These Football Times

Welcome to a new series - My Side - discussing writers' and fans' greatest teams over the years. First up is Newcastle's 1995/96 vintage, examining their thrilling if ultimately doomed exploits in the Premier League and what events led to this most iconic season. Who were the key protagonists? From Les Ferdinand's metronomic goalscoring to Kevin Keegan's "love it" speech, and arguably the greatest...

Thomas Gravesen was loved by the supporters of the teams he served, and underappreciated by the wider breadth of football. In the late-1990s he was part of a resurgent Hamburg midfield, before switching to the Premier League with Everton and eventually gaining a shock move to Real Madrid. Part of the Denmark side that made the finals of Euros 2000 and 2004, he also went to the 2002 World Cup. Ener...

Author Daniel Gray returns to discuss another of his evocative books. After a nostalgic ramble through football in bygone days with Black Boots & Football Pinks, we bring things up to date as Saturday, 3pm allows us to delve into the delights of the modern game. From the arrival of the new season’s fixture lists to local players making good and visiting grounds for the first time, to final-day...

With the Euro 2020 qualifiers about to begin - six months later than traditionally the case due to the advent of the polarising Nation League - what's better for the continental game's fans, players and clubs? Should we advocate change or stick to the traditional, successful tournament-style qualifiers and finals?

To round off series two of Political Football, we move away from the connection between football and politics in specific countries in favour of a wider focus of the subject, examining at the growth of football academies in Africa. Are they beneficial for talented young African footballers, helping them to progress their careers and find fame and fortune in the richer football countries of the wor...

Justin Walley has enjoyed a footballing odyssey like few others. As well as attending six World Cups, six European Championships, two Copa Americas, and having lived in eight different countries and visited 125, he has founded a football club in Latvia and developed a successful women's team there. He's since joined CONIFA and managed an international team, before taking Matabeleland to the CONIFA...

For many fans, Peru are the hipster team of various World Cups. The iconic white shirts with the broad red sash are instantly recognisable and conjure up memories of great players from the past. Beneath that superficial veneer, though, there's a world of intrigue as politics and football mix to produce an intoxicating cocktail on a par with many other South American countries. Join expert Peter Ga...

Crossing football fact with fictional is an art form in itself, which few authors can pull off. A genre popularised by Nick Hornby's iconic Fever Pitch and continued adeptly by Mr Shankly's Photograph, The Damned United and Red or Dead, join our regular hosts as they talk to Jeff Goulding, writer of the brilliant Stanley Park Story, the modern benchmark and successor to the football "faction" grea...

We talk to Uri Levy, the founder of BabaGol, about Egyptian football, a country that defines the intricate relationship between politics, society and the beautiful game, from club level to reverence for the national team's favourite sons. How did the Arab Spring change football in the country and what does the future hold in Egypt?

Bringing our managerial rivalries series to a close, we move to the 1990s, a decade that began with the Dalglish-Graham head-to-head seemingly set to dominate to the century’s end. Swiftly, however, with Dalglish abdicating his throne at Anfield and Graham falling at Highbury, Alex Ferguson came to the fore, where he was challenged for supremacy by the likes of Wilkinson, Dalglish again, Keegan an...

We return to Northern Ireland in the company of Ben Roberts to explore the various clubs based there and examine how history, location and fan base have formed the backdrop to their identity. Allegiances to either unionist or nationalist causes, Protestant or Catholic faith, and family heritage all play a part in the interweaving threads of political influence that join together to make up the fab...

The League Cup, with its countless changes of sponsorship and trophy, is a tournament has been a part of the English football calendar for almost 60 years, within which time it has been loved and scorned in equal measure, from the early years when many clubs opted not to take part, through its 1970s and 80s heyday, to an era where the top clubs give it a near-scant regard. However, the League Cup...

A polarising figure who became an icon at some of the clubs he passed through, the game sadly lost Graham Taylor over two years ago. A revolutionary at Lincoln and Watford and a saviour at Aston Villa, Taylor was vilified during his time as England manager, before the peaks and troughs of a spell at Wolves and return visits to Vicarage Road and Villa Park. Beyond coaching, Taylor won a new army of...

Following the Spanish Civil War, Francisco Franco’s nationalist forces took control of the country and introduced a reactionary government, centred on traditional values, the church and a centrally dominated, unified state. His dictatorship lasted until his death in 1975, and in that time all of Spanish life came under the purview of his Movimiento Nacional. Football was no different. In this pod,...

Kevin George is a former professional footballer who played for West Ham, Charlton and Lincoln. After finishing his playing career, he took courses in counselling and developed an interest in the human mind and behaviour. Kevin joins us to discuss his book Soccology, which examines the behaviour, psychology and emotional intelligence through the words of former and current professional footballers...

As well as being the home of Jogo Bonito, Brazil has a history of political discord that so often in the past has impacted on football. The recent election of Jair Bolsonaro suggests a fundamental change in the political outlook and social attitudes of the nation, and it seems inevitable that this will impact on the game. Indeed, a number of famous Brazilian footballers voiced their support for Bo...

What is life like for a commentator? How do they prepare for one of the most important and iconic roles in sports coverage? Adam Summerton, from BT Sport, UEFA and talkSPORT, gives us the lowdown on his day-to-day, the nuances between radio and television coverage, and the anecdotes of a career ranging from the Champions League to the Conference North.

The 1980s were a decade dominated by Liverpool, where they were led in the dugout by Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish, all of whom kept the Anfield empire rolling toward regular league titles. Yet they were constantly challenged by the rise of an unexpected rival, be from Ron Saunders' Aston Villa and Howard Kendall's Everton to George Graham's Arsenal and Brian Clough's at Nottingham For...

In the first episode of series two of Political Football, we examine the UK in the 1970s and 80s, the tensions between football, its supporters and the establishment, and the Thatcher government. It was a time of disorder in society and football as economic and social cohesion came under pressure. What caused this and what were the effects on the game? Policing, hooliganism, tragedy and class all...

The savage 1970s was a decade in which social and political upheaval was equally matched in the football world. As a generation of iconic managers stood down midway through the 1970s while at the peak of their powers, the floor was left to Bob Paisley and Brian Clough to duel out the second half of the decade in England.

The 1960s was the decade in which the role of the football manager changed dramatically. With more autonomy from directors, the giants of English management grew quickly, becoming icons still celebrated to this day. Potts, Nicholson, Ramsey, Catterick, Shankly, Busby, Mercer, Revie and Greenwood all battled it out for the honours, in what was the most competitive decade of them all.

For 20 years, the concept of a European Super League has periodically risen. The idea that the elite of the European club game congregate to play each other on a weekly basis is one that makes the money men drool. UEFA are trying to protect the elite teams ever more, with 24 of this season's 32 Champions League group stage competitors gaining automatic entry to the tournament. So is a European Sup...

The more football changes the more it stays the same. The managerial rivalries and differences in approach taken to the contemporary game, from the mind-expanding football of Pep Guardiola to the pragmatism of Jose Mourinho, and every other shade in-between, nothing is new. Football's greatest modern-day ideas are simply recycled versions of something which went before. Managerial Rivals delves in...

Chris Slegg, BBC journalist and author of the excellent 2018/19 Women's Football Yearbook, joins expert Rich Laverty and hosts Stu and Steven as they explore the women's game, from its roots and early struggles to success today and rapid growth ahead.

In a sport losing touch with its lengthy and unique history, author Daniel Gray is shedding light on 50 lost wonders of the game, from goalkeeping trousers to pixelated scoreboards, in his new book Black Boots and Football Pinks. Join Gary, Steven, Stu and Daniel for this intimate look at a literary masterpiece and the things we miss.