
On The Ball - A show about Norwich City
The Athletic
The Athletic's Michael Bailey is joined by a host of guests to bring you all the latest insight from Norwich City every single week. Hear interviews from big names, entertaining discussion and breaking news that you won't get anywhere else.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Location:
United States
Networks:
The Athletic
Description:
The Athletic's Michael Bailey is joined by a host of guests to bring you all the latest insight from Norwich City every single week. Hear interviews from big names, entertaining discussion and breaking news that you won't get anywhere else. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Language:
English
Episodes
#195 Sting in the Hornets' tail
12/8/2025
Well, this feels new. The On The Ball Podcast reflects on another defeat for Norwich City but this time they were actually decent, before coming unstuck at Vicarage Road with a 3-2 defeat to Watford on Saturday.
Steve Sanders, Dan Brigham and Connor Southwell decide to focus on the promising trajectory in performances rather than the table and talk Schwartau's upturn, flying Fisher, pressing matters, Liam Manning's holidays and the return of a hero for our times: Tony Gary Springett.
Elsewhere, there's an accidental theme and a quiz in Useful or Useless Mulumbi, the greatest Norwich City comebacks since Lazarus/Springett, back-four conundrums, Linkin Park fans and, like an ultras convention in Brussels, Connor comes armed with some bald Belgians.
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Duration:01:26:17
#194 All for one, one four-point haul
12/2/2025
The three musketeers of Ryan Livermore, Zoe Morgan and Daniel Brigham dissect the best week in recent Norwich City history, as an Oxford draw preluded QPR being put to the sword.
Four points from two big games is an outcome everyone around Carrow Road craved, and our panel talk Clement's communication, Kenny (for once) being the weakest of a good bunch, and Sarge's guaranteed goals at Vicarage Road this weekend.
Plus there's a rearranged quiz on Norwich City managerial debuts, the origins of our football love and where on earth have the coloured nets gone?
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Duration:01:18:59
#193 It's Clement-time
11/24/2025
New manager, same old Norwich City. The On The Ball podcast is on hand again to react to a shoddy Canaries display, with their biggest defeat of the season coming at Birmingham City at the weekend — a 4-1 defeat in new boss Philippe Clement's first game. Good job the new manager bounce is a myth.
Ryan Livermore, Dan Brigham, Zoe Morgan and Steve Sanders discuss Duffy's dallying, the hope of Kvistgaarden, and try to unearth a light at the end of the tunnel, courtesy of what our new manager might bring. And then there's Better-Late-Than-Never-Ben's press ganging. "It's on me" etc.
Plus, an absolutely mammoth game on Tuesday, Kenny from the halfway line, what's the most creative vegetable, proof that the panel knows nothing about construction, and your best Philippe Clement pun features (none of which were used for the title of this episode, really sorry guys).
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Duration:01:26:35
#192 The end of an error
11/10/2025
So long Liam Manning, we hardly knew ye. The On The Ball team reacts after an eighth (EIGHTH!) straight defeat at Carrow Road to start the season saw the axe eventually, and almost inevitably, fall on Norwich City's (now former) head coach.
Steve Sanders, Zoe Morgan, Dan Brigham and Connor Southwell analyse what went wrong and whether anything went right in his 17 games, why it's a great big bloody shame it didn't work out, and pick the bones out of the Leicester defeat that sealed his fate.
Plus, there's a run through all your favourite and least favourite names in the frame (there's a few you'll have heard of), a few Warnock and non-Warnock suggestions for the next boss from our listeners, the week in Vlad, and a moustachioed gent shows up on the team coach to give Wes and Holty a steer in the right direction in ChatGPT Get Banged.
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Duration:01:21:44
#191 Lose, boos, nobody moves
11/3/2025
Here we go again. The now familiar routine of a Norwich City defeat continued at Carrow Road on Saturday, as the Canaries fell 2-0 to Hull to make it a James Bond start to the season at home: 0-0-7. It's officially a relegation dogfight now ... only without the fight part.
The On The Ball podcast regulars Ryan Livermore, Dan Brigham, Zoe Morgan and Steve Sanders try to find a new way to ask how Liam Manning is still here, relive Mark Attanasio whistlestop tour of The Fine City, and puzzle over how a team can be quite so catastrophically bad after half-time.
Plus, Shane Duffy in Pulp Fiction, Kensell's coup, Wednesday on a Wednesday — and don't bother with Saturday Kitchen this week because the latest episode of ChatGPT Get Banged features a detailed recipe for a lasagne. Bon appetit!
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Duration:01:11:26
#190 The Crisis Pod Special
10/28/2025
Desperate times call for desperate measures, so please indulge this concept album of On The Ball episodes: a football podcast that doesn't talk about the football.
Frankly, what is going on away from the pitch at Norwich City is far more interesting right now anyway. So Steve Sanders, Maddie McKenzie, Dan Brigham and Zoe Morgan eschew more talk about better support for Josh Sargent, giving up goals and three at the back for a look ahead to Mark Attanasio's fleeting visit to Norwich and a chance to ask their own burning questions.
Those questions take in sporting directors going AWOL, an unsackable manager, recruiting ourselves in the foot, the world's most unpopular seating plan, and lobbing tennis balls. But with enough levity to make that 63 minutes fly by — honest!
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Duration:01:03:53
#189 Plunging new depths in our yellow submarine
10/20/2025
Just when Liam Manning thought it couldn't get worse ... it got worse! The On The Ball podcast reacts to his Norwich City team succumbing to a sixth(!) straight home defeat against his old club Bristol City, going down 1-0 at the weekend.
Steve Sanders, Dan Brigham and Zoe Morgan try and stay upbeat (with the words of Steve's uncle ringing in their ears), assess where the makings of this latest loss stemmed from, channel their inner Kenny with some pointing (fingers of blame, that is) and wonder just what is up with Jeffrey Schlupp.
Plus, a slightly posh Adam Drury joins as the ChatGPT Get Banged mystery hots up, Mexican half-time obstacle courses, and Dan appoints a new overlord after being let down by the current bloke.
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Duration:01:02:59
#188 The end of the great derby run
10/7/2025
We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but Norwich City's long, long, 16-year unbeaten run against Ipswich Town is finally over after the Canaries lost 3-1 at Portman Road on Sunday.
Ryan Livermore, Dan Brigham and Steve Sanders don't have too much time to dwell on another dispiriting performance though, when there are murmurs of sackings in the air. The On The Ball podcasters discuss where we go from here, and who of Ben Knapper, Liam Manning and the squad should carry the can.
Plus, a first-hand account of the announcement that 3,000 home fans are getting booted out of the River End, should referees be allowed to be hench, a thrilling conclusion to Ryan's football darts quiz, and mention of Nunez brings out the bleep machine...
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Duration:01:24:03
#187 Dodging curries and derby worries
9/30/2025
It wasn't fun and it wasn't pretty, but ultimately they did what they had to do. Not a description of this week's On The Ball podcast, but Norwich City's performance in their away point at Stoke.
Ryan Livermore, Steve Sanders and Connor Southwell try not to copy and paste the review of the Coventry game as they talk about another dogged 1-1 draw with an unconvincing performance, get stuck into the numbers that show we're up against more shots than in Saving Private Ryan, and ponder where Liam Manning goes from here.
Plus, there's a big game on Sunday that deserves our attention, the shiny new career of Sammy Clingan, and getting the final word on Connor's flavour phobia.
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Duration:01:34:02
#186 Get Wrex'd Mate
9/23/2025
As if it couldn't get much worse after Saturday? There's a new episode of On The Ball!
Ryan Livermore, Dan Brigham and Zoe Morgan are joined by Radio Norfolk's Chris Goreham to cathartically dissect one of Norwich City's more recent darker days, home not always being where the heart is, and can we really do it on a calm, autumnal afternoon in Stoke?
Liam Manning isn't the only one under pressure either, as Dan puts a "Gunn" to Chris' head in a commentary-themed this or that, before the crew brave the six-second challenge. What could possibly go wrong?!
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Duration:01:22:40
#185 Low block party
9/16/2025
Can you have a party when you’ve conceded a 95th minute equaliser and only had one shot on target? No matter; On The Ball is taking some of the good vibes out of a hectic and unusual 1-1 draw at Coventry.
Ryan Livermore, Dan Brigham, Zoe Morgan and Steve Sanders talk about the balance between defensive heroics and sheer luck, wasting time on time wasting, Darling’s dither, and celebrating your own own-goal.
Plus, it’s Neil Adams and vending machines in Episode 4 of ChatGPT Get Banged, looking ahead to the Hollywood circus on Saturday, the true meaning behind Blue’s biggest hits, Captain Canary exploits, a connections quiz, and the age-old question: do birds have nipples? (Answer: of course not, you idiot.)
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Duration:01:22:56
#184 Nunez betrays but Sargent stays
9/2/2025
The On The Ball Podcast went all Sky Sports News for one episode only, reacting live to the closing of the window — with the main news being that a man contracted to Norwich City remained contracted to Norwich City.
But that didn’t stop Steve Sanders, Dan Brigham, Dave Powles and Zoe Morgan lauding Josh Sargent for committing to the club until January at least (and for being generally bloody brilliant), particularly in a week where Marcelino Nunez did the unthinkable and crossed the divide to Ipswich Town. The panel talk through their thoughts.
Oh yes, and there was Saturday’s game and more heroics from Big Vlad. Plus, the big question — what’s lower out of a snake and a rat? — as Gunn To The Head returns, Dan slams ‘the laziest player ever to play for Norwich’ as we assess more NCFC alumni, and favourite memories from (slightly less than) 90 years of Carrow Road, including a mystery carvery...
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Duration:01:27:26
A bunch of fives
8/26/2025
Saturday saw a second straight home defeat to start 2025/26 for Norwich City, and the On The Ball podcast picks apart the good, the bad and the Jacob Wright challenge in their defeat at Carrow Road to Middlesborough.
In homage to City's new formation, a five-star panel of Ryan Livermore, Dan Brigham, Zoe Morgan, Conor Southwell and Steve Sanders try not to get too bogged down in systems, rue those shoddy five minutes before half-time, applaud the second-half endeavour and ask why this football team has spent the last few years making so many bloody errors.
Plus, Captain Cantwell on the horizon, the panel's choices on the best vendors to follow Lacons into the Lion & Castle, Stringer's recruited Holty and Wes to his investigation in episode 3 of 'Chat GPT Get Banged', and the pressure of the 'Wright Or Long' hotseat forces Conor to unveil a simply incredible revelation about his shins.
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Duration:01:25:35
Big Vlad's big day out
8/19/2025
And the Liam Manning era has lift off. After opening weekend had some podcasts (not this one, obviously...) worrying about Norwich City's prospects this season, a pair of 2-1 away wins at Watford and Portsmouth have got things back on the rails.
The On The Ball panel of host Ryan Livermore and guests Craig Draycott, Maddie McKenzie and Steve Sanders toast the hero of Fratton Park, Big Vlad, and wonder if pragmatism over idealism is the way forward. There's also some Nick Stanley redemption and a warm hello to Diallo.
Plus, a Norwich v Boro game without Jonny Howson, knock-knock run with Leroy Lita, the second coming of Tzolis, some less-than-classic names from Norwich City past in Ryan's quiz, and Maddie makes the ultimate call on the Panenka in the new feature/hit gameshow 'Wright Or Long'.
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Duration:01:20:28
Hitting the Wall on opening day
8/12/2025
After the pre-season excitement came the inevitable disappointment of the action. The On The Ball podcast takes a look back at a (familiar) Norwich City opening day defeat at home to Millwall that just about took on the dictionary definition of 'anticlimactic'.
Host Ryan Livermore and panellists Dan Brigham, Zoe Morgan and Steve Sanders pick out the positives (we're looking at you, Josh Sargent), remind everyone it's not time to panic/scrap the manager's system and philosophy just yet, run the rule over some of the new lads, and ask whether a different pre-season might have yielded a different result.
Plus, new feature 'Useful or Useless Mulumni' assesses the cult status of two of Norwich City's Class of 2021, there's a new half-time competition to get excited about, and on a scale of 'very to 'extremely', just how embarrassing is it to have a pop star in your squad? And it's Episode 2 of the mystery thriller everyone east of Swaffham is talking about: it's 'Chat GPT, Get Banged', and McNally's entered the building...
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Duration:01:19:40
Manning, men in, and mystery: The 2025/26 Season Preview
8/6/2025
New season! New manager! New players! New features! Same old podcasters banging on about Norwich City!
The On The Ball Norwich City podcast is back for the 2025/26 season. Host Ryan Livermore is joined by Steve Sanders, Zoe Morgan and Dan Brigham to look back at a big summer of change, assess the club's prospects under a new head coach (it's Liam Manning in case you've slept through the last couple of months), work out who on earth all these new players are, and bask in the usual positivity that greets a fresh season. Mainly though, we're here for the predictions, and it's predictions we deliver.
Plus, a brand-new feature that sees Grant Holt and Wes Hoolahan getting their sleuthing on to solve a Carrow Road crime, rating the new kits, (just about) remembering the time Steve Morison came on the show, and, as it's episode one-hundred-and-eiiightyyyy, we have a special darts quiz. Simply, everything is as packed in as a Topic bicep into a yellow-and-green shirt sleeve - the 2025/26 season starts here!
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Duration:01:13:41
#179 The 2024/25 end of season review special
5/13/2025
You didn't think we'd leave this season unfinished did you? The On The Ball team convene for one final time this season to talk through a weird Norwich City season, taking in the Hoff's departure, the short rein of Wilshere, Knapper's gamble, departing players and the shape of the squad. Host Ryan Livermore is joined by Dan Brigham, Zoe Morgan and Steve Sanders to formally announce the OTB Player of the Season (sponsored by Farming Simulator 25) , hand out their awards (Best Game, Worst Mistake, Best Rallying Call, Best Schadenfraude) and look back at the good, the bad and the 3-5 against Portsmouth of an up-and-down campaign. Plus, there's time to go back over some patchy predictions (featuring Liam Gibbs), get singed by a hot potato in a new quiz from Ryan, and pitch a sponsorship offer to David Bentley. Thank you to all for another highly enjoyable season (we had fun anyway), see you in August to do it all over again!
Duration:01:26:23
#178 Gunn done, Onel gone-l, Hoff off & Wilshere here
4/29/2025
Sometimes the end of a Norwich City season is all about the football, sometimes it's about the madness off it. This is definitely one of the latter, in a week that has seen the shock departure of the head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup (less shocking six days after the fact, but we're still not over it), the instalment of the baseball cap/cardigan-wearing Jack Wilshere in the interim, and the departure of three long serving players in Angus Gunn, Onel Hernandez and Jacob 'Lungi' Sorensen. Host Ryan Livermore, Zoe Morgan and Steve Sanders reflect on the rights and the wrongs of the big decision, debate the legacies of departing stars, worry about the possibility of Daniel Farke having scurvy, and the latest bout of fully-seated comic acts to be performed at The Riverside. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:12:02
#177 An Easter holiday on the beach
4/22/2025
Zero points and eight conceded - that's probably not the Easter we all had in mind. Hot off the heels of a 1-3 defeat at Millwall, which itself came off pretty sharply after a 3-5 at home to Portsmouth, the On The Ball podcast dissects Norwich City's terrible slump in form. Host Ryan Livermore, Craig Draycott and Steve Sanders chat youth v experience, set-piece woes, bad starts, and crosses, and what this all might mean for next season's chances. Plus, rolling through who to keep and who to shift for next season, the players and managers who never represented Norwich City but should have, and adding items to the club shop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:17:16
#176 Popstars and the rivals
4/8/2025
Is that it then? Well yeh, probably... Norwich City's play-off dream all but died on a sunny afternoon in Plymouth, as the Canaries lost 2-1 in a limp display at the Championship's bottom club on Saturday. The On The Ball podcast, featuring a panel of host Ryan Livermore, Zoe Morgan and Steve Sanders analyse the Canaries' troubling return to old away game woes, fragile confidence, Kenny the sacrificial lamb, Sargent's two-touch beauty, and Norwich City's new Mr Wright. Plus, community heroes, Onel gets nearer to needing a social media intervention, getting up close to a wedding proposal (in a Canary suit), whippets, and Ryan, Ed Sheeran and Ben Godfrey convene on the world's least enticing hill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Duration:01:18:38