The Late Challenge Podcast

28/08/2026

Hello Reds. Just passing by this often-neglected page, which has comfortably been the hardest of all The Late Challenge’s social media presences to grow.

With the first home game of the season upon us, I thought I’d give you a little update on what we’re up to, in case you didn’t know.

It’s just over three-and-a-half years now since TLC launched. In that time it’s ticked along quite nicely, firstly as a bit-of-everything kind of podcast and, latterly, with a much greater focus on The Reds.

It’s also more than 16 years since I launched Well Red Magazine - remember that? - with a blog of the same name coming before it. Without Well Red, the conversations that eventually led to The Anfield Wrap would never have started.

It’s a funny old game…

Anyway, this year I decided I wanted to have a bit more of a go with The Late Challenge. Make it more of a challenge, see where it goes.

So regular watchers and listeners may have noticed we’ve upped our game a bit.

We did a live podcast in New York. We’ve got a proper website. We’ve been doing more shows. And we might even try to sell you some mugs soon…

On the extra shows, we had John Barnes in the studio and tried to take the conversation in some different directions. I thought it was great, but obviously I’m biased.

We’ve also started a second weekly show: Midweek Sports Special. If you know, you know.

That’s free for now, and the first one is already out there as a podcast and a video, as is the Barnes show.

MSS will most likely end up becoming part of the subscription package. This is the “having a go” bit.

That would mean two extra weekly shows for just £4 a month, with subscriptions available through Patreon AND YouTube membership.

Hopefully it works. Hopefully we can grow TLC and do a bit more with it — more specials, more live shows, better content, bigger guests and whatever else we can come up with.

Or maybe it just ticks along.

I’m 50 now, so all aspects of life are constantly under the microscope, and while writing, talking and making stuff about footie is great, it’s getting to the “yeah, this needs to be worthwhile” stage too.

That’s not a cue for the violins to start. Just being honest. As I like to think I always am, despite what a growing army of knobheads on the internet might say…

Anyway, I hope you can give the new shows a whirl. Even better if you enjoy them enough to get on board and subscribe.

Big match tomorrow. Our first at Anfield of the season, Andoni’s first league game there as boss, and an opportunity - figuratively speaking, of course - to give Forest a deserved kick up the arse after they emerged victorious on their previous two visits.

Enjoy it all. Savour the time with your mates and your family. Have a pint. Have a laugh. Get behind the boys.

Up the fu***ng Reds,

Robbo x

04/08/2026

This week’s free show: Is Iraola Being Set Up To Fail?

📺 https://www.youtube.com/live/9Q-twfljrYk?is=ldqK_J0isJuuAxIi

29/03/2026

Hello 🙋🏻‍♂️ We’ve had a crack at a totally new show, away from the studio: Your Round.

The idea is dead simple: Four Reds, a pub, a pint and a natter. No notes, iPads, stats or people fuming for the sake of it to get clout.

Here you go. Let us know what you think and share it with your mates if you like it.

Nice one,
Robbo

In a new show from The Late Challenge, Robbo is joined for a pint by Paul Cope, Stu Wright and Brian Nash. Mo Salah's long goodbye is the first topic to come...

16/03/2026

Trying to make sense of all this is absolute graft at the moment, a bit like watching The Reds. But we had a go.

The game was an absolute must-win with Spurs arriving at Anfield with a horrendous record of six straight defeats, no wins in the league this year and a history of rolling over on Merseyside.

Throw in 12 injuries and a manager who wouldn’t even publicly back himself to turn things around and it looked all set for a vital three points that would have taken The Reds into fourth place.

Instead…well, you know what happened. So instead it’s Groundhog Day. We’re left wondering why and how. We’re left thinking when it will change.

Plenty to go at…join us for some therapy.

It's Groundhog Day for Mo and Robbo as they discuss Liverpool conceding a late goal for the 8th time this season, and the hopes of turning the Champions Leag...

03/03/2026

This week’s free show, Reds.

Four wins on the spin for Liverpool now and a switch from being the conquered to the conquerors when it comes to set pieces.

But do we still truly know what we’re going to get from this incarnation of LFC week in, week out?

As ever, we try to be honest about what we’ve seen and as ever some will say that’s “negative”. We say realistic. Liverpool could have scored more - and so could West Ham!

It is what it is.

We also get into LFC’s finances and the fight for fair prices for supporters and give a much deserved shout out to the mighty Marine, who have progressed into the semi finals of the FA Trophy where they will face Wealdstone (“Do you want some?” 🥊).

Soz if you were watching this live btw - little internet issue last couple of weeks cut the streaming short.

Full show is here 👇

📺 https://www.youtube.com/live/WSJXVeiIMCA?si=CGtNIGRfkBqb4AJC

27/02/2026

26/02/2026

Don’t really post on here as it’s been the slowest moving of the social networks for TLC and we’ve found clips etc to work better on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube (so follow us there if you’re on there 🙏).

But appreciate that some people are still engaging and following here so wanted to say thanks. It’s three years now since The Late Challenge made the leap from being a conversation in Homebaked to a weekly podcast/video. And here we are still going.

That it’s still going is down to you — the people who watch, listen, comment, like, share, throw in Superchats, subscribe to the Patreon and buy us a virtual Barry’s Tea on Buy Me A Coffee.

Some of you even came to see us live. Madness.

Without you, we’d still be paying for studio time and shouting into the void — so thanks 🤩

For me (Robbo, hiya 👋🏼) it’s 18 years of talking about The Reds now, from a blog called Well Red to a fanzine of the same name, The Anfield Wrap, TLC and many other platforms.

In all that time the imposter voice is never far away — “who’s arsed?”, “you’re nearly 50”, “is this s**t?”, “what else should I be doing?” and so on. The idea of jacking it all in — including going the match — is another whack-a-mole recurring thought. And yet I’m still here, still going, still talking, still taking on the trolls 🧌

Talking… s**t, nonsense, sense, all of the above? That’s up to you to decide. But the very fact people support it keeps me going.

So yeah, a self-indulgent, off-the-top-of-the-head waffle to say thanks. It’s appreciated, it’s meant and I’ll keep on trying to make it all better.

Up The Reds ✊🏼

Robbo