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

The football: Why do so many fans seem so miserable? The team wonders if it's sometimes easier to complain, and if wanting to be right can mean a supporter prefers his club to fail. 

The food: chorizo and pepper omelette from Steve, and glamorous liqueur chocolates from South Africa (well, Joburg airport duty free) from the returning Hugh.

We also reflect on what gives you joy in football, so keep the correspondence coming in: 
@setpiecemenu
setpiecemenu@gmail.com 

Thanks for all your support, next week we celebrate our one year anniversary!!!

SPM 52: Why do so many fans seem so miserable?

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.

SPM 222: Is football intelligent enough to change?

SET PIECE MENU FOOTBALL PODCAST

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