Football Weekly – Fulham Fell Forest and Who’s Top of the Tree Around Europe?

Date: December 23, 2025
Host: Max Rushden
Panel: Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen, Philippe Auclair
Special Focus: Premier League, European roundup, AFCON scheduling, and lighter moments from the footballing world

Overview

In a festive-tinged episode, Max Rushden and the Football Weekly panel cover Fulham’s narrow win over Nottingham Forest, then cast their eyes over the major European leagues heading into the winter break. There’s an in-depth discussion of the Van de Ven–Isak incident, a debate about Kylian Mbappé’s work rate and influence, and a critical look at AFCON’s switch to a four-year cycle. Expect the usual Football Weekly blend of sharp analysis, playful banter, and a few passionate rants.

1. Premier League Spotlight: Fulham 1–0 Nottingham Forest

[00:47–08:49]

• The only Premier League fixture of the night is dissected, albeit with some reluctance due to the game’s dour quality.

• Barry Glendenning admits:

  • “I stopped watching this game after 65 minutes because I could not take any more and I wanted to watch the darts. … It was a dreadful game. It was so bad that even Sha D says afterwards it was a low-level game, quality wise, really terrible.” (02:22)

• Fulham move up to 13th, Forest drop to 17th.

• Decisive moment: A penalty from Raúl Jiménez after a foul by Douglas Luiz.

  • “It’s his 11th Premier League penalty out of 11. That puts him level with Yaya Toure I think on highest number of Premier League penalties without missing.” (03:13)

• Lars Sivertsen highlights the lack of entertainment:

  • “After the 65th minute, there were two shots in the game. … I only just kind of think I came away from watching that, thinking, at least I’m not one of the people who paid £85 to be sat in the riverside stand at Craven Cottage.” (04:12)

• Panel riffs on the price of admission vs “value” and the scenic view of the Thames being preferable to the football on offer.

• Penalty techniques discussed:

  • “When Raúl Jiménez took his penalty, the only thing I could think of is the days of dial-up internet ... it was like Rodri Ménez was buffering before he took the pen.” – Philippe Auclair (05:56)

• Attempt to find something meaningful in Fulham’s performance—solid if unremarkable:

  • “Fulham have become one of those teams that I just don’t have anything to say about. … They’re not exceptional at anything, but they’re also not really bad at anything. They're just kind of aggressively 6 out of 10 at absolutely everything.” – Lars (06:29)

2. Referee Decisions & Penalty Consistency

[08:06–08:49]

• Debate on what counts as a penalty, citing the difference between when a foul is made with a foot planted versus in the air.
• Panel muses on the randomness of some refereeing decisions concerning similar incidents in different matches.

3. Arsenal’s Season and the Fixture Squeeze

[08:49–10:36]

• Philippe on Arsenal:

  • “Everybody’s crossing fingers that there’s not another injury. … The schedule is absolutely manic. Until, I mean, I was looking at it, I could hardly believe … with all this talk about Boxing Day being cancelled and so forth, which of course it is not. And then you realize ... they’re playing on the 31st and the 30th and the 1st.” (09:05)

• General sense of fatigue and anxiety at Arsenal, despite consistent wins.

4. Van de Ven–Isak Incident: Should Outcome Matter?

[10:36–15:39]

• Philippe (French perspective):

  • Advocates that the consequences of a foul, such as injury, should be considered in the sanction: “The impact of the foul is such that the player would have been banned for a very long time indeed [in France]. … Like you would have got eight to ten games banned for this.” (11:01)

• Max & Lars disagree:

  • “Dale Johnson says it does not have to be the result of foul play, it can simply be an unfortunate consequence. … I don’t even know it’s a foul.” – Max (13:34, 14:14)
  • “I think this thing of judging things by the consequences and not by the action, I’m not a fan of. … That seems like an unhinged way of judging it personally.” – Lars (14:21)

5. European Leagues Roundup

[16:52–36:10]

La Liga: Managerial Mayhem at Real Madrid

• Xabi Alonso survives at Real despite only two defeats in 18 but facing internal strife.
  • “He’s committed the unspeakable sin of telling the Real Madrid players what to do.” – Lars (17:30)
  • “You can’t just hire a guy because he's got good results and he’s Spanish and looks really handsome … you have to do some kind of research on how he works.” (18:40)
• Discussion of Real’s culture: star players reluctant to be managed firmly.
• Link to PSG and Luis Enrique, pondering whether elite players need to press and defend.

The Mbappé Paradox

• Philippe explains Mbappé’s lifelong reluctance to track back, stretching from his time at Clairefontaine academy to dominance at Madrid:

  • “He’s never done it in his life … When he was 11, 12 years old, he couldn’t get in the team at Monaco for the same reason … once he’s in the team, that’s where the problem starts.” (21:02)

• Lars: “The culture around football has never been more focused on the individual than now ... but the game on the pitch is becoming more about the collective than now ... those two trends collide occasionally and cause really weird outcomes.” (24:30)

More La Liga Notes

• Barry:
  • “Villarreal are in this kind of limbo where they’re better than the top three teams in La Liga. Clearly better. But they have been beaten by each of those teams ... and are second from bottom in the Champions League group.” (25:50)
• Real Aviedo’s dismal form: “They haven’t scored at home since September or anywhere else since October.” (27:23)

Ligue 1: Lens’ Surprise Ascendancy

• Philippe lauds Lens’ rise, likening their smart, sustainable approach to Brighton:
  • “It’s a big surprise to see them do so well … it’s very much the same kind of principles [as Brighton]: very sound recruitment, money well spent, club moved through the gears … ahead on 1 January 2026.” (27:49)
• Profile on owner Joseph Hugollen and the multi-club model … “not quite as noble” (32:03)
• “Proper club run properly, doing extremely well … that is something to be celebrated.” (32:14)

Serie A: The Pack at the Top

• Inter, Milan, Napoli, and Roma within a few points.
• Lars: “You do have a creeping suspicion that it’s going to be Inter again just on greater know-how, but it is a genuinely fascinating title race.” (33:03)
• Napoli’s resurgence under Conte: “It didn’t start super well this season … but they’re right back in it. So I’m on team Napoli for the rest of the season.” (34:15)

Bundesliga: Bayern Dominate (Again)

• Bayern nine points ahead of Dortmund; Harry Kane runaway leader for golden boot.
• Barry: “If [Kane] didn’t play another game this season would probably still win it. He’s on 19 and his nearest challengers are on eight.” (35:51)
• Lars praises youth prospect Leonard Kao and the Academy’s continued output. (37:00)
• “Aside from losing to Arsenal, it’s hard to think how the season could be going any better for Bayern.” (37:25)

6. AFCON Shock: From Biennial to Quadrennial

[39:59–47:50]

• Philippe explains outrage across Africa after CAF head Patrick Motsepe announces AFCON will be held every four years, largely seen as a move orchestrated by FIFA/Infantino for financial reasons and greater control.

• “All my African colleagues are up in arms. The fans are absolutely livid … the process, or rather the lack of process which has led to this decision being announced by Motsepe. There’s been absolutely zero consultation.” (40:22)

• “I don’t think I’ve come across anyone who believed that it’s going to do a lot of good to the finances of African football, because good luck for selling an African Nations League.” (41:41)

• Threat to the African Championship of Nations (CHAN), which is vital to local player development.

• Lars: “It’s just so bleak when the people who run football just don’t actually care about fans.” (46:28)

Notable Quote:

“You feel powerless at times. And I think this is the way that most of African football feels today. Totally powerless as to what is being done to itself.” – Philippe (46:13)

7. AFCON Latest Results

[47:50–48:39]

• South Africa beat Angola 2–1, Egypt beat Zimbabwe 2–1, Zimbabwe took the lead against the run of play.
• Mo Salah scores winner for Egypt.
• Barry on Maramouche’s goal: “The shot is fantastic, but it’s the noise it makes … I’ve never heard a more satisfying thump against the woodwork as this one. Watch it, Listen to it. It’s just gorgeous.” (47:50)

8. Sweet Sidelights: The FC La Picol(e) Story

[48:30–52:06]

• Philippe shares the heartwarming story of Belgian lower-league side FC La Picol(e):
  • “The ground … has got beehives all around it. … Volunteers from the club pick up the litter, transform it and make this beautiful shirt with it.” (50:34)
  • Their motto: “Eat honey.”
• Club merges ecological sustainability, healthy eating, and fun (“droitfu” = "straight to the cask of beer").
• Shirts set at €41.30, the club’s postcode.

9. Wedding Blessing Request

[52:20–53:53]

• Listener Jordan requests a wedding blessing from Barry for his Arsenal-supporting fiancée, Izzy.
• Barry, tongue-in-cheek:
  • “At least it will be an easy wedding anniversary to remember … and then once it ends, it would be a dark, dark day in the calendar for one or both of you.” (53:42)

10. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Lars on Real Madrid’s strange manager churn:

  • “The search is on now for a coach who will coach the team, but without telling the players that they have to run a bit occasionally.” (17:30)

• Philippe on Mbappé’s defending:

  • “He’s never done it in his life. … Once he’s in the team, that’s where the problem starts.” (21:02)

• Max: “The football is often incidental to what you’re paying for, really.” (05:20)

• Barry: “If [Kane] didn’t play another game this season would probably still win it. He’s on 19 and his nearest challengers are on eight.” (35:51)

11. In Memoriam: Åge Hareide

[37:25–39:12]

• Lars pays tribute to the Norwegian manager who passed away at 72:
  • “He was the second Norwegian to play in England … but he’s more remembered as a manager. … Universally well-liked, someone who had a life outside just football … and inspired people through making them feel good.” (37:32)

Key Timestamps

• [00:47] – Podcast starts with Fulham v. Forest recap
• [05:56] – Humour on stadium views and Jiménez’s penalty ‘buffering’
• [09:05] – Arsenal’s schedule woes (Philippe)
• [10:36] – Van de Ven–Isak challenge debate
• [16:52] – European football roundup begins
• [21:02] – Mbappé’s work rate (or lack thereof) explained
• [27:49] – Ligue 1: Lens’ rise and smart management
• [35:51] – Bundesliga: Kane’s dominance
• [39:59] – AFCON’s switch to every four years controversy
• [47:50] – AFCON latest games
• [48:30] – Belgian club FC La Picol(e) story
• [52:20] – Listener’s wedding request

Tone and Takeaways

• Brilliantly irreverent but honest – panelists never shy away from contradicting each other or poking fun at the absurdities of modern football.
• Philippe’s passionate segments provide necessary gravity, especially regarding African football politics and the importance of the game to local communities.
• The European roundup combines deep tactical and cultural insight with lots of winking asides on the absurdity of club politics and football personalities.
• The episode closes out with a blend of social conscience, festive good wishes, and the enduring joy of football’s stories big and small.

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