The Back Page

Are you ready to meet Robert Snodgrass, King of the Prank Calls? In part two, Snoddy talks us through his hilarious prank call routines. It's one of the funniest Big Interviews we've ever recorded. There's plenty football, too.

Enjoy!

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

Hold onto your hats, listeners... here comes Snoddy!

We recorded this on the 32nd floor of a skyscraper in Canary Wharf on February 14, 2020... and yes, love was in the air. I love the way Snoddy plays football for West Ham. And I love his infectious personality.

In this first part, he talks us through growing up in the Gallowgate, the support of a tight-knit family, how Leeds United made him a man and why Scotland should have stuck with Gordon Strachan.

Sit back, relax, enjoy some Snoddy time!

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

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines.

It is nearly six years since we published Andrea Pirlo's autobiography, I Think Therefore I Play. It has been our bestselling book by a distance and made a huge impact on football culture.

Here, Martin and Neil from BackPage tell the origins story of the book - how they got the rights, their growing excitement as translated chapters arrived in their inbox and how they knocked Mary Berry off the top of the charts!

Mark Palmer also takes us inside the process of translating the book from its original Italian into English.

Enjoy!

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

Here’s another chance to hear my interview with Peter Crouch from season two, when the striker was still playing football, at Stoke City.

There was a myth about Peter: that he had a good touch for a big bloke. In reality, he just had a fabulous touch, period. He gives us an amazing insight into the relentless practice – as well as the instinct – behind some of his most famous goals, including an extraordinary overhead kick which he netted for Liverpool against Galatasaray. Peter speaks about his sheer joy for the game, and how he was inspired by watching guys like Roy Wegerle who played in an exciting QPR team. He waxes lyrical about Gareth Bale – a player he always knew would make it at the highest level, and explains ‘The Stoke Effect’ – how top sides like Arsenal choke whenever they visit The bet365 Stadium.

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

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

In part two, Shay speaks about the loneliness of life between the sticks, who the world's best No1s are and why, and why we now live in such a golden era of goalkeeping. Former Newcastle stalwart Shay also describes his best-ever save, denying Kevin Phillips with his fingertips in a Tyne-Wear derby, and the ecstasy of narrowly clinching a World Cup place in front of 100,000 passionate Iranians.

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

Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines.

This is Martin's conversation with Tim Parks about his 2002 book A Season with Verona.

It is a classic of football literature and one of the most referenced whenever we ask for people's all-time favourite sports books.

Tim is not your average sports writer. He is a celebrated author of fiction and was once shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

He brought all his creative imagination to this project, attending every home and away Verona game in the 2000-2001 season. That it turns out to be a dramatic campaign like no other, only adds to the story.

Enjoy

p.s. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our documentary on another classic, The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, just a few episodes down on this feed

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 Shay Given. For the first time, here’s the full episode.

Ever heard about the one about the Irish coastguard getting called out to ‘rescue’ Damien Duff? Shay relates this story, and others, from his time as goalkeeper for the Republic of Ireland, for whom he won an incredible 134 caps. He also tells how hard graft on the family farm during his early years made him the man he is, and why he considers socialising so crucial to team bonding.

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

In these bonus episodes we ask our guests about their favourite sports book.

In our last episode, we spoke to the director Mat Hodgson and producer Patrick Nathanson about their documentary film, I AM DURAN, about the boxer Roberto Duran. Patrick and Mat both cheated by selecting a short list of books, but the focus is on Fever Pitch for Pat and Mike Tyson's autobiography, Undisputed Truth for Mat.

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 of our conversation, Tim Sherwood delves into Blackburn’s incredible league win of ’95.

The race between Kenny Dalglish’s side and Alex Ferguson’s great Manchester United team was epic, and no love was lost between the Glaswegian managers. It was a nerve-racking, ding-dong affair between real men which went down to the final day. Tim admits that Rovers would never have recovered if they had blown it. Incredibly, Blackburn had to train on a public park, regularly pausing their drills to let funeral corteges through to a nearby cemetery.

Tim is also great talking about his coaching and managerial career, not least identifying and developing youngsters. In his view, fledgling players need to go out on loan to toughen up and learn the ropes, but he prefers League One where they will get a game, rather than the Championship where they will warm the bench. Tim was foiled in his efforts to bring Isco and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Tottenham, but he was the sole voice at Spurs who kept the faith in a teenage Harry Kane.

Fascinating stuff from a great guy.

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

Director Mat Hodgson and producer Patrick Nathanson discuss the making of their film, I Am Duran, a brilliant documentary about Roberto Duran, who won world titles in four weight classes and was part of the legendary Four Kings of boxing during the 1980s.

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