Share
![cover art for The Blizzard: American Samoa 2-1 Tonga, 2011](https://open-images.acast.com/shows/61b9f7121a8cbe69a63cee4d/620d3ea02f81cb0012216be5.png?height=750)
Football Ramble
The Blizzard: American Samoa 2-1 Tonga, 2011
Imagine losing all thirty of the games you've played as an international side, losing by a combined score of 229-12 as well as sitting bottom of the FIFA rankings. On top of that, imagine suffering a 31-0 loss to Australia in an OFC Nations Cup qualifier as headlines around the world declared you the 'Worst Team in World Football.'
On today's episode of Greatest Games, in association with The Blizzard, globetrotting author James Montague joins us to discuss that very team. In 2011, Thomas Rongen took over a side with "the lowest footballing IQ he'd ever seen" and players with emotional scars from a long line of relentless losses. Against all the odds, they somehow won their first-ever competitive game against Tonga in a 2011 World Cup qualifier - with James among the 20 people in attendance!
For more stories from the annals of football history, visit www.theblizzard.co.uk to explore their archives that contain over 700 articles of stories just like this one!
***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***
More episodes
View all episodes
The Martyr of Lazio
47:18|Right, before we get onto another Juan Bernabe update, things really are starting to heat up in the battle for the Premier League’s European places.From third down to seventh, it could be anyone’s game - so who do Marcus, Luke & Pete think are going to snatch those coveted four (maybe five) places come the end of the season?But yes, Bernabe is back in the headlines once again. This time he’s said he plans to take Lazio president Claudio Lotito to court...We’re going on tour! Get your tickets now: https://footballramblelive.com.Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: show@footballramble.com.Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***Sir, a second Man United email has been leaked
47:58|Marcus, Luke and Pete dust themselves down and go again after Spurs and Man United played out a disappointing damp squib. Even the managers’ meagre war of words did little to tickle our fancy…To be fair, the rest of the Premier League weekend did throw up some interesting stories as Newcastle graciously got battered by Man City once again and Fulham grabbed their first home win of 2025 with #FULFORCE. Plus, Arsenal have managed to solve their striker problem: just stick anyone up there.We’re going on tour! Get your tickets now: https://footballramblelive.com.Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: show@footballramble.com.Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***Mailbag: Should football ban over-celebrating?
42:20|After the simply marvellous scenes at Goodison Park this week, some fun sponges had the audacity to say that the Everton players and fans went 'too far' with their celebrations.Now, it's not the first time we've heard that in recent times. Myles Lewis-Skelly ruffled a few feathers after copying Erling Haaland's celebration, and Paul Scholes called Neal Maupay an "idiot" for copying James Maddison's darts celebration.Marcus, Luke & Vish have their say on that, plus we find out their choice of Mario Kart characters.It's not one to miss.We’re going on tour! Get your tickets now: https://footballramblelive.com.Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: show@footballramble.com.Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***The Preview Show: It’s dark and it smells bad
58:19|On this lovely Valentine's Day, it’s important to focus all your love and attention on that Special One. So, with no English teams in European action last night, we kick off with more ridiculous antics from football’s favourite loverboy, José Mourinho.Marcus, Luke, Vish and Jim then look ahead to a mid-table Mourinho Derby as Spurs’ perfectly stoppable force meet Man United’s eminently movable object. Elsewhere, Arsenal bring some striker-less vibes to Leicester, Man City face an onslaught from Newcastle’s big boys and we play out a Jack’s Encyclopaedia round for the ages.Plus, ever wondered how Jason Tindall would fare in the Love Island villa? Well, wonder no longer.We’re going on tour! Get your tickets now: https://footballramblelive.com.Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: show@footballramble.com.Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***Ramble Reacts: My giddy aunt, what a Merseyside derby
26:28|Don't pretend you don't want to see it. Everton vs Liverpool ended in complete carnage and Marcus and Jim loved every single second.Still giddy from all the excitement, we credit the Everton fans for celebrating with the appropriate level of vigour, while also being thankful that VAR didn’t ruin it all. And despite all that, we still find time to credit Liverpool who now look unstoppable in the Premier League title race.We’re going on tour! Get your tickets now: https://footballramblelive.comFind us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: show@footballramble.com.Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***The Eagle has returned
57:01|It’s happened again. Man City have blown a lead and Jude Bellingham scored a late winner. Who would have thought?Elsewhere, Marcus, Jim, Pete and Andy are impressed by Jason Tindall who has reached new levels of sh*thousery. Plus, Lazio's former falconer Juan Bernabé and his eagle are back!We’re going on tour! Get your tickets now: https://footballramblelive.comFind us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: show@footballramble.com.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***Ramble Reacts: Crystal Palace stroll into the FA Cup fifth round
28:46|The only thing to take from Crystal Palace’s Professional Job 2-0 Plucky Doncaster Rovers: scrap the entire football pyramid. Rubbish, don’t need it.In all seriousness, Marcus and Vish tip their hats to a valiant effort from Doncaster and realise that Palace are properly decent under Oliver Glasner. Plus, we peruse the fifth round matchups and Man City size up a scrap with the baddest boys in the yard, as Real Madrid come to townWe’re going on tour! Get your tickets now: https://footballramblelive.comFind us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: show@footballramble.com.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***Milk Thistle magic
56:52|Worried about the magic spilling out of the FA Cup? Well, Marcus, Luke, Vish and Pete - with a little help from Plymouth Argyle - are here to refill the Cup with the recommended level of magic.Elsewhere, we thank Stefan Ortega for ensuring Jamie Donley achieved one of the great FA Cup assists and we try to talk about quite literally anything other than Man United vs Leicester.We’re going on tour! Get your tickets now: https://footballramblelive.comFind us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: show@footballramble.com.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***Mailbag: Have managers become more powerful?
41:23|After Mario Lemina's banishment to Turkey, plus Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho being shipped away from Manchester United, are we seeing managers regaining decision-making power over the futures of their players?And with Neymar making his return to Santos, Marcus, Vish, and Andy ask: Is it fair to say that he's underachieved in his career?We’re going on tour! Get your tickets now: https://footballramblelive.com.Find us on Bluesky, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and email us here: show@footballramble.com.Sign up to the Football Ramble Patreon for ad-free shows for just $5 per month: https://www.patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***