My Sporting Hero

What does it feel like to suffer fan abuse as a footballer? What are the effects on mental health of long term player injuries? How does it feel to be called a 'wage thief'? In this new series format, presenter Daniel Gray is joined by a number of footballers and football types to discuss what matters to them in an honest and open Nutmeg fashion. This is the Player Take Over. For the fir...

The stadium has had a fresh link of paint, the fixtures are out and we are back. In this new series format, presenter Daniel Gray is joined by a number of footballers and football types to discuss what matters to them in an honest and open Nutmeg fashion. This is the Player Take Over . For the first two episodes, Scotland cap Michael Devlin is our guest, and after that we’ll be bringing in colleag...

Daniel Gray tells the incredible tale of the Basque refugee children exiled to Britain during the Spanish Civil War who became professional footballers. Theirs is a compelling, life-affirming story of heartbreak, horror and heroism, and a journey from blitzkrieg to the Bernabeu via Ibrox, Guernica, Alf Ramsey and László Kubala.  Never read Nutmeg magazine? We have offers on back issues and subscri...

Daniel Gray and Alan Pattullo are joined by Pat Nevin for a blether about his book The Accidental Footballer , and much besides, from Motherwell to Morrissey.  Never read Nutmeg magazine? We have offers on back issues and subscriptions. See https://www.nutmegmagazine.co.uk/shop Please help us make this podcast by joining Nutmeg FC on Patreon. Your money keeps us going and gets you some goodies: ht...

Host Daniel Gray is joined by acclaimed author Michael Calvin for a chat about his newest book, Whose Game Is It Anyway?   Expect a fascinating insight into the meaning of football, Calvin’s journalism career from The Watford Observer to broadsheet travels, the writing process and the football manager who lived on fish and chips. Never read Nutmeg magazine? We have offers on back issues and subscr...

Former Dundee United midfielder and current Cowdenbeath assistant manager Craig Easton joins Daniel Gray for a wide-ranging chat about the imminent fixture pile-up, his career in Scotland and England, the lure of Dundonian nightspots and the joy of animals entering the pitch. Craig talks also of his writing career, playing for the McLeans of Tannadice, Britpop, the moments when pre-match nerves tr...

What was Elton John’s view on Stephen Glass? How does Rod Stewart keep up to date with East Fife scorelines? Those vital questions and so much more are covered in this genial conversation between Daniel Gray and Sun writer Ally Ross, BBC man Colin Paterson and ex-Smash Hits editor and Daily Record columnist John McKie. In this mazy dribble of an episode, the trio talk about their Tartan Army trave...

In the fourth edition of our occasional series My Favourite Year, journalist and broadcaster Paul English joins Daniel Gray for an entertaining gallivant through Celtic’s 1987/88 double-winning season. Our battered old football time machine lands them in a Clydebank car park in the summer of 1987 where they stumble upon Billy McNeill agreeing to become Celts’ boss for a second spell. Then, it’s of...

Daniel Gray is joined by former Scotland international Don Masson, the man who infamously missed a penalty at Argentina ’78. The pair discuss Don’s early days in Banchory and the spiritualist who forecast his career, his move to Middlesbrough and his playing days at Boro, Notts County and QPR. He talks about a crucial penalty he did score – the one that helped Scotland to the World Cup – and the c...

Sky Sports commentator Ian Crocker joins Daniel Gray to talk Scotland, Serbia and Somerset Park. In the first part of a chat that oozes love for the Scottish game, Ian talks about his commentary career thus far, from the highs (co-commentating with Bobby Moore…) to the lows (Having “You’re just a fat Harry Potter” chanted at him…), and gives unique insight into broadcasting in the time of Covid. T...

Daniel Gray is joined by Alan McCredie for a conversational journey through the heartlands of Scottish football. The pair delve into the pages of their new book, Snapshot (published jointly by Nutmeg and Birlinn Publishing), recounting their Saturday roaming from Lowland to island in search of stories, scenes and scraps (from chippies).  Buy the book here: https://birlinn.co.uk/product/snapshot/  ...

Former Scotland, Aberdeen, Manchester United and Hibernian goalkeeper Jim Leighton chats to Daniel Gray. The two discuss Jim’s early years in Junior football, the influence of his father, Aberdeen glory days, World Cups with Scotland, hard times at Old Trafford and happy ones at Hibs. Plus, insight into the delights of goalkeeping from claiming catches to organising walls, and answers to the quest...

Daniel Gray is joined by Scotsman football writer Alan Pattullo, Times journalist Kenny Farquharson and Nutmeg publisher Ally Palmer to talk all things magazine issue 17, and whatever else comes up. This conversational meander takes us from the things we can now hear managers and players shouting to the many faces of Tannadice, and from homophobia in men’s football to the first Brazilian players i...

Stenhousemuir FC’s Iain McMenemy joins Daniel Gray to give a unique insight into life as a football club chairman. In a revealing interview, McMenemy details the outstanding community work Stenny have undertaken down the years and their activist role during COVID-19, and takes us behind the scenes of Scottish football’s failures throughout the pandemic. Plus, Norwegian supporters, Space Raiders, i...

East Fife’s former Arbroath and Forfar winger Danny Denholm chats to our own Daniel Gray. The Lower League Ramblings podcaster and BBC columnist talks about his fitness regime during lockdown, including avoidance of Coco Pops and dodging disposable barbecues on Leith Links. The two Dans discuss: the tiny delights of football, from indirect free-kicks in the box to goalkeepers going forward for cor...

Legendary broadcaster and writer Archie MacPherson joins host Daniel Gray to discuss More Than a Game (Luath Press), his new book on ‘Living with the Old Firm’. In this moving and thoughtful conversation about a lifetime of the Celtic v Rangers rivalry, MacPherson takes us back to the Hampden Riot of 1980, The Ibrox Disaster of 1971 and the 1995 murder of Mark Scott, and to his memories of how the...

In this conversational canter through issue 16 of the magazine, host Daniel Gray is joined by Nutmeg Publisher Ally Palmer and the author and journalist James Morgan. They discuss the authentic beauty of Scottish football grounds, a promising coaching innovation and other issue 16 highlights. Plus, BBC man Giancarlo Rinaldi on the charisma of Palmerston Park, Ginny Clark on a Queen’s Park legend,...

We’ve reached 50 episodes, so we’re feeling all sentimental. Here are some of our favourite clips from the podcast, as selected by host Daniel Gray. All of them are taken from over a year ago, so if you have heard them before, you might have forgotten them; if you haven’t, here’s a taster for you to enjoy. Contributors include Christopher Brookmyre, Ron Ferguson, Ricky Ross, Hugh MacDonald, Pat Ne...

Arbroath defender Jason Thomson joins Daniel Gray for a fascinating delve into his 16-year career. Thomson gives a behind-the-scenes insight into rising though the Hearts ranks, life under Vladimir Romanov, happy times at Turnbull Hutton’s Raith and Red Lichties glory with Dick Campbell. In a candid, compelling conversation, Thomson talks about the challenges of starting a first ‘real job’ aged 31...

In the third edition of our occasional series My Favourite Year, former Scotland international Pat Nevin looks back at Chelsea’s 1983/84 season with Daniel Gray. Nevin was a key part of the Blues team which won England’s Division Two playing a swashbuckling form of attacking football. Plus, the forward reflects angrily on the hooliganism and racism which sometimes marred that era, and reminisces a...

In the second edition of our occasional series My Favourite Year, esteemed football writer Patrick Barclay looks back upon Dundee’s ‘long’ 1962 with Daniel Gray. A beguiling tale of a time when Dundee won the league, raced to the European Cup semi-finals in a haze of goals and played the best football many ever saw. Plus, Ian Ure eating a pebble and what happens when you wear a tailored green suit...

In the first of our occasional series My Favourite Year, BBC Scotland broadcaster Richard Gordon looks back upon Aberdeen’s wonderful 1982/83 season with Daniel Gray. An almost impossible tale of domestic and European success, mesmerising football and dodgy waterproofs from Gothenburg department stores.  Never read Nutmeg magazine? We have offers on back issues and all previous digital editions ar...

A rummage around the pages of Nutmeg issue 15. Editor Ally Palmer and Alan Russell of Supporters Direct Scotland join host Daniel Gray to talk about the game’s sudden halt, the rise of supporter club ownership, the football friend who turned out to be a neo-Nazi, Elvis’ visit to Ayrshire and more. Plus, David F. Ross pays homage to 7-a-side, and ‘Silent Saturday’, an article from Nutmeg’s Lost Wee...

Former Manchester United, Hearts and Hibs midfielder, and now media pundit, Michael Stewart chats again to host Daniel Gray. This time, Michael gives a compelling account of his last days as a player, including his dealings with Turkish football, Leeds United and Ian Holloway, and he reveals a shocking and fabricated rumour that undermined his chances of finding a club. He talks also about punditr...

Part two of ex-Manchester United, Celtic and Scotland star Brian McClair’s chat with host Daniel Gray. This time McClair speaks about leaving Celtic for Old Trafford, life under Alex Ferguson, playing alongside Giggs, Cantona et al and Gucci money clips. Plus, his role in the birth of the Premier League, inflatable wrestlers, Euro 92, Sonic the Hedgehog with Gary Pallister and watching games throu...