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In part two with Conor Coady we continue chatting about Wolves in Europe. Losing late on to serial winners Seville – who featured talents such as Jules Koundé and Éver Banega – in this year’s Europa quarter-final was agony. All their hard work felt in vain.

There’s great stuff about the culture of recovery in place at Molineux thanks to their excellent sports science staff. This even features ice baths and, I kid you not, inflatable trousers. Then there’s Wolves’ secret weapon… a card game called Werewolf which brings unity to the squad.

And we touch on Conor’s recent post-match interview after scoring for England against Wales… even a Scotsman can love that level of passion.

Thanks Conor

Graham

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Chatting to a guy like Conor Coady reminds me why I do these Big Interviews. The Wolves’ centre-back’s enthusiasm for football is infectious and engaging.

Brought up a Liverpool fan, he lived the dream for a while playing under youth coaches like Steve Highway, Steve Cooper and Rodolfo Borrell, men who made him a better person as well as a better, problem-solving player. Conor loved playing top clubs in the NextGen European tournament for under-19 footballers. A visit to Dortmund and a painful 6-0 lesson from Ajax stick in the mind. Being released from Anfield broke Conor’s heart, but his dad encouraged him to take his time and wait for his body to fill out, and he has flourished at Wolves.

We chat about Wolves’ recent Europa adventures. Manager Nuno Espírito Santo is a hard taskmaster who hates losing. Even after the delicious victory at Beşiktaş he said he wanted more.

Thanks Conor

Graham

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Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin’s chat with Oliver Kay about Forever Young: The Story of Adrian Doherty, Football’s Lost Genius. It’s one of Martin’s favourite sports books of the last decade and that’s why this episode is a bit longer than most… plenty to cover!

Enjoy

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When asked who his toughest opponent in football was, Robert Huth doesn’t hesitate: Didier Drogba. Not just a beast, but also an immensely clever player. So was N’Golo Kanté, who Robert played behind at Leicester.

In part two of this brilliant Big Interview, we also hear about Jurgen Klinsmann’s revolution at Germany which a young Robert was the beneficiary of. Despite resistance to his methods, Jurgen was an innovator who cut through the stuffy old ways which had placed the German national team in a rut. Robert’s surprise debut was against a magnificent Brazil side, and he describes watching from the bench one of the greatest Italy performances ever, in the 2006 World Cup. The defeat put Germany in despair, but Jurgen laid the foundations for 2014 glory.

Thanks Robert.

Graham

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Robert Huth will forever be remembered by Chelsea fans for driving a groundsman’s buggy swarming with jubilant players during title celebration day in 2005.

During Jose Mourinho’s Blues revolution not a second of training was wasted. Jose was a totemic figure and there was an intensity and an attention to detail that fired the players’ imaginations.

It was all a far cry from the tough East Berlin neighbourhood where former centre-half Robert had been brought up, where you honed your skills on a gravel surface (just like in Scotland). His dad had been imprisoned for speaking out against the Communist regime. Judo taught Robert self-defence and confidence, but also humility and problem solving skills. He is a critic of the rigidity of modern coaching methods which don’t sufficiently account for what to do when things go wrong. I’m with him on that.

Enjoy this brilliant Big Interview guest.

Graham

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Matt McGinn, author of Against the Elements: The Eruption of Icelandic Football, picks Don McRae's boxing classic Dark Trade as his all-time favourite sports book

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Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. This is Martin's conversation with Matt McGinn about his excellent book Against the Elements: The Eruption of Icelandic Football. This is one of the most well researched and interesting sports books of 2020 and if you’ve ever wondered why Iceland have enjoyed such recent success at international tournaments, then this will tell you how it happened. And here’s a clue: it’s not just the indoor facilities. As always, the story behind the story is what we focus on and you’ll hear how Matt interviewed Icelandic musicians and powerlifters, and even spent time aboard a fishing trawler as he sought to capture the elements of Icelandic characters which have bred their sporting success.

Enjoy

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Last season, our Socios at patreon.com/grahamhunter got an exclusive interview with Eni Aluko. For the first time, here’s the full episode.

In part two we’ve got more about the progress of the women’s game and how outspoken stars like Eni and Norway’s Ada Hegerberg took stances against mediocrity, poor coaching and bad treatment of players. Eni had a particularly painful experience with the culture at England. She forgives her antagonists now but she was mystified that she wasn’t selected for France ’19.

There’s great stuff about the ruthless attitude that made the US dominate the women’s game, and about Eni’s long-term interest in developing talent and growing a winning culture at a club. Since our interview she has hung up her boots and become sporting director of Aston Villa Women. I’m sure she will be a great success.

Graham.

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Last season, our Socios at patreon.com/grahamhunter got an exclusive interview with Eni Aluko. For the first time, here’s the full episode.

I went to Turin to speak with Eni during her glittering spell with Juventus. In part one we chat about how she went to Juve to develop as a player and a person, and about adjusting to life at one of the world’s biggest clubs. She believes you are never too old to grow. Eni is an elite analyst who spent the summer of 2019 covering the World Cup for Fox Sports, and we discover what it was like watching the women’s game crack mainstream football culture.

By the way, Eni’s autobiography, They Don’t Teach This, is a football story like no other. I’d highly recommend it.

Graham.

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Welcome to our Big Interview Icons series, where we shine a light on a legend whose name has lit up some of the conversations I’ve had with my guests over the last five years of The Big Interview. First up is Eric Cantona.

How to describe Eric… a Harley-Davidson-riding, collar-turned-up, French rebel genius. He was a totem for an era of fellow magicians and mavericks in England’s top division.

Simon Stainrod played against King Eric in France and predicted that Leeds boss Howard Wilkinson wouldn’t like him, and that Eric would be better off playing for someone like Alex Ferguson. ‘You can’t coach him… you can only put ideas in his head,’ concludes Simon. Chris Waddle played alongside Eric at Marseille and believes he flourished when he moved across the Channel because English fans love a rule-breaker, someone unpredictable. We then hear from Gary McAllister and Gordon Strachan who speak about Eric’s spell at Leeds. Gary says that he wasn’t integral to the club’s 1992 league title win. Gordon takes a different view, that Eric made the difference as the other players started to tire. Gordon, like Simon Stainrod, saw Manchester United as Eric’s perfect fit.

Enjoy

Graham

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