Jeff Stelling is joined by his good pal Paul Merson to chat about football's greatest mavericks. Merse will know a thing or two about that having been a mercurial talent himself for Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and England.

Which of these legends did he think was better in their prime: Ian Wright or Alan Shearer? Which Arsenal legend would go looking for the opposition in the players' lounge after Premier League matches? Who would nobody go near in England training because they were just too good?

They also discuss Harry Redknapp's unusual tactics to get Merse to join Portsmouth, why a night out caused him to receive the biggest rollicking of his career and whether a player from the Championship will make an England World Cup squad ever again like he did in 1998.

Football's Greatest is a Folding Pocket production with BBC Studios.

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Football's Greatest Mavericks with Paul Merson

Welcome to Football's Greatest with Jeff Stelling, a weekly podcast where the legendary host sits down with icons of the sport to talk about those who made a difference in the beautiful game from a players’ perspective: the top keepers, the toughest defenders, the silkiest midfielders and the deadliest strikers. 

The show will also look at those who had great influence off the pitch too - the successful managers, the funniest team-mates and the most impressive leaders in the dressing room - and pay homage to indelible moments from the biggest matches in the Premier League, Champions League, the World Cup and more.

Broken down into two individual episodes with each guest, Football’s Greatest will take you inside the dressing rooms of some of the best soccer teams the world has ever seen. You will hear stories that surprise you, that make you laugh out loud and that you will be thinking of and telling people about for days after.

Football's Greatest is a Folding Pocket production with BBC Studios.

Follow Football's Greatest:
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Former Manchester City and England defender Joleon Lescott is back with Jeff to pick the top 5 forwards he faced during his career. 


Who made him realise what the level was in the Champions League?

Which Champions League winner turned into Iron Man inside the box?

Who is his surprise number one?


Joleon also reveals how facing Wayne Rooney would leave you exhausted, why Carlos Tevez once refused to come on as a sub in Munich and who he’d pick between Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.

Fernando Torres, Robin van Persie, Luis Suarez and Samuel Eto’o all get a mention too but do they make his final five?

Football's Greatest is a Folding Pocket Production with BBC Studios.


You can catch our previous episode with Joleon Lescott where he recalls Manchester City’s epic Premier League title win in 2012 here:

YouTube - https://youtu.be/hX6mZOBc6Ho?si=eY2IlJg8ly00g_Y9

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/footballs-greatest/id1721822502?i=1000652573677

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/0E2zLwg8M5WiLjKE9R3eGS?si=9d41a647eb1041a8



Follow Football's Greatest and join in the debate:

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@footballsgreatestpod
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Football's Greatest Top 5: Joleon Lescott | “Wayne Rooney’s ability was stupidly good.”

Australian football legend Mark Schwarzer joins Jeff once again on the pod, this time to pick his Top 5 Australian men’s players ever. Some top names from the Premier League era are discussed including Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and Tim Cahill.


Which of his five does he suggest could have played for any of the top clubs in the world?

Who, according to Mark, was the most talented player his country has produced?

Whose move to one of England’s biggest clubs didn’t work out and why?


Mark also recalls what it was like to like to be part of the squad that reached Australia’s first men’s World Cup in 32 years and picks out some of the current crop he thinks could have an impact in the years to come.

Football's Greatest is a Folding Pocket Production with BBC Studios.

You can catch our previous episode with Mark Schwarzer where he picked his greatest ever Premier League goalkeepers here:

YouTube - https://youtu.be/p7DKmtkrreE?si=hDxAq0Kws1nPKx-P

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/footballs-greatest/id1721822502?i=1000648035222

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/1K0cikT6iaoXTx33QLVLwB?si=c0a25c2f0aa54981

Follow Football's Greatest and join in the debate:

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@footballsgreatestpod
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Football's Greatest Top 5: Mark Schwarzer | "Harry Kewell was unlucky at Liverpool"

What makes a great leader in football? Thats’s the question Jeff is asking former Liverpool captain Phil Thompson on this week’s episode of the pod. Thommo was himself a born leader, who lifted the European Cup as captain in 1981.

He talks about how Bill Shankly mapped out his entire career and the time Bob Paisley gave him his biggest rollicking, the best leaders he played with and why captaincy seems to matter more in the UK. He also reveals:


the player that scared him the most

how he pranked an England legend into believing he was joining Liverpool

what he really thought about Alex Ferguson’s great Manchester United sides


Phil also talks about some of his lowest moments, including losing the captaincy at Liverpool to Graeme Souness and being overlooked to be England skipper at the 1982 World Cup, and recalls why Steve Gerrard took the armband from Sami Hyypia at Anfield and his emotional team talk before his first match as Liverpool’s caretaker manager.


You can catch our previous episode with Phil Thompson, where he picked his Top 5 Liverpool players, here:

YouTube - https://youtu.be/eLh7e5tZrow?si=aNp7t-cCv0tM5CpJ

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/footballs-greatest/id1721822502?i=1000647187436

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/5dp0JDg6L2l47xrEX83bp8?si=20fa506086d5416d



Football's Greatest is a Folding Pocket Production with BBC Studios.


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Football's Greatest: Phil Thompson | "I admire Gary Neville, believe it or not”

Who were the top 5 British players of the 1980s? Arsenal, Celtic, Aberdeen and Scotland legend Charlie Nicholas discusses his picks with Jeff on the latest episode of the pod.

Who was so good that even Diego Maradona was impressed?
Which opponent used to encourage you during a game?
Which defender used to pull your ears off the ball?

Along the way he explains how joining Arsenal stopped him being picked for Scotland, reveals who his favourite strike partner was during his career and which current Premier League player he’d most like to play alongside.

Football's Greatest is a Folding Pocket Production with BBC Studios.


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Football's Greatest Top 5: Charlie Nicholas - "I wasn't picked for Scotland because I joined Arsenal"

This week’s guest joining Jeff Stelling is the former Coventry, Celtic and Scotland manager Gordon Strachan. They look back on his career as a player with Aberdeen, Manchester United and Leeds United and he gives us plenty of stories about managerial legends like Sir Alex Ferguson, Jock Stein, Howard Wilkinson and Ron Atkinson including:


How Fergie scared the Aberdeen players into winning

Why Jock Stein could be brutal with his own players

Whether Big Ron really had a sunbed at the training ground


Gordon also recalls when Fergie banned the players wives from the team bus after a Scottish Cup Final win, the time he and a team-mate dared to ask the great man for a transfer and why winning promotion with Leeds was so special.

He also explains why managing Celtic or Rangers is the biggest test you can face as a manager, how he dealt with difficult characters in his Scotland squads, facing the brilliant Brazil team at the 1982 World Cup and the trip to Tenerife where he ended up in a lookalike competition…as himself.

Football's Greatest is a Folding Pocket Production with BBC Studios.


Follow Football's Greatest and join in the debate:

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@footballsgreatestpod
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Football's Greatest Mavericks with Paul Merson

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