The Rest Is Football
A First For Newcastle, “VA F***ing R” & A Bonkers Night In The Champions League
26 Feb 2026
Chapter 1: Has the Champions League playoff drama ever been this entertaining?
Coming up on today's show... He's just got up for a header. Where is he supposed to land? What is the biggest time-wasting issue in our game today? V-A-R.
What was the point? I don't get it. He wasn't allowed to play, so what's the point in travelling? Nonsense.
Won the club's first trophy for, what, 70 years? And also, this is the first time now, isn't it, that you've qualified for the proper knockout stages of the Champions League in the club's history. So it would be utter madness to tamper with that.
He has delivered something what the brilliant Sir Bobby Robson couldn't, what the amazing Kevin Keegan couldn't. Eddie's done something that those two couldn't. He delivered that first domestic trophy since 1955.
Chapter 2: What impact has the removal of the away-goals rule had on football?
Hello and welcome to The Rest Is Football with Micah Richards and me, Gary Lineker. We're doing this on Thursday morning. Obviously, what's he doing, Micah? God knows what he's doing, mate. Playing golf. Of course he is. So it's been a fascinating week of Champions League football. I mean, there's some crazy scorelines. Let me read you the aggregate scores, Micah, across the two days.
You've got 7-4, 2-0, 5-2, 9-3, 4-3, 7-5, 5-4, 3-1. I mean, how did you fit that in in your 17 hours coverage on CBS, Micah?
LAUGHTER
It's smart, isn't it? Because you always have a main game, but then you've just got games everywhere, and you're trying to look for bits and pieces, what could be interesting, and it's just... Maybe, you know when you talk about away goals and stuff? I don't think you've got so many goals if people are protecting certain bits and pieces. Teams are just going for it now.
You'd be amazed how many people, and I've been championing to get rid of that away goals rule for a long time because I think... I always thought it made the first legs incredibly negative because the home side can't afford to concede and sometimes in the away leg. And so many people, mostly journalists to hasten to add, going, no, this is, it's what's made the game and all that.
And I was thinking, no, you're wrong. They were going, it's going to be more negative now. And I'm thinking, no, it's not. And it's made a big difference because teams at home can afford to go for it.
in the first leg because it and also it was fundamentally unfair because if for the away team in the second leg if it goes to extra time they'd have to play another half an hour and this the away goals would still count so it'd be massively in their favor in that sense but I think it's been a blessing.
I mean, you're still going to get duds and defensive encounters, but overall, I think it's proved to be a really good decision. It's one of the aspects that perhaps they've got right in changing things recently, unlike VAR. I'm going to have a little rant at some point in a little bit later when we talk about the Juventus-Galatasaray game, Micah.
Oh, let's do it now.
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Chapter 3: What controversial VAR decisions have sparked debate this season?
I'll go first because you're going to do the next one. He's gone up for a header and he's landed on somebody. What is he supposed to do? All these people say, well, I know, you know, dancing around it. He's just got up for a header. Lloyd Kelly, what more do you... Where is he supposed to land? Okay, he might have hurt the opposition when he landed, but there was no intention.
It's a physical sport. Purely accidental. What more do you want him to do?
But go ahead, guys. I just think it's another example of... of the referees taking over the game and not only are they officiating but they're also making the laws of our game and for me that to compare it to something else it's like the police determining the laws they need to be set by people that understand football And it's really, really depressing.
I said a few weeks ago, I think VAR has turned into one of the most damaging things for football in my lifetime.
Chapter 4: How has Eddie Howe transformed Newcastle United's fortunes?
I think not since probably hooliganism has been a bigger issue in football than what VAR is doing. They said they weren't going to be too involved at the start. Now they're involved in everything. It's become ridiculous. It's taken away the physicality from our sport. They look at silly slow motion replays all the time that make things look immeasurably worse. We've got to do something.
Some morning footballers, we've got to try and get hold of UEFA and FIFA and the people that determine the rules and say, come on, let's get some people that really, really live and love football, not that live for laws. And everything now is determined by... It's all written down.
And that decision, for example, yesterday, for those that didn't see it, it was a second yellow card given on the field, which in itself was absurd. Now, VAR can't overturn a yellow card. So then you're thinking, well, why is he going to the screen? So VAR have obviously called him over. And then they exacerbated the situation by giving him a straight red, which
which there was absolutely no need to do anyway. It was almost cruel to do that because they couldn't have turned it around and kept him on the pitch. The referee made a big mistake by giving a yellow, let alone red, because there was... Correct.
And I, like you, heard a number of people on various commentators and people saying, yeah, but by the laws now that, no, not by, you find me the law where that is covered by anything.
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Chapter 5: What does Newcastle need to do to consistently qualify for Europe?
It's not reckless. It's not dangerous. It was just one of those things that happened. It's an absurdity. We need to, I don't know, we need to stand up for our game a little bit at the moment because it's just, and I dread to think what's going to happen in the World Cup.
Oh, don't get me started, please. It'll be fine. Let's be positive about it, but you're totally right. Absolutely bang on with everything that you said. And it's just frustrating, isn't it? Because it feels like every season there's something taken away from you. You know, like, enjoyment's just stripped somewhere. Even like the North London Derby. We know where they have technical problems. Oh.
And people are waiting around. Nobody knows what's going on. And you're just like, surely you can just officiate the game without the technology until it's ready. And I'm just thinking, surely there must be something that you can do.
Chapter 6: How does the current Newcastle squad compare to past teams?
And then people will say, oh, it wouldn't be a fair competition. But don't remember, you remember with the lines and the semi-automated, there's been times where they've not worked and then had to make the decision. So then that's not fair as well. So it's just, just let the game flow.
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Chapter 7: What challenges does Newcastle face in the Champions League knockout stages?
They had the goal recently. They were talking about UEFA. I'm not sure who it was, UEFA or FIFA, you know, IFAB. And they're trying to find out ways to stop time wasting. And I'm thinking, look at yourselves. What is the biggest time wasting issue in our game today? V-A-R. It delays everything. It delays celebrations. It delays goals. Every corner kick, we have to wait for them to look at it.
Every free kick now, you have to pace 10 yards and then they look at it and it's delaying the game. And then they say, oh no, we've done this thing that's really good because goalkeepers can only have it in their hands for six seconds or something. And you're thinking... No, you can speed the game up by allowing quick free kicks, for example, which you're not allowed to do anymore.
It's honestly, the lack of self-awareness from these people is beyond.
There was a stat the other day. I was speaking to one of the referees and their argument was not on this but you know when you say out of 100 goals 94 goals are given so there's only six that are disallowed so they're saying that you should still celebrate because only six percent is getting taken away but I'm just like
Well, they do celebrate, but you can't be absolutely sure with your celebration. I mean, that is the joy of football as well, by the way.
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Chapter 8: Can Newcastle become genuine title challengers in the future?
That's what lifts football for me. And I'm biased because it's a sport that I love. It lifts it over other sports because a goal is so important in a game of football. That blast of joy that you get from a goal is what makes football really, really special for supporters and players alike. But now when you're just decreasing that and putting in that little bit of... We can celebrate, or can we?
There might be something, and it just takes away. I mean, I partly blame myself. I was one of the people that thought this would be a good thing if used well, but I also think that... I'm rambling on about this again now, but we've got to bring an appeal system in. At least that way, it limits it massively, massively.
It'll get there.
It'll get there. They'll get there with it. And actually... I mean, what a game that was as well. And it killed Juve. You were flying at the time coming back.
It was mad, you know, because we had Del Piero sort of pitch side and he was reporting on the atmosphere. And he said something in the stadium where he believed. He believed. And then... They go and then it went down to 10 men and it's like, oh, they scored two goals after that, didn't they?
Exactly, yeah. But in the end, it caught up with them as it was most likely to do.
So Zagrova's chance though, that could have been the difference. I know. I mean, what a comeback. That would have been with 10 men. But when they didn't take that chance, I feared for them. I feared for them. But it was strange because you had Icardi and Osserman up top and they had extra men in Galatasaray, but they wasn't running back. So it was like...
Juve had the overload, which was strange because they were just trying to counterattack, but it wasn't working back until it was really obvious to go and make a tackle. So yeah, it was very unlucky for Juve, but big heart, big desire. Cracking game though. It was a really good game.
Yeah, I mean, not a great week actually for Italy. I mean, Inter getting beat by Bodo Glyn. Obviously Atalanta, they staged an amazing comeback against Borussia Dortmund. But for Inter to go out to Bodo Glyn, I mean, Bodo Glyn, I mean, God blimey, they actually played some good. I mean, first half of the set, it was all Inter and they had a few chances, keeping maybe one or two decent saves.
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