Nessun Dorma Retro Football Podcast

Nessun Dorma Retro Football Podcast

An in-depth, nostalgic celebration of football in the eighties and nineties, where the wider world of sport and popular culture are occasionally welcome visitors. nessundorma.substack.com

Episodes

Season 1984/85 Episode 5 - Norwich City's Bittersweet Season

September 26, 2025 • 48 mins
23 years from their last major honour, Norwich City found themselves parading the League Cup around Wembley Stadium. With mid-table safety a seeming certainty, it looked as if it would be a campaign of glory and consolidation. With only two wins from their last 12 it turned to last-day despair. How it happened and how they came back is the story of this week's episode as Martyn is joined by historian and biographer Edward Couzens-L...
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The Sport Draft - 1985

September 22, 2025 • 62 mins
Mac seeks to retain his Draft title as he, Mike and Gary face off again to try and capture the best of the sporting year in 1985. The Queens of tennis, Northern Irish heroes, a turning point in the Ryder Cup, the most ridiculous cycling story of all time and much more. Let us know what you think the boys have missed and who should have come out on top! If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, want your episodes without ads and a...
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Season 1984/85 Episode 4 - European Roundup

September 19, 2025 • 76 mins
With so many stories from the three European club competitions being lost to time, Mike and Martyn are here to bring together some brilliant tales. Big comebacks, a UEFA enforced replay, a thunderous battle of Britain and Wrexham humbling Porto before Hollywood writers were a natural association are among the stories being given new life. If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days...
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Season 1984/85 Episode 3 - Verona Campione!

September 12, 2025 • 85 mins
To fair Verona this week as the most unlikely of all Serie A seasons took hold. Author and Verona resident Richard Hough joins Martyn to discuss the impact of two international signings, the goal without the shoe, a taciturn genius and just how this most provincial of Italian football clubs ended up defeating the giants just as the league itself was turning into the continent's powerhouse. Richard's book can be found here https://...
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Season 1984/85 Episode 2 - Everton's Greatest Season (Part 2)

September 5, 2025 • 75 mins
With points being dropped, red cards being shown and injury hitting their lethal strike partnership, Everton's dreams looked to be in serious jeopardy as Christmas 1984 approached. Step forward a fans favourite as the Toffees put their foot down towards the finishing line of a potential treble. Gary Naylor and Gavin Buckland return to guide Martyn through the conclusion of a historic campaign. If you want weekly exclusive bonus s...
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Season 1984/85 Episode 1 - Everton's Greatest Season (Part 1)

August 29, 2025 • 70 mins
After their Wembley triumph over Watford in 1984, many assumed that Everton had saved a wretched season and Howard Kendall's job. Few could have predicted the season that would directly follow. Gary Naylor and Everton author Gavin Buckland join Martyn to touch base again with English football in the summer of 1984, some early wobbles, a few masterclass performances and two important wins over Liverpool that propelled Everton to the...
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Patron's Q&A Part Four

August 22, 2025 • 43 mins
It is the final look behind the Patreon curtain before normal service resumes next week. Gary and Martyn deal with results that left them scratching their heads, underachievers, soft spot teams, the best ever football season and lots more! If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier or just want to support the podcast, then head over to patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast where ...
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Patron's Q&A Part Three

August 15, 2025 • 62 mins
Two more weeks until the show returns so here is another Q&A from the Patreon vaults. Gary and Martyn deal with cult heroes, Everton in the European Cup, which English player would have benefitted most from a move abroad, whether Martyn can say anything nice about Celtic and much more! If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier or just want to support the podcast, then hea...
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Patron's Q&A Part Two

August 8, 2025 • 52 mins
The main show is still on holiday so here are some more questions from our excellent Patrons. Mike and Rob join Martyn for this one in February this year and the questions include: How was football consumed between 1988 and 1995? Which of Fergie's Cup Winners' Cup triumphs was the most unlikely? What were the great nearly matches in footballing history? Where did 'crack' Eastern European side come from? A...
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Patron's Q&A Part One

August 1, 2025 • 83 mins
With the regular show on a short summer hiatus until later in the month, we will share some of the excellent questions that our Patrons have been asking us since we started there last year. Best uncapped England players of the 80s and 90s, the binning of the Cup Winners' Cup, Fulham's impact on the English game, the most quintessential live tv match of the 80s and a lot more. This episode was first aired on Patreon on 15 Oct 2024....
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Sliding Doors - Argentina '78

July 25, 2025 • 55 mins
It is Gary's turn to change one moment in tournament history and run us through the consequences. This time it is the Dutch penalty against Scotland - slightly soft and against the run of play - that is removed from time. Could Ally's Army actually march far? Would Scottish football fans ever be allowed to be optimistic about anything ever again? Have a listen and let us know what you think! If you want weekly exclusive bonus sh...
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Sliding Doors - France '98

July 18, 2025 • 53 mins
England didn't have the best squad of the 1998 World Cup. Not even in the top four. And yet, it isn't always that simple. Martyn lays out his case to Rob that this was an underrated lost opportunity for England and it had nothing to do with the Argentina game. And we also missed out on one of the best World Cup semi-finals of all time. If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days ea...
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Sliding Doors - Italia '90

July 11, 2025 • 59 mins
The 1990 World Cup is one that we know so well that we can almost say for sure where we were when we watched every game. But what if one moment was changed? What if Nery Pumpido had managed to smother François Omam-Biyik's header in the San Siro? Would we have had a better football tournament as a result? Rob and Martyn enjoy some counterfactual history by changing one goal and seeing what would happen as a result. If you want wee...
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Patreon Taster - This Week w/c 7 July 2025

July 7, 2025 • 64 mins
As a one-off summer treat we are making our weekly Patreon show open to all. This Week is available every Monday morning and has two Nessun Dorma regulars picking out seven stories from football history that coincide with the coming seven dates in the week. Rob and Martyn have plenty to work with this week and they reflect upon three World Cup Finals, three semi finals and two massive signings. 7 July 8 July 9 July ...
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Euro '84 Episode 7 - La France, C'est Platini

July 4, 2025 • 93 mins
And so it is time to bid adieu to Euro '84 as France and Spain meet in the final and so much of Europe craving a home victory for the good of the game. Martyn, Aidan and Jonathan look at a final ruined by nerves, assess the tournament's legacy, where Platini's individual performance sits among the greats and put together their best XI of the Championship. If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, want your episodes without ads a...
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Euro '84 Episode 6 - Danish Despair

June 27, 2025 • 74 mins
After the European football public had caught their breath following the first semi final, most assumed that the finale itself had the potential to be the best of all. Denmark were strong favourites to beat Spain - who were extremely fortunate to still be active in the competition - and set up a beautiful footballing conclusion to an enjoyable tournament. However, many Spanish players believed that luck was with them. Something th...
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Euro '84 Episode 5 - Tigana, Platini, Motty

June 20, 2025 • 72 mins
Aidan Williams and Jonathan O'Brien return to luxuriate in perhaps the greatest European Championship match of all time. With time ticking by, it felt like it was all going wrong again for France, destined forever to come up short at the big events. Within five minutes, the entire narrative was changed. If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier or just want to support the...
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Euro '84 Episode 4 - Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye!

June 13, 2025 • 54 mins
"The German monster has survived too long" opined Le Soir on 21 June 1984. And that was one of the more sober conclusions. After the way France's World Cup had ended, schadenfreude was not in short supply when the reigning European Champions went home before the real action started. It was also one of the two games that was shown live in the UK. Jonathan O'Brien joins Martyn to make sense of Group 2 with a surprise Iberian challe...
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Euro '84 Episode 3 - Sacre Bleu!

June 6, 2025 • 92 mins
If the host nation were nervy in that opening night in Paris, they quickly shrugged it off throughout the rest of Group 1. Platini's seven goals in three games, the young promise of Scifo and Stojković, the shackles around the Romanians and the disgrace that derailed Belgium give Martyn and Aidan Williams lots to talk about in a group that produced 23 goals. If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, want your episodes without ads ...
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Euro '84 Episode 2 - The Qualifiers: Part Two

May 30, 2025 • 71 mins
Martyn, Rob and Aidan are back to finish off this memorable qualifying story. Italy were seemingly on a post-World Cup gap year, Northern Ireland managed to beat West Germany home and away and still finish second - a tale of glorious failure that would become more familiar for some home nations - and the Netherlands were booking their hotel after setting Spain the task of winning their final game by 11 clear goals... If you want w...
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