Are Carlisle United finally turning their season around?

Chris Lumsdon, Mark “Skip” Boyd and Dylan McGeouch return to discuss Carlisle’s two crucial away wins and the dramatic change in performances following the defeat at Woking.

The lads praise the commitment, physicality and defensive improvement shown against Fylde and Aldershot—but ask whether this is a genuine turning point for Rob Elliott’s team or simply a short-term reaction to mounting pressure.

They also debate the possible punishment facing Manchester City. Could City really be relegated, should their players lose their medals, and has the Premier League made it impossible for ambitious clubs to challenge the established elite?

Dylan then selects the greatest XI he played against, featuring Rangers and Celtic stars alongside Steven Gerrard, Kaká, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. He also reveals what it was like standing alongside Ronaldo in the tunnel before facing Real Madrid.

Plus, the lads rank Britain’s best and worst chocolate bars, take on another round of Who Am I? and discuss the clubs and managers they would most like to have played for.

Also featuring:

• Carlisle United’s two vital away victories
• Has Rob Elliott finally changed his approach?
• The warning Carlisle players received from their agents
• Can Carlisle still challenge for promotion?
• Could Manchester City be relegated?
• Should City’s players lose their medals?
• Dylan’s greatest opposition XI
• Facing Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid
• Steven Gerrard, Kaká and Karim Benzema
• Who Am I?
• What’s the Crack?
• Wrexham’s rise and unforgettable Las Vegas celebrations
• Meeting Gazza, Snoop Dogg and other famous faces
• Carlisle Sunday League results
• The best and worst chocolate bars

The charity raffle is now open again, with tickets costing £5. Prizes include signed Carlisle United and Manchester United items, match hospitality, football shirts and more.

The money raised will support Rosehill Care Home, helping its staff and residents with improvements including the garden and wet-room facilities. Check our social media pages for the donation link and full prize information.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 The charity raffle is back
04:20 Could Manchester City be relegated?
07:51 Welcome to Episode 36
08:26 Carlisle United win twice in one week
11:25 Has Rob Elliott changed Carlisle’s style?
15:34 The pressure of playing at Brunton Park
17:40 Carlisle’s goals and potential new signings
18:47 Agents warn Carlisle’s players
20:10 Can Carlisle still reach the play-offs?
22:47 Jack Ellis, target men and Gary Hooper
25:38 Scottish Masters football gets heated
26:05 Dylan’s epic Scottish Cup away trip
29:36 Weekend stories and a traumatised ball boy
31:21 Things grown men should never do
32:44 Dylan names the greatest XI he faced
43:13 Benzema, Gerrard, Kaká and Ronaldo
44:35 What Cristiano Ronaldo was really like
45:40 Ranking the best and worst chocolate bars
52:35 Who Am I?
59:05 The viewers’ football challenge
01:00:15 Quick-fire football quiz
01:04:11 What’s the Crack?
01:04:25 Clubs the lads wish they had played for
01:06:10 Inside Wrexham’s incredible rise
01:08:00 Meeting Gazza, Snoop Dogg and famous faces
01:11:39 Carlisle Sunday League round-up
01:14:00 Harry McKirdy retires at 29
01:15:15 Charity raffle and final messages

Subscribe to 3 In The Middle for weekly episodes featuring former professionals Chris Lumsdon and Skip Boyd, current player Dylan McGeouch and special guests from across football.

#3InTheMiddle #CarlisleUnited #ManchesterCity #CristianoRonaldo #FootballPodcast

Chris Lumsdon, Mark “Skip” Boyd and Dylan McGeouch return for an explosive episode covering Carlisle United’s alarming form, the standard of Scottish football and whether supporters need to have played the game to understand it.

The lads react to another damaging Carlisle performance and ask whether the players are still fighting for Rob Elliot. They analyse the missed chances, defensive mistakes, lack of fitness and worrying number of players losing individual battles.

There’s also an honest discussion about Carlisle players posting on social media while the club struggles near the National League relegation zone. Should players stay offline after poor performances or should supporters separate their football from their personal lives?

Attention then turns to the club’s ownership, Mark Tierney and the Carlisle United Supporters’ Trust. The lads question the continued silence around the club and discuss which players should be moved on if Rob Elliot is allowed to rebuild the squad.

Dylan also defends Scottish football as the lads debate where Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Hibernian would finish in the English pyramid. Would Celtic and Rangers survive in the Premier League, compete in the Championship or struggle against England’s biggest clubs?

Plus, should supporters who have never played professionally have their football opinions taken seriously? The lads discuss what fans understand about performances—and what really happens behind the scenes with contracts, transfers, dressing-room politics and career-changing injuries.

Also featuring:

• Have Carlisle’s players stopped playing for Rob Elliot?
• Footballers using TikTok after heavy defeats
• Carlisle’s fitness and defensive problems
• Which players should leave the club?
• The Carlisle United Supporters’ Trust
• Does Rob Elliot deserve more time?
• The latest 3 In The Middle charity raffle prizes
• Skip’s best-ever opposition XI
• Wayne Rooney at just 14 years old
• Gary McAllister’s unbelievable ability
• Jamie Vardy before the Premier League
• Who Am I? and football trivia
• Celtic and Rangers in the English pyramid
• An awkward Anthony Gordon encounter
• Do football supporters understand the game?
• Carlisle Sunday League results

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction and subscriber challenge
00:42 Carlisle’s players, TikTok and supporter frustration
03:28 Looking like a footballer before playing like one
03:51 Have the players stopped playing for Rob Elliot?
05:10 Analysing Carlisle’s defensive mistakes
06:44 Missed chances and players letting the manager down
07:45 Do Carlisle need another mini pre-season?
09:09 The lads’ biggest social-media icks
10:24 Lummy’s Malta holiday story
11:35 The most romantic marriage proposal ever?
13:38 Charity raffle update and new prizes
14:48 Which Carlisle players should be moved on?
16:39 Mark Tierney and Carlisle’s recruitment problems
16:59 Is the Supporters’ Trust representing the fans?
17:47 The silence surrounding Carlisle’s ownership
20:24 Understanding difficult decisions behind the scenes
23:38 Carlisle’s must-win trip to Fylde
28:24 Has Rob Elliot finally lost patience with his players?
31:27 How Neil Lennon analysed poor performances
34:24 The financial cost of supporting Carlisle United
37:24 Can Carlisle grind out an ugly victory?
38:26 Skip selects his best-ever opposition XI
39:12 George Pilkington and Danny Shittu
41:50 The brilliance of Gary McAllister
43:25 Facing Wayne Rooney at just 14
44:30 Jamie Vardy before Premier League stardom
45:59 Quiz Corner
53:59 Which football boots did the legends wear?
55:17 Where would Celtic and Rangers finish in England?
59:29 Mistaking Anthony Gordon for an old friend
01:01:59 Do supporters understand football?
01:04:30 What fans don’t see behind the scenes
01:06:55 The career-changing risk of football transfers
01:08:30 Carlisle Sunday League results
01:11:26 Final thoughts and the Fylde prediction

Subscribe to 3 In The Middle for weekly episodes featuring former professionals Chris Lumsdon and Mark “Skip” Boyd, current player Dylan McGeouch and special guests from across football.

#3InTheMiddle #CarlisleUnited #CelticFC #RangersFC #FootballPodcast

Chris Lumsdon, Mark “Skip” Boyd and Dylan McGeouch return for an explosive episode examining how Carlisle United have fallen into the worst league position in the club’s history.

The lads assess the Piatak family’s ownership, the decisions made behind the scenes and the lack of communication with supporters. Lummy also shares what he has been told by agents, former players, journalists and local businessmen including claims that Carlisle have become known within football as a “soft touch” for transfers and lucrative contracts.

Attention then turns to Rob Elliot. Does he deserve more time, or must Carlisle take seven to nine points from their next three matches to save his job? The lads discuss the manager’s touchline bans, questionable recruitment, underperforming players and the worrying lack of leadership inside the team.

They also debate whether Paul Simpson should be brought back into the club, why throwing money at players hasn’t worked and whether social media is becoming a damaging distraction for modern footballers.

Elsewhere, the lads discuss football’s disappearing fear factor, reveal the biggest decisions they would change from their careers and explain why Dylan’s move from Hibernian to Sunderland didn’t work out as planned.

Also featuring:

• Carlisle United’s worst-ever league position
• Have the owners lost interest?
• Agents calling Carlisle a “soft touch”
• Should Paul Simpson return to the club?
• Rob Elliot’s next three matches
• Carlisle’s recruitment and leadership problems
• Players responding to criticism on social media
• The 3 In The Middle charity raffle
• The lads reveal their dream jobs
• Who Am I?
• Football trivia
• Is modern football becoming too soft?
• The biggest regrets of their careers
• Dylan’s difficult Sunderland move
• Does Scottish football need restructuring?

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Carlisle United reach their worst-ever position
02:19 Agents describe Carlisle as a “soft touch”
05:19 Have the owners been let down by poor decisions?
08:19 Should Paul Simpson return to Carlisle?
11:08 Where are the leaders in this team?
12:35 Does Rob Elliot have three games to save his job?
15:58 Carlisle’s players and the TikTok controversy
17:08 What is Carlisle’s actual playing identity?
20:08 Is the squad really good enough?
23:15 Carlisle’s dramatic decline since beating Bolton
26:08 Will a win simply paper over the cracks?
29:08 Effort, quality and the pressure facing the players
32:03 Should struggling footballers avoid social media?
35:11 The mental impact of online criticism
38:08 Injuries, missing players and Rob Elliot’s defence
42:43 The latest charity raffle prizes
46:16 What would the lads’ dream jobs be?
48:44 Building a giant fish tank for 50 Cent
50:36 Who Am I?
58:12 Football trivia and an unbelievable contract clause
01:01:15 What’s the Crack?
01:01:24 Is modern football becoming too soft?
01:04:20 The biggest decisions the lads would change
01:05:19 Dylan reflects on moving to Sunderland
01:08:24 Does Scottish football need restructuring?
01:09:39 Carlisle’s next two matches are must-win
01:11:30 Final thoughts

Subscribe to 3 In The Middle for weekly episodes featuring former professionals Chris Lumsdon and Mark “Skip” Boyd, current player Dylan McGeouch and special guests from across football.

#3InTheMiddle #CarlisleUnited #RobElliot #CUFC #FootballPodcast

Jonny from BBC Radio Cumbria’s Carlisle Social joins Chris Lumsdon and Mark “Skip” Boyd for an episode packed with Carlisle United analysis, controversial football opinions and brilliant stories from their playing careers.

Skip recalls the unbelievable moment Premier League referee Mike Dean decided not to send him off because it was his “big day” and he was “a nobody.” The lads discuss their best and worst referees before putting Mike Dean firmly on Clown Watch.

Attention then turns to Carlisle United following the painful defeat against Boreham Wood. Are the performances showing signs of progress, or should a club sitting 14th in the National League already be seriously concerned?

The lads discuss Rob Elliot’s style of football, defensive mistakes, Regan Linney’s body language and whether Carlisle’s squad is genuinely strong enough to win the league.

They also question why modern footballers struggle to complete 90 minutes, debate medical “red zones” and ask whether prehab routines could actually be contributing to more injuries. Plus, there’s a brilliant story about Paul Gascoigne drinking brandy before a match.

There’s also another round of Who Am I?, the biggest bollockings and compliments the lads received, football’s toughest hard men and an alarming dating-app story.

Also featuring:

• Mike Dean’s brutal comment to Skip
• The best and worst football referees
• Is Carlisle United’s season already in trouble?
• Can Rob Elliot turn things around?
• Regan Linney’s form and body language
• Are Carlisle still capable of winning the league?
• Why can’t modern footballers last 90 minutes?
• Is football prehab doing more harm than good?
• Paul Gascoigne’s pre-match brandies
• Who Am I?
• The worst managerial bollockings
• Football’s toughest hard men
• A disturbing dating-app disaster
• Supporting the Carlisle Sunday Football League

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introducing Jonny from Carlisle Social
00:29 Chinese orders and Michelin-star disasters
03:00 Mike Dean enters Clown Watch
03:42 Mike Dean calls Skip a nobody
04:14 The best and worst football referees
06:29 Holiday complaints and impossible passwords
07:50 Carlisle United’s painful Boreham Wood defeat
10:08 How long should Rob Elliot be given?
13:58 Carlisle’s defensive mentality questioned
15:24 Have Carlisle actually improved?
17:04 What has happened to Regan Linney?
20:18 Can Carlisle United still win the league?
21:42 Is Carlisle’s squad as good as people think?
25:50 Why can’t modern footballers last 90 minutes?
28:41 Gary Neville and the problem with substitutions
29:56 Is football prehab complete nonsense?
30:53 Paul Gascoigne’s pre-match brandies
31:33 Carlisle community shout-outs
35:03 Who Am I?
39:16 Football trivia and Champions League records
43:31 The subscriber challenge and charity raffle
45:38 This or That
46:59 A disturbing dating-app disaster
48:00 The biggest managerial bollockings
51:06 The greatest compliments the lads received
54:33 Football’s toughest hard men
57:18 Supporting the Carlisle Sunday Football League
01:00:20 Carlisle vs Southend predictions
01:00:46 Final messages

Subscribe to 3 In The Middle for weekly episodes featuring former professionals Chris Lumsdon and Mark “Skip” Boyd, current player Dylan McGeouch and special guests from across football.

#3InTheMiddle #MikeDean #CarlisleUnited #PaulGascoigne #FootballPodcast

Chris Lumsdon, Skip Boyd and Dylan McGeouch return for another episode packed with Premier League predictions, Carlisle United analysis, football stories and plenty of nonsense.

The lads look back on their recent conversation with Peter “Murf” Murphy, correcting his Carlisle United appearance record to more than 470 games and discussing the versatility, intelligence and mental strength that made him such an important player.

They also review a recent visit to Brunton Park, praising the improvements made to Carlisle’s matchday experience, fan zone and hospitality facilities before analysing the team’s performance on the pitch.

Attention then turns to the Premier League as the lads debate whether Phil Foden is overrated—or simply being wasted in the wrong position. They make their top-four predictions, discuss Arsenal’s chances of winning the title and identify the teams they believe could be heading for relegation.

There’s also criticism of Russell Martin’s determination to play out from the back, memories of high-pressure play-off matches and a debate about some of football’s toughest old-school players.

Plus, the lads play Who Am I?, reveal a disastrous Tinder catfishing experience and discuss the madness of waking up at 6am for a holiday sunbed—before discovering the price of a McDonald’s at Dalaman Airport.

Also featuring:

• Peter Murphy’s corrected Carlisle United record
• Carlisle’s improved matchday experience
• Is Phil Foden overrated or being played out of position?
• Can Arsenal win the Premier League?
• Top-four and relegation predictions
• Russell Martin’s controversial playing style
• The pressure of two-legged play-off ties
• Football’s toughest old-school players
• Who Am I?
• A disastrous Tinder catfish
• Holiday sunbed wars
• A £70 airport McDonald’s

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Skip returns from holiday
01:15 Peter Murphy’s Carlisle career, mentality and tactics
10:35 Introduction
10:46 Lummy appears on the big screen at Brunton Park
11:31 Carlisle United’s matchday experience and performance
18:10 Phil Foden, title predictions and relegation contenders
30:32 Dating apps and a disastrous Tinder catfish
36:44 Who Am I?
46:28 The pressure of play-off football
56:04 Who were football’s toughest hard men?
01:03:07 Holiday sunbed wars and a £70 McDonald’s
01:06:43 Final thoughts

Subscribe to 3 In The Middle for weekly episodes featuring former professionals Chris Lumsdon and Skip Boyd, current player Dylan McGeouch and special guests from across football.

#3InTheMiddle #PhilFoden #Arsenal #CarlisleUnited #PremierLeague #FootballPodcast

A Carlisle United legend joins us this week!

Peter Murphy sits down with Chris Lumsdon and Dylan McGeouch to look back on an unforgettable career at Brunton Park.

After joining Carlisle United in 2001, Peter spent 12 years at the club, made more than 400 appearances and became the club’s record appearance holder for an outfield player.

He scored the winning goal that returned Carlisle to the Football League in 2005 and then delivered another historic winner against Brentford at Wembley in 2011.

The lads discuss Peter’s journey from Blackburn Rovers to Brunton Park, Carlisle’s back-to-back promotions, his greatest teammates, memorable dressing-room stories and his transition from playing into management.

Plus, all the usual features:

- What’s the Crack?
- Guess Who
- Viewers’ Questions
- Football stories, honest opinions and plenty of nonsense

Subscribe to 3 In The Middle for weekly episodes featuring former professionals Chris Lumsdon and Skip Boyd, current player Dylan McGeouch and special guests from across football.

#3InTheMiddle #PeterMurphy #CarlisleUnited #FootballPodcast #CUFC

The lads are back after a big day out in Newcastle and there are plenty of stories to tell! 🍻⚽

This week, Chris Lumsdon, Skip Boyd and Dylan McGeouch discuss Newcastle United selling their best players and Carlisle United’s disappointing opening-day defeat.

They also reveal what careers they might have pursued if they hadn’t become professional footballers before Skip’s sweaty armpits become an unexpected talking point!

Plus, all your favourite weekly features return:

- What’s the Crack?
- Guess Who
- Viewers’ Questions
- Plenty of football nonsense

Subscribe to 3 In The Middle for honest football opinions, brilliant stories and new episodes every week.

#3InTheMiddle #FootballPodcast #CarlisleUnited #Football