Graham's Blog

Ramon Calderon: The DNA of Real Madrid

06 Oct 2016

In his pristine legal office in downtown Madrid, Ramon Calderon comes off as a perfectly-mannered, spritely and talkative elder Real Madrid fan. Reason enough to mine the stories you are about to hear. But his status as not only a lifelong supporter, but also a board member and former president of that great club make him the perfect guide into the legend of Madrid.

This is a guy that saw Alfredo Di Stefano play and later got to know him as a man. And for this, part one of the interview, we’re going to focus more or less on his time as a supporter in the 1960s and 70s. There is a glimpse of what’s to come in the way he breaks down the model Madrid use to turn superstar players into vast reservoirs of cash, but even that is rooted in the incredible vision of Santiago Bernabeu, the man behind Madrid.

Enjoy!

Graham

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink: The Trouble with Holland

22 Sep 2016

Hello!

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was born in Surinam, learned football in Holland and spent most of his career in England, with a season in Spain at Atletico Madrid. Few are better placed to discuss the differences in football cultures.
He has a strong take on the issues within English football, but it is his home nation of Holland that he singles out for the most criticism. Why do the Dutch keep coming up short? Jimmy gives it to us straight!
He also talks Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Gudjohnsen, Valeron and more.

Enjoy!

Graham

The Graham Hunter Podcast Challenge: Week Six

16 Sep 2016

My FanDuel career has had an – ahem – slowburning start, but last week I finished in the money in the Graham Hunter Podcast Challenge. I am the sum total of £2 richer, which may not buy me a yacht in Barcelona harbour but does give me the bragging rights over the BackPage boys.

Roberto Firmino was the top-scoring FanDuel player thanks to a couple of goals for Liverpool in their 4-1 caning of Leicester in last Saturday’s evening kick-off. I had the Brazilian in my team. I also backed fellow Scot Robert Snodgrass to have a big weekend and his performance, ending with an injury-time goal in Hull’s 1-1 draw with Burnley earned me 41.75 points. Cheers, Snoddy. Michail Antonio’s brace fore West Ham – in their 4-2 defeat by Watford – also boosted my tally.

And so, to this week. After hours in a darkened room – my £2 winnings didn’t cover the electricity bill – here’s my team for this week. Riyad Mahrez is a confidence player and Claudio Rainieri claimed the Champions League theme tune “woke him up” this week. His two goals in Leicester’s 3-0 midweek win over Club Brugge will have given him a huge boost and I expect him to do some damage to Burnley.

Laurent Koscielny has had a strong start to the season at Arsenal, and he is the lynchpin of my defence this weekend. I’m backing Romelu Lukaku to follow his hat-trick against Sunderland with a goal or two against Middlesbrough in the late kick-off.

The entry fee for this week’s league is £5. That means the prize pot is bigger, and in forthcoming weeks we’ll be offering special prizes connected to the podcast, one of which may well take you all the way to the Camp Nou.

If you want to join in, it’s really simple. Log in at fanduel.co.uk/graham and please make sure you use promo code BIGINTERVIEW. That means if you don’t finish in the prizes, you get your entry fee refunded. If you’ve signed up already but not used this promo code, you can still put it into play to get a free shot at the podcast challenge.

Have fun. See you on the app!

Graham.

Phil Neville: Spanish Lessons

12 Sep 2016

The first time I chatted to Phil Neville was in the Hilton gym in Manchester, which overlooks the Cervantes Institute. Gesturing to the building below, Phil mentioned on that occasion that he would love to learn Spanish.

Years later. the opportunity to coach at Valencia gave him the chance to fulfil that ambition. Phil breaks down how he learned the language and soaked in the football culture of the nation. He is fascinating on the differences between coaching in Spain and Britain and the legacy left by his brother. Gary, at the club.

Enjoy!

Graham

The Graham Hunter Podcast Challenge: Game Week Five

09 Sep 2016

In between parts one and two of my interview with Phil Neville, let’s get back to fantasy football. Are you joining us on FanDuel for the Graham Hunter Podcast Challenge?

At the moment, for a very low entry fee you get the chance to win cash and a shout-out on the podcast. But very soon the stakes will go up, and we’ll be offering big prizes, some of which will be connected to the podcast, and one of which may well take you all the way to the Camp Nou.

For now, here’s my latest effort to beat you, the podcast listeners.

Robert Snodgrass is in top form at the moment and as Aberdeen legend Mark McGhee said while Snodgrass was on Scotland duty, he’s a midfielder that does everything. That means points galore.

I also like my three centre-backs. Watching the points roll in live on the FanDuel app as they make tackle after tackle after tackle will make me feel like  Leo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street.

I’m having lots of fun with this FanDuel competition. If you want to join in, it’s really simple. Log in at fanduel.co.uk/graham and please make sure you use promo code GRAHAM. That means you’ll get your first deposit matched by FanDuel.

Have fun. See you on the app!

Graham.