Football Book Club

This week on FBC Classics, we're heading back to our Series 2 opener, where we read Jerzy Dudek's incredibly titled 'A Big Pole In Our Goal', and found out about Jerzy's charmed life when it comes to cheating death by brick, boiling coffee, goose scares and almost drowning while fishing for cuttlefish in a mine.

To listen to the full episode, scroll back in your feeds to Series 2 Episode 1 'Jerzy Dudek's 'A Big Pole In Our Goal'...

This week we're reading Leicester legend and all-round 90s hero, Muzzy Izzet's 2015 classic 'Muzzy: My Story'. And it's everything we dreamed it would be.

Featuring Martin O'Neill: Amateur Masseur, Muzzy watching Eight Legged Freaks at the 2002 World Cup, pure hatred towards Tim Sherwood and the wider Middlesbrough area, and Nicky Summerbee's disappointing choice of nickname. Plus Jesy Nelson, Supernanny and - frankly - far too ...

David Ginola might be best known for his mazy dribbles and luscious, L'Oreal infused locks, but did you know he once successfully raised the dead? Probably not! But that's what we found out when the brilliant comedian Rhys James joined us to read his Spurs hero's 2000 autobiography 'Le Magnifique'.

To listen to the full episode, scroll back in your feeds to Series 5 Episode 3 'David Ginola's 'Le Magnifique' (ft. Rhys James). See...

This week we're entering the mad, mad world of larger-than-life football league legend, Barry Fry. As we read his classic 2000 autobiography 'Big Fry' with Jack Rivlin & Zachary Sweeney-Lynch of the brilliant The Upshot podcast.

Featuring Barry's many run-ins with extremely dodgy chairmen, lifting a curse on St Andrew's with his own urine, signing George Best for Dunstable, identifying a headless corpse, ruining Karren Brady...

After Luke Chadwick joined us last week, we're sticking with the Manchester United theme by revisiting the time we read Gary & Phil Neville's jointly-written 'For Club & Country'. The highlight of which was their *genuine* trip to the cinema with Sir Alex Ferguson to watch Spiceworld: The Movie. Plus the Man United dressing room ponder over whether Princess Diana was the best looking woman in the world.

To listen to the ...

Ex-Manchester United, West Ham & MK Dons hero Luke Chadwick joins us this week to tell us all about his brilliant autobiography 'Not Just A Pretty Face'. Featuring Luke on life under Sir Alex, terrifying Man United initiations, Roy Keane the mentor, getting addicted to Big Brother 2, and Lee Croft's insane theories. Plus Luke opens up about the chants he faced, and the mental health issues he experienced, after being taunted on...

As it's spooky season, here's a late Halloween present courtesy of Ivo Graham and Neil Redfearn. As Neil tells us all about his latest controversial signing in the transfer market.

This clip is taken from Series 3 Episode 3 'Neil Redfearn's 'There's Only One Neil Redfearn (ft. Ivo Graham)', which you can listen to in full by scrolling back through the Football Book Club podcast feed. See you next Monday as we welcome Luke Chadwi...

For one week only Football Book Club becomes Football Quiz Club! As FBC face Joe and Theo from the brilliant Career We Go podcast in a battle over our old friend Gary Lineker's 96/97 Soccer Quiz Book. Featuring extremely dated rounds on all things 1996/97, Famous Garys, You're the Ref, Real Book Fake Book and, of course, quickfire Barry Venison Bonanza. Who will come out victorious? Find out now...

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With Maisie Adam currently on Taskmaster and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink currently tangoing his way across the Strictly dancefloor, what better time to revisit our episode featuring both of them? Back in 2021, Maisie brought us her Leeds hero's autobiography, only to find a manifesto on soft porn and chips with vinegar, and discovered the perils of opening Jimmy's book on the set of A League Of Their Own.

This clip is taken from Ser...

The Taskmaster's Assistant himself, Liverpool fan Little Alex Horne joins us to read Wales legend Ian Rush’s 2009 *epic* 'Rush: The Autobiography'. Featuring Ian's short-lived phase dressing up as David Bowie, 'surreal banter' with Mark Lawrenson, footballers with Mr Men names, joy at Liverpool, struggles in Italy, a dramatic reading where Ian attacks Kenny Dalglish's wife with a scone, and why Ian thinks the game's gone. But only ...

The brilliant journalist, Spanish football expert & Sunday Times bestselling author Guillem Balagué is back on Book Club! And this time he's here to discuss his brilliant new biography 'Rise of the Villans: Inside Unai Emery's Aston Villa Revolution' (out now via Orion Publishing). Including Guillem on Unai the disruptor, trademarking the words 'good ebening', and exactly how much Jhon Duran is too much Jhon Duran. Plus we get ...

This week the Book Club are reading 'Take Note!' - the 2010 autobiography by James's favourite ever player, Spurs, Portsmouth & England legend Darren Anderton. Featuring an unhinged foreword by Terry Venables, arguments over the phone with Alan Sugar, Gazza the wise sage, Darren's *many* holidays to America, the truth behind his injury record, and the most disgusting prank we've ever encountered courtesy of Steve Sedgley. Plus ...

For the first of our Book Club Classics we're heading back to 2021 to bring you Steve Bruce and his wife Janet's incredibly dramatic standoff with police inside a phone box in Gillingham.

This clip is taken from Series 3 Episode 7 'Steve Bruce's 'Heading For Victory', which you can listen to in full by scrolling back through the Football Book Club podcast feed. See you next Monday as the new series continues!

Want to hear a b...

Football Book Club returns, live from London's Cheerful Earful podcast festival! And we've tracked down Alan Shearer's long-lost, secret 1998 audiocassettes to FINALLY bring Alan's story to the masses. Including how Bryan Adams helped secure Alan's move back to Newcastle, his war of words with Michael Owen, and Alan's 'tragically magnificent arse' he owes his whole career to. Plus Blackburn Rover's Jack Walker goes Brando, Kevin Ke...

Football Book Club is BACK! Starting next Monday 15th September, new episodes will be dropping on your feed every fortnight. Great new guests! Questionable new books! Same Football Book Club.

See you next week!

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It's the last episode of Series 5 :(. But we're going out with a bang, as we read Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke's explosive 2009 autobiography 'Born To Score'. Featuring treble heroics, the truth behind his romance with Jordan, and keepie uppies in a bin. Plus partying with Colin Montgomerie, David May's 'wicked' sense of humour and Quinton Fortune - the most delicate soul in footballing history.

Enjoy the show and want ...

Football Book Club are going international! As James heads to spectacular Rome armed only with a city guide written by its most famous son - AS Roma legend Francesco Totti. Totti penned 'E mo'te spiego Roma' ('And Now I'll Explain To You Rome') in 2012, and now, on what was meant to be a romantic weekend away with his fiancé, James will be taking in the sights, learning about the city and enjoying some downright bizarre football an...

A late contender for best book title of the series, this week we're reading former Aston Villa, Leicester and Coventry City forward Julian Joachim's 2023 autobiography 'You Must Be Joachim'.

Featuring the ups and downs of a career which sampled the Premier League to the Gibraltar National League, Julian causing a stink in the dressing room (literally) and failed Chinese restaurants co-owned with Steve Walsh. Plus brushes with Ho...

It's time for, perhaps, the most obscure and most bizarre book we've ever read on Football Book Club - and definitely the shortest. We're reading all 58 pages of former Spurs, Wolves and Arsenal midfielder Rohan Ricketts's self-published, 2013 book 'Passion For Football: Things To Know From Youth to Pro'.

Having played for no less than NINETEEN clubs around the world, from Canada to Bangladesh, Ecuador to Coventry, Rohan's book ...