Through Another Lens

You judge a book by its cover, you judge a fan by their jerseys. The editor of football culture site Urban Pitch, Ramsey Abushahla and Sports Gazette's Tom Desborough join Shubi to discuss the inexplicable pull kits hold over us. From the World Cup jerseys that caught their eye to the retro resurgence to Nike's failing templates, the trio geek out about football drip. 

Check out Urban Pitch: https://urbanpitch.com/

If you're interested in writing for Urban Pitch, send an email to [email protected] with your work. 

Prominent football journalist Chris Evans joins the podcast to discuss his book How to Win the World Cup: Secrets and Insights from International Football’s Top Managers. Shubi and Chris chat about the fallacy of golden generations, the unique pressure on host nations, Gareth Southgate's soft skills, why Brazil lost 7-1 in the 2014 semi-final and lots more. 

You can buy Chris' book here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-World-Cup-International-ebook/dp/B09ZQ38CNQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YT6QT7TQQKES&keywords=how+to+win+the+world+cup&qid=1669908870&sprefix=how+to+win+the+world+cup%2Caps%2C69&sr=8-1

The new DAZN documentary, The Phenomenon, is goosebumps guaranteed.  Focused on a four period between 1998 and 2002, the documentary delves into the legend of R9 and the World Cups it was defined by. Shubi is joined by Felipe Marques de Lima and Ashley Ahmed to discuss this incredible documentary on an incredible player. They talk about what Ronaldo meant to Brazil, his mystery illness ahead of the 98' final and how it's forgotten how good he actually was. 

Award-winning filmmaker Louis Myles hops on the pod to discuss his FIFA+ documentary Croatia: Defining a Nation. He talks about the Boban kick that essentially began a war, Dynamo Zagreb being a symbol of Croatian nationalism and the country's incredible run to the 98' World Cup semis. Louis also gives some insight into the football documentary landscape today, some wild stories while shooting Kaiser in Brazil and his experience working with FIFA. Stick around until the end, where he makes some bold predictions about Croatia at the 2022 WC. 

Watch Croatia: Defining a Nation : https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/watch/movie/74v2TCBHGqFB6l22chV7cb?autoplay=true

Follow Louis on Twitter - @louismyles

Host & Producer : Shubi Arun 

Panel: George Yates and Alex Guilford

In this wide ranging conversation, Shubi and Seb chat about Tifo's new book, podcasts changing the way we consume football and the growing prominence of journalists. Seb also shares his insights about the ways in which the football content industry has evolved in recent years. 

Follow Seb on Twitter - @SebSB

Buy Tifo's new book How to Watch Football here: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Watch-Football-Understanding-Beautiful/dp/0241609372/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30EMMXMBSIWMW&keywords=how+to+watch+football+tifo&qid=1668625507&sprefix=%2Caps%2C53&sr=8-1

With the World Cup just a week away, it feels apt to chat about the newly released Netflix docu-series FIFA Uncovered. The panel discuss the Game of Thrones nature of the series, Sepp Blatter's disarming portrayal and the nuance around the World Cup in Qatar. The four-part series is intense but also educative. 

Host: Shubi Arun 

Guests: Dan Evans, Jackson Fuller, Lyle-Anthony Golding 

Shubi is joined by Fergus Mainland and Paddy Knowles to discuss this seminal genre defining Netflix show. From Martin Baine's Range Rover to Chris Coleman being a Welsh Ted Lasso to wanting to give Jonny Williamson a hug, the panel talk about the people and moments that made Sunderland Till I Die so iconic. 

Alex Guilford, Michael Johnston and Ashley Ahmed join Shubi on this episode to answer one simple question - what is the best All or Nothing? 

From becoming Artetasexuals after watching the Arsenal one to Mourinho's main character energy to City players being overshadowed by Pep, the gang dissect each instalment. They discuss which clubs who they'd like to see given the All or Nothing treatment and also hypothesise about which football seasons from the past would have made for a good docu-series. 

Shubi is joined by the Gazette's George Yates, Thomas Desborough and Ana Rodriguez to break down the The Figo Affair - the Netflix documentary focused on Luis Figo's controversial transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid. From Figo's sliminess in the entire saga to Florentino Perez being a gangsta, they discuss the murkiness around the transfer and the gripping manner in which it is documented. The panel also talk about the transfers that broke their hearts and the moments in football history they'd like to see be made into documentaries. 

Host & Producer: Shubi Arun

Link to Ana's article: https://sportsgazette.co.uk/is-the-mbappe-situation-the-new-figo-affair/

Shubi Arun is joined by Sports Gazette's Jackson Fuller, Nyah Barnett and Kieran Roy to discuss Ted Lasso and the seismic impact it had on the sport. They deep dive into why the show resonated so deeply with viewers, the effect it had on the American footballing community and how it filled a gap in fictional sports television. 

Host: Shubi Arun 

Producer: Alex Guilford