The Big Interview

HELLO again Big Interview listeners! We’ve picked out a chunk of my Big Interview with Les Ferdinand. In this extract, Les discusses racism in football and explains what measures he would take to eradicate this evil.

Did you know that he did not attend matches as a youngster because of the culture in English football at the time? It took black footballers like Cyrille Regis and Laurie Cunningham to show Les that, yes, he could aspire to a career in the game.

I promise you, this is essential listening for all of us. Les points out the lack of diversity among the coaching staff who helped guide England to victory in the Under-17 World Cup, and he has some stern words for those running the FA.

But this is only a little piece of the full, 90-minute podcast. The full interview is available to Socios (there are over 600 of them now, and you can join the party by clicking here) and is just one of the podcasts we have been producing for them.

Subscribe now and you can listen to Big Interviews with Rafael van der Vaart, Ledley King, Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe and Roberto Di Matteo right away!

In January, our Socios received ad-free content and special episodes, including:

• Behind the scenes at Coutinho day at Barca
• Coutinho: The Heir to Iniesta’s Throne
• Zidane At The Crossroads
• Never Mind the Busquets… here’s Ivan Rakitic!

Plus

• The President’s Brain is Missing (or why Real Madrid need a director of football)
• Pep talk: with Jonathan Northcroft

Every month, the deal gets sweeter.

Graham

HELLO Big Interview listeners! Well, you’ve been very patient, so here it is: Part Two of my Big Interview with Terry Gibson.

And, I promise, it is well worth the wait. If you remember, at the end of Part One we left Terry after he had cut short an unfulfilling spell at Manchester United and signed for Wimbledon. We’ll pick up the story there, as Terry takes you inside that club and introduces you to the Crazy Gang.

The chances are you’ll have heard of them, but Terry takes us beyond the headlines and describes a group of rival factions who shared a dressing room. I found that fascinating but there was a happy ending, with Wimbledon going on to lift the 1988 FA Cup. Terry talks brilliantly about that cup run and the final against Liverpool.

I enjoy speaking to Terry and consider him a friend, but that’s not why I wanted him on the show. He also has a shrewd, brilliantly analytical football mind – just listen to how he takes clubs in England to task over their reliance on financial might instead of effective scouting.

This was fun to record and, I’m sure, will be entertaining to listen to. My conversation with Terry is free, with this month’s Big Interview with Roberto Di Matteo available exclusively at patreon.com/grahamhunter.

Become a Socio and you will unlock that interview as well as my chats with Rafael van der Vaart, Ledley King, Robbie Keane, Kevin Phillips and Jermain Defoe, plus hours more exclusive content. Every month the deal gets sweeter.

Enjoy!

Graham

HELLO Big Interview listeners! And a Happy New Year! We’ve picked out a juicy chunk of my Big Interview with Roberto Di Matteo. In this extract, Robbie talks about taking over Chelsea in March 2012 after the sacking of Andre Villas Boas.

Robbie describes the mixture of personalities as the most difficult dressing room he ever faced as a player or manager.

But it held the key to unbelievable success. Here, he talks through the incredible second leg of their last 16 tie and a nerve-shredding quarter-final win over Benfica.

But this is only a little piece of the full, 90-minute podcast. The full interview is available to Socios (there are over 600 of them now, and you can join the party by clicking here) and is just one of the podcasts we have been producing for them.

Subscribe now and you can listen to Big Interviews with Rafael van der Vaart, Ledley King, Robbie Keane  and Jermain Defoe right away!

In December, our Socios received over seven hours of ad-free content, including:

• The Big Inside View
• Guardiola v Mourinho: The Clásico Wars
• The Clasico Report

Plus

• The Bale Identity
• Countdown to the Clasico

Every month, the deal gets sweeter.

Graham

AS we recorded Season Two of The Big Interview, one theme tended to stand out above all others: street football. It seemed as though every one of our guests was able to share a memory of being a kid kicking a ball about on the street outside their house, in a nearby field, or simply against the door of a shed so, clearly, we were left with no choice but to bring those childhood tales together and to create a clip show dedicated to street football.

It is perhaps fitting that we begin with a history lesson, as Alex McLeish and Walter Smith recall the carefree days, coming home from school and rushing right back out the door to join in the game they knew was already under way at their local field. Mark Noble also remembers joining every youngster on his street to play a game on a school field behind their houses.

Thomas Hitzlsperger explains how he was able to transform the family farm into a football pitch to rival Wembley and Matt Le Tissier describes the game he made up for himself in his back garden and which honed his technique.

Those were idyllic childhood memories, but street football taught harsh lessons too. Just listen to the testimony of John Collins and Jonny Evans. Benni McCarthy will also take us on to the deadly streets of Cape Town, where playing football meant stopping occasionally to avoid a gangland shooting.

Street football is no longer a glorious part of growing up and, in the final part of this clip show Smith laments its loss, while Neil Lennon argues that the development of youth players is being stifled by too much coaching.

Remember, you can listen to this clip show ad free, as well as weekly episodes of our magazine show The Big Inside View and hours of other exclusive content, by becoming one of more than 650  Socios at www.patreon.com/grahamhunter

Enjoy!

Graham

HELLO and welcome to another Big Interview! This time it’s with Mr Terrence Gibson.

Now, I know Terry well given that we have both covered Spanish football during our careers, with Terry having become a respected co-commentator for Sky Sports since his playing days ended. But I was delighted that, during the course of our chat, I was still able to learn from him.

For example, in Part One of this Big Interview, Terry tells me about what – or who – scared him most when he was coming through at Tottenham; he describes what it was like to play in the infamous ‘Friday kick ups’ at Spurs, brutal games which took the place the day before big first-team matches; and he speaks honestly about how it felt to leave the club he has always supported.

Terry is very, very funny, but there is still frustration in his voice as he recounts a trying time at Manchester United under Roy Atkinson and then Sir Alex Ferguson, a manager with whom Terry had a massive fall out before moving on to have success at Wimbledon.

This was fun to record and, I’m sure, will be entertaining to listen to. My conversation with Terry is free, with this month’s Big Interview with Jermain Defoe available exclusively at patreon.com/grahamhunter.

Enjoy!

Graham