It's time for The Truth!

If you look at the top of the Premier League table, you'll see a few of the country's most famous and recently successful clubs in the pack, but you'll also find a previously fallen giant - in the form of Nottingham Forest, and an upstart underdog - in the form of Bournemouth, going toe-to-toe with the big boys.

But how did they do it? What's behind the successes of the Tricky Trees and the Cherries this season, just a few years after promotion from the Championship - how did they turn themselves from relegation battlers or mid-table stalwarts into genuine contenders for European spots at the end of this season?

We take a look at their differing strategies in both the transfer market activity and the tactical sense with which they play, examine which feels more sustainable, and hand out some very well-earned credit to two brilliant managers and two clubs doing things their own way.

Is this a one-off, or is it a model that other clubs could use to find success? Are these high-flying underdogs showing a new way to go about things, or could they be just another one-season wonder? The Truth is somewhere in the middle...

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

Hello Rank Squad!

It's time for Champions League Takeaway, your late night delivery following the action - after the first ever 'final matchday' of the new League Stage, which saw every single game taking place at the same time.

We start with a look at Manchester City's Great Escape - coming back from 1-0 down (and surefire elimination) to win 3-1 against Club Brugge, and sneak into the Playoff round in incredibly dramatic fashion at the Etihad.

Then we work our way through all the other games, including an end-to-end encounter as Aston Villa beat Celtic 4-2, PSG's blistering 4-1 demolition of Stuttgart, and a 2-2 thriller between Barcelona and Atalanta that might well have been the game of the night.

In Part Two, there's a roundup of all the rest of the action - Ethan Nwaneri's Saka impression as Arsenal saw off Girona, PSV stunning a heavily-rotated Liverpool in Eindhoven, routine wins for Bayern and Real Madrid, Dinamo Zagreb's brave win over 10-man Milan that wasn't quite enough, and Sporting's squeaky point that saw them progress, as well as big wins for Inter, Benfica, Leverkusen, Lille, and Atletico.

It's Ranks!

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

Hello Rank Squad!

With the end of the transfer window riding up on us quicker than anybody expected, and with nobody but Manchester City really getting the gears into action so far, there are a whole lot of stories building up to breaking point in the next few days. On today's show, Transfer Guru Dean Jones walks us through ten talking points about what deals are in the offing, and what to expect in terms of the market movers and shakers.

We discuss potential swap deals, outgoings at Manchester United, Chelsea's plan to sign a forward, Tottenham's long-term ambitions, City looking to plug the midfield hole, Arsenal's eyes on a potential loan move for a No 9, and much more - as well as the potential futures for players such as Evan Ferguson, Ansu Fati, Alejandro Garnacho, João Félix and the rest.

Before that, Jack runs through three things he loved at the weekend - including the chaos at AC Milan, Gavi's future-captain-turn on the sidelines for Barcelona, and Jota v3 returning to Celtic Park after a brutal spell away.

It's Ranks!

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?