all Ronaldo original Ronaldo injury injuries yeah then to come back and lead them in the World Cup Is that redemption or resurrection?

20:13Redemption was the word used, I remember, at the time. No, he was told his career was over with the injury. I suppose you could interpret the question that way. I mean, I think Max Cushion... It was a career resurrection. Yeah, okay, okay. And I'll tell you what's another one as well. And I think you've got to think of Karen Benzema at Real Madrid as well, who was widely mocked and derided. Similar level to Harry Maguire. Really looked down upon Mourinho calling him out and such really badly in the press. and then for him to then proceed to become one of the best strikers in the world he won the Ballon d 'Or as well you know what I think he's he's in with a shout as well so yeah I think to play different roles because he was Cristiano Ronaldo's water carrier basically for a time and you know he was doing all the donkey work it's different around Madrid isn't it it really is Mourinho said to me Karen Benzema's donkey work but that's the thing though Jim the reason why you're saying it in that tone and you're right to is because of the what we're trying to say, the resurrection of his career at Real Madrid goes on to win the Ballon d 'Or.

21:13So I think that's a decent answer. Well, there you are, Max Cushion. A lot of answers there for you to feast upon. All right, coming up after this, should there be a transfer window for managers?

21:29This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Financial stress can result in anxiety, sleep disruption and even depression. At the start of 2026, 88 % of Americans reported feeling some form of it. If money is having an outsized impact on your well-being, therapy can be a good place to manage your anxieties. Therapy is not financial advice, but it can help you understand your relationship with money and build healthy coping strategies. BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, and it works, with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for a live session based on over 1.7 million client reviews.

22:05BetterHelp's 30 ,000 therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the US. They'll even match you with a therapist and with 12 plus years of experience and an industry leading match fulfillment rate, they typically get it right the first time. If you aren't happy with your match, you can switch to a different therapist at any time. When life feels overwhelming, therapy can help. Sign up and get 10 % off at betterhelp.com forward slash ramble. That's betterhelp.com slash ramble.

22:36Hi friends, Grace from the Working Hard podcast here. When you're stretching every dollar, Allila goes a long way and Walmart Business is here to help. They make it easy to order what you need from tech and cleaning supplies to everyday essentials, all at low prices and with helpful tools like spend tracking and tax exempt purchasing for eligible organizations. Because when your operations are smooth, your impact can be bigger. Visit business.warmart.com to get started. If you work in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip-off and Grainger is your trusted partner.

23:08Offering the products you need all in one place, from HVAC and plumbing supplies to lighting and more, and all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock so your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, visit grainger.com, or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Have you ever been stuck on a weight loss plateau, trying everything and anything you can to lose that extra weight and reach peak health? We've all been there. But Noom's unlocked a secret to reaching the mountaintop. Go in micro. The Noom GLP-1 microdose program starts at$99 and is delivered to your door in 7 days.

23:46Start your microdose GLP-1 journey today at Noom.com. That's N-O-O-M dot com. Noom. Microchanges. Big results. Noom GLP-1Rx program involves healthy diet, exercise, and support. Individual results may vary. Meds and personalization based on clinical need. Not reviewed by FDA for safety, efficacy or quality. No affiliation with Novo Nordisk Inc. The only US source of FDA approved semaglutide. Not available in all 50 US states.

24:17Jim Campbell: Jason has been in touch on email and asks, Afternoon Ramblers, long time listener, third time emailer. Would you back manager changes being limited to the transfer window in the same way player changes are? Managers could be sacked outside the windows, but only internal temporary managers could be brought in to replace them until the next window opens. The idea would be to level the playing field in terms of teams theoretically throwing money at a managerial issue at any point during the season in the same way they're prevented from doing with new players. Lots of love. Thanks, Jace. Thanks, Cilla.

24:49I don't think that they could... I think if you're going to do this, you do it properly. So you don't have internal temporary managers brought in. if you fall out with this guy you've got to wait there if it turns toxic you've just got months of it you just wait everyone knows the window's coming

25:06Jim Campbell: imagine the risk of Mourinho oh my goodness and Mourinho knows he would hit the ground running as soon as he got there he'd be like well what have we got five months to the next window right let's do it all now what do I think it's tough I'm just trying to think what increases the stakes of having more chaos and carnage yes and this might add to it That's usually what our judge thinks. It's funny, isn't it? From a fan's perspective, this would be terrible for your club, but really entertaining when everything else went sour. Totally, yeah. Yeah, yeah. You know, yeah. Everyone's got a gun. Do you know what I mean?

25:41It's like that, isn't it?

25:47I suspect it would just be too hectic. I think players, it's different, obviously. Hence, we have the transfer window. I think with managers, because what Jason is sort of alluding at is trying to level the playing field with teams, you know, throwing away. So bigger clubs could just throw money at the problem and so on and so forth.

26:11Jim Campbell: I'm not sure that's kind of an issue in the same way with managers that it is. No, I don't think it is either. It is to a point, but the scales are wildly different on that front. And also, yeah, I think if it's an idea of trying to save clubs from themselves in making so many sackings and, oh, blimey, we've got him in right, we'll have to pay up his contract and all that kind of stuff. That's something I don't think you'd have to worry about from a financial fair play point of view because, you know, that's up to the clubs. You've just got to trust them to be managed in that regard. I think, David, you said it could cause more chaos there.

26:48And I think it could... We scrutinise manager contracts. Look at Ruben Amarib at Manchester United. We all knew that they weren't going to sack him before November because there was a clause in the contract about having stayed there for a year and so on. David Moyes at Manchester United, would he get them into Europe? You have all these clauses in there. I think ultimately the answer is it would be funnier if it happened. There's no doubt because you know he's a dead man walking, but the window's not until three months or towards the end of the season. I actually think this would be more damaging for smaller clubs in relegation battles.

27:21Massively. I think that's where the chat is with this. And I think that if you've still got... I'm trying to think. If you've still got Igor Tudor in there, or whoever, would Forrest still have Ange Buster-Coughlin? No, I don't think they would have done it.

27:41Jim Campbell: They would have had Nuno up until January. Yeah. So, maybe they would still have that. So, when you look at it like that, I don't think, no, I don't think we would have that. Imagine, like, speculation-wise, how much it might hurt you, though. So, say, November, December, Spurs decide to slack their manager, but they really want Iroh Orla from Bournemouth. And everybody knows that Iroh Orla's going to go there, but he has to work at Bournemouth for two months before he can join. Can you imagine that time and how much that would impact the club? Totally. This is it, isn't it? the whole idea feels kind of punitive, as if individual clubs would be being punished because there is an idea that chairman pulled the trigger on managers too early, potentially at other clubs.

28:26Jim Campbell: I think the roles are so vastly different that it doesn't apply here. And there would also be an issue with employment law, right? So it would be what's known as an unfair restriction on managers' employment if they couldn't take a job in certain months. And also, they are contracted employees, whereas essentially players are commercial assets. So it's different in that regard as well. So, yeah, I don't think it's... It would be quite funny. It would be hilarious. For all the wrong reasons. Every single season, Marcus. In every division in the world. First of January, bang, bang, bang, bang. Like, you would.

28:57You'd have a big thing on Sky Sports News. Who's getting the trigger today? Like, they would fall like dominoes. Yeah, they would. Literally, as soon as the window opened, it would just be... It would be disrespectful. It would be musical chairs. They'd just swap jobs. It would, yeah. Ah, you could... Now I want it. For all the wrong reasons, I want that to happen. But I think for the sake of sanity, it's probably best not. My goodness. So, yeah. There you go, Jason. Oh, let's have this question from Smith's Cabena on Instagram. Which player had less of a career because they didn't move when they perhaps should have done?

29:36Marco Royce, question mark. Matt Letizia, question mark. David. this is quite a difficult one because I think the two examples that I had the reason they stayed at the clubs they were at was actually quite romantic I was thinking Di Natale one of the best strikers in Europe at one point probably could have I know he was a bit older then but he probably could have moved and gone somewhere but he stayed and I thought it was quite nice and then I thought he had Real Madrid offers throughout his career and such but he stayed at Roma as a one club man which is a great story and very very rare so they're the ones I would have gone for but I think I was going to ask you about one actually and I was going to say and I know you watch Paul Gascoigne.

30:12Do you think he should have moved elsewhere? When he went to Spurs, do you think he should have maybe gone to Manning at it, which is always the narrative and such? Oh, blimey. Where to begin? I think from what we know about Gaza now and subsequently in football, I think it's a very difficult and tricky conversation with him. There was chat about, I mean, there's often chat about, oh, but had he gone to Manchester United with Ferguson there, but there's no guarantee that would work out. And also, Ferguson might have got potentially fed up with his antics and then got rid of him.

30:48Jim Campbell: Gascoigne's issues are things like extreme ADHD, extreme OCD, and that's something that is... A lot less was known about it at the time, and it's not something you could reasonably expect Alex Ferguson to be an expert in and know how to manage. So I think that obviously we will never know, but that is the idea, isn't it? That he might have been sorted out under Ferguson but there's no suggestion that that would actually have been the case. Yeah, I do think there's... I think actually going to Rangers was good for him because I think Walter Smith was good for him as a manager. But I think that's often the case, isn't it?

31:21When you say, should a player have moved? You know, Totty loved being at Roma. To see Totty somewhere else, you always wonder what he could have done. There's no guarantee. I think he's a good answer. My answer actually is another Serie A legend. And I'm glad he stayed where he did for so long, but Gabriel Batistuta. Because Batistuta, and I see your eyes go all misty there, Jim. You know, what a player. Only Lionel Messi has scored, and a lot more, but there's more goals for him than Argentina. Batty goal. He has a better goals-to-game ratio than Messi. But anyway, this is an argument that nobody wants.

31:59With Batistuta, phenomenal player, like an absolute beast of a centre forward. And in the 90s at Fiorentina, he was synonymous with him. He did move to Roma and won his Serie A winner's medal there. And it was great he did, but he's synonymous with Fiorentina. Of course he is. And I love the fact he is, in the same way, slightly similar, Harry Kane at Spurs. You know, I'm glad he stayed that long, but Kane is another one. He's getting it now, and I'm really glad he went to Bayern, you know, and he's showing the world what he can do with aplomb, you know, as if he needed to. he did it at Spurs but he's taken it to another level despite the age he is but with Batistuta in the 90s he could have gone anywhere absolutely anywhere and again I'm glad he didn't because there's a romance in that but there's no doubt because Fiorentino were playing in the Champions League pretty regularly with Batistuta and he was contributing great goal at Old Trafford they lost the game a brilliant goal at Wembley against Arsenal when they won the game so there was something there but the fact that Batistuta has won one league winners medal in Europe.

33:01I got it, and I'm glad he did.

33:02Jim Campbell: But also with Roma, of all the clubs. I know that they were a very good team in that year, but that is still quite surprising. Well, they had to respond to Lazio winning. Incredibly, Lazio win it, and then Roma do. Batistuta, the type of striker is the amount of goals he scored. If he's playing now, Oh my God. he has Champions League winners' medals, he has a number of domestic cups, he has a number of league title winners' medals. Again, the second highest goal scorer for his country, he's only betted by Lionel Messi. So that's the level of player. So, the question is whether he should. I'm saying he could have done.

33:33Should he have done? That's one I'm not as willing to answer. So sorry to sort of slightly duck the question there, but I think he's in that bracket. But again, for romantic reasons, as Dave points out there with regard to Totti, I'm glad he didn't.

33:50Jim Campbell: The player I first thought of when this question was asked is almost so obvious I'm kind of not going to bother answering it properly. It's a conversation absolutely everybody has about Henry Larson. But he did it though when he won the Champions League. He won the Champions League, he had a good spell at Man United. We all saw he's as good as we thought he was. Great, done. I'm also going to stick with Serie A. Marek Hamzik is a player who could have been a big deal at some bigger clubs. So he won two Coppa Italia's and a Super Cup with Napoli. He was there for 12 seasons. He scored 121 goals for them as well.

34:25Jim Campbell: So he was a proper goal threat from midfield. did a lot, kind of had so, so much to his game. One of the things that I love about why he didn't leave was how Napoli in particular, as we're seeing with Scott McTominay, and obviously we've seen Diego Maradona and players before, Napoli is like crack to some footballers. He said, I need to have more than just... Yeah, you just mentioned Maradona there, didn't you? I need to have more than just a paycheck and trophies. I need to feel something in my soul. I love that. But Bayern Munich were very interested in him for a very long time, apparently. and I think it would have been great for them.

34:58Jim Campbell: And those numbers for a club like Napoli who would have been sort of up and down in terms of what they were competing for are quite exceptional. The football resurrection career story. You could put Scott McTominay in there. Yeah, absolutely. If you've been a bit generous. Yeah, good question, Smith Scabella. He got us chatting. All right, coming up after this, which footballer would we take to the moon?

35:29Hi, friends. Grace from the Working Hard podcast here. When you're stretching every dollar, Allila goes a long way, and Walmart Business is here to help. They make it easy to order what you need from tech and cleaning supplies to everyday essentials, all at low prices and with helpful tools like spend tracking and tax-exempt purchasing for eligible organizations. Because when your operations are smooth, your impact can be bigger. Visit business.warmart.com to get started. Have you ever been stuck on a weight loss plateau, trying everything and anything you can to lose that extra weight and reach peak health?

35:57We've all been there. But Noom's unlocked a secret to reaching the mountaintop. Go in micro. The Noom GLP-1 microdose program starts at$99 and is delivered to your door in 7 days. Start your microdose GLP-1 journey today at Noom.com. That's N-O-O-M dot com. Noom. Microchanges. Big results. Noom GLP-1-RX program involves healthy diet, exercise, and support. Individual results may vary. Meds and personalization based on clinical need. Not reviewed by FDA for safety, efficacy, or quality. No affiliation with Novo Nordisk, Inc., the only U.S. source of FDA-approved semaglutide. Not available in all 50 U.S.

36:34states. When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. that's why grainger offers millions of products and fast dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked safe and running smoothly call 1-800-grainger click grainger.com or just stop by grainger for the ones who get it done

37:11Jim Campbell: chris has been in touch on um font of all societies ill x with his OTC hat on does David think Sporting have what it takes to bloody Arsenal's nose in the Champions League yeah I mean there isn't an artificial pitch in this one to scare them so yeah Sporting absolutely in with a chance unbeaten in 23 consecutive league games so they are really really strong side at home and they like to attack as well Rui Borges which we hate yes exactly yeah yeah that didn't go down too well at the weekend did it no so yeah and obviously everybody's going to compare everything that Ruben Amarim did at Sporting because he had great success there before he went to Man United and Rui Borges has kind of you know he's moved away from the three at the back they usually play like a 4-3-3 4-2-3-1 a bit more attacking I'd say so they're quite an attacking side but the big one they're going to be missing Martin Humland who's their captain and centre midfielder who very much glues everything together for them so that's going to be a big loss for this game for the first leg anyway so yeah it's going to be interesting to see but they're absolutely in with a chance here of winning this and who knows Arsenal might be in like a frail moment questioning themselves a little bit scared early on or anything like that and anything could happen in that time I mean I still fully expect Arsenal to see through this title if I had to pick.

38:47Just to chip in, I mean, remember Sporting finished seventh in the first phase and qualified automatically for the knockouts. I mean, we know PSG don't really get going until the knockouts, but they did beat PSG earlier on in the tournament. And if you look at the domestic table, they're a game off. Porto are at the top of five points behind them. So they're still in with the title race, but they've scored a lot more than anyone else in the Portuguese league. You know, Benfica 58, Porto are top 56, 72 goals. Yeah. As David said, they love to attack. They regularly score three and fours in games.

39:18They're quite like that. And I think they've got a bit of a superstar in Maxi Araujo. It's the young fullback. So you would imagine, as you say, they will be on the front foot against Arsenal. They have to be. They will go out to win that because they need something.

39:31Jim Campbell: And with the first leg at home, you sort of have to approach it like that to a point, right? I certainly think that they will approach it like that. Does that play into Arsenal's hands, Jim? Well, it depends on how much Arsenal get out of their own way, doesn't it? really. The reason why I say that is because the way, you know, obviously the Southampton game and then Manchester City, Manchester City just sitting off that little bit. Although, I suppose, in Europe, teams that have come out to attack Arsenal have left themselves open and conceded goals from it. So, in theory, it would play into Arsenal's hands.

40:06Jim Campbell: It depends on the mindset they can get themselves into. In Europe, they've been a much different team from how they've been domestically in a lot of ways. The Bode Glimt game is interesting isn't it because obviously they were at home and they won that 5-0 and it was they laid siege but it's a completely different set of circumstances isn't it and Luis Suarez obviously um uh the third Luis Suarez uh has been um has been exceptional for them this season so you would think he'll be a big threat he's certainly someone to keep an eye on and perhaps bid 40 million and the quid for yeah that would be good as well that would be lovely for him Is this a game for Victor Djokovic back at his old stomping ground?

40:44Yeah, I'd expect so. A muted mask celebration.

40:48Jim Campbell: Yeah, it'd be interesting if he scores to see if he does that, because obviously he had a falling out of the chairman as he left, but he was loved by the fans and loved the fans there. So the reception he gets will be interesting. From Andrew on the Discord, if you were going to the moon, which three footballers or managers would you like to go with?

41:10It's got a bit of chat on the Discord, didn't it? I know a friend of the Ramble, Connors, he suggested Stefan Schwarz because he was banned from doing so whilst a Sunderland player in the early noughties. Do you remember all that stuff, David? Fully legit story. And that's what I like about this as well. It all occurred. Because when Stefan Schwarz came to the club offices to sign on the TV, it was Moonrigger. Oh, the James Bond film? Yeah. And the advisors and such around the table were chatting and saying, oh, it's going to be interesting when tourists can go out in the moon and everything. That's how it came about.

41:43Well, and he said, well, I'm front and centre. I'm at the front of the queue for that. Yeah, and none of them even said it. They were just literally speculating about it and then it ended up getting put in the contract. Was it a joke, do you think?

41:54Jim Campbell: It has to be a joke. I don't know, man. If Jurassic Park had been on the telly, would it be like, if we ever manage to make dinosaurs again and they make a theme park, you can't go, Stephen. You're not going. No, Schwartz is not allowed to mess around with DNA and all that sort of stuff. You leave that amber where it is. Yeah, totally. Jim? One of the great things about doing what we do is that I get to say things like, I'd like to go to space with Jack Grealish in a professional capacity. Because I absolutely would. So he's asked for three here, hasn't he? You don't go with Joby Vardy, are you?

42:29Jim Campbell: Well, the nightmare scenario is that he stowed away. Imagine that. He's like shaking up the cans of Red Bull, opening it, it's just everywhere. and he's floating around going, we've only got food for three actually, Jamie. Oh, well survival of the fittest then. That's the nightmare scenario. I think you're going to need the empaths. You're going to need arm around the shoulder types because space is tricky, right? Space is horrible as far as I've been led to believe. I also don't think I'm contributing much as an astronaut in this. So I'm going to need someone with a lot of understanding and empathy.

43:05Jim Campbell: So I'm going to go for Bobby Robson. yeah I'm not sure dad would thrive in space neither would I so actually maybe that would be a better shout I'm going to go for Bobby Robson because I think he'd keep things under control I've already said Jack Grealish as well because his sense of wonder at everything would be great and I think that would keep you buoyed and Tarek Lamptey because he's only 5 foot 4 and space is at the premium isn't it he's not taken up I've gone I've taken a different approach to the question Jim I'd go with Rodrigo Munez,

43:40Bakaio Saccalite, and Emil Spacecraft.

43:46Jim Campbell: Oh, you have ducked out of that, haven't you? You wrote that on the tube. Emil Spacecraft. Unbelievable.

43:57What a commute it was this morning. Right, thanks for listening. Oh, David, I've got no puns, but I just want to take John Pickford Right. That's literally it. Just a little hand. Doesn't matter about anybody else, just me and Jordan. And Saka's a lovely lad, so he can go as well. But ideally, I just wanted me and Pickford. Granit Xhaka, in case something went wrong, you can send him out to fix something. Yeah, yeah, I was going to say, we'll give him the keys to the spaceship, yeah? There we are.

44:19Jim Campbell: I think Pickford would just be looking at the moon the whole time like it was a ball. Yeah. Like just ready, just tense. Yes. E, that's massive. Just saying that all over and over. Oh dear, Granit Xhaka, another one for football resurrection careers or something absolutely yeah there we are anyway thank you very much for listening to the Football Ramble part of the Acast Creator Network I'm back tomorrow with Vish and Luke to chat about Champions League things and so much more the football never stops thank you all and we'll see you tomorrow

44:54the Football Ramble is a Stack Production and part of the Acast Creator Network

45:05When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery. So you can keep your facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger. For the ones who get it done.