EFL Unfiltered with David Prutton

Billy Sharp is Sheffield United through and through, and in his third spell with his boyhood club, the 35 year old goalscoring captain shows no sign of stopping any time soon, and is targeting another impressive haul this season and hopefully a new contract with the blades. Elsewhere, Clem catches up with Ian Evatt, who’s had a short but very impressive spell in management thus far. First with Barrow and now with Bolton Wanderers, who he picked up in Skybet League Two, has got them into League One at the first attempt, and now has his sights set firmly on the Championship as his next big goal for the club.

He spent 12 years at Vicarage Road, which is enough to cement and secure a very special place in Troy Deeney’s heart, but when his boyhood club came knocking, at the age of 33 he couldn’t possibly turn them down. Arguably the biggest story of the recent EFL transfer window, Mark Clemmit catches up with his old mate, to find out what it feels like to be finally coming home! And when it comes to unparalleled knowledge of players, management, stats and stories from one end of the pyramid to the other, there are few finer than Owen Coyle! Always entertaining and informative in fairly equal measure, it’s a pleasure to hear Owen and Clem look forward to what’s in store for the next few weeks!

Brazilian goalkeeper Lucas Covolan joined Port Vale this summer at the age of 30, after a 15 year journey through the lower leagues in his homeland, in Spain and in this country where his heroics for Torquay United in their playoff final in June, secured him a move away to Vale Park and a chance to play league football under Darrell Clarke. His is a remarkable story and serves as an inspiration to us all about the importance of keeping going in search of those goals and ambitions, even when the going gets ever so slightly tough! Elsewhere, Clem catches up with Wigan manager Leam Richardson, who’s also had a tough couple of years for different reasons, but is now relishing life in the gaffer’s office at the DW Stadium, and football commentator extraordinaire Paul Walker, gives us his in depth thoughts on the first 4 weeks in the Skybet Championship, with his customary style and punditry perfection!

This week Clem caught up with Cardiff City manager Mick McCarthy to chat about his legendary career over pie & mash and as Sutton United prepare for their first ever league game, we caught up with their manager, Matt Gray to find out a bit more about the league's newcomers. 

When we think of owners of football clubs, we don’t normally have an image of them with a Flying V electric guitar in hand rocking out in front of a full house, but that’s exactly what Charlton Athletic’s Danish owner Thomas Sandgaard was doing last weekend, ahead of their home game against Sheffield Wednesday at The Valley! He’s certainly one of the more interesting and colourful characters in the game, and Mark Clemmit catches up with him to find out how the last year has been and what his plans are for the league one club in the years to come. Elsewhere in Skybet league two, Forest Green Rovers new boss Rob Edwards has made a perfect start to his club’s campaign, and sits down with Clem to talk about his vision for the future and the vegan powered philosophy that’s going to get them there! 

This week, Mark Clemmit is joined by a bumper crop of guests representing all 3 divisions in the EFL. A very calm, focused and pragmatic Nathan Jones, explains his long term plans for Luton Town. Hartlepool United are back in the football league and manager Dave Challinor talks to Clem about life at The Victoria Ground, while battling one of the worst colds we've ever heard on the podcast, and in the middle of all of of that, what a week for Morecambe! An opening day 2-2 draw away at Portman Road last Saturday and a midweek win away at local rivals Blackburn to knock them out of the Carabao Cup! No wonder the fans, the players, and the chairman are bouncing!

It’s the first day back for Mark Clemmit as he looks forward to a brand new season in the EFL. It’s been quite a year for many people, including Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill, who spent a large part of last season in hospital fighting Covid, and considers himself lucky to be on the road to recovery now thanks to the treatment he received from the NHS. Steve explains the living nightmare he went through, and how the whole experience has made him totally re-evaluate everything.

Plus, it wouldn’t be a season opener without a Prutts Preview, so Clem is joined by his old mate David Prutton, to take a look at the runners and riders across all three divisions, as we look forward to the opening weekend’s fixtures of the EFL’s 2021/2022 Season! 

In the final episode of this four-part mini-series looking at the inner workings and functions of The EFL, Mark Clemmit chats to the EFL’s Legal and Governance Director Nick Craig, who explains all the things we never knew about ownership criteria, the rules and regulations designed to create, maintain and protect fair competition, and the EFL’s overall role and responsibility as the league’s governing body.

In the third episode of this four-part mini-series looking at the inner workings and functions of The EFL, Mark Clemmit chats to EFL Chief Executive Trevor Birch to reflect on the challenges faced by EFL Clubs over the past 16 months and to understand more about the EFL’s proposals for financial reform to provide sustainability for Clubs, who are the beating heart of communities across England and Wales. This episode was recorded remotely. 

In the second episode of this four-part mini-series looking at the inner workings and functions of The EFL, Mark Clemmit chats to Ben Wright, Chief Commercial Officer and Paul Snellgrove, Competitions Manager to learn more about how EFL fixtures are compiled and how that process links to the EFL’s broadcast and streaming arrangements following a year of football being played behind closed doors.