In 2007, Harry Redknapp was asked about the importance he places on the diet of his footballers. He said: “If you can’t pass the ball properly, a bowl of pasta’s not going to make that much difference.”

Well, it’s fair to say attitudes have changed a little in the Premier League, and as it makes its return for the 2023/24 season, in this episode we speak to a performance chef who, for over a decade, has been feeding and fuelling the country’s top footballers in the surroundings they’re most comfortable in - their home. 

Rachel Muse began her career as a chef at some of the UK’s best-known hotels before she traded in the mania of hospitality for the altogether more personal setting of private dining. With her company Discreet and Delicious, she now trains performance chefs to ready them for the unique challenge of one-to-one catering for sport’s most famous faces.

We discuss the intriguing dynamic between chef, footballer, and the vital third ingredient, the club nutritionist. Rachel reveals her joy of cooking for a wide variety of nationalities, explains why it's important to stay out of the family domestics, and describes why she regularly finds herself on the phone to footballers’ mothers. She also ensures that we will never get my hands on a Nando’s black card.

If you’d like to make our jobs easier and you know of anyone with a unique perspective from behind the scenes of elite sport, get in touch with a recommendation for a potential future Unsung interview or story. Just head to unsungpodcast.com where you can suggest a guest. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast to be the first to know about new episodes. 

Quotes:

"There's a great nutritionist called Graham Close who's up at Liverpool, John Moores. And he told me his phrase for this is the stealth vegetable. So grating courgettes into bolognaises and grating carrots into things. Cook that down. No one knows they've ever been there. People go, "I don't eat vegetables." And he's like "mate, I'm sorry to tell you, but you do now." There's a certain amount of espionage that does go on."

“Last season, it was absolute chaos because of the World Cup. Quite a lot of people thought, "well, I'll go to the World Cup, I'll come back a mega star and PSG or Real Madrid will be on the phone, and it's the transfer window immediately afterwards." So when people came back from the World Cup, they were like, "oh Real Madrid's not on the phone. I haven't heard from Barca. Uh, I guess I'm staying. Better get a chef then."

"In the course of the whole day, maybe nobody listens to you. Nobody. Everyone's telling you what to do, do. Everybody wants something out of you, like sign this for me. You can feel really unconnected. When I ask somebody what they want for their dinner, I write it down, and I show them that I've listened to them, because I put in front of them what they have asked for. And that is a great bond of trust between two human beings. A huge thing to do. It's in the format of food but it's just a comforting, life affirming, connection between two human beings."

"Particularly what people will say is, "when I was a little boy I came back from training, and my gran used to make me this with that. And you're like, okay, can you describe it a bit more? No, I'll tell you what, I'll get my mum on the phone, and she'll explain it to you."

"I think players understand that it's an investment. And if you can extend your playing life and your recovery, the pain in your knees, the pain in your hip, the pain in your ankles, if you can keep the machine moving in a kind of pain-free way just for one more season. Part of that is eating well and recovering well and sleeping well."

Explore more

Discreet and Delicious website

https://discreetanddelicious.co.uk/

Rachel Muse on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/talkeatlaugh

Buy the book!

Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits, by Alexis James

http://www.unsungbook.com

Guest: Rachel Muse

Host: Alexis James

Producer: Matt Cheney

Artwork: Matt Walker

Executive Producer: Sam Barry

Mentioned in this episode:

The Unsung charity partner is leading social care charity, Community Integrated Care.

They deliver 10 million hours of care annually to people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health concerns, dementia, and complex care needs.

This is the Unsung Interview, introducing the sports stars you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss.

For over a century, the Tour de France has been a summer staple in the sporting calendar. Its lavender fields, epic mountain ranges, and historic chateaux have been the backdrop to some of cycling’s most iconic and controversial moments.

It’s also the most photogenic event in sport. And so in this episode, we speak to a legend behind the lens. A man who spent decades looking over his left shoulder while perched precariously on the back of a fast-moving motorbike, metres away from the likes of Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain, Laurent Fignon, and, of course, Lance Armstrong.  

His name is Graham Watson, and he was the first English photographer to establish himself on the European cycling scene when he dared to muscle in on the Tour in the late Seventies.

We discuss blurring the lines between photographer and fan, getting a sixth sense of when a crash is about to happen, and who was the nicest guy on tour. We also tackle the murkier topic of doping, and how tainted champions have affected his business.

Graham spoke to us from his home in Nelson on New Zealand’s beautiful South Island, where he’s lived since his retirement in 2017, exactly 40 years after the Tour de France that would change his life forever. 

PLEASE NOTE: This episode was recorded in mid-May, a month before the tragic death of cyclist Gino Mäder at the Tour de Suisse. We join the entire cycling community in sending our thoughts and condolences to Gino's family and friends. May he rest in peace.

If you’d like to make our jobs easier and you know of anyone with a unique perspective from behind the scenes of elite sport, get in touch with a recommendation for a potential future Unsung interview or story.

Just head to unsungpodcast.com where you can suggest a guest. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast to be the first to know about new episodes. 

Quotes:

“You really are in the thick of the peloton. If they are able to talk, you hear what they're saying. If they're not able to talk, then you just watch them sweating and perspiring and usually having a pretty horrible time. But you're also there when they're in good form, when they're flying down the road, leading the Tour of France in the yellow jersey. You're so close up you feel all their emotions and all their pressures and stress. It's impossible to explain to someone who's not done it, what it's like. I can't explain it properly. It's just a very special place to be." 

"You have situations where a lot of them, a guy like David Miller or Lance Armstrong, the subject always comes up if you're having a coffee. Because I know I'm going to photograph them on the floor one day. And they both said, 'Graham, get the best shots you can. As much blood as we can see.'"

"My outright favourite, I would say is Miguel Indurain. He won the tour for five years in the mid-nineties and was six foot two, very statuesque, from Pamplona so very brown and bronzed, extremely lean. Physically, he was incredible. And the nice thing was that he was an absolute gentleman, you know? He had time for everybody."

"I built my business, and I wasn't going to let any of these guys [dopers] ruin it for me. So, I found a way of enjoying it, of getting over the shock and any disappointment, and just moving on. And cycling's also a sport which is very beautiful. Um, I don't just mean the scenery, I mean the beauty of riding a bicycle is a very beautiful thing."

"There are crashes which are too nasty for anyone to see. And whereas an agency photographer would see that as an absolute golden nugget and send the picture in, I would think, Nah, it's too bad."

Explore more

Graham Watson’s website and archive

http://www.grahamwatson.com

Graham Watson’s Twitter

https://twitter.com/grahamwatson10

The Tweet that got Richie Porte into trouble at the 2015 Giro d’Italia

https://twitter.com/grahamwatson10/status/600693059798589440

The young Kiwi photographer Graham mentions at the end of our conversation is Harry Talbot. Here's a link to his Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/visualsofharry

Buy the book!

Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits, by Alexis James

http://www.unsungbook.com

Guest: Graham Watson

Host: Alexis James

Producer: Matt Cheney

Artwork: Matt Walker

Executive Producer: Sam Barry

Mentioned in this episode:

The Unsung charity partner is leading social care charity, Community Integrated Care.

They deliver 10 million hours of care annually to people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health concerns, dementia, and complex care needs.

This is the Unsung Interview, introducing the sports stars you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss.

In this episode, Alexis speaks with the man whose creative flourish over 30 years ago left an indelible mark on Europe’s elite football tournament. His name is Tony Britten, and he’s the composer responsible for the Champions League anthem.

Ahead of the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan, Tony spoke of what it was like to silence the San Siro, how he wound up Steffen Effenberg on German TV, and why Man City fans need to grow up. 

We also discussed the European Super League, Tony’s royalties, and what it’s like to have Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher on backing vocals.

If you’d like to make our jobs easier and you know of anyone with a unique perspective from behind the scenes of elite sport, get in touch with a recommendation for a potential future Unsung interview or story. Just head to unsungpodcast.com where you can suggest a guest. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast to be the first to know about new episodes. 

Quotes:

"I said to them, 'okay, so where are the words?' They said 'words?'. And I said, 'well we're not going to sing it to La, are we?'"

"So, I just wrote down a whole load of superlatives. The best, the greatest, the most exciting, the fastest, whatever. I've still got them somewhere. And then I employed a multilinguist. Because the official UEFA languages are English, German, and French. So, I just got him to translate literally all those phrases into French and German. And then I kind of whisked them around and the rest, as they say, is history." 

"It's to UEFA's credit that they wanted to restore The Beautiful Game to being a beautiful game, because it had got pretty ugly, with the hooliganism that was really bad, and they were determined that they were going to make this a class act. That was really important to them."

"From what I understand, originally [Man City fans] were booing UEFA because of that whole pay cap thing. Which was all a lot of bollocks, really. They were all so excited when Pep Guardiola came to them. And they must have got really pissed off because I'm told that he publicly said to them, 'will you stop booing the anthem?' Because he really likes it. I know that for a fact. He thinks it's great. So even he can't stop them booing. I'm rather hoping that they will redeem themselves because I think they're probably going to win in Istanbul."

Explore more

Tony Britten's Film Company

http://www.capriolfilms.co.uk

Tony Britten's Arts Channel

https://www.theartschannel.online/

The Champions League anthem on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/track/7HJidWHPoAXJhaKeAmqfF5?si=5863090033fa462e

Ronaldo singing the Champions League anthem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-yvUgCx56M

Buy the book!

Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits, by Alexis James

http://www.unsungbook.com

Guest: Tony Britten

Host: Alexis James

Producer: Matt Cheney

Artwork: Matt Walker

Executive Producer: Sam Barry

Mentioned in this episode:

The Unsung charity partner is leading social care charity, Community Integrated Care.

They deliver 10 million hours of care annually to people with learning disabilities, autism, mental health concerns, dementia, and complex care needs.

This is Unsung. Introducing the sports stars you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss.

In episode four, we’re featuring F1 mechanics, and the inspirational story of one in particular. 

Despite Formula One being, ostensibly, a mixed-gender sport, the last woman to drive in a Grand Prix was nearly half a century ago, when Lella Lombardi came 12th at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix.

This lack of female visibility has had a knock-on effect off the grid, too. In 2018, just 28% of all F1 employees were female. And you’ll find very few of those in the pit lane. In 2021, reigning champions Mercedes’ had a core race team of 65. Only four were women.

If F1 has long been seen as an "old boys’ club," then it’s a reputation that is largely deserved. And so, for many years, it’s been rare that any young girl sees the sport as an attractive career option. But occasionally, one comes along, prepared for the battle that awaits.

Like Emilie Rath, who spent ten long years on a journey to make it into the F1 pit lane. Find out how she did it in Parc Fermé: The female mechanic who smashed F1’s glass ceiling.

If you enjoyed the podcast, then be sure to get a copy of the Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits. Written by Alexis and published by Pitch Publishing, Unsung is available from all your favourite book outlets.

Along with more from Formula 1 mechanics, you’ll be able to read never-before-told tales from Winter Olympics snow makers, rugby medics, anti-doping officials, cycling moto pilots, and more from sport’s unheralded heroes. Head to unsungbook.com for more information. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast to be the first to know about new episodes. 

Quotes:

"I'm a 14-year-old girl from Denmark who wants to be a mechanic and I don't even know the difference between a bolt and a nut."

"I started watching a lot more F1. Like live, breathe, eat F1, and I realised very quickly that it was really only the grid girls that were there, and maybe a few boss ladies in the pit lane. But that was more on the strategy side of it. I couldn't actually see anyone in a race suit. So slowly, it started to click for me that maybe this is a bit unusual. And maybe this is going to be a bit harder than expected. But who doesn’t love a good challenge, you know?"

"I come into this workshop. At that point, I'm 18. I'm blonde, the first female they ever had. And the first thing I think I say to these guys is 'don't get used to having me around because I'm going to become a Formula One mechanic.' That was the start of four very long years”.

"I have never been screamed at that much in my life. I mean, that was the most uncomfortable moment in my entire life."

"I remember my first race because I've never been that sick in my life. Oh my god, the nerves."

Explore more

First Singapore night race, 2008

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/video.f1-tv-archive-extended-race-highlights-singapore-2008.1745114575684992206.html

Lella Lombardi, the last woman to drive in F1.

https://www.facebook.com/Motorsport.tvUK/videos/remembering-lella-lombardi-today-the-only-female-f1-driver-to-score-points-she-a/345277440857989/

Former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone in sexism row

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvFiOhb6yv8

Manor F1 enter administration.

https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/10719665/manor-f1-enter-administration

Australian Grand Prix, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SONGEiVMygg

F1 to end Grid Girls tradition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ghkFHx6jdQ

Buy the book

Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits, by Alexis James

http://www.unsungbook.com

Writing & Narration: Alexis James

Producer: Matt Cheney

Additional Script Editing: Nick Crinnion

Artwork: Matt Walker

This is Unsung. Introducing the sports stars you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss. In episode three, featuring Winter Olympic snowmakers.

The effect of climate change is an increasing challenge for winter sports, as temperatures rise and viable venues reduce. Sochi in 2014 was the first Winter Olympic Games held in a subtropical climate, and not a single flake of natural snow was expected in Beijing in 2022. So who do host cities turn to when Mother Nature has other ideas? 

In this episode, Alexis James meets professional snowmakers to find out about the science of snowmaking, the effects of climate change on the Winter Olympics, and how one Olympic host even resorted to Shamanism to ensure the Games could begin.

You’ll hear from the people whose task it is to produce snow in all seasons. To whom ‘sun’s out, guns out’ means a completely different thing to the rest of us.

They include Canadian meteorologist Chris Doyle, Olympic stalwarts SMI Snowmakers of Michigan, and the beguiling Mikko Martikainen of Finland.

These amazing folk are the Snow Whisperers. And without them, many winter sports events simply couldn’t happen.

If you enjoyed the podcast, then be sure to get a copy of the new book. Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits is written by Alexis, published by Pitch Publishing, and is available from all your favourite book outlets.

Along with more from the snow whisperers, you’ll be able to read never-before-told tales from Formula 1 mechanics, rugby medics, anti-doping officials, cycling moto pilots, and more from sport’s unheralded heroes. Head to unsungbook.com for more information. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast to be the first to know about new episodes. 

Quotes:

“It took years off my life. All my hair fell out. I think that’s a pretty common experience for people involved with Games development. But I loved the pace, the excitement and the novelty of doing work we really knew could be used to make a difference.”

“They wouldn’t wait for the weather to happen to make a decision. They would look to us and say, “what’s going to happen?” and make a decision beforehand. And that’s exactly how it worked. That was very rewarding because we could see we were making a real substantive contribution to the Games with our forecasts. Not with observed weather, which is the way decisions were made in the past.”

“One of my biggest pet peeves is when people call it artificial snow. It's not artificial snow. I like to say it's machine-made snow. Natural snow sometimes takes hours or days to form as it’s going through the sky. We’re forming that snow crystal in somewhere between three and 15 seconds.”

“I'll never forget the first time I got off a plane in Sochi,’ he said. ‘As I walked out of the military airport, I saw a palm tree. I thought this will be interesting. There was nothing built. There were barely roads up on that mountain. We did huge creek crossings in tracked Russian vehicles, it was a little iffy driving around these places trying to figure out where the slopes were going, and where the water sources would go.”

“Climate change is real. It’s something that’s very heavily linked to snowmaking, which is becoming more popular with resorts just to ensure that they can open for their customers and provide a great experience. Instead of having snow machines that are 100 to 150 metres apart from each other, they’re going to 20 to 50 metres apart. You’re getting snow guns that are closer and closer. That has been a trend that we’ve been seeing in this industry.”

Explore more

Prepping Lake Placid for the 1980 Olympics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuIZZmM4CaY

First snowmaking machines at the 1980 Winter Olympics

https://youtu.be/ZkojA0b43wE?t=321

SMI Snowmakers advert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vp5jkorfJk

Good Morning America: Warm weather may cause problems in Sochi

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/video/revelations-fired-fbi-director-exclusive-interview-22458955

University of Waterloo: Climate change threatens future Winter Olympics

https://uwaterloo.ca/news/media/climate-change-threatens-future-winter-olympics

Buy the book

Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits, by Alexis James

http://www.unsungbook.com

Writing & Narration: Alexis James

Producer: Matt Cheney

Additional Script Editing: Nick Crinnion

Artwork: Matt Walker

This is Unsung. Introducing the sports stars you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss. In episode two we’re featuring football ground staff. 

For most viewers of a football match, the pitch is merely a blank canvas awaiting its art. But before the artistry must come to the science. These days it takes more than a pitchfork and a mower to get the game’s top turfs up to standard. 

In this episode, Alexis James speaks to two of the best grounds managers in the business to discover how today’s ground staff have transformed from crabby Greenfingers into techie agronomists.

Tony Stones was once in charge of the turf at Barnsley’s Oakwell Stadium, before being tasked with overseeing new Wembley’s troublesome turf. After working his magic at the home of English football, he was asked to do the same in Paris. As head groundsman at the Stade de France, Tony has a few tales to tell about his time working with Didier Deschamps’ World Champions.

John Ledwidge is head of sports turf and grounds at Leicester City, where their state-of-the-art training ground is home to the world’s first Sports Turf Academy. John discusses some of the turf techniques revolutionising the industry, which might just make you think again about the perception of British grounds staff. 

If you enjoy the podcast, then be sure to get a copy of Alexis’ new book. Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits is published by Pitch Publishing and available from all your favourite book outlets.

Along with more from Tony, John and other ground staff, you’ll be able to read never-before-told tales from Formula 1 mechanics, Olympic snowmakers, rugby medics, anti-doping officials, cycling moto pilots, and more from sport’s unheralded heroes. Head to unsungbook.com for more information or follow @UnsungBook on Twitter and Instagram. 

And make sure to subscribe to the podcast to be the first to know about new episodes.

Quotes:

“In groundsmanship, everybody knows if you let the underdogs train on the pitch first, they're going to do it over because that's going to give them an advantage, to make the pitch bobbly. So, Portsmouth came and hammered it, then did a penalty shoot-out. Then Petr Cech came on and said, 'why am I playing on a potato field?'."

“When Didier Deschamps first came to the stadium they were saying, 'you can't talk to him, it's forbidden.' But you've got to talk to the guy to find out what you need to deliver for him. So, I went up to him and said, 'how do you want me to address you, boss or gaffer?’ He said,'call me boss.' I'm like, right, boss, what do you want me to deliver? And he said, 'short and wet'. So, what I've been doing for England. And he's like, 'ah, so you are the English guy, I expect good things.' And then, of course, I produced the playing surfaces to get them into the World Cup, which they went on to win."

"We are a cog in a big machine. But I think we're quite an important one. The players do up to about 90% of their work on our pitches. And I think it's important that we embrace the understanding of what's going on underneath their feet."

"We have a massive bearing on the outcome of a game. If we don't get the moisture or the height of a cut right, it could kill a game. And we work closely with our manager. We know what he likes, and he trusts and respects us for what we do.”

Explore more 

France v Portugal: Euro 2016 final highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYKdqqe7YA0

Moths invade the pitch at the final of Euro 2016

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/euro-2016-portugals-win-over-france-plagued-by-moth-invasion-20160711-gq2y9m.html

Gary Lineker blames moth infestation on floodlights being left on

https://streamable.com/rcmf

Tottenham’s Michael Dawson slips in the 2010 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley

https://youtu.be/FySxmBvP71s?t=6558

Chelsea vs Portsmouth, 2010 FA Cup Final highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQOll3ktDJE

Buy the book

Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits, by Alexis James

http://www.unsungbook.com

Writing & Narration: Alexis James

Producer: Matt Cheney

Artwork: Matt Walker

This is Unsung. Introducing the sports stars you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss. The series begins, rather aptly, with a look at the job of an athletics starter.

The sound of gunfire is the precursor to every great sprint in athletics history. Yet those pulling the trigger are much more than a hired gun. 

In this episode, Alexis James meets the volunteer official whose strict codes on rule-keeping can break as many dreams as they make - for even the world’s most famous athletes.

Alan Bell has presided over the biggest races in athletics for almost half a century. From dealing with stroppy sprinters to disqualifying the biggest names in the sport, Alan shares anecdotes from his time in the sport, and offers tips on how to become a starter of international pedigree.

If you enjoy the podcast then be sure to get a copy of Alexis’ new book Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits is published by Pitch Publishing and available from all of your favourite book outlets.

Along with more from Alan Bell and other athletics starters just like him, you’ll be able to read never-before-told tales from Formula 1 mechanics, Olympic snowmakers, sports chaplains, kit designers, rugby medics, anti-doping officials, cycling moto pilots, and more from sport’s unheralded heroes.

Head to unsungbook.com for more information, or follow @UnsungBook on Twitter and Instagram. And make sure to subscribe to the podcast to be the first to know about new episodes.

Quotes:

"That will probably be the greatest moment of my life with the exception of the birth of my kids. You know, you fire a gun at the World Championship final, which is not a bad bonus in itself. And then the big fella from Jamaica, he doesn't create history. He rewrites it with 9.58. And if you think about it, you know, nobody's been anywhere near since."

"I've never made any money from it. The benefits have been, I've travelled the world. Business Class flights. I've stayed in some of the world's best hotels. I've worked with legends."

"There’s a game that they often play of psyching each other out. But they also have their own idiosyncratic preparation. And part of what I have to judge is, are they playing games? Or are they doing what’s natural?" 

Explore more

Usain Bolt breaks World Record in Berlin: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol9fiOAditk

Jon Drummond at the 2003 World Championships

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmvBI7X5iKg

Cindy Billaud at the 2014 European Championships

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeFQp0m-ZlQ&t=242s

Zharnel Hughes disqualified at 2021 British Championships

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=30398&v=QdqXGMjUlb8&feature=youtu.be

Usain Bolt disqualified at 2011 World Championships

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFb6OTmy0wc&t

Buy the book

Unsung: Not All Heroes Wear Kits, by Alexis James

http://www.unsungbook.com

Writing & Narration: Alexis James

Producer: Matt Cheney

Artwork: Matt Walker

Executive Producer: Sam Barry

Introducing, Unsung, a new podcast about the sports stars you don’t know, telling the stories you can’t miss.

Join me, Alexis James, as I go behind the scenes of professional sport, looking beyond the headlines and behind the athletes, to introduce and celebrate sport’s hidden stars.

A sporting anthology of the unheard, the unsaid, and the unusual, Unsung shines a rare spotlight on the integral men and women in the shadows, interwoven in the fabric of sport.

You'll meet the athletics starter who dared to disqualify the world's greatest sprinter. 

You'll learn about the snowmakers who wrestle with Mother Nature at every Winter Olympics. 

You'll hear from the Formula One mechanic who defused Romain Grosjean's smouldering car in Bahrain. 

You'll encounter the skilled moto pilots tasked with keeping up but keeping out of the way, of the biggest names in cycling.

And there's plenty more from sport's unheralded heroes. 

For while its biggest stars and household names enjoy the glory, tucked away amidst sport’s small print and voiceless under its fanfare is a band of unsung heroes rarely acknowledged, let alone championed. 

It's about time that changed. Because not all heroes, wear kits.

Follow or Subscribe to the podcast, and head to www.unsungbook.com for more.