Ange, McKenna, transformative coaches and more
The power of transformative coaches comes under the spotlight in this week’s podcast as Rob Fletcher, Dr David Turner and Dave Bowler put Ange Postecoglou and Kieran McKenna under the microscope. With the academic year just starting, we compare and contrast Manchester United and Brighton’s approach to team building, ruminate on the state of football politics, look at how Burnley’s Women might b...
1hr 12m Sep 18, 2023
1hr 12m
Wrapping up a decade of 1970s football
Our season-by-season trawl through the greatest decade ever  might be over, but we couldn’t resist one last chance to come over all Jerry Springer and reflect on what we’ve learned. Great games, great names and great moments of the 70s are recalled along with a reflection on the decade’s enduring impact on football’s sociology and politics. And there’s one last chance for Karl Marx to win a lou...
1hr 32m Sep 13, 2023
1hr 32m
Home thoughts from abroad ...
An international weekend allows Steven Scragg, Rob Fletcher and Alex Ireland to reflect on life in the Championship and League Two thus far, as well as looking at Euro 2024 qualifying to date. Is Gareth Southgate heading into his final tournament and, if so, should he look to go out in a blaze of glory? Will Luxembourg make it to a major tournament at last? And will Jude Bellingham ever play in...
1hr 27m Sep 11, 2023
1hr 27m
A decade of 1970s football: the 1978/79 season
The final season of the 1970s as an epic decade goes out in epic style with a magisterial title win for Liverpool, a European Cup for Nottingham Forest and the sighting of the first of an oncoming foreign invasion through the advance guard of Muhren, Thijssen, Ardiles, Villa, Tarantini et al. Elsewhere, the season is disfigured by the big freeze, we crown Colin Barrett as the most significant p...
1hr 49m Sep 08, 2023
1hr 49m
Bedsheets & Ballyhoo: an incredible summer and looking ahead to 2023/24
The new season has started, the transfer window has (mostly) closed, and football fans around the land are either daring to dream or are already looking out the bedsheets on which to scrawl fruity protests about their owners or managers. Steven Scragg and our deadline day signing Rob Fletcher reflect on the Women’s World Cup, the transfer window, the coming of Saudi Arabian football, and look a...
1hr 6m Sep 04, 2023
1hr 6m
A decade of 1970s football: the 1977/78 season
Now then, young man, Brian Clough is back. Cloughie takes Nottingham Forest to the top of the First Division, to a League Cup final win and to within a whisker of a first ever domestic treble, but Ron Greenwood beats him to the England job - to the relief of the City Ground faithful. Liverpool retain the European Cup, Ipswich  capture a first FA Cup, and West Brom’s John Wile gets a rotten head...
1hr 55m Aug 30, 2023
1hr 55m
A decade of 1970s football: the 1976/77 season
The 1970s continue to produce moments that echo half a century later. Liverpool are denied the treble by Manchester United but content themselves with a first European Cup and the retention of their league title, as Kevin Keegan heads off into the sunset. Clive Thomas looms large for Evertonians, Don Revie packs his bucket and spade and trades England for the UAE, and there’s skulduggery aplent...
1hr 53m Aug 23, 2023
1hr 53m
A decade of 1970s football: the 1975/76 season
There’s a new name at the top of the First Division as QPR go toe-to-toe with Bob Paisley’s Liverpool for the title, and a new name on the FA Cup with Southampton seeing off Manchester United at Wembley. England start to stutter under Don Revie and a manager who will one day follow him into that job starts to make his reputation at Lincoln City. Steven Scragg and Gary Thacker are joined by Dr ...
1hr 43m Aug 14, 2023
1hr 43m
The Mount Rushmore Debates: FIFA World Cup
Prior to Gary Thacker getting out the chisel for the World Cup version of Mount Rushmore - just where does he find all these untouched mountainscapes incidentally? - Pete Watson, Matthew Gibbs and Dave Bowler offer up varied cases for just which goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, striker and manager has left the greatest impression on the World Cup since 1970. See if you agree with Gary’s select...
1hr 18m Aug 11, 2023
1hr 18m
A decade of 1970s football: the 1974/75 season
Another tumultuous season beckons as Don Revie struggles to get a tune out of England, Brian Clough finds life at Leeds even tougher, Derby win the title as just seven points separate the top eight, Manchester United go up, Chelsea go down and Billy Bremer and Kevin Keegan get naked for charity.
1hr 45m Aug 08, 2023
1hr 45m
A decade of 1970s football: the 1973/74 season
In a packed programme, Brian Clough resigns from Derby and calls a Polish goalkeeper a clown within the same week, England miss out on the World Cup, Leeds go 29 games unbeaten from the start of the season to carry off the First Division and Manchester United are relegated. And that’s only the start of it …
1hr 42m Aug 01, 2023
1hr 42m
A decade of 1970s football: the 1972/73 season
1972/73 arrives and gives us a glimpse of the First Division to come as Liverpool march to the title and carry off the UEFA Cup to boot. At Wembley, there’s an FA Cup final for the ages as Sunderland defy Leeds while one of Wembley’s legends, Gordon Banks, sees his career end in a car crash. Tommy Docherty arrives at Old Trafford, Malcolm Allison walks out on Manchester City and second-placed A...
1hr 33m Jul 25, 2023
1hr 33m
The Red Card: Episode 1
Nothing stirs the emotions quite like football does - for good and for bad. In this new series, Chris Lepkowski invites two guests to offer up three of their footballing pet hates before selecting which topic gets an early bath. Stu Horsfield and Aidan Williams do their best to earn a straight red card ...
1hr Jul 21, 2023
1hr
A decade of 1970s football: the 1971/72 season
We reach 1971/72 in the third part of our 1970s odyssey, an epic title race that ends with the First Division won by a team sitting on a beach in Majorca while the other clubs fall over their feet. Leeds just miss out on the double, Stoke win their first major trophy and there’s all-English UEFA Cup final. Meanwhile, West Germany give England a footballing lesson as storm clouds gather around S...
1hr 55m Jul 17, 2023
1hr 55m
The Mount Rushmore Debates: England
Introducing a twist on our popular Mount Rushmore series. Steven Scragg, Stu Horsfield and Dave Bowler are called to the witness box to each make the case for which goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, striker and manager should make it onto England’s Mount Rushmore. Gary “Solomon” Thacker sits in judgement, chisel in hand.
1hr 20m Jul 12, 2023
1hr 20m
A decade of 1970s football: the 1970/71 season
Picking up our trawl through the 1970s, the team alight upon 1970/71, a season where Arsenal re-emerged from Tottenham’s shadow to do the double (though Spurs did at least win the League Cup as consolation). There’s a power shift on Merseyside, Manchester United remain in the dumps, and Don Revie wonders just what he did to upset the footballing gods.
1hr 45m Jul 09, 2023
1hr 45m
A decade of 1970s football: the 1969/70 season
In the first of a new series that will cover the ten seasons of the 1970s, Steven Scragg guides Paul McParlan and Dave Bowler through the twists and turns that see the School of Science setting the pace, an FA Cup final for the ages, Derby entering the national conversation and the chilly winds of a failed re-election bidding blowing through Bradford.
1hr 25m Jul 06, 2023
1hr 25m
The South America Files: São Paulo
Rounding out our South American odyssey, we visit São Paulo in Brazil, where we look through the myriad of clubs and great names that makes up Brazilian football in the continent’s most populous city. Plus, there’s news of our next project ...
1hr 20m Jun 28, 2023
1hr 20m
Silver Linings: Bobby Robson’s England
Another pod from the literary Centre Circle, in which we welcome David Hartrick to discuss his book Silver Linings, covering the tumultuous times that faced England during Bobby Robson’s stint as national team manager.
1hr 32m Jun 22, 2023
1hr 32m
The South America Files: Santiago
On our penultimate city stop on the tour of South America, we've skipped over the Andes to Santiago where the team guide you through the intricacies of football in the capital of Chile.
1hr 23m Jun 19, 2023
1hr 23m
1992: the birth of modern football
We're back in the Centre Circle. This time, we're chatting with Rob Fletcher about his excellent new book 1992: The Birth of Modern Football. Join us as we explore how Rob's book covers some of the massive football events of the year.
1hr 18m Jun 16, 2023
1hr 18m
Reviewing the European finals
Bringing the season’s weekly podcasts to an end, the team look at a week of European finals and assess Manchester City’s achievements, ponder the state of David Moyes’ knees, and ask if Jose Mourinho has outdone himself this time by getting red carded in a car park.
1hr 34m Jun 13, 2023
1hr 34m
The final word on 2022/23 across Europe
With seasons coming to a halt all over Europe, the intrepid team take a lingering look at matters both domestic and continental as we offer the final word on the uppers, the downers and the just hanging-arounders across Europe’s leagues.
1hr 44m Jun 07, 2023
1hr 44m
The Magic of the FA Cup: Final
The FA Cup reaches its climax with the Manchester derby at Wembley. In preparation, the team look at how the FA Cup final launched golden ages for both Manchester United and Chelsea and paved the way for a coronation, as well as unveiling the ‘Lovett final’ and carbon dating a cup winner ...
1hr 19m May 30, 2023
1hr 19m
David Begg, the doyen of Scottish commentary, join us for a trip down memory lane
The team are joined by David Begg, the doyen of radio commentators across his long and successful career with BBC Radio Scotland. We reminisce about covering Aberdeen’s Cup Winners' Cup final success over Real Madrid in 1983, Scotland’s trip to the World Cup in 1982, and "Glory, glory James McFadden ..."
1hr 9m May 25, 2023
1hr 9m
Reviewing an extraordinary National League season
It’s been an extraordinary campaign in the National League, from first day to the final penalty kick. The team is joined by BT Sport’s Adam Summerton, who has commentated on all its ups and downs, from Wrexham to Scunthorpe and all points in between, to reflect on a seismic season.
1hr May 23, 2023
1hr
Dutch Masters: when Ajax's Totaalvoetbal conquered Europe
We're back in the Centre Circle talking with Gary Thacker about his book Dutch Masters: When Ajax's Totaalvoetbal Conquered Europe. Find out more about one of European football's iconic teams that set standards of innovative play that few, if any, have been able to match since.
1hr 17m May 14, 2023
1hr 17m
The South America Files: Rosario
Rosario is Argentina’s third most populous city and the list of the country’s great players born there reads like a veritable Who’s Who of footballing stars. Yet their clubs have probably underperformed, both nationally and continentally. The team discuss why.
1hr 9m May 12, 2023
1hr 9m
Who'll be the winners and losers of this season?
With title, promotion and relegation issues all coming to a climax as the season’s end hurtles towards us, the  team try to find the winners and losers amongst it all, both at home and abroad.
1hr 27m May 09, 2023
1hr 27m
Ipswich, Napoli, refunding fans and Premier League/Championship swaps
With a huge Bank Holiday Monday fixture list in the post-Coronation offing, we debate who will be swapping places between the Premier League and the Championship, explain why we expect Ipswich to be tearing up the second tier next term, see Napoli put the celebratory pizzas on hold, and ask if failing players refunding fans is such a good thing after all.
1hr 6m May 02, 2023
1hr 6m
Levelling the playing field, Scottish Cup romance and conspiracy theories galore
With the recent departures of Patrick Vieira and Paul Ince, there are just three black managers left in the top four English leagues. The team debates why that is, as well as looking at the coming ups and downs of the Championship and League One, a Scottish Cup semi-final for the romantics and, one for the conspiracy theorists, are we at the end of an era for both Harry Kane and Bayern Munich?
1hr 18m Apr 25, 2023
1hr 18m
The Magic of the FA Cup: Semi-Finals
It's down to the last four and Wembley beckons - we’re not playing any semi-finals there, thank you very much. From the age of Pathé News through to the shifting sands of the early-90s and a semi-final weekend when Fergie’s United began to emerge from Liverpool’s shadow, all footballing life is here.
1hr 26m Apr 17, 2023
1hr 26m
The Mount Rushmore Selection: Aberdeen
In this episode Dave Bowler, joins us to select the four giants who should feature on Aberdeen’s epic Mount Rushmore. The selection might surprise you, but there’s plenty of discussion about why they were the choices and just who missed out.
54m Apr 13, 2023
54m
Blue is the colour? The evolution of Chelsea
It’s a Chelsea special at These Football Timess. e look back on the evolution of the Blues from Jimmy Greaves and Ken Bates to Roman Abramovich to Graham Potter. Will Chelsea’s chaos theory deliver a third Champions League triumph, or do they need to finally find some stability before the glittering prizes return?
1hr 22m Apr 10, 2023
1hr 22m
The South America Files: Rio de Janeiro
After an early Sunday morning drop, we’re in Rio, the city of beaches, carnival and the towering statue of Christ the Redeemer. Led by the knowledge of Dr Pete Watson, we look at some mega clubs, mascots, shirts and a few exotically named players.
1hr 17m Mar 29, 2023
1hr 17m
The Defiant: 100 years of football against fascism
In this edition of the Centre Circle, we talk with Chris Lee about his book The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism, exploring some of its most fascinating storiesin greater depth.
1hr 9m Mar 24, 2023
1hr 9m
The South America Files: Porto Alegre
In this episode, we’re off to the south of Brazil to visit Porto Alegre and look at a couple of the biggest clubs in the country, plus one with a mascot who fits right into our narrative. Stu Horsfield, Gary Thacker, Steven Scragg and Pete Watson are your travel guides.
59m Mar 19, 2023
59m
The Magic of the FA Cup: Sixth Round
The sixth round, the last eight, the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Now it’s getting serious,  eternal glory sitting just three wins away. It’s a round of pitch invasions and last-gasp penalties, of Ceefax recruits and dashed dreams. All human life is here - because that’s the magic of the FA Cup ...
1hr 17m Mar 17, 2023
1hr 17m
Foxes never quit? A Leicester City special
It’s a Leicester City special at These Football Times. We look back on a remarkable decade for the Foxes and ask just where it’s gone wrong this season. Will Leicester survive the drop? We’ve got the answer in one of these three envelopes ...
1hr 3m Mar 14, 2023
1hr 3m
Maguire's demise, Scotland's League Two and England's National League
The podcast crew discuss the strange case of Harry Maguire’s demise, investigate promotion and relegation dramas in Scotland’s League Two and England’s National League, and ponder just why it is that no club has ever got the open top bus out to celebrate a fourth-place finish.
57m Mar 06, 2023
57m
The Crazy Gang and the Culture Commentator
We pay tribute to the late John Motson, laud David Moyes, take the pressure off Erik ten Hag, fret over the future of the EFL, debate a century of continuity going down the drain at Rochdale, and revel in the skulduggery of this most Italian of Serie A seasons.
1hr 20m Feb 27, 2023
1hr 20m
The Magic of the FA Cup: Fifth Round
The fifth round of the FA Cup means that for some, Wembley begins to beckon. For others, it’s the graveyard of their dreams. We explore some classic games of fifth rounds past, including a legendary example of El StJames’Parkico, bedsheets for goalposts at Anfield, Mrs Revie doing the Highland fling, Paul Rideout enjoying his second-best FA Cup day, a grim day at Gay Meadow for Bobby Robson, an...
1hr 24m Feb 23, 2023
1hr 24m
Potter, Valencia, Newcastle goalies and UEFA blaming UEFA
Will Graham Potter survive at Chelsea? Will Valencia stay out on a limb? Who will be in goal for Newcastle at Wembley? Who thought a UEFA panel would actually blame UEFA for the chaos at the 2022 Champions League final. The answer to all these and more  brought to you by These Football Times.
1hr 24m Feb 20, 2023
1hr 24m
From the sublime to the VARcical ...
In this podcast, we ask what is done to be done about VAR, pay tribute to Joe Allen, ponder the impact of The Office on Southampton, and revel in a post-World Cup Argentina, while the ZX81 generation get to grips with eSports.
1hr 21m Feb 15, 2023
1hr 21m
The South America Files: Montevideo
Montevideo probably has more football clubs per square mile than any other city in the world. Tag along with Stu Horsfield, Gary Thacker and Steven Scragg as Dr Pete Watson guides us through the cafes and colours, giants and minnows, heroes and villains of football in the capital of Uruguay.
1hr 24m Feb 12, 2023
1hr 24m
Big league strugglers, lower league successes, and potential cup glories
The pod crew go from Stockport to Spain, Italy and Japan in a global odyssey, picking out some intriguing stories. From Stockport's rise to the lengthy struggles and brief successes of Elche and Cremonese, we discuss the  changing tides caused by Everton's win over Arsenal, look ahead to the FA Cup fourth round replays, and send some love to the never ending career of  Kazu Miura.
1hr 15m Feb 06, 2023
1hr 15m
The South America Files: Lima
Join Stu Horsfield, Gary Thacker and Steven Scragg as we journey to Lima, guided, as always, by the brilliant Dr Pete Watson. With marmalade sandwiches packed, we explore football, its past and present as it is played in the capital of Peru.
1hr 4m Feb 05, 2023
1hr 4m
The highs of Queen's Park, lows of Aberdeen and Everton, and Lampard/Gerrard
After the international discussions of recent weeks, the Today's Football Times crew go all domestic, discussing the highs of Queen's Park and the National League promotion chasers, the lows of Aberdeen and Everton, and the future for Lampard and his old rival Gerrard. Plus a few words on the upcoming anniversary of the Munich disaster and the way Manchester United handle such a pivotal event i...
1hr 15m Jan 30, 2023
1hr 15m
The Magic of the FA Cup: Fourth Round
The fourth round of the FA Cup is sometimes castigated as the ugly duckling or the plodding bassist of the competition, but Steven Scragg, Paul Mc Parlan and Dave Bowler are having none of that. Mighty replays, free bedroom furniture and unlikely sex symbols abound as we dig beneath the surface.
1hr 11m Jan 27, 2023
1hr 11m
We’re all going on a European holiday …
Freedom of movement returns to the pod as Steven Scragg, James Kelly and Matthew Gibbs wander the highways and byways of Europe as they talk about LaLiga in general and Sevilla in particular, delve into the Bundesliga, and then return to Blighty to give us the pinsticker’s guide to upcoming FA Cup fourth round shocks.
1hr 10m Jan 23, 2023
1hr 10m