Joga Podnito Episode 22 - The Premier League Returns

The boys are back, and are considering a rebrand! But whether the show is Joga Podnito or Talking Soccer, you can be sure the takes are still hot, the intro tracks still bang, and Premier League teams still cannot defend. Opening weekend of the 2017/2018 campaign was a screamer, and the lands run the rule over all the major talking points as well as Real Madrid's Supercopa victory over Neymar-less Barcelona.

Joga Podnito Episode 11 - Premier League Q1 Review

Andrew and Jake return to review the first quarter of the 2016-2017 Premier League Season. The lads break down the table by the current top four, the chasing pack, the bleak mid-table, and the dredges of the Premier League society. Jake also predicts a big Arsenal win this coming weekend, and tips Stoke to continue on their winning ways.

Joga Podnito Episode 5 - Both Manchesters March On (Week 2 Review & Week 3 Preview)

With Andrew traveling for work, I man the ship solo and provide an abridged Joga reviewing Week 2 of Premier League action. Given the show's late recording time (Wednesday), I also preview next weekend's notable games, and provide a couple betting tips for our listeners. Subscribe to Joga Podnito on iTunes!

Joga Podnito Episode 4 - Opening Weekend

We're back and better than ever (marginally), covering the opening weekend of the Premier League. We discuss Arsenal's defensive nightmare against Liverpool, Manchester United's strong performance at Bournemouth, Pep's new-look City, and much more.

Also - look out for Joga Podnito in the iTunes Podcast Store later this week!

Joga Podnito Episode 3 - Premier League Season Preview

Andrew and I return with Episode 3 of Joga Podnito - Premier League Season Preview. We discuss Manchester United's victory in the FA Community Shield, share predictions for the 2016/2017 Premier League season, and end with a bit of gambling chat. Enjoy!

Joga Podnito: Episode 2 - Euro 2016 Semi-Finals Preview

Andrew and I return with a (much improved) second effort for Joga Podnito. We discuss Euro 2016 up to the semis, as well as our picks to make it to the final. Have a listen, and let us know what you think!

Joga Podnito - Episode 1

After 3 years - years consumed with moving to Boston, Grad School, becoming an adult, and meeting a girl - Joga Blognito is once again my outlet for soccer-related posts. This comeback post, however, will introduce a new medium for Joga. In addition to (hopefully) regular blogs, Joga Podnito is now live. This podcast, hosted by myself and fellow soccer-head Andrew Acker, will be used to discuss whatever interests us in the world of footy at the time of recording. Our inaugural episode, predictably, is centered around Euro 2016. So have a listen, and know that (like with anything in life), we will improve with time. This first episode was more of a 'Proof of Concept' than a finished product, but without further ado, enjoy episode #1 of Joga Podnito!

ON BERBATOV AND SUAREZ, THE MOST ENTERTAINING PLAYERS IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE

A week ago a pundit on the Guardian Newspaper's exceedingly great 'Football Weekly Podcast', quipped that he would pay good money simply to watch Dimitar Berbatov bring down goal kicks, one after another. He then moved to state that Berbatov, with his languid brilliance and nonchalantly devastating play, is the most entertaining player in the Premier League at present. That statement has remained a point of interest in my mind since, not simply because it is a decent claim, but more importantly because the idea of 'entertainment' provided by a footballer is quite a difficult one to reconcile. What provides entertainment at a football ground? Surely, at the most basic and obvious level of cognition, goals (and the prospect of goals being scored) are what entertain the paying audiences of football matches. A player, whose skill set and aptitude for the game promises at least the opportunity for a goal to be scored, is surely someone who may be deemed 'entertaining'. Yet this qualification alone is not sufficient; for example, at the present moment I do not find Fernando Torres even remotely entertaining as a footballer, though he still holds the capacity to score goals. Furthermore, some quality midfielders, who may infrequently be presented an opportunity to shoot at goal due to their positioning on the pitch, have captured the imaginations of, and provided entertainment for, fan bases world wide. Claude Makelele in his Chelsea pomp was a quality example of this type of footballer. Therefore, the ability to entertain lies in another key facet, one essential characteristic, I would argue. And that ability is this; a player must look different in the way he plays football. He must move about the field and interact with the ball in a fashion that appears almost unnatural to the eye, yet is undoubtedly aesthetically pleasing. Unfortunately, paltry few men in the English Premier League fulfill this qualification, one of them being the man whose picture adorns the top of this post, and another who is almost universally distained...