Graham's Blog

Harry Kewell: ‘If there wasn’t a fight a week at Leeds, it wouldn’t have been the same – we could do the lot’

On Wednesday, at Celtic’s Lennoxtown training complex, I caught up with the mighty Harry Kewell, now a coach for the Glasgow giants.

When you think of Harry, you picture a footballer of elegance, intelligence, lethal effectiveness. And the great Leeds United side he played in was his perfect domain, surrounded by formidable talents such as Alan Smith, Lee Bowyer, Gary Kelly, Mark Viduka, Michael Bridges, Robbie Keane, Robbie Fowler and not least David Batty. Yet for all their sophistication, those men would battle it out in training – with regular flare-ups, and be willing to go to war for each other come Saturday.

Classic Big Interview: Paul Robinson

Here’s another chance to hear my interview with Paul Robinson from season five.

Paul was a Leeds United academy graduate and was goalkeeper during the stunning highs and then crushing financial collapse of the Peter Ridsdale era.

Paul went to Spurs where he won the League Cup, a victory dedicated to his little son who was ill at the time.

Also from this clear-thinking, straight-talking man: how it took nearly two years to get over a freak Croatia goal that wasn’t even his fault.

Martin O’Neill: ‘Holding the European trophy aloft – I thought “this belongs to Puskas, Di Stefano and George Best”’

In part two of my intense, fascinating Big Interview with Martin O’Neill, we hear about how this keen student of human nature has an obsession with true crime. Martin speaks about captaining a Northern Ireland side which transcended the sectarian divide and defeated hosts Spain in the 1982 World Cup. Oh, and there’s glory days with Nottingham Forest– who says lifting the European Cup was just for the likes of Puskas, Di Stefano and Best?

Martin O’Neill: ‘Winning gives you respite – trophies give you power’

As one of the most charming and thoughtful men to have graced football, Martin O’Neill didn’t require a ghost writer for his recent autobiography On Days Like These.

When we spoke, Martin reflected on the human tragedy of the Troubles, and, as an Irishman living in England at the time, the impact on his own life. There’s also great content about how as a manager, winning changes everything – even your family Saturday nights.

Classic Big Interview: Sven-Göran Eriksson

Here’s another chance to hear my interview with Sven-Göran Eriksson from season five.

I travelled to Sven’s splendid home in Sweden to chat primarily about the 20th anniversary of his guiding Lazio to only their second-ever Serie A in 2000. The title was won after an epic battle with Carlo Ancelotti’s mighty Juventus. What a side Sven assembled, not least the holy trinity of Roberto Mancini, Siniša Mihajlović and Juan Sebastián Verón.