I know there is a section about this, on the string for the Social it seems that some folk love the forum but haven't listened to the podcast. In fairness podcasts aren't for everyone but it kind of feels rude not to give this a mention.
I do listen to quite a few as I have a commute with a space perfect for podcasts, I did originally listen to The Spurs Show but it did seem relentlessly depressing and Phil Cornwall was beginning to irritate me. So having had a look about I found the Fighting Cock and I've been listening for a long while since the times of Spooky & Chicago Dan to the current time.
The show has definitely evolved, I think at the core you have a bunch of likeable people. I think you do get a feel for different folk, I think Flav has changed quite a bit over time, the Woolwich hatred thing has died down a bit and even hearing him talk about finding the Dortmund fans drum monotonous (which I agree with) makes him sound a little more mature/experienced/battle worn and he's also probably taken his fair share of abuse from other Spurs fans over time, yet he's still here being positive and hopefully keeping the show going.
The two key mainstays for me are Thelonius & Ricky (sorry others, you're still loved especially Windy, Alex from Bristol & Bardy!). Thelonius is often the cynical voice of that older fan and he's been pretty consistent throughout, unlike some of the spurs show hosts, he can be optimistic when the chips are down but he still is open about having doubts on players without sounding like he wants to cut himself, a healthy cynic.
Ricky is a character and the sort of guy you'd want to go to football with, he's a funny guy and not in a 'you should do stand up' sort of way, I think one of the lines was when he described a toilet incident as 'like shoes falling from a loft' in one of the recent podcasts and I think I nearly laughed out loud on the train (never make emotion or noise on a commuter train, they'll think you're dangerous).
It has managed to do the two things you really want as a fan, they soften the blow when we're crap and they share the joy when we succeed, it works. The banter is fine and by leaving the majority of it till the end they give you a choice if you want to listen to just Spurs talk or them too. I am one of the 30%ers . I do sometimes shake my head as to where some of the convos go but it's never so bad that I've stopped listening or wanted to write anything angry at them.
The other developments have been impressive too, the extra inch podcasts have been really very good for tactical analysis and Windy has already attracted some excellent guests. He had a great podcast with Michael Cox (of Inverted Pyramid fame) and he has invited other youth/development pundits to discuss how clubs develop players and systems. It is a distinct but very welcome addition.
Add in to that the occasional bonus pod that they drop with player/expert interviews, the one with Mido did sound strange but I don't think that was on Flav at all, the chat with Priya Romesh pre-Janssen turned out to be a bit premature but the interview was great. I really enjoyed the pre-Barcelona podcast, which was a one off but the guy who did it put in a huge amount of time and I thought that worked superbly.
Criticisms? I think some of the music might need a change, the Windy song for the youth update with the line 'no paedo' does feel like it's getting a bit tired as does the closing song. It's not a game changer but I can't just always say nice things! Some guests haven't worked, Expressions came on to a few shows and while he can be funny (he is to be fair an acquired taste) he does tend to take over things, which is fine for youtube but it didn't work so well on the show. That said if those are the only things to complain about in 7 years or so, they're not doing a bad job at all.
So, long story short, if you don't listen to the pod you're not a real fan*
*Unless deaf, you just don't like podcasts or you have a note excusing you signed by a responsible adult.
I do listen to quite a few as I have a commute with a space perfect for podcasts, I did originally listen to The Spurs Show but it did seem relentlessly depressing and Phil Cornwall was beginning to irritate me. So having had a look about I found the Fighting Cock and I've been listening for a long while since the times of Spooky & Chicago Dan to the current time.
The show has definitely evolved, I think at the core you have a bunch of likeable people. I think you do get a feel for different folk, I think Flav has changed quite a bit over time, the Woolwich hatred thing has died down a bit and even hearing him talk about finding the Dortmund fans drum monotonous (which I agree with) makes him sound a little more mature/experienced/battle worn and he's also probably taken his fair share of abuse from other Spurs fans over time, yet he's still here being positive and hopefully keeping the show going.
The two key mainstays for me are Thelonius & Ricky (sorry others, you're still loved especially Windy, Alex from Bristol & Bardy!). Thelonius is often the cynical voice of that older fan and he's been pretty consistent throughout, unlike some of the spurs show hosts, he can be optimistic when the chips are down but he still is open about having doubts on players without sounding like he wants to cut himself, a healthy cynic.
Ricky is a character and the sort of guy you'd want to go to football with, he's a funny guy and not in a 'you should do stand up' sort of way, I think one of the lines was when he described a toilet incident as 'like shoes falling from a loft' in one of the recent podcasts and I think I nearly laughed out loud on the train (never make emotion or noise on a commuter train, they'll think you're dangerous).
It has managed to do the two things you really want as a fan, they soften the blow when we're crap and they share the joy when we succeed, it works. The banter is fine and by leaving the majority of it till the end they give you a choice if you want to listen to just Spurs talk or them too. I am one of the 30%ers . I do sometimes shake my head as to where some of the convos go but it's never so bad that I've stopped listening or wanted to write anything angry at them.
The other developments have been impressive too, the extra inch podcasts have been really very good for tactical analysis and Windy has already attracted some excellent guests. He had a great podcast with Michael Cox (of Inverted Pyramid fame) and he has invited other youth/development pundits to discuss how clubs develop players and systems. It is a distinct but very welcome addition.
Add in to that the occasional bonus pod that they drop with player/expert interviews, the one with Mido did sound strange but I don't think that was on Flav at all, the chat with Priya Romesh pre-Janssen turned out to be a bit premature but the interview was great. I really enjoyed the pre-Barcelona podcast, which was a one off but the guy who did it put in a huge amount of time and I thought that worked superbly.
Criticisms? I think some of the music might need a change, the Windy song for the youth update with the line 'no paedo' does feel like it's getting a bit tired as does the closing song. It's not a game changer but I can't just always say nice things! Some guests haven't worked, Expressions came on to a few shows and while he can be funny (he is to be fair an acquired taste) he does tend to take over things, which is fine for youtube but it didn't work so well on the show. That said if those are the only things to complain about in 7 years or so, they're not doing a bad job at all.
So, long story short, if you don't listen to the pod you're not a real fan*
*Unless deaf, you just don't like podcasts or you have a note excusing you signed by a responsible adult.