Are You Not Entertained?

This wide release of last week’s special live edition of Goal Own Goal goes from the FIFA Forward enterprise plan and the sheer chaos around Infantino’s latest power play to a properly sharp discussion about what football has become, who it is really for, and what happens when the game starts treating itself like a financial product. With Charlie Methven and John Colquhoun joining Grant and Roger, the conversation cuts through the buzzwords to look at the deal itself, the commercial logic, the dodgy politics around it, and the bigger question of whether the sport still has any sense of dignity left in the room.

Roger Mitchell and Mark Oliver are joined by Davide Tesoro-Tess, the strategist who helped shape Sky Italy, to unpack the biggest media question of the moment: what happens when consolidation, separation and vertical integration all start happening at once? From Comcast and Sky to RTL, MFE and the future of free-to-air versus pay TV, they dig into why Europe’s broadcasters are rearranging themselves, whether the real prize is cost savings or advertising power, and which deals are bold strategy versus survival in a market that is changing fast. Brought to you by 54.

Brian Moore, one of the most recognised and colourful characters in English rugby over the last forty years, joins The Captain this week. A man with a wide and varied career, he was not only a formidable rugby player who represented England and the British Lions, but has also been a solicitor, broadcaster, author, and manicurist. An ardent fan of ballet and opera, he is a man you simply cannot put in a box. Brought to you by Fortnum & Mason and The Sponsorship Doctor.

This week’s Goal/Own Goal swings from the Open Championship’s pure sporting theatre to Bryson DeChambeau’s full-bore nonsense, with Grant and Roger tearing into the difference between actually winning and simply making everything about yourself. From there it’s a sharp, slightly brutal World Cup post-mortem on Messi, legacy, dignity, and the tiny human vanishing act that can sit behind genius, all wrapped in the show’s usual mix of sport, ego, and righteous irritation. It's Goal/Own Goal.

In this episode of The Confessional, Roger Mitchell sits down with Charlie Methven for a sharp, candid conversation about leadership, football, and the hard lessons that come with both.  Charlie reflects on the personal cost of a life lived on the move, the tension between honest words and public perception at Sunderland, and why he believes the game is shaped as much by identity and feeling as by facts and numbers.  He also opens up about the responsibility that comes with transformation, the trade-offs behind ambition, and the value of saying difficult truths even when they’re uncomfortable. Brought to you by Lockeroom.

This week’s Goal Own Goal is a World Cup special that kicks off with Roger’s overcooked summit-wine haze and Donald Trump somehow ending up in a fight with Giorgia Meloni, before the real debate lands: whether England’s win over Mexico was the birth of belief or just one of those classic moments that tempt English football into another grand, doomed act of self-confidence. Grant and Roger chew through the red card, altitude, the Norway banana skin, France looming in the distance, and why World Cup football is always really about whether your top boys can deliver when the pressure turns the whole thing feral. Brought to you by Lockeroom

Jon Miller - President of NBC Sports Programming joins The Captain this week. One of the most influential and powerful executives in North American sport - Jon Miller is the man responsible for NBC”s and Peacock’s extraordinary sports broadcasting - including the Olympic Games, The English Premier League, the NBA and NHL. We learn about Jon’s own passion for sport - golf, tennis and American football - and his own talent - for sand up comedy. The sow is brought to you by Fortnum & Mason and The Sponsorship Doctor.

Roger Mitchell and Mark Oliver welcome Mike Darcey, former strategic brain behind Sky and ex‑CEO of News UK, for a deep dive into the messy frontier where sport rights, streaming and regulation collide. Using Rupert Murdoch’s quiet war on the NFL as a starting point, they unpack 60 years of antitrust logic, why “no single buyer” rules gave fans more packages but not always better value, and whether in an era of apps, clips and ubiquitous coverage it’s time to let one player own the whole shop again or accept that regulating modern media might simply be impossible to do well.

This week’s Goal Own Goal is a special World Cup edition that starts with Trump somehow picking a public fight with Giorgia Meloni and ends with England suddenly playing like a 1990s Premier League side under Tuchel instead of suffering through another Southgate straitjacket.  Grant and Roger chew over England–Croatia, the weird thrill of not knowing which England will turn up, the fine art of not antagonising Italian women, and why “results merchants” on the touchline eventually get found out when the football stops being any fun.  Brough to you by Lockeroom

In this episode of The Confessional, Roger Mitchell sits down with Ray Ranson for a frank conversation about the move from football to business, and the harder lessons that came with it.  Ray reflects on the ruthless side of life in deals, the pressure of keeping a game face, the painful lesson of backing a pioneering sports tech deal that had the vision but not the pricing power to match.  It’s a conversation about ambition, regret, and the cost of getting things wrong before you finally learn how to get them right. Brought to you by Lockeroom.