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 David Turner, a senior lecturer in Sports Coaching at Anglia Ruskin University, a member of the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Science research, and a devoted fan of that memorable QPR side.

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. <br/> <br/> Steven Scragg and Gary Thacker are joined by Dr David Turner, a senior lecturer in Sports Coaching at Anglia Ruskin University, a member of the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Science research, and a devoted fan of that memorable QPR side.

A decade of 1970s football: the 1975/76 season

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 selections …

The Mount Rushmore Debates: FIFA World Cup

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.

A decade of 1970s football: the 1974/75 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 …

A decade of 1970s football: the 1973/74 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 Arsenal miss out on European football thanks to UEFA’s archaic rulebook ...

A decade of 1970s football: the 1972/73 season

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 ...

The Red Card: Episode 1

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 Sir Alf.

A decade of 1970s football: the 1971/72 season

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.

The Mount Rushmore Debates: England

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.

A decade of 1970s football: the 1970/71 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.

A decade of 1970s football: the 1969/70 season

Traversing the world of football in search of the stories that matter, brought to you by expert journalists and guests. Check out our award-winning print magazine.

I particularly love the deep-down looks at the history of football - both the big tournaments, but also some more obscure stuff.  I agree that some of the editing/production could use a little bit of work, but for the most part - this is a great podcast for those who love soccer - especially the history.

All in all  - a great football/soccer podcast

Great content but the background noise (breathing into the mic) is distracting

Good Content

These Football Times

Football is an ever-evolving sport, often shaped by the minds of a few. The dreamers. The thinkers. What we have today is the result of systems that have transcended borders and time to give us the greatest sport in the world. This is an exploration of those philosophies.

The philosophies that changed football forever

Host Jim Hart, senior writer and coach Jon Townsend and commentator and analyst Juan Arango examine how players are evaluated during the development stage, what methods are used and whether statistics are the answer.

How to identify talent and the use of statistics

What is the reality behind the state of football in the US? With MLS deemed by many to be quickly becoming one of the best leagues in world football, and talked up by Commissioner Don Garber as having the potential to be a world leader by 2022, what are the challenges hindering progress? Jon Townsend, Jim Hart and Nate Abaurrea break down the US game in The Lob: Deconstructing American Soccer.

Deconstructing American Soccer (Part I)

With one hand, FIFA have helped make the game truly global, giving the fans a sport like no other in the process. But with the other, they've often taken away its soul, leaving behind a sport riddled with corruption and deceit. To conclude the Political Football series, FIFA comes under the microscope.

Political Football: the compelling world of FIFA

Following the Spanish Civil War, Francisco Franco’s nationalist forces took control of the country and introduced a reactionary government, centred on traditional values, the church and a centrally dominated, unified state. His dictatorship lasted until his death in 1975, and in that time all of Spanish life came under the purview of his Movimiento Nacional. Football was no different. In this pod, we discuss the implications for players, clubs and the national team during these turbulent times. It's a tale of contrasts and divisions, exploring how football struggled to survive sociological upheavals, an autocratic dictatorship and how the regime wrapped itself around the glory of Real Madrid and La Roja.

Spanish football in the Franco years

Jonathan Wilson

Jonathan Wilson is the acclaimed author of Inverting The Pyramid, The Outsider and Angels With Dirty Faces, as well as the founder and editor of The Blizzard. Join host Jim Hart and senior writer Christopher Weir as they sit down with the affable and knowledgable Wilson to discuss all things football in this wide-ranging conversation.

The Lob talks to Jonathan Wilson

Uli Hesse

Uli Hesse is the best-selling German author of Tor!, Bayern Munich: Creating A Global Superclub and Alles BVB. He sat down with Jim Hart and Luca Hodges-Ramon to discuss the Bundesliga, the German national team and a bit of baseball.

Uli Hesse and the state of German football

To accompany our series The Football Italia Years, host Jim Hart caught up with calcio writers and experts Blair Newman, Luca Hodges-Ramon - authors of the series - and Dominic Bliss to talk about the Italian game in the 1990s, how it ruled the world, and the legacy of Channel 4's excellent coverage in the UK.

The Football Italia Years

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 lost wonderkids.

The story of football's lost wonderkids, with author Ryan Baldi

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.

My Side: how Arsène Wenger's fearless Arsenal became the iconic Invincibles

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.

Stateside Soccer: a history of the beautiful game in the United States

At a time when brutal military regimes were stifling society and the economy, football underwent vast changes in Argentina and Chile. From the decline of La Nuestra in Argentina to their World Cup glory of 1978 against the backdrop of torture just metres away, to the rise of Chilean football and how a select few stood up to the junta in acts of eternal defiance, this is the story of a murky relationship between fútbol and politics in these South American giants.

Political Football: How football overcame brutal military juntas in Argentina and Chile

Jon Townsend talks technical development for players of all ages with coach Saul Isaksson-Hurst, a one-on-one coaching specialist whose clubs include Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as the founder of My Personal Football Coach.

The Coaches' Forum talks to Saul Isaksson-Hurst

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.

How Guardiola's Barcelona produced a season of exquisite refinement in 2010/11

It's tough to predict what the future of Catalan football holds. In a region dominated by talk of political independence, host Euan McTear and special guests Alexandra Jonson, Samuel Marsden, David Cartilidge and Igansi Torné look at the state of FC Barcelona and La Masia, the rise of smaller regional teams, and wider issues from a spectacular football landscape.

The uncertain future of Catalan football

Deconstructing American Soccer (part II) is a discussion of the economics of the American version of the game. Joining us is award-winning economist from the University of Michigan and author of Soccernomics and Money and Soccer, Stefan Szymanski. This in depth interview, hosted by Jim Hart and Jon Townsend, takes a look at why Major League Soccer is structured so differently than most other leagues from around the world. Stefan walks us through the issues facing MLS methods and the challenges it faces in an ever competitive landscape.

Deconstructing American Soccer (Part II)

How do the professionals go about their business in the areas of analysis, scouting, coaching and player development? We find out by speaking to Jed Davies (consultant to an international head coach), Kevin Nicholson (Cardiff City under-21 manager), Johnny McKinstry (Rwanda national team manager) and Joey Lombardi (regional talent manager for the Canadian Soccer Association).

The art and science of player development and coaching

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 football expert Frederick Clayton guides us through the oft-tangled web of the organisation's activities and discusses its past, present and possible future.

The controversy and corruption of CONMEBOL

With the Euro 2020 qualifiers about to begin - six months later than traditionally the case due to the advent of the polarising Nation League - what's better for the continental game's fans, players and clubs? Should we advocate change or stick to the traditional, successful tournament-style qualifiers and finals?

Euro 2020 or the UEFA Nations League? A debate about international football on the continent

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 are the implications for football and can it lead to a return to the darker days of the game?

How populist politics is changing the world of football

The best podcast episodes on global issues affecting everyone. Covering topics such as the #metoo movement, climate change, the impact of technology and some of the biggest global issues facing us right now. For anyone interested in learning more about the world, and some of the issues we're facing, pick an episode below and start listening! Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes on Global Issues

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