The Back Page

Tom English’s book The Grudge, first published in 2010, tells the story of the Calcutta Cup match between Scotland and England in March 1990. Memorably, Scotland beat their old rivals at Murrayfield to win the Grand Slam. But this was more than a match. And more than a rare Scottish sporting triumph. It was one of the most memorable rugby matches in modern history, set against a wave of anti-English sentiment fuelled by Margaret Thatcher’s imposition of the Poll Tax on Scotland.

History, politics, class, it is all brought to life through incredible interviews with not just the victorious Scots, but controversial figures such as Will Carling and Brian Moore. Tom breaks down his audience with those key characters and reveals the agonising structural and stylistic decisions which made this one of the best sports books of the last 20 years. And one which has now been updated for a special 30th anniversary hardback edition. 

Buy the new hardback edition of The Grudge

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit backpagepress.substack.com

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

The term ‘maverick’ is overused in football, but my pal Simon genuinely does it justice. As a lad, he was inspired by watching elegant heroes like George Best who managed to thrive on the battlefields of the 1960s and 70s. This striker of many clubs even got to play alongside a couple of them: Tony Currie – a man of immense courage and physical strength, and Jimmy ‘Jinky’ Johnstone, who no matter how many times he was kicked, just kept getting back up. Simon speaks about the joy, artistry and daring with which football should be played, and the joy it should provide for the fans. And if you want to hear how he tried to persuade Howard Wilkinson NOT to sign Eric Cantona… then listen in.

If you would prefer not to wait 12 months to listen to these extra interviews, it’s time to become a Socio at patreon.com/grahamhunter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

German football expert Raphael Honigstein tells us why David Remnick's King of the World is his all-time favourite sports book

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit backpagepress.substack.com

In part two, Sven chats more about Lazio’s famous Scudetto win in 2000. He and his players did their bit on the last day – then endured an agonising wait listening to the radio for Juventus to lose against Perugia.

At Sampdoria and Lazio, Roberto Mancini was Sven’s artist, a man who breathed football and went crazy when things went wrong. It was he and Gianluca Vialli who had insisted that Sven be their next manager at Samp.

We hear about Sven’s time as England coach – his one regret is that he didn’t employ a psychologist to focus on penalty shootouts. He did have the pleasure of getting to work with David Beckham, a man he thinks the world of. Sven even tried to sign Becks for Leicester City – but Victoria put the kybosh on that!

There’s chat about the magnificent Pavel Nedvěd, who was such a workaholic that Sven had to ban him from the Lazio training ground during the summer. Sven also describes how he had a contract to become Chelsea boss in front of him but pulled out after the tabloids got wind and accused him of treachery to the England cause. But he did the Blues one massive favour – he advised Roman Abramovich to buy the club instead of Spurs.

Lastly, we also find out about the ‘Gre-No-Li’; the three Swedes who set Italian football on fire during their spells at AC Milan in the 1950s.

Graham.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

As the transfer of Erling Braut Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund was announced at the end of 2019, Raphael Honigstein set about uncovering the decision-making tree that brought the hottest young striker in football to the Bundesliga. It was, as he remembers, something of a detective story, and he spoke to almost every participant: scouts, agents, directors, and people close to the brilliant footballer himself.

A little over two months later, it already seems like a seismic pieceof business for Dortmund, and it's rare to read an inside account of a deal of this level. Raphael's piece is still available at The Athletic. If you haven't subscribed but are considering it, you can go through his own landing page to let them know who brought you in: https://theathletic.com/author/raphael-honigstein/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit backpagepress.substack.com

I travelled to Sven-Göran Eriksson’s home beside a glittering Swedish lake to hear about a glittering career. Sven managed numerous clubs, including both of Rome’s sides, and enjoyed more glory than Julius Caesar – notably four Coppa Italias, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and, twenty years ago, a rare Serie A for Lazio.

Sven’s success was partly due to his willingness to listen to his players. Even a teenager – albeit the genius Clarence Seedorf – was allowed to give him advice. Much of our conversation was about Lazio’s extraordinary title win, but Sven’s passage to that club was only gained by jilting Blackburn, and he was eternally grateful to Rovers owner Jack Walker for being so understanding. By the time he had assembled his holy trinity – Roberto Mancini, Siniša Mihajlović and Juan Sebastián Verón – he knew Lazio would win the Scudetto.

That Serie A was won after a ding-dong battle with Carlo Ancelotti’s mighty Juventus – a club Sven snubbed. He also waxes lyrical about another managerial legend – Marcello Lippi.

Brilliant stuff.

Graham.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

In the second part of our Champions League Q & A, Erling Braut Håland and Timo Werner are among the footballers up for discussion.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

Hola

For our February Champions League Q and A, we got a lot around of questions around the Madrid-Man City tie, so we bundled them together for the first half of this episode. Part two coming soon.

G

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revistadelaliga.substack.com

In these bonus episodes, we ask our guests to talk about their favourite sports book. Tim Lee, a producer on the official film of the 2019 Champions League final, chose The Damned United, by David Peace.

Watch Tim's remarkable film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrG3C-R7D5s

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit backpagepress.substack.com

Tim Lee was one of the producers of UEFA's official film of the 2019 Champions League final. Sometimes - often - these things can be a little sterile, but this one is an artful and uplifting look at the pinnacle of club football from every angle. Tim talks us through every one of them - the pressures the film makers were under, their mission to see the fans and the stadium workers as well as the superstars and the accidents that ended up producing some of the film's most memorable moments.

Watch the film online

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrG3C-R7D5s

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit backpagepress.substack.com