Episode 44: The Soccer War by Ryszard Kapuściński

🎧 Episode 46 is out now — and it’s the most Alistair-esque episode yet.   That’s right, we’re doing our best to distract poor Al from events at the City Ground by diving into Psycho — the autobiography of his all-time hero, Stuart Pearce. ❤️🌳   The all-tackling, all-scoring, punk-loving left-back spent 12 loyal years at Nottingham Forest, sticking around even after relegation. Fierce, frugal, and forever Forest — Pearce is the kind of player they just don’t make anymore.   In this episode, expect: Some serious Forest fanboying 🌲 Tales of punk rock and penalty misses 🎸😬 A begrudging appreciation of Psycho’s sensible money habits 💷   💬 Drop us a comment and you’ll be in with a chance to win a copy of Jim McGuinness’ The Miracle of Castel di Sangro!   Give it a listen. Psycho would. 💥👊

🎧 Injury Time 15: The Mayor of Barnet Fair – Football’s Worst Haircuts 💈⚽ It’s a question as old as the combover: who had football’s worst-ever haircut? From tragic trims to peroxide crimes, we’ve gathered the very worst in a draft showdown that pits one smorgasbord of shockers against another. There are two routes to hair hell: Trying too hard 💇‍♂️ Not trying at all 🪮 In this episode, we explore both — and find out which is the fastest path to follicular failure. 🎙️ Tune in for: ✂️ Alistair’s own haircutting tips for the budget-conscious 🎤 Some unexpected hair/rap etymology 🍑 And a troubling impression of Ballon d’Or winner Bobby Charlton’s lovemaking… And of course, we find out whether Alistair can level the series and prevent Johnny from stretching his lead to two. The winner gets to graze his sheep on the common lands around ye olde Barnet Fair…

🎧 Episode 45 is OUT NOW! ⚽🐭   He’s King Kev in England, Mäuserich (Mighty Mouse) in Germany — and everywhere he goes, he’s a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, European Cup champ, and all-round lovely fella. We are talking of course about Kevin Keegan. Sure, he’s a bit hapless at times but in the words of Bill Shankly, Keegan is “everything a man should be.” In this episode, we dive into Kevin Keegan’s 2019 autobiography My Life in Football, ghostwritten by known Forest supporter Daniel Taylor. From humble beginnings to European superstardom, it’s the story of, in his own words or those of Daniel Taylor, a “mongrel who made it to Crufts”. But Kev, you are so much more than that - a whirlwind player, a plucky manager, a hair innovavtor, and a reasonably singer… 🕵️‍♂️ Tune in to discover: How many times he was savagely beaten 😬 What his grandad did to inspire a whole poem ✍️ What he really thinks of Andy Cole 😅 And… who in the world doesn’t know who Per Mertesacker is!? 🤯

Matthew Jarvis 20:16 – “So the last shall be first, and the first last.”    In this episode, we turn things on their head 🙃. We’re picking the worst players to notch up at least 100 Premier League appearances – that’s right, the aim of this draft is to lose. 🫣   Sure, if you’ve played 100 times in the EPL, you’re probably half-decent… but some of these lads were still pretty damn rubbish. 🗑️⚽   🎧 Tune in to find out who out of Alistair and Johnny assembled the em… rubbish-est.

📚 Episode 44 is here! This week, we’re diving into The Soccer War by Ryszard Kapuściński 🇵🇱 — the legendary Polish reporter, a writer who happened to be a journalist (in his own words) and a man who played fast and loose with the truth, it seems.   ⚔️ The book centres on the 1969 war between Central American neighbours El Salvador 🇸🇻 and Honduras 🇭🇳 — a conflict that lasted just four days, but claimed thousands of lives, with most of the victims being civilians.   There may be a bit more war than soccer in this— and not just in Central America. From despots to desks, Kapuściński takes no prisoners. There’s also a surprise appearance by the lesser known author, Ted Stoves. 🎙️ Tune in to find out: Whether Al can pronounce Kap…Kapuś…Kapuściński 🫣 And whether Johnny can be trusted to buy a book on Kindle 📲📕

How do you follow a 5-time Ballon D’or winner? Well, with an 8-time Ballon D’or Winner of course. That’s right, its Part II of the Guillem Balague GOAT saga and our review of his biography of one Lionel Messi.   Originally published in 2013 but updated for the Argentina World Cup win in 2022, the book is a long one, covering the descent from heaven of the baby Messi to the unassuming city of Rosario, tucked away on the Rio Paraná, a few hundred miles inland from Buenos Aires.   With interviews from various people who touched the hem of his garment along the way, the book very extensively covers how Messi touched the lives of the earthlings who had the privilege of sharing the planet with him. The book also includes references to El Diablo, Cristiano Ronaldo, with a sterling supporting role from arch bean-counter, Jorge Messi. And of course, Messi’s grandmother.    As of some day last week, we were just two spots below Balague in the football podcast charts so please do have a listen and give us the chance of leapfrogging the Messi hagiographer. And if you like it, well please do like it…

It’s our 28th episode and we are starting the new year with the first part of the Balague GOAT saga. First up is his award-winning biography of Cristiano Ronaldo.   This player certainly needs no introduction but if you insist then 5 Champions League wins, 5 Ballons D’or, and seven straight calendar years in which he scored more than 50 goals will surely suffice.   We had initially planned to read Balague’s Messi biography first, but when we learned we had 7 days to get through its 796 pages, we pivoted and decided instead to read the mere 384 pages he wrote on his sworn enemy instead. But worry not dear listener, for Messi is up next (assuming we can finish it in time…).   Happy New Year folks. Please do listen, like and subscribe.

⚽ Injury Time 13: The Steve McMahon Windscreens Shield – a Wrong ’Uns draft ⚽   OUT NOW! 🎧   What makes a wrong ’un? Cheating on your wife? ❌ Not necessarily. Cheating on your wife for eight years… with your sister-in-law? ✅ That probably qualifies.   It’s hard to define, but you know one when you see one.   In Injury Time 13, we each draft our Top 5 Wrong ’Uns to go head-to-head — elbow-to-face — with Artificial Intelligence running the match simulation and delivering an unimpeachable result.   🏆 Is Joey Barton – the crème de la crème of the wrong ’un trade – actually good enough to make either team? 🤏 Has Dennis Wise been picked to pinch the hands of opponents as he hauls them off the turf? 👟 Will Michael Brown get his chance to leave stud marks where they hurt most?   Listen now to find out… and prepare for 5-a-side at its most petty, cynical, and gloriously spiteful.

🎙️ Episode 43 of the Dynamo Football Bookclub is out!   💆‍♂️ Massage parlour, 💅 beauty parlour… Ray Parlour.   That’s right — it’s only Ray Parlour’s autobiography, The Romford Pelé! 📖⚽   Fun fact: Parlour has played in the Premier League for Arsenal more times than any other player 🔴⚪  He’s also a cheeky chappie who stole potted plants 🪴, terrorised poor old Martin Keown, and torpedoed his own England career 🌪️ by failing to understand the importance of faith healing.   It’s Episode 43 of the 🎧 Dynamo Football Bookclub, and we’re diving into the book of the Parlour who brought the 😂light relief to those legendary Arsenal squads of the late ’90s and early ’00s 🏆👊.  

🎧 Episode 12 of Injury Time is here! 🎙️   It’s the Great African Draft Showdown — Johnny’s Danny Invincible 11s take on Alistair’s Orlando Pirates in a five-a-side battle to determine who really knows their African football EPL legends. 🇿🇦⚽🇪🇬🇨🇲   Our hosts pick their best five-a-side teams of African Premier League players and AI tells us who’d win.   With 33 of Africa’s 54 nations represented in the Premier League to date, the talent pool is deep… but that doesn’t mean it was easy, some positions are stacked (hello, strikers 😅), others… not so much (goalkeeper, anyone? 🧤).   Check out and let us know who you think were the most under-rated African players to play in the EPL. We’d love to hear from you.