We arrive at 2004, the year of Frankee and Eamonn's musical back and forth, the blackberry, and one of the most unexpected tournaments in Euros history. We're in Portugal where there are teams on the up, like England, and teams on the down, like Germany. And this time there's a dark horse that no one expects will actually do anything apart from enjoy being there. How we never learn. This is Euro 2004 brought to you by the voices that lived and breathed it from across the...

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the year 2000 and whilst we might all have enjoyed some Roman Gladiator gore at the cinema, sending pictures via text, and donning our Juicy Couture tracksuits (oo, get you) there's some serious football to be played. Specifically in the regions of Belgium and The Netherlands as 16 of the best teams in Europe gathered to do battle. This tournament brought us the madness that was FR Yugoslavia 3-4 Spain, a big England win followed by a bigger England loss, and a team...

Football's coming home to England in this Euro 96 episode - if you can bear to relive it! We've got twice the amount of teams as before, a lot of optimism, and, of course, twists and turns as one team really ruffles some feathers. It's Euro 96 brought to you by the voices that lived and breathed it from across the continent. Teams Group A: England, Netherlands, Scotland and Switzerland Group B: Bulgaria, France, Romania and Spain Group C: Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and Russia Group D:...

It's 1992 and we are in Sweden for a tournament full of twists and turns, and a surprise addition who no one expects much off. Join journalists from across the continent as they relive this contest and its unexpected results. Teams Group 1: Denmark, England, France and Sweden Group 2: CIS, Germany, The Netherlands and Scotland Voices Host: Iain Macintosh Guests: Elko Born, Niels Harild, James Horncastle, Rafael Honigstein, Sasa Ibrulj, Oliver Kay, Julien Laurens, Olof Lundh, and Stewart...

This is the story of Euro 88 told by experts from across the continent bringing their memories and stories as well as the facts and the iconic moments from the tournament. Without a single goalless draw or a sending off it is a tournament filled with drama and unexpected moments. Teams Group 1: Denmark, Italy, Spain, and West Germany Group 2: England, Ireland, Netherlands, and the Soviet Union Voices Host: Iain Macintosh Guests: Elko Born, Dion Fanning, Sasha Goryunov, James Horncastle,...

Coming soon... head back in time to the European Championships of years gone by to hear memories, stories and music from some of your favourite football journalists.

In our final episode we tell the Steven Gerrard story, from those who played with him at Liverpool, to those who worked with him as a pundit, to the man who hired him for the Rangers job, and we hear from Gerrard himself. As for Rangers we answer questions about how they did it, and how they overtook Celtic's nine years of dominance, and whether this is the start of a new era where Rangers will be dominating Scottish football. Show Notes Become a subscriber to The Athletic here and hear this...

In this episode we get the inside story on Mark Warburton's time at Rangers ask how he created a side that eased to the Championship title, but then quickly capitulated in the Premiership. And we ask whether there was anything good to come from the abysmal reign of Pedro Caixinha. Show Notes Become a subscriber to The Athletic here and hear this podcast, and others, without ads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we head down to the fourth division and ask: why did Rangers make such hard work of an apparently easy task? What’s Ally McCoist’s lasting legacy? And importantly, was any of it fun? Hear the story of Rangers' first game against Brechin City, through their promotions up to the Championship where the Rangers machine stuttered in the play off final to Motherwell. Show Notes Become a subscriber to The Athletic here and hear this podcast, and others, without ads. Learn more about...

Rangers didn’t just win the Scottish Premiership this year, they absolutely obliterated the field, unbeaten at the time of writing and with the added bonus of stopping Celtic win their tenth title in a row. It’s been quite a journey back to the top, a journey they started from the very bottom. Over the course of the next four episodes you will hear the full story about why Rangers fell in the first place, how they climbed back to the summit of Scottish Football, and a rookie manager with no...

Coming soon, the comprehensive story of Rangers fall from the Premiership and rise back through the leagues to the Premiership title

Justin Fashanu would have been 60 this year. Everyone knows how he died, but what about how he lived? This 'Beyond The Headline' special explores Fashanu's experiences as a result of becoming the first British male footballer to come out as gay, the struggles and contradictions of his life, a complicated legacy and its impact on the sport today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are many questions around the ability and character of Big Sam: Why do clubs keep hiring Sam Allardyce? And why do clubs then often get rid of him? Is he best at clubs that really need him, rather than clubs that he needs? Of course the biggest one right now is has he bitten off more than even he can chew at West Brom? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Sam Allardyce arrived at Bolton they were in the bottom half of the second tier. Eight years later, he left the club as Premier League stalwarts with a couple of trips to Europe and a string of bloodied noses in their wake. After an ill-fated spell at Newcastle his career since then has been a patchwork of clubs who’ve hired Allardyce because they have to, not necessarily because they want to, and it hasn’t ended well at most of them. Including, of course, his one-game spell as England...

Sam Allardyce was, unsurprisingly, a no-nonsense centre-back in his playing days, but a brief spell in America opened his eyes to a more advanced way of approaching football, which informed his work as a manager. We look at those early days, what he did then and how they shaped the Sam Allardyce that became Big Sam Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Allardyce seemingly can’t quit English football, and English football can’t quit him. But why? Why does football keep coming back to Sam Allardyce?  To answer those questions, and more, you’ll from Big Sam himself, those who have worked for him, and those who’ve witnessed the full Big Sam experience. You can hear it all from February 1 - and ad free via The Athletic app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Manchester City gathered a staggering 198 points in Pep Guardiola’s second and third seasons at the club. But since then, things haven’t gone so well, so in Episode Two of this two-part special on Guardiola, we wonder whether it actually is good for the club that he’s signed a new contract, whether he can fix their problems and whether he will actually see out that new deal… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pep Guardiola tends to burn brightly, but relatively briefly. He spent four years at Barcelona before the pressures of managing them became too much, and three years at Bayern which were glorious domestically, but he fell short in Europe. In Episode One of our two-part special, we look at what his time in Spain and Germany could tell us about his future in England, with Manchester City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In November 2019, Pep Guardiola signed a new contract at Manchester City, which would take his time at the club to seven years. On a two-part special of Beyond The Headline, we consider whether this is actually good news for City. Can he fix the problems that have become evident in the last two seasons? What does his past tell us about City’s future? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The €222million fee that PSG paid for Neymar is so big that it may never be topped, but its significance extends far beyond that. We explain how it changed football in France, how it contributed to Leo Messi almost leaving Barcelona, and how it allowed Liverpool to build their current great team…

In the summer of 2017, PSG had absolutely no plans to sign Neymar or any superstar, intending instead to build sensibly. Then they got a call that changed not only their plans, but the football world. This is how and why the most significant transfer of all time happened…

Neymar was a household name before he even made his debut for Santos. We explore how he quickly became the most important player for not only his club but country, his controversial move to Barcelona and what should have been his greatest night at the Nou Camp… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neymar’s €222million move from Barcelona in 2017 was not only the most expensive transfer of all time, but it also led to Liverpool winning the Premier League, it changed Ligue 1 and was a major factor in the crisis that has engulfed Barcelona. Beyond The Headline explains how… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part 1. Mike Ashley bought Newcastle United in 2007. Ten managers, two relegations and two promotions later, his era seemed to be drawing to a close in the summer of 2020. What happened along the way? Journalists and supporters recount the highs and lows. Warning: Episode contains explicit recordings of the Joe Kinnear press conference...

Part 2. What went wrong with the proposed takeover of Newcastle United in 2020? Who were the buyers? Why did Mike Ashley want to sell? And why did it all go so horribly wrong? Journalists and supporters recall the epic story that gripped the North-East this summer.