Graham's Blog

With due respect to the BackPage boys who I work with on The Big Interview and my books, it’s time for a grown up to take the floor. I don’t think I’m always going to show my hand like this, but as it’s the first run of the Graham Hunter Podcast Challenge on FanDuel, here’s the line-up you have to beat if you want to win one of the cash prizes and the shout-out that goes along with the top spot.

I covered Spain at the three tournaments they won from 2008-12, and I did that job when things didn’t go their way in the last two. Four players I spent time with during that period are in action on Saturday – they were nice to me, so I’m standing by them.

It’s been a rough time for Víctor Valdés since I covered his glorious era at Barcelona and as one of the squad members who made Spain’s success such a group thing. At his best he’s exceptional and Middlesbrough may end up with one of the coups of the season if he can reach those heights again.

It doesn’t take a genius to see the value in selecting David Silva every time he laces up his boots. Is he under-rated in this league, where we’re always looking at the latest arrival for a bit of excitement? An elegant and effective player who I’ll never tire of watching.

I expected Álvaro Negredo to be more of a hit in the Premier League first time around. He hasn’t played enough since then, and it’s another roll of the dice for Boro, a ‘damaged goods’ signing that may give them a valuable asset during the 30-year-old’s loan spell. I still think he’s a great fit for this league.

Nolito fitted into Spain’s 4-3-3 during the highlights of their Euro 2016 campaign and I think he’ll be perfect for Pep Guardiola in that system at City. Direct and dangerous, he’ll be good for both goals and chances created. In FanDuel, player’s values are revised week-to-week based on their performance. My guess is that his will go up, so get him while he’s relatively inexpensive.

Of course, my team also features many players I’d love to get on the podcast – and one who’s already featured. Listen to my interview with Darren Fletcher here and hear how Mourinho described how he ‘eats opponents in defensive transition’.  That translates to tackles, interceptions and passes – all worth points for my team!

Finally, as you have gathered, loyalty is a big part of my managerial ethos. I’ll stand by Ashley Williams whether he starts the season in Swansea white or Evertonian blue.

Graham

Join in by picking your team for opening day at FanDuel. Use promo code BIGINTERVIEW and then join the GRAHAM HUNTER PODCAST CHALLENGE in the ‘competitions’ list. It’s £1 to play, there’s lots of cash prizes and the winner gets a shout-out on the podcast.

See you there!

Use bonus code BIGINTERVIEW here

I don’t have a stellar record in fantasy football contests. The last time I entered a league we all got soundly thrashed by James Porteous. When the rest of us were out at the weekend drinking ourselves into oblivion, James would stay in to hone his selection. He got his rewards at the end of the season, in the form of a plastic trophy and the grudging admiration of his colleagues.

This time, I enter the Graham Hunter Podcast Challenge with all the misplaced optimism of an early-season fan. With the scent of freshly-cut grass in my nostrils, I offer you my selection for Saturday’s round of fixtures – remember, there’ll be a brand new competition every weekend with the winners decided that Saturday.

Unlike my colleague, Neil BackPage, I have chosen to spend every last penny of my £100m budget. I won’t talk you through every selection but to highlight my decision-making process for a few… Fraser Forster should be England No.1. He had to be in there. I watched Virgil Van Dijk dominate central defence for my own team, Celtic, for a couple of seasons. He puffed his way through a factory of Hamlets during his spell in Scotland. He’s always good for a goal, too.

Kevin De Bruyne and Christian Eriksen should provide goals from midfield and I fully expect Sergio Aguero to bang in at least one as he seeks to impress new boss Pep Guardiola.

I’m feeling confident… so long as James Porteous doesn’t enter.

Martin BackPage

Join in by picking your team for opening day at FanDuel. Use promo code BIGINTERVIEW and then join the GRAHAM HUNTER PODCAST CHALLENGE in the ‘competitions’ list. See you there!

 

Sign up using promo code BIG INTERVIEW here

I’m not saying it’s a strategy that will lead me to sustained glory against Graham Hunter, Martin BackPage and the listeners of The Big Interview all season long, but for week one of the Graham Hunter Podcast Challenge on FanDuel, I thought I’d be guided, as I so often am in life, by Falkirk FC.

The academy at my club has had a good few years. I’m not sure there have been many Premier League fantasy drafts that have included three graduates of our youth system, but this season, I can build a team around former Bairns.

Scott Arfield will certainly play for Burnley in their first game back in the big league and has matured into an all-action midfielder who may be perfectly suited to FanDuel’s OPTA-driven scoring system. He’ll pick up points for passes, tackles, interceptions shots on target, chances created… and hopefully won’t lose too many for yellow and red cards. I’ll never understand why he wasn’t given a chance for Scotland, but I’ve been to Canada, the people are nice there and he’ll represent them with distinction.

Stephen Kingsley was a few years behind Arfield in the youth teams at Falkirk, but the left-back has made great progress as the most successful of several exports to Swansea City. He signed an extended contract with them during the close season, after making his Scotland debut, and is dukeing it out with his counterpart in the Wales team, Neil Taylor, for a starting slot against Arfield’s Burnley this weekend.

Jay Fulton is closer to hanging on to a first team shirt than at any time since he moved to Swansea from Falkirk in January 2014.  The midfielder got plenty of game time in pre-season and also signed a new contract during the summer. He’s one of the most inexpensive signings on the FanDuel roster and if he comes off the bench and scores a couple of rakers, I’m pretty sure I’ll be the only one in the competition with him in my team. Needless to say, I’ll have the last laugh.

Finally, only the fact that our inaugural competition runs only across the Saturday fixtures prevented me from selecting another former Bairn. Lest we forget, Kasper Schmeichel’s Premier League winner’s medal is only his second most treasured possession, after the Falkirk shirt he wore with distinction in 2007.

Join in by picking your team for opening day at FanDuel. Use promo code BIGINTERVIEW and then join the GRAHAM HUNTER PODCAST CHALLENGE in the ‘competitions’ list. See you there!

Neil BackPage (producer)

Sign up using promo code BIG INTERVIEW here

Hello! Firstly, I hope you are all enjoying the first part of the Luca Vialli podcast. There’s more to come in the second half, but that’s why we’re getting in touch.

As you may be aware, we’ve changed podcast platforms from last season and added a sponsor in FanDuel, and been experiencing technical difficulties. The vast majority of you – we think and hope – have been unaffected, but we need to take a little time to ensure that everyone is receiving their Big Interview podcasts exactly as they should be.

We intended to publish the second part of Vialli tomorrow (Saturday, August 6) but we will now be delaying its release until next Thursday (August 11). This will give us time to sort out the gremlins in the system and ensure things work smoothly for all our listeners.

Apologies again for this delay. Normal service will be resumed very soon.

Thanks for your understanding and continued support of The Big Interview.

We really appreciate it.

Martin and Neil (producers of The Big Interview)

Gianluca Vialli was my favourite player of the 90s. Power, pace, skill and an abundance of charisma, I watched his career with growing interest before I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing him in his pomp at Juventus.

That first encounter and his memorable spell at the Stadio Delle Alpi will be covered in part two. For now, Luca goes into depth about his unforgettable spell with Sampdoria at the start of his career – where he won Serie A for the only time in the club’s history, picked up the European Cup Winners’ Cup against Anderlecht and lost to Cruyff’s Barcelona ‘Dream Team’ in the 1992 European Cup Final.

We touch on the impact of Gazzetta Football Italia, how he and Lorenzo Amoruso are lighting up TV sets in Italy with their reality football show and the amazing work he is doing through his charitable foundation.

You can listen to the podcast on iTunes here. 

Graham