The football: It's our last show, live in London (slightly edited for content like movies on ITV in the 1990s, but still self-indulgently long). We're joined by Nedum Onuoha and an audience of well-wishers to send you off into a future without SPM. There are multiple middle class heckles, some essential beepings out of inappropriate words, and by the end even the odd something in the eye as we say goodbye after five and half years of podding. To you all, wherever you are, and to whichever level you let us into your lives, thank you. It was about football, of course, but it was also all of us s ..read more

The football: In front of a live audience at Manchester's National Football Museum, we discuss whether football does a good job of curating its own history. Also includes extras! The food: The live show offers the four of us our first opportunity to eat together since March 2020, until Chinch bails early because he's eaten too many of the hula hoops in the green room. We have another live show coming up, and this one's to celebrate our 5th anniversary! Join us at the Courtyard Theatre in London's fancy Shoreditch on Thursday 16th December. Tickets available here: https://myticket.co.uk/artists ..read more

The football: After the last round of the EFL Cup (yes we were organised enough to make a plan then and save it for this week's round) Pep Guardiola talked of his young Manchester City bucks benefiting more from playing Wycombe every week than taking on someone their own size. We cycle through the possible solutions to the conundrum Pep poses, some of which Pep won't like. The food: Steven has been showered with gourmet gifts from his kindly neighbours during his forced period of Covid-related isolation. The descriptions of home made beef pie, lamb curry and M&S-made Colin the Caterpillar ..read more

The football: Upon Jimmy Greaves' passing, his astounding goal-scoring record was brought to the attention to a whole new generation of football fans. Why was it not something that more people instinctively knew about, or remembered? We ask how we strike the right balance between those historical achievements and the modern game. The food: Rory has visited his parents, and the deli nearby to pick up his favourite lunch item - a chicken tikka, tzatziki and mango chutney salad sandwich on twisted white cobb. He doesn't tell his parents this is actually why he visits them so regularly. Email: set ..read more

The football: Pep Guardiola suggested Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are players of such stature they can choose the club they play for. Is that true, or is it the financial reality of how few clubs can afford to both secure the top players, and keep them, that is the determining factor? The food: Lightly cured mackerel, oscietra caviar, Jersey Royal potatoes with almond milk, sardine dressing & kalamata olives; Cumbrian lamb loin, red pepper, Yorkshire black garlic, pak choi, braised shoulder ‘corn dog’; Hetton meadow sweet cheesecake, blackberries, miso caramel and shortbread, sake l ..read more

***Nedum Onuoha will be our guest at the live show in London! He's joining us for our final episode on July 20th. Get your tickets here: https://myticket.co.uk/gigs/set-piece-menu-live-london-2021-12-16-19-00*** The football: With the emergence of European clubs and the nations a lot of their players serve, is the dominance of the US Women's National Team under threat, and what will Euro 2022 tell us about how next year's World Cup might go? Email: setpiecemenu@gmail.com ..read more

The football: At time of recording, three players key to Ajax's recent success had already left during this transfer window, with potentially at least another three heading out (maybe all to Manchester United) before it's over. Rory is annoyed about the financial and demographic realities that has led to another exodus, and wants to tell us why. Steven prepares a whole string orchestra's worth of tiny violins... LIVE SHOW TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!!! Head to https://myticket.co.uk/gigs/set-piece-menu-live-london-2021-12-16-19-00 to join us on 20th July at 21 Soho in London Email: setpiecemen ..read more

The football: How does a manager put together a squad for a major international tournament? Is it the 'best 23 players', as the requirement from those who shout the loudest dictates, or is there much more importance in the balance of the squad: the right fit for the right system? And what value should be given to a player's versatility? The food: Rory insists he hasn't succumbed to a lemsip, as he completely milks the symptoms he's progressing through having had his first shot of the Covid vaccine. Email us at setpiecemenu@gmail.com ..read more

The football: Some Set Piece Menu nostalgia. You miss Andy Hinchcliffe, we do too. So in response to requests to revisit some of his stand out 'Soccer Story' moments, Hugh, Rory and Steven introduce a trip down memory lane. Whether it was crustaceans in the bath at Bellfield, Mrs Big Ron's platter of Kit-Kats or the injury that finally ended an entirely sufficient career, Chinch never failed us when a tale from his playing days with all adult behaviour and libel-worthy details removed was required ..read more