Magisterial: The Ray Hudson Show

There were bizarre scenes at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena over the weekend with both teams downing tools after a group of Bayern Munich ultras refused to remove banners insulting Hoffenheim’s billionaire owner, Dietmar Hopp. 

Andres Cordero and Eric Krakauer take control of the Mailbag and do their darnedest to make sense of the Bavarian club’s decision to defend Hopp instead of its own fans amid a growing wave of discontent among Bundes...

After a week shrouded in self-doubt and worry, Real Madrid returned to winning ways with a convincing display over arch rivals Barcelona.  

Ray Hudson, Thomas Rongen and Andres Cordero don't leave a stone unturned in their analysis of Sunday's rollercoaster ride at the Bernabeu, and try to make sense of the game-winning exploits of Vinicius Junior and seldom-seen Mariano Diaz. 

Plus, Gabrielle Amado, Kaylyn Kyle and special g...

In the wake of back-to-back defeats, and with a two-point deficit in the LaLiga title race, Real Madrid come into El Clásico in desperate need of a result. 

From a hotel room somewhere in Madrid, Gabrielle Amado, Kaylyn Kyle and beIN SPORTS/beIN Español's Iñaki Angulo discuss Sunday's game and speculate how the two managers will line-up at the Bernabeu.

Starting with Zinedine Zidane's men, still reeling from the gut-punch...

What a difference a week makes!

Amidst a very public institutional crisis, Barcelona returned to the LaLiga summit with new signing Martin Braithwaite paying instant dividends on his blaugrana debut. Elsewhere, previously high-flying Real Madrid followed up a disappointing draw with Celta with a disastrous defeat to Levante. And that’s saying nothing about Eden Hazard’s injury!

Heck, even the mood around Atletico Madrid changed over ...

With 24 matchdays in the books, only one point separates Barcelona from frontrunners Real Madrid at the top of the standings. 

Ray Hudson, Gary Bailey and Kaylyn Kyle make their bold predictions about which of the two sides will get to decorate its trophy room with the La Liga title at the end of the season. 

Outside of Spain’s top two, the Mailbag crew waxes lyrical about the teams that have made the biggest impression on them thi...

Celta Vigo left Zinedine Zidane's men with a bloody nose on Sunday, while Barcelona held tight to scoop all three points against Getafe. Only one point separates first from second in the LaLiga standings, and Ray, Kaylyn and Gary are excited, to say the least. 

Looking ahead, the Magisterial crew previews Atletico Madrid's tough test against the reigning Champions League holders, as well as Borussia Dortmund's and PSG...

Getafe used to be a byword for boring, middle-of-the-road soccer, but that’s not the case anymore with Jose Bordalas putting a fire under the backsides of his players and getting them to compete, convincingly, for a Champions League spot. 
 
Ray, Thomas and Kaylyn take a closer look at the south Madrid side ahead of a challenging set of fixtures that sees them take on Barcelona, Ajax, Sevilla and then Ajax again. 
 
Also on the agenda,...

Zinedine Zidane's men made a statement at El Sadar after suffering an early setback against Osasuna, while Quique Setien had to endure a roller coaster of emotions before settling on relief after Barcelona secured a nervy win over his former club, Real Betis.

Ray, Kaylyn and Thomas analyze the state of LaLiga's top two, and wax lyrical about plucky Getafe who tightened their grip on third place with a 3-0 drubbing of Valenci...

From clinching back-to-back Premier League titles to falling 22 points behind the leaders Liverpool - Pep Guardiola's fourth season in charge of Manchester City has been a challenging one.

The Magisterial crew discusses what's gone wrong for one of the world's greatest coaches and whether he can rediscover his managerial mojo in the face of Jurgen Klopp's seemingly unstoppable Reds.  

Plus, Ray Hudson and Andres Corde...

Zinedine Zidane and Diego Simeone played a 90 minute game of managerial chess on Saturday with the Real Madrid boss coming out on top thanks to some shrewd maneuvering at the halftime break.

The Magisterial crew discusses what the El Derbi result means for both coaches, before checking in on Barcelona where, once again, Antoine Griezmann was overshadowed by Ansu Fati.

Elsewhere, Thomas Tuchel had his hands full trying to assert his a...

Neymar was personae non grata at the Parc des Princes at the start of the season, but Paris Saint-Germain's perception of the mercurial Brazilian seems to have changed. 

The Mailbag crew discusses how the most expensive player in history has worked towards repairing his reputation and become the Ligue 1 giants MVP. 

Plus, Ray Hudson advocates for the re-introduction of the NASL's fabled run-up shootout to tackle the hot-butto...

Quique Setien's honeymoon period came to an abrupt end at Mestalla over the weekend, allowing Zinedine Zidane's men to return to the La Liga summit. Elsewhere, it was business as usual at the Wanda Metropolitano as Atletico Madrid drew yet another blank.

Eric Krakauer joins Ray Hudson and Kaylyn Kyle to discuss the latest swings and roundabouts in the Spanish top-flight, as well as the juiciest transfer rumors which have Chr...

Hope Solo makes her Mailbag debut to discuss the Scottish FA's plans to follow in the US Soccer's footsteps to ban heading at youth level. The crew asks if a correlation exists between heading the ball and degenerative brain disease, and if the header might one day become a thing of the past at senior level, too.

And, as Atletico Madrid's results continue to fall way below preseason expectations, the conversation turns t...

Quique Setien passed his first test with flying colors, but tougher examinations are still to come for Barcelona's new boss. Elsewhere, serious questions are being asked of Diego Simeone after another poor result for an out-of-sorts Atletico Madrid.

Phil Schoen joins the Magisterial crew to discuss a contrasting weekend for the aforementioned LaLiga coaches, Erling Haaland's dream debut for Dortmund, and a whole host of othe...

With Luis Suarez possibly out for the rest of the season, new Barcelona boss Quique Setién and the club's board have a tough decision to make: promote from within or scour the market for an emergency January transfer.   

Miami FC's general manager and president, Paul Dalglish, joins the Mailbag crew to discuss how the Blaugrana might replace the irreplaceable Uruguayan, which active players will make the best managers, and h...

The inevitable has happened: Ernesto Valverde is now, officially, a former coach of FC Barcelona. 

The Magisterial crew looks back over the departing manager's time in charge of the LaLiga giants, calls out the blaugrana board's disrespectful handling of the situation, and discusses the appointment of former Real Betis boss Quique Setien. 

Plus, with Miami FC's general manager (and former Ray Hudson transfer target) Paul ...

Manchester United used to be the dominant force of English football, but alas those days are long gone.

Gary Bailey joins the podcast to lament his former club's current situation and reflect on the good 'ol times when Alex Ferguson and David Gill ruled the roost.

Plus, the crew discusses the pros and cons of the world's biggest clubs breaking away from their domestic leagues to form a European Super League, as well as th...

It's all square at the top of the La Liga table following Barcelona's capitulation against "cellar dwellers" Espanyol and Real Madrid's hard-fought win over Getafe.

Ray Hudson rails against Ernesto Valverde's tactics and questions how Arturo Vidal fits with the club's tiki-taka philosophy, before the conversation turns to Los Blancos' lack of firepower but growing cohesion.   

Plus, special guest and f...

The past twelve months have been filled with countless moments of magic from the world of soccer. However, only one can claim to be 'the best'.

In a packed field that includes the USWNT’s World Cup win, Lionel Messi’s sixth Ballon d'Or, and Flamengo’s return to Copa Libertadores glory, the Magisterial crew spices up the usual end-of-year format by way of a knockout style competition, pitting eight of 2019's most tran...