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Chances are you came to Michael Calvin’s writing through his later books The Nowhere Men, Living on the Volcano or Hunger in Paradise. Well, before all that, there was Family, Mike’s first book in which he was given unlimited access to a season at Millwall FC. The book also has a fascinating back-story, with Mike having self-published the first edition which was then nominated for Football Book of the Year. Here we talk about how important access is to great sports writing and how he sets the scene for interviewees to bare their souls. Just a small note here… we also discuss Emma Hayes in this podcast. Emma is the current manager of Chelsea Women and has a chapter dedicated to her in Mike’s latest book State of Play. Enjoy

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Hola Big Interview listeners!

In the second part of my chat with Robbie Keane, he describes why he believes that his partnership with former Spurs team-mate Dimitar Berbatov was the most productive of his career.

And what of his time working alongside Rafa Benitez at Liverpool? Robbie talks candidly about the Spaniard's determination to turn the striker into a left midfielder at Anfield, but insists that Benitez's tactical knowledge is second to none.

Robbie explains why he had to leave the club he supported as a boy and looks back on his time as a Liverpool player. It is a fascinating interview which is worth taking the time to listen to.

This episode is available ad-free at patreon.com/grahamhunter. Sign up now and you will unlock our full archive of Big Interviews with the likes of Brian McClair and Quinton Fortune, while you will also be helping us to continue producing the content you love.

Graham

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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

Hola Big Interview listeners!

In the first part of my Big Interview with Robbie Keane the former Spurs striker delivers fierce criticism of the way that bigger wages have diminished the desire of young, talented footballers to make it make it in the game.

It is a subject which continues to rile Robbie and he compares the attitudes of some promising young players today with dedicated winners like Roy Keane and Luka Modric. Both of those men would feature in Robbie's dream five-a-side team.

And the Irishman also recounts his remarkable spell playing alongside David Beckham in LA.

This episode is available ad-free at patreon.com/grahamhunter. Sign up now and you will unlock our full archive of Big Interviews with the likes of Brian McClair and Quinton Fortune, while you will also be helping us to continue producing the content you love.

Graham

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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

Michael Calvin’s new book is called State of Play: Under the Skin of the Modern Game. And In it, he shines a light on the human stories of football. We hear from chairmen, journeymen, female coaches, performance coaches, rights campaigners and those who fight for the soul of the national game in the light of its rampant commercialisation. As always, you’ll get a strong sense of the themes of the book, but we also talk at length about the nature of sports writing and how the eloquent prose of Arthur Hopcraft, inspired the format of the book. Enjoy!

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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 backpagepress.substack.com

Hola Big Interview listeners!

When we asked what your favourite Big Interviews were from past seasons of this podcast we had a lot of great, interesting responses. And one of those which grabbed our attention was about my chat with the great Benni McCarthy.

This is part one: the story of when Benni first met a mysterious young coach by the name of Jose Mourinho and how they came to work together at Porto.

What happened after that was historic, with Benni going on to lift the Champions League with his new side. Among his team-mates back then were the likes of Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Jorge Costa, and Benni describes brilliantly that diverse group of characters who would conquer Europe under the guidance of Mourinho.

This episode is available ad-free at patreon.com/grahamhunter. Sign up now and you will unlock our full archive of Big Interviews with the likes of Brian McClair and Quinton Fortune, while you will also be helping us to continue producing the content you love.

Graham

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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

Hola Big Interview listeners!

In part two of my chat with Alan Smith, the Arsenal legend takes us to Copenhagen and Arsenal's famous victory over Parma in the final of the 1994 European Cup Winners' Cup. Alan will recall the famous names among that glittering Italian side - Zola, Asprilla and Brolin to name three - and, of course, his own wonderful, decisive goal.

That should have been the crowning moment of his career. But, as Alan will explain, he had by then lost his confidence and was no longer enjoying his football. We talk about why that was. It's an important message.

And we also discuss the arrival at Highbury of Ian Wright and why Alan was unable to click with his new team-mate on the pitch, as well as Alan's prominent role in the FIFA computer games.

This episode is available ad-free at patreon.com/grahamhunter. Sign up now and you will unlock our full archive of Big Interviews with the likes of Brian McClair and Quinton Fortune, while you will also be helping us to continue producing the content you love.

Graham

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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

Hola Big Interview listeners!

When I sat down to chat with Alan Smith during the launch of his autobiography Heads Up we talked Arsenal icons, a title win and triumph in a European Cup final. It was so good that I have split the whole interview into two parts.

So, in Part One, you will learn about George Graham, a title-winning coach at Arsenal and a man feared by many of his players. You'll hear about his laborious training methods and hair-raising team talks.

And Alan also relives his goal at Anfield which helped steal the league title away from a formidable Liverpool side in 1989. It is a game which he describes as the most iconic in English football history.

This episode is available ad-free at patreon.com/grahamhunter. Sign up now and you will unlock our full archive of Big Interviews with the likes of Brian McClair and Quinton Fortune, while you will also be helping us to continue producing the content you love.

Boy was this good fun.

Graham

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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

Hola Big Interview listeners!

So, last week I received questions from our Socios about this season's Champions League campaign. Today, I give my answers.

I will give my reasons why Real Madrid cannot be written off despite the loss of their talismanic forward. And what of Cristiano Ronaldo? Can he conquer Europe with Juventus this season? I give my verdict here.

I also take a closer look at some challenging groups - listen up Manchester United fans - and give my views on Atletico Madrid and whether they can reach the final at their home stadium.

And listen out for the question from Bet365 about who to back to lift the trophy this season.

This episode is available ad-free at patreon.com/grahamhunter. Sign up now and you will unlock our full archive of Big Interviews with the likes of Brian McClair and Quinton Fortune, while you will also be helping us to continue producing the content you love.

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

Hola Big Interview listeners!

Welcome back for part two of my chat with Spurs legend Ledley King. You are about to hear all about his time at White Hart Lane - his team-mates, managers and, of course, those captivating London derbies under the lights.

We begin by being introduced to Edgar Davids, who proved to Ledley that he was a born winner. And Ledley also describes how Juande Ramos ordered his Spurs players to lose weight ... well, almost all of them.

You will also hear about matches against Chelsea and Arsenal. Facing Spurs' biggest rivals were huge moments in Ledley's career and he describes those pulsating games brilliantly.

This episode is available ad-free at patreon.com/grahamhunter. Sign up now and you will unlock our full archive of Big Interviews with the likes of Brian McClair and Quinton Fortune, while you will also be helping us to continue producing the content you love.

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

Hola Big Interview listeners!

By now Ledley King must be sick of talking about the injuries that shortened his career. Instead this Big Interview is about where he came from: the neighbourhood, the people, the places he learned to play football.

You will hear about Ledley's school team rivalry with Ashley Cole, his neighbour growing up, and how a small boy called John Terry used to boss his Sunday League youth team around - as a midfielder!

And, of course, Ledley discusses the type of defending which made him a Spurs legend and one of the greatest defenders the Premier League has ever seen.

This episode is available ad-free at patreon.com/grahamhunter. Sign up now and you will unlock our full archive of Big Interviews with the likes of Brian McClair and Quinton Fortune, while you will also be helping us to continue producing the content you love.

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