It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast

New’s Eve Year 1991. Manchester United are on course to win the title for the first time since 1967. It’s Sir Alex Ferguson’s 50th birthday party, but it's a small, understated affair because United play QPR at Old Trafford the next day. A comfortable home win is expected for United to go top again - but it didn't work out that way... Join one of the stars of that game, Andy Sinton, to discuss wha...

Christmas Eve, 1914. A cold, crisp, moonlit night in Flanders. British and German soldiers are dug into opposing trenches in a hellish shelled-out landscape, strewn with rotting corpses. But an unfamiliar sound is heard from the German trenches: “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht” is being sung to welcome the birth of Christ. The British respond with their own carols, seasonal greetings are exchanged ac...

This week on It Was What It Was, it's the tale of Pickles: The most famous dog in football history. As most football fans know, Pickles saved the day by finding the Jules Rimet trophy - the original World Cup - after it had farcically been stolen from a stamp collection exhibition in the run up to the 1966 World Cup. But the whole story is even more surprising, more tragic and more comed...

This week on It Was What It Was , Jonathan and Rob introduce us to the team - and the match - that played a huge part in the invention of the European Cup... “Champions of the World!” was the headline given to Wolverhampton Wanderers, when they beat the mighty Hungarian team Honvéd, led by Ferenc Puskas, in 1954. Billy Wright was the star of the show for a game that many saw as reestablishing Engl...

This week on It Was What It Was , we're looking at one of football's most remarkable underdog stories. Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper take us back to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where Nigeria’s “Dream Team” shocked the world and won men's gold - the first African team to win a senior global football tournament. From Kanu’s heroics, to dramatic comeback victories over Brazil and Argentina, they e...

This week. It Was What It Was asks: What is it with Portuguese football? With Ruben Amorim arriving at Manchester United, there are now as many Premier League managers from Portugal as from England coaching this season.    Portugal also has the fourth highest-quota of Premier League players (after England, Brazil and France). For a nation of just over 10 million, it consistently punches...

Welcome to It Was What It Was, and Part Two of our special look back at the remarkable career of Rafa Benitez - with the man himself! In this second part - Rafa, Jonathan and Rob look back at Rafa's arrival at Anfield, his influence on the Premier League, and then head backstage to explain the moments and decisions behind that iconic Champions League triumph in Istanbul. Join us as Rafa takes us i...

In this special episode of It Was What It Was , Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper are joined by the legendary Rafa Benitez. Part One explores the early years of Rafa's extraordinary career, from his beginnings as a promising young coach in Spain to his groundbreaking success with Valencia. Rafa shares the stories, challenges, and philosophy that shaped his journey. Part One takes us up to his arrival...

In this week’s episode of  It Was What It Was , Jonathan and Rob take a deep dive into the fascinating journey of Thomas Tuchel, the newly appointed England manager. From his early years as a player with a mature football mind, to a detour studying economics while working in a cocktail bar, Tuchel’s path to football’s elite has been anything but ordinary.   Jonathan and Rob dis...

In this week’s episode of  It Was What It Was , Miguel Delaney discusses his new book:  States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football . Jonathan, Rob and Miguel assess how mega-rich investors and state-backed owners have transformed clubs and competitions around the world. The trio explain the impact of sportswashing on our modern game - where nations and corporations have used fo...

In this bonus episode of It Was What It Was hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper look into the striking parallels between Manchester United’s managerial struggles in the post-Matt Busby and post-Sir Alex Ferguson eras. Despite decades of history and immense success, the club has faced a persistent challenge in finding a manager capable of replicating the legacy left by its legendary figures. Follo...

In Part Two of It Was What It Was , we dive into the explosive conclusion of the 1967 Intercontinental Cup clash between Celtic and Racing Club. With tempers flaring, the second and decisive third legs were anything but ordinary—featuring multiple send-offs, brutal fouls, and even a policeman with a drawn sword stepping onto the pitch. Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper guide you through the chaos and...

This week on  It Was What It Was , we’re traveling back to 1967, when Celtic’s legendary Lisbon Lions clashed with Racing Club in an unforgettable, fiery three-match series for the Intercontinental Cup.   In Part One, Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper set the stage before the first leg at Hampden Park, where Jock Stein’s side secured a 1-0 advantage to take to South America - though the rea...

This week on It Was What It Was, we're talking one of football's greatest rivalries: Real Madrid and Barcelona. In the week of El Clasico, Spanish football expert Sid Lowe joins Rob and Jonathan to discuss the history, politics and scandal behind possibly the biggest club match in football. If you enjoyed the podcast, please hit subscribe to never miss an episode - and please consider leaving us a...

Join us for the final part of our special series on the shoe salesman who changed football forever: Arrigo Sacchi.   In this episode of It Was What It Was, Sacchi comes to the end of his first spell at AC Milan and answers his country's call - managing the Italian national side at the World Cup in 1994 and Euro 96. This episode is the last in our series on Sacchi’s extraordinary career and hi...

It Was What It Was continues our special look into the life and career of one of football's greatest and most influential managers: Arrigo Sacchi.   In this episode, Sacchi has finally arrived at AC Milan and, with a team of legends in the making, his greatest work is about to begin. This episode is part of our series on Sacchi’s extraordinary career and his lasting mark on the sport. It star...

It Was What It Was continues the epic story of arguably the most important manager in modern football history: Arrigo Sacchi.   In this episode, Rob and Jonathan explore Sacchi's rise through the coaching ranks. Sacchi earns his spurs in youth coaching, before his impressive work at Parma turns the head of Italian giants AC Milan, and their enigmatic owner Silvio Berlusconi. This episode is p...

This week on It Was What It Was, we continue the epic story of arguably the most important manager in modern football history: Arrigo Sacchi.   Following-up from last week's episode with Jamie Carragher (please go back and listen if you missed it!), Rob and Jonathan go back to Sacchi's roots and how his legend began. We discuss Sacchi's early years, from shoe factories to football coaching -...

 Welcome to The Overlap's football history podcast, It Was What It Was.   Special guest and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher join hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper as they explore the legacy of one of football’s most iconic managers: Arrigo Sacchi.   Widely regarded as one of the greatest minds in the sport, Sacchi led AC Milan to back-to-back European Cup triumphs in the late 19...

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was. On this week's episode we travel back to one of the biggest financial scandals in early English football—the 1904-05 Manchester City scandal. Journalists Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper unravel the events that saw Manchester City, fresh off their FA Cup win, embroiled in controversy over illegal player paym...

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was. As Aston Villa return to Champions League football this week, Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper take a deep dive into the club's most iconic moment: their 1982 European Cup triumph. It Was What It Was revisits this historic victory, made even more remarkable by the fact that manager Ron Saunders resigned midw...

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was . This week, our hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper dive into the extraordinary journey of Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time. With his 2022 World Cup triumph marking the pinnacle of an already legendary career, Jonathan and Rob take a journey back to Messi’s beginnings....

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast,  It Was What It Was.  This week Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper tell the story of probably the most-consequential football club takeover ever: When Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003.   Before sportswashing was even a word and in an age when Financial Fair Play didn’t exist, we examine the background to the...

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was . This week, Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper explore the connection between Ferenc Puskas and Ange Postecoglou, and how the Hungarian idol influenced the Australian coach. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ferenc Puskas’s post-playing career saw him manage across the world, including stint...

Welcome to the latest episode of The Overlap’s football history podcast, It Was What It Was.    In Part One, journalists Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper set the scene for Liverpool’s incredible 4-3 win over Newcastle in April 1996. We now delve into the game itself and the consequences that follow.    Having been 12-points clear in the run for the Premier League title, Jonathan...