(Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

The football season has started and for most it’s been a long summer without it. The confederations cup did its bit, pre-season had the odd highlight and a few big transfers got us excited but now the business begins. 

Last season, one thing that changed the way I keep up to date with the game we all love was the football podcast. Free to download through iTunes, I discovered that there was a lot of football media out there to keep me amused between matches.

So to help you prepare or if your team has already kicked off, continue to enjoy the football season here are a list of the top five football podcasts that can keep you up to date with the beautiful game….

5. The Game Podcast—Times Online

This weekly podcast anchored by comedian Phil Jupitus provides a detailed look into the events of the top-flight football of the weekend. Released every Monday, the knowledge and analysis of pundit Gabriele Marcotti is second to none and his views and insight alone make this podcast worth a listen.

Not afraid to speak his mind and not beat around the bush like a lot of the television football pundits that we see, Marcotti shows his intelligence on a consistent basis and you have to wonder why he is restricted to this Podcast.

The same can’t be said for many of the other guest pundits with the exception of Amy Lawrence who participates from time to time and while Jupitus does well in moving the podcast along his football knowledge isn’t as impressive as other sports presenters.

However, the major letdown for this podcast is that it is only released weekly and this can be frustrating when they try to recap on the midweek fixtures from the previous week.

With the football fixture congestion that we see in Football nowadays the coverage on the likes of the Champions League matches are old news and have been discussed in other media beyond necessity by the time they get to it.

On an international footing this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it covers all bases, unfortunately when trying to fit the events of a whole week in one episode, the end result is that the recent news gets less coverage than it would on a lot of The Game Podcast’s competitors.

4. ESPN Soccernet Podcast

Three times a week, longer in length, and looks beyond the Premiership—this is why this podcast edges out most of its competitors.

This is obviously recorded with a US audience in mind and the weekly US Soccer Show (Friday) takes a detailed look at all of the talking points in the MLS while also looking at the progress of US nationals that are playing around the world, all which gives the listeners decent coverage on their domestic front.

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