The glory and the failure of a brilliant Netherlands in 1974
The Netherlands in 1974 is the story of Rinus Michels' beautiful but ultimately heartbreaking World Cup campaign. With Johan Cruyff inspiring a side dripping with talent, boasting a style of play that bewitched the world, the Netherlands would come so close yet agonisingly so far from etching their name into history as perhaps the greatest world champions of all.
1hr 19m Feb 10, 2020
1hr 19m
Euro 88 and Euro 92: from Dutch peaks and Soviet genius to Denmark's improbable glory
The last eight-team tournaments, and the polar opposites of one another, after the stylistic excellence of the Netherlands and the Soviet Union at Euro 88 came the largely sterile football of Euro 92, a tournament and era topped off by Denmark's improbable rise to glory and the fall of the Iron Curtain. 
1hr 35m Feb 04, 2020
1hr 35m
How the 1930 World Cup changed the face of football and politics
Do you think that politic and finance influencing the World Cup is a new thing? In the first episode of Political Football: World Cup, we talk to Paul Mc Parlan about how the whole show got underway in 1930. Who promoted the idea and why did we need a global tournament? What came of the inaugural event in Uruguay and how was the game forever changed?
1hr 22m Jan 31, 2020
1hr 22m
A chat with Abraham Klein, the man who refereed some of the biggest games in history
Abraham Klein is a man who had the best view of some of football's greatest fixtures. Refereeing at three World Cups, and withdrawing from the 1974 finals based on security grounds, Klein was in the middle for Brazil-England in 1970, Italy-Argentina in 1978 and perhaps the greatest World Cup game in history, Brazil-Italy in 1982. The Israeli shares his memories and opinions from Gentile to Bank...
1hr 22m Jan 27, 2020
1hr 22m
Euro 1980 and 1984: a new format and a new era of continental brilliance
While Euro 1980 has long since faded to black, it was the first of the new tournament formats as West Germany, fired on by Klaus Allofs, triumphed over Belgium. Then, in 1984, the greatest individual showing at the finals, courtesy of Michel Platini's scarcely believable nine goals, would send a superb France team to their maiden international honour. 
1hr 19m Jan 22, 2020
1hr 19m
The Liverpool magazine: exclusive audio from our Jamie Carragher interview as we discuss the club
Liverpool, with a rich, unique and storied history, to go alongside their hypnotic contemporary resurgence, meant that gravity was always going to lead These Football Times to a magazine in their honour. Featuring exclusive audio from our interview with Jamie Carragher, join Stuart Horsfield, Steven Scragg, Gary Thacker and Jeff Goulding as they discuss our upcoming release.
1hr 40m Jan 19, 2020
1hr 40m
Liverpool, Istanbul and the epic 2004/05 Champions League campaign
Sarah Starkey talks to us about Liverpool's 2005 Champions League campaign, culminating in that epic comeback in Istanbul against AC Milan. From an inauspicious start that almost ended in elimination at the group stage to what is arguably the greatest European Cup final of all, this is the story of how a Steven Gerrard-inspired side cemented a young girl's love of Liverpool.
1hr 22m Jan 14, 2020
1hr 22m
The European Championship 1960-1976: the old format, coin-toss wins, Panenka and lost glories
The European Championship is a constant shape-shifting entity, though first five finals were only four-nation events. From forgotten legends of yesteryear to coin-toss triumphs and Antonin Panenka's genius, this is the story of the tournament from 1960 to 1976 - part one of a new series discussing dissecting all finals ahead of Euro 2020.
1hr 21m Jan 08, 2020
1hr 21m
Inside the weird and wonderful world of Club Tijuana, Mexico's maverick outsiders
As well as having a volatile political history, Mexico is one of the world's most passionate football countries, so there's little surprise that these two components of the North American nation combine. In this episode, we draw a focus on Club Tijuana as Edd Norval gives us a guided tour of the side, its colourful owner, and it's rapid rise through the league structure. We discuss its history,...
1hr 12m Jan 01, 2020
1hr 12m
How Hungary's Magical Magyars wowed football against a backdrop of uncertainty at home
Hungary's Magical Magyars of the 1950s are one of the iconic sides in the history of world football. Their scintillating play took them to a World Cup final and a long unbeaten run, plus that infamous demolition of English superiority in 1953. Back at home, though, Hungary was anything but a happy place. Author and long-time Hungarian resident David Bailey guides us through the backdrop to thos...
1hr 17m Dec 29, 2019
1hr 17m
How can CONIFA shape football's future?
We talk to Justin Walley, the president of CONIFA Africa and member of the organisation's Executive Committee, about the work they carry out and how the inevitable and often compromising tentacles of politics is something they seek to avoid. Following discussions about FIFA and some of their confederations in recent months, how is CONIFA different and what can they do to shape football's future?
1hr 10m Dec 23, 2019
1hr 10m
'I can't help falling in love': accepting the changing face of football as it moves through the eras
For many of us, football is more than a sport. It can act as an anchor, in as pronounced a manner as our loved ones. More important than work, food and sleep, there is a generation of football watchers who straddle two different eras of the game - and they sometimes struggle to quantify their love. They cling to an era when the game hooked them, yet despair where it is today. It is within this ...
1hr 18m Dec 19, 2019
1hr 18m
How populist politics is changing the world of football
Across the world, populist politics - the idea that society is separated into two groups at odds with one another: the "pure people" and the "corrupt elite" - is often centred on placing the blame on what is perceived to be outside influence, and it's becoming increasingly ubiquitous. Unsurprisingly, this is having an effect on football and how the game is both perceived and being used. What ar...
1hr 8m Dec 11, 2019
1hr 8m
Stateside Soccer: a history of the beautiful game in the United States
Football in America has been eclectic and polarising from the very start. From the pre-Wall Street Crash boom to Major League Soccer, via the incorrigible NASL, it has a marvellous story to tell, which so much of the world is unaware of. The Lob speaks to Tom Scholes who tells that story in his book Stateside Soccer.
1hr 29m Dec 08, 2019
1hr 29m
The controversy and corruption of CONMEBOL
CONMEBOL is one of FIFA's six continental confederations and, as they cover the South American region, it's also one of the most important, having World Cup winners Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, amongst other countries, plus the Copa Libertadores, within its remit. However, a never-ending mist of controversy, corruption and maladministration swirls around its activities. South American footbal...
1hr 20m Nov 21, 2019
1hr 20m
Revolution and rebuilds: AC Milan and the two glorious decades between 1987 and 2007
When Arrigo Sacchi stepped through the San Siro doors in 1987, AC Milan would never be the same again. Through his glorious revolution, Capello's evolution, the doldrums of the late 1990s, and the 2000s rebuild under Carlo Ancelotti, the Rossoneri blessed football with some of its finest moments for 20 years. To celebrate the launch of the AC Milan magazine, we caught up with expert Matt Santan...
1hr 33m Nov 19, 2019
1hr 33m
The Mighty Magyars: Hungary's famed generation of Puskás, Kocsis and Hidegkuti
The team that humbled Wembley and taught England that there was an entirely different footballing world out there, The Lob talks to David Bailey, author of the excellent book Magical Magyars, all about the indelible Hungary side that was so brilliant led by Ferenc Puskás yet inexplicably failed to win the 1954 World Cup.
1hr 18m Nov 14, 2019
1hr 18m
Mussolini and the unique propaganda of the 1934 World Cup
The 1934 World Cup is considered one of the most controversial in the history of the tournament. Held in Italy as Benito Mussolini's fascists were looking to cement control over the country and drive forward their idea of nationalism, it was used as a unique propaganda tool. Dubious refereeing, an influx of non-Italians to the national team, and dodgy organisation were just a few of the inciden...
1hr 28m Nov 05, 2019
1hr 28m
The glory, trials and tragedy of Nat Lofthouse, one of England's finest footballers
Nat Lofthouse is a legendary figure in English football. In this episode, we chat with Matt Clough about his biography of the talismanic striker. We look at the environment that made "Lofty" the man and player he was, his success, trials and tragedy at Bolton, and his career wearing the white of England.
1hr 19m Oct 31, 2019
1hr 19m
My Side: how England's U17 World Cup win restored belief in domestic player development
ITV and BT Sport commentator Seb Hutchinson recalls how a team boasting Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Rhian Brewster went to India and inspired a nation by lifting the Under-17 World Cup. Playing with a confidence and freedom seldom seen by any England side, it was a team and a tournament which restored the belief in the domestic game's ability to produce outstanding talent.
1hr 37m Oct 27, 2019
1hr 37m
Liverpool's iconic 2000/01 campaign, feat. McAllister, Alavés and Owen and more
Internationally-acclaimed comedian Ashley Blaker recalls a season of epic gluttony as Liverpool lifted the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup, the latter two after thrilling finals against Arsenal and Alavés. With derby glory aplenty thanks to Gary McAllister's legendary winner and a squad that was as gifted as it was maverick, it remains one of Liverpool's most iconic campaigns.
1hr 13m Oct 20, 2019
1hr 13m
The Frying Pan of Spain: the divisions and unity of Sevilla and Real Betis
Out on the southern tip of Spain, Andalusia is an outpost for football in the country, and while other clubs from the region may rise and fall, Sevilla and Real Betis - both based in Seville - remain giants. Indeed, when they play each other, El Gran Derbi is a game like no other. In this podcast, Colin Millar joins us to discusses his book The Frying Pan of Spain, which details the rivalry tha...
1hr 23m Oct 13, 2019
1hr 23m
My Side: how Arsène Wenger's fearless Arsenal became the iconic Invincibles
Chris Weir talks to us about Arsenal's historic Invincibles campaign, which saw them match Preston North End's record of going an entire league season unbeaten. From a ridiculed statement of intent by Arsène Wenger to a nerve-wracking final day victory at Highbury, this is the story of the most historic Premier League campaign.
1hr 19m Oct 06, 2019
1hr 19m
My Side: The fear, ecstasy and emotion of West Ham's final season at the Boleyn Ground
A season which started with fear and trepidation would become one of West Ham's most successful in recent times. While 2015/16 was dominated by Leicester's title win, Danny Lewis recalls West Ham's emotional final campaign at the Boleyn Ground. Losing just three home games all season, it all culminated in a momentous night under the lights as the Irons beat Manchester United in the final match ...
1hr 7m Sep 30, 2019
1hr 7m
My Side: The impossible dream of Manchester United's iconic treble in 1999
Dan Williamson joins us to discuss Manchester United's iconic treble. A season which started on the back of Arsenal winning the double, signalling a potential shift in power, and David Beckham being vilified for his sending off in the 1998 World Cup would see Alex Ferguson guided his side past the best in Europe to record British football's greatest triumph - and leave a generation with unforge...
1hr 17m Sep 26, 2019
1hr 17m
A tournament frozen in time: the wonderful randomness of the Cup Winners' Cup
It was a tournament like no other, called the awkward sibling of the European Cup and the UEFA Cup. These Football Times' Steven Scragg talks about his brilliant debut book chronicling the history of the Cup Winners' Cup, and the wonderful randomness that made it such an engrossing, unpredictable and much-missed tournament. Head around Europe as he takes you on a tour of unrelenting nostalgia.
1hr 15m Sep 23, 2019
1hr 15m
How Guardiola's Barcelona produced a season of exquisite refinement in 2010/11
Tom Scholes talks to us about how Pep Guardiola's Barcelona plan was crystallised into a single season which saw them finish above José Mourinho's Real Madrid in the league, as well as defeating them over two classic semi-final fixtures to set up a date at Wembley against Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United. It was a season of domination from a team that continued to refine the modern game.
1hr 13m Sep 16, 2019
1hr 13m
Natural: the story of Jimmy Greaves, England's greatest goalscoring talent
Jimmy Greaves is arguably the greatest goalscoring talent English football has ever known, a precocious teenager at Chelsea who endured a doomed transfer to AC Milan but who later became a legend at Tottenham, battling alcoholism after retiring. We talk to David Tossell about his book on Greaves, Natural, and the striker's life.
1hr 25m Sep 02, 2019
1hr 25m
Bottled: the relationship between alcohol and football, from sponsors to players
Alcohol and football are strange but longstanding bedfellows. From the earliest origins of the game, the financial support of brewers and distillers has driven development. However, this relationship has hardly been chronicled. Bottled, by Ben Roberts, fills that gap and he joins us to discuss how alcohol has been and remains an important, divisive and tragic element in football.
1hr 15m Aug 29, 2019
1hr 15m
My Side: the story behind Telé Santana's glorious failure with Brazil at the 1982 World Cup
An in-depth discussion and misty-eyed reminisce about one of the most exciting and exhilarating team's to ever play the game. Scoring 15 goals in five games, with each one a work of art, Brazil were the world's favourite side and seemed destined to win the World Cup playing a unique brand of Futebol Arte. Then they played Italy in one of the greatest World Cup fixtures of all ...
1hr 18m Aug 26, 2019
1hr 18m
The conflicted world of politics and football in Palestine
In what must be the most powerful and poignant episodes of the Political Football to date, Uri Levy takes us into the conflicted world of politics and football in Palestine. We discuss how the seemingly intractable issues of sovereignty, security, independence and liberty play out within the game across what is perhaps the most chronically troubled area of the globe. We look at players, clubs, ...
1hr 7m Aug 15, 2019
1hr 7m
Another Bloody Saturday: a journey to the heart and soul of lower league football
Searching for games that offer the warm glow of his years spent watching Salisbury with his late grandfather, we caught up with author Mat Guy to discuss his fantastic book, Another Bloody Saturday, which delves into the essence of football away from the clean, crisp, wealthy world of the Premier League. Just why do people head out on windswept Saturday afternoons and wet Wednesday evenings to ...
1hr 4m Aug 12, 2019
1hr 4m
Bilbao, Athletic Club and the tricky world of Basque politics
In the Basque city of Bilbao, supporting Athletic is less a sporting affiliation than an act of faith. Their policy of Basque-only players is a badge of honour, one that has cemented the club in the affections of the proud locals. Talking about Athletic without involving the politics of the region is a forlorn task, so we enlisted the help of Dan Parry, who's lived and taught in Bilbao for years.
1hr 1m Aug 08, 2019
1hr 1m
Gunshots and Goalposts: author Ben Roberts talks Northern Irish football past and present
The history of football in Northern Ireland is cross-cut with societal divides defined by religion and politics. Throughout the nation's turbulent history, the game has been buffeted - at times engulfed - by the waves of passion. It has also provided an arena where reconciliation, as well as rancour, can be displayed. Ben Roberts discusses his wonderfully empathetic book, Gunshots and Goalposts...
1hr 10m Aug 04, 2019
1hr 10m
Political Football: why social turmoil isn't stopping Venezuela from becoming a footballing force
Political Football heads back to South America to take a look at one of the lesser footballing lights of the continent. Political turmoil in Venezuela is nothing new, but how that impacts on football may just be. A country of 32 million had, until the 2019 Copa America, struggled to make any meaningful impression on the continent's biggest sport, but that's now changing. Baseball's supremacy is...
1hr 3m Jul 29, 2019
1hr 3m
How can women's football fulfil its potential? Lynsey Hooper plots a path
The Women's World Cup gave another boost to the growing momentum in women's football, as the success of the Lionesses captured the imagination of so many football fans, both male and female. Indeed, the semi-final between England and the USA produced the BBC's best viewing figures for the year so far. With women's football on a steep upward trajectory., Lynsey Hooper joined us to discuss how th...
1hr 5m Jul 26, 2019
1hr 5m
Remembering Subbuteo: the iconic game of so many childhoods
Some lost limbs, even heads; others just pride. Subbuteo was far more than just a game: it was a defining memento, a living organism, for a generation of children long before FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer.
1hr 5m Jul 11, 2019
1hr 5m
The story of football's lost wonderkids, with author Ryan Baldi
Every club can boast one: the gifted youngster who defied expectations by not becoming the next George Best or the next Paul Gascoigne. Fated for greatness, only to fall by the wayside. On the latest episode of The Lob, we speak to author and journalist Ryan Baldi about his book The Next Big Thing, where he collaborated with a number of current and former players to tell the story of football's...
1hr 4m Jul 03, 2019
1hr 4m
The violence and corruption of Indonesian football: a game in a world of its own
Professional football in Indonesia may be relatively new, but its impact on society and politics has been immediate and far-reaching. Clubs owned by the elite in search of a laundered image, violent ultras that have come to dominate, and rampant corruption all form part of the game. Throw in a government that sees football as a diversion from its ills and you have a heady brew.
1hr 2m Jun 30, 2019
1hr 2m
James Hendicott talks CONIFA and the untold story of the alternative World Cup
Author James Hendicott, the man behind the excellent CONIFA: the untold story of the alternative World Cup, joins Stuart Horsfield and Jordan Florit to discuss one of the game's most intriguing tournaments, bringing together displaced people and teams in a show of solidarity and opportunity markedly different from the world of FIFA.
1hr 5m Jun 26, 2019
1hr 5m
My Side: how Bob Paisley's 1978/79 Liverpool team set a new bar in English football
An in-depth discussion with Steven Scragg and Jeff Goulding on how reigning champions Liverpool - led by Bob Paisley and featuring a star-studded line-up - overcame defeat in the first round of the European Cup to Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest to produce a domestic season of such quality that it remains one of the greatest in English football history.
1hr 9m Jun 23, 2019
1hr 9m
My Side: How Howard Kendall's Everton broke Liverpool's stranglehold on the domestic game in 1984/85
Senior writer Paul Mc Parlan, who watched Everton all season, discusses how Howard Kendall’s Toffees progressed from surprise FA Cup winners in 1984 to dominating the First Division, winning the Cup Winners’ Cup and narrowly missing out on the treble. A side full of youth and talent, spearheaded by the irrepressible And Gray and Graeme Sharp, this is the story of an Everton team like no other.
1hr 4m Jun 16, 2019
1hr 4m
The Maradona movie: an exclusive interview with director Asif Kapadia
Academy Award-winning director and the man behind Senna and Amy joins the Lob to discuss his new film Maradona, and in-depth insight into the Argentine's turbulent time in Naples with Napoli.
48m Jun 09, 2019
48m
How football became a potent political tool before and after World War Two
After previously focusing on World War One, author and journalist David Díaz Bejarano returns to the series to discuss the interaction of football and politics before, during and after World War Two. We examine how the changes in the game in the inter-war years made football a potent political tool for the different ideologies as war approached, the way the football and footballers were often m...
1hr 10m Jun 04, 2019
1hr 10m
Out of the Shadows: England's 1982 World Cup story
The 1982 World Cup was a tournament of legendary highs, great games, wonderful goals and endless controversy. From Brazil's Ginga and Italy's catenaccio to the swagger of France and the machine of West Germany, for those who watched it, it remains a finals that England, too, should have excelled at, boasting a superb squad. Join Stuart Horsfield and Steven Scragg as they talk to Gary Jordan abo...
1hr 14m May 21, 2019
1hr 14m
Recalling the great FA Cup finals and where the competition lost itself
The FA Cup final, once the centrepiece of the football season and the game kids dreamed of scoring the winning goal in, was a unique match for many in the UK and beyond. Now largely an afterthought, join Stuart Horsfield, Steven Scragg, Aidan Williams and Dan Williamson as they recall their favourite finals and where the competition lost itself.
1hr 15m May 14, 2019
1hr 15m
How football remained relevant and progressed during the devastation of World War One
Author and journalist David Díaz Bejarano focuses on the interaction of football and politics before, during and after World War One. How did the global game continue, and progress, during the greatest conflict the planet had ever known? From women's football and the heroes who died in conflict, to using the sport as a propaganda tool, this is how the game remained relevant during the devastation.
1hr 5m May 06, 2019
1hr 5m
My Side: how Spain overcame their demons to lift the 2010 World Cup
With history weighing them down and defeat in the opening game, the world's best team, Spain - champions at Euro 2008 - were expected to crumble at the 2010 World Cup, the first in Africa. But they would rise to the challenge, becoming one of the greatest modern winners, cementing a generation of brilliant stars into folklore. Journalist and author Euan McTear recalls Spain's greatest vintage f...
1hr 3m May 02, 2019
1hr 3m
My Side: how Ajax's class of '73, led by Cruyff, completed a hat-trick of European Cups
An in-depth discussion on Ajax's third successive European Cup-winning campaign for My Side, a celebration of the best teams we've ever seen. What impact did the departure of Rinus Michels to Barcelona and the arrival of Ștefan Kovács have on Europe's best team? How good was Johan Cruyff and his support cast? This is the story of how Ajax completed their domination of the continent in the early...
1hr 2m Apr 25, 2019
1hr 2m
How contemporary politics in Spain may alter the nation's footballing landscape
The Political Football podcast launches into series three with a look at contemporary Spain and, in particular, the issue of potential independence for Catalunya. Expertly guided and advised by Madrid-based journalist and author Euan McTear, we discuss how current affairs have affected Spanish football and, should the independence movement triumph, what the implications may be for Barcelona and...
1hr 13m Apr 23, 2019
1hr 13m