The Big Interview

Last season, our Socios at patreon.com/grahamhunter got an exclusive interview with Simon Stainrod. For the first time, here’s the full episode.

The term ‘maverick’ is overused in football, but my pal Simon genuinely does it justice. As a lad, he was inspired by watching elegant heroes like George Best who managed to thrive on the battlefields of the 1960s and 70s. This striker of many clubs even got to play alongside a couple of them: Tony Currie – a man of immense courage and physical strength, and Jimmy ‘Jinky’ Johnstone, who no matter how many times he was kicked, just kept getting back up. Simon speaks about the joy, artistry and daring with which football should be played, and the joy it should provide for the fans. And if you want to hear how he tried to persuade Howard Wilkinson NOT to sign Eric Cantona… then listen in.

Brilliant stuff.

If you would prefer not to wait 12 months to listen to these extra interviews, it’s time to become a Socio at patreon.com/grahamhunter

In part two, Sven chats more about Lazio’s famous Scudetto win in 2000. He and his players did their bit on the last day – then endured an agonising wait listening to the radio for Juventus to lose against Perugia.

At Sampdoria and Lazio, Roberto Mancini was Sven’s artist, a man who breathed football and went crazy when things went wrong. It was he and Gianluca Vialli who had insisted that Sven be their next manager at Samp.

We hear about Sven’s time as England coach – his one regret is that he didn’t employ a psychologist to focus on penalty shootouts. He did have the pleasure of getting to work with David Beckham, a man he thinks the world of. Sven even tried to sign Becks for Leicester City – but Victoria put the kybosh on that!

There’s chat about the magnificent Pavel Nedvěd, who was such a workaholic that Sven had to ban him from the Lazio training ground during the summer. Sven also describes how he had a contract to become Chelsea boss in front of him but pulled out after the tabloids got wind and accused him of treachery to the England cause. But he did the Blues one massive favour – he advised Roman Abramovich to buy the club instead of Spurs.

Lastly, we also find out about the ‘Gre-No-Li’; the three Swedes who set Italian football on fire during their spells at AC Milan in the 1950s.

Thanks, Sven. That was a special Big Interview.

Graham.

I travelled to Sven-Göran Eriksson’s home beside a glittering Swedish lake to hear about a glittering career. Sven managed numerous clubs, including both of Rome’s sides, and enjoyed more glory than Julius Caesar – notably four Coppa Italias, the UEFA Cup, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and, twenty years ago, a rare Serie A for Lazio.

Sven’s success was partly due to his willingness to listen to his players. Even a teenager – albeit the genius Clarence Seedorf – was allowed to give him advice. Much of our conversation was about Lazio’s extraordinary title win, but Sven’s passage to that club was only gained by jilting Blackburn, and he was eternally grateful to Rovers owner Jack Walker for being so understanding. By the time he had assembled his holy trinity – Roberto Mancini, Siniša Mihajlović and Juan Sebastián Verón – he knew Lazio would win the Scudetto.

That Serie A was won after a ding-dong battle with Carlo Ancelotti’s mighty Juventus – a club Sven snubbed. He also waxes lyrical about another managerial legend – Marcello Lippi.

Brilliant stuff.

Graham.

Are you ready to meet Robert Snodgrass, King of the Prank Calls? In part two, Snoddy talks us through his hilarious prank call routines. It’s one of the funniest Big Interviews we’ve ever recorded. There’s plenty football, too.

Enjoy!

Graham