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Tim Sherwood is a true football man. An accomplished, intelligent midfielder and a natural leader, he captained Blackburn Rovers to their famous Premier League title win in season 1994-95.

In part one of our chat, he describes how a coach at Norwich changed his attitude; he gave up on showboating and grew up, into a team player. The transformed Tim was hot property, and he explains how Kenny Dalglish recruited him for his Blackburn project from under the noses of Derby County. Glory beckoned.

Rovers had hard, winning players like David Speedie and Gordon Cowans. Tim himself could be tough – he once pulled out Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit’s hair band and made him cry. Seriously, that actually happened.

Enjoy

Graham

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Graham answers more questions from our socios.

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Every month Graham answers questions from our socios - this time, that means Barca, Man Utd, erm ... Tarantino... and more!

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Welcome to a bonus episode of Between the Lines. Here. guest Si Lloyd, picks his favourite sports, Jonathan Wilson's Angels With Dirty Faces. And if you haven't heard our full episode with Si, on his amazing piece, United with Dad, then check it out. It's the one below this episode on the feed.

Neil and Martin

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Having witnessed Micah Richards’ incisive football analysis on television, I just knew I had to grab him for a Big Interview. I was not to be disappointed.

As a talented, hardworking defender, he didn’t have his troubles to seek – injuries interrupted and shortened his career. But Micah will always be remembered as a winner, having lifted the FA Cup and the Premier League trophy with Manchester City.

He was such good pals with Mario Balotelli at City that they both sported the same eccentric haircut, and while Micah is frank about his friend’s flaws, he also speaks about the often-unfair treatment he, and footballers in general, receive. He is similarly open about his transformative relationship with his Sky Blues boss Roberto Mancini, a man who players either loved or hated.

Micah’s descriptions of the remarkable 2011-12 league winning campaign which went down to the last seconds of the last day, are captivating, and the reason we do these Big Interviews.

Enjoy

Graham

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This is Neil's conversation with Si Lloyd about a piece he wrote for Joe in December 2019 under the headline 'United with Dad'. It was written a few weeks after the death of Si's father, with whom he had spent most of his life going to watch Manchester United.

Si was overhwelmed by the response he received from what he'd written - and it was no surprise. Si connected with some deep truths about our relationships with the people who take us to the game, and also about the way football can sometimes be one of the last lights to dim inside the memory of someone living with dementia.

It reminded us of the work of Alzheimer Scotland's Football Memories project and others like it that use football reminiscence to improve the lives of people living with that disease.

Enjoy

Read United with Dad, by Si Lloyd

Please leave a quick review of Between the Lines wherever you listen to this podcast

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In this bonus episode, we asked Guardian football editor Marcus Christenson for his favourite sports book of all time. Here he is talking about The Miracle of Castel di Sangro, by Joe McGinniss.

Enjoy

*And if you haven't heard our mini-documentary on Castel di Sangro, check it out now.

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Welcome to a new episode of Between the Lines. In this one, the Guardian's football editor, Marcus Christenson, breaks down the herculean task of compiling the newspaper's list of '100 best footballers in the world'. The latest list, 2019, also saw the introduction of a women's top 100.

Enjoy and please check out the series below.

The 100 best footballers in the world

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Here’s another chance to hear my interview with Neil Lennon from season two.

This conversation – recorded in front of a live audience at Greenock Town Hall – was set up by Line of Duty and Hollywood star Martin Compston to raise funds for Ardgowan Hospice.

Neil did that fantastic charity proud by giving us an eloquent, revealing, witty and highly entertaining interview. Want to hear about how Martin O’Neill signed him for Leicester City by summarising his contract on the back of a pizza box? Or the sheer will to succeed Neil had to demonstrate after his fledgling playing career was massively interrupted by back surgery? You’ll also hear about how Neil adapted O’Neill’s brilliant management techniques, and ended up masterminding a famous victory over the mighty Barcelona during his first stint as Celtic boss, a win that moved Rod Stewart to tears, and Elton John to telephone to congratulate him.

Brilliant stuff.

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

Part two focuses on Scott’s time as an accomplished full-back at Chelsea, where Glenn Hoddle brought a new era of professionalism to the club – not least ending biscuits as the staple of the pre-training diet.

While at Stamford Bridge, Scott operated alongside incredible talents such as Dan Petrescu and Roberto Di Matteo. However, few surpassed Hoddle’s replacement, player-coach Ruud Gullit, in terms of sheer all-round ability.

Scott describes Chelsea’s 1997 FA Cup winning run, and how applying sports psychology – before it was fashionable – and listening to a house music track prepared him for the Wembley final, which proved to be his last game for the club. He also explains how being substituted too often disillusioned him with life at the Blues.

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

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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