Nessun Dorma Retro Football Podcast

With the European Cup approaching its 50th anniversary, there were still some members of the footballing aristocracy who were aching to join the ranks of champions. Juventus were Italy's team but still lagged behind the Milanese giants when it came to continental dominance. In their way in 1983 was an ambitious German club with a sharp general manager, a wily old coach and a superbly balanced side...

All the focus this week is on the unlikely footballing counties of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire as Mac Millings takes us back to the season when his footballing horizons were opened up. Newly promoted the season before, both Watford and Luton Town had memorable seasons in the top flight with Watford shooting themselves to second place to the annoyance of the literati and Luton staying up on the...

Forget local derbies. Forget even the 'Derby of England'. Arguably the most compelling story of rivalry, bitterness and drama in the modern era of English football has been that between Manchester United and Arsenal. It would reach its peak in the Wenger era but Rob Smyth takes us back to the season of five games that sparked it all off... If you want to support the podcast or want your episodes w...

Mike, Gary and Mac are back to provide a little sporting palate cleanser in the middle of our footballing feast. What was the biggest surprise in the world of sport in 1982? What was the most defining minute of action? Who were the standout individuals and which was the best team? Martyn is on hand to award points for argument as the boys compete to find the strongest sporting picture of 1982 unde...

From 1979 to 1986, life was very different in Scotland. Instead of Glasgow's big two slugging it out, the centre of power was wrestled north east towards Aberdeen and Dundee with two exciting young teams and two exceptional managers. Michael Grant from The Times and Alan Pattullo from The Scotsman tell the story of the era's peak. 1982/83 saw Aberdeen triumph in Europe and Dundee United sensationa...

Gordon Smith joins us this week to kick off our run through the season of 1982/83. He talks honestly about his experience at Brighton as a whole, the deal that inspired him to get into football agency, his guitar session with Paul McCartney and of course, the famous FA Cup run, his goal and his miss. If you want to support the podcast or want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier...

We finish our series on the 1982 World Cup in true Nessun Dorma fashion by subjecting the tournament to a draft. Rob, Gary and Mac are joined by Dominic Hougham to see who knows their Socrates from their Sammy McIlroy. If you want to support the podcast or want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier then head over to patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast where you can subscribe for only $...

Jonathan, Rob and Martyn sit down to round up the other stories from a remarkable World Cup. How Italy won, what happened to Spain and Argentina, did it lack a dominant individual performance and why it is impossible to have a tournament like it now. f you want to support the podcast or want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier then head over to patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast whe...

Part of the enduring legacy of these finals is in part due to it playing host to two of the finest football matches to have been been played. Different in style but never lacking a beat of drama, Brazil v Italy and France v West Germany had everything. Beauty and the beast. Poets versus anti-heroes. Images that still shine bright decades later. Jonathan O'Brien takes us through the games as well a...

Just why do men of a certain age devote such space in their heart for a side who didn't make the semi-finals of the World Cup? Do they deserve the worship over 40 years on? Pete Watson returns to discuss just why this football team retains such strong resonance and affection and why the political and cultural backdrop played such a huge part. If you want to support the podcast or want the next two...

982 was arguably the year that the continent of Africa first made its impression at the World Cup. African football expert Paul Doyle joins Rob and Martyn to discuss the exciting flair of Algeria, the Disgrace of Gijon, the indomitable lions of Cameroon and the debut of the 30 year-old Roger Milla. If you want to listen to the next three episodes of this series now and ad-free then head to patreon...

They might have exited the tournament at the same stage as England but Northern Ireland's World Cup experience was very different indeed. Not fancied to get through the first group - especially when it needed a win over the hosts in Valencia - they made history and could possibly have gone further. Author Evan Marshall tells the story through the eyes of an 11 year-old boy who thought his country...

Scotland travelled to Spain with arguably their strongest ever World Cup squad desperate to atone for the humiliation of Argentina but with a devilish group to overcome. Author Tom Brogan joins Martyn as they find some catharsis from an interesting campaign and try and rank the five World Cup efforts from 1974 to 1990. As of Monday 23 December Episodes 3 to 7 of this series - covering Northern Ire...

As the nights grow longer and colder, settle in with some blistering Spanish sun as Nessun Dorma goes back to the 1982 World Cup for eight episodes. This week, Martyn is joined by Gary Naylor and Rob Bagchi to look back at England's campaign. Ron Greenwood's management, a stumbling qualification, the injured talismen and how it could have been better starting a little slower are all on the agenda....

Between 1981 and 1984, something odd was happening in Spanish football. You wouldn't find either Barcelona or Real Madrid at the top of La Liga at the season's end. Nor even Valencia. Instead, the power was centred in the Basque region - San Sebastian and Bilbao to be precise - as Real Sociedad and Athletic won two league titles each. Scott Oliver joins Martyn to tell this fascinating tale and exp...

Before England and Serie A, before Ulrika and Nancy and before "Life Kaiser, life" there was winning the UEFA Cup with IFK Gothenburg. Rob and Martyn recount arguably the most remarkable triumph of Sven-Göran Eriksson's career as well as looking back at a very enjoyable competition as a whole. If you want to support the podcast or want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier then he...

Martyn sits down with the legendary Elton Welsby and Gary Cook of Retro Football Network fame to discuss a fascinating career anchoring English football in the 1980s. Elton's new book 'Game For A Laugh' is available for sale at eltonwelsby.com and this episode looks at his breakthrough into the media, international tournaments, the pressure of live television, ITV's coverage of the Football League...

Gary, Mac and Mike are back to do battle to try and convince Martyn how well they know the sporting year of 1981. The year of Ian Botham and Steve Davis. Liverpool and Aston Villa. Bob Champion and Ricky Villa. And, of course, Maxi Gnauck. Who do you think has the best draft card? Who did they boys miss out on? Head over to patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast later in the week to cast your vote! Learn...

With the Spanish World Cup on the horizon and the Argentinian flag being raised in Port Stanley, fears were high that England may not even get to go. Trouble off the field - both historical and hypothetical - would shape the English game in the 1980s. In his brilliant new book 'Go To War: Football On The Brink In The '80s', Jon Spurling brings out both the light and shade of a turbulent decade for...

After the Christmas freeze of 1981, Liverpool sat 12th in the First Division table with John Toshack's Swansea City leading the way. How they reeled in the field to ultimately grab the title, the psychological impact of a feared chaser, Luton and Watford's rise out of the Second Division, QPR's plastic pitch and much more are on the agenda for a roundtable episode on the season with Gary Naylor, M...

After every football season deep dive we will take a short break into the wider world of sport and in 1981 there really was only one story for us to pick up. That summer's Ashes series has forever been synonymous with one man: Ian Terence Botham. His heroics with bat and ball transformed the prospect of another miserable summer into a famous win. How simple a story was it in reality? Do we laud th...

With a schedule so in keeping with recent events, this week's episode is about the sacking of a Manchester United manager in 1981 but with so much relevance to the current day. The author Wayne Barton joins Martyn and Rob to talk about the weight of the job in difficult times, the tension between the technocrat and the force of personality and how brand of football and fan power are nothing new......

In order to add more colour and cultural relevance to our trip through footballing history, the Draft has been applied to popular culture. Lawrence Donegan, David Edgar and Jonny McFarlane battle it out to try and pick the strongest card from 1980 containing a film drama, film comedy, band, album, tv show and news story. Three strong cards to choose from but hear their arguments first and enjoy co...

1980/81 was a very poor domestic season for Liverpool by their own high standards but, even though they were a side in transition, they were still able to regain their European crown. Author and former football editor of the Times, Tony Evans, is on great form as he talks Martyn through a campaign with bags of goals, semi-final tension and character, a second round tie that changed history and per...

The Crystal Palace side that was promoted to the First Division in 1979 under Terry Venables had so much youthful promise that some considered the coming decade to be theirs to grab. They could be, it was reported, the team of the 1980s. What went wrong is the subject of this week's episode as Martyn sits down the with American author Stephen Brandt to chat about his new book 'The Team That Could...