Podcast
Rule The Roost - A Tottenham Hotspur Podcast
Hosted by Jack Hussey · EN
Rule the Roost is a Spurs podcast where proper football man-isms meet arthouse pretension.
Every Monday, Jack’s joined by a guest to wrestle with whatever state Tottenham are in – from match discussions to transfer talk and identity to existential dread.
Thursdays are for Q&As, your chance to ask serious (or not) questions.
And after every match, there’s a solo pod recorded on the final whistle: unfiltered, emotional, and usually involving Jack crying about Ledley King (and now Son Heung-min too).
If you like your football chat somewhere between pub preacher and quasi-intellectual, you’ll probably get on with this.
Expect plenty of pop-culture references too.
Up the Spurs.
55episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
WORLD CUP DIGEST: USA March On, Brazil Bounce Back & The End of the Road for Turkey
2d ago00:21:26Tap to summarizeOn today's 15-minute briefing: Pochettino's Magic: The battle of the jocks saw the USA come out on top against Australia. Mauricio Pochettino simply continues to work his magic, and the hosts are looking seriously impressive. Scottish Heartbreak: A really difficult one to swallow for the Scots against Morocco. Looking back at the crucial moments, I have to ask: should they have had at least one penalty in that game? Brazil Bounce Back: A good result for Brazil against Haiti, showing they can absolutely put the so-called lesser nations to the sword. But do they actually have enough quality for the real monsters of the tournament? I am not entirely convinced yet. Turkey Tumble & Almiron's Red: Miguel Almirón was sent off for covering his mouth against Paraguay—honestly, this is the sort of no-nonsense officiating I can get behind and something the authorities should have been doing for a while. As for the game itself, the result caps off a very disappointing World Cup for Turkey, whom many were expecting so much more from. Dutch Delight: A huge result in what many expected to be an evenly contested fixture between the Netherlands and Sweden. The Dutch played some scintillating football at times, which makes me wonder: perhaps they have been written off too soon? Heartbreak for Côte d'Ivoire: Absolute heartbreak for Côte d'Ivoire, who were genuinely brilliant against Germany. There is a lot of talk around Diomande at the moment, and he is definitely good value for it—a great player. But Deniz Undav was the hero for Germany, showing great composure to secure the winner. Wasteful Ecuador: Eloy Room continued the tournament's theme of standout goalkeeping performances for Curaçao, but you have to say Ecuador were incredibly wasteful in front of goal. Japan Show Up: Japan are showing more signs of being the team everyone said they were ahead of this tournament, putting in a great attacking performance to ruthlessly punish Tunisia. Tournament Update: Qualified Teams: Mexico, USA, and Germany. Eliminated Teams: Haiti, Tunisia, and Turkey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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WORLD CUP DIGEST: Is It Finally England's Year? Plus: Qatar Chaos & Ronaldo Off The Pace
4d ago00:20:43Tap to summarizeOn today's 15-minute briefing: Ronaldo Holding Portugal Back: A brilliant result for DR Congo, and a massive well done to Yoane Wissa. But the main talking point has to be Cristiano Ronaldo—he is looking way off the pace right now and genuinely seems to be holding this Portuguese side back. Hope for the Three Lions: England getting it done against Croatia. It begs the question: are things finally different for the Three Lions? It really feels like they finally have the team to cause serious problems deep into this tournament. Ghana Make Hard Work of It: Ghana made things look far more difficult than they probably should have, but you have to give credit to Panama, who looked incredibly handy. Diaz Dazzles for Colombia: A historic moment for the Uzbeks, but the story of the game was an absolutely incredible opening goal for Colombia—definitely worth checking out if you haven't seen it. Luis Díaz was the undisputed star of the show, which really makes you wonder what on earth Liverpool were thinking getting rid of him to Bayern Munich. South Africa Grind It Out: A largely uneventful but quite open game between Czechia and South Africa. Well done to South Africa for grinding out a solid point against very tough opposition. Dying Stages Drama: Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina exploded into life in the dying stages with some great finishes. Honestly, I don't expect an awful lot from either of these teams going forward, but it is completely mad to see Edin Džeko still playing at this level. Host Nation Chaos: A big, big result for Canada against Qatar, which is great for the momentum of the tournament. However, it was a really feisty affair featuring what looked like a leg-breaking challenge. Qatar were pretty dirty throughout, and things properly kicked off at full-time. Mexico Progress: A very boring game between Mexico and South Korea, complete with boos ringing out at half-time. Still, Mexico get the job done and go through to the next round. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Kane Puts Croatia to the Sword | Vuskovic's Reality Check, Levy, Van Hecke and Tottenham's pants
5d ago00:55:41Tap to summarizeJack is joined by Conor Mummery where the lads kick things off by checking in on England’s World Cup campaign, celebrating Harry Kane reaching 10 tournament goals as he puts Croatia to the sword, and reflecting on his legendary status. Attention then turns to young defender Luka Vuskovic’s recent performance, evaluating reports of friction between the youngster and Roberto De Zerbi, who reportedly feels the teenager is still a few years away from first-team readiness. We celebrate Jan Paul van Hecke officially getting the "Here We Go" confirmation, before breaking down an incredible bit of off-air drama on talkSPORT. With Ben Foster revealing that Daniel Levy texted Simon Jordan claiming Spurs "had their pants pulled down" on the financial terms, we question if this confirms years of suspicion that Levy’s obsession with "winning" negotiation squabbles has held the club back—and whether the hierarchy are finally moving differently. Finally, we talk about Sandro Tonali, sharing our honest ratings of him as a player, how he fits into the modern game, and what his addition would mean for our midfield. Theme is Ghost Cat by Gillen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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WORLD CUP DIGEST: The Messi Show Begins, Mbappe or Olise & Vozinho's Exploding Insta
6d ago00:21:00Tap to summarizeOn today's 15-minute briefing: Messi Makes History: The main event. Lionel Messi just does it again. He bagged a sensational hat-trick against Algeria and actually looks fitter now than he did during the 2022 run, even if he probably should have been sent off. He is now the joint-record World Cup goalscorer alongside Miroslav Klose with 16 goals. Can Argentina retain the trophy? Mbappe's Aura & the Olise Show: Senegal are a seriously great side, and Nicolas Jackson is definitely a much better player than he ever gets credit for. Up front for France, Kylian Mbappe is undeniably an incredible player, but he has that somewhat unpalatable aura reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo. Is it because he feels threatened by the quiet star of Michael Olise? Spain Stunned & Vozinha's Viral Boom: A completely mad result, and to be honest, I’m just not sure I'm having this Spanish side right now—they seem to completely lack a spark. Still, it's early days; Argentina lost their opener to Saudi Arabia in 2022 and went on to win the whole thing. The real story was Cape Verde keeper Vozinha. He was an absolute sensation and a total brick wall. His Instagram growth has been absolutely ridiculous, shooting up from around 50k to 7.6 million followers over the course of the game. Nice stuff. Egypt Grind with Belgium: Mohamed Salah is looking a bit washed to me, suffering from the exact same issue as Sonny—two remarkably similar, elite players who have simply been run into the ground. Egypt looked like a thoroughly competent side, and while there's nothing to suggest this post-'golden generation' Belgium team are anything special. Saudi Arabia's Minnow Myth: Another match completely defined by the shot-stoppers. Saudi keeper Mohammed Al-Owais was phenomenal, and I felt genuinely gutted for them when they finally conceded, though they at least held on for a well-deserved point against Uruguay. With the explosive growth of their domestic league and the financial focus from the PIF, you have to wonder how much longer we'll consider them a minnow nation. Haaland Terrifies & Iraq's Disallowed Screamer: Antonio Nusa looked lovely out there, and I can completely see why Spurs have been heavily linked with him. As for Erling Haaland, it’s become so routine and almost boring to see him bag goals in the Premier League that the impact has faded a bit. But watching him on a completely different stage, terrifying a fresh set of international defenders, just reaffirms exactly how terrifyingly good he is. Meanwhile, Iraq scored an absolute screamer that was somehow not actually a goal. Austria’s Vintage Bangers: Jordan and Austria treated us to a few absolute bangers, capped off by a great performance from Marko Arnautovic, who is still doing the business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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De Zerbi Backed: The Tonali Links & The Vuskovic Dilemma | Pedro Porro's New Deal & Pape Matar Sarr to Brentford? (feat. Baker)
1w ago01:04:56Tap to summarizeJack is joined by Baker from the Above Average FPL podcast to break down a fascinating week of Tottenham transfer strategy as the summer rebuild begins to take shape. The lads dive straight into the sensational links bringing Sandro Tonali to N17, evaluating how his technical profile perfectly aligns with Roberto De Zerbi's tactical vision. We also look at the massive optics of the deal—after a gruelling relegation battle, does buying a star player directly from a near rival like Newcastle represent a massive show of dominance from the Spurs hierarchy? Attention then turns to a massive boardroom dilemma following Brighton's bid for teenage centre-back Luka Vuskovic. We debate whether using one of Europe's most sought-after young assets in an effective swap deal for Jan Paul van Hecke—who only has a year left on his current contract—makes long-term sense. Plus, we celebrate Pedro Porro's big new contract extension, explaining why his elite fitness and availability make him the ultimate weapon for De Zerbi, before questioning if a rumoured move to Brentford means the end of the road for Pape Matar Sarr. Finally, the show wraps up with some World Cup scouting as Baker highlights the players who have taken his fancy during the tournament so far. Theme is Ghost Cat by Gillen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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WORLD CUP DIGEST: Ordinary Brazil, Aussie Joy & Water Break Drama
1w ago00:20:59Tap to summarizeAn Ordinary Brazil: Morocco proved they are a genuinely good side, but Brazil looked decidedly ordinary. I take a moment to reflect on the legendary Brazilian teams of years gone by and ask where the magic has gone. Scottish Pride: Well done to Scotland on getting the job done! I loved the brilliant rendition of Flower of Scotland, which really shines a light on our rather dreary English anthem, God Save the King. Credit to Haiti as well—they looked very tidy in places and I think they're arguably quite unlucky to be stuck in such a tough group. Aussie Joy: A huge 2-0 result for the Aussies against Turkey, with the added element of Greek-Aussie joy making it an even sweeter victory down under. Water Break Controversy: Did the mandated water break ruin the flow of the Germany vs Curaçao game? Curaçao had just equalised and were aggressively pressing a genuinely rattled German side, only for Germany to recoup and reassert themselves after the pause. It begs the question: are FIFA fundamentally changing the landscape and rhythm of how the game is played? Underwhelming Oranje: Despite the late drama in the 2-2 draw, it was a fairly underwhelming game between the Netherlands and Japan. Japan were overly defensive for large spells, whilst the Dutch struggled to find that killer pass and ultimately switched off at the back. Plus, I look at Micky van de Ven, who really doesn't look well-suited to operating at left-back. Côte d'Ivoire Grind It Out: A massive three points on the board for Côte d'Ivoire against Ecuador. Picking up hard-fought wins against fairly evenly matched sides is exactly the name of the game in tournament football. Super Swedes: Sweden absolutely smash Tunisia to get their campaign underway. When I look through the Swedish squad, there is an abundance of quality. They might not be looked at as a classic favourite, but they are absolutely a team who could cause serious problems for anyone in this competition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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WORLD CUP DIGEST: Poch's USA Balling Out, Sonny's Struggles & Brazil Nostalgia
1w ago00:20:06Tap to summarizeWelcome to the very first episode of the Rule the Roost World Cup Digest - your 15 minute morning wrap-up of the biggest talking points from across the tournament. On today's 15-minute briefing: Opening Day Reflections: Lovely opening ceremony—unapologetically LATAM and a massive spectacle to get us underway. It is just a shame the referee didn’t get the carnival brief, marring the Mexico vs South Africa clash with a terrible performance and red cards aplenty. South Africa looked a bit sluggish, but it was a great moment for Raúl Jiménez - a feel good World Cup story. Poch is Cooking: Mauricio Pochettino has the USA absolutely balling out. In their match against Paraguay (who are absolutely no pushover), they looked exactly like peak 2016/17 Spurs. Well done. Canada's Spursy Vibe: Canada played some brilliant stuff that felt incredibly familiar. Plenty of style but perhaps lacking those killer final balls and ruthless finishers. However, that Cyle Larin goal was undeniably great. South Korea & Sonny: South Korea are playing some fantastic football, but is Son Heung-min starting to look a bit washed? Plus, I lament the fact that Lee Kang-in doesn't want to follow in Son's footsteps and make the move to N17. Brazil vs Morocco Preview: Looking ahead to tonight's massive matchup. After revisiting some classic matches from the 90s and 00s and seeing just how brilliant they were, it begs the question: have the broader tactical changes in modern football been the main reason for Brazil's struggles of late? Scotland's Late Night: It is a shame that the World Cup kick-off times are so late here in Europe, but we are wishing Scotland all the best as they get underway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Rebuilding Tottenham Hotspur | Paul O'Keefe on Striker Gossip, Outgoings & De Zerbi's Power (Q&A)
2w ago01:00:28Tap to summarizeJack is joined by club insider Paul O'Keefe for a massive Thursday Q&A, kicking things off by looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup and asking if tournament fever has finally managed to wash away the exhaustion of the domestic campaign. With the dust settling on Tottenham Hotspur miraculously staying up, Paul shares his honest reflections on surviving the drop and what the mood is really like behind the scenes. We then dive into a huge selection of your listener questions, starting with the latest updates on the sporting director search and whether Dougie Freedman is heading to N17. We debate if any top-tier Director of Football will actually want to join the club given the amount of power Roberto De Zerbi has amassed after keeping us up, and question if the hierarchy are genuinely humbled by this disastrous season or if their recent apologies are just a PR-driven play. The conversation then turns to the transfer market, examining which big-money midfielder we should be putting our money on, getting the latest gossip on our striker targets, and looking at the massive list of players the club is desperately trying to shift ahead of a crucial summer clearout. Theme is Ghost Cat by Gillen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Crypto Bro Takeover Rumours & Robertson Confirmed | Micky’s Van Hecke Tap-In & Harry Wilson Debate
2w ago01:05:22Tap to summarizeJack is joined by friend of the show Tom Hayward to unpack a surprisingly busy start to the week of Tottenham news that spans from boardroom takeover rumours to various movements in the transfer window. The lads dive straight into the madness surrounding Matt Law's latest report on a potential "crypto bro" takeover at Spurs, debating what this ownership model could mean for the future of the club and whether ENIC are finally plotting an exit strategy. Turning to confirmed business, we break down the pros and cons of Andy Robertson’s official arrival on a free transfer, weighing up his elite mentality and experience against his age and fit for Roberto De Zerbi's system. We also get the latest on our ongoing pursuit of Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke, highlighting a brilliant piece of public tapping-up from Micky van de Ven, who openly admitted he's been telling his international teammate that N17 is the place to be. Plus, we address the divisive Harry Wilson discourse taking over social media, react to some surprisingly glowing praise from Thomas Frank about the inner workings of the club, and finish up by shifting our focus to the rapidly approaching World Cup as tournament fever finally starts to kick in. Theme is Ghost Cat by Gillen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Arsenal Relief & Summer Rebuild | The Van Hecke Bid, Senesi, Robertson & The Alex Scott Dilemma (feat. Jon Bass)
3w ago00:57:43Tap to summarizeWith the domestic season officially at an end, Jack is joined by Jon Bass to celebrate a massive weekend of collective relief across North London following Arsenal’s defeat in the Champions League final. Drawing a definitive line under a chaotic campaign, the lads look ahead to a pivotal summer under Roberto De Zerbi. We dive straight into the breaking transfer news that dropped this morning regarding Tottenham's declined opening bid for Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke, contrasting it with highly positive updates on our moves for Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson. Jack and Jon closely analyse the tactical profiles of both Van Hecke and Senesi, questioning what their technically accomplished but less physically imposing styles tell us about De Zerbi's footballing vision for next season. We also tackle the growing transfer rumours linking Spurs with Bournemouth's Alex Scott, confronting the dilemma of whether bringing in the boyhood Tottenham fan makes sense given his overlapping profile with Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. Finally, the show wraps up by looking ahead to the rapidly approaching World Cup, debating whether the international excitement is finally starting to build. Theme is Ghost Cat by Gillen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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