When Football Began Again

Host Carl Jones is joined by comedian and host of Comedians Talking About Football, Sam Michael and Royals superfan and terrace cult hero Johnny Hunt to continue the count up the all-time Premier League table as we reach 43rd place and Reading FC.

In this second episode, we cover Reading's second spell in the top flight, the near miss of a return in 2017 and the intervening years that have seen the club fall to the brink of extinct...

Host Carl Jones is joined by comedian and host of Comedians Talking About Football, Sam Michael and Royals superfan and terrace cult hero Johnny Hunt to continue the count up the all-time Premier League table as we reach 43rd place and Reading FC.

In this first episode of a packed double-header, we take a dip into the archives for a potted history of The Royals before covering how Sir John Madejski built a stadium in his own name t...

Today's guest is former English Comedian of the Year Jack Campbell choosing the unforgettable matches he'd take with him to a desert island.

Jack shares his memorable games - and there are quite a lot of them - and mixes in plenty of trivia he's picked up along the way, including his favorite team with a blue and white zebra on the logo, why not having a 'favourite' football team is perfectly suited to the way he consumes football ...

Today's guest is author and comedian James Green choosing the desert island matches with a difference that he'd rewrite the history of. James' new book, What If Southgate Got Subbed?, is a great mix of fiction and non-fiction as James relives some of football's most memorable moments of the modern era and then reimagines them with a new ending - including what might have happened had Terry Venables introduced fresh legs for his Ast...

Today's guest is journalist, author and broadcaster Jim White choosing the matches he'd take with him to a desert island. From memorable Manchester United matches he's covered over the years to England's near miss at Euro 2020, Jim's infectious passion for all things football is evident throughout.

In between picks, we deep dive into his brilliant book A History of the Premier League in Ten Matches as he pinpoints the pivotal gam...

Host Carl Jones is joined by former Nottingham Forest striker Jason Lee to discuss his career in football and his spell in the Premier League.

From working his way up the league ladder to playing in Europe for Nottingham Forest by his early-20s, things took a turn for the sinister when Baddiel and Skinner's infamous Fantasy Football sketch made him one of the most recognisable faces in the Premier League for a short period in the...

In the first episode of season three, host Carl Jones is joined by Sky Sports presenter and Everton fan Jules Warren to find out which matches he'd take with him to a desert island.

From remembering the glory days of his childhood as the Toffees dominated English football to the present day where things aren't quite so rosy, Jules recalls some of his favourite memories at Goodison Park, the Everton legend he'd choose to rescue him ...

In this second part of the interview (and the final episode of this series!), host Carl Jones is joined once again by the voice of ITV football for almost two decades - a job in which he called some of the biggest moments in domestic, European and international football - the incomparable Clive Tyldesley.

Picking up where we left off last week, we chat about international tournaments and which host nation proved to be his most memo...

Host Carl Jones is joined by the voice of ITV football for almost two decades - a job in which he called some of the biggest moments in domestic, European and international football - the incomparable Clive Tyldesley.

From his beginnings as a journalist and later regional commentator for Granada Television in the 1980s to becoming the late, great Brian Moore's successor just in time for one of the most unforgettable final few minut...

Host Carl Jones is joined by two comedians for a deep dive into the 1997/98 Premier League season. Everton fan Jamie Sutherland and Arsenal fan Andy Kind help retell the stories of hugely contrasting seasons for their respective teams and plenty more besides as Cantona left, Michael Owen emerged Temuri Ketsbaia kicked the sh*t out of some hoardings. 

Fergie replaces his prodigal frontman with Teddy Sheringham with limited success, ...

Host Carl Jones is joined by comedians and Oldham Athletic fans Stevie Gray and Che Burnley to continue the count up the all-time Premier League table as we reach 44th place.

We take a nostalgic trip back to the 90s where schoolboys Che and Stevie were enjoying watching their local team go toe-to-toe with local rivals Manchester United and claiming bragging rights over Manchester City. There were trips to Wembley to enjoy, the goal...

Host Carl Jones is joined by former Notts County, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Southampton, Rayo Vallecano and England midfielder Mark Draper to deep dive into a career that featured Wembley wins, England call-ups and playing against some of the most iconic stars of his generation.

We cover breaking through...

Host Carl Jones is joined by comedian and Cardiff City superfan Dai Rhys Towler to continue the count up the all-time Premier League table as we reach 45th place.

Dai regales us with some incredible trivia on the history of Cardiff City, including how they helped coin the phrase 'back to square one' - an irony not lost on this particular dry-humoured Bluebird - before recalling the dominant City side that won the Championship in 20...

Host Carl Jones is joined by Tom Flight, author of 'Yer Joking Aren't Ya? The Story of Middlesbrough FC's 1996/97 Season' and huge Boro fan to find out which matches he'd take with him to a desert island.

With the caveat that he can only take games from 1996/97, it's a bittersweet trip back down memory lane for even the most balanced Boro fan as the Teessiders record one of the most remarkable seasons in English top flight history.

Host Carl Jones is joined by comedian, author, podcaster and Chelsea fan Damien St John and author, returning guest and Middlesbrough fan Rob Fletcher to unpick the memorable moments, goals, transfers and matches of 1996/97.

There's a new challenger in town with the arrival of Arsene Wenger, an influx of talent from Serie A at Stamford Bridge, big-spending Middlesbrough will see their ambitions quelled by a bit of a bug going round...

Host Carl Jones is joined by Bradford City legend Wayne Jacobs and passionate Bantams fan, comedian and actor Kevin McDonnell, to continue the count up the all-time Premier League table as we reach 46th place.

With insight from the stands and the pitch, Wayne gives insight into the step up to Premier League level from Division Two, recalls the match that left him both physically and mentally drained in the opening weeks and gives t...

Host Carl Jones is joined by comedian, actor, writer and huge Newcastle United fan Raul Kohli, to share the matches he'd take with him to a desert island.

Recorded in May 2023 as the Toon were about to book their long-awaited return to the Champions League, Raul speaks passionately about what that will mean to his home city, the young fans within it and also himself personally.

We also chat about his feelings for Sunderland (spoile...

Host Carl Jones is joined by former Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Bolton and Watford defender Neil Cox to deep dive into a career with more than 600 professional appearances.

From being integrated into the first team squad aged just 13 at his hometown club Scunthorpe United to a unique transfer fee to Villa P...

Host Carl Jones is joined by Chief Football Writer for The Times, author and broadcaster, Henry Winter, to share the matches he'd take with him to a desert island.

Recorded shortly after Henry's return from reporting on Manchester City's Champions League final victory, we reflect on his time in Istanbul, recollect his experience writing the match report for another famous Champions League final involving a Manchester side and find ...