Could It Be Coming Home?

This week Nicky and Paul are taking you back to 1995-96: the season of Cantona's return, grey kits, Keegan's rant and, of course, "You'll never win anything with kids". Nicky and Paul recall their reactions when they heard Hughes, Ince and Kanchelskis had been sold and how they felt after getting well beaten at Aston Villa on the opening day. They discuss Eric Cantona's comeback against Liverpool...

Paul and Nicky take us back to their early days as young kids trying to make it at Manchester United. They discuss whether they like the ‘Class of 92’ tag, how hard it was to make it as a young pro and what they thought of their team-mates: which player is like Benjamin Button? Who was discovered by the dad of a famous actor? And who did they consider to be the best player among them? Nicky reveal...

Battles. Clashes. Red cards. Respect. This week Nicky and Paul are talking about rivalries. They look back on their biggest games against Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Leeds and Chelsea, take us inside the tunnels at Anfield, Highbury and Elland Road and recall what it was like to play against the likes of Steven Gerrard, Patrick Vieira, David Batty and Dennis Wise. Which was the biggest ri...

It’s episode two of Football’s Greatest Eras with Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes and this week they’re talking about the man who had a transformative effect on their lives - Sir Alex Ferguson. Nicky and Paul tell us what it was like to be managed, motivated, developed and - yes - rollicked by the great man. They also bring up a ton of memories such as: Which of them was once surprised to find Fergie...

Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes are here to take you inside one of the most dominant periods of English football. You can expect stories about the trophies, the rivalries, the hairdryer and their team-mates throughout the series as they get candid about their time at Manchester United. Welcome to Football's Greatest Eras and where else to start but with the crowning glory for that team - the 1999 Cham...

Football's Greatest Eras is a new podcast with Manchester United legends Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes. The pair - two Manchester lads themselves - were part of one of the most successful teams ever seen in English football, working under arguably the greatest manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson. Nicky and Paul take you deep inside the United dressing room during this period of dominance. From Fe...

Great matches. Magic moments. Wonderful memories. In the latest compilation of some of the best bits from Football’s Greatest with Jeff Stelling, our guests remember some of the biggest games from their careers. James Milner talks about Liverpool’s epic comeback to beat Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final second leg in 2019. He reveals Jurgen Klopp’s inspirational words before the game, a...

Big moves that don’t happen. Being left out of a match day squad. Hearing you’re not good enough.  Football is full of regrets and in this latest compilation episode of Football’s Greatest with Jeff Stelling, we hear some of our guests’ biggest ones from their careers. Former Australia keeper Mark Schwarzer explains how a move to Arsenal fell apart in 2010 and why it left him frustrated and upset...

This week’s best bits is all about some of the Premier League legends who have been discussed over the course of the Football’s Greatest series. Paul Merson recalls what it was like to play with Ian Wright, what made him such a great goalscorer and how he could also handle himself, including in the players lounge after. Joleon Lescott talks about what made Wayne Rooney such a tough opponent on the...

Football’s Greatest continues to bring you some of the best moments from the series so far. This episode focusses on the some of our favourite stories we've heard about disagreements and rivalries. Glenn Hoddle reminisces about David Beckham’s red card against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, gives his thoughts on how their relationship was handled in the ‘Beckham’ documentary and how he feels abo...

Over the next few weeks we'll bring you some of the best moments from the Football's Greatest series so far. This episode focusses on the greatest managers. James Milner recalls the change at Liverpool from Brendan Rodgers to Jurgen Klopp, his first impressions of the German and their conversation about converting him into a full back. Gordon Strachan discusses Sir Alex Ferguson's impact at Aberde...

It’s the final episode of Football’s Greatest: Euros and Merse and Jeff are rounding it off with one last Q+A. They tackle questions from you like: is Declan Rice is overrated? How will Arne Slot get on at Liverpool? And did Merse really ask a team-mate to injure him so he could go to the races? They also discuss how news journalists could be ruthless, whether Sean Dyche should be on the shortlist...

Gareth Southgate has stepped down as England manager so Merse and Jeff debate who should follow him in the top job. Graham Potter or Eddie Howe? Jose Mourinho or Jurgen Klopp? Merse picks out another contender and argues passionately why it should not be a foreign manager. They also discuss Southgate’s legacy, give their thoughts on why England lost to Spain in the Euros final, wonder if Jude Bell...

Arsenal legend Paul Merson and Jeff Stelling preview the Euros final: player-for-player, who has the better squad? Is Lamine Yamal the best 16 year-old footballer Merse has ever seen? Will it be seen as a failure if England don't win it? They also discuss whether Harry Kane really is, as Gary Neville suggested, the best England player ever, if Gareth Southgate is an elite football manager, how Mer...

It's another Q&A with Merse and Jeff and among the questions in this episode: should Ivan Toney start for England? Who was the strongest footballer Merse played with or against? And what do they love and hate about modern football? Merse also names the clubs he would have liked to play for during his career and gives his take on Enzo Maresca and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's moves to Chelsea. If you wan...

How come Merse is so confident England will beat the Swiss and win the Euros? Why should Gareth Southgate have no excuses for the quarter-final? And who needs to have a word with Jude Bellingham? Merse and Jeff discuss all of that plus whether the Euros have harmed Southgate's chances of landing a job with a top club, the enduring drama that is Cristiano Ronaldo, why France are dull to watch, thei...

Why did Merse leave Arsenal for Middlesbrough? Who should follow Gareth Southgate as England manager? Did Merse really once ask out Kylie Minogue? Jeff Stelling and Paul Merson answer all of these questions and more in their second Q&A on Football’s Greatest: Euros. If you want to get in touch and ask the guys a question, here what to do:  Email: footballsgreatest@foldingpocket.co.uk WhatsApp: 020...

What’s up with Bellingham? Just how fit is Harry Kane? And will Gareth Southgate finally ring the changes for the knockout stages? Jeff and Merse discuss England’s drab display against Slovenia. Merse genuinely still thinks England will win the Euros…but why? They also debate if it’s the end for Steve Clarke and Scotland, assess the other contenders, ask if Austria's good form reflects badly on Ma...

Questions, questions, and more questions for England and Gareth Southgate after the rotten draw with Denmark. Jeff and Merse try to find some of the answers: was it as bad as the Iceland game? Was Grealish left out so Gareth could avoid confrontation? And why was it like Subbuteo? They also discuss Scotland's draw with the Swiss, which Euros manager is like a surfer boy and how you reset a broken...

Paul Merson and Jeff Stelling are back for episode 2 of Football’s Greatest: Euros and they’re taking listeners questions on whatever you want to ask. Topics include who Merse would pick from his playing days to start in the current England side, Jeff’s epic rant about Middlesbrough on Soccer Saturday, and what it was like living with a certain Paul Gascoigne… Get in touch: Email: footballsgreates...

Welcome to the first episode of Football's Greatest: Euros, a new show with Paul Merson and Jeff Stelling for the duration of the European Championships. They kick off by looking at the contenders for the tournament. For Merse, it's down to two teams - England and France. But is he backing the Three Lions to bring it home? The guys pick their starting elevens for England's opener against Serbia -...

For the last of our Football’s Greatest interviews, Gordon Strachan joins Jeff once more to discuss his top 5 captains from his career. Along the way Gordon recalls the best footballer he ever played with, the moment he says was one of the best of his life and the player who lived his life in chaos. He also reveals how he ended up in the boot of a car on his first night out at Manchester United, w...

Former Manchester City and England defender Joleon Lescott is back with Jeff to pick the top 5 forwards he faced during his career.  Who made him realise what the level was in the Champions League? Which Champions League winner turned into Iron Man inside the box? Who is his surprise number one? Joleon also reveals how facing Wayne Rooney would leave you exhausted, why Carlos Tevez once refused to...

Australian football legend Mark Schwarzer joins Jeff once again on the pod, this time to pick his Top 5 Australian men’s players ever. Some top names from the Premier League era are discussed including Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and Tim Cahill. Which of his five does he suggest could have played for any of the top clubs in the world? Who, according to Mark, was the most talented player his country...

What makes a great leader in football? Thats’s the question Jeff is asking former Liverpool captain Phil Thompson on this week’s episode of the pod. Thommo was himself a born leader, who lifted the European Cup as captain in 1981. He talks about how Bill Shankly mapped out his entire career and the time Bob Paisley gave him his biggest rollicking, the best leaders he played with and why captaincy...