Mick McCarthy is a no nonsense sort of bloke. He was as a player and he certainly is as a manager, because as he states in his own words, ‘that’s just me’. From humble beginnings as a young lad at Barnsley, he’s played with the best and been fortunate enough to manage the very best as well. He’s had a few ‘barnies’ along the way, which he’s more than happy to chat about and feels very lucky to have enjoyed the career that he has done. Still working at the age of 61, Mick takes a bit of time out to have a right good catch up with his old mate Dion, as they reminisce about the odd drunken night out as well!

Alex McLeish made nearly 700 appearances for Aberdeen during his 16 years at the club, and is rightly regarded as a Scottish football legend. During his time at Pittodrie, he was managed by the one and only Sir Alex Ferguson who thought so highly of the no nonsense centre half, that he wanted a 30 year old McLeish to follow him south to Manchester United, but the deal sadly fell through when The Dons asked for too much money. McLeish must wonder what may have been, but while he never got his chance to play in England, he managed in England in the premier league, most noticeably making the controversial move straight from Birmingham City to bitter rivals Aston Villa in 2011 after the blues got relegated from the top flight. Not one to shy away from hostile environments, he’s managed Rangers through many an old firm derby against rivals Celtic, been in the hotseat at Nottingham Forest, Motherwell and Hibs and has held the post of Scotland manager for two spells to date.

He’s the longest serving manager in the premier league at present, and known for combining science with a firm but fair approach. Sean Dyche is playing at the top of his game at Burnley, and while a series of factors have conspired against him this season, and see his side in the bottom six rather than the top six at present, you know that if anyone will turn their form around it’ll be the gravel voiced Mr Dyche! Sean was Dion’s captain during their playing days at Millwall, and the two giants of the game have the utmost respect for each other as they compare the ‘win or lose… have a booze days’ of old, with the science and psychology that underpins the modern manager today. This is a fascinating insight into the inner workings of the premier league in 2020, and Sean is happy to let his old mate in on a few trade secrets!

He may have started his footballing life in the far north of Scotland, but Bryan Gunn is an absolute legend when it comes to Norwich City, and will always be one of their finest and most revered of veterans. As one of the senior players at Carrow Road when a teenage Dion Dublin arrived in the late 80s, it was ‘Gunny’ who welcomed the talented youngster into the first team setup and someone that Dion has always had the utmost respect for.

Sent off on the opening day of the premier league era in August 1992 while playing for Southampton, Micky Adams was a player who could certainly be abrasive when he wanted to be! His playing career saw the flying full back motoring up and down the touchline for Coventry, Leeds United, Southampton and Fulham, while his managerial career saw him in the hotseat at Brighton, Leicester, Coventry, Port Vale, Tranmere and a brief spell in charge of his boyhood club Sheffield United. As a gaffer he’s had to work out many a troubled dressing room and deal with tricky customers like Pierre Van Hooijdonk, Martin Keown and a certain Dion Dublin, and he’s still here to tell the tale. Well, several tales actually, as Micky’s stories are legendary! This episode was recorded during remotely during the pandemic.

 

From humble beginnings as a 15 year old apprentice at Northampton Town, to leading Aston Villa out at Wembley for the cup final in 2000, John Gregory has enjoyed a fantastic career and has the stories to prove it! He doubled his salary in 1977 moving from £50 a week with the cobblers, to £100 at the Villa! He learnt so much during his time at QPR under manager Terry Venables and still keeps notes of his training sessions to this day, which he’s used to coach some of the biggest names in the game, from Paul Merson and Stan Collymore, to Dwight Yorke and a young upstart called Dion Dublin! Recorded remotely during lockdown, so please forgive the sound quality.

Gordon Strachan is one of the greatest characters in the game. He played under Sir Alex Ferguson as a young man at Aberdeen, before travelling south to join up with his mentor again at Manchester United. After 5 years at Old Trafford, Gordon crossed the Pennines to join Howard Wilkinson’s Leeds United revolution, and then moved to Coventry City where he played in the top flight with the sky blues until the age of 40! In addition, Gordon has managed Coventry City, Southampton, Celtic, Middlesbrough and Scotland no less, and there are few who have better stories than his! From pretending unsuccessfully to be Billy Bremner, to making Noel Whelan move into the Strachan family home, just so Gordon could try and keep his wayward striker out of trouble! The challenge here is to try and listen to this episode in public while keeping a straight face! Recorded remotely during lockdown, so please forgive the sound quality.

In October 2018, Glenn Hoddle collapsed with a heart attack at the studios of BT Sport and very nearly died, had it not been for the quick thinking of one of the producers there, who performed life-saving CPR while professional help was on its way. Nearly 2 years on from that fateful day, and Glenn talks honestly and openly with Dion about this life changing experience and about a phenomenal career in football, that’s seen him represent his country, manage his country and give a young George Weah some tips at Monaco, when they were both there under manager Arsene Wenger. This episode was recorded remotely during lockdown, so the audio quality is not as good as we normally like it! 

 

Join Dion Dublin as he chats exclusively with some very famous Gaffers!