The Slum Sport: The Pivotal 1985/86 English First Division with Chris Lepkowski

I am joined today by Simon Binns, whose new book is a biography of the famously left-wing and rebellious Paris club, Red Star.    Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history. Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X Check out Chris Lee's three books: ·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World ·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism ·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is Chris Lepkowski, whose new book, The Slum Sport, tells the story of the difficult post-Heysel, post-Bradford fire season, when English football was at its lowest ebb and hooliganism was rife. Chris argues that the 1985/86 season was, in many ways, a turning point that led ultimately to the creation of the Premier League in 1992. Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history. Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X Check out Chris Lee's three books: ·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World ·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism ·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is BBC journalist Alex Bysouth, whose new book, Football for the Soul, covers his search to rediscover 'the beauty in the beautiful game'. It's a journey that takes him to Bilbao, Naples, Paris, Cambridge, and elsewhere. Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history. Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X Check out Chris Lee's three books: ·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World ·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism ·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football  

I am joined by Brendan Madden, otherwise known as 'Fútbol es La Leche' on social media. His new book, Once Upon a Time in La Liga, is a brilliant collection of short stories of lesser known incidents and characters from Spanish football history.  Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history. Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X Check out Chris Lee's three books: ·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World ·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism ·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football  

My guest is Alan McDougall, whose latest book, Dreams and Songs to Sing, is a people's history of Liverpool FC. We discuss the club's role in the city and abroad, Liverpool's identity, and how the club's success has often been at odds with the city's fortunes. Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history. Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X Check out Chris Lee's three books: ·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World ·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism ·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football  

I am joined for a second time by Christopher Evans, author of Los Leones, the definitive biography in English of Athletic Club de Bilbao, to discuss the incredible story of several Basque refugee children who came to Britain to escape the Spanish Civil War and ended up becoming prominent footballers. This is the post I referenced in the interview about the Clapton Community Football Club International Brigades away shirt.  The second part of the podcast is a talk I gave recently on the history of football against fascism for Brigata Ultra Clapton and the Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia (ANPI - the National Italian Partisans' Association) Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history. Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X Check out Chris Lee's three books: ·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World ·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism ·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

My guest is Rory Bryce from the Football Heritage website and podcast. We're looking at how clubs and nations are, or should, celebrate their football history. Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history. Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X Check out Chris Lee's three books: ·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World ·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism ·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football  

My guest is Dr Pavel Brunssen from the University of Heidelberg in Germany. His new book explores four European clubs with a Jewish connection: Ajax, Bayern München, FK Austria Wien and Tottenham Hotspur. How did these identities come about, and why are they often problematic? Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history. Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, Instagram, and X Check out Chris Lee's three books: ·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World ·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism ·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football

Latin Americanist, Dr Pete Watson from the University of Leeds in England, joins me for a record fifth appearance to discuss the cultural significance of Diego Armando Maradona ahead of the fifth anniversary of his passing later this year. Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history. Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and X Check out Chris Lee's three books: ·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World ·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism ·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football  

My guest is Eli Mengem from the YouTube channel, Copa90. We discuss his career highlights, such as the Copa Libertadores final that never was between Boca and River, and 'Once in a Lifetime' about Argentina's 2022 World Cup win. We also discuss his favourite groundhopping experiences and where he'd like to go but hasn't yet... Visit Outside Write on Substack for more groundhopping and football history. Follow Outside Write on social media, on Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, and X Check out Chris Lee's three books: ·      Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World ·      The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism ·      Shades of Green: A Journey into Irish Football