The football: With nearly a year of every Premier League football fixture being on television, have we reached a saturation point? Are we still enjoying the entertainment, or is it suffering from over-exposure?

The food: A final call for any food poverty charities you'd like us to promote. Please send them, and indeed any correspondence, to setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 221: How much football is too much football?

The football: A year on from the global lockdown, and the football shutdown, why is there no apparent consensus on how to change the game to guarantee for a better future? The pandemic seemed to prove the sport's stakeholders retain self-interest as their guiding principle, but even now, 12 months later, new ideas based partly on that experience are still being dismissed out of hand. So can football find a way to change, and should those making the accusations of self-interest consider their own motivations too?

The food: Divisive foods. For Hugh and Gemma, it's rice pudding. For Rory and Kate, fish pie. Chinch then reveals he takes fish pie leftovers to games, courtesy of his electric lunch box, and to the disgust of his colleagues.

Correspondence to setpiecemenu@gmail.com - we want your soccer stories!

SPM 222: Is football intelligent enough to change?

The football: After an unnecessarily deep dive into the international footballing history of Jonjo Shelvey, a listener suggested we might put together a Select XI of players who have appeared for England six times or fewer, all of whom are therefore, by definition, sub-Chinch. Spoiler alert: six-cap Shelvey misses out.

The food: Chinch reveals his local chip shop includes seared paprika and garlic squid on its menu, which is not at all surprising, on account of that chip shop being in rural Cheshire. 

All correspondence to setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 224: The Sub-Chinch England XI

The football: With the recent protests by some players against the conditions faced by migrant workers in Qatar, and the conflict some of us feel when considering some of the elements that have helped our clubs be successful, should we expect the game to match our own moral standards, whatever they may be? 

The food: There is a worrying theme developing amongst our audience of what we're calling 'food abominations'. After one confessed eating pasta with ketchup, another has compounded that by revealing their guilty pleasure is pasta, ketchup, and hot dogs. Send any you would like to get off your chest to setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 225: Should we expect football to reflect our own moral compass?

The football: Considering that Kevin de Bruyne appeared not to need one, and Erling Haaland is very obviously using one, we thought we'd talk about agents. Is the bad press they get, particularly in England, warranted? What value (apart from the obvious kind) do they add for a player, and how are modern agents attempting to enhance that value further?

The food: Hugh batch-cooked a large cottage pie. Hugh underestimated quite how large the batch would be, and has been eating cottage pie for a whole week.

Emails to setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 226: Agents

The football: After Pep Guardiola seemed to lean into the very narrative that appears to annoy his acolytes more than any other for the Champions League final, we discuss whether something being pre-determined also dictates that it should be the singular cause of any outcome. Did Pep overthink his team? Or did they just play badly? Or, more importantly for this episode, do we have to understand that two things can be true?

The food: Chinch and Steven discuss the relative merits of florentines with either milk or dark chocolate, in what proves to be the most alienating of all the elitist, middle-class conversations we've had over the years. 

Email us at setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 233: Two Things Can Be True

The football: Do trophies have a different value depending on who wins them, how often, and whether they are claimed by a player that's also associated with individual achievements? Harry Kane has a chance to move from a club that hasn't won anything to one that wins everything, but will those potential future achievements have the same value to him as breaking the Premier League, or England goal-scoring record at some point in his career? 

The food: Steven, who according to the MailOnline is living in a no-go area for white people, is forced to eat a dish which is typical of Didsbury, clearly proving the august publication's point: mango chutney-glazed spiced chicken breast with cumin bulgur wheat and roasted carrots. 

Emails to setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 234: The Value Of Trophies

Over time we've be inundated with excellent suggestions from you, the listener. Many have been used & attributed, some nefariously repurposed & claimed as our own and others saved for a rainy day.
Well that day has come and the mailbag has produced a potpourri of pod content: the fluidity of nationality, the scarcity of ambipedal players, footballing frustrations worthy of sanction, how to react to a tragedy and the chicken/egg of players' positions.

As for the food? Well after 4 and a half years together we finally discover what happens to Rory when it's 1.30 and he hasn't had lunch.

Want to be in contention for credit next time we empty the mailbag? Email setpiecemenu@gmail.com or find us on social media: @setpiecemenu

SPM 236: Soccer Pod Potpourri

The football: The summer series (aka filler content between organised domestic or international football) is back! We have three connected episodes coming at you over next three weeks considering the many different aspects to the idea of Premier League Exceptionalism. The English top flight might be the best, but could that also be the very root of what undermines its exceptionalism? And also is it literally an exception? Does what happens in the Premier League bear no resemblance to achievements or reputation elsewhere?

The food: In a nod to the traditional accompaniment to a multi-part summer series - a multi-course Nicky Hinchcliffe feast - we have asked Chinch to imagine what she might cook were we able to be together. So, the starter: pan-fried scallops with pancetta, bacon and chorizo on a bed of fresh watercress with creme fraiche and zest of lemon dressing.

We're taking a break from reading your emails on the show for these three episodes, but that doesn't mean you should stop sending them to setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 240: Premier League Exceptionalism? - Part 1

The football: Why are the 'Top Six' clubs in the Premier League spoken about so much, when some of those 'Top Six' don't fill the top six positions anymore? The European Super League debacle spoke of the 'Big Six' trying to break away because they weren't, and haven't been, the 'Top Six' for a while. And if you are one of those 'Big Six', can you ever be replaced?

The food: Chinch has two chocolate and hazelnut chunky cookies, which he's so enamoured with he eats at the same time, stacked like a sandwich.

***WEEKLY MERCH REMINDER***
Click on this link to see our range, and then buy our range. Our whole range. For everyone you know.
https://www.teepublic.com/stores/set-piece-menu-podcast?ref_id=24300

The SPMPLPL is now live for your predictions of how the final Premier League table will look! All the details are at www.tinyurl.com/setpiecemenu
Deadline: Friday 3rd September

Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 244: Big Six or Top Six, or neither?

The football: Upon Jimmy Greaves' passing, his astounding goal-scoring record was brought to the attention to a whole new generation of football fans. Why was it not something that more people instinctively knew about, or remembered? We ask how we strike the right balance between those historical achievements and the modern game.

The food: Rory has visited his parents, and the deli nearby to pick up his favourite lunch item - a chicken tikka, tzatziki and mango chutney salad sandwich on twisted white cobb. He doesn't tell his parents this is actually why he visits them so regularly. 

Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Merch: www.teepublic.com (search for SPM or set piece menu)

SPM 249: Judging Historical Achievements In The Modern Era

The football: Following the Saudi (sorry, PIF) takeover of Newcastle (see SPM175 for more) we talk about how money, and the availability of wealth regardless of its origin, is celebrated more than anything else. Why do we hold financial might in such high regard, when there are so many other things we could be praising more?

The food: The Rod Smith Drunk Salad. Rory explains how his father puts together his daily salad of leaves, spring onions, radishes (and occasional cheese), and inhales it as if he were eating ramen in Japan. 

LIVE SHOW TICKETS: head to www.nationalfootballmuseum.com to join us for a live show on Thursday 4th November
MERCH: head to www.teepublic.com (search for SPM) if you want to wear merch
EMAIL: setpiecemenu@gmail.com if you want to email us

SPM 253: Are we celebrating the wrong things in football?

The football: In the unforeseen absence of two of our number, we fill their places with people who actually know what they're talking about. Peter Drury and Conor McNamara are some of the finest exponents of the art of commentary, and there's also Steven; together we have a conversation about what people don't realise about the life and craft of the person you might listen to a lot, but not know a lot about.

The food: Hugh is struggling with his voice - which he insists is down to something spurious called Cooing Disease - and so is on a diet of VocalZones and Broncho Stops.

LIVE SHOW TICKETS: We are in London's Courtyard Theatre for a 5th anniversary live show on Thursday 16th December, and you can be there too! 

Click on this link for tickets: https://myticket.co.uk/gigs/set-piece-menu-live-london-2021-12-16-19-00

Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/en-gb/stores/set-piece-menu-podcast

SPM 258: What YOU Don't Realise About Commentators...

The football: Is Serie A the most exciting league in football right now? And if so, does that mean it has at last shaken off its stereotype - one that hasn't been true on the pitch for a long while now - of dull, defensive football? 

The food: A gingerbread biscuit that Rory couldn't wait until the pod to eat. It was the shape of a bee, which leads the others to suggest he's hankering for his old home of Manchester.

Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 266: Serie A

The football: March 2020 was football's hiatus, January 2022 is ours. With changes afoot in the SPM family, and a relaunch expected later in the year, we thought we'd give you all a bit of a break. Consider it an extended deadline if you haven't yet listened to all the episodes, a cheat code for your homework. We will return, and if you have any strong opinions about how we look when we do (that we can either ignore or take as our own), send them to setpiecemenu@gmail.com

We remain on social media - @setpiecemenu - and could well pop up in your feed at any moment, so stand by and get ready for SPM 2.0!

The food: Steven, in a metaphor for today's pod, which is apparently timed to completely ruin his lunch plans, is snacking on the final few raisins of a bag.

SPM 267: Au Revoir

SPM returns from hiatus to consider how the sanctions placed on Roman Abramovich will affect Chelsea, the Premier League, and football's billionaire bubble. 

We will now politely return to our mini-hibernation, but in the meanwhile if you'd like to send an email, setpiecemenu@gmail.com is permanently open for business.

SPM BONUS: The End Of The Oligarch Era

We're breaking into our hiatus to do two things: 1) be with you for a run of mini-pods to mark the end of the Premier League season and more, and 2) for naked financial gain.

The football: It's more than a year since the European Super League came and very quickly went, but it seems all the decisions made by the powers that be since are benefiting those who wanted the ESL in the first place, rather than satisfying the movement that mobilised so passionately against it. So why does football keep doing things that benefit the big clubs?

The financial gain: Our live show is back on! Head to www.myticket.co.uk to join us on Wednesday 20th July at 21 Soho in London as part of the Goals Aloud Podcast Festival. We'll give you more details of the show over the coming weeks, but it'll be a very special night, so get your ticket for SPM Live now!!!

Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 268: Why does football keep doing things that benefit the big clubs?

Our hiatus-interrupting continues with another new pod, and another reminder to join us for a special SPM LIVE in London on Wednesday 20th July. 
Get your tickets here: https://myticket.co.uk/gigs/set-piece-menu-live-london-2021-12-16-19-00

The football: The end of the Premier League season brings a comforting inevitability, the Hot Takes and Takeaways episode. We also reveal the standings and stats behind the soaringly successful SPMPLPL. 

Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 269: The 6th Annual Hot Takes and Takeaways

The football: Did Hugh say he'd written a book? Well just in case you missed it, he takes the opportunity of Rory and Steven being distracted by a combination of covid and foreign travel (not both at the same time) to chat with the subject of said book. Nedum Onuoha is a former Manchester City, QPR and Real Salt Lake footballer with a tale to tell about his career and those with whom he shared it, but Kicking Back is about so much more. This conversation focuses on the so much more.

So now we have TWO plugs:
The book is out in the UK, and can be bought here (and elsewhere): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kicking-Back-Nedum-Onuoha/dp/1785907476/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19PYI2J78MI62&keywords=nedum+onuoha+book&qid=1653580026&sprefix=nedum%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-1

And tickets for our live show on the 20th July in London are here: https://myticket.co.uk/gigs/set-piece-menu-live-london-2021-12-16-19-00

Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 270: Nedum Onuoha

The football: 2022 has brought about a notable conscious uncoupling. After 30 beautiful and productive years together the video game partnership between EA Sports and FIFA is ending. How did this happen, why does it matter and whose future looks brighter: the gaming behemoth or the owner of 'the brand'?
Plus, a not inconsiderable announcement that we think will make a ticket to SPM Live in London on 20th July even more valuable... https://myticket.co.uk/artists/set-piece-menu-live

Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com or twitter: @setpiecemenu

SPM 271: EA v FIFA (plus a BIG announcement)

The football: Some Set Piece Menu nostalgia. You miss Andy Hinchcliffe, we do too. So in response to requests to revisit some of his stand out 'Soccer Story' moments, Hugh, Rory and Steven introduce a trip down memory lane. Whether it was crustaceans in the bath at Bellfield, Mrs Big Ron's platter of Kit-Kats or the injury that finally ended an entirely sufficient career, Chinch never failed us when a tale from his playing days with all adult behaviour and libel-worthy details removed was required.

SPM 272: Soccer Story Memory Lane

The football: At time of recording, three players key to Ajax's recent success had already left during this transfer window, with potentially at least another three heading out (maybe all to Manchester United) before it's over. Rory is annoyed about the financial and demographic realities that has led to another exodus, and wants to tell us why. Steven prepares a whole string orchestra's worth of tiny violins...

LIVE SHOW TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!!! Head to https://myticket.co.uk/gigs/set-piece-menu-live-london-2021-12-16-19-00 to join us on 20th July at 21 Soho in London

Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 273: The Ajax Exodus

***Nedum Onuoha will be our guest at the live show in London! He's joining us for our final episode on July 20th. Get your tickets here: https://myticket.co.uk/gigs/set-piece-menu-live-london-2021-12-16-19-00***

The football: With the emergence of European clubs and the nations a lot of their players serve, is the dominance of the US Women's National Team under threat, and what will Euro 2022 tell us about how next year's World Cup might go?

Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com

SPM 274: Is the landscape of the women's game shifting?

The football: It's our last show, live in London (slightly edited for content like movies on ITV in the 1990s, but still self-indulgently long). We're joined by Nedum Onuoha and an audience of well-wishers to send you off into a future without SPM. There are multiple middle class heckles, some essential beepings out of inappropriate words, and by the end even the odd something in the eye as we say goodbye after five and half years of podding. 

To you all, wherever you are, and to whichever level you let us into your lives, thank you. It was about football, of course, but it was also all of us sitting around a virtual lunch or brunch table to have a chat, quite often about nonsense. We will miss you, and if you'd like, we're still available on setpiecemenu@gmail.com, and @setpiecemenu. On the latter, there will be stuff for you to have fun with even in the absence of our audio form.

Hopefully we'll find a similarly self-regarding way to speak to you again in the future. But until then, there'll be a little hole for you to fill in your podcast schedule.

Rory, Steven, Andy and Hugh.

SPM 275: Last Night In Soho

The latest Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk football over food.

The football: Wayne Rooney's impending move to Derby posed some questions about the relationship between football and gambling, so we consider the two increasingly comfortable bed fellows. 

The food: Steven has prepared a vegetarian feast, because he was recently visited by a vegetarian, who clearly didn't eat enough of the feast to prevent the need for the disposal of leftovers. 

Don't forget to enter your predictions into this year's SPMPLPL! Head to www.tinyurl.com/setpiecemenu NOW!

And you can get in touch with SPM via twitter: @setpiecemenu
Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/setpiecemenu

SPM 142: Betting

The football: This year's Champions League last eight tournament had everything we'd expect of the final stages of club football's elite competition, apart from ties played over two legs. If it worked so handsomely, why is it so unlikely to happen again? Rory decides to answer this question by comparing European football to an electric car. 

The food: Steven has "eaten out to help out" by returning to the Didsbury Deli for coffee and bacon butties. By doing this when everyone else is on zoom, it transpires the only person he's helping out is himself.

All emails to setpiecemenu@gmail.com
You can also find us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube!

SPM 193: The Champions League Last Eight (that was good, so let's not do it again)

The football: For a long time, and in the last six months more than once, we've been talking on SPM about how football's structure might have to change, particularly in the context of how its flimsy foundations have been exposed by Covid 19. Well, as it turns out, others have also been discussing potentially seismic changes to the traditions of English football. We consider whether Project Big Picture is devised with the spirit of opportunity in mind, or if it's blatant opportunism, with the architects using the pandemic as an excuse to attempt to get what they've always wanted.

The food: It's our 200th episode, so Hugh bought a cake. This is not only inappropriate, as it's not a birthday, but also in the wrong home, because Rory's son is actually celebrating a birthday. Hugh will be mindful of both these things while he eats the whole thing himself.

Thanks for all your support over the 200 episodes of Set Piece Menu, give yourselves a pat on the back. And then send an email to setpiecemenu@gmail.com, or give us a 5 star review on iTunes!

SPM 200: Project Big Picture - Opportunity or Opportunism?

The football: Whether it's foresight and proactivity from a position of stability and strength, or alternatively you're in a mess like the current Barcelona, teams need a regular rebuild. We discuss what makes a successful rebuild, how often you need to be planning for one, and whether they're even possible if you don't have money, or a manager with a significant power base.

The food: Maltesers, suspended roughly half a centimetre above Rory's mouth. Because, like, he's 12.

Please send your emails to setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook!

SPM 202: The Rebuild

The football: A listener describes his own support of the team he loves as a 'diagnosable masochistic disorder', prompting a question about why fans continue to follow their club if there's no significant prospect of success. He calls his team 's**t', but then he's allowed to. We couldn't possibly comment. Although we do. At length. And with A LOT of bleeps.

The food: Chinch is asked if he visited the chippy outside Turf Moor on his way to a recent Burnley game, so we thought we'd start a new feature where you tell us about the best takeaways near your favourite team's ground. Let us know at setpiecemenu@gmail.com and, obviously, if it's a Chinese then Chinch is guaranteed to visit it post match. 

email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
twitter: setpiecemenu

We're also on Facebook and YouTube!

SPM 206: Why do people support s**t teams?

The football: The passing of Diego Maradona prompted a discussion about both his genius and his flaws. But was he the former because of the latter, and would he have been the same without both? And was he a product unique to the time, or can that conflict still be found in modern footballers?

The food: Mince Pies. Because it's December. And because everyone knows you shouldn't do ANYTHING Christmas-related before the calendar turns to December.

Email: setpiecmenu@gmail.com
Follow us on twitter, facebook and our YouTube channel!

SPM 207: Can you have the genius without the flaws?

The football: Why do some pundits wear their allegiances on their sleeve, and has the success of Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher changed the age-old convention of impartiality? Tradition has also tended to dictate that journalists keep who they support private as well, but are the exceptions starting to outweigh the rule, and why does it matter to fans anyway?

The food: Pie, of the humble variety. Tenuous we know, but Chinch needs a slice of it after trampling over Rory's attempts to showcase his finest work on his office wall. 

Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com
Twitter: @setpiecemenu
www.facebook.com/setpiecemenu
And subscribe to our YouTube channel!

SPM 208: Allegiances

The football: After two promotions and glowing notices for his overlapping centre backs, Chris Wilder and Sheffield United are struggling. Has the magic potion he created for his team run out, and if so, how do you replace it? Features an over-extended metaphor about Asterix, and the secrets behind how a modern player avoids giving mixed zone interviews.

The food: Rory has found a new local coffee shop that suits his elevated tastes, and he wants to give them some publicity, even though their usual clientele tend to wear a little too much lycra for his liking. 

Plus: Do you own a small business? Does it offer niche goods? Are you based in a non-UK territory? If the answer to these questions is a resounding "yes" then email setpiecemenu@gmail.com if you'd like to follow our Jordanian hardware store in sponsoring the show!

SPM 209: What happens when the magic potion runs out?

The football: We apply the 'Peter Parker Principle' to football statistics, asking if the growing power of data should be wielded in a more responsible way. Can a player's performance be measured by anything other than measurable metrics, and if not, how can there still be room for artistry, and other more intangible, non-data-driven elements of the game?

The food: We are asking for your suggestions of local food banks that you'd like us to mention, as while we're unable to eat together, some are finding it hard to eat at all, and we'd like you to use us to promote a local cause that's doing work you admire. Let us know at setpiecemenu@gmail.com

And we have another listener soccer story, so send us yours and we could be reading it out on a future show!

SPM 217: Statistics have growing power, but are we using them responsibly?

This is Set Piece Menu - the podcast where four friends talk about football over food. They are together a writer, a commentator, a presenter and a pundit. Rory Smith is the Chief Soccer Correspondent of the New York Times, Steven Wyeth commentates for BT Sport and the BBC's Match Of The Day, Hugh Ferris is a presenter at BBC Sport, and Andy Hinchcliffe is a former England international (seven caps) who is now a pundit for Sky Sports. On each episode they discuss one footballing issue, while digesting a delicious lunch or brunch, and almost never reaching any sort of conclusion.

SET PIECE MENU FOOTBALL PODCAST

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