Never wished I was Scottish more than tonight. That is unreal.

A red card for violent conduct in a FIFA match is a three game ban. Portugal more than likely have one competitive match before the World Cup starts. So in theory, Ronaldo will miss the first two matches of the World Cup. Any ideas for how FIFA are going to weasel out of this one people?

NEW EPISODE - The Grey Cup 🇨🇦 🏈 🇨🇦 🏈 🇨🇦 🏈 Ahead of Canadian Football's showpiece this Sunday we tackle how the game developed, how to play it, and why it might have saved soccer fans the globe over from the unthinkable. We also talk Russ Jackson, Warren Moon, cold weather, trophy headbutts and more.

If I had a nickel for every time our sports history podcast has discussed men headbutting inanimate objects this month, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

Pretty interesting sprint race to start the weekend off, other than the face pretty much everything that happened seem to happen off camera. Not sure if there was some technical issues going on, but even replays were slow coming there. Oscar needs pole position badly this evening.

What is Felipe Massa's endgame in his Crashgate court case? Does he actually have a chance of winning it? Is it all worth gambling an exceptional public image on? Seeing these maneuvers whilst remembering how he handled missing out in 2008 is hard for us to reconcile. Part 1 here.

NEW EPISODE ALERT 🏎 🇧🇷 🏎 🇧🇷 🏎 🇧🇷 The Brazilian Grand Prix - the best circuit on the calendar, fast, unpredictable and often wet. It's hosted incredible finales, heartbreak, headbutts and more. We talk Senna, Carlos Pace, Barrichello and more - and of course, Felipe Massa and 2008, Crashgate and all.

Congratulations to Jamie Melham for becoming the second female jockey - after Michelle Payne in 2015 - to win the Melbourne Cup, on Half Yours. Same goes to the horse, his team, any Victorians who are still sober and all the Brits who set a 3.45am alarm to watch the race live! 🐎🇦🇺

It's 6am in Melbourne where millions of people are NOT waking up to their normal work day, because today is Melbourne Cup Day, a public holiday, all for a legendary race. Episode 30 is out now, on the Melbourne Cup - give it a listen for history, legends and why this day means so much to Australia.

NEW EPISODE: The Melbourne Cup - the Race That Stops the Nation. They say when Australia was being built, every new town would before anything else get a church, a pub, and a racetrack. Horse racing is built into the fabric of the country, and the Melbourne Cup is arguably its biggest sporting day.

I thought this was quite a good spin for the logistical nightmare that has been getting an episode out this week! It's a good one - Aussie sports are fast becoming favourites of ours. Horse racing in Australia is huge, so built into the fabric of the country, and the Melbourne Cup is its showpiece.

On November 7th 1861 the first Melbourne Cup ran at Flemington Racecourse - a Thursday, not yet the first Tuesday of November where the Cup has stood for the past 150 years. Appropriately our podcast, normally out on a Tuesday will come out Thursday this week! Ep.30, the Melbourne Cup, out soon 🐎🇦🇺

With Episode 29 on the history of archery and the Archery World Cup out now, I'm celebrating at the NOMA Sculpture Garden with some very apt artwork. Just about the nicest place in New Orleans so far this, and the beignet's around the corner were pretty great too.

A little late on the announcement as admin is currently slumming it in New Orleans, but EPISODE 29 OUT NOW! Here at the Almanac we love when sport and history overlap, and there are few sports with a longer history or one so steeped in lore and myth than Archery. Archery World Cup, Ep.29, out now!

Ep.28 out now, on the Super League Grand Final. This is the episode intro - we dive into how the two codes of rugby split and, more importantly, why it had to happen. It's a story of myths of 1823, competing ideology and of how soccer blazed a trail the men who ran rugby didn't want to follow.

Another clip from Episode 27, on the MLB postseason. Jack tells the story of the Sultan of Swat, the Great Bambino himself, Babe Ruth. Here, the most retold story in all of baseball lore, the Babe calling his shot at Wrigley Field in 1932. His full story is in the episode, on all good providers.

Clip from Episode 27, on the ongoing Major League Baseball postseason. Ben telling the story of the infamous Curse of the Billy Goat, that if you believe the tale kept the Chicago Cubs out of the World Series for over 70 years. For the full story, and more, see all good podcast providers 🎙⚾️

Out Now! Episode 28, Super League Grand Final. Ahead of Hull KR v Wigan on Saturday, Jack & Ben talk how Rugby split in two and how the Super League was formed (one explanation quicker than the other), the greatest Grand Finals and whether there's anyone in sport tougher than Rugby League players.

THE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL POSTSEASON STARTS IN TEN MINUTES! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! Episode 27 of the Sporting Almanac Podcast is out now - talking the history of the MLB, origins, curses, scandals and profiling the greatest of them all: the Sultan of Swat, the Great Bambino himself, Mr Babe Ruth. ⚾️

14. Thank f**k 😂

YOUR WEEKEND'S SPORT (and where we've covered it): 🏌‍♂️ Fri to Sun - The Ryder Cup (Episode 26) 🇦🇺 Sat 0530 BST - AFL Grand Final (Episode 25) 🏉 Sat 1600 BST - Canada vs. England, Women's Rugby World Cup Final (Episode 20) 🏐 Sat to Sun - Men's World Volleyball Champs Semis and Final (Episode 24)

OUT NOW Ep26 - The Ryder Cup. Our least impartial episode ever, and that's from the guys who decided they hated Collingwood two minutes into the last episode. Cut us and we bleed blue and gold. The memory of the Miracle at Medinah still gives us chills. There is simply no golf like the Ryder Cup.

Things you love to see. History makers, Wigginton Grasshoppers 💚

Ep25 out now, talking Aussie Rules ahead of the AFL Prelim and Grand Finals. Ben & Jack showing their "diplomatic" side again (content warning: completely unnecessary language). This one has Australian history, drug scandal, war stories and Jack trying to resist picking St Kilda as his AFL team...

Ben and I have been very busy this weekend doing some batch recording - yesterday, our Volleyball episode was belatedly released, tomorrow will be Aussie Rules (which I enjoyed making particularly), and we've also got our Ryder Cup episode in the bag too for next week. Can't question our work rate 😂

New episode out now! It may be Saturday, but after Jack's sicky we owe you an episode, so here is Ep.24, The Volleyball World Championships. Reviewing the recent Women's event and semi-previewing the just started Men's, as well as a How to Volleyball for the (probably British) newbies to the game.

The more I'm online recently the more I think: It's really ok to simply not post, reply or comment about what you believe the specifics of something are until all the facts about it are known. Not engaging is an absolutely ok choice sometimes.

And Wigginton Grasshoppers Women winning in their first ever FA Cup match, of course.

Out today, ep.23, The World Athletics Championships. We talk origins of the IAAF and championships, controversial presidents, Russian doping and IAAF involvement in covering it up. And we talk Powell vs Lewis, Johnson, Edwards, Fraser-Pryce, Felix & Bolt. Here, the extraordinary is never far away.

Wigginton Grasshoppers Women - Instagram famous! Congratulations to a fantastic bunch of footballers - only 9 wins from Wembley... www.instagram.com/p/DOWHV2zDLX...

If you've watched the Super Bowl before and now want to try some Sunday NFL tomorrow, but aren't confident you know your Tight Ends from your Corners or your End-Arounds from your Flea Flickers, have no fear. Ep.22 of the Sporting Almanac goes through the basics, and some history too. Tune in now.

In Ep.22 we give you a bio of one of the most interesting, enviable and wonderful men in NFL history - the great John Madden. A man who fell in love with football playing with friends in 1940s San Francisco, and who never seemed to lose that feeling - he found joy in the game like no one else. 1/4

And much more besides of course. Jack bemoans being a Jets fan even though he only ever fell for them because they were useless, Ben talks cheerleaders, record breakers and money money money too. As John Madden said, football isn't nuclear physics. But it can take some explaining to get it across.

OUT NOW! Ep.22 - the NFL Regular Season. If you've never watched the NFL outside of Super Bowl Sunday, we've got some jargon busting information for beginners. For everyone new and old we've got a bio of one of the greatest names in the sports history - John Madden. On all good podcast providers.

We're back, baby. After a short unplanned hiatus, the Sporting Almanac is back on the air today with Ep.22 on the NFL, ahead of the regular season kickoff this Thursday. Talking how it works, how much it sucks to be a Jets fan, and discussing one of its biggest personalities ever - John Madden.

That's the polite way of putting it 🤢🤮 wouldn't to have wanted to edit those bits out. Staying hydrated and hoping my appetite comes back soon.

Apologies to those expecting our Volleyball episode today, Jack has been under the weather so this will be rearranged to a future time. We'll definitely do our best to get Volleyball done as it's something we Brits very much need educating on, at least based on this shows hosts knowledge 😁

Hang this in the Louvre.

The story of Emmett Till is not an easy one to hear, but it's one that needs to be told. Taken from this week's episode, it puts the America Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe built their careers in in its starkest light.

As well as Ashe, it is impossible to talk about the US Open without discussing another incredible trailblazer - Althea Gibson. Born to sharecroppers in South Carolina, brought up in poverty in Harlem but her talent and drive took her to the top of white, classist Tennis. More in Ep. 21, out now.

Out soon - Ep. 21, Arthur Ashe and the US Open. We tell the story of a man whose name is inseparable from the tournament, its first Open Era champion and first black men's Grand Slam winner. From childhood tragedy to trailblazing success and a life cut short by illness - he was an incredible man.

I was so sleep deprived when I thought this was a good idea. I stand by it.

Out now - Episode 20 of the Sporting Almanac Podcast, the Rugby Championship and Women's World Cup. Spoiler alert - we talk about New Zealand a lot. Jonah Lomu, Dan Carter, Portia Woodman, the 2022 final, the Game of the Century in 2000... Other nations do get a mention, the Red Roses especially 🌹

And out! Just 8 hours late, I'm calling that a win after the week I've had 🤴🏻

Alas, despite best efforts our episode will be slightly delayed this week. Jack's had an extremely busy week and just needs a bit of time later on to shine it up. Expect your Rugby Union fix this evening, or tomorrow morning at the latest 😊

Before the 80s, gate receipts were shared and TV money was split equally between all 92 EFL teams. Then big teams took a stand - first forcing a bigger share, then forming the Premier League. By 2004, 36 out of 72 EFL clubs had experienced financial troubles - the true cost of the Premier League.

Yes. Next question, please.

Plus as a bonus, can anyone guess who my Arsenal supporting co-host drops the podcasts first (censored) C-Bomb about in this episode? I'll give you a clue, it's not Thierry Henry.

Episode 19 Out Now - The Premier League. Ahead of the new Prem season we talk origins, stars, managers and teams, as well as discussing the impact the concentration of power and money in the hands of a few teams has had on the rest of the football pyramid. Available on all good podcast providers.

Ben "diplomatically" telling the world that we just love football more than you do... 🎙 Episode 18 of the Sporting Almanac Out Now 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 The EFL and Football Pyramid Looking at the history, people, origins and why it goes so deep - both literally and figuratively. Available everywhere, links in bio.