It’s a Happy New Year from him, and a Happy New year to him, as John and Alex catch up after Footy on the Med’s festive hiatus. Alex is again marooned in a frozen land (England), but John is still roaming the Mediterranean or, at least, Menton.

There are a lot of firsts in this episode of Footy on the Med. Let’s focus on the main one: it’s a trip to the Fairmont Hotel in Monaco, to talk to the Monaco Institute of Directors about all things… FOTM.

At last! Footy on the Med made it to Italy. Not to John and Alex’s home from home, the wonderful Stadio Luigi Ferraris, but to one of their other favourite grounds, the Stadio Communale in Sanremo.

With Stan By Me in town, the omens had to be good. Could John and Alex get to the cursed Allianz Riviera stadium and actually see OGC Nice play, without a hitch? The fearless duo went forth, the wise Stan at their side and, for good measure, the youthful vigour of Young Trafford also present.

It’s a special edition of Footy of the Med as QPR diehard Alex takes himself – and fellow sufferers – to Loftus Road for QPR’s clash with Bristol City. Both teams have new managers but the home side’s form is by far the worse. Can new Hoops boss Marti Cifuentes work a Loftus Road miracle, in the form of the club’s first home win for what feels like a decade?

It’s Footy on the Med with a difference for this episode – and not just because John O’Hare was sunning himself in Italy and unable to be present.

What has the Rugby World Cup got to do with Footy on the Med? Quite a lot, as it happens.

Five Go to Cagnes-sur-Mer… Well, they had to, given prohibitive pricing (Monaco v Marseille) and an unforeseen sell-out (Nice v Stade Brestois 29) for contender fixtures. But the five – Alex, John, Young Trafford and special guests Newcastle Dale and Stan By Me – were treated to a decent game when home side Cagnes-Le Cros took on Fos sur Mer in the 4th round of the Coupe de France.

Season 3 of Footy on the Med is barely underway, and already a sense of atavistic, primeval competitiveness threatens to tear asunder the gentle bonhomie shared by John, Alex and Young Trafford. For lo, the tireless trio decided to text their knowledge of all things FOTM via a quiz at – where else? – the ML Lounge in Garavan, Menton.

It’s a trip to Grenoble, but why? Grenoble is not known for being on the Med. Even someone who had a very tall ladder, and a telescope, would not be able to see the Med from the top of the tallest building in the Alpine city. But in Grenoble Foot 38, they have a football club in Ligue 2 – and that means they play two teams from the Med, Ajaccio and Bastia. Grenoble Foot 38 0, Bastia 0 was recorded at the Stade des Alpes on Saturday 2 September.

What’s logic got to do with it? In their quest for certainty John and Alex now know one thing: all roads begin and end at the Stade Louis II. The allure of Monaco’s biggest stadium once again proved irresistible, and the same can be said of AS Monaco in their second Ligue 1 fixture of the 2023-2024 campaign. Recorded at the Stade Louis II on Sunday 20 August, 2023.

Footy on the Med begins and ends at Monaco and the Stade Louis II. Yes, this is where John and Alex recorded their first podcast, this is where season 2 began, and this is where season 2 wended to an end. Not without some drama, as Monaco’s ultras didn’t take kindly to their team’s defeat to Toulouse.

If there's one thing about John and Alex it's that they refuse to let the grass grow under their feet. This isn't because they think the grass is greener. It's because of their commitment to grass roots football, especially in Grasse, home of perfume and Racing Club Pays de Grasse. What a game last Saturday, when Lyon-La Duchère came to town. Both sides showed why they're pushing for promotion from the Championnat National 2.

Pisa, city of the bending tower. The Arena Garibaldi, home of Pisa Sporting Club. Serie B, cauldron of startling stadia. And a pair of special guests that John and Alex will never forget. Pisa 1 Bari 2 was recorded at the Arena Garibaldi on Sunday 23 April 2023.

Footy on the Med talks to Marc Bircham on the eve of Genoa's trip to Como 1907. Bircham, a legend at QPR and former Canadian international, helped steer the team he coaches to a 2-2 draw against the leviathans from the Med - despite their going 2-0 down to Serie B's strong contenders for promotion.

Recorded at the little pitch next to the big pitch in Garavan, Menton on 29 March 2023.

Recorded at St John's English Library in Menton on Friday, 10 March 2023.

Who is London French? What is London French? Where are London French? Listen out for the answers as John, Alex and Young Trafford settle down at the ML Lounge for a chat about all things Med footy, only to be joined by the man now living in Alex's old house (clue: he used to play for London French and is called Rory). Recorded at the ML Lounge on Weds 15 February 2023.