WHEN SKY INVENTED FOOTBALL

Andrew Spence shares the story of his Talk Sport documentary series and podcast Coming In From The Cold which tells the history of black footballers in England.  He's joined by Anne-Marie Batson, niece of former West Bromwich Albion star player Brendon Batson, who conducted many of the key interviews.  Along with Adrian and John, they reflect on the series, and on the state of racism in football today.

Presented by Ad...

Adrian and John are joined for this episode by Gareth Castick, one of the directors of Bury AFC, a fan-owned club starting at the base of the football pyramid, after Bury FC were expelled from the Football League.

There's a lively discussion about why the Premier League is experiencing an early season goal glut; while John and Adrian almost come to fisticuffs over the issue of watching matches on TV.  It's just l...

As the UK and China drift towards a diplomatic Cold War, what will be the knock-on effect for English football, which has attracted numerous Chinese investors and owners over recent years.  Manchester City, Wolves, Aston Villa, West Brom, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, Northampton Town and even Manchester City have all seen cash flow in from China, but will the money start flowing back the other way because of political tensions....

In this episode Adrian and John discuss the plight of Wigan Athletic who have been put into administration without warning after ownership of the club was passed to a company registered in the Cayman Islands.  Lifelong Latics supporter Karen Kendrick and Paul Middleton of the Mudhutter fanzine share their thoughts.

There is crowdfunder for non playing staff at the club https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/official-wigan-athletic-...

Adrian and John are joined by writer Daniel Gray in an appreciation of Scottish football.  Daniel is the editor of the Scottish football periodical Nutmeg and wrote a book called Stramash, the story of Scotland through its smaller clubs.

And as another gay player comes out AFTER retiring, why can't homosexuality be acknowledged in the mens' game?

Presented by Adrian Goldberg and John Nicholson

P...

For this episode Adrian and John are joined by Alyson Walsh (@fairfloozie) Commercial Director of Fare Share who gives the inside story on Marcus Rashford's successful social media campaign to persuade the government to provide free meals for needy kids over the summer.

They also talk to Chris Skudder (@chris_skudder) the former Sky TV and ITV newscaster about the future of football on television, after the BBC aired ...

Adrian Goldberg and John Nicholson are joined by Tom Walsh from the Wise Men Say podcast to discuss the the future of Sunderland Football Club, amid fears that a pledge to repay £20million in parachute payments - used by the current directors to buy the club from its previous owner - might not now be honoured.

At the centre of the controversy are directors Stuart Donald and Charlie Methven who featured extensively in the N...

"We may only have a few weeks to save football in this country as we know it” warns Damian Collins MP - who has come up with a radical new plant to save clubs who might go out of business because of Coronavirus.

He’s calling for a government backed loans for those in financial distress - but with strings attached.  Any bail out must be accompanied by oversight from a newly created Football Finance Authority.  

Port Vale co-Chair Carol Shanahan explains how her club will move forward following the unanimous decision to immediately end the League Two season (apart from the play-offs) because of Coronavirus.  

The proposal (subject to FA ratification) is that promotion and relegation should be determined by the state of the table at the time of its suspension in March, leaving Vale agonisingly short of a play-off place.  

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35 years on from the Bradford City fire which killed 56 football fans, Adrian Goldberg discusses the lessons learned and the opportunities missed with John Dewhirst, co founder of the Bantams' fanzine City Gent, and an eye witness to the tragedy.

In this episode we also investigate claims that the FA is "disrespecting" women's football by declaring the season "null and void" at National League...

As the Coronavirus lockdown continues the Premier League has launched Project Restart in a desperate attempt to resume playing.  Unless the season continues, their continued flow of TV revenue is in jeopardy.  Broadcaster Jonny Gould joins Adrian Goldberg to discuss the issues at stake.  

Meanwhile towards the base of the football pyramid, clubs whose season was declared "null and void" without what they regard a...

Should there be rigorous testing of who is a fit and proper person to run a football club? The idea was mooted more than 30 years ago in the Off The Ball fanzine, and in the years since then both the Premier League and EFL have introduced an Owners and Directors Test.  Whether it's fit for purpose is another matter.  Fans at Charlton Athletic are once again dismayed to find the future of their club clouded by ownership issues,...

Did Russia and Qatar buy off officials from football's world governing body FIFA to secure the right to host the World Cup? Both countries deny any wrongdoing, but evidence recently presented to a court in the United States suggests otherwise.  The case opened in Brooklyn is the latest instalment of the FBI's decade long investigation into corruption at the highest levels of the game.  Ken Bensinger talks us through the m...