West Ham United have been relegated from the Premier League after 14 years in the top flight, their win over Leeds proving meaningless as Tottenham survived by narrowly beating Everton on the final day of the season. The Hammers’ decline was dissected by Jacob Steinberg on the latest Football Weekly podcast, which also featured a heated debate about the rise of in-game guards of honour after emotional send-offs for Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva and John Stones.
Guardiola’s farewell at Manchester City was spoiled by Aston Villa, who finished fourth, while Bournemouth and Brighton secured European football and Sunderland remarkably qualified for the Europa League. Elsewhere, Liverpool said goodbye to Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, Chelsea prepared for life under Xabi Alonso, and Thomas Tuchel named his England squad – prompting a furious reaction from Harry Maguire’s family over his omission. In lighter moments, one listener confessed a fear of having accidentally eaten Jonathan Wilson’s mother.
“West Ham relegated after 14 years; Guardiola farewell spoiled; guards of honour debate on Football Weekly.”
The podcast, presented by Max Rushden with Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay, Jonathan Wilson and Jacob Steinberg, also touched on Roberto De Zerbi’s impact at Spurs. Produced by Silas Gray and executive produced by Joel Grove, the episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and RSS. Meanwhile, in a separate Football Weekly summer mailbag released on 27 July, Rushden was joined by Glendenning, John Brewin and Wilson to answer listener questions about World Cup 2026 officiating, how the panel unwind when there is no football, celebrity lookalikes, and Barry’s old-school note-taking.