Footy on the Med journeys to North America and, for one night, morphs into Footy on the Pacific as Alex checks out Los Angeles Football Club in a home clash against The Portland Timbers.

Footy on the Med had a great day out in Monaco recently, with Alex happening upon FMC Elite and the woman behind its emergence as one of the best training academies in Europe. Step forward, Helen Dunne, articulate, passionate and dedicated to bringing on young football talent.

Alex, once again marooned in England, found himself in dire need of a Mediterranean football fix. But where, and how? Thanks to Dave ‘The Gull’, the answer was obvious: Bath City v Torquay United.

John and Alex sit on their favourite bench to give the definitive Footy On The Med Five-Minute Guide to AS Monaco. Recorded at Port de Menton Garavan April 10 2024.

Stan Bowles, arguably the greatest player ever to wear the blue and white hoops of Queens Park Rangers, died just over a month ago on 24 February 2024.

What’s Hannibal got to do with it? Who is Uzbekistan Bowles? And how did the Red Brigade end up being marooned? John and Alex took themselves to the Annibale Riva Stadium in the coastal Ligurian town of Albenga, and got more than they bargained for when they watched a Serie D clash between Albenga and Sanremese.

The great Stan Bowles passed away on 24 February 2024, making QPR v West Brom a must for Alex. This was the first home game for the Rs since the death of the club’s talismanic, legendary number 10, and Loftus Road was duly packed to the rafters.

John was a snake in the Grasse this week as he slithered along in the rain to watch RC Grasse take on FC Toulouse II, or TFC2 as John rebranded them.

Sampdoria v Brecisa – no (couldn’t get tickets). FC Frejus Etoile v FC Aubagne – no (huge traffic jam on the autoroute, had to abandon the drive). Genoa Women v Hellas Verona Women – no (ran out of time to drive to Arenzano from Menton). FC Antibes v Cagnes Le-Cros – yes! 

HAC Attack! Yes, and there's no escaping a big fat true fact: John was tout seul for this trip to the Stade Louis II. Well, alone save for the Monaco faithful, his friend Hamid and some Haribo-devouring kids.

It’s The Grecians v The Gas! An obvious game for Footy on the Med. Why? Because The Grecians (that’s Exeter City to non-locals) play in Exeter, which is on the River Exe, which flows down into The English Channel – and from there it’s a hop, skip and a watery jump to the Med.

It’s a trip to Marseille for FOTM and a fixture to make the mouth water: OM v Monaco. It didn’t disappoint. From the tumultuous noise of the Stade de Velodrome to eccentric, and dramatic, refereeing decisions, not to mention a smasher of a Marseille goal and some slick Monaco attacking, this game was action-packed from start to finish.

It’s a Happy New Year from him, and a Happy New year to him, as John and Alex catch up after Footy on the Med’s festive hiatus. Alex is again marooned in a frozen land (England), but John is still roaming the Mediterranean or, at least, Menton.

There are a lot of firsts in this episode of Footy on the Med. Let’s focus on the main one: it’s a trip to the Fairmont Hotel in Monaco, to talk to the Monaco Institute of Directors about all things… FOTM.

At last! Footy on the Med made it to Italy. Not to John and Alex’s home from home, the wonderful Stadio Luigi Ferraris, but to one of their other favourite grounds, the Stadio Communale in Sanremo.

With Stan By Me in town, the omens had to be good. Could John and Alex get to the cursed Allianz Riviera stadium and actually see OGC Nice play, without a hitch? The fearless duo went forth, the wise Stan at their side and, for good measure, the youthful vigour of Young Trafford also present.

It’s a special edition of Footy of the Med as QPR diehard Alex takes himself – and fellow sufferers – to Loftus Road for QPR’s clash with Bristol City. Both teams have new managers but the home side’s form is by far the worse. Can new Hoops boss Marti Cifuentes work a Loftus Road miracle, in the form of the club’s first home win for what feels like a decade?

It’s Footy on the Med with a difference for this episode – and not just because John O’Hare was sunning himself in Italy and unable to be present.

What has the Rugby World Cup got to do with Footy on the Med? Quite a lot, as it happens.

Five Go to Cagnes-sur-Mer… Well, they had to, given prohibitive pricing (Monaco v Marseille) and an unforeseen sell-out (Nice v Stade Brestois 29) for contender fixtures. But the five – Alex, John, Young Trafford and special guests Newcastle Dale and Stan By Me – were treated to a decent game when home side Cagnes-Le Cros took on Fos sur Mer in the 4th round of the Coupe de France.