FANS

It's a special episode of FANS as Sachin is joined by TWO guests to talk about Sunderland, and really they're a lot more than that - father and daughter and key figures in one of the greatest periods in the club's history. Well, one of them is ... 

Malcolm Crosby's story is a brilliant one - the lifelong Sunderland supporter who suddenly found himself in charge of his boyhood club and, against odds and expectations, led them to the 1992 FA Cup final. They lost to Liverpool but did themselves proud, especially so on the road to Wembley as what was then a struggling Second Division side knocked out three First Division opponents, most memorably Chelsea on a raucous night at Roker Park.

Malcolm was at the centre of it all and along with Nicky Crosby recounts that heady time. The memories and stories, many of which centre around the Sunderland youth hostel where the Crosby family lived. For Nicky that meant growing up in a house full of boys and having to give up her room to Kevin Ball and his blue budgie. 

Malcolm and Nicky speak with great warmth throughout and from Nicky there is clear admiration for what her dad achieved nearly 30 years ago. From the same person there is also fascinating insight into what it's been like living in Doha during the pandemic, which Nicky does in her capacity as a presenter for beIN Sports. 

Malcolm and Nicky also speak about their hopes for the present-day Sunderland side as well as recounting a very amusing story involving Big Phil Scolari.

So download, listen and love. And after you have, please Rate and Review. It would mean a lot. 

Cheers! 

Given the drama and success that has come to define Chelsea in recent decades it was inevitable Sachin would dedicate an episode to the club, and here it is - a chat about the Blues with that most brilliant of guests, David Baddiel.  

David, of course, is the man who alongside Frank Skinner played a big part in the 90s being such an amazing decade, first with Fantasy Football and then with Three Lions, and Sachin goes into full giddy-teenager mode as he asks David about that, and specifically if Fantasy Football was, looking back, the inspiration for football podcasts. Including this one. 

The conversation then moves onto David's love of Chelsea, which began at the very start of the 1970s in rather sweet circumstances before quickly becoming a difficult, and dangerous, experience. David rode the storm and was eventually basking in the glamour and glory that comes with supporting a club filled with exciting foreign talent, a rich foreign owner and lots and lots of trophies. 

David speaks with great wit and intelligence about everything he's experienced as a Chelsea fan during the past 50 years, which in turn leads to interesting discussions about fan pessimism and relationships with managers. And speaking of managers - it's no surprise David and Sachin also chat about José Mourinho. He was ALWAYS going to come up.  

Finally, David talks through his all-time Chelsea XI before going back in time and changing one slippery moment from his Chelsea-supporting past. 

So download, listen and love. And after you have, please Rate and Review. It would mean a lot. 

Cheers!

Few clubs have gone through as much as Leeds United have in the past 30 years. From the extreme highs of winning the title and becoming a European force to the devastating lows of financial ruin and multiple relegations; it's been quite the ride for their supporters, one of whom is award-winning audio producer Ed Morrish. 

Ed speaks with great wit and warmth about what it's been like to follow Leeds since the early 90s, making clear his admiration for the team of champions Howard Wilkinson built as well as making no bones about how sad it was to see that same team reach the end of the road in the 1996 League Cup final. 

There's also focus on a few individuals from that era - among them an enigmatic Frenchman and a thrilling Ghanaian - before the conversation moves onto the brilliant side David O'Leary guided to the brink of Champions League glory at the turn of the millennium. Just how good were they? And why did it eventually go wrong? Not surprisingly, Peter Ridsdale crops up and Ed is unsparing in his criticism of the man who 'lived the dream'.

He's far more effusive, however, about the man who led Leeds back to the Premier League - Marcelo Bielsa, explaining just what makes the Argentinian a much-loved and revered figure among the fans. 

Finally, Ed talks through his all-time Leeds XI before going back in time and changing a couple of moments from his Leeds-supporting past. 

So download, listen and love. And after you have, please Rate and Review. It would mean a lot. 

Cheers! 

Welcome to the first episode of a brand new series of FANS, and what a return it is as Sachin is joined by the magnificent Miles Jacobson to talk all things Watford.

Miles, of course, is the man behind Football Manager and there is plenty of chat about the game that defined a generation - great stories as well as insight into the much-needed escapism and solace FM has provided people during this most unsettling and troubling of times. 

It's then onto Watford, the club Miles fell in love with in somewhat unusual circumstances as a child and which has been a fundamental part of his life ever since. That first visit to Vicarage Road, that great team of the early 80s and that great man that was Graham Taylor - Watford's inspiration and for Miles, a genuine father figure.

There's also some cracking tales from Miles' time following the club in the 90s as well as reflections on THAT game against Leicester in 2013.

Miles also talks through his all-time Watford XI before going back in time and changing one bit of his Watford-supporting past. 

So download, listen and love. And after you have, please Rate and Review. It would mean a lot.

Up the Hornets!

It's the final episode of the series and Sachin is going out with a bang given he's joined to talk all things Scotland by the brilliant broadcaster, Kelly Cates.

Kelly is in typically captivating form as she reflects on her relationship with the country of her birth and its national team. There is a lot of love there but also some difficult feelings based on the fact Kelly moved south of the border when she was only two. The word "fraud" is used and there is clear frustration that many people do not recognise her Scottish roots.

Kelly is deeply proud of those roots and is a fully paid-up member of the Tartan Army, seen in her reaction to Scotland's qualification for next year's Euros via victory over Serbia. Kelly discusses the emotions she felt that night and what she hopes Steve Clarke's men go onto achieve next summer, specifically in regards to their game against England.

There's also discussion about following Scotland in previous decades as well as being the daughter of the country's greatest international - Sir Kenny Dalglish. The sense of pride, not to mention some lovely tales involving a beach towel and a Glasgow restaurant like no other.

Kelly also goes through her all-time Scotland XI, which is brilliant and amusing in equal measure. 

So download, listen and love. And after you have, please Rate and Review. It would mean a lot. 

Cheers!

Hakuna Matata. It means no worries.

Why the random Lion King reference? Well, it'll make sense once you listen to this episode in which Sachin speaks to comedian and writer Tom Craine about his love for Aston Villa.

Tom's story is a fascinating one; the boy from Bath who became obsessed with Villa during that most glorious of decades - the 1990s, and followed them with a passion until, well, that passion burned out. There were various reasons for that and ultimately it's left Tom as a football fan with no club to be a fan of. 

He speaks with great openness about that as well as reflecting on his days following Villa - from the joy of Dwight Yorke to the despair of Savo Milosevic, the latter reaching such a level that Tom and his mates got in trouble at school for celebrating at the oddly precise moment the Serbian left the club.

Tom also goes through his all-time 90s Villa XI and, keeping the music theme going, speaks about his favourite Radiohead album. It's quite the episode!

So download, listen and love. And after you have, please Rate and Review. It would mean a lot.

Cheers!

Bury's expulsion from the EFL in August 2019 is one of English football's saddest stories and for no one more so than the club's fans, as writer and author James Bentley can testify to. 

In this episode James, who was born and bred in Bury and went to his first game in 1988, talks about what happened to the club he loved and how it felt like a death. 

James speaks with raw emotion, and that's also the case when he moves onto discussing Bury AFC, the phoenix club that was formed earlier this year and has led to a split in Bury's fanbase. James is among those who has got behind the new team but, as he explains, it was not an easy decision and one that has also led to pain and sadness.

On a much happier note, James also chats about his many years supporting Bury - those magic nights at the magnificent Gigg Lane as well as those cracking away days, none more special than a trip to Bolton in 2002 that led to eating fried chicken at Franz Carr's dad's place. 

So download, listen and love. And after you have, please Rate and Review. It would mean a lot.

Cheers!

It was inevitable Sachin would do an episode on Liverpool and here it is, a full-on chat about following the Reds with that most brilliant of Reds – writer and author, Kevin Sampson. 

Over a in-no-way-breaking-Covid-restrictions drink at Hotel TIA, located in the shadow of Anfield, Sachin and Kevin talk about the club that matters most to them, with Kevin in typically articulate and funny form as he reflects on everything he has seen and felt since going to his first Liverpool game in 1967. 

The magic of the Kop, the magic of Kenny, the thrilling uniqueness of being a travelling Red in the 1970s, why THAT night against Chelsea is the greatest night of them all and why Steven Gerrard is the greatest player of all.

There's also a discussion about Hillsborough - its legacy and the lessons that still need to be learned from that tragic day in April 1989.

Finally, Kevin goes through his all-time Liverpool XI before signing-off with what he wants to see from the Reds in the next five years.

So download, listen and love. And after you have, please Rate and Review. It would mean a lot. 

Cheers!

GOOOOOOOOLAZZO!

Yes, that's right, there's an Italian flavour to this episode of FANS as Sachin is joined by Serie A writer and broadcaster Chloe Beresford to talk all things Fiorentina.

The girl from Stockport who became a fan of La Viola via her great grandad playing for Manchester City, Chloe has an incredible story to tell and does so with warmth and honesty. The twists and turns, how Fiorentina's Ultras became family friends, the joy of watching games at the Artemio Franchi, and, of course, the glory that was Gabriel Batistuta in a purple shirt.

There's also chat about Chloe's broad love of Italian football and how it has formed the basis of her self-made, successful business - the Curva e Calcio newsletter and podcast - as well as reflections on what happened the last time she and Sachin spoke ... it was eventful to say the least!

Finally, Chloe goes through her all-time Fiorentina XI, which includes a place for the captain who was taken away too soon and the Egyptian forward whose presence at the club felt like a bomb going off.

So download, listen and love. And after you have, please Rate and Review. It would mean a lot.

Saluti! 

Sachin hits the road, travelling to The Duke in Wanstead, east London, to talk all things West Ham with Chris Scull, one third of the brilliant 90s football podcast, Quickly Kevin; Will He Score?

Over a socially-distanced pint, Chris talks life as a Hammer - how it was a certainty from birth, his memories of going to Upton Park and how the experience changed as he got older. 

There's also a discussion about the legacy of Bobby Moore, as well as chat about some of the players who came after him, namely during the rock 'n' roll years that was Harry Redknapp's time as manager of the club - from the golden generation of Ferdinand, Lampard, Cole and Carrick to the book-signing maverick that was Paolo Di Canio. 

Chris also gets misty-eyed about watching Dimitri Payet play and explains why life at the London Stadium is not as bad as some make out. 

Finally, Chris goes through his Fallen In Love With XI, a collection of West Ham players he has met over and years and, well, fallen in love with.

So download, listen and love. And after you have, please Rate and Review. It would mean a lot. 

Cheers!