"The Hermit Kingdom": Football in Stalinist Albania

My guest is Roberto Pennino, whose book 'Immortal Torino' covers the story of 'Il Grande Torino' - the Great Torino FC side that dominated Italian football in the 1940s. Tragically, the team and coaching staff all died as their plane descended into Turin on the way home from a friendly match in Lisbon against Benfica, crashing into the Basilica di Superga. 

My guest is Phil Harrison, whose debut book explores football in Europe's last communist state, Albania. It's a fascinated story of football in a secretive and isolated country.

My guest is Ruben Clark (RM Clark), whose new book Winner Stays On covers his travels around England following clubs through every round of the FA Cup, trailing the winner of matches into the next round all the way up to the final. It's a fascinating insight into the English regions and the football pyramid.

My guest is Miguel Lourenço Pereira, who's written a number of football books, but his latest is his first in English, Bring Me That Horizon. It's all about getting to know Portugal through its football. We discuss Portugal's footballing roots and history under the long Salazar dictatorship and the role of football in its demise. We discuss the great players, like Eusébio and other stars from the African colonies, the great 'Golden Generation' Portuguese side of the 1990s and early 2000s, the Big Three, groundhopping, and more...

My guest is Peter Cinnamond from the Kicking Match podcast, which covers the Irish League/NIFL. We discuss groundhopping in Northern Ireland, covering famous clubs like Linfield and Glentoran, as well as some of the many great grounds that groundhoppers can discover in Belfast and beyond. We also look at some of the political history of the Irish League, which led to the loss of Belfast Celtic and Derry City.

After a successful 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, what does the future hold for women's football? My guest is journalist and author Carrie Dunn, who discusses some of the topics she raises in her latest book 'Woman Up: Pitches, Pay and Periods. The Progress and Potential of Women's Football'

My guest is Stephen C. Brandt, whose latest book explores the history of one of Brazil's most famous clubs, Flamengo. We discuss the history of the carioca club from its roots at a rowing team's footballing branch up to Copa Libertadores champions.

My guest is Matt Riley, who spent several years in Thailand exploring its football. He has chronicled the Thai game in his new book, 'Thai Football Tales: A Beautiful Madness'. His stories are quite something, give it a spin...

My guest for his third appearance is Daniel Williamson as he discusses his new book on Ronaldo Nazário - the original Ronaldo for people of a certain age... We look at his career from his teen breakthrough in Brazil through to his moves to PSV, Barça, Inter, Madrid, Milan and, of course, his international career.

My guest is Alex Ireland to discuss his book 'Pretty Poly: The History of the Football Shirt'. We cover everything from the origins of football shirts, to the emergence of numbering, sponsors' logos, new technologies and the retro appeal of football shirts.