The Conference League league phase concluded with a bang Thursday night, and we're breaking down every game!

Universitatea Craiova was the day's top story for all the wrong reasons. We discuss the series of unfortunate events that led to their heartbreaking elimination, including the Romanians blowing a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 in Athens, a stoppage time Zrinjski Mostar equalizer, a late Sigma goal, and of course, KuPS' dramatic draw at Selhurst Park.

That's right, little old KuPS took it to the South Londoners for a period in the second half to dramatically qualify for the knockouts and force Crystal Palace out of the Top 8 and thus the Round of 16 bye. We give our thoughts on how the Finns accomplished such a feat and debate how serious the setback is for Palace.

Meanwhile, there was plenty of other Top 8 drama throughout the continent. Mainz and Rayo secured the bye, and a late AEK Larnaca winner launched the frisky Cypriots into the coveted final spot.

Of course, we must also talk about Fiorentina, who lost yet again (this time at Lausanne).

We wrap things up with a title-contender power rankings and a look ahead to the knockouts draw in January.

Cheers Jarkko Wiss!

We're back to break down all the action from last Thursday's Europa & Conference League bonanza.

We start in Bulgaria and Romania, where Ludogorets and FCSB played host to two extraordinarily entertaining goal fests, with the former taking down struggling Feyenoord.

We also take a stop in Greece to discuss why AEK Athens is in such good form and why they have a real shot at challenging for the UECL grown.

Then we move on to the BIG BOYS in both competitions, stopping along the way to marvel at Aston Villa's ability to pull out close wins, laud Vincenzo Italiano for the work he's doing at Bologna, and pile on Fiorentina, Mainz, and Nice , who are all experiencing the worst of times.

Of course, we still have time to talk Lincoln Red Imps' historic second win in the league phase, plus examine Wilfried Nancy's rocky start to life at Celtic.

All that, and a look ahead to what's at stake on the Conference League league phase's final day on December 18.

Cheers to Marko Nikolić!

Our Club Spotlight series returns to bring you a very non-controversial topic!

That's right, we're covering Hungary's own Ferencvaros, the most decorated club from the proud footballing nation — and often its most contentious.

Real-life history major David Blomquist takes us back to the club's founding through its dense history to find out how it became the domestic powerhouse we know today, and also to flesh out its complicated identity and relationship with far-right nationalism.

So a super light episode, basically! Let's all hope Viktor Orbán does not come after David.

We also discuss the current iteration of the squad under manager Robbie Keane and why they've had such a good start to their Europa League campaign.

So join us on a tour of the layered history of a famous club, whose political entanglement reflects a broader sporting reality across the globe — and yes, is also a good football team!

Cheers Robbie Keane!

We're thankful this week for a full Thanksgiving slate of Europa and Conference League action that delivered some of the best games and storylines of the league phase thus far.

In Europa, Ludogorets shocked Celta Vigo with a 3-2 in Bulgaria. How'd they pull one of the biggest surprises of the tournament thus far?

We then break down the struggle of Feyenoord, Utrecht, and Go Ahead Eagles, who all lost amidst grueling schedules. What's going wrong for the Dutch sides? Can any of them rebound and qualify for knockouts? Are Robin van Persie and his son up to the challenge? We also touch on Roma's win over Midtjylland, Bologna's impressive run of form, and naturally, the carcass of OG Nice, who now sit rock bottom of the table.

There we upsets galore in Conference League, with each of the top 4 league sides falling. Strasbourg got a signature win in their triumph over the visiting Crystal Palace, and we hone in on what made the fixture such an exciting watch and why the clubs have established themselves as clear favorites.

Then, we examine Rayo Vallecano's penchant for making life hard on themselves, Mainz's mediocre play catching up with them, and the dismal existence that is Fiorentina. And, naturally, we give Hamrun Spartans some love for becoming the first Maltese club to win a UEFA group-stage match.

All that, some table takeaways, more VAR vitriol, and of course, David's Coefficient Corner.

Cheers to our old friend Vincenzo Italiano!

We're back to hit on a number of topics as we return to European football this week!

First, we dive into UEFA's new European tournament, the Women's Europa Cup, as it reaches the quarterfinal stage of its inaugural season.

We discuss how it could benefit the European women's game long term, why the qualifying process is so damn complicated, and who advanced out of the Round of 16 (hello Scandinavia!) — including some stoppage and extra time drama.

Then we touch on some of the best stories from the international break, including Scotland, Haiti, and Curaçao qualifying for next summer's tournament, before finishing with a quick look ahead to Thursday's packed slate.

I hope you're as grateful for Thanksgiving-day Europa and Conference League action as we are!

Cheers to Maxwell (listen to the end to learn why)!

Forgive the tardiness on the release, but we're here to talk halfway point of the Europa & Conference League league phases!

The Europa League gave us quests for perfection and imperfection alike.

The French, Scots, and Dutch had nightmare days, losing all over the continent and missing out on precious points. We spend more time on Nice's unbelievable winless run in the tournament — with plenty of stats to back it up — then delve into Scotland's persistent struggles in European competition. What's gone wrong for Scottish football? Is there any room for optimism?

Meanwhile, Germany and Spain go 3 for 3, and Midtjylland (!) won their 4th consecutive UEL game to remain tip top of the table. We share out appreciate for the Danes, their exceptional roster of players, and their young coach who may or may not get a cheers at the end of the show.

Not to be outdone, the Conference League delivered 2 stoppage time winners from Rayo Vallecano and Mainz (over the hapless Fiorentina) and 2 more stoppage time equalizers.

We talk through the importance of those results and marvel at the madness of Lincoln Red Imps, Drita, and KuPS all sitting in knockout place at the league phase midpoint.

All that, some table takeaways, and David's Coefficient Corner on this week's show!

Cheers to Mike Tullberg!

It was a vintage Thursday night across Europe, in which big-league clubs dropped like flies, and underdogs had some exceptional performances.

We start out examining the big upsets, including PAOK's instant-classic thriller in Lille, Go Ahead Eagles' historic win over Villa, and AEK Larnaca pulling a shock in South London.

We also debate the day's many controversial VAR moments, which favored Fenerbahce over Stuttgart and propelled Rayo Vallecano to the latest of equalizers at Häcken. Why is VAR usage so inconsistent, unpredictable, and frankly, incompetent, in these competitions — more so than any domestic league?

Then in a whip-around segment, we celebrate Lincoln Red Imp's first ever major European tournament win, throw the usual shade at hapless Nice, and lament that Scottish sides occupy the bottom spot of both tables.

Finally, we do some table takeaways, look ahead to the next match-day, and make some bold (or stupid) predictions.

Cheers to Juanjo Bezares!

With another international window in the books, it's time to dive back into AGT Thursdays!

We start with Nottingham Forest, who actually did the thing and sacked Ange Postecoglou, making his stint in charge the second-shortest in league history. We argue why this falls mostly on then shoulders of Marinakis rather than his Greek compatriot and wonder where the club goes from here.

Elsewhere in the Midlands, Villa stirred up controversy when the police banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from traveling to Birmingham for their match-day 4 clash. But is the situation misunderstood by the wider public?

We also touch on the recent international window, where Cape Verde became the second-smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup and congratulate their heach coach, Bubista.

We start with Nottingham Forest actually did the thing and sacked Ange Postecoglou, making his stint in charge the second-shortest in league history. We argue why this falls mostly on then shoulders of Marinakis rather than his Greek compatriot and wonder where the club goes from here.

Cheers Bubista!

Chapters

00:00 — Intro 02:28 — The international break 05:26 — Cape Verde's historic World Cup qualification 08:25 — Nottingham Forest sack Ange 11:17 — Rangers manager search 20:14 — Aston Villa controversy 31:15 — Viktoria Plzen gets a new owner 33:53 — FC Noah building new stadium 34:30 — MD 2 Europa League preview 39:17 — Nice is a terrible Europa League team 43:49 — MD 2 Conference League preview 47:34 — Strasbourg's historically young squad 51:10 — Fiorentina's ongoing struggles 55:23 — Cheers to Bubista