Episodes

  • 68. The One With Frank Foer

    68. The One With Frank Foer
    Oct 4 2024
    This is football as seen through the eyes of an Arsenal supporter, living and working in Washington DC. Frank Foer, a staff writer at The Atlantic and a former editor of The New Republic, is the author of the much respected book “How Football Explains the World”. It’s fascinating to hear the views of a man who genuinely understands and enthuses over English football but sees it with a very different pair of eyes. With Frank Foer joining Colin Shindler, Paddy Barclay and Jon Holmes, we present two nations which in this case are united by a common language… that of football - or soccer as they call it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • 67. Rituals

    67. Rituals
    Sep 27 2024
    In the days of our fondly remembered youth which we can still see as it becomes ever smaller in the rear-view mirror of life, football matches kicked off at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. And part of the joy of the experience was what we did beforehand, how we met our friends, how we got to the ground, perhaps even what we wore in the false expectation that it would help our club to win. From Dundee through Manchester to Leicester, Paddy Barclay, Colin Shindler and Jon Holmes recognise that they had many elements in common but there were variations due to family circumstances. We expect that everyone will have their own memories of their pre- and post-match rituals. Warning: References are made to alcohol. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    44 mins
  • 70. The Football Pyramid

    70. The Football Pyramid
    Sep 20 2024
    This week the Paddy Barclay, Jon Holmes and Colin Shindler ask each other how the Football Pyramid has changed over our lifetimes of watching the game. Our first memories were of football in the mid to late 1950s when life was bounded by the First and Second Divisions and the Third Divisions North and South. Of course, there was no Premier League but more crucially to lose Football League status was to consign your town and your community, as well as your club, to Stygian gloom. Which is why we are delighted that at least Jon can explain the intricacies of the farce known as re-election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • 66. Number Twos

    66. Number Twos
    Sep 20 2024
    There are two distinct variations on the theme of Number 2s. The first is that he is the one who sits next to the manager when he is going berserk, berating the fourth official and kicking water bottles. That number 2 is there to calm him down and offer sage advice in moments of extreme tension. However, the other number 2 is the man who himself goes berserk while his boss maintains a forced calm as the number 2 rages. Jon Holmes, Paddy Barclay and Colin Shindler consider the pairing of Murphy and Busby, Taylor and Clough, Allison and Mercer, Howe and Mee - who all offer fascinating insights into the art of football management. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • 65. The One With Gary Lineker

    65. The One With Gary Lineker
    Sep 14 2024
    It’s been coming, hasn’t it? We all know that the relationship between Jon Holmes and Gary Lineker started about 45 years ago and we’ve heard many stories related by Jon about his most famous client. However here is Gary talking about himself, his career as a player and his transition into broadcasting. Together with with Colin Shindler, Paddy Barclay (and of course, Jon Holmes), here his views on the game are presented uncensored by any broadcasting or publishing empire. Listen and see if any of them surprise you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • 64. Formations

    64. Formations
    Sep 6 2024
    We grew up with the old WM formation. Brazil won the World Cup with 4-2-4 and Alf Ramsey did the same thing with what was called the Wingless Wonders, in other words 4-3-3. After that, another “forward” was withdrawn into midfield and 4-4-2 became the standard for most teams for many years but now we have a confusing muddle of numbers, including 3-5-2, 4-2-2-2 and 4-1-4-1. The panel examine how these changes in formations evolved and how successful they have been for the coaches, managers and clubs that have employed them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    53 mins
  • 63. Cheating

    63. Cheating
    Aug 30 2024
    We know that cheating isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s been in sport ever since the Greeks failed to provide any drug testing during the Olympic Games of 776 BC – so there’s no reason why football should be any different. In the 1950s and 1960s, promising youngsters’ parents were allegedly bribed with washing machines and other “luxury” goods by clubs desperate for their offspring’s signature. The amounts of money sloshing around the game these days has made the incentive to cheat a constant threat, despite the tightening of legislation designed to prevent it. On the field, the diving for penalties and the feigning of injuries to get an opponent sent off has also got worse despite the increased ability of television cameras to highlight such cheating. The panel discuss whether cheating in football can ever be eradicated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • 62. The One with Nick Hancock

    62. The One with Nick Hancock
    Aug 23 2024
    He’s best known still as the host of Jon Holmes’ supreme television creation the game show ‘They Think It’s All Over’ in which his most famous clients combined with comedians to play such legendary games as “Feel the Sportsman”. He’s a talented comedian and writer but at heart Nick Hancock would always describe himself first and foremost as a Stoke City supporter. In this episode Nick tells of his devotion to the club and in particular of his grandfather who took him to matches but could never find where he’d left the car after it was finished. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    45 mins